D&D (2024) All 48 Player’s Handbook 2024 Subclasses

The new Player's Handbook contains 12 character classes, each with 4 subclasses, making 48 in total.

• Barbarian: Path of the... Berserker, Wild Heart, World Tree, Zealot.
• Bard: College of... Dance, Gamour, Lore, Valor.
• Cleric: Life, Light, Trickery, War domains.
• Druid: Circle of the... Land, Moon, Sea, Stars.
• Fighter: Battle Master, Champion, Eldritch Knight, Psi Warrior.
• Monk: Warrior of... Mercy, Shadow, The Elements, The Open Hand.
• Paladin: Oath of... Devotion, Glory, The Ancients, Vengeance.
• Ranger: Beast Master, Fey Wanderer, Gloom Stalker, Hunter.
• Rogue: Arcane Trickster, Assassin, Soulknife, Thief.
• Sorcerer: Aberrant Sorcery, Clockwork Sorcery, Draconic Sorcery, Wild Magic.
• Warlock: Archfey Patron, Celestial Patron, Fiend Patron, Great Old One Patron.
• Wizard: Abjurer, Diviner, Evoker, Illusionist.

 

[Remathilis]

'Parantly I posted in the wrong commenty place...

Sooo....hmm... it looks like Fighter and Rogue have two of four non-magic subclasses. Barbarian and Monk (arguably) would have 1 of 4 (Berserker & Open Hand). Ranger, still, is reading as magic-use is part of the archetype...

So...of 48 possible subclasses, the designers thought 1/8th of the game, 6 out of 48, should be classes/characters that don't rely on magic to get things done.

hmph.

I mean, hey, look, I am a "high fantasy lots of magical stuff going on in the game world" kinda guy. Spellcasters are my go to characters in almost every possible instance for the last 40+ years of playing.

But 1/8th of the character options? 6 out of 48? Seems drastically out of balance.

I think you could quibble a bit with your breakdown, depending on how you break down supernatural, spellcasting and extraordinary abilities. I could make a strong argument that the psi warrior is no more magical than the monk, which would either shift psi warrior out of the magical slot (he's not a spellcaster) or open hand monk into magical (she breaks the laws of physics).

 

[Greg K]

I was never going to be happy with this list and complaining about it here is not going to help.

Yeah, for myself, there are only two or three subclasses not from the 2014 PHB that would see use if I run the 2024 edition. More likely, I am going to borrow 2024 elements such as background feats (and, maybe, background attribute modifiers), cleric holy orders, new conditions, and spell revisions.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Not a bad selection.
Clockwork sorcerer to counterbalance the aberrant sorcerer is a good choice.
Celestial warlock is a bit odd from a worldbuilding perspective. Why would celestial powers create a warlock instead of a cleric or paladin?

Not all celestials are the kind of beings people worship?

Even powerful angels make sense as celestial patrons, basically burning a celestial sigil onto the chest of a supplicant whose devotion to destroying the city of [demon worshiping evil guys] is as feverishly intense as the angel’s own, as one example.

And with pact of the blade actually working now, you can play one as a 4e avenger (vengeance paladin with no armor and all about killin’ rather than protecting). Especially if the warlock can take the Tasha’s cantrips and use warlock invocations on them, which seems plausible from the UA.

Tome warlock is a perfect “found a scripture of some lost vestige of a god” character or whatever.

 

[Undrave]

Wish they had pulled the trigger and just put the Artificer in the PHB.

 

[Voadam]

Wish they had pulled the trigger and just put the Artificer in the PHB.

13 is an unlucky number. They'd have to get a hobbit burglar then.

 

[Undrave]

13 is an unlucky number. They'd have to get a hobbit burglar then.

Oh you're right... better add the Warlord too!

 

[Eyes of Nine]

Wish they had pulled the trigger and just put the Artificer in the PHB.

Came along to say the same thing. Although the 5.14 version I found to be somewhat mid compared to many other classes. Was hoping an updated would make it "better" both narratively as well as mechanically.

 

[Snapdragyn]

1. "Celestial powers," but not gods. Gods create clerics (and Paladins are a whole separate thing now.) Non-gods can create Warlocks even if they're incapable of empowering clerics.
2. If evil beings can tempt folks to evil ends by giving them power and setting them loose (with contractual obligations), why can't a good being try to inspire reform and repentance the same way? What's good for the goose is good for the gander.
3. Clerics (and to a certain extent Paladins) are "on the payroll" in certain senses. They're bound by some of the same rules as the gods themselves. Warlocks aren't. Plausible deniability is valuable.
4. Because they just want to create Warlocks. Some of the beings that can act as celestial patrons are not Lawful beings, despite being Good beings. Maybe they're not keen on being worshipped, but they like the idea of having emissaries.

REALLY like that 3rd point. I might have my first 5.5e character concept there, thank you.

Just to add, I think some deities might actually prefer warlocks. Consider a trickster god such as Coyote. Formal cleric & church? Paladin order? Naaah. Let's drop an 'interesting scroll' where this naive little traveling merchant can find it & HA! Snagged ourselves a warlock!

 

[ECMO3]

View attachment 368143

The new Player's Handbook contains 12 character classes, each with 4 subclasses, making 48 in total.

• Barbarian: Path of the... Berserker, Wild Heart, World Tree, Zealot.
• Bard: College of... Dance, Gamour, Lore, Valor.
• Cleric: Life, Light, Trickery, War domains.
• Druid: Circle of the... Land, Moon, Sea, Stars.
• Fighter: Battle Master, Champion, Eldritch Knight, Psi Warrior.
• Monk: Warrior of... Mercy, Shadow, The Elements, The Open Hand.
• Paladin: Oath of... Devotion, Glory, The Ancients, Vengeance.
• Ranger: Beast Master, Fey Wanderer, Gloom Stalker, Hunter.
• Rogue: Arcane Trickster, Assassin, Soulknife, Thief.
• Sorcerer: Aberrant Sorcery, Clockwork Sorcery, Draconic Sorcery, Wild Magic.
• Warlock: Archfey Patron, Celestial Patron, Fiend Patron, Great Old One Patron.
• Wizard: Abjurer, Diviner, Evoker, Illusionist.

I am pretty happy with this list. Having Glamour and Fey Wanderer on the list is a pleasant surprise (assuming mechanics are similar) and it has at least one awesome subclass for every class except Wizard.

I am a little disappointed that they don't have Arcane Archer and disappointed that they have no Wizard subclasses I like (Enchantment, Bladesong and War Magic are the three I prefer), but other than that it is pretty good.

 

[ECMO3]

Augh... spell slots are a terrible mechanic.

Might as well play 4e... at least Martials get to be interesting.

I know a lot of Grognards hate them, but I really love spell slots in play and there is a lot of flexibility if you choose spells you can upcast well.

Wednesday I burned a 5th level spell slot on Inflict Wounds against a paralyzed enemy and did like 75 damage as a 11th level Bard (have the spell through Shadow Touched).

That was a predictable average result with that slot and spell for a character whos spell portfolio is mostly based on being a control freak. Without spell slots I would not have been able to do that.