D&D 5E Archetypes to add to 5e

[Garthanos]

Would Disneys now White count as a ranger too?

I cast her as a swarm druid ... particularly from Shrek

 

[Vael]

I think that last part varies by culture - In Filipino babaylan tradition, channeling or possession is very much on the table but it depends on the spirit. Though it is not a universal aspect, so we can leave it out if need be.

This is definitely out of my expertise, but this post reminds me that while a lot of DnD archetypes have been covered, that is biased towards western pop fantasy, I'm sure there is plenty of material outside that space.

 

[Undrave]

So a concept, rather than a real archetype, that I've had in mind ever since the Seeker bellyflopped onto the scene was that of a character who uses a sling to throw seeds that then instantly grow into plants and trees with various auras. They would also have abilities to leave thriving greenery behind them. They would seek out areas where battles, monsters or planar invasion have ruined the natural world and restore them.

Ever watched The Man Who Planted Trees? Kinda like that but with like... a Ranger or something that can fight.

The Ranger would be a good base and I think I might try my hand at a home-brew version.

 

[Remathilis]

Fighting Man Person.

Magic User.

Anything after that is gravy. Who needs a Core Fore when you have the Nu Two?

Why stop there. You're so close to a classless system, go for the killing blow and allow characters to learn magic and swordplay as skills and you're done!

 

[Umbran]

We need an Armchair Warrior.

We already have that - it is called "a Player".

 

[Garthanos]

Why stop there. You're so close to a classless system, go for the killing blow and allow characters to learn magic and swordplay as skills and you're done!

Which magic item do you choose the scroll or the magic shield...

 

[Vael]

I was reading Keith Baker's Site, and he mentioned a class that had been considered for Eberron, the Journeyman.

There was another class we considered when we were originally developing Eberron. We called it the Journeyman, but “Everyman” or “Unlikely Hero” would have worked just as well. In pulp stories, you often have a normal person who gets swept up in the adventure and carried along with the heroes. A nosy reporter, a bartender whose bar got burnt down, a spunky kid, a nightclub singer who just happened to be dating the hero. We considered a variation of this for Eberron: the character who is NOT an adventurer, not a warrior or a wizard, but who nonetheless gets caught up and carried along with the adventurers… the Watson to Holmes, or the Xander to Buffy.

The Journeyman would be something of a skill monkey, because the point was that they HAD a normal profession and might be quite good at it. But the main strength of the Journeyman is amazing, pulp-level luck.

One of the reasons I do enjoy Sorcerers so much is that they can play the reluctant adventurer, power is their birthright, but it's not like the other spellcasters that have pursued their power, made it their profession.

And while DnD has always made PCs the heroes, it might be fun to play the Xander, or heck, a Doctor's Companion. I could imagine a DnD campaign with an Artificer and their magical box and a bunch of Journeymen that got caught up in the ride.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Why stop there. You're so close to a classless system, go for the killing blow and allow characters to learn magic and swordplay as skills and you're done!

Which explains why D&D has thrived when so many classless RPGs have fallen by the wayside: anyone with experience of classless systems knows that given the choice between magic and martial prowess every player chooses some mixture of both.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Tony Vargas]

Cu was mentioned in the PHB of 2e...

So were a lot of legendary figures, most of which had little in common with the classes they were being called out as representative of.

Magical beauty is a D&D archetype. We see it explicitly in Dryad, Succubus, and other creatures. It is part of the flavor of the Elf, albeit absent from the mechanics, albeit again, it surfaces in the mechanics of the Charismatic Drow and the Charismatic Eladrin.

'cept CHA's not s'posed t'be looks - thus briefly having the 7th COM stat.

But, yes, the archetype is there for female-appearing monsters. And does draw some criticism: it's evidence that D&D is a heteronormative, male-gaze, bastion of abhorrent old-school sexism (as if the reported behavior of D&Ders weren't enough proof).
A PC option would be even more problematic.

Also, magical beauty helps clarify the meaning of Charisma. In some old school traditions, physical beauty corresponded to the Charisma score. However, Charisma is a mental ability, not a physical ability. The 1e UA attempted to emphasize the difference.

OK, you do remember COM.