D&D General What is the right amount of Classes for Dungeons and Dragons?

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Was wondering this when it comes to new editions of Dungeons and Dragons. How many classes are too many and how many are too little?

Is it for flavor purpose and fulfilling certain archetypes? Having certain roles be fulfilled?

Four. Do the rest with two tiers of subclasses and specializations.

 

[Vaalingrade]

With a robust suite of feats: We could get away with 0.

Without a robust suite of feats: Keep making them. We'll get there eventually. Possible even before Sol burns out.

 

[Greenstone.Walker]

I reckon four. Internal vs external and mundane vs magic.

Internal classes get their power from study and training and practice and the honing of body and/or mind.

An internal-mundane character is someone who has trained their body to be a weapon. They have done weight training and drills and katas. They have practiced with a range of weapons. They have learnt how to use their strength and/or agility. We might call them fighters or rogues.

An internal-magic character is someone who has trained their mind to use extraordinary powers. They have studied theories of magic, practiced incantations, memorised arcane scrolls and books. We might call them wizards or mages.

Internal characters understand their power in a way that external characters do not.

That is because external characters have sort-of "cheated" by getting their power from some external source. They don't understand it - they just use it.

Maybe they pray to a god for power in return for converts (clerics, paladins maybe). Maybe they unlock some latent power in their blood, or change their body by some ritual (sorcerors). Maybe they just bought the power outright, paying a price (one soul is traditional). In any case, I think these could be covered by two classes, one covering might, one covering magic.

 

[cbwjm]

I think a good number lies roughly around where it is when 5e released. I could be a little less and increase as time goes on. For instance, WoW began with 9 classes and expanded that to 13 over time, I think that's a good number for differing playstyles.

 

[Aldarc]

There are only three colors: red, yellow and blue. Everything else is a mix, reskin, or tweak of those three.

You jest, but there does seem to be something pretty pervasive in a lot of games about the three class setup of Warrior, Rogue, and Mage. It's far more common to see variations of this than D&D's classic four lineup.

 

[GrimCo]

With a robust suite of feats: We could get away with 0.

At that point, you can just ditch class system and go with something like gurps. Abilities have point cost, every character has point budget, build it as you wish what you wish.

 

[Mind of tempest]

I don't think D&D has much to worry about. Even Paizo, having literally been handed the best opportunity an RPG company could hope for, never was able to dethrone D&D. Neither Level Up or TotV have nearly the streak of good fortune Paizo did.

it is the question of if paizo could gain a media presence, example a hit show and wotc doing something super dumb or getting locked into bad ideas because of shareholders

I 100% believe that the lack of a arcane 1/2 caster equal to the Paladin and Ranger in 5e is Appeal To Tradition and WOTC's artifical rule against new classes.

So before you even think about warlord or psion, we are at 14 class tropes in D&D.

the arcane halfcaster does lack a core mechanic or sense of identity which is likely the great difficulty in making it but tradition blinds them to options

Eldritch Knight is too much fighter, too little mage. Bladesinger is too much mage and not enough fighter. Hypothetically, a gish base class would be closer to 50/50

no 40/40 and a part all its own.

You jest, but there does seem to be something pretty pervasive in a lot of games about the three class setup of Warrior, Rogue, and Mage. It's far more common to see variations of this than D&D's classic four lineup.

clerics do not work roleplay-wise in most games, theurge or gifted power does not work in most game's construction.
the cleric was normally a support option and that fails in single-player.
hell a warcraft cleric is not remotely god loving and that is a damn old setting these days.

 

[Chalice]

Four, with subclasses.

 

[Mind of tempest]

why do so many want four?

 

[Minigiant]

the arcane halfcaster does lack a core mechanic or sense of identity which is likely the great difficulty in making it but tradition blinds them to options

Nah

The AHC has the same core mechanic that the Duskblade (3e) and Swordmage (4e) has before it:

Strikes with magicky effects before or after the hit.

The problem.is WOTC does not create new classes anymore