Level Up (A5E) Class redesign

[Azzy]

I don't think there needs to be a choice at every level. In 3e, you practically needed an Excel sheet to keep track of everything as you leveled up.

 

[Haldrik]

Different strokes for different folks. The spellcasters presently all get to pick new things each level - new spells. The non-casters don't.

Both of these should be fixed; we need both simple casters and complex and varied warriors. Varied warriors seem to be well in hand.

But I also recommend for example an elementalist pyromancer whose only spells are things like firebolt, scorching burst, fireball, fiendfyre, cloak of flames, and teleporting between fires. But e.g. their fires get caustic and stick to things as they level up delivering damage over time as well as doing extra damage.

Having a default that preselects every choice, keeps things simple for players who want simple.

The option to swap features for different features, allows customization for players who want customization.

 

[aco175]

I liked 4e where you get a utility power a couple times. You also got to choose from a few per class to choose from.

 

[Neonchameleon]

Having a default that preselects every choice, keeps things simple for players who want simple.

No it doesn't. 13 spells that each have different effects in play and are situational is 13 spells and leads to analysis paralysis. It doesn't matter whether those 13 spells were all pre-selected or you had to dig them out of a list of 100. It still leads to analysis paralysis.

Worse yet it leads to analysis paralysis in play - which is harmful to everyone rather than analysis paralysis at level up which is easy to deal with.

 

[Haldrik]

No it doesn't. 13 spells that each have different effects in play and are situational is 13 spells and leads to analysis paralysis. It doesn't matter whether those 13 spells were all pre-selected or you had to dig them out of a list of 100. It still leads to analysis paralysis.

Worse yet it leads to analysis paralysis in play - which is harmful to everyone rather than analysis paralysis at level up which is easy to deal with.

To be fair, 13 preselected spells is simpler than 113 optional spells.




I suspect you mean, you want a class that focuses on only one to four spells that advance across all 20 levels. In other words, it is more like a superhero with a special superpower. It is an important archetype in many speculative genres. There is a need for such a class in D&D.

 

[EscherEnigma]

My ideal "redesign" would be to break down classes into a level-based classless system, and then re-present the classes as "kits". So folks that want to stick with the simpler option have a pre-made class have that option, but someone that wants to combine rage with arcane casting as a custom "class" had that option too.

But that's a pretty drastic do-over, and might make unique features less common, so I don't expect it. But that's the ideal (for me, anyway).

 

[Stalker0]

Considering compatibility with 5e is part of the package, going classless is not going to happen. It’s just not, that’s not 5e

 

[EscherEnigma]

Having read most of the thread now... I like the idea of ten level classes. A few of the 5e base classes sort of do that anyway, and it would encourage design that attaches a "cap stone" at level ten, which would be neat cause a lot more folk reach 10 then 20.

Also would mean that not all sub-classes need a concept that can carry then from 1 to 20.

Might mean the multiclass roles would need a but more polish though. But that'd be nice regardless.

 

[aco175]

I could see caster options that allow me to make an specialist mage with just a few spells, maybe it would be more a sorcerer in that I could modify the low level spells with boosting powers. I could specialize with magic missile and be able to cast higher damaging missiles and more numbers, maybe add an elemental component. Some of this is in the base spells already with them getting better as higher level slots and some may overlap with metamagic feats already.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I would be ok with looking into eliminating archtypes at 3rd level and replace it with multi-classing, even keeping the single class. This allows the option of changing your character over time with new abilities. Give a new level when you get archtype benefits. If someone wants to keep straight class, then they get more single class abilities- not sure if they would/should be better than the choice of multi-classing.

Make a new path/prestige class at higher level/tier. Somewhere over 10th level so some games can use it and other games may never get that high. This would make for a cool bad guy with prestige powers that the PCs do not have yet.

I want a stronger disincentive for single level dipping, possibly including a minimum level requirement before you can change classes. I would also be happy with eliminating multiclassing altogether and replacing it with modular class features similar to the recent UA. That would allow the meaningful choices every level most people seem to want.