D&D 5E Optional Rule: Subclass Gestalt

[gyor]

I ran into this idea on the internet and I was wondering what folks thought of it?

Basically when a character gets a subclass instead of picking just one, they pick two subclasses getting the features of both.

So a Sorcerer might pick both Divine Soul and Shadow Magic, a Bard might pick both College of Lore and the College of Whispers, a Ranger might pick both Beastmaster and Gloomstalker, a Druid might pick Circle of the Shepherd and Circle of the Stars, a Fighter might pick both Battlemaster and Eldritch Knight for examples.

What are your thought?

 

[commandercrud]

5e PCs are already overpowered. No way.

 

[gyor]

5e PCs are already overpowered. No way.

Just ramp up the CR till they say ouch

 

[commandercrud]

But why? You're just creating an arms race.

 

[gyor]

But why? You're just creating an arms race.

To do something interesting and different and new way to personalize your character and/or make them a little bit more versitile, fun RP.

 

[Fenris-77]

It's a cool idea if you want to play high-powered characters for sure. I wouldn't worry about the CR either, that's always manageable. Have you thought about what this looks like for MC characters?

 

[jmartkdr2]

The potential balance issue I see is that some classes get a lot from their subclasses, and some don't get much at all. An abjurer/evoker is still pretty much just a wizard, but a battlemaster/ eldritch knight is a lot more than just a fighter.

But if you're okay with high-powered play and think the players would be willing to accept adjustments to help balance as needed, it could be fun.

 

[Fenris-77]

I was just wondering if a MC character ended up with four subclasses. It sounds crazy, but I don't think it would be OP, at least in context anyway. BattleMaster/Eldritch Knight/Assassin/Arcane Trickster sounds like a fun build.

 

[TwoSix]

Yea, I know it's been discussed around here before, I think it's a pretty good idea, personally.

The big sticking point is that some classes have much better subclasses then others and they synergize better. But I don't think the difference is so large that you couldn't manage it for your own game with a little bit of targeted magic item assistance to the less strong player.

Fun combinations off the top of my head:

Lore/Valor bard (Armor and Weapon options, Extra Attack plus extra spells to make you a better gish).

Arcana/Nature cleric (Heavy armor, start with the Shillelagh/Booming Blade combo right off the bat, get Divine Strike and Potent Cantrip at 8).

Battlemaster/Eldritch Knight Fighter. A fighter with potent short rest and long rest options. This would be pretty compelling.

Gloomstalker/Beast Master Ranger (assuming class variant UA fixes for the Beast Master).

Moon/pretty much anything else Druid. Better wild shape + better spellcasting.

 

[jgsugden]

An easy way to accomplish this is to give the PCs magic items that allow it, but require attunement. That forces them to give up a bit of power in exchange for the added benefits of a second subclass. As the powers expand as they rise in power, and as you can supplement some of the weaker choices to maintain balance across the party, it does a lot to counterbalance the challenges of doing so.