D&D 5E I want more flavorful wizard subclasses.

[BookTenTiger]

I totally agree.

A lot of subclasses help tell the story of your character. You joined the Circle of the Moon over the Circle of Land. You have the blood of a dragon. You made a pact with a fiend.

When comparing the sorcerer, warlock, and wizard, the sorcerer was born a spellcaster and the warlock gains their power from a greater being. Out of the three, only the Wizard chose to study magic. It's a lifelong commitment.

I would want subclasses that help tell the story of WHY you chose to study magic.

Here are some ideas (some existing, some new):

War Mage: you studied magic to become a master of battle. I'd combine War Mage and Bladesinger into one battle-focused subclass.

Conjurer: you studied magic in order to summon and control powerful beings. This could be a pet-based class that chooses undead, friends, fey, etc. to summon.

Hedge Wizard: you studied magic to survive on the outskirts of society. Just as Arcane Trickster gives some spellcasting abilities to rogues, this subclass could give some rogue or bard abilities to the Wizard!

Arcanist: you studied magic to become a master of the arcane arts. This could be a specialist class that focuses on knowledge and empowering or modifying signature spells.


To me, subclasses like these would tell more interesting stories.

 

[Tonguez]

Mix Schools Illusion + Enchantment = Fey Enchanter/Enchantress

I totally agree.

A lot of subclasses help tell the story of your character. You joined the Circle of the Moon over the Circle of Land. You have the blood of a dragon. You made a pact with a fiend.

When comparing the sorcerer, warlock, and wizard, the sorcerer was born a spellcaster and the warlock gains their power from a greater being. Out of the three, only the Wizard chose to study magic. It's a lifelong commitment.

I would want subclasses that help tell the story of WHY you chose to study magic.

Here are some ideas (some existing, some new):

Hedge Wizard: you studied magic to survive on the outskirts of society. Just as Arcane Trickster gives some spellcasting abilities to rogues, this subclass could give some rogue or bard abilities to the Wizard!

so you'd be a Bard?

nice idea though I too would like a Summoner subclass, a Beguiler (Enchanter+Illusion), an Incantatrix (Abjuration + Spell stealing), a Shadow/Light Weaver (Illusion + Transmutation) and a Elementalist

 

[Kobold Stew]

I'd like a Hedge Mage, the conjurer of cheap tricks, the wizard school dropout. Maybe they can make quick escapes, getting to disengage as a bonus action, or maybe a souped-up Prestidigitation to fool people out of gold.

Isn't this exactly what the Magic Initiate feat gives you?
Or a Arcane Trickster?
Or a multiclass character with 1-2 levels of Wizard and one of Rogue?

I feel the Hedge Mage is already really well supported in the game, without a dedicated subclass.

Maybe an Arcane Historian, getting expertise in Arcana and History, and some enhanced divination. More interesting than "Diviner."

Again, a single 1-level dip into Rogue gives you the expertise, and the Sage background gives you the skills, if you don't take them with the class. (Even if you don't want to multiclass, skill expert feat in Tasha's gives you expertise in one skill, and (I exepct) something granting expertise will be in the new PHB.

 

[BookTenTiger]

Isn't this exactly what the Magic Initiate feat gives you?
Or a Arcane Trickster?
Or a multiclass character with 1-2 levels of Wizard and one of Rogue?

I feel the Hedge Mage is already really well supported in the game, without a dedicated subclass.

Again, a single 1-level dip into Rogue gives you the expertise, and the Sage background gives you the skills, if you don't take them with the class. (Even if you don't want to multiclass, skill expert feat in Tasha's gives you expertise in one skill, and (I exepct) something granting expertise will be in the new PHB.

One of the fun things about 5e class design (to me) is that there are multiple pathways you can take towards similar character concepts.

Want to be a character who can both heal and fight? Paladin, moon druid, war domain cleric... Want to be an arcane spellcaster who also fights with a sword? Bladesinger, Hexblade, College of Swords Bard...

I wouldn't see a problem having a Wizard subclass that can lead to a similar concept as a multiclassed rogue or someone with the Magic Initiate feat. The Hedge Wizard is such a relatable trope, it just feels like a cool character concept that could be supported by a subclass.

 

[ad_hoc]

I love how flavourful the Diviner is.

Portent is both a fun ability to use and also cool for the narrative as the character foresees the future. Gaining back spell slots on using Divination spells also really helps them be able to use those spells regularly.

I'm happy with the theming of the subclasses, it's just that some of them could be done better.

Enchantment and Necromancy are always going to be weird too b/c they're basically the evil subclasses and we don't get other ones like that in the PHB.

 

[Kobold Stew]

One of the fun things about 5e class design (to me) is that there are multiple pathways you can take towards similar character concepts.

I agree.

Want to be a character who can both heal and fight? Paladin, moon druid, war domain cleric... Want to be an arcane spellcaster who also fights with a sword? Bladesinger, Hexblade, College of Swords Bard...

And many more besides.

I wouldn't see a problem having a Wizard subclass that can lead to a similar concept as a multiclassed rogue or someone with the Magic Initiate feat. The Hedge Wizard is such a relatable trope, it just feels like a cool character concept that could be supported by a subclass.

I don't have a problem with it -- it feels to me that levelling up your spells doesn't mesh what I want for/think of as a Hedge Mage. But of course, you are right; de gustibus non disputandum.

 

[BookTenTiger]

I agree.

And many more besides.

I don't have a problem with it -- it feels to me that levelling up your spells doesn't mesh what I want for/think of as a Hedge Mage. But of course, you are right; de gustibus non disputandum.

Did you end your post by casting a spell???

 

[DavyGreenwind]

Again, a single 1-level dip into Rogue gives you the expertise, and the Sage background gives you the skills, if you don't take them with the class. (Even if you don't want to multiclass, skill expert feat in Tasha's gives you expertise in one skill, and (I exepct) something granting expertise will be in the new PHB

Well, that wouldn't be the whole subclass. There'd be other stuff, presumably unique abilities. My point is, I think Wizard subclasses could tell more interesting stories than "I specialize in Transmutation." And I could of course get a lot of different stories using feats and multiclassing. There's a lot of paths to the same type of character. But if I really want my mechanics to lean into a particular story, and if I don't want to multiclass,or use up all my feats to achieve that story, there's space for a subclass.

 

[DavyGreenwind]

That sounds a lot like the Arcane Trickster.

Kind of yeah. It'd be a Wizard with some Rogue abilities, rather than a Rogue with some Wizard abilities. It'd be like the Bladesinger and the Eldritch Knight.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

I had a thought about the wizard recently. Most wizard subclasses are based on the wizard schools of magic. Some of them are fine, like illusionists and necromancers. Yet when I think of subclasses such as the abjurer, conjurer, or transmuter, I get a bit bored.

What I suggest instead is stronger, more flavorful archetypes. Something that says that they are still academic, learned mages at heart, but they do it in different ways. So while your illusionists and necromancers are still strong archetypes, I want to see rune mages, witches, and war mages as well.

To me, that would make the wizard more appealing. What do you think? If WotC took this approach, what are wizard subclasses you would want to see?

I personally do not believe that the existing Wizard class permits enough room for flavorful subclasses at present. Too much of its power is in the class itself. Subclass features have to be thin in order to not make the Wizard blatantly overpowered. Unfortunately, Fighter is in pretty much the same boat, just less "blatantly overpowered" and more "too busy/overloaded."

I would love to see a class redesign that actually allows for subclasses that ooze with flavor. But we won't be getting that in "One D&D," and we certainly don't have it now.