D&D 5E Let's pitch fun new class ideas [+]

[Shardstone]

This is a thread for pitching fun new class ideas, without regards to "What the game needs" or "Why can't that be a subclass instead?" For example, I read recently this amazing Lycan class that has two subclasses, picked at different times, and sounded like just a blast to play. It reminds me of how in the LBB they talk about how players could be a dragon or vampire, you just have to make a class for it and try to keep it fair to the other players. So, I want to hear all kinds of ideas.

Some I've had recently are (bolded means I've outlined them)

• Apostle, a wandering divine caster who uses "Sacred Teachings" like metamagics and can teach these sacred ideas to other casters
• Heresiarch, where your party is part of your heretical sect and you do all kinds of dark magic stuff, and can eventually pass your entire class to another member of your sect if you die at high level
• Vampyr, basically a remix of the Lycan idea above, with the first subclass being the type of vampire you are and the second being an evolution to your curse/condition
• Animist, who kind of replaces the artificer while also creating terrain effects as they call for favors from wild spirits
• Astrologer, taken from Elden Ring, where you get a mixture of powers dealing with fate, life/death, and cool star-themed sorcerers
• Confessor, the divine rogue essentially, also partially taken from Elden Ring and uses incantations and divine magic to fulfil their schemes

Of course, none of these would "fit" into a PHB or even a WotC supplement. But I don't care, 5E can accommodate all kinds of fun ideas, so I want to hear yours too. This is a [+] thread!

 

[Vaalingrade]

Kinetic
A class based around telekinetic control of specific materials, creating a route to making a themeable caster that the current arcanists don't offer. You'd have spellists tied to subclasses such as pyrokinetic, crypokinetic, aerokinetic -- the basic element stuff, but also a fibrokinetic that controls cloth and textiles, a powerful control class or a ferrokinetic that is basically Magneto, and a martial kinetic that controls weapons and armor to make themselves a better melee combatant ala the metal users from Furies of Calderon

 

[Shardstone]

Kinetic
A class based around telekinetic control of specific materials, creating a route to making a themeable caster that the current arcanists don't offer. You'd have spellists tied to subclasses such as pyrokinetic, crypokinetic, aerokinetic -- the basic element stuff, but also a fibrokinetic that controls cloth and textiles, a powerful control class or a ferrokinetic that is basically Magneto, and a martial kinetic that controls weapons and armor to make themselves a better melee combatant ala the metal users from Furies of Calderon

Magneto as a kinetic helps me intuit the idea very well. Would this be like a point-spend class?

 

[Vaalingrade]

Magneto as a kinetic helps me intuit the idea very well. Would this be like a point-spend class?

You've come to know me well. Absolutely it would be. I do not delve in the dark science that mines the spirit of Jack Vance.

 

[aco175]

Animist, who kind of replaces the artificer while also creating terrain effects as they call for favors from wild spirits

I like this. I can see making potions and such to give you powers of animals such as seeing and hearing for bonuses to checks, but also claws and wings for short periods of time. Fire breath.

There could be different roles like more of a combat sub-class or a scout sub-class that can camouflage and walk softly like a cat.

 

[Misanthrope Prime]

Mathemagician: D&D is at least partially a game about math, so let's have an intelligence based caster who gets enhanced powers based on math. You can have subclasses like the numerologist, who gets bonuses whenever specific patterns occur in randomly rolled dice (like "whenever you add a modifier to a d20 roll and the result is a prime number, you have advantage on that roll" or "whenever two die are rolled and they come up with the same value, roll a third die of that size and add it to the total"), a geomancer who can create or draw patterns on the playing field for area based effects, or a gambler who can ante up some resource (HP or spell slots?) for a bonus; maybe they can also hold a hand of cards and add the value to a dice roll.

 

[TwoSix]

Tough one. I have a lot of class niches filled with various 3pp, so there's only a few concepts I'd like to see that aren't already supported.

A martial class that requires high Str and Dex. In general, I'd like to see some MAD classes that want two stats that aren't generally both needed. Str/Dex, Int/Wis, Wis/Cha. Some mechanics where having 18/18 in those two stats would usually be better than a 20/16.

A "non-spell slot caster" healer and support. No armor, no weapons, just a super-powered lay on hands and a bunch of opt-in defensive and buffing abilities. Bonus points if it's not divine themed.

 

[Stormonu]

A couple I'd like to see:

Summoner
Take the class out of Wizard and make it into its own thing. Subclasses can be themed around certain monster types as well as a Frankenstein sort of subclass who plays mix'n'match with their summons. Also, two subclasses around how the summons are used. Lacking a better name for now the first would be the Enslaver, who uses their summons for menial tasks or as cannon fodder, gets bonuses to summon's skill checks or attacks as the summoner directs/pushes them (at a cost to HP). The other, for lack of a better name would be the Befriender, who has a strong connection to unique summons and can have their summons do unusual things other summons couldn't conceive of (think Aladdin & Genie's friendship).

Necromancer
Make this a distinct class from Wizard that has some clerical elements to it. Trying to think of some subclasses - maybe one that focuses on raising/controlling the dead, another on necromatic attack spells, perhaps a third on gaining knowledge/buffs from departed spirits. Kind of a Diablo+ class, pulling in elements from prior versions of D&D (primarily 3rd).

Battlemage
Classic Fighter/Wizard that is about 1 level fighter to 3 level wizard as I despise the Eldritch Knight. This is something I've written up, and moved the psuedo-magic fighter subclasses to it (Arcane Archer, Eldritch Knight, Rune Knight, Psionic Warrior) and created a few addition ones - one that taps into being somewhat of a Monk and another that has a magic smite that works a bit like the rogue.

Lucky
A jack-of-all trades class that replaces skill with luck. Has some quasi-magical abilities but geared towards effects that appear mundane at first glance but actually are magical manipulations of events and rewrites of reality.

 

[Shardstone]

A couple I'd like to see:

Summoner
Take the class out of Wizard and make it into its own thing. Subclasses can be themed around certain monster types as well as a Frankenstein sort of subclass who plays mix'n'match with their summons. Also, two subclasses around how the summons are used. Lacking a better name for now the first would be the Enslaver, who uses their summons for menial tasks or as cannon fodder, gets bonuses to summon's skill checks or attacks as the summoner directs/pushes them (at a cost to HP). The other, for lack of a better name would be the Befriender, who has a strong connection to unique summons and can have their summons do unusual things other summons couldn't conceive of (think Aladdin & Genie's friendship).

Necromancer
Make this a distinct class from Wizard that has some clerical elements to it. Trying to think of some subclasses - maybe one that focuses on raising/controlling the dead, another on necromatic attack spells, perhaps a third on gaining knowledge/buffs from departed spirits. Kind of a Diablo+ class, pulling in elements from prior versions of D&D (primarily 3rd).

Battlemage
Classic Fighter/Wizard that is about 1 level fighter to 3 level wizard as I despise the Eldritch Knight. This is something I've written up, and moved the psuedo-magic fighter subclasses to it (Arcane Archer, Eldritch Knight, Rune Knight, Psionic Warrior) and created a few addition ones - one that taps into being somewhat of a Monk and another that has a magic smite that works a bit like the rogue.

Lucky
A jack-of-all trades class that replaces skill with luck. Has some quasi-magical abilities but geared towards effects that appear mundane at first glance but actually are magical manipulations of events and rewrites of reality.

Have you read Valda's Spire of Secrets by Mage Hand Press? They have a pretty cool Necromancer in there!

Your Lucky idea is one I've had too, though I call it "The Fool." I think its a great idea! Very Alice in Wonderland-esque.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Augur: the urban cousin of the druid, more focused into constructs as monster allies.

Harupex: the biopunk cousing of the necromancer, about altering living tissues, something like the biohacker and the evolutionist of Starfinder, or the lifeshapers from Dark Sun

Totemist Shaman: a mixture of Totemist (magic of incarnum) and binder (3.5 Tome of Magic). You can summon a totemist beast and using points of essence to unlock more monster traits.

Nagual: like the shifter class from Pathfinder, a spellcaster focused into shapesifter.

Martial adepts: the update of 3.5 Tome of Battle.

Knight: Fighter with heavy armor and.. a "legacy gift", like a special bless or a magic item exclusive for certain bloodlines or chavalry orders. This legacy gift only can be attuned with the knights (or certain knight subclass). Some gifts are more focused for social interactions and palace intrigues.

Archivist: divine spellcaster without armor, more buffer-breaker and "anti-summoner", with some touch of runepriest, using magic runes like crafted single-use magic item, and other little touch of psalm, like the truename magic, but not at-will but it needs reload like martial maneuvers (a Concentration check for example).