D&D 5E New Fighter Subclasses: Your Suggestions

[Xeviat]

Hi everyone. The Fighter seems to be the topic of the weekend. There is a great thread in giving the Fighters some out of combat abilities. A few people have brought up baking this into their subclasses. Rather than trying to co-opt that thread, I thought I'd start a new one.

I know a lot of people like the Champion and the Battle Master for the versatility of how they can be used to cover almost any Fighter idea, but let's throw them out for this thread. To me, they lack identity that speaks to the subclass's story. Both are "great warriors". That doesn't really give much to work on.

So, without having to worry too much about specific abilities, what are some character Archetypes, tropes, or themes you think could/should be represented by subclasses?

I will acknowledge that some of these may overlap with backgrounds, but that should be fine if their abilities compliment each other. For instance, if there was a Knight subclass, the Noble background can already represent it, but the knight could also come from humble origins as well and have risen to become a Knight (Sir Ulrich of Liechtenstein of "A Knight's Tale" comes to mind), so don't be worried about that.

Here's some I'd like to see:

Tactician: an intelligent warrior who can predict the movements of their enemies and guide their allies.
Warlord: a charismatic warrior who bolsters their allies and strikes feat into their enemies.
Weapon Master: a master arms man who knows all there is to know about weapons (and may be hyper specialized or a frequent swapper). This would likely be the "generic option".
Knight: offering a nonmagical paladin option.
Commando: offering a nonmagical ranger option.
Gladiator: a performing warrior with flashy moves.

What are your thoughts of things that could be Fighter subclasses with more story?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Yunru]

Social Justice

 

[Paul Smart]

I like everything you have proposed. I would also add a combat engineer type subclass who specializes in battlefield preparation and control. You need that bridge blown, no problem. A defensive position dug. Got it.

I would also add a sniper type warrior who uses black powder weapons. Who does not like the Musketeers with the musket in their hand and a rapier on thier hip.

 

[Quickleaf]

Hi everyone. The Fighter seems to be the topic of the weekend. There is a great thread in giving the Fighters some out of combat abilities. A few people have brought up baking this into their subclasses. Rather than trying to co-opt that thread, I thought I'd start a new one.

I know a lot of people like the Champion and the Battle Master for the versatility of how they can be used to cover almost any Fighter idea, but let's throw them out for this thread. To me, they lack identity that speaks to the subclass's story. Both are "great warriors". That doesn't really give much to work on.

So, without having to worry too much about specific abilities, what are some character Archetypes, tropes, or themes you think could/should be represented by subclasses?

I will acknowledge that some of these may overlap with backgrounds, but that should be fine if their abilities compliment each other. For instance, if there was a Knight subclass, the Noble background can already represent it, but the knight could also come from humble origins as well and have risen to become a Knight (Sir Ulrich of Liechtenstein of "A Knight's Tale" comes to mind), so don't be worried about that.

Here's some I'd like to see:

Tactician: an intelligent warrior who can predict the movements of their enemies and guide their allies.
Warlord: a charismatic warrior who bolsters their allies and strikes feat into their enemies.
Weapon Master: a master arms man who knows all there is to know about weapons (and may be hyper specialized or a frequent swapper). This would likely be the "generic option".
Knight: offering a nonmagical paladin option.
Commando: offering a nonmagical ranger option.
Gladiator: a performing warrior with flashy moves.

What are your thoughts of things that could be Fighter subclasses with more story?

My original list had some similarities to yours...

Borderlands Guard like your commando, think the Knight's Watch from A Song of Ice and Fire, a non-spellcasting ranger type, but instead of exploring the horizion, the borderlands guard defends the hearth/heart of civilization
Cavalier because "knight" is a loaded concept tied to aristocracy (which is also already expressed in Backgrounds), I like drawing upon the cavalier from past editions to present a graceful mounted warrior par excellence
Destined Hero drawing upon a common trope in young adult fiction, this is for the Taran the Wanderers, Richard Cyphers, and similar types "chosen by destiny", probably a good place to put "action hero" stuff
Monster Slayer also a common trope, drawing from Witcher stories, Castlevania, and other similar monster hunter types
Swashbuckler I see this as a more clearly defined archetype than "tactician", one equally at home in the fighter and the rogue, so perhaps there is a name that fits better for warrior-types since "Swashbuckler" appeared in Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide already IIRC
Veteran the generic tough hero, with features that mirror the Battle Master's Know Thy Enemy but applied to military troops/fortifications, likely a good place to include some older edition stuff.
Warlord in addition to drawing on the 3e/4e versions, this is a great place to bring back the "Baron" concept from older editions for a proper warlord
Weapons Master

However, the more I think about it, the more I feel that "Weapon Master" should NOT be a subclass. Why? Because that is part of the definition of a fighter already.

A master of martial combat, skilled in a variety of weapons and armor. (PHB p.45)

A "Veteran" makes a better generic option, especially since it was a level title for starting fighters in previous editions, and seems to match the power level of 1st level fighters being more potent than the average guard or tribal warrior.

But, in principle, I agree that the fighter – like the other Core Four (wizard, cleric, rogue, fighter) – should have an abundance of subclasses. Back in the day, Gary Gygax tried to enforce a world-building conceit that fighter & rogues (and to a lesser extent wizards & clerics) were more numerous than more specialized classes. While modern design has shifted, I think those Core Four are the broadest umbrellas for a whole host of concepts, so it actually makes sense to incorporate Gygax's vision, just using the carrot instead of the stick. You want a lot of choices? Sure! The fighter has 8 subclasses you can choose from! Oh, you want to play a barbarian? No problem, but you'll only have these 2-3 to choose from. That naturally encourages a predominance of the Core Four, while also playing to the breadth of stories covered by each of those four classes.

Even going back to the PHB description of a fighter might provide ideas...

Furthermore: All of these heroes are fighters, perhaps the most diverse class of characters in the worlds of Dungeons & Dragons. Questing knights, conquering overlords, royal champions, elite foot soldiers, hardened mercenaries, and bandit kings—as fighters, they all share an unparalleled mastery with weapons and armor, and a thorough knowledge of the skills of combat. And they are well acquainted with death, both meting it out and staring it defiantly in the face. (PHB 70)

 

[Xeviat]

My original list had some similarities to yours...

Borderlands Guard like your commando, a non-spellcasting ranger type, think the Knight's Watch from A Song of Ice and Fire, but instead of exploring the horizion, the borderlands guard defends the hearth/heart of civilization
Cavalier because "knight" is a loaded concept tied to aristocracy (which is also already expressed in Backgrounds), I like drawing upon the cavalier from past editions to present a graceful mounted warrior par excellence
Destined Hero drawing upon a common trope in young adult fiction, this is for the Taran the Wanderers, Richard Cyphers, and similar types "chosen by destiny", probably a good place to put "action hero" stuff
Monster Slayer also a common trope, drawing from Witcher stories, Castlevania, and other similar monster hunter types
Swashbuckler I see this as a more clearly defined archetype than "tactician", one equally at home in the fighter and the rogue, so perhaps there is a name that fits better for warrior-types since "Swashbuckler" appeared in Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide already IIRC
Veteran the generic tough hero, with features that mirror the Battle Master's Know Thy Enemy but applied to military troops/fortifications, likely a good place to include some older edition stuff.
Warlord in addition to drawing on the 3e/4e versions, this is a great place to bring back the "Baron" concept from older editions for a proper warlord
Weapons Master

However, the more I think about it, the more I feel that "Weapon Master" should NOT be a subclass. Why? Because that is part of the definition of a fighter already.

A master of martial combat, skilled in a variety of weapons and armor. (PHB p.45)

A "Veteran" makes a better generic option, especially since it was a level title for starting fighters in previous editions, and seems to match the power level of 1st level fighters being more potent than the average guard or tribal warrior.

But, in principle, I agree that the fighter – like the other Core Four (wizard, cleric, rogue, fighter) – should have an abundance of subclasses. Back in the day, Gary Gygax tried to enforce a world-building conceit that fighter & rogues (and to a lesser extent wizards & clerics) were more numerous than more specialized classes. While modern design has shifted, I think those Core Four are the broadest umbrellas for a whole host of concepts, so it actually makes sense to incorporate Gygax's vision, just using the carrot instead of the stick. You want a lot of choices? Sure! The fighter has 8 subclasses you can choose from! Oh, you want to play a barbarian? No problem, but you'll only have these 2-3 to choose from. That naturally encourages a predominance of the Core Four, while also playing to the breadth of stories covered by each of those four classes.

Even going back to the PHB description of a fighter might provide ideas...

Furthermore: All of these heroes are fighters, perhaps the most diverse class of characters in the worlds of Dungeons & Dragons. Questing knights, conquering overlords, royal champions, elite foot soldiers, hardened mercenaries, and bandit kings—as fighters, they all share an unparalleled mastery with weapons and armor, and a thorough knowledge of the skills of combat. And they are well acquainted with death, both meting it out and staring it defiantly in the face. (PHB 70)

I like Swashbuckler more as a Rogue archetype. They aren't "warriors" who rely on pure skill with arms and armor; they use "tricks" to gain an edge. The "sword master" who knows secret weapon techniques is more of a fighter thing to me. The Fighter with a rapier stands their ground, the Rogue with a rapier runs around all Swashbuckler-like.

At least that's my thoughts.

But I do like your ideas here. I would have had at least 7 fighter Archetypes in the book (framed around which stat, Str or Dex, is primary and which of the other is secondary).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk