[High 5e] 3rd Party Class Sourcebooks

Grek · Post by **Grek** » Fri May 08, 2020 11:27 pm

It is my experience that at least two DMs will permit 3rd party material if it is published in a full colour printout with fancy art, but will not permit 1st party material when it comes in a black and white PDF that says "Unofficial Playtest Material" at the top.

Libertad · Post by **Libertad** » Sat May 09, 2020 12:09 am

Grek wrote:It is my experience that at least two DMs will permit 3rd party material if it is published in a full colour printout with fancy art, but will not permit 1st party material when it comes in a black and white PDF that says "Unofficial Playtest Material" at the top.

The latter part is understandable. The former makes my ears bleed.

OgreBattle · Post by **OgreBattle** » Sun May 10, 2020 6:14 pm

If you take requests, there's the Final Fantasy XiV D&D compendium:
https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-LsDqsNbupzeLhkTIcPv

Particularly interested in Gunbreaker as it's a class built around a single weapon

Libertad · Post by **Libertad** » Sun May 10, 2020 10:09 pm

OgreBattle wrote:If you take requests, there's the Final Fantasy XiV D&D compendium:
https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-LsDqsNbupzeLhkTIcPv

Particularly interested in Gunbreaker as it's a class built around a single weapon

It sounds like an interesting project to review, but right now I'm taking a break from 5e classes in favor of reviewing different kinds of sourcebooks. Other people are more than welcome to take up the mantle, even in this very thread should they so desire.

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Sun May 10, 2020 11:37 pm

Honestly, I think Witcher can just be a Fighter archetype, maybe a Warlock archetype. I don't think it justifies being it's own class.

Omegonthesane · Post by **Omegonthesane** » Mon May 11, 2020 7:16 am

Arguably nothing "justifies being its own class" on flavour alone, since classes are meant to be game mechanical tools, not categories that necessarily exist in the setting. Most of all martial classes.

If the available classes fail to deliver on that flavour, then sure.

OgreBattle · Post by **OgreBattle** » Mon May 11, 2020 9:50 am

Then it's a mechanics basis for justfiying something as a class or subclass.

Multiclassing then gums things up as an Eldritch Knight cannot multiclass with a Champion as both are Fighters, but can with wizard. So it's funny that you can't be a Fighter/Fighter but you can be a Fighter/Wizard.

I like pondering how to do classes in a D&D game so I would approach it as...

Class gives you hitdice, attack/magic progression, skill slots, feat/attribute slots and a core resource. Archtypes give a side resource.

So Classes and subclasses are...
Fighter: action surge
- Arcane or Divine or Nature magic
- Bloodline/Rage
- Ki
- stronk alchemist
- Warlord Leader frontline leading stuff that interacts with extra actions, perhaps doubles as the pet user

Rogue: Marking, like assassin's shroud
- Arcane or Divine or Nature magic, either singing magic is an option for magic or a feat you take, no need for bard to be different
- MacGuyvering
- Ki
- bomber alchemist stuff which is ninja stuff too
- Warlord leader team tactics just as planned stuff that interacts with marking, take a feat for pet maybe

Wizard: Schools of various specializations, could be different classes

Priest: Various spheres, non shapeshifting druid goes here

Shaman: the shapeshifting part of druid

Sorcerer is monstrous bloodline and blue mage stuff
- Various monster categories

Ranger, Monk, Barbarian are more like flavors to an existing class than a standalone class.

Class concepts that could be feats...

Bard: You sing, roar, play instruments for a supernatural buffing or debuffing effect
Ranger: Tracking and stuff, really this is what the skill system is suppose to do so Ranger is a matter of skill selection.
Punching instead of swording, no shirt worn: You're a D&D monk now, your Class determines if you're a beefy punchy monk or an esoteric magical monk.
Paladin aura: Being fearless, having a dread aura is something dread necromancers and raging berserkers both thematically do
A cantrip or limited use spell: Most of those 3rd party classes could be described as a fighter or rogue with a specific spell

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Mon May 11, 2020 10:14 am

I mean... I wrote a Witcher archetype for Fighters, and tried to write one for the Warlock before deciding the Fighter fit better, at least for most of the Witcher schools, but that if you really wanted a Warlock Witcher archetype, it could be done.