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

[Mephista]

Arcane Gish: the Story

Arcane Gish Fans: We want a gish!
WotC: Hey, check out this Eldritch Knight in the core! Or the Blade warlock!
AGF: No! that's not what we want! Not enough spells to do anything on their own!
WotC: Okay, okay... Umm... Here's Hexblade and Bladesinger!
AGF: NO. We want a half caster, INT based, with the option for heavy armor to go with their weapons.
WotC: We gotcha fam. We got this!
Releases Artificer
AGF: Nuuuuuuuuu!!!!!

 

[Vaalingrade]

Releases Artificer and barely supports it.

 

[Yaarel]

Hypothetically, a Paladin subclass can have the Arcane power source.

Compare how the Sorcerer has the Divine Soul subclass using the Divine power source.



Paladin might have been the more helpful class for the Eldritch Knight and Psi Warrior.

 

[Frozen_Heart]

Releases Artificer and barely supports it.

An artificer subclass could probably have worked best as a swordmage stand in.

Something focused around creating a weapon, and then channelling strikes through it like arcane archer does with shots. Varied types of elemental damage with status riders.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

So new edition... and once again, not a single arcane half caster class to act as a paladin/ranger counterpart. Doesn't matter if you prefer artificer or swordmage, neither makes it in.

The entire archetype has been strangely ignored in 5e, with artificer having only 4 subclasses and banned by many DM's. While a swordmage class never even made it in, with a large proportion of the playerbase actively against having one at all.

Should an arcane half caster have priority over one of the PHB classes next edition? Or should it come later on?

"Arcane Half-caster" covers a multitude of concepts. Unless this is to be purely a form-filling exercise, something more specific may me needed.

An artificer subclass could probably have worked best as a swordmage stand in.

Something focused around creating a weapon, and then channelling strikes through it like arcane archer does with shots. Varied types of elemental damage with status riders.

This was the start of a rough draft I did of the Swordmage as an Artificer subclass: D&D 5E - Giving the arcane gish an identity.

 

[Aldarc]

This thread almost makes me feel that D&D has too many full casters.

 

[Shades of Eternity]

That's because whenever martial classes get nice things, certain types of gamers start twitching and crying unrealistic.

 

[DEFCON 1]

It's not up to WotC to make the Artificer the "Arcane half-caster" everyone is clamoring for by releasing more stuff for it... it's up to all the players out there to actually play the class enough to warrant it becoming seen as the "arcane half-caster".

If WotC makes this class to fill in the box like people want but no one treats it like it is... why would WotC ever bother making another one? (General) you have already crapped on the EK, Valor/Sword Bard, Blood Hunter, Bladesinger, Hexblade and now the Artificer. (General) you are basically proving to WotC that you as a collective group don't actually know what you want for this so-called Gish-- and until (general) get your stuff together and make a collective choice on what you want... WotC will just continue to only do what they want.

There are dozens of Third Party Gish classes made out there. Which ones are you playing? Which ones are gaining traction in the marketplace? Which ones' emphasis and style do you want WotC to follow suit on? Do you know? Does anyone? If none of (general) you can point to one Gish class out there and say to WotC "This is what we want!"... how will WotC ever just "guess right" and release another class or subclass in the way you want it?

See: Warlord, Psion

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I chose yes, for the lack of the option: indifferent.
Ibwould not rebel and I would not be overly happy, depending on what has to make space for it and depending on which arcane half caster is in.

As much as I like the artificer, he does not fit the default setting too well. Maybe the alchemist and some 3 new subclasses. I could see:

• inventor (gnome)
• factotum
• redmage

I don't particularily like the sword mage concept and I would not want it in my games.

But as I said. People seem to like them, so they can have fun with it.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Edit, because off topic.