Dream subclasses?

[suplee215]

If you could add 1 subclass to each 5e class what would they be and why? What flavor and what loose mechanical niche do you want it to fill? Any examples of heroes in mythology or pop culture you are trying to match?

[SheVa]

Barbarian: Path of the Pugilist - you tank with your chest, so why not fight with your fists? (a bit of Monk flavor for the Barbarian, just as other classes can get flavors from othet classes - College of Swords is a bit of Fighter flavor for Bards, Eldritch Knight is a bit of Wizard flavor for Fighters, etc.)

Bard: College of Satire - its been in UA for so long, please make it happen! (a tumbling fool is the quintessential Bard, to me)

Cleric: Empathy Domain - a big part of a priest's duties is moral support (officiating weddings, grief counceling, giving blessings to children), but there is very little support for this (Grave Domain and Death Domain don't cut it, too combat oriented - I essentially want a bit of social Bard flavor in my Clerics)

Druid: Circle of Elements - Mother Nature is more than just the living things, like plants and animals, there is also the matter that is commonly regarded as inanimate (we have seen some exciting glimpses at the potential for this in the Rock Gnome Druids from Out of the Abyss, and Druids already have some ideas that go in this direction with Moon Druid Elemental Wild Shapes and spells such as Meld into Stone)

Fighter: Blade Master - pick a particular melee weapon and become really, really good at it, with special abilities depending on chosen weapon (might be very complicated and limiting to implement, and is in all honesty maybe better covered by some of the UA feats)

Monk: Way of Peace - sure, Monks like to hit things with fists, and a similar attempt for Paladin hasn't gone down well with Oath of Redemption, but I think there may be something there... (the basic Monk chasis is just so strong, and I loved some of the UA Oath of Redemption Paladin ideas - some of them might be ported to a Monk snd fit excellently there)

Paladin: Oath of Determination - whatever the obstacle, this Paladin will see the job done! make the Paladin into a juggernaut-type character (maybe create a taunt mechanic for the first real tank in the game)

Ranger: Conclave of Preservation - essentially a wild-life protector (for those who want more Druid flavor in their Ranger)

Rogue: Confidence Trickster - a social Rogue who doesn't operate in the shadows but in plain sight (Rogue with Bard flavor, essentially)

Sorcerer: Astral Bloodline - weird magic from alien beings (manipulation by illithids in their ancestors' genome, descend from Gith, etc.) that results in being able to manipulate spells even better, give them additional effects (almost like Invocations from Warlocks)

Warlock: Hag Patron - I mean, common, why is his not a thing yet! the Archfey is not equivalent here, I want more witch-y stuff, herbs and blood-magic (problem could be that not many hags might be considered powerful enough to be Warlock Patrons, but the equivalence between Patron deals and hag bargains is just too juicy)

Wizard: Spellsword - along the lines of Bladesinger, but available to every race (maybe like a War Wizard, but with Extra Attack or some of features inspired by Eldritch Knight)

[suplee215]

My own answers:
Barbarian: path of the hero/trained barbarian. Basically I feel like Heracles and Achilles are barbarians with a little more formal training. Add a fighting choice and some way to use the bow with rage as Hercules was an archer who also beat people to death with a club.

Bard: college of lies or story tellers. Focus on somehow bringing their stories to life. They speak something and it has a chance of happening. Such as the boy who cry wolf summons a wolf. Not sure if itll be too powerful to make a cutting word type ability that only works on enemy saves (maybe just the own bard's spells).

Cleric: darkness/night domain as an opposite to light. Might overlap with trickery too much with a focus on stealth but I'm ok with that. Also focus on blinding enemies.

Druid: poison ivy type. Much more plant based than previously seen and own regeneration type abilities.

Fighter: hard for me to think of one as the subclasses are usually super vague. A focus on simple weapons seem interesting.

Monk: grappler. I feel like today when we think of martial artists the general population at least thinks UFC a lot and grapples work wonders. Sure you can make any monk subclass do grapples but one with special training for it seems fun.

Paladin: I feel like the most popular Paladin this edition are edgelords trying to subvert the previous limitations (conquest and vengeance). So this is different. Oath of research (need better name). The Paladin who checks the library for the enemy weakness or location of holy relics. Might be too weird to give a half caster a subclass akin to eldritch knight but could work. A Paladin with wider spell options, maybe pick a different class to use or schools of magic you can pick from. I also feel like the versatility is balanced by a Paladin smites competing.

Ranger: one focused on throwing weapons basically. Just a niche I want to see the game support more and ranger can use more love too.

Rogue: an intimidation type rogue who can gain sneak attack by terrifying the enemies. Something akin to making a intimidation check contested and if you pass you get sneak attack regardless. The big bad thug whose presence terrifies and throws you off.

Sorcerer: I agree with aberration type origin but different feel. A sorcerer is someone who has magic powers out of nowhere. I feel like it will overlap with the common trope of mind readers and psychics coming into their power and being over whelmed and stuff. Almost like the great old one warlock. And charm/suggestion type spells get a bone a little.

Warlock: elemental patron and more blasty offense.

Wizard: they have so many I dont know if I can think of a new one. While I do think bladesingers should be an option to other races it already is if a DM decides so. I think I'll do what battle mage did and try to combine 2 schools. Conjuration and enchantment seems fun, you summon creatures and also buff them with spells (something like when you cast a spell that conjures a creature you may maintain conceration on 2 spells if the other spell targets that creature and is an enchantment spell)

[Foxydono]

Barbarian: mage slayer archetype, that can try to counterspell a spell caster as a reaction by landing a hit.

Rogue: acrobatic archetype, lots of monk flavour. Extra speed, spider climb ability, low dmg, but has abilities to avoid getting hit.

Sorcerer: never going to happen, but.. Blood sorcerer. Someone able to upcast or use metamagic through sacrificing hp.

Wizard: specialized wizard. Like they had in second edition. You cannot cast spells from oppositie schools, but spells you can cast from your chosen school are better. More min/max :)

Druid: a shapechange druid in other forms. I want to be...

Warlock: some invocations that buff my familiair to the appropriate lvl please. More like a ranger with a companion, but not focused on dmg. Give me my succubus :)

[Man_Over_Game]

Barbarian: A tactical Barbarian, one that has to make a lot of choices, and has reasons to Rage at a specific time, end rage in the middle of combat, and has reasons not to Rage.

Monk: One that involves jumping, using mobility as a weapon.

Sorcerer: A Sorcerer that's designed around barriers and blades, something that uses force magic to deflect attacks and cut things with molecule-level precision. Like an EK, but less straightforward.

Warlock: Nothing more than a suite of invocations that turn your Chain familiar into a combat addition. Something that lets you replace it with a monster that actually fights. Like the Pactblade options.

Fighter: A Weaponmaster, something that has incentive to change out what weapons he's wielding, and do it often. Something that's contradictory to the specializations of the Fighting Styles, where he has to constantly change how he plays to get the most out of the build (with the Fighting Style mostly choosing his "preferred" method of combat).

[MrStabby]

So in order, and to be fair most of these are things I ended up homebrewing myself so no absolute need.

Barbarian-
I would love to see a subclass that favoured small races - anything really to open it up

Bard-
I would like a college of fables bard


Cleric -
An inquisitor, trading domain abilities for some rogue-like abilities to hunt down and destroy the enemies of the church

Druid-
A plant based druid, boosts to vegetation based spells and some abilities to keep them relevant at high levels.

Fighter-
A tactician that makes use of intelligence as a secondary stat and adds more tactical complexity

Monk-
A more circus acrobatics type - maybe some illusion abilities on top of the core class, and the ability to blend these with the core monk abilities

Paladin-
Oath of secrets - good intelligence gathering spells and some extra anti caster elements such as counterpspell

Ranger-
A fey themed ranger with some nice enchantment abilities added. Like the Land druid is druid with extra magic this would be ranger with extra magic

Rogue-
One that does surgical strikes - exchanging sneak attack dice for debilitating conditions,also uses intelligence as secondary stat.

Sorcerer-
Something a bit more martial

Warlock-
A Djinn pact

Wizard-
I think we have enough...

[Chaelos]

Barbarian: Path of the Conqueror - A barbarian whose rage provides options to heal/buff allies, much like a 4e Warlord.
Bard: College of Absurdism - A reality-warper and battlefield controller whose Bardic Inspiration gives them the ability to alter their surroundings (think small-scale Mirage Arcane), but only if a majority of the party finds the alteration funny.
Cleric: Prophecy Domain - Basically the Clerical answer to the (hilariously named) Diviner, this Cleric would excel at knowing the unknowable and applying those insights practically to combat.

Druid: The Scourged Circle - A Druid whose Circle was destroyed by the progress of Civilization, and who has subsequently embarked on a campaign of destruction. Mostly blasting/DPS focused. All their wildshapes resemble skeletal or plague-riddled versions of the beasts.

Fighter: Swordsage - Basically a combination of a Battlemaster and a Warlock focused on AoE attacks and controlling rather.

Monk: Path of the Butterfly - A difficult-to-hit Monk who can spend Ki points to allow allies to use their abilities in combat (cast spells, make attacks, etc.)

Paladin: Oath of the Outlands - A diplomatic and RP-focused Paladin, their auras calm the emotions of their enemies (and allies) and they can Channel Divinity to temporarily reset an opponent's alignment to Neutral. They get bonuses against opponents that are further away from Neutral.

Ranger: tbh this whole class is a mess. Any fix would have to overhaul the whole thing from the ground up. A Ranger that operates more like Rambo/Dutch from Predator would be pretty slick, though.

Rogue: Bounty Hunter - Basically Boba Fett, but a Rogue. Emphasis on gadgets and skill checks to obtain different methods of attacking. Critically, can choose to do "non-lethal damage" at range/via AOE, which is not RAW by default.

Sorcerer: Mage of the Arcane Order - A Sorcerer infused with the power of the Spellpool, and can spend Sorcery points to cast spells they don't innately know. This fixes the Sorcerer's main problem: they just don't know enough dang spells!

Warlock: The Eldritch Grimoire Patron - This Warlock has made a pact with a book so powerful that it can actually give insights into the multiverse. Like the old 3.5 Binder, they can choose a number of odd buffs that can be reset on a daily basis. They may also make a CHA check against a set DC in order to learn the true name of an extraplanar entity, thus giving certain advantages in combat and RP against it.

Wizard: The Lore Master - alright, fine, I admit it, I actually liked the UA playtest version. Was it OP? yes, although I submit that it wasn't that unreasonable when compared to things like the Diviner. But basically a Wizard that has some of the attributes of the old 3.5 Archmage would be my preference.

[Mercurias]

Barbarian: Eldritch Blood. 1/3 casting ability that cues off of Constitution (Or Charisma maybe). Only accessible while raging. Can can cast and/or concentrate on a spell while raging as their special lower level feature. At higher levels they gain a few sorcery points and one or two metamagic options.

Bard: College of Composition. Become the Pied Piper, Snake Charmer, or Johann from TAZ you always dreamt of being. Use your inspiration dice to play songs which directly affect those hearing them for their duration, choosing between a list of effects in the vein of a Battlemaster Fighter.

Cleric: Chaos Domain. Channel Divinity to roll alter probability, and give a domain spell list of thematically appropriate spells like Polymorph and Invisibility.

Druid: Circle of Spirits. A Druid that can channel the soul of a spirit of nature through their bodies, granting them supernatural physical abilities. An alternative way to Druid Gish that isn’t a Spores or Moon Druid.

Fighter: Duelist. A Dex-Focused fighter with added mobility, a Dex bonus on action surge, and features with a focus on cinematic stunts.

Monk: Way of the Iron Sparrow. A monk focused on archery, complete with being able to use Flurry of Blows to shoot additional arrows or Stunning strike from a distance, and to increase the Hit dice of their arrows to match their unarmed damage at higher levels.

Paladin: Oath of Matchmaking. Become a Cupid in shining armor! Find and protect romantic love at all cost! Use the Ceremony spell without component costs once per long rest. Channel Divinity to Detect Thoughts. This would be hilarious, flavorful, and it’s now the only Paladin I want to play. Can this please be a thing?

Ranger: Trapper. Set traps for your opponents in as fast as in a single bonus action in some cases. Specialization features emphasize stealth and trap-finding, disabling, and setting. Might give a tool proficiency in something that makes traps (e.g., tinker tools for making bear traps).

Rogue: Acrobat. An especially nimble Rogue able to perform acrobatic feats to gain advantage in combat or stealth.

Sorcerer: Fey Bloodline. A Sorcerer focused on Illusions and enchanting. Gains Minor Illusion or Friends at level 1, and mischievous spell-like effect short rest features as it progresses.

Warlock: Primal Patron. Pact with a spirit or being of nature, with a spell list that emphasizes such with things like Goodberry, Entangle, and Absorb Elements.

Wizard: School of Rituals. Gain enhancements to Ritual casting, like shortened ritual spells and maybe being able to learn Rituals from other spell lists like the Warlock Tome of Shadows feature.

[Dr paradox]

Barbarian: Path of the Relic-Bearer. A barbarian who specializes in a specific weapon they can carry from level 1 to 20 that accrues bonuses and honorifics as they level up. Think Conan in the movie, with his Atlantean sword.

Bard: College of Resistance! A bard who sees it at their personal duty to speak truth to power, using satire to humble to conceited and legend to undermine the tyrannical. Literary comparison would be Alan-a-Dale, the minstrel from Robin Hood's Merry Men.

Cleric: I like Mr. Stabby's notion of an inquisitor, as distinct from a vengeance paladin. Sometimes you want the versatility of a full-caster for tracking down foes.

Druid: Circle of the Leash. A Druid who posesses animals instead of changing into them. Sacrifices specific control in exchange for a wider range of creatures they can take over, possibly even including some monstrous humanoids like Kenku or Lizardfolk. Essentially Warging, like John Snow in A Song of Ice and Fire.

Fighter: The Glorious, a warrior made to exemplify the virtues of valor so highly regarded by medieval Europe. This is the social fighter, who knows how to look good winning, fall gracefully, and hobnob convincingly at the afterparty. Whether the tourney knight, the star gladiator, or the war hero at the head of the triumphant parade, the Glorious knows just how to ingratiate himself into any society that values martial prowess.

Monk: I'll echo Mercurias' Way of the Iron Sparrow, that seems neat and thematically appropriate.

Paladin: Mr. Stabby's Oath of Secrets seems neat, a good pairing with the Inquisition cleric he suggested.

Ranger: Slayer. Has a bestiary of different favored enemy bonuses that they can add to as they level up, or copy form other bestiaries. They can swap out their preparations day to day like wizards and their spells - bonus to hit against elves, bonus on saving throws against beasts to deal with drow riding giant spiders. Something like Geralt of Rivia, where knowing your enemy and taking time to prepare is as valuable as a sharp sword.

Rogue: Safecracker. This rogue specializes in all things mechanical, metalurgical, or alchemical. He's all about bringing the right tools for the job and thinking like his opponent. Give him a long enough lever, and a place to rest it, and they'll flip the whole dungeon on its head. They get small traps of their own they can make, and advantage on maneuvering foes into danger. He's not a sneaker, he's a mechanic and a professional, possibly a trap-smith or a dedicated treasure hunter.

Sorcerer: Abberant Bloodline. This is essentially my replacement for the Psion class. I don't like Psionics as just another learned talent, or even something natural but totally neutral. Instead, I prefer the notion that Psions are almost Innsmouth folks, perhaps their forebears subjected to grotesque experiments by mind flayers. They get specializations in Enchantment and Illusion, plus probably some uniquely unsettling psychic abilities. Kind of like Eleven from Stranger Things, with her powers stemming from a pre-natal experiment and her connection to eldritch interdimensional horrors.

Warlock: Archfell Patron. Like the Archfey, this is a powerful undead spirit. Do they want to be resurrected? Do they want to create more undead? Maybe a villain from a previous campaign! At a stretch you could think of this like Kylo Ren imagines himself when he's talking to Darth Vader's melted helmet.

Wizard: I think we're all good. Wizards are so versatile and freeform, I don't know they need more options.

[NovenFromTheSun]

Paladin-Oath of the Unseen Hand: Rogue like Paladins who pull strings to make sure thing work out behind the scenes.

Monk-Way of Iron: Heavily armored monks who learn how to move around in their armor as if it was part of their bodies.

Either Wizard or Sorcerer-Biomancer: magic related to living things and biological processes. Has healing and some Druid spells.