D&D (2024) Should the PHB have an arcane half caster?

[Frozen_Heart]

i like sorcerer and warlock as they are right now as full casters, i mean sorcerer could get some extra abilities to define it but not in that way, i would like bard as a half caster but not as the arcane half caster, being a full caster is a little much for a jack of all trades class imo,

I did like the 'become the monster' theme with the playtest sorcerer. 5e doesn't have anything like that really.

Weirdly it kind of shares that theme with the Blood Hunter homebrew class. Despite the implementation being completely different.

 

[OB1]

Well, the Artificer will be compatible with One, so there is already a half-caster not in the PHB.

That said, I think the Sorcerer could be converted to a half-caster to really carve out it's own niche as an Arcane/Expert that relies much more heavily on meta-magic, or the Warlock could be reimagined as a half-caster Arcane/Priest (leaving Arcane/Warrior to the Artificer).

 

[tetrasodium]

It depends... If we are talking an arcane gish class... sure. Things change when we start talking about an arcane gish fractional caster subtype built on top of a full caster or full martial base class that's going to force the class to make "well we can't built this because $gishArchetype" down the line for the full martial or full caster base class it's attached to.

 

[CreamCloud0]

Although I’ve been saying ‘make a gish class dont try to force another to be it’ with a few new infusions and subclass i do think artificer could make a good swordmage

 

[Minigiant]

Put it in the DMG

 

[Kobold Stew]

Eldritch Knight and Arcane Trickster should be arcane half-casters -- for me that would be ideal.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Yes and it should be the Artificer for practical reasons.

 

[MechaTarrasque]

The truth is that no one thinks the tome or the familiar adds a lot of offense to the warlock (they are both really utility features), but people keep thinking the blade somehow does. The best thing for WotC to do is to split the bladelock off the warlock (and they already have a name, the Hexblade), and make it so that you can keep up with the paladin (with a bunch of melee-enhancing invocations) and call it victory. Put it in Modron #45768's Manifesto of Character Options along with the warden as the 4th priest (prymal paladin), the artificer (expert), and whatever they decide the 4th warrior will be.

 

[tetrasodium]

The truth is that no one thinks the tome or the familiar adds a lot of offense to the warlock (they are both really utility features), but people keep thinking the blade somehow does. The best thing for WotC to do is to split the bladelock off the warlock (and they already have a name, the Hexblade), and make it so that you can keep up with the paladin (with a bunch of melee-enhancing invocations) and call it victory. Put it in Modron #45768's Manifesto of Character Options along with the warden as the 4th priest (prymal paladin), the artificer (expert), and whatever they decide the 4th warrior will be.

The trouble with chain is the flying intelligent at will invis proxy. 5e got rid of the reasons why using familiars for anything risky scary AF, it no longer has counterbalance for things like that.

 

[Yaarel]

The 4e-style Swordmage needs to be a fullcaster that specializes in Melee Range spells, and is comfortable in melee combat. All attacks are spell attacks. Cantrips are great. A high slot spell like Foresight is also great.

At the same time, I want an Arcane halfcaster in the Players Handbook. Surely, the Artificer can be this.