D&D 5E What Arcane Traditions would you like to see

[Saeviomagy]

I want a sage. The deep academic wizard with lots of knowledge and languages is basically gone, replaced by bards, knowledge clerics and rogues.

I also want a ritualist. Someone who's focus shifts further towards careful preparation, preferably with a hint of group collaboration (a bit like the old red wizard in some respects). Being able to cast a wider range of spells as rituals (with some tradeoff - would it be too good to cast any spell in the spellbook as a ritual, but expend the slot?), being able to let other people concentrate on a spell, that sort of thing.

I'd also like to see elementalists that focus on a single element. Although you can get pretty close just by applying dragon sorceror to a wizard.

 

[TheCosmicKid]

I want a sage. The deep academic wizard with lots of knowledge and languages is basically gone, replaced by bards, knowledge clerics and rogues.

This, as the classic generalist wizard. Does not care about the schools of magic; just wants to learn it all.

 

[Tony Vargas]

The idea of a non-spell-casting Tradition is starting to grow on me. ;P

Hey, if there are fighters that cast spells, there should be wizards that don't...

 

[Wednesday Boy]

The idea of a non-spell-casting Tradition is starting to grow on me. ;P

Hey, if there are fighters that cast spells, there should be wizards that don't...

I'm one of those in real life!

 

[Edwin Suijkerbuijk]

maybe some kind of life/light/positive energy wizard, that would have access to healing spells.

It could be a interesting option for when you want to build a world without gods but still want the party to be able to have a dedicated healer.

 

[Ancalagon]

People who are looking for inspiration for something different should read some of China Mieville's work... he has a very interesting take on wizardry.

 

[QuietBrowser]

Aside from the obvious setting-specific Traditions of Defiler and an Arcanist that actually works, I'd probably most like at least one decent Elementalism-based wizard, and maybe a Star or Time-themed Tradition, too - we don't get a lot of either sort of magics in D&D, and that's a shame.

 

[Ath'kethin]

People who are looking for inspiration for something different should read some of China Mieville's work... he has a very interesting take on wizardry.

You probably know this already, but Dragon Magazine #352 was pretty much devoted entirely to Bas-Lag and New Crobuzon. I've adapted bits of it for my campaign.

 

[Ancalagon]

You probably know this already, but Dragon Magazine #352 was pretty much devoted entirely to Bas-Lag and New Crobuzon. I've adapted bits of it for my campaign.

I did *not*. Clearly I will have to find this! thanks!

 

[Ath'kethin]

I did *not*. Clearly I will have to find this! thanks!

Don't get too excited. Mielville's work doesn't translate easily to D&D. The best parts of the article are the map of New Crobuzon and the monster treatments for the grindylow and slake moths. That don't really have a good translation for thaumaturgists, for example, though the issue includes write-ups for the Possible Sword and the khepri stingbox.

Don't get me wrong: the stuff they have is good, and it was in fact how I even heard of Perdido Street Station in the first place. But it's only a single issue, and no substantial attempt is made to rectify the magic systems.