D&D (2024) Subclasses should start at 1st level

[cbwjm]

You know what a lot of people really should do if they want subclasses at Level 1 but the game ends up going in a different direction?

Just create and name their character's Background as part of their subclass.

In that way you get the best of both worlds... you get to denote who your character is and what they feel they are from the very beginning of their adventuring career... and they gain mechanical benefits for having it-- a pair of skills, a tool, language, and a feat. Basically turn your Background into your very first subclass feature.

Make your Background "Acolyte of the Open Hand Temple". Or "Yoriki to the Local Samurai". Or "Student of the Illusion School". Or "Fey Chanter of the Glamour Queen". Or "Adherent of the Moon Circle".

Heck... there's probably a good DM's Guild product right there-- writing up a whole bunch of Backgrounds that are all connected to each of the subclasses in the game, with all the proper mechanical selections made to boost it.

I feel like that is what we'll have to do, but I do find the idea lacking.

 

[Yaarel]

I feel like that is what we'll have to do, but I do find the idea lacking.

Yeah. It is a feat tax. To require a feat just to get a subclass to work is poor design.

 

[Charlaquin]

You know what a lot of people really should do if they want subclasses at Level 1 but the game ends up going in a different direction?

Just create and name their character's Background as part of their subclass.

In that way you get the best of both worlds... you get to denote who your character is and what they feel they are from the very beginning of their adventuring career... and they gain mechanical benefits for having it-- a pair of skills, a tool, language, and a feat. Basically turn your Background into your very first subclass feature.

Make your Background "Acolyte of the Open Hand Temple". Or "Yoriki to the Local Samurai". Or "Student of the Illusion School". Or "Fey Chanter of the Glamour Queen". Or "Adherent of the Moon Circle".

Heck... there's probably a good DM's Guild product right there-- writing up a whole bunch of Backgrounds that are all connected to each of the subclasses in the game, with all the proper mechanical selections made to boost it.

Eh, that’s ok, but it isn’t going to give me a non-spellcasting ranger, or a divine casting sorcerer, or anything like that, which 1st level subclasses would enable.

 

[Yaarel]

I really think the warlock has it subclass tied to the wrong ability (patron instead of pact).

The Warlock "pact" is with the "patron". They are the same thing. They happen at the same level, level 1.

At Warlock level 1:
• Otherworldly Patron grants Expanded Spell List.
• Pact Magic is just spellcasting, but slots are for short rest refresh.

At Warlock level 3:
• Pact Boon is unrelated to the rest of the Warlock features.

Pact Boon is irrelevant.

The Hexblade is a special Warlock subclass and exactly starts at level 1, in order to make its proficiency in armor and weapons, and its substituting Charisma for Strength feasible.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

The Warlock "pact" is with the "patron". They are the same thing. They happen at the same level, level 1.

At Warlock level 1:
• Otherworldly Patron grants Expanded Spell List.
• Pact Magic is just spellcasting, but slots are for short rest refresh.

At Warlock level 3:
• Pact Boon is unrelated to the rest of the Warlock features.

Pact Boon is irrelevant.

The Hexblade is a special Warlock subclass and exactly starts at level 1, in order to make its proficiency in armor and weapons, and its substituting Charisma for Strength feasible.

Would also work at level 3. Yiu can easily start with str or dex to attack or with eldritch blast...
And actually charisma to attack should have never been a thing to begin with.
Should instead be a melee substitute for eldritch blast. Would have spared us a lot of warlock/paladins or bards, just to get cha to attack...

 

[Charlaquin]

Would have spared us a lot of warlock/paladins or bards, just to get cha to attack...

You could also spare that by giving paladins and bards Cha to attack without having to multiclass.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

You could also spare that by giving paladins and bards Cha to attack without having to multiclass.

No thanks.

 

[Vaalingrade]

But can you make a living wage? I don't think so!

Yeah, but as discussed in another thread concerning Spider-man: bullying grants XP, so being harangued by angsty jerks for somehow choosing to be born late will make them level faster, so they can then just take the money from those same jerks.

 

[Maxperson]

Again, a subclass that grants half-casting or full-casting.

Except that it doesn't. Let's say that the player is roleplaying a fighter who is going to be an eldritch knight. Well, he's been roleplaying that since 1st level, and perhaps before via background and maybe even a feat if he's vhuman.

When he hits 3rd level his learning and practice simply complete and he gains the ability he's been working towards. Nothing jarring or out of place there at all.

To be jarring or out of place, the player has to have avoided roleplaying towards becoming an eldritch knight, avoided putting anything in his background that would explain it, and avoided taking skills like arcana or a feat to support the transition. In short, he created his own problem.

I want to see an example of a subclass that will be jarring or won't make sense when the player is putting forth the effort from my first paragraph above.

Yes, but the fact of the matter is there are structures that WotC does not and will not break with subclasses. Probably in large part because of multiclassing.

Multi-classing wouldn't be a issue, since levels add in a specific way which would not be affected by my suggestion.

 

[Maxperson]

Would also work at level 3. Yiu can easily start with str or dex to attack or with eldritch blast...
And actually charisma to attack should have never been a thing to begin with.
Should instead be a melee substitute for eldritch blast. Would have spared us a lot of warlock/paladins or bards, just to get cha to attack...

Eldritch blast comes from the pact and patron, so it wouldn't work unless the pact happens at level 1, but the specific subclass doesn't happen until level 3 for some reason.