Tasha's Subclasses that fix problems with the base class?

[Rfkannen]

For example, one of the problems I have always had with the warlock is that it doesn't seem very fun to play at higher levels, but the genie warlock getting limited wish fixes that right up! I feel like if I ever run another warlock, it will probably be genie. Which is weird because I thematically prefer fathomless, but that has the same issue I have with other subclasses.



I was wondering, has anyone noticed any other subclasses that do similar things, plug up holes in the class they are for? I remember I saw someone say that one of the monks did that, but I can't remember what they said it did.

Any ideas?

[MrCharlie]

For example, one of the problems I have always had with the warlock is that it doesn't seem very fun to play at higher levels, but the genie warlock getting limited wish fixes that right up! I feel like if I ever run another warlock, it will probably be genie. Which is weird because I thematically prefer fathomless, but that has the same issue I have with other subclasses.



I was wondering, has anyone noticed any other subclasses that do similar things, plug up holes in the class they are for? I remember I saw someone say that one of the monks did that, but I can't remember what they said it did.

Any ideas?
It's pretty obvious that Tasha's sorcerers are a fix to regular sorcerers. There have been multiple discussions on the topic.

Monks got fixed by Tasha's in terms of their subclasses adding more damage, and their base class being fixed by adding a bonus action strike after using Ki (Which helps the action economy of a few subclasses immensely).

Some people might say Paladin and Ranger got fixed by adding a fighting style that adds cantrips, or that ranger got fixed by having natural explorer completely re-written.

Personally, I think that Druids got fixed by the addition of other wild-shape uses, either using it for archetype features or to summon a familiar. It helps fix old archetypes that didn't really care for wild shape (like circle of the land) and helps give a way forward for new archetypes.

[Droppeddead]

Except for the beastmaster, there aren't really any classes that needs "fixing" but yes, Tasha's add some nice options for most of the classes.

[Hael]

Astral monk is sorta a broad baseclass fix to monks, not unlike open hand monk. You could easily take many of those features and put it into the main class, then choose another subclass.

The range makes a big difference for skirmishing... the extra damage helps mitigate some of the skirmisher scaling problems in tier 3-4 (although they should have kept the UA attacks for 13+). The wis removes a lot of madness and probably should have been a base class feature.

The sorcerer subclasses are obvious fixes (just misplaced fixes IMO).

And thatÂ’s sorta it. Nothing else screams gloomstalker, Hexblade or Swashbuckler.

The cleric subclasses kinda give support (but clerics already had decent support options). The Star Druid has a few things that kinda make it an every druid candidate, but nothing in there that would really make it onto a class feature list (the extra use of ws and bas of course are welcome).

I feel like warlocks still need a caster version of the Hexblade. Something that solves the base classes mechanical problem with casting. Likewise I would like an Everyman barbarian choice that was balanced between offense and defense and that crucially scaled into tier3-4.

[BloodSnake'sCha]

I think they fix Wild Sorcerer mine problem (surge having no mechanic for the trigger) with a magic item Feywild Shard.
It is now a tax item with attunement for wild sorcerers.

[jojosskul]

Even though they didn't need fixing power level wise, I feel like the new Battlemaster manuevers and the new fighting styles did a ton to make the fighter more interesting. There are so many ways to build the fighter now, which they demonstrated with their (sometimes horrible but still great for ideas) Battlemaster builds section.

Now instead of every single Battlemaster fighter feeling the same, I feel like you have a ton more options to make them your own and have a decent chance of no two Battlemasters being exactly alike.

Previously I never wanted to play a non-EK fighter (and usually never wanted to play a fighter at all) and now Battlemaster is oddly fighting with Aberrant Mind Sorcerer in my head to be my next character whenever I take another break from DMing. Fighters have become the Warlocks of the martial classes because of this versatility, especially Battlemasters.

[jaappleton]

One of the biggest “fixes” across the board was allowing people to still get use out of features which would have otherwise been wasted.

Using Ki before a short rest to heal yourself.
Using Channel Divinity to recover a spell slot.

I think these changes are absolutely massive, and aren’t getting nearly enough love.

I find some of the other “fixes” to be poorly placed band-aids on more severe wounds, however.

Letting Monks use other weapons as Monk weapons. Giving Sorcs a Metamagic option to change a spell damage type.

Monks still have almost no exclusive weaponry, since their Martial Arts and Flurry require unarmed strikes. And charging the Cold Dragon Sorc a point to change Fireball to Iceball doesn’t fix the fact that there’s not many worthwhile Cold spells before Cone of Cold.

So while I love some changes, I felt others didn’t go far enough.

Give Monks some nice weaponry, and let Sorcs innately change spell damage types a number of times equal to their Charisma Modifier per day BEFORE you start charging them Sorc Points and a Metamagic slot to do it. Or, better yet, make a couple new spells.... Crazy idea, I know, but really they just need a Cold and Acid equivalent to Fireball / Lightning Bolt. Have Cold be 5d8 and Half Movement or something. Work it out, they say they want to expand options but charge the class that needs it most in order to “fix it”?

They didn’t go far enough with the changes in a lot of cases.

[paladinn]

If WotC is truly spending so much time and effort releasing "new" subclasses in order to fix problems with old ones, it's probably a sign that a 6e is in view. They won't go back and fix and re-release existing material; that's what happened with 3.5.

Once they compile enough of these, we can look forward to 6e. Just my $.02.

[ZRN]

Astral monk is sorta a broad baseclass fix to monks, not unlike open hand monk.

This points to an important design distinction: the base classes are mostly designed with certain gaps carved out specifically for subclasses to fill. Fighters are the most obvious example: every fighter subclass NEEDS to have a way to boost overall damage, whether that's through a limited resource like maneuvers and spells or a baseline buff like the Champion's crit range and extra fighting style.

I'd say monks were designed with the expectation that the subclass would add variety and a bit of damage to their combat options, but at release they overestimated how many short rests parties would take per long rest, so the subclasses that made existing uses of ki more "efficient" (open hand) ended up more powerful than those that gave expensive new options for using ki (4 elements).

They recognized that at some point in the years since release, and have refocused the point of monk subclasses: they made sure that new subclasses focus on efficient use of ki, while cleverly adding in that free bonus attack after you use ki to retroactively make subclasses like 4 elements more efficient.

Other classes have issues because they didn't do a great job of carving out the main class appropriately: sorcerers, for example, have a HUGE amount of lore relevance in their subclass choice, but the PHB subclasses had pretty minor mechanical impact. They kind of struggled with making appropriately balanced subclasses for a while (ugh storm sorcerer), and finally with Tasha's gave up and just made the new subclasses more impactful than the old ones.

I'd say overall with Tasha's, we see the developers have become fairly adept at recognizing exactly what holes each class needs filled by its subclasses.

[Droppeddead]

Give Monks some nice weaponry,

What kind of nice weaponry or you after? Because they literally already are weapons themselves. And there are quite a few magical simple weapons and short swords that Monks can use should their Martial Arts not be enough.