D&D 5E Rare unusual subclasses

[Warpiglet-7]

I am fascinated by the large number of subclasses.

Bards that do psychic damage with their blade?

Druids that have fiery pets?

The list goes on. I am curious to hear about your experiences taking a subclass that is likely not the most frequently encountered…

 

[toucanbuzz]

Wild Magic Barbarian

As a DM, I had to keep a straight face each time a spirit flumph (alternately a pixie) appeared and exploded next to an enemy. Pure nonsense.

 

[jmartkdr2]

Rune knight might sound exotic and inspiring, but in play it’s just what the eldritch knight should have been.

 

[Voadam]

I don't know how many take the paladin oath of glory out of Tasha's but channel divinity to jump 10 feet straight up at will and advantage on acrobatics and athletics checks for 10 minutes is perfect for my narratively non-magical but very anime physical badass concept character.

I kind of want the clouds to part and a beam of sunshine illuminate him and make his chain mail gleam every time he activates that power, as if it was an 80s animation transformation sequence. Even if he is underground.

 

[bedir than]

I kind of want the clouds to part and a beam of sunshine illuminate him and make his chain mail gleam every time he activates that power, as if it was an 80s animation transformation sequence. Even if he is underground.

This is canon now

 

[Mad_Jack]

This is canon now

I want a subclass where one of the powers is literally accompanied by theme music.

 

[bedir than]

I want a subclass where one of the powers is literally accompanied by theme music.

That's the Theros Bard

 

[Voadam]

I want a subclass where one of the powers is literally accompanied by theme music.

We had a meeting in dream with three warlock dream networkers and got to narrate our own dream selves. My glory paladin surfed in on the back of a flying hammerhead shark, lightning flashing around him, and ACDC's Thunderstruck playing as he approached.

The DM then narrated that my paladin's dream self appeared as a walking Frazetta painting so I think I conveyed the mood I was going for.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

I want a subclass where one of the powers is literally accompanied by theme music.

The Summoner class I've been slowly chewing on for the past like...two years...has a subclass that could potentially fit the bill, once I write it. Its subclasses are called Astral Signs, signifying the hidden, secret constellations through which the Summoner contacts beings from extremely distant planes. The relevant subclass in this case is the Sign of the Muses, which focuses on supporting both the summoner's party and more specifically the planar creature the summoner is bonded to.

It's built off the Warlock chassis, so you have a split subclass, effectively you choose your mechanics at 1st level and your overall "theme" at 3rd (elemental, celestial, or umbral--for celestial, think "Biblically-accurate angels," and for umbral, think "the kind of plane where mindflayers are a perfectly ordinary part of the ecology," so basically the Far Realm or stuff like PF's kytons.) So I could probably have a Muses-specific "Invocation"* that involves literally having background music while you do things.

*I don't call them invocations. Trying to be cagey about terminology here.

 

[Warpiglet-7]

Rune knight might sound exotic and inspiring, but in play it’s just what the eldritch knight should have been.

Funny enough, this is what for me on this topic.

I was looking through it and for some reason took a longer look. Then the blinders were off—-what other weird stuff have I ignored?

There are some oddballs. And good grief the options for multclassing are absurd.

I was thinking about a fire genesis rune knight. Why? I don’t know. Then going genie patron warlock? But then saw wildfire druid.

I wonder how many or how few people play some of these!