Greetings, 3WD-verse! DM Chris here. Well, it’s been a whirlwind of a month, but the time has finally come to close the book on my favorite subclasses. It’s been a joy to read the feedback for the first two articles. As I’ve said before, D&D, and TTRPGs in general, are as fun to talk about as to play. Doubly so for DMs.
Part 1 was the beginning of the class alphabet, Part 2 was the heart of the martial classes, but let me welcome you to Part 3 – the Land of the Spellcasters. Magic holds a special place in D&D. It’s the spark that frees it from the mundane. The classes contained here each take that spark and do something wonderfully unique with it. So as they say, once more unto the breach…
Sorcerer
Favorite Subclass: Draconic Bloodline
Sorcerer is sort of like a Wizard having a love child with a Battle Master Fighter. Metamagic, like the Battle Master subclass’ Maneuvers, lets you use Sorcery Points to go from “I cast Fireball” to something like “I cast Fireball with Careful Spell to avoid frying my martial companions.” A very important distinction if you’ve ever been collateral damage.
That being said, the Sorcerer lacks a really standout subclass. I wanted to go with Aberrant Mind, but I’m more of a Great Old One Warlock kind of guy when it comes to tentacles and, more importantly, I haven’t played or seen one played. No, I went with the classic Draconic Bloodline. Not only are you related to dragons (had me there), but with the Draconic Resilience feature you get the two things that all spellcasters need – free hit points and armor. An additional hit point per level is nothing to sneeze at when you’re rolling with d6 hit dice and not having to burn an all important spell slot on Mage Armor to have a mildly non-lethal AC is resource management at its best.
One of the challenges we’ve encountered as we’ve built out our homebrew world, The Further, is finding organic ways to build out the cities and villages we’ve created. The seat of knowledge in the Further, the shining tower of Talonstone, sits atop the lofty Peak of Athlowilel. That was all we started with. But it needed more depth than just the resident “Mages Guild”. So I started a solo campaign using the Mythic system. No better way to create than get down in it and move around. Janus Newgate, my human Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer, not only helped me develop Talonstone, but also had enough oomph with extra HP and AC to run without a full party and hold his own.
Warlock
Favorite Subclass: The Hexblade
But Chris, you just talked about the Great Old One… Yeah, I know. But when push comes to deadly shove, tentacles aren’t going to save you. A blade just might. The Hexblade subclass, introduced in Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, takes the already pretty darn cool class of Warlock and gives it a dark Paladin kind of vibe. The combination of the Hex Warrior feature, which gives you access to martial weapons, armor, and using your Charisma as your attack modifier, and Hexblade’s Curse are a formidable combination. Curse, stab, stab…you get the idea.
Well, this article is ending up as a bit of an homage to my solo gaming. For my Sorcerer-ous example, I chose James Wallace, my human Hexblade Warlock that I used to play through Paul Bimler’s excellent 5e Solo Adventures series. Playing a spellcaster in a solo game can be difficult, but the features of the Hexblade make it strong in both ranged and melee combat. And when all else fails, there is always an Eldritch Blast waiting for them.
Wizard
Favorite Subclass: Order of Scribes
Here we are. The iconic spellcaster. The Wizard is the king of the magicians and the big reason why is the spellbook. It’s the only feature that can grow between leveling. With a little luck, time, and money you can add to it while you’re adventuring. First time I copied a Protection from Good and Evil scroll into my spellbook, I was hooked.
Naturally, when Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything was released I jumped on the Order of Scribes subclass. Not only can you copy spells into your spellbook quicker with Wizardly Quill, but you get to carry an Awakened Spellbook. Imagine being able to switch out damage types on spells to other ones you have in your spellbook, and cast ritual spells with their normal casting time once per day. And, eventually, it acts as a pseudo familiar and can cast spells for you. Yeah, it’s that good.
My forest gnome Order of Scribes Wizard, Celqys Silverthread, from the original Further campaign, would give your Evocation Wizard a run for his money. I started grabbing spells with as many different types of damage as I could, then let the fun begin. Turn Burning Hands into Freezing Hands or Witch Bolt into Force Bolt. Monster resistance and vulnerability were Celqys’ playground. Make it yours.
My Favorite D&D 5e Subclasses Recap – The Complete List
- Artificer – Armorer
- Barbarian – Path of the Totem Warrior (Bear)
- Bard – College of Eloquence
- Cleric – War Domain
- Druid – Circle of the Moon
- Fighter – Battle Master
- Monk – Way of Glima
- Paladin – Oath of Vengeance
- Ranger – Hunter
- Rogue – Swashbuckler
- Sorcerer – Draconic Bloodline
- Warlock – The Hexblade
- Wizard – Order of Scribes
And The Winner Is…
This was much harder than selecting my favorites from each class. To hedge my bets, as well as encompass different playstyles, I chose three – a martial subclass, a magic subclass, and an expertise subclass.
Martial Subclass: Paladin – Oath of Vengeance
Magic Subclass: Wizard – Order of Scribes
Expertise Subclass: Bard – College of Eloquence
These subclasses enhance the existing class archetype in ways that make them feel more Paladin-y or Wizard-y or Bard-y (I’ll stop with that now). That being said, there are no wrong choices, whether from the three winners, the thirteen favorites, or any of the dozens available for 5e. You’ll never know which one is your favorite without trying it out.
Final Thoughts
Thirteen classes, thirteen subclasses. A baker’s dozen of my favorite specializations. From the recently released Artificer to the classic Wizard, it’s been a pleasure to share my experiences with each of them.
Experience is important. Very often, the difference from the printed descriptions to actual gameplay can be telling. Remember to watch and learn at the table – nothing beats seeing these subclasses, and others, in action to really know which are right for you.
But surely…your list is different from mine, right? Let me know how you think I did and what some of your favorite subclasses are in the comments. The only way we grow is by sharing our experiences and ideas. And make sure to check out the first two articles in the series if you haven’t (Part 1 – Artificer through Druid and Part 2 – Fighter through Rogue).
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