D&D (2024) How quickly should WOTC add new classes?

[CleverNickName]

If you put the game mechanics aside and just look at them thematically, the similarities between the arcane classes far outweigh any of their differences:

A wizard is a mage who studies different schools of magic, and carries a book of spells and a familiar.

A sorcerer is a mage who studies different schools of has a bloodline mixed with magic, and carries a book of spells magical bloodline and a familiar.

A warlock is a mage who studies different schools of sold their soul to be able to use magic, and carries a book of spells, a talisman, a sword, and or a familiar.

An artificer is a mage who studies different schools of magic technologies, and carries around a book of spells set of tools and a familiar automaton.

So are the game mechanics alone enough to justify having four different classes and about 40 subclasses? I don't think so. I'd prefer to have one unified set of mechanics for all "Mages," and then put all of these different themes as subclasses under it. For my nickel, I'd want arcane spellcasters in my campaign to have a small selection of spells that reset on a short rest, so I'd use the spellcasting framework of the warlock as my "Mage Class," and then put all five dozen arcane spellcasting subclasses under it.

 

[mamba]

No, not really. This is an imaginary past. Original Edition had only three

I am aware, 1e already had the Thief however. Aeons are not just a moment in time. I mean we are talking what, 50 years ago vs 45 years ago? Seems like the three classes was a short time in comparison

 

[Vaalingrade]

IF we're getting rid of ANY classes, it better be the wizard. They're the one keeping everyone else from having nice things.

 

[MoonSong]

and THEN Sorcery Incarnate, which is a BONUS action and gives you access to new subclass features too!

A bonus action that still consumes a slot (a big one) and requires concentration, thus limits you to casting cantrips during that turn, so you get no benefit until the turn after it, and it consumes a fifth level slot, which means that a lot of the spells you get to cast with it will be all lower level for a while and even then you can't use it to cast any concentration spell because if you do, it ends. That is not to mention that dragon wings got modified to only work with it being active with pity damage being tacked on top.

 

[Shardstone]

A bonus action that still consumes a slot (a big one) and requires concentration, thus limits you to casting cantrips during that turn, so you get no benefit until the turn after it, and it consumes a fifth level slot, which means that a lot of the spells you get to cast with it will be all lower level for a while and even then you can't use it to cast any concentration spell because if you do, it ends. That is not to mention that dragon wings got modified to only work with it being active with pity damage being tacked on top.

No benefits? That isn't true, you get the benefits of the spell. On top of that, being able to transform and sling out a powerful cantrip is the same as the barbarian transforming and making a weapon attack. Sorry, I just don't think the drawbacks you say are there are as severe as they are being portrayed! And think about the FLAVOR! My Sorcerer has a SSJ form now!? WOOOORD

 

[CleverNickName]

IF we're getting rid of ANY classes, it better be the wizard. They're the one keeping everyone else from having nice things.

I did this in my home game.

Well, sort of. After everyone had finished rolling up their characters, I removed all of the classes that nobody chose. So in my game world, there are only Artificers, Druids, Fighters, Monks, and Rogues. Now, all arcane magic is done by artificers, who utilize the recently-uncovered technologies of an ancient mysterious race to power their spells, and there's this experimental, fake-it-till-you-make-it approach to magical mastery. It's all very steampunk (or maybe magicpunk? Dungeonpunk?)

It might not be the solution you were looking for, but it works better than I thought it would. If nobody in the group wants to play a paladin, why am I wasting brain-space on paladins?

 

[Vaalingrade]

I did this in my home game.

Well, sort of. After everyone had finished rolling up their characters, I removed all of the classes that nobody chose. So in my game world, there are only Artificers, Druids, Fighters, Monks, and Rogues. Now, all arcane magic is done by artificers, who utilize the recently-uncovered technologies of an ancient mysterious race to power their spells, and there's this experimental, fake-it-till-you-make-it approach to magical mastery. It's all very steampunk (or maybe magicpunk? Dungeonpunk?)

It might not be the solution you were looking for, but it works better than I thought it would. If nobody in the group wants to play a paladin, why am I wasting brain-space on paladins?

Extreme, but an intriguing method of communal world-building.

Did they know they were making this choice for the world?

Also, Dungeonpunk.

 

[CleverNickName]

Extreme, but an intriguing method of communal world-building.

Did they know they were making this choice for the world?

Also, Dungeonpunk.

Yep. I told them that they could use whatever classes they wanted to use, in any books or any PDFs from DM's Guild, without any restrictions...but once they had made their choices, all of the other options would be permanently removed. I told them that their choices would shape the way that magic works in the game.

The example I gave them was Sabriel by Garth Nix. "If you roll up a bard, arcane magic in this game will look a lot like it does in the Sabriel books." They thought it was a cool idea. "Okay Bob, you decide how arcane magic works. Joe, you like playing healers so you take divine magic. I'll figure out if the guards are all fighters or monks..."

 

[Micah Sweet]

Aeons ago there were 4 classes

I am not sure why these all have to be separate classes instead of being subclasses under existing ones. Might come down to a case by case basis.

My main objection to more classes (rather than subclasses) is that once you figure out the power progression and overarching theme (arcane magic user), it is relatively easy to add a balanced subclass to fill in a theme.

If you always start from scratch that is more work and probably less balanced.

Except many of the classes don't really give you a lot of design space to work with in the archetypes. They're too small a part of the whole package.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I did this in my home game.

Well, sort of. After everyone had finished rolling up their characters, I removed all of the classes that nobody chose. So in my game world, there are only Artificers, Druids, Fighters, Monks, and Rogues. Now, all arcane magic is done by artificers, who utilize the recently-uncovered technologies of an ancient mysterious race to power their spells, and there's this experimental, fake-it-till-you-make-it approach to magical mastery. It's all very steampunk (or maybe magicpunk? Dungeonpunk?)

It might not be the solution you were looking for, but it works better than I thought it would. If nobody in the group wants to play a paladin, why am I wasting brain-space on paladins?

That would be a fun experiment to try sometime.