Classed to the Past / Splatbook to the Future

[foobar1969]

Each new version of D&D adds new ideas, but also rebuilds what came before. Regarding classes, 5E already covers a lot of established ground (but with its own flavor, of course).

Barbarian Berserker :: Barbarian, Berserker
Barbarian Totem :: Totem Barbarian
Bard Lore :: Bard, Bardic Sage
Bard Valor :: Valor Bard
Cleric domains :: Cleric
Druid Land & Moon :: Druid
Fighter Champion :: Fighter
Fighter Battlemaster :: Warblade, Warlord (sort of)
Fighter Eldritch Knight :: Eldritch Knight, Swordmage
Monk Open Hand :: Monk
Monk Shadow :: Shadowdancer, Ninja
Monk Elements :: avatar benders
Paladin Devotion :: Paladin
Paladin Vengeance :: Avenger
Paladin Ancients :: Warden (sort of)
Ranger Hunter & Beastmaster :: Ranger
Rogue Thief :: Rogue, Thief
Rogue Assassin :: Assassin
Rogue Arcane Trickster :: Arcane Trickster, Spellthief
Sorcerer Draconic :: Dragonblood Sorcerer
Sorcerer Wild :: Wild Mage
Warlock Patrons :: Warlock, Binder
Warlock Blade :: Hexblade
Warlock Chain :: ?
Warlock Tome :: ?
Wizard schools :: Wizard

Favored Soul :: Favored Soul (sort of)
Mystic Awakened :: Psion
Mystic Immortal :: Psychic Warrior

Going back through 2E 3E & 4E, it's fun (and easy) to speculate about classes that could be remade in PHB2 (or whatever the next non-setting splatbook will be called).

BASE CLASSES I'D LIKE TO SEE:

Artificer (or saved for an Eberron book)
Shaman / Sprit Shaman
Truenamer (ha ha but maybe serious?)
Warlord (already has archetypes from 4E)

Last, an INT based arcane class (because 5E already has 3 CHA based ones) perhaps called "Aspected Mage", with the following archetypes:
* Beguiler - enchantment & illusion, plus thief features
* Warmage - evocation, plus armor & metamagic
* Dread Necromancer - necromancy, plus undead features
(molded into the same theme:)
* Abjurant Champion - abjuration, plus combat features
* Shaper Mechanist - transmutation, plus wild shape
* Unseen Seer - divination, plus assassin features

ARCHETYPES & VARIANTS:

Crusader Paladin - replace lay on hands & spellcasting with steely resolve et al (see also ToB (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?427454-Tome-of-Battle(master)-5E-antero-fit))
Factotum Rogue - replace sneak attack with inspiration & dilettante
Mystic Ranger / Seeker Ranger - spirit arrows, 2/3rds caster (up to 6th level)
Scout Ranger - replace spellcasting with skirmish
Swashbuckler Fighter - replace armor with finesse
Swordsage Monk - replace ? with superiority maneuvers (see also ToB (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?427454-Tome-of-Battle(master)-5E-antero-fit))
Warden Barbarian - replace rage with earth powers

[T.G. Oskar]

Oath of the Ancients Paladin may be a nod to the 4e Warden, though only in fluff - the Warden had a pretty specific crunch that involved Guardian Forms and shapeshifting. There's a chance the Warden may return as a Ranger or Barbarian subclass, tho. The Warlock depiction is odd, though - Warlock Patrons are more Warlock + 3e Binder than anything else. Pact Boons are references to 4e Pact Boons - while the Blade Warlock is definitely a nod to the Hexblade (to an extent), Chain and Tome are more specific to 4e than anything else. To an extent, Tome Warlock works a bit like Wizard in a way.

As for base classes, I agree with Artificer, and I place my support on the Warlord fans, though I see that as a really uphill battle. Artificer has it easy - Infusions are a pretty unique form of spellcasting and WotC is quite eager to experiment, if Pact Magic and Psionic Disciplines are something to come by. The Artificer also has given archetypes - Alchemist Savant definitely covers the Alchemist archetype (focused on temporary poison-making), the Renegade Mastermaker/Self-Forged works nice for those melee-focused Artificers and those who like some self-improvement, whereas you could have something like Wand Adept for wand-users, an archetype like the Beastmaster but with constructs (Iron Defenders!) and the "core" archetype for temporary boosting of weapons and armor into magic items. Warlord, on the other hand, has it a bit rough - the 4e Commanding Presences are somewhat limited in scope, and the only other thing you can work with is the Marshal's auras - but the Battlemaster Fighter didn't make any justice to the class. It could exist as a split between a Martial Archetype and an Oath, but it also has merit as a class. Truenamer would be insanely difficult - not because of the mechanic, but because it's too specific; perhaps as a Cleric domain (Rune domain) and a Wizard school (School of Truespeech), since the Truenamer was very similar to the wizard in execution. The Shaman is much like the Warlord in that you can either collapse it into archetypes (in this case, a Druid Circle) or make it its own class (though what archetypes it might get are difficult to figure out, unless they go the PF path of the Medium and make each subclass a specific totemic spirit).

On terms of subclasses: the Swashbuckler will come as a Roguish Archetype, so no Martial Archetype for it (and Duelist became a Fighting Style, so all the Swashbuckler truly needs is a dip into the Fighter class). The Warden as a Barbarian Path is quite interesting; the Crusader and Swordsage...eh, could be done differently. Crusader seems more like a Paladin Sacred Order (the Order of the Crusade), which downplays their magical ability and probably makes their Smite somewhat more different, in addition to stuff like Steely Resolve/Furious Counterstrike becoming a Channel Divinity effect). The Swordsage seems to be covered to an extent in the Way of the Elements (if you focus Desert Wind as an elemental path) and Way of Shadow (same for Shadow Hand). Scout *could* work as a Ranger subclass, though - mixing Skirmish with Hunter's Quarry, and focusing mostly on movement - but that's somewhat the same thing that the Hunter subclass is doing, if you think about it (also: the spell-less Ranger has been already released to a point, so why have another, and replace what little spells they got for a replacement of Sneak Attack, which Rogues can only use once per round no matter how many attacks they could get?). Samurai, which you didn't mention, somewhat exists in the Battlemaster, but can exist as a Martial Archetype or as a Sacred Oath (Oath of the Warrior's Way); the Monk could have a more weapon-focused path with the Way of the Warrior Monk (aka, the Sohei). The Yakuza (once a 1e Class, in fact) could exist as an Oriental Adventures/Kara-Tur flavored Roguish Archetype. Just to complete the "what-the-heck-is-Asia-flavored" classes, the Wu Jen could be a school focused on taboo spellcasting, while the Cleric could have a Banishment domain that works as an Onmyoji. Going out more Middle-Eastern, the Sha'ir could be a very interesting Sorcerous Origin (with a Jinn servitor) or Wizard School, and there could be a Bardic College related to choirs and psalms (evoking the Divine Bard from 3e's Unearthed Arcana).

Speaking of 3e's Unearthed Arcana: you could have most of the variants present - the Divine Bard as a Bardic College (College of Choristers), the Druidic Avenger and Urban Druid as Circles (Circle of Natural Vengeance and Circle of the City, respectively), the Thug can exist as a Martial Archetype (named...the Thug), the Monk Paths could be collapsed into extra uses of Ki, the Paladin of Freedom could exist as a Sacred Oath (Oath of Liberation), the Wilderness Rogue could exist as a Roguish Archetype (Scavenger?), and so on.

[foobar1969]

Great suggestions. Yes, the "Oriental" classes and the UA variants would all work easily as archetypes.

Truenamer would be a good challenge for game designers: redeem the worst PC class since the 0E Thief, without losing its flavor.

[EvilAnagram]

You missed that the Battle Master fills in for Warlord, and an Order of the Ancients Paladin can stand in for a Warden, especially with Elder Champion.

[foobar1969]

Fair enough. I'd rather see a full Warlord base class, but a Battlemaster with Commander's Strike, Distracting Strike, Maneuvering Strike, and Rally could sorta fill that role.

[Ralanr]

Fair enough. I'd rather see a full Warlord base class, but a Battlemaster with Commander's Strike, Distracting Strike, Maneuvering Strike, and Rally could sorta fill that role.

Plus they could always splat more maneuvers.