D&D 5E Subclasses, Prestige Classes, and Race

[Joshy]

That makes sense, I was confused about the ancestry but I jumped to the conclusion that they get the ancestry from the scales in 5e.
Thanks for the info, I still like the way 3.5 did it. But I always did like racial templates. When 5e came out I was hoping that templates would come back as universal subraces.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

The 5e designers experimented with cross-class subclasses in the Mages of Strixhaven Unearthed Arcana (ultimately dropped before the book), so you might want to check that out. Ultimately I think making a subclass that was actually reasonably balanced for all the classes in a way remotely suitable for publication isn't really feasible because they all get somewhat different things from their subclasses (every Barbarian gets a while raging effect, every Bard gets something else they can do with their inspirations, every Cleric and Paladin gets an alternate use for channel divinity). It would need to have lots of "if you are a Paladin or Cleric you know these spells and have them prepared at all time" contingent clauses, which is why they don't have such things for official content.

Very early on in the 5e cycle they also released a UA with a single prestige class (the "Rune Scribe"), and some preliminary guidelines on how 5e prestige classes might be implemented. Honestly I think your own ideas based on experience with 3.5 prestige classes will get you further, but it might be worth a look.

One possibility would be to have "prestige subclasses" that replaced subclass features for higher levels, while leaving people's base class intact. The "signature features" of subclasses usually come at the first level they get them, and at the latest by class level 7 (where a few of the Fighter subclasses really come online). Replacing the subclass features they get at higher levels would generally not be too disruptive. At the very least by that point all the subclasses have given out all the subclass features that are balanced radically differently for different classes.

 

[Joshy]

The 5e designers experimented with cross-class subclasses in the Mages of Strixhaven Unearthed Arcana (ultimately dropped before the book), so you might want to check that out.

I'll check it out when I have time thanks.

I'm mainly making subclasses for my homebrew class system. Every class will be getting subclasses features and ASI on the same levels. I wanted to make a system where some subclasses could be taken by multiple classes and still stay a bit balanced.

 

[Weiley31]

Scion of Io instead of Bahamut?

I might be wrong or the lore is different. I haven't read about dragonborn in a really long time but from what I recall. To become a dragonborn you just need to do a ritual right? Make a large egg like shell out of dragon scales fast for three days inside while praying to Bahamut and when you emerge you become a dragonborn with one of three aspects Heart, Mind, or Wings.

Of course I learned this a really long time ago so maybe my information is outdated.

That was back in 3rd edition where the Dragonborn was less of a standard player race and more of a special ritual transformation.

In 4e and 5e one of their creation myth (and the one the Dragonborns themselves tend to believe) was connected to Io, with the race claiming to come from the spilled blood of Io when he was slain by a primordial (which is also connected to one of the origin stories for Tiamat and Bahamut where they sprang up from Io’s sundered halves).

Plus Dragonborn can have their ancestry from Chromatic, Gem, or Metallic dragons. So being only connected to Bahamut wouldn’t work.

That makes sense, I was confused about the ancestry but I jumped to the conclusion that they get the ancestry from the scales in 5e.
Thanks for the info, I still like the way 3.5 did it. But I always did like racial templates. When 5e came out I was hoping that templates would come back as universal subraces.

So, here's the thing. Your both right "technically." 4E made the Dragonborn their own race that once had their own super big Empire Kingdom that pretty much went to war with the super big Empire Kingdom the 4E Tieflings had.

@Joshy with regard with what you were talking about: THOSE Dragonborn are of a particular variety/strain in which they were Platinum Dragonborn or otherwise known as The Dragonborn of Bahamut. or Ux Bahamuti. Unlike most regular Dragonborn, who were born naturally, these "Dragonborn" were made/created via the Rite of Rebirth that you mentioned.


Editor's Note: They could be more than Platinum colored, but rarely they could have a Platinumed Scaled Bahamut of Dragonborn.

Dragonborn of Bahamut

Dragonborn of Bahamut (Ux Bahamuti[8] in Draconic), also known as Platinum Knights,[1] were a race of dragonkind created by the deity Bahamut during the Time of Dragons[9] to act as his emissaries in the mortal realm.[10] Unlike normal creatures, dragonborn of Bahamut weren't born naturally, but...

forgottenrealms.fandom.com

SRD - Races

srd.dndtools.org

 

[Joshy]

So, here's the thing. Your both right "technically." 4E made the Dragonborn their own race that once had their own super big Empire Kingdom that pretty much went to war with the super big Empire Kingdom the 4E Tieflings had.

@Joshy with regard with what you were talking about: THOSE Dragonborn are of a particular variety/strain in which they were Platinum Dragonborn or otherwise known as The Dragonborn of Bahamut. or Ux Bahamuti. Unlike most regular Dragonborn, who were born naturally, these "Dragonborn" were made/created via the Ritual of Rebirth that you mentioned.

Dragonborn of Bahamut

Dragonborn of Bahamut (Ux Bahamuti[8] in Draconic), also known as Platinum Knights,[1] were a race of dragonkind created by the deity Bahamut during the Time of Dragons[9] to act as his emissaries in the mortal realm.[10] Unlike normal creatures, dragonborn of Bahamut weren't born naturally, but...

forgottenrealms.fandom.com

SRD - Races

srd.dndtools.org

Interesting, are the platinum dragonborn different in any major way. I was sad to see that dragonborn only had a breath weapon and no option for mind or wings. I even made a homebrew because of it, which I guess was a waste of time.
Maybe I could keep them and call them platinum dragonborn or dragonborn of rebirth?

I really don't like the original 5e version.

 

[Weiley31]

Interesting, are the platinum dragonborn different in any major way. I was sad to see that dragonborn only had a breath weapon and no option for mind or wings. I even made a homebrew because of it, which I guess was a waste of time.
Maybe I could keep them and call them platinum dragonborn or dragonborn of rebirth?

I really don't like the original 5e version.

Pretty much they are FULLY devoted to Bahamut and completely oppose Tiamat. They start off life as a different race altogether but are turned into the Ux Bahamuti after finishing the Rebirth Rite. If for any reason they "falter" or decide to become an ex-member of "Team Bahamut," then they legit revert back to their original race/form. Also, they prefer to focus talking in Draconic mostly as a means of honoring Bahamut.

Technically I like this version of Dragonborn better, but you can honestly have both the 3.5 AND 4E/5E versions as long as you keep the important parts of either "version" in mind when presenting them as such. Like think of the Ux Bahamuti as the, uh, "High-Dragonborn" of regular/standard Dragonborn.

 

[Joshy]

Is there anything about the offspring of platinum dragonborn?
I wonder if they are born their original race but with a touch of magic, like a sorcerer. I wonder what would happen if a dragonborn did the rebirth ritual and then had a child. Maybe the child would have platinum scales.

I figure this hasn't been covered but is fun to think about.

 

[cbwjm]

Is there anything about the offspring of platinum dragonborn?
I wonder if they are born their original race but with a touch of magic, like a sorcerer. I wonder what would happen if a dragonborn did the rebirth ritual and then had a child. Maybe the child would have platinum scales.

I figure this hasn't been covered but is fun to think about.

I actually have something to do with platinum dragonborn in my own campaign world. The majority of dragonborn are typically the standard chromatic or metallic bloodlines, but every once and a while a platinum is born. Dragonborn society considers this auspicious and a platinum is expected to have a great destiny.