D&D (2024) Subclasses

[DavyGreenwind]

Does anyone else think it is important for arcane spell schools to have a decent number of spell options, at least one of every spell level? What good is a discount on scribing spells of a particular school if there are no spells of that school for a particular spell level?

Yeah, I agree. My list is not my own preferences, but rather my predictions based on history, flavor, and some D&D team comments.

If I had the Wizard my way? I would have a school specialty as an option in the base class (and you choose a second specialty at level 10), and have the following four subclasses: Scribes, War Mage, Bladesinger, Dread Necromancer.

 

[mellored]

IMO, clerics should have necromancy more than wizards.

War cleric
Peace cleric
Life cleric
Death cleric

 

[WanderingMystic]

So the necromancer was confirmed by Crawford on one of the videos as a side note saying how much fun the new necromancer was and how they had to balance things so you could get undead at lvl 3 so you could feel like a necromancer but still not be to powerful.

 

[WanderingMystic]

It was before or right when playtest 5 came out maybe in they recap of playtest 4 or in the preview of playtest 5.

 

[Twiggly the Gnome]

You can sort of see a pattern in the Cleric subs that they're carrying forward...

Life - doubles down on Cleric-ness
Light - a bit of Wizard-ness
Trickery - a bit of Rogue-ness
War - a bit of Fighter-ness

So, I wonder if the Wizard will be similar? We already have Evoker as the double down sub.

 

[Kurotowa]

So, I wonder if the Wizard will be similar? We already have Evoker as the double down sub.

There's not a lot of good Wizard subclasses in the supplements. The best is easily Bladesinger, and I can see it getting tapped. The only reason why not would be if they don't want to add Booming Blade and Green-Flame Blade to the PHB. But let's assume they go through with that.

Evoker is the double-down, Necromancer is the pet build, Bladesinger is the melee hybrid. I'm not sure what would go in the fourth slot. Maybe Illusionist, on the strength of long tradition? If not Illusionist, then maybe a new subclass.

 

[Minigiant]

My guesses are

Barbarian: Berserker, Storm Herald, Totem Warrior, Zealot

Process of Elimination.Beast focuses to much on the additional beast weapon. AG is too muc bookkeeping for the lack of "sexiness". Battlerager requires spiked armor in core. Wild Magic is too kooky for core.

Fighter: Champion, Battlemaster, Echo Knight or Rune Knight, Eldritch Knight,

Echo Knight is hot, old enough to sell reprints, and works well with new rules. If they don't want totouch Mercer stuff, RuneKnight,

Sorcerer: Divine Soul, Draconic, Wild Magic,and Something New or StormSorcery

Divine Soul is a lock for displaying how their new spell list work. Everything else in Tasha would require a rework which they seem to not want to really do. Lunar is too new.

Warlock: Celestial, Archfey, Fiend, Great Old One

Hexbblade is gutted if Bladelocks are fixed. People 100% actual walking talking patrons. Hexbladeswere just apatch for mele warlocks since 4e. Celestial allows for WOTC to give Warlocks access to Divine spell list.

Wizard: Evoker, Illusionist, Necromancer, Conjuration

Conjuration is one of the few schools with no level holes in core.

 

[Mirrorrorrim]

There's not a lot of good Wizard subclasses in the supplements. The best is easily Bladesinger, and I can see it getting tapped. The only reason why not would be if they don't want to add Booming Blade and Green-Flame Blade to the PHB. But let's assume they go through with that.

Evoker is the double-down, Necromancer is the pet build, Bladesinger is the melee hybrid. I'm not sure what would go in the fourth slot. Maybe Illusionist, on the strength of long tradition? If not Illusionist, then maybe a new subclass.

To be honest, I wish they could avoid reprinting splatbook subclasses in the Core game and give us only what was in the 2014 books, plus fill in the empty slots with new subclasses for those classes that had less than 4. So no Bladesinger because it already exists in an existing book.

If they did that, I think the 4 in the Core 2024 book could be:

1. Evoker is the core blaster.
2. Necromancer is an edgy pet class that they alluded to. It is missing a 5th level spell for the Core. But if it got Raise Dead...
3. Transmuter has lots of spells for a Core book, but its theme doesn't sing to me. It feels like a catch-all.
4. Illusionist does have a robust Core list without needing splat to fill in the blanks. It's only missing an 8th level illusion spell in the Core list. It is not my preference, but it's a legacy. Will they dodge historical precedent?

A later book can add more of the missing 2014 Wizard and Cleric subclasses plus add some new ones (Or a mega subclass book can update all of them). As for the leftover Wizard subclasses:

1. Abjurer can be designed to be a really good defense/support build.
2. Enchanter has very interesting combat control and a robust spell selection.
3. Conjurer can be a teleport-loving pet class like the Chain Warlock gets to have.
4. Diviner which I've seen multiple people actually play because of dice manipulation. But it needs more Divination spells for the Core list.

As for spell schools missing all spells, what if each school subclass unlocked spells from the appropriate school from other spell lists? That gives them spells for most spell levels. For example, what if Abjurer got Cure Wounds and Lesser Restoration? And Necromancer got Inflict Wounds and Raise Dead? Maybe it's too much, though.

 

[Yaarel]

The Necromancer will be in an Upcoming Playtest.

I found the video. Its the one about the UA Paladin (2023 Feb 23). Crawford tells the spoiler at 20:10.

 

[WanderingMystic]

My guesses are

Barbarian: Berserker, Storm Herald, Totem Warrior, Zealot

Process of Elimination.Beast focuses to much on the additional beast weapon. AG is too muc bookkeeping for the lack of "sexiness". Battlerager requires spiked armor in core. Wild Magic is too kooky for core.

Fighter: Champion, Battlemaster, Echo Knight or Rune Knight, Eldritch Knight,

Echo Knight is hot, old enough to sell reprints, and works well with new rules. If they don't want totouch Mercer stuff, RuneKnight,

Sorcerer: Divine Soul, Draconic, Wild Magic,and Something New or StormSorcery

Divine Soul is a lock for displaying how their new spell list work. Everything else in Tasha would require a rework which they seem to not want to really do. Lunar is too new.

Warlock: Celestial, Archfey, Fiend, Great Old One

Hexbblade is gutted if Bladelocks are fixed. People 100% actual walking talking patrons. Hexbladeswere just apatch for mele warlocks since 4e. Celestial allows for WOTC to give Warlocks access to Divine spell list.

Wizard: Evoker, Illusionist, Necromancer, Conjuration

Conjuration is one of the few schools with no level holes in core.

So for Barbarian I think your list is probably what we will see. I would love to see Beast instead of Zealot.

Fighter my money would be on Rune Knight over Echo Knight just to distance from Mercer expecialy with there new game systems coming out.

Sorcerer I think we will get Shadow over Divine Soul.

Warlock I am hoping for the Undead or the Genie making it in.

Wizard I have a feeling they will put the Bladesinger in but to me it is a toss up between a conjurer and the illusionist.