D&D 5E So Favored Soul is going to be Divine Soul Now?

[Tony Vargas]

"We basically default to what people already knew, but I do think that may have been a mistake. I think we've learned it's better to avoid re-using terms unless the exact meaning is the same. For instance, we're looking at changing the favored soul sorcerer into the divine soul, simply to keep expectations clear." .

That's a dramatic bootlegger reverse, from classic-feel-is-job-one to file-the-serial-numbers-off. ;P (Not that they haven't been filing some serial numbers off all along, but usually by way of promoting classic feel - file off 'healing surge' and scratch in the classic 'Hit Dice.')

Ultimately, sounds like groundwork for giving up on some of the playtest goals.
They seemed like unrealistic goals, to begin with. :shrug:

 

[Ilalanga]

I don't really care about this name, it's not such a big deal. I just want to play it finally

 

[jgsugden]

People get so upset over labels. After a brief experience with the Favored/Divine Soul in 5E, you're really not going to spend much time comparing it to prior editions. We may mention what rangers were like in 3E, 2E, etc... on occasion, but does it really dominate your thoughts while playing a 5E ranger?

 

[Kalshane]

People get so upset over labels. After a brief experience with the Favored/Divine Soul in 5E, you're really not going to spend much time comparing it to prior editions. We may mention what rangers were like in 3E, 2E, etc... on occasion, but does it really dominate your thoughts while playing a 5E ranger?

Considering the number of people that complain about the lack of a spell-less ranger (when 4E was the only edition that had them by default) the answer is apparently "yes".

Personally, I never cared for the Favored Soul in 3.5. I thought Pathfinder's Oracle was a much more interesting take on a spontaneous divine caster. But it obviously has its fans, so they're understandably going to be disappointed if it doesn't match the old class in certain ways.

 

[gyor]

Honestly the 5e Divine Soul is far more mechanically interesting then the original 3.5e Favoured Soul ever was (the 4e version was a very different beast , it was an avenger and it's successor is argueable the Avenger Paladin, it even gets wings eventual admittedly only for 1 hour per day). In someways it reminds of the Chosen and the flexible way they use magic. I mean it's a very mechanically interesting subclass (to the point where it almost feels like a separate class inspired by the soeceror). I'm curious if changing the name to Divine Soul will come with a mechanical and fluff change?

 

[gyor]

Well this has been confirmed.

 

[Elderbrain]

That said, I would still like to see a favored soul based on the 3.5 version. My take would be to use the initial UA version, but with a wholesale replacement of the sorcerer's spell list with the cleric's.

- Yeah, that doesn't work for ME - I want the Favored Soul/Divine Soul precisely because it DOES get both Arcane and Divine spells, thus filling in what I consider a missing magical archtype in D&D; namely, the universal caster seen so often in fiction who can cast healing spells as well as standard arcane-type spells. A lot of fiction (and some game systems/worlds, such as GURPS and its fantasy world Yrth) doesn't separate magic into arcane and divine categories - if the spell exists and you're a spellcaster, you can (potentially) cast it. Yes, the Bard does this as well somewhat, but Bards don't get a lot of offensive spells like Magic Missile, etc.

 

[Greg K]

I want to know which version of the favored soul are they going to use. Are they going with one with wings or the version with blessed countenance and no wings? I am hoping for the latter which is applicable to deities and their offspring in most mythologies. Save the wings for some angelic bloodline.

 

[pukunui]

- Yeah, that doesn't work for ME - I want the Favored Soul/Divine Soul precisely because it DOES get both Arcane and Divine spells, thus filling in what I consider a missing magical archtype in D&D; namely, the universal caster seen so often in fiction who can cast healing spells as well as standard arcane-type spells.

Which is fine. I only objected to calling that type of character a "favored soul", as that has specific connotations in D&D. The fact that they're calling it the "divine soul" now is fine with me.

 

[gyor]

I want to know which version of the favored soul are they going to use. Are they going with one with wings or the version with blessed countenance and no wings? I am hoping for the latter which is applicable to deities and their offspring in most mythologies. Save the wings for some angelic bloodline.

Who knows they could be going with something still more different, yet. The Undying Light Patron for Warlock turned into the Celestial Patron with mechanical changes and the Cavalier went through radical changes, it now no longer uses suppiority dice and it ate some Knight features, so the Divine Soul could be radically different.