• The VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX is coming! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!

D&D 5E Which subclasses dropped the ball and how did you fix them

How have you fixed those weak, limited, or useless subclasses? Bonus points for short, simple fixes.

Here are a few of mine:

Hunter. Starting at 3rd level, you learn an additional spell when you reach certain levels in this class. The spell counts as a ranger spell for you, but it doesn’t count against the number of ranger spells you know. 3rd level: hunter’s mark; 5th level: pass without trace; 9th level conjure barrage; 13th level freedom of movement; 17th level: swift quiver.

Trickery Domain. You gain proficiency with short swords. Cloak of Shadows can be used as a bonus action instead of a standard action. The extra damage granted by Divine Strike deals psychic damage, not poison damage.

Way of the Four Elements. All disciplines that normally require an action can be used as a bonus action. New disciplines based on spells form the PHB and XGtE are encouraged, but subject to DM approval.
 
Last edited:

log in or register to remove this ad



lyracian

Villager
I am very much in the camp of not changing them. If a player could not be pursaded to play a more powerful subclass my fix would more be along the lines of tailoring items or encounters that would allow their weak abilities to shine.

Trickery already has very good spells. I would probably play the Duplicate works similar to a single Mirror Image since the rules do not really say anything about what happens when someone tried to attack you/it.
 

dregntael

Explorer
Here are mine:

Berserker: The exhaustion caused by Frenzy is removed by a short rest.
(rationale: current version is needlessly punishing, but removing it entirely also gets rid of the flavor.)

Champion: Your maximum hit points are increased by 1 per level. In addition, Remarkable Athlete applies even when you are already proficient.
(rationale: this brings Champion in line with Battlemaster without removing the simplicity of the subclass.)

Way of the Four Elements: All elemental disciplines cost 1 ki less.
(rationale: this allows 4E monks to make use of their abilities more often w/o increasing their nova damage by too much.)

Beastmaster: When you take the Attack action, you can command your companion to attack the same target as a bonus action. In addition, your animal companion gets additional hit dice and ability score improvements whenever you do.
(rationale: this increases the usefulness of the companion at low levels, and adds some much-needed scaling at the higher levels.)
 

Ath-kethin

Elder Thing
Every single wizard "specialization." When all your wizards are blasting sleep, fireball, and come of cold, what you have cannot be called specialists in any meaningful way.

I fixed it my designing what I call True Specialization, and once it's ready for primetime you'll see it on DMSGuild.
 


On what planet is the Trickery domain "weak, limited, or useless"?

Anyway ...

Assassin Rogue: (1) At 3rd level, proficiency with disguise and poison kits also comes with free Expertise in those. (2) Add at 3rd level, proficiency with all martial weapons and can use Sneak Attack with any weapon the assassin is proficient with. (3) Change the surprise part of Assassinate to: If you surprise a target, you are automatically placed higher in the initiative order than the target. If you attack a target you have surprise against, you hit automatically, and the hit is a critical hit. (4) Give the assassin a Fighting Style at Lv. 9. (5) Use your proficiency bonus on initiative checks at Lv. 13.

Berserker Barbarian: Frenzy can be used once per day without gaining an exhaustion level. You gain a level of exhaustion with the second and subsequent uses of Frenzy that day.

Champion Fighter: Add to Remarkable Athlete: If you are proficient in a skill or tool associated with Strength or Dexterity, you double your proficiency bonus with the skill.
 

Eldritch Knight. When you select this archetype, you may choose two of the following schools from which you may draw spells: Abjuration, Conjuration, Evocation, or Transmutation. You are still limited to spells chosen from the wizard spell list.

Arcane Trickster. When you select this archetype, you may choose two of the following schools from which you may draw spells: Divination, Enchantment, Illusion, or Transmutation. You are still limited to spells chosen from the wizard spell list.
 

I like a lot of the changes suggested here. I'll probably nap the ones for Eldritch Knight and Arcane Trickster as while I don't think that they are weak, adding the option to pick two spell schools would open up more options for character diversity and be a good thing.

For myself, the changes are the following, at least what I can remember off the top of my head:

Berserker Barbarian: If they choose to frenzy, they make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw at the end of their rage or gain the exhaustion level. They also cannot die from levels of exhaustion caused by Frenzy, and remove one level of Exhaustion caused by Frenzy on each short rest.

Related: I house rule that Lesser Restoration can remove 1 level of Exhaustion and Greater Restoration instead removes all levels of it.

Trickery Cleric: I switch their 1st level stealth advantage feature with their second level Illusory Self thing gained at level 2. Basically they spend their Channel Divinity to grant advantage on Strealth to an ally and can do the illusion thing infinitely. Powerful, but still uses concentration slot to use.

Purple Dragon Knight/Banneret: I bump everything down in level so they gain Rallying Cry and Royal Enjoy at level 3 (it's now on par with Samurai), Inspiring Surge at level 7, Bulwark at 10th level, I gave them the Leadership ability from Hobgoblins/Knights monsters for their 15th level feature, and a second use of Second Wind at 15th level per short rest.

Additionally, I also have Rallying Cry be able to work even on unconcious people, and let Bulwark work on ANY save like Indomitable instead of just mental saves.

I've yet to figure out a solution to either the Sunsoul or Way of the Four Elements Monk (I've seen a few decent homebrew floating around online) because I've yet to have a player ask to play them. I've also toyed with allowing Barbarians to use rage 1/ short rest (with it being 2/short rest at some point and 3/short rest at another) but have not tested it and I tend to run 1-3 deadly+ encounters per day rather than the normal model.

Sorcerer and Ranger are both honorable mentions, though not subclasses, that I have a whole redo on. Basically for ranger I let players use either the PHB (with variants) or the Revised version and use the Revised ruleset for the Beastmaster (removing the 5th level ability if they go PHB version, or letting them opt to take Extra Attack instead of said feature). I have yet to give every ranger subclass spells sort of like gloom stalker and monster slayer, but I have considered it.

For sorcerer I give every origin a list of spells to pick from sort of like cleric domains (spells 1st-5th level), but make them pick one spell at each odd character level (1, 3, 5 etc.) from said list that they are capable of casting at that level. They eventually get all 10, but staggering it keeps the sorcerer from being a bit too front loaded. I also allow all the variants from the class variants thing for sorcerers (and pretty much any class for that matter), mostly relevant here is spell retraining on long rests.

Additionally, I give them:
1) One additional metamagic at 7th and 15th level.
1a) A new metamagic called Elemental Magic (like the one from the variant), though I allow them to spend a second point to make said spells deal necrotic, radiant, or psychic damage.
1b) I let careful spell basically negate all damage done to Cha mod creatures when applied. Powerful, but more fun. I've also been prone to let players count any object they wished to avoid damaging as a creature for this, and even spend additional points to negate more creatures, but admittedly that puts it over the top.

2) I give sorcerers a feature that let's them once per day on a short rest regain half their level of sorcery points.

3) I give them a choice between ritual casting or letting their own person count as a spell focus rather than needing one. Either way they also get quite a few ritual spells added to their spell list

4) Speaking of spell lists, I have a houserule where I basically allow any spell that fits the theme of a character to be learned or prepared so long as they do not go overboard and abuse said generosity. I've get to have a true problem and it's kind of dumb characters like blue dragon or storm sorcerers cannot get call lightning, as an example.
 

Remove ads

Top