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Message: <blockquote data-quote="humble minion" data-source="post: 8609440" data-attributes="member: 5948">If it were up to me and I had a clean slate to work on I'd make some pretty major changes (subclasses at level 1 and a complete Bard teardown/rebuild, in particular), but I'm fairly sure that 5.5 is intended to be back-compatible with things like the subclasses in Xanathar's and Tasha's, so people hankering after a major rewrite of the entire class and progression system are very likely to be disappointed.So with the back-compatibility restriction in mind, some relatively parsimonious change suggestions:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">more customisability after level 3.  Take the alternate class features from Tasha's and invent some new ones, when PCs advance and get a class feature from their base class they should have a selection of features to choose from more often than not.  Clerics that can swap armour/shield proficiency for Wis-based unarmoured defence and an extra proficiency.  Paladins who choose early in their career whether their smites (and spells) are going to do radiant or necrotic (or even psychic) damage, stuff like that.  The warlock's pact boon and the fighting style that various martial characters get already does this - it should be expanded heavily and keep going later into the level progression.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">more flexibility on the weapons that rogues and barbarians can use for sneak attack and rage respectively, to open up more viable concepts.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">more choice in casting stats.  Warlocks can choose between Cha and Int, sorcerers between Cha and Wis, and maybe even clerics and paladins between Wis and Cha too.  The current restrictions lock out too many character concepts.  Why CAN'T I play a surly unpleasant sorcerer with poor personal hygiene right now and not have him be lousy at sorcerering?  Or a good-hearted and kind, but weak-willed and easily-tempted, cleric?</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">fix the berserker, give them a save to avoid post-frenzy exhaustion or something.  It's the absolutely iconic barbarian subclass, it should work.  Oh and throw the damn four elements monk a bone for Pete's sake.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">sorcerer subclasses get bonus thematic spells known like the aberrant and lunar sorcerers do (i reckon you can almost take this one to the bank).  Similarly, open up the Warlock spell list a bit.  The 'all things dark and edgy and kinda evil-sounding' list worked ok with the three warlock patrons in the PHB, but they make a lot less thematic sense now that the Genie and Celestial patrons etc have showed up.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">loosen the integration between warlock core features and Eldritch Blast.  At the very least, make the various Eldritch Blast invocations applicable to any combat cantrip rather than just Eldritch Blast.  My undead pact warlock should be able to throw Chill Touch around and do necrotic damage by default.  Similarly, it just makes sense that a efreet pact genie would use fire bolt as a primary attack.   It shouldn't be so mechanically suboptimal to be thematic.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">monks get d10 hit dice.  At least.  I mean, they're a primary melee class, they should get more hit points than frigging warlocks...</li> </ul></blockquote>

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