Editing Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition (section)

==Classes==
{{D&D5-Classes}}
Iconic array of classes, plus the Warlock. Classes have a customization "path" option similar to [[Pathfinder]], where player chooses which of an archetype of their class they want to follow - the Berserker Barbarian, the Evoker Wizard, the Wild Magic Sorcerer, the Beastmaster Ranger, etc. This archetype defines a lot of the special abilities that the class gets, and usually starts making itself felt on second or third level.

In a blast to the past, [[multiclassing]] requires a certain level of ability scores before a player can choose to multiclass. Much simpler than 2e's dual-classing mechanic, though; all of the core PHB classes only require a 13 in the necessary stat, and apart from the Monk, Paladin and Ranger (who need 13s in two stats) and the Fighter (requires either Strength or Dex), the classes only need one sufficiently high stat.

This page focuses on the officially released subclasses. For subclasses only released in [[Unearthed Arcana]], see that page.

===[[Barbarian]]===
Still the melee powerhouse, still rages. Now gains armor from Con when not wearing armor, so you can roleplay [[Conan the Barbarian|Conan]] if you want. Also offers critical ''damage'' bonuses, the ability to survive anything that doesn't kill you outright at one hitpoint (with the DC going up until you get medical attention), and the usual barbarian super-speed and dodge bonuses.

Subclasses are known as "Primal Paths":
* '''Path of the Berserker''' (PHB): The "I hit it again" archetype. Offers the standard rage boosts, but the exhaustion after one of their core archetype features, Frenzy, is more serious than it used to be since it now applies multiple stacking levels of exhaustion, and each one requires a separate long rest to strip off. Plus, if you stack up three, you're at disadvantage on all saves and attacks. The other features aren't bad, but such a double-edged sword of a first-level power means it has few fans.
* '''Path of the Totem Warrior''' (PHB): A Barbarian guided by spirits which grant him semi-magical abilities while raging based on the animal spirit he invokes (Eagle offers super-vision and the eventual ability to fly, Wolf helps you track and support your party as a pack hunter, Bear actually makes you a pretty good tank); has an overall mystical druidic flavour, including a few druid's rituals. Mix-and-matching totem animals by selecting different powers at different levels is technically allowed by the book, though it makes a point of noting that doing so is rare. New totem spirits are offered as part of the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, specifically the Elk and the Tiger, which give powers relating to augmented movement and enhanced jumping respectively, which is honestly a little silly. A sidebar on Uthgardt totems shows how swapping abilities around can be used to make more unique totems; specific examples include the [[Pegasus|Skypony Totem]] (Eagle totem, but replace level 6 feature with that of the Elk totem), the Thunderbeast Totem (Bear totem, but replace the level 14 power with that of the Tiger totem) and the Treeghost Totem (Bear totem, but replace Speak With Beasts with Speak With Plants). Interestingly, that example of Treeghost letting you swap a spell for another spell is open encouragement to DMs to work with your Barbarian players to monkey with the abilities if you want to, which you don't really see a lot of (but that's the SCAG for you)
* '''Path of the Battlerager''' (Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide): The first official new Primal Path. Despite the name, it has little to do with the 4e [[Fighter]] path and instead owes more to the "dwarf barbarian" characters from the later [[Drizzt]] stories. Like the Bladesinger [[wizard]] it has a recommended racial restriction ([[dwarf|dwarves]] only), and it grants proficiency with spiked armor, enhanced abilities for attacking with spiked armor and permits Dashes whilst raging, and changes the temp HP from using Reckless Attack to the user's Con modifier. [[Troll| It's suggested, under the guidelines for reskinning it for other campaign settings, that a Krynnish Battlerager is probably wearing some dumb tinker gnome contraption, and that his or her boundless rage stems from having to work with those chucklefucks on a regular basis]]. This path is often shat upon because of it's lackluster final ability, dealing less than a peasant's dagger thrust worth of damage every time someone hits you means jack shit, even at lower levels.
* '''Path of the Ancestral Guardian''' (Xanathar's Guide to Everything): Summons the spirits of Ancestors to his aid, making this the [[Dwarf|Dorfiest]] Primal Path; alternatively, it gives an alternate "native American" feel to the Totem Warrior. The Path of the Ancestral Guardian was one of the five subclasses reworked in the May 2017 Unearthed Arcana. It works best as a support/aggro-magnet with the ability to reduce the damage others take while raging.
* '''Path of the Storm Herald''' (Xanathar's Guide to Everything): More of a "[[Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition|controller]]" type; creates an aura around him that hurts enemies and aids the barbarian and allies, with different effects based on the type of storm the Storm Herald can conjure: Desert, Sea, or Tundra. 
* '''Path of the Zealot''' (Xanathar's Guide to Everything): Channels divine powers, giving both offensive and defensive benefits like cheating death while enraged. The multiclass Barbarian/Paladin you wanted to play back in 3.5 but were prevented from thanks to alignment restrictions. As a neat side note, at higher levels, while raging, YOU CANNOT DIE. You’ll keep taking death saves, but won’t actually keel over until your rage runs out, even with 3 failed saves. That means that even after losing, your blood-spattered, broken body only gives up after having killed every motherfucker in the room. Bad. Ass.
* '''Path of the Beast''' (Tasha's Cauldron of Everything): Grants you a somewhat loose approximation of shapeshifting, granting natural weapons and eventually a new movement speed. While each of these weapons grants a special feature, their damage is a bit on the low side once you start leveling up. Fortunately, later features allow you to spread your feral spirit to friend and foe alike, forcing the enemy to make a Wisdom save or else either take considerable psychic damage or hit someone you want while allies just get extra damage.
* '''Path of the Wild Soul''' (Tasha's Cauldron of Everything): Channeling something like a [[Bloodrager]], allowing you to channel a random magical effect whenever you rage. The other interesting feature here is the ability to either grant some minor assistance for skill checks or restore a random spell slot for a caster. Later levels focus more on the random effect, letting you re-roll the random power whenever you get hit and the capstone power of just rolling twice and picking the best one whenever you want.

===[[Bard]]===
Still a jack of all trades, but a comprehensive regimen of buffs has made them positively terrifying. Now can routinely get spells from other classes' spell lists, plus some rogue skillmonkey powers, all on top of their own unique musical abilities. The ability to cherry pick spells is amazing, since each class has a few broken options. ''Swift quiver'' nets you four attacks at level 10, ''animate dead'' gives you your own personal army, etc. Hilariously, this means that one of the most often-derided classes in the game is now one of the best picks for [[powergamer|people more interested in breaking the game than playing it]].

Subclasses are known as "Colleges":
* '''College of Lore''' (PHB): Based aorund the "charm enemies and buff your allies" aspect of the class. Gives a standard bardic boost to their skillmonkey and caster powers.  Given that bards are full spellcasters this edition, Lore Bard is a contender for "best overall spellcaster in the game."
* '''College of Valor''' (PHB): Based around the "jack of all trades, master of none" aspect of the class; offers extra weapon profiencies, an extra attack, and combat-buffing, culminating in [[magus|the ability to attack with a weapon and a spell on the same turn]].
* '''College of Swords''' (Xanathar's Guide to Everything): Inspired by the Blade [[kits|kit]] from [[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons|AD&D]], this College, like the Valor Bard, is a beefed up combatant; but this time it's focused on directly enhancing the Bard's fighting skill along [[Swashbuckler]] lines, as opposed to the more [[Warlord]]-like Valor Bard. Taking the College of Swords gives your bard free proficiency with scimitars and medium armor, the Two-Weapon Fighting Style class feature, the Blade Flourish ability, an extra attack, and [[magus|the ability to attack with a weapon and a spell on the same turn]]. The Blade Flourish is its most distinctive class skill; three new uses for Bardic Inspiration that requires you to be wielding a dagger, longsword, rapier, scimitar, or shortsword - Defensive Flourish boosts AC, Trick Shooter's Flourish enhances your ability to accurately throw a dagger, and Unnerving Flourish lets you frighten a creature into telling you stuff instead of killing it.
**In May 2017, the College of Swords got a revamp: it now gets free proficiency with Medium Armor and Scimitars, the ability to use Simple & Martial melee weapons as implements for bardic spells, the ability to pick either the Dueling (+2 to damage when wielding a one-handed melee weapon and no other weapons) or Two-Weapon Fighting Styles at level 3, a revamped version of Blade Flourish that functions as a new attack option at level 3, the ability to make two attacks as part of Blade Flourish at level 6, and the ability to use a free d6 instead of a Bardic Inspiration dice for Blade Flourishes at level 14.
* '''College of Satire''' (UA: Kits of Old): Based on the Jester AD&D kit. Basically a walking slapstick routine. Is a nimble, lucky bastard, specializing in trolling enemies. Aside from free proficiency with thieves tools, Sleight of Hand and one other bonus skill, it gains the Tumbling Fool ability (spend a bonus action to Tumble, which lets you either combine the Dash & Disengage actions, gain a Climb speed, or take half falling damage), Fool's Insight ability (cast Detect Thoughts Cha modifier times per long rest, targets that resist immediately do something embarrassing, like burping, pratfalling, etc), and Fool's Luck ability (burn Bardic Inspiration to try and fix a failed check, at the price of penalizing your next check).
* '''College of Glamour''' (Xanathar's Guide to Everything): Your classic enchanter-bard, with features like bestowing temp HP on your allies, being able to Charm Person with your performances, don a "Mantle of Majesty" once per day that lets you throw around Command spells as you please for a minute, and a super-charged Sanctuary spell that you can pull out once per encounter.
* '''College of Whispers''' (Xanathar's Guide to Everything): Like Glamour, this one focuses on mind control magic, but as more of a ''[[Dark Sun]]''-style assassin-bard, with the ability to conjure poison on its weapons, plant magical seeds of paranoia in peoples' brains, wear the shadows of people they kill in order to steal their appearance & memories for a while, and the ability to use a sort of suped-up Charm Person spell once per day.
* '''College of Eloquence''' (Mythic Adventures of Theros): A heavily support-based subclass, with the ability to communicate with any sort of creature. This also adds new uses to Bardic Inspiration (boosting saves or gimping enemy saves) and gives a welcome kick to your inspiration economy by letting allies keep it if they botch a roll or granting free inspiration after the ally you inspired passes with it. When it got released for Theros, it gained the ability to effectively take 10 on persuasion and deception checks and split its inspiration gifts between two levels. Was reprinted in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything
*'''College of Creation''' (Tasha's Cauldron of Everything): This subclass focuses on adding riders to your abilities. Each use of Bardic Inspiration adds another effect based on what roll it was used for. You can also create items as early as level 3 and animate existing objects to fight alongside you like a temporary companion at 6.
*'''College of Spirits''' (UA 2020 Subclasses Part 4): You are equal parts ghost whisperer and storyteller. Your Bardic Inspiration gives out a random buff as well as a later power to conduct seances to learn temporary spells. Will be getting a final writeup in Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft.

===[[Cleric]]===
Domains, domain spells, domain bonus proficiencies and once-per-rest abilities, all the common stuff. Still the best healer with the Life domain. Former Turn Undead now became Channel Divinity, which has a number of uses - including turning undead. Domains grant additional ways to use Channel Divinity. Basic clerics are no longer so heavily-armoured like before, and have access to basic weapons only, so they don't make paladins look like copycats. Don't worry, War and Tempest domains grants both Heavy Armor and martial weapons back, while Life domain grants heavy armour and Death martial weapons.

The Cleric archetypes are Domains, and there's a '''lot''' of them.

* '''Knowledge, Life, Light, Nature, Tempest, Trickery, and War domains''' (PHB): I mean a '''lot'''. The Cleric offers a lot of versatility, losing out to the wizard only because of a somewhat less-comprehensive spell list. Knowledge clerics are skillmonkeys without the Rogue's technical skills but more versatility, Life's your best bet if you want a healbot. Light spams radiant-damage beams of light and blinds stuff, Nature is just Druid with serial numbers filed off, Tempest makes you Thor and blast shit with lightning, Trickery makes you an armored Rogue with some illusion stuff in it and War proteccs but also attacks. See the article on clerics for individual details.
* '''[http://i.imgur.com/slrKm8D.jpg Death] domain''' (DMG): A "villainous option" that only appears in the DMG. Doesn't make you a minion-master like the Necromancer Wizard -- not even giving you Command Undead, which means the Necro-Wizard is '''finally''' better at being a necromancer than a Death Cleric -- the way it did in editions past, but gives you some bonus necromantic spells and features revolving around pumping out necrotic damage. Hilariously, the ''PHB itself'' acknowledges that death and its clerics aren't necessarily evil, and lists ''multiple'' non-evil death gods in its various appendices.
* '''City domain''' (UA: Modern Magic): Enhanced Charisma, Perception, and Insight in urban areas, a Channel Divinity that lets you mentally control all city utilities (and knock over or grab enemies by making the city grab them), bonus Psychic damage with melee attacks, and free teleportation between mass transit points (so bus stops, subway entrances, train stations, etc). Unfortunately won't do you much good in a classic "out in the wilds" campaign since it's made explicitly for urban fantasy settings so you'll have to work with your DM with this one.
* '''Arcana domain''' (Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide): For if you miss the [[Mystic Theurge]]. Wizard cantrips, the ability to Turn aberrations, celestials, fae, elements and fiends, add Wisdom to cantrips, and gaining 1 Wizard spell from each of the 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th level options, which don't count against your daily prepared allotment, at 17th level. Pretty fucking dope, but can feel a little powergamey. The downside being that it doesn't seem to have been designed with a specific party role in mind.
* '''Forge domain''' (Xanathar's Guide to Everything): For Clerics worship smithing creator deities like [[Moradin]]; as such they get bonus spells relating to manipulating fire, augmenting gear, and creating stuff, like Heat Metal, Searing Smite, Animate Objects, Magic Weapon, etc. They get bonus proficiency with heavy armor; the ability to turn a non-magical weapon or suit of armor into a +1 version for a day, which is a power they can only use once per day; the ability to create nonmagical items worth 100gp or less and which contain metal as part of a short rest (which could theoretically let you do things like duplicate a book with a paperclip in it or built a suit of adamantine full plate piece-by-piece, depending on whether your DM thinks adamantine objects count as magical), +1 AC in Medium or Heavy Armor, Fire Resistance (which ultimately improves itself to Fire Immunity), a once-per-turn Divine Strike that lets yo deal bonus fire damage, and the ability to gain Resistance to non-magical physical damage whilst wearing heavy armor.
* '''Grave domain''' (Xanathar's Guide to Everything): As you'd expect, the "non-evil necromancy clerics!" domain; whilst Death is mechanically aimed at gods of the undead, murder and other "death as an evil force to be feared" deities, the Grave Domain is aimed at gods of "death as a natural part of the cycle", like [[Kelemvor]], [[Pharasma]] and [[Wee Jas]]. They get bonus spells relating to "good" necromancy (false life, gentle repose, antilife shell) and "neutral" necromancy (blight, animate dead, bane), the Spare The Dying cantrip for free, the ability to always heal maximum damage with their healing spells, the ability to spend 1 minute to sense all undead within 1 mile once per day, the ability to use Channel Divinity to remove immunity/resistance (if present) or grant vulnerability to the next attack to strike that creature, the ability to negate a critical hit on an ally once per short rest, a Divine Strike that can deal bonus necrotic damage, and the ability to give themselves or an ally some free healing in response to an enemy's death once per turn.
* '''Protection domain''' (UA: Divine Domains): For those who worship guardian deities, obviously; their powers basically make them more castery [[paladin]]s. They get protective bonus spells, the ability to impose disadvantage on combat rolls by enemies within 5 feet who're attacking someone else, a Channel Divinity that lets you armor an ally with an aura that burns the next guy to strike that ally, gaining healing when you cast a heal-spell on others, a radiant damage Divine Strike, and the ability to gain two damage resistances from the list of Slashing, Piercing, Bludgeoning, Necrotic and Radiant, which you can change every short rest and which you can transfer to someone else with a touch.
* '''Order domain''' (Guildmaster's Guide to Ravinca): An enchantment-based domain with a bunch of spells to charm and the ability to let your allies attack using their reactions when you cast a spell of 1st level or higher at 1st level. The special Channel Divinity is basically a mass Charm Person that lasts until the end of your next turn or if the target takes damage, but you get the choice to knock those charmed creatures prone. At 6th level, you get the [[Awesome|ability to regain a spell slot of 5th-level or lower when you cast an enchantment spell of 2nd-level or higher]] (the spell slot regained must be equal to or lower than the spell slot used to cast the enchantment spell). Much like the War and Tempest domains (among others) you get Divine Strike at 8th level, dealing force damage in this case. The capstone at 14th level lets your allies deal bonus force damage to a creature that you hit and deal Divine Strike damage to. Overall, many of its features wouldn't feel out of place in a Love domain, as of now, gods of love and/or beauty get saddled with the Life domain or the Light domain, or both.
** This saw an official release in ''Guildmaster's Guide to Ravinca'', replacing the 6th level ability with a limited ability to quicken the casting of enchantment spells. It was also reprinted in ''Tasha's Cauldron of Everything''.
* '''Twilight domain''' (Tasha's Cauldron of Everything): This domain is for those who seek to delve into peril to see the light at the end of the tunnel. You gain darkvision by default as well as advantage on initiative. Your Channel Divinity grants an aura of THP and protection from charmed or fear, while the rest of the domain grants protection from fear, the ability to fly in darkness, and the ability to let your party see through the Darkness spell.
**The rewrite for Tasha makes the darkvision and Initiative boost both be features that can be shared with allies, though Darkvision requires you to burn spellslots to share it more than once; in exchange, you can share darkvision with multiple allies while Initiative is only shared to one.
* '''Peace Domain (Formerly Unity)''' (Tasha's Cauldron of Everything): Your focus is to keep the party as close as possible, as they can bolster each other and mitigate each other's damage thanks to your powers. This ability eventually extends to even downed members of your party, which grants them protection from damage as well as the ability to accept allied hit die to get back up.
**When it got republished for Tasha, it got a few changes, including the name. For one, it's channel divinity feature now provides an effective way to run and provide some quick healing to an ally. Its capstone power also no longer has the ability to help downed members of the party, but now anyone who takes the damage via the bond gain resistance, improving the effectiveness of the tanking.

Plane Shift: [[Amonkhet]] takes place on a world ruled by worship of five gods, and as such you shouldn't be surprised that there are new Cleric Domains to be had from it; Solidarity, Strength, Ambition, and Zeal. There's also a God of Knowledge, but that's in the PHB.
*'''Solidarity domain''': Sort of a cross between the War and Life Domains, as it's all about fostering team-work and unity. Its bonus spells relate to group-targeting heals and buffs, such as Bless, Guiding Bolt, etc. It grants proficiency in Heavy Armor and several features. At level 1, Solidarity's Action lets you spend a bonus action when using Help to assist an ally's attack to make a weapon attack of your own, which you can do Wis bonus times (minimum once) per day. At level 2, you get the Channel Divinity feature "Preserve Life", which lets you heal others as a bonus action without expending a spell slot. At level 6, Channel Divinity "Oketra's Blessing" lets you spend a Channel Divinity use as a reaction to a creature within 30 feet of you make an attack roll; this grants them a +10 bonus to their roll. At 8th level, you get Divine Strike, which lets you bump up the damage on one weapon attack per turn by +1d8 (+2d8 after you hit level 14). Finally, at level 17, you get Supreme Healing, where you automatically heal the maximum possible amount when using a random roll-based healing effect.
*'''Strength domain''': All about proving your strength, physically and mentally. As such, its bonus spells are an odd mix of physical boosters, protective buffs, and also includes the Dominate Beast and Insect Plague spells. At level 1, you gain Acolyte of Strength (1 Druid cantrip, Proficiency in 1 of Animal Handling, Athletics, Nature or Survival) and proficiency in Heavy Armor. At level 2, your first Channel Divinity, "Feat of Strength", allows you to use Channel Divinity to grant yourself a +10 bonus to any Strength based check. The level 6 version, "Rhonas's Blessing", is the same thing, but targeting somebody else within 30 feet instead. You get the same Divine Strike feature as the Solidarity Domain at level 8, and finally, level 17 gives you Avatar of Battle; permanent resistance to all physical damage that comes from non-magical sources.
*'''Ambition domain''': Second only to Death as the most evil-flavored Domain, because of course wanting to push yourself to the top is most appealing to selfish jerkasses. Its bonus spells are all about cheating or manipulating; Bane, Ray of Enfeeblement, Vampiric Touch, Dominate Person, etc. At level 1, you get the Warding Flare ability, which you can use 1 or Wisdom modifier times per day, whichever is greater. This lets you impose Disadvantage on an assailant's attack roll against you as a reaction, provided that you can see them and they're within 30 feet - oh, and they're not immune to being blinded. Your level 2 Channel Divinity is "Invoke Duplicity", which lets you use your CD to create an illusionary double, which is sustained as per a Concentration spell. Aside from the obvious misleading effects, although it's only got a 120 range, you can cast spells through it, and you can tag-team with it to gain advantage on attack rolls. In comparison, your level 6 Channel Divinity, "Cloak of Shadows, is much simpler: you turn invisible, until your next turn ends, you attack somebody, or cast a spell. Level 8 gives you the Potent Spellcasting feature, where your offensive Cleric cantrips inflict +Wisdom modifier bonus damage. Finally, at level 17, Improved Duplicity lets you make up to 4 duplicates with Channel Divinity instead of 1.
*'''Zeal domain''': This one's a weird mixture of the War and Tempest Domains, in practice. Its bonus spells are all offensive based, either directly (Destructive Wave) or indirectly (Searing Smite), and heavy on the thunder and fire damage. You get free proficiencies with martial weapons and heavy armor, and the Priest of Zeal feature at level 1. Usable 1 or Wisdom modifier (use the higher of the two) times per day, it lets you use a bonus action after making an attack to make an extra weapon attack. Your level 2 Channel Divinity, Consuming Fervor, lets you spend Channel Divinity uses to maximize fire and thunder damage. At level 6, you get Resounding Strike, which means your thunder attacks will knock any target that is Large or smaller back 10 feet when they hit. At level 8, you get Divine Strike, which functions the same as Solidarity and Strength's version. Finally, at level 17, you get Blaze of Glory: once per day, when reduced to 0 hit points by an attacker that you can see, you can use your reaction to move at full speed towards that bastard and make a melee weapon attack with Advantage that deals +5D10 (weapon damage type) damage and +5d10 fire damage if it hits. Whether it hits or not, you then collapse on the spot, either dead or dying, depending on how badly hurt you were beforehand.


Mearls produced his own [[Cleric Domain]]s, three so far, releasing them variously in his Twitter or his Stream. So far, he's created the '''Beauty''', '''Darkness''', and '''Destruction''' domains.

===[[Druid]]===
Still here, not quite as eco-terrorist-y, and fully loosening most alignment restrictions. Proportionately less powerful than [[CoDzilla|they used to be]], but still enjoy all the power and versatility of being a full caster.  Druids characters put a lot of their chips into their archetype to define how they're used.

Their archetypes are called "Circles":
* '''Circle of the Land''' (PHB): Used to make a general-purpose caster Druid, with a number of cleric-style "domains" representing Druid's native land - like swamp, forest or even [[Awesome|the Underdark]], plus some passive resistances to poison, disease, fey-charms, soothing the aggression of natural creatures, etc.
* '''Circle of the Moon''' (PHB): Creates a Druid focused on shapeshifting and fighting in animal forms, though they only get one roleplaying benefit, and it only happens when you learn how to turn into people at level 14, and as such might make people think you're a [[murderhobo]]. Also Archdruids of the Moon have an obscene amount of hit points. Can expend spellslots to heal themselves in animal form. Combined with turning into a bear, this makes them pretty good tanks. Infamous for the "angry onion" build, which involves dipping ''juuuuuust'' far enough into barbarian to get access to the bear totem, and through it both Unarmored Defense based on Constitution and resistance to all damage but psychic while raging, since the druid *can* shapeshift and use slots to heal him or herself while raging. As a result, any enemy will have to "peel away the layers" as the druid pops into different animal forms full of expendable hitpoints, all the while the druid whails on them.
A lot of people like to complain that this subclass is strictly better than the land druid, but that's not really true, since they in fact have differing roles. THe moon druid is OP, sure, but it's focused around tanking and augmenting the class's Wild Shape feature. The Circle of the land, however, is meant to be a generalist caster. In terms of its benefits, it for example is the only druid that can regain spell slots on a short rest.
* '''Circle of Dreams''' (Xanathar's Guide to Everything): These druids have come to share good terms with the "nature spirit" type fae, such as [[dryad]]s or [[treeman|treemen]] or [[nymph]]s, and this gives them more fae-like powers due to emulating the fundamental nature of those spirits. They're characterised with rather hippy-esque overtones, much like the Oath of Ancients [[Paladin]]. They have a feature that lets them heal others for a given amount per day, the ability to create an illusion-veiled campsite that's hard to find and which gives them and their buddies home-court advantage in combat, an at-will teleport feature with a d4 turn cooldown, and the ability to stack on a dispel magic on a healing spell three times per long rest.
* '''Circle of the Shepherd''' (Xanathar's Guide to Everything): Essentially the animal companion druids of 4e, with a dash of 4e [[Shaman]]. Spirit Bond lets them summon an animal spirit once per short rest, which effectively creates a 30ft buffing zone for 1 minute that gives a boost depending on what spirit they summon - Bear gives temporary [[hit points]] and advantage on Strength checks & saving throws, Hawk gives advantage on ranged attacks on enemies in the zone, and Wolf gives advantage on detecting checks and causes healing spells to "spread" to other allies in the aura. Beast Speech is a permanent Talk With Animals spell, Mighty Summoner causes the druid's summoned/conjured animals to have increased health and have attacks that count as magical, Guardian Spirit gives them a 24-hour-long Deathwatch spell each time they finish a long rest, and Faithful Summons causes them to reflexively cast a (free) Conjure Animals with a 9th level slot the first time they drop to zero HP, with the resultant summons guarding the druid.
** Got a reprise as part of the June 2017 UA. Spirit Bond now calls forth a Bear, a Hawk or a [[Unicorn]], with the newcomer granting Advantage to Perception checks and essentially turning your healing spells into group-targeting spells for free. Also, Guardian Spirit now provides free healing to your summoned beasts and faeries, restoring HP equal to half your druid level each turn they end within the aura of your Spirit Totem.
* '''Circle of Twilight''' (UA: Druid Circles): Druids who have chosen to specialize in hunting down the undead, whom druids have traditionally been quite opposed to. They get a pool of dice they can use to deal bonus necrotic damage with their offensive spells (which generates healing if the spell kills any of its targets), the ability to cast Speak With Dead and, at a higher level, Etherealness as a spell-like ability once per short rest, resistance to necrotic & radiant damage, and their mere presence gives allies advantage on death saving throws.
*'''Circle of Spores''' (Guildmaster's Guide to Ravinca): Rather than turn into an animal, this turns you into a fungus-man who spreads spores to enemies. Wildshape not only boosts the damage of these spores, but also grants some temporary HP. Enemies who die to these spores can even become temporary spore-zombies as soon as level 6! The Guildmaster's Guide to [[Ravnica]] featured this as the first new official druid subclass since the Xanathar's Guide and was reprinted in ''Tasha's Cauldron of Everything''.
* '''Circle of Wildfire''' (Tasha's Cauldron of Everything): The predictably pyromaniacal subclass. At the start, this allows you to spend Wild Shape on summoning little fire spirits to fight alongside you. Fortunately this is not purely offensive, as while you can let enemies explode into flames, allies can heal next to these flames, and your capstone ability lets you cheat death while burning any enemies you see.The Unearthed Arcana where they debuted notably finally gave the Druid a legitimate way to get Fireball, but Tasha's Cauldron pulled back on this to give them Scorching Ray instead.
* '''Circle of the Stars''' (Tasha's Cauldron of Everything): This subclass grants some spell-like abilities as well as a new transformation into a star-man, equipped with one of three special abilities that improve as you progress. You also gain the ability to divine some of the future, granting one of two benefits based on what you roll on a d6. 

The Druid UA also presents a set of optional simpler rules for wildshape, which gives 3 "basic" forms according to climate, and new forms require at least an hour of observation followed by a DC 15 Intelligence (Nature) check, or a shorter time in interaction followed by a DC 15 Wisdom (Animal Handling) Check. This keeps the druid for being stupid awesome at polymorphing. Notably, there is an absence of the Dire Wolf among the lists (arguably the best early wild shape form).

===[[Fighter]]===
Better than the 3.5 version, worse than the 4e version, fighters get their own unique goodies from sub-classes, plus the only real Healing Surge left in the game, have an ability boost/extra feat every few levels (ensuring that almost ''no'' build is too MAD for a properly leveled fighter, and directly allowing them to benefit from the beefy boosts to feats this edition), and gain crazy amounts of extra attacks. Who's a glorified dip class now? That said, if one ''wants'' to dip fighter, it's certainly worth attempting, as it offers a lot of powerful benefits at relatively low levels.

The Battle Master, Monster Hunter, and a UA fighting style make use of a special resource called Combat Superiority dice, which are d8s (upgrading to d10s at level 10 and d12s at level 18) that they can burn to fuel certain combat maneuvers. Those that do share the level 15 "Relentless" feature, which gives them 1 Superiority die each time they gain initiative and have none left.

Subclasses are called Martial Archetypes, and they're where the Fighter gets most of its fun goodies.
* '''Champion''' (PHB): The simplest fighter archetype, offering crit range boosts, extra fighting styles, benefits to the athletic aspects of being a fighter, including jumps and initiative checks, and, eventually, fast healing when injured. There aren't any active components to it, but, again, it's a simple archetype.
* '''Battle Master''' (PHB): who gains access to various "martial maneuvers" powered by "superiority dice," plus several flavor abilities clearly intending to focus on the idea of an intellectual and artistic personality who also happens to be a muscular badass. The more complex of the two non-spellcasting core fighters, with the ability to play more of a support character or status-effect monkey while still wearing heavy armor and smashing shit up with whatever weapon you like.
* '''Eldritch Knight''' (PHB): A mage/fighter combo who, hilariously, is channeling the [[duskblade]] rather than its namesake prestige class, and is a great method to make a proper battle mage. It starts off slow but gradually gets a bunch of useful spells, particularly when they can pick a limited number outside the abjuration and evocation schools at higher levels. The ''SCAG'' also pumped them up like a big syringe full of 'roids, because one of their signature abilities is cast a cantrip followed by a weapon attack and the ''SCAG'' added a couple spells with built-in melee attacks.
* '''Purple Dragon Knight''' / '''Banneret''' (Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide): A support class path, which basically lets the Fighter allow other members of the party to share in the Fighter's class abilities. For example, if a Purple Dragon Knight uses her second wind, then three allies within 60 feet also gain health as if they'd done the same thing. Gets two names because "Purple Dragon Knights" as a specific group only exist in the [[Forgotten Realms]].
<!--The Underdark Characters UA adds two new Fighting Styles that the Fighter, Paladin and Ranger can all take. The first is the Close Quarters Shooter fighting style, which as you might expect gives bonuses to using ranged weapons even when you're up close and personal, and is a pretty decent reskin for a pistol-packing [[Gunslinger]] type character. The second is the Tunnel Fighter, who can go into a defensive stance that lets them freely strike at anything that gets too close or tries to move around them.-->
* '''Cavalier''' (Xanathar's Guide to Everything): Based on the [[Cavalier]] [[kits|kit]] from AD&D, this Archetype gets 2 free proficiencies in any combination of Animal Handling, Insight, Performance or Persuasion, the Born to the Saddle Feature (easier time staying on a mount, quicker at mounting/dismounting, always land on your feet if you fall off your mount), the ability to use Combat Superiority dice to enhance riding abilities, increase attack rolls, knock an enemy prone whilst using a lance from a steed, or to boost AC (and half damage if the attack still lands) whilst mounted, and the Ferocious Charger ability (increases your aforementioned special lance attack). As you can see, it still falls into the same old pitfall of the Cavalier, in that it's not much use without a horse. Got a reprise as part of the June 2017 UA, as essentially more of a mounted Battlemaster than anything.
** The final version released in XGE combines this archetype with Knight. While it loses Combat Superiority, it gains a reaction ability to grant bonus AC to allies and the power to draw aggro from others.  The end result is more of a "sticky tank" which focuses less on its mounted abilities and more on being defensive and drawing fire. It’s 14th level ability gives it unlimited oppurtunity attacks, basically giving you 3.5 Combat Reflexes. Which, for the uninformed, was VERY GOOD.
* '''Scout''' (UA: Kits of Old): Based on the [[Scout]] kit, it's your basic ranged weapon fighter, and at least manages to be an actually competent non-spellcasting version of the Ranger. You get three choices of free proficiency between Acrobatics, Athletics, Investigation, Medicine, Nature, Perception, Stealth or Survival, the ability to burn Superiority dice on the aforementioned checks, the ability to boost attack rolls with Superiority dice, the ability to boost AC and half damage if the attack still hits whilst wearing light or medium armor, and the Ranger's Natural Explorer feature, except you get new terrains at levels 7 and 15. Weirdly, the Scout would later get added as an archetype for the Rogue as well.
* '''Monster Hunter''' (UA: Gothic Heroes): Be Van Helsing with this archetype, which makes you better at fighting monstrosities, with tricks like free Knowledge proficiencies, the ability to spend superiority dice for increased attacking accuracy and power, enhanced protection, or increased perception, and spell-like abilities of detect magic and protection from evil/good.
* '''Arcane Archer''' (Xanathar's Guide to Everything): This one is, as you expected, a bow-wielding analogue to the Eldritch Knight. Its core trick is summoning an Arcane Arrow, a magical arrow that counts as magical (no duh) and does 2d6 force damage (upgrading to 4D6 at level 18). An Arcane Arrow can also have one of the "Arcane Shot" special attributes applied to it; initially, an Arcane Archer only knows two Arcane Shots, but it picks up four more as it levels up. Initially, it can only fire 2 Arcane Arrows per rest, but at 15th level, it now recharges its last Arcane Arrow after 1 minute. It also gains the ability to conjure a bundle of 20 non-magical arrows for 10 minutes at 7th level, and two bonus skills out of Arcana, Athletics, Nature, Perception, Stealth and Survival. For Arcane Shots, it's got Beguiling Arrow (charm the target so it can't attack one of your arrows), Brute Bane Arrow (target's physical damage is halved until the end of your next turn), Bursting Arrow (explodes in a 10ft blast on a hit), Defending Arrow (impose Disadvantage on the target's next attack), Grasping Arrow (wraps the target in brambles that slow it and inflict slashing damage if it moves, unless it spends an action ripping them all off), Piercing Arrow (blasts through all targets in a 30ft line), Seeking Arrow (fire a homing arrow) and Shadow Arrow (reduces the target's visual range). Unfortunately, this archetype was so weak that it ended up getting a revamp in May 2017.
** The version on Xanathar's Guide to Everything knocks it hard. For one, its basic Arcane Shots no longer get to do straight damage without some special effect, and they can no longer magically summon arrows. On the plus side, it gains an Arcane Shot when starting a fight, making sure one shot is always available. It also gets the power to re-roll missed shots.
* '''[[Knight]]''' (UA: Martial Archetypes): Actually a throw-back to the 4th edition Fighter, with a dose of [[Cavalier]] for good measure. Born to the Saddle makes a knight more adept at mounted combat, in that mounting/dismounting only costs 5 feet of movement, it has advantage on saves to avoid being knocked off, and it always land on its feet if knocked off, providing it's not incapacitated and it doesn't fall more than 10 feet in the process. Implacable Mark lets it "mark" a target with a melee attack three times per short rest, so long as the target isn't immune to fear. A marked creature suffers Disadvantage when not attacking targets that marked it, and if it moves whilst within five feet of the knight, the knight can use its reaction to make a melee attack with advantage that does (+ level) bonus damage on a hit, though this "bonus" reaction can only be done once per round. Noble Cavalry gives the knight its choice of either two bonus skills from the list of Animal Handling, History, Insight, Persuasion or Religion, or else a bonus language. Hold the Line means that when an enemy moves within 5 feet of the Knight, the knight can use its reaction to deliver a melee attack that does (+ 1/2 level) bonus damage and immediately stops it from moving. Rapid Strike lets a knight trade off having combat advantage on a weapon attack to instead make an extra bonus attack. Finally, Defender's Blade lets it use its per-round reaction to deliver an opportunity attack and gives it +1 AC when wearing heavy armor.
* '''[[Samurai]]''' (Xanathar's Guide to Everything): A super-tanky fighter. Fighting Spirit lets it gain some Temp HP, and advantage on all its attacks, three times per short rest. Elegant Courtier lets a samurai add its Wisdom bonus to its Charisma bonus when making Charisma checks to please or persuade a member of a high social class, and also grants the samurai its choice of either a bonus skill (History, Insight, or Persuasion) or a bonus language. Unbreakable Will gives the samurai proficiency in Wisdom saves (or in its choice of Intelligence or Charisma saves, if it's already got the Wisdom proficiency). Rapid Strike lets a samurai trade off having combat advantage on a weapon attack to instead make an extra bonus attack. Finally, Strength Before Death lets a samurai that has been reduced to zero hitpoints gain an "interruptive" bonus turn, not taking the damage until it ends this bonus turn - and yes, using Fighting Spirit or other effects to lower the damage taken is allowed.
* '''Sharpshooter''' (UA: Martial Archetypes): A ranged weapon master, obviously. Its Steady Aim feature lets it take extra-careful aim three times per short rest, which lets it both ignore half & three-quarters cover and deal (2 + fighter level) bonus damage on a successful hit. Careful Eyes lets it take Search checks as a bonus action and gives it proficiency in one skill from Perception, Investigation or Survival. Close-Quarters Shooting means that not only does the sharpshooter not suffer combat disadvantage for firing on someone within 5 feet, but if it hits a close-ranged opponent with its ranged attack, that creature can't take reactions until the end of the turn. Rapid Strike, yet again, lets a sharpshooter trade off having combat advantage on a weapon attack to instead make an extra bonus attack. Finally, Snap Shot means that if the sharpshooter takes the Attack action on the first turn of combat, it can make an additional ranged weapon attack as part of that action.
* '''Brute''' (UA: Three Subclasses January 2018): Take the Champion and give it more meat on those bare bones. Now every attack deals extra damage that scales by level, saves gain +1d6, and it can regain HP if they start a battle seriously damaged. They still gain a bonus fighting style and crits do extra damage based on level. The cause of much [[skub]] due to it being just slightly better than the Champion in a slightly unsubtle way.
* '''Rune Knight''' (UA Fighter, Ranger and Rogue): You become something like a Runepriest, able to etch the runes of giants onto your gear. You eventually get to grow like one, gaining extra damage in melee. These runes can also protect allies with surprise extra AC.
* '''[[Psychic Warrior]]''' (Mearls' Stream): Part of Mearls' plan to convert over psionics without having to do an entire new subsystem to handle psionics. Full of skub as a result.  Later adapted to The Fighter, Rogue, and Wizard UA. This lets you pick between focusing on extra damage or damage reduction.
** '''Psi Warrior (Formerly Psi Knight)''' (Tasha's Cauldron of Everything): Take two (or three if you count the stream). This gives more flexible with the psionic surge die, which you can use to either reduce damage taken, deal bonus damage, or just add jump distance. Later levels actually grant telekinetic powers, including an aura of protection for your allies and eventually the ability to cast Telekinesis.
* '''Slayer''' (Mearls' Stream): Basically Mearls' take on the Monster Hunter archetype, this is for fighters specialized in bringing down huge monsters. Because Monster Hunter World is a thing, after all.
* '''[[Warlord]]''' (Mearls' Stream): The beloved 4rrie martial class returns at long last! Is it actually any good? Eh...
* '''Weapon Master''' (Mearls' Stream): A nested subclass, this subclass features its own distinct subclasses to distinguish which kinds of weapons you specialize in.
* '''Echo Knight''' (EGtW): A variant Eldritch Knight who practices "Dunamancy", which is space/time magic. This allows them to call up ghostly doppelgangers from alternate timelines and use them to launch attacks or soak damage. They can initially only have one Echo at a time, but at level 18, gain the ability to deploy two.

===[[Monk]]===
Uses dexterity for attack AND damage rolls at level one, cutting down on the class's infamous [[MAD|multiple ability dependency]], and now has a "Martial Arts" bonus that lets them deal the same scaling damage with all their weapons, not just their bare hands. As before, Monks have a resource called Ki, which they use on a number of abilities granted by their archetype, known as their Monastic Tradition.
* '''Way of the Open Hand''' (PHB): Your classic kung-fu master monk, complete with the famous ''quivering palm'' save-or-die power
* '''Way of Shadow''' (PHB): Grants all sorts of stealth bonuses, explicitly turning the monk into a [[ninja]] (reinforced by the fact typical ninja weapons - like kama or nunchucks - are called "monk weapons" here).
* '''Way of the Four Elements''' (PHB): Allows the monk to cast and make certain spells and attacks with elemental themes using Ki, appealing to ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'' fans.  Unfortunately underpowered, to the point where some claim having no specialization would be better. Nerdarchy released their own drastically rewritten version: https://nerdarchy.com/way-of-the-four-elements-monk-reborn-for-5e-dd/. It's far more viable, being the only thing in 5e that operates on a stance system so far.
* '''Way of the Long Death''' (Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide): This gives a monk the ability to heal itself by killing enemies like a Fiend pact Warlock, a fear effect, a powerful grab attack, and the ability to spend a ki point to keep on fighting at one hitpoint when an attack would normally knock them out. It also gives them the [[Fist of the North Star]].
* '''Way of the Sun Soul''' (Sword Cost Adventurer's Guide): ''HaDOUUUken!'' Sun Soul monks get ranged attacks, letting them throw bolts of magical radiance around whenever they want to (naturally, they're proficient in such attacks). They can spend ki to spam these energy blasts like regular monk fists, spend ki to mimic the effect of Burning Hands after they hit someone, they develop what amounts to a ''fireball'' attack that does Radiant damage, which can be further enhanced with ki, and they eventually can set up an aura of light that has the added effect of being able to burn someone who hits you in melee. Holds up well as the long-time undead-smiting monk sub-class. Was reprinted in Xanathar's Guide to Everything.
* '''Way of the Kensei''' (Xanathar's Guide to Everything): Taking its name from an "unarmored [[samurai]] weapon-master" [[kits|kit]] way back in the days of 1e, is a weapon-master monk, who gains free proficiency with three martial weapons and the ability to use weapons it's proficient with as "kensei weapons" - use Dex or Strength for attack & damage rolls, can substitute Martial Arts damage for the weapon's normal dice value, can deal +1d4 bludgeoning damage when striking with a kensei weapon, and can get +2 AC by forfeiting a strike with a wielded kensei weapon to instead make an unarmed strike. And that's just your first feature! It gets beefier thereafter; treating any kensai weapon it wields as being magical, being able to double its proficiency bonus for one attack roll once per short rest, spending ki points to buff attack & damage rolls, and finally being able to re-roll one missed attack per turn. This archetype got some revisions on the May 2017 UA.
* '''Way of Tranquility''' (UA: Monks): In essence, is a monk diplomancer; inclined towards pacifism, its powers mostly relate to non-violence - an inherent Sanctuary ability, what is essentially a [[Paladin|Lay On Hands]] trait (cure HP damage, poison and disease with a touch), free proficiency with either Performance or Persuasion, advantage on sincere attempts to defuse impending violence with a Charisma check, an at-will charm effect that makes a victim incapable of attacking, and finally the ability to do a huge amount of bonus damage to someone they see kill somebody else.
* '''Way of the Drunken Master''' (Xanathar's Guide to Everything): Would you believe us if we told you there's a real-life school of martial arts based around pretending to be drunk? This archetype is based on it. This is a fairly gimmicky sort of path, focused on improved action economy. Level 3's "Drunken Technique" grants it free Proficency in Performance and a boost to Flurry of Blows; the Drunken Master can, whilst using that feature, Disengage as a free action and boost their speed by 10 feet until the end of the turn when doing so. Level 6 gives them access to Tipsy Sway, which lets them, with the use of a Ki Point, use a reaction to being missed by an enemy melee attack to make that attack instead hit a third individual within 5 feet. Drunkard's Luck, their 11th level feature, gives them the ability to spend 1 ki point before making a saving throw to gain Advantage on that save. Finally, at level 17 they gain Intoxicated Frenzy, which means they get +3 attacks (maximum of 5) whilst using Flurry of Blows, so long as they aim each attack at a different target.
* '''Way of the [[Soul Knife]]''' (Mearls' Stream): Part of a grand stream in which Mearls outlined his plans on how to make [[psionics]] work through the subclass system, rather than trying to just make unique psionics classes.
* '''Way of the Astral Self''' (Tasha's Cauldron of Everything): aka the [[JoJo's Bizarre Adventure|Stand]] subclass. Yes, you literally summon aspects of a spiritual self that works in tandem with you, eventually growing more visible before a complete body.
* '''Way of Mercy''' (Tasha's Cauldron of Everything): These guys are a little more inspired by European monks and plague doctors than the usual [[Wuxia]]-inspired monk. They gain powers that alternatively harm and heal their allies and enemies, and their 17th level feature lets them put a target in literal suspended animation for a while. Pretty neat, overall.
**The Tasha's rewrite focuses more on being the combat medic. As you level up, you also gain the ability to cure certain conditions and poison enemies. The capstone ability also now resurrects a dead thing and cure them of any conditions they suffered.
* '''Way of the Ascendant Dragon''' (UA 2020: Subclasses Part 5): Become like a dragon. It starts off letting you deal elemental damage and limited uses of a personal breath weapon. Later levels grant temporary flight and various other dragon traits by channeling a special aura.

===[[Paladin]]===
Now has cooler flavor that finally makes them something more than gimped cleric and doesn't have alignment restrictions, as mentioned above, so no "be [[Lawful Good]] or else be a [[Blackguard]]/sucky-ass fighter" crap. The flavor of the default Oaths is clearly leaning towards either a Good (all) or Neutral (Ancients, Vengeance) alignment.

Smite now uses spell slots, and there is a number of Smite spells, allowing a paladin to burn his foes, hit them with lightning, or torment them for their sins on attack. Sadly, no ranged smites (aside from casting Branding Smite on a ranged weapon) and almost no ranged spells. Their famed ''lay on hands'' ability is now a kind of pool they can draw on in discrete intervals, and they eventually get some auras to buff their teammates.

Paladins also use Charisma for spellcasting now. This helps to ease some of their MAD problems and lets them multiclass into Charisma classes more easily, but further distances them from the holy warriors they once were.

A paladin's Vow is now tied to their archetype or Oath.
* '''Oath of Devotion''' (PHB): Makes you a classic lawful good paladin, bent on honor and duty, but with somewhat more freedom. Their buff aura and personal immunities let them shrug off mind-control, their capstone turns them into a demon-and-undead-slaying living rod of sunlight, and their spells are basic religion stuff.
* '''Oath of the Ancients''' (PHB): You're now a sort of hippie knight, champion of light and life - imagine a [[Green Knight|stag-riding knight in green armour]], with some druidic spells. Their aura grants resistance to ''all'' spell damage, which is sweet, one of their personal abilities slows their aging and lets them shrug off incapacitation once per day, and their capstone transforms them into a regenerating fast-spellcasting nightmare for the bad guys, who also get disadvantage on their saves vs. the pally's shit because fuck evil.
* '''Oath of Vengeance''' (PHB): Become a typical [[inquisitor]] - his oath basically says "for greater good" and "by any means necessary", which is cool. Blackguards wish they were this cool. Spells are hunting/ranger stuff, and they get a number of single-target fuck-you powers, but they don't get an aura like the others to support their team with.
* '''Oath of the Crown''' (Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide): Basically a civilization-supporting Paladin. Has a number of [[knight]]-type abilities, with powers like issuing challenges that force enemies to fight the paladin. Their Channel Divinity can mimic the effects of one of their spells, ''compel duel'', and has the bonus of healing allies nearby. You can also intercept damage for an ally within 5 feet, and have advantage on saving throws vs. being paralyzed.
* '''[http://i.imgur.com/slrKm8D.jpg Oathbreaker] (or [[Blackguard]])''' (DMG): DMs are presented with the option to immediately switch a paladin who dramatically breaks their oath to an Oathbreaker instead of "just" depowering them, too. It quite amply fills the Blackguard's former shoes as a fiend and undead-cavorting, black magic-wielding black knight type character class. Oathbreaker paladin ''must'' be Evil, but there's actually nothing saying that other Paladins can't be evil so long as they still uphold their Oath (although once you break your oath, you cannot redeem yourself while evil - apparently, even if you began as an evil Vengeance paladin).
<!--The Underdark Characters UA adds two new Fighting Styles that the Fighter, Paladin and Ranger can all take. The first is the Close Quarters Shooter fighting style, which as you might expect gives bonuses to using ranged weapons even when you're up close and personal, and is a pretty decent reskin for a pistol-packing [[Gunslinger]] type character. The second is the Tunnel Fighter, who can go into a defensive stance that lets them freely strike at anything that gets too close or tries to move around them.-->
* '''Oath of Conquest''' (Xanathar's Guide to Everything): Lawful Evil Paladin, or at best a [[Hellknight]] out of [[Pathfinder]]. All focused on crushing the weak and exerting its own strength. It gets a bunch of warlock/enchantment spells, some terror-inflicting abilities, immunity to charm, and turning into an uber-warrior badass once per day. This one got some touchups in the March 2017 UA.
* '''Oath of Treachery''' (UA: Paladins): Outright referred to as the archetypical Chaotic Evil [[Demon Prince]]-aligned anti-paladin of old, with a bundle of illusion and misdirection related powers. If you think the Oathbreaker might be too powerful, this is your style.
* '''Oath of Redemption''' (Xanathar's Guide to Everything): Another callback. Unfortunately, it has already been widely panned for being a huge throwback in flavor and abilities to the incredibly annoying "pacifist character" archetypes of old. These guys specialize in nonlethal ways to take down opponents, mixed with some tanky attributes in order to give them the guts they need to survive the effort. The XGE print removes the obstructive restrictions of utter pacifism, but also removes the unarmored AC boost.
*'''Oath of Heroism/Glory''' (Mythic Oddyseys of Theros): The Oath of Heroism leans into the [[Fighter]] side of the Paladin, with all but one of your features improving your weapon attacks, and the one that doesn't lets you provide temporary HP to your allies or frighten your enemies whenever you crit or kill something. Put simply, you're a gladiator Paladin. The official release in Theros makes the healing power more effective by making it equal to your smite damage and replacing the THP/Fear power with an aura that gives everyone boosted speed. Was reprinted in ''Tasha's Cauldron of Everything.''
*'''Oath of the Watcher''' (Tasha's Cauldron of Everything): You protect the mortal world from extraplanar creatures. As such, basically all of your features hurt extraplanar creatures in some way or another, from one of your Channel Divinities being Turn Undead but for extraplanar creatures up to your 20th level feature which essentially gives you an automatic Banishment when you hit one with an attack and damage it. And you get advantage on the attack roll.

===[[Ranger]]===
Rangers retain Favored Enemies, with a few social benefits included to make them less serial-killer-ish, and are pretty good at hiding (camouflage) and tracking things. Interesting new addition are druidic-flavored spells for arrows and attacks - like transforming your arrow into a hail of thorns, enchanting your quiver to produce ammo or summoning entangling vines from your weapon - most likely the remains of the [[Seeker]], a 4e class created by splitting off the mystic aspects of the ranger and which had a similar "magical arrows and weapons" motif.

* '''Hunter''' (PHB): [[Drizzt]]-style [[Anal Circumference|"backdoor fighters,"]] with access to a few "fighting styles" that make them rough customers, specializing in either big game hunting or cutting through hordes.
* '''Beastmaster''' (PHB): gives you a bestial companion, which now behaves like a 4e summoned creature, requiring you to constantly remind it to attack every single round. And you can only start attacking too when you get the Extra Attack feature.
* '''Gloom Stalker <sub>Formerly Deep Stalker</sub>''' (Xanathar's Guide to Everything): This Ranger specialises in ambushing and sneaky stuff, with tricks like a free speed boost in the first turn of combat, a bonus action that can be used to hide in all subsequent turns, free Darkvision at level 3, some illusion spells, a bonus attack if you miss at least one attack, and an enhanced dodging ability. It also grants proficiency in a mental stat saving throw (Wis by default).
* '''Horizon Walker''' (Xanathar's Guide to Everything): A Ranger who acts as border-patrol between the material plane and others, and gains class features based around limited dimensional hopping. Originally a 3E Prestige class.
* '''Primeval Guardian''' (UA: Rangers and Rogues): A ranger who goes balls-deep into the class's druidic flavor to gain the ability to shapeshift into a neigh-unkillable tree-form. Kinda like the Warden from 4E, who turned into some super-nature form.
* '''Monster Slayer''' (Xanathar's Guide to Everything): WoTC admits that this is essentially a retread of the Monster Hunter subclass they did for fighters back in 2017. Armored with bonus spells relating to fighting powerful magical critters, it excels at fighting one particular creature at a time, with tricks like scouting out vulnerabilities, negating abilities that would let their victim flee from a fight, and enhanced killyness against their victim. Also, if you're using the Revised Ranger ruleset, they gain an Extra Attack at level 5 as well. The XGE edit adds in a more mage-hunting feature, with the ability to outright foil the casting of a spell and smack them even if it does work.
*'''Swarmkeeper''' (Tasha's Cauldron of Everything): Like Beastmaster, but you have a swarm of fey spirits instead of a single animal. At first, your swarm hangs around you and can deal force damage when you hit a creature with a weapon, but later on you can send one spirit out as a Tiny animal and create an area that deals necrotic damage and lets you heal.
*'''Drakewarden''' (UA: 2020 Subclasses Part 5): Another Beastmaster-like subclass, though you now summon (this guy is actually impermanent, though he lasts for several hours) a drake who acts like an amped-up pet (including actually attacking by spending your bonus action). As you level up, this drake improves in some significant ways, including a breath weapon and typed damage on its attacks. 
* '''Fey Wanderer''' (Tasha's Cauldron of Everything): A Fey-themed subclass with some interesting perks. Aside from some extra damage on an attack, you also gain +Wis to all Charisma checks. This becomes important because level 7 lets you bounce back any charmed or frightened effects to an enemy the moment any ally makes their save. In addition, you have the ability to summon a fairy as an ally and Misty Step with the added benefit of being a taxi.

====The Troubled Development of the Ranger====
The "Designing Class Variants" UA article on the WotC website includes a "Magic-free Ranger" alternate class, for those who want a more Martial Ranger. It gets Combat Superiority (access to Fighter maneuvers), the ability to create Poultices (healing potions that also cure poison once you hit the proper level), venom resistance, the ability to summon animals from your surroundings 1/day, and an inability to run out of superiority dice. Beastmasters built from this variant get to halve damage their companion takes instead of sharing spells since, y'know, no spells to share.

The September 2015 UA article on WotC was dedicated to a revised low-level (1-5) Ranger class, based apparently on WoTC noting a lot of players were giving them the feedback that the Ranger was kind of weak and unsatisfying to play, with many class features feeling restrictive or difficult. This version of the Ranger gets Ambuscade (you get a special extra turn to Attack or Hide when you roll initiative) and Natural Explorer at level 1, Skirmisher's Stealth (a Ranger can choose one target to stay hidden from, no matter what else they do, during a turn, if they start that turn in hiding, and they can make a fresh Hide check at the end of their turn) at level 2, and a new mystical "Paladin of the woods" branching class feature at level 3. These Rangers can pick between the Guardian (dish out temporary hit points as a bonus action), Seeker (force a target to confer advantage) or Stalker (buff yourself or an ally to do extra damage with melee attacks). It also retains the Fighting Style, Natural Explorer, Primeval Awareness, Ability Score Improvement and Extra Attack class features from the vanilla [[Ranger]]. However, it has ''no'' spellcasting of any kind.

In September 2016, WotC published an Unearthed Arcana called "The Ranger, Revised", officially admitting that they were aware that people didn't like the Ranger and they were using playtesters to try and find a more agreeable format that they would <s>eventually print and publish in an official book, although they emphasized that this wouldn't invalidate the original ranger</s>. It has the same three subclasses as the original ranger, including the Deep Stalker, as "Ranger Conclaves," though only the beastmaster has been hugely remade. Notably, extra attack was excised from the class proper and given to every archetype ''but'' the beastmaster, favored enemy now comes with a baked-in damage bonus but only offers ''two'' choices in the class's entire lifespan, and Natural Explorer now works in any terrain. Some of their derpier abilities have had their cost reduced or been generally-reworked to be more useful.

In July 2018, Jeremy Crawford announced via Twitter (and would later make the same statements on Youtube in videos that have since had their comments turned off) that the Ranger would not get a revision, simply stating that if you have a problem with the class that the players and DM should "add class levels to the animal companion as found in rules in the DMG" or to play a different class.

Unsurprisingly, the November 2019 "Class Feature Variants" Unearthed Arcana article gave Rangers more extra options than any other class and significantly boosted their viability.  They got more spells and a better version of Natural Explorer (giving one of three major benefits), Favored Enemy (Essentially casting Hunter's Mark but not without using spellslots), and Primeval Awareness.  The Beastmaster also got some elemental companions that scale with level better. "Tasha's Cauldron of Everything" keeps the Natural Explorer replacement, though it is now in a static progression path with no choice in the matter. The Favored Enemy replacement essentially remains as-is, though the damage it deals starts off weaker before improving in exchange for any non-combat uses. The Primeval Awareness and Hide in Plain Sight replacements are the only ones that actually remained the same. Sadly though, these ultimately only make the Ranger ''better'' rather than ''good''.

===[[Rogue]]===
Can't quite measure up to bards in pure skillmonkey versatility, but make up for it in reliability by putting a "floor" under many of their rolls by mid levels, and are the only ''other'' class to get native access to the not-really-what-the-game's-designed-for Expertise power.  They also eventually get a reroll when they get unlucky, still have lots of dodgy-bastard powers, and still get backstabbing sneak attack dice, with the game being actually designed to let them get one off every single round for the first time. Also have some very-appreciated boosts towards mental defense and the ability to fight invisible enemies with their keen ears, which are fun expansions of the idea for a class that frankly needed a bit of a boost even in [[Pathfinder]]. One of their iconic abilities, the Cunning Action, lets them Dash, Hide, or Disengage as a bonus action every turn, which offers incredible action economy, is ''insanely'' powerful for the hit-and-run applications alone, and ensures they will basically be able to set up a Sneak Attack every round they want to if they get Expertise in stealth.

* '''Thief''' (PHB): The standard model, with bonuses to actual stealing, the ability to use their Cunning Action to use items, make skill checks and, eventually, utilize wands, plus quick reflex powers.
* '''Assassin''' (PHB): Ports over the best bits of the old prestige class for the sorts of rogues who are way too into killing dudes, with nasty ambush powers including the famed Death Attack at level 17 and social powers revolving around concealing your identity.
* '''Arcane Trickster''' (PHB): The obligatory spellcasting off-shoot, a combination of 3E's Arcane Trickster and Spellthief [[PRC]]s.
* '''[[Swashbuckler]]''' (Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide): Lets you add your Charisma bonus to initiative, move without provoking attacks of opportunity from creatures you attack in melee, and sneak attack enemies that don't have any of your allies adjacent to them. At higher levels, you also get to taunt an enemy into attacking only you. Was reprinted in Xanathar's Guide to Everything
* '''Mastermind''' (Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide): A diabolical rogue who's way too good at manipulating people, lying, and even being immune to all telepathic magic. You can also find out if you're smarter than someone, so feel free to let your ego run wild. Was reprinted in Xanathar's Guide to Everything.
* '''Inquisitive''' (Xanathar's Guide to Everything): The Van Helsing meets Sherlock Holmes type, what with increased senses for deception and empowered Sneak Attacks.
*'''[[Scout]]''' (Xanathar's Guide to Everything): [[derp|...This was released in an earlier UA as a fighter archetype]], although admittedly scouts ''were'' a rogue variant back in the days of [[kits]] in AD&D. It represents a ranger-y kind of rogue, with super-speed and ambushing powers, free proficiency ''and'' expertise in both Nature and Survival, and, at 17th level, the ability to make an extra sneak attack on a second target.
*'''[[Acrobat]]''' (Mearls' Stream): A rather unexpected homage to the forgotten rogue subclass of old, the Acrobat is a super-mobile rogue, able to make flying leaps, taking no damage from falling, and ultimately gaining a permanent Freedom of Movement effect.
*'''Phantom <sub>Formerly Revived</sub>''' (Tasha's Cauldron of Everything): [[Isekai|You've died and come back to life as an adventurer]]. Because you're sort of dead, you don't need to breathe, eat, drink or sleep and you get resistance to poison. Other than that, you can deal necrotic damage instead of using your Sneak Attack, get a floating tool proficiency, and can Speak with Dead.
**The May 2020 UA rejiggers this as the Phantom, making it more tied to the plane of death. Your floating proficiency can now go to a skill and can chain your sneak attacks to hit another target with psychic damage. Later levels give you the ability to steal souls so you can gain advantage on Death and Con saves and the ability to turn into a real ghost. The eventual final print in Tasha's is pretty much identical, though now you can't spend soul tokens to chain sneak attacks.
*'''[[Soulknife]]''' (Tasha's Cauldron of Everything): Take three, and this one's at least mechanically strong, incorporating fresh takes on classic powers. 
**This was updated with the 2020 Psionic Options Revisited UA, providing a psionic surge die that lets you add it to skill checks as well as the knives themselves. The 9th level feature lets you use your die to hit rolls using the knives when thrown, or use those thrown knives to teleport. The capstone power also no longer does damage, instead merely stunning.

===[[Sorcerer]]===
Have a lot of the same spell choices as the wizard, but cast ad hoc from the whole list of spells ''known'', rather than the wizards' spells ''prepared'' (which is a daily-chosen subset of their spells known). Though spontaneous spellcasting isn't what it used to be with the reworked preparation system and they get a ''very'' slim number of spells, with no mechanic to regenerate anything on a short rest until level 20, they ''do'' get additional versatility via access to "sorcery points" (yeah, a derpy name), which they can expend on metamagic (something only sorcerers get now), on converting into single-use spell slots, etc.  They also start with double the cantrips of other casters.

They're also the only full caster in the game to lack ritual casting. Then again, they're the only ''caster'' in the game ''to'' get natural proficiency in Constitution saves, which are needed to maintain Concentration, so there's that.

Sorcerer subclasses are known as their Sorcerous Origin, which dictates the source of their magical power. Unlike most classes, sorcerers choose their subclass  at level 1.

* '''Dragon Ancestry''' (PHB): Grants you draconic features and powers like armored skin, wings, etc. as you level, with a focus on one type of elemental damage. Unfortunately, because game designers don't pay attention, if you don't pick fire you're screwing yourself: it has almost half again as many eligible spells as lightning or cold, the next highest, while acid and poison may as well weep in the corner.
* '''Wild Magic''' (PHB): produces all sorts of random effects as you cast spells, and by random I mean RANDOM - from creating illusory butterflies, to dropping a fireball centered on yourself, to regenerating health rapidly, to turning into a potted plant. Awesome.
* '''Storm Magic''' (Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide):  This sorcerer is powered by Elemental Air. Offers boosts to lightning, constant swooping around with flight magic, and eventual constant flight with the option to give it out to the whole party. Also, the ability to control the wind and weather, and that kind of thing is very useful for navigating a ship.
*'''Divine Soul <sub>Formerly [[Favored Soul]]</sub>''' (Xanathar's Guide to Everything): A hybrid between Cleric and Sorcerer, giving them enhanced fighting skills, Cleric Domain spells, flight and self-healing. This one has gotten considerably rewritten multiple times. The first rewrite of Favored Soul (in the Sorcerers UA) was no longer the direct "clerical sorcerer" it was back in 2015. This version can learn Cleric spells through leveling up, gains increased max hitpoints, can add a small amount of randomized points to a missed attack roll or failed save 1/short rest, double proficiency bonus on certain Charisma checks, immunity to disease/poison damage/the poisoned condition, and the ability to seriously heal themselves 1/day. All in all, this one is a lot more of a "divine sorcerer" than the "spontaneous caster cleric" of the original, which has attracted both praise and derision. The Revised Subclasses UA rewrite was less drastic, mostly switching around features.
* '''Shadow''' (Xanathar's Guide to Everything): Drawing from the [[Shadowfell]], it's a vaguely necromantic/[[Shadowcaster]] themed Sorcerer, sort of like the Dread [[Necromancer]] variant class. It gets no bonus spells, but it gains Darkvision, the ability to spend sorcery points for a free Darkness spell, the ability to summon a "hound of ill omen" (ghostly dire wolf), teleport between shadows, and turn into a ghost-like shadow form. It comes with a D6 optional table listing physical quirks, which emphasize the necromantic aspect of the Bloodline with traits like "you bleed very slowly" or "your heart beats only once per minute". 
* '''Phoenix''' (UA: Sorcerers): One of three Elemental Sorcerers made to go with the Storm Sorcerer. Your sorcerer uses fire [[elementalism]] with a healing twist; they can ignite flammable materials with a touch, summon a "Mantle of Fire" for 1 minute 1/day that is basically a free Fire Shield effect that boosts fire attack spells and, at 18th level, grants Fly 40ft (with hover) and Damage Resistance (Everything), a "Phoenix Spark" that lets them avoid dropping to 0 hit points 1/day and instead cause a burst of fire damage (more potent if their Mantle of Fire is Up), and a Nourishing Fire trait where they heal slot level + Charisma modifier hit points whenever they cast a fire spell. It's been fairly generally mocked; not so much for being kind of boring as for the fact it places all its emphasis on its Mantle of Fire, which it only gets to use once per day.
* '''Sea''' (UA: Sorcerers): One of three Elemental Sorcerers made to go with the Storm Sorcerer. Uses water [[elementalism]], which makes them a rather slippery customer. Soul of the Sea gives them the Amphibious trait and a free Swim speed. Curse of the Sea lets them buff up a spell that inflicts cold damage, lightning damage or forced movement 1/turn. Watery Defense gives them Fire Resistance and lets them use a "special reaction" to physical damage 1/encounter where they reduce the damage and make a free 30ft move. Shifting Form lets them halve damage from opportunity attacks, move through enemy spaces, and squeeze through openings that're 3 inches in diameter or larger. Finally, Water Soul basically turns them into a water elemental that happens to take a humanoid form, resisting all damage from physical attacks permanently and no longer needing to eat, drink or sleep. Generally held up as the most interesting, if not the best, of the variants included.
* '''Stone''' (UA: Sorcerers): One of three Elemental Sorcerers made to go with the Storm Sorcerer. Uses earth [[elementalism]] to become a more martial sort of character. They gain proficiency with shields, simple weapons and martial weapons, increase their spell list with assorted weapon-focused spells (''Compelled Duel'', the various ''Smite'' spells, ''Magic Weapon'' and ''Elemental Weapon''), and the traits of Stone's Durability (free hitpoint increase, plus the ability to boost default AC), Stone Aegis (surround an ally with a protective bubble, free teleport & weapon strike against someone who does a melee attack on that ally), Stone's Edge (bonus Force damage to one creature per spell when you cast a damaging spell), and Earth Master's Aegis (can apply Stone Aegis to up to three allies at once). Although given respect for its crunch, it's also pretty soundly mocked for the fact that, beyond the fluff of its AC-boosting trait, it has absolutely ''nothing'' to do with earth magic at all. If anything, it's essentially a 5e revamp of the [[Swordmage]], complete with iconic aegis mechanics adapted for 5e.
*'''Pyromancer''' (Plane Shift: Kaladesh): Ironically, the Plane Shift: Kaladesh article had ''another'' "Pyromancer" origin for Sorcerers. This one gains the Heart of Fire (scorch all creatures of your choice within 10 feet with fire damage whenever you cast a fire spell), Fire In The Veins (gain Fire Resistance, ignore Fire Resistance when burninating others), Pyromancer's Fury (use a reaction when hit in melee to torch the attacker), and Fiery Soul (you're immune to fire, all fire effects from you ignore fire resistance, your fire attacks can burn Fire Immunity targets as if they were only Fire Resistant).
*'''Giant Soul''' (UA: Giant Soul Sorcerous Origin): Originally debuted in one of Mearls' streams, it got an official print up as the June 2018 [[Unearthed Arcana]]. Makes you tougher than the average sorcerer, lets you temporarily bulk yourself up to a bigger size, and gives you a few paltry bonus spells based on which [[giant]] you claim ancestry from.  Mediocre.
*'''Aberrant Mind''' (Tasha's Cauldron of Everything): Fantastic.  On top of a bunch of already very strong and thematic benefits (constant ''mage armor'' a la the Dragon bloodline, spending sorcery points to morph your body in various ways), it ''finally'' does what players have been clamoring and baying for since before playtest and ''just gives the sorcerer a bunch of bloodline spells''!  Probably the best bloodline in the game for this reason, even if its inability to regain sorcery points and many features that require expending them don't fix some of the class's ''other'' problems.
**'''Psionic Soul''' (UA: 2020 Psionic Options Revisited): A sorta-revision of the Aberrant Mind, focusing, of course, on psionics rather than potentially Lovecraftian influence. Like the others, this grants the use of a special sort of psionic surge die that lets you learn additional spells and the ability to omit certain spell components based on how well you roll. Later levels grant various other buffs like extra spell damage and extra movement modes. Unfortunately, the capstone's less than remarkable, granting only a psychic aura that deals damage to those inside it.
***The final printing in Tasha's reverted to the Aberrant Mind name, taking the general frame of the original with some major paring down. It retains the exclusive spells, but lacks any Psionic Power dice like the Psi Warrior and Soulknife or the original draft's natural armor. Its ability to cast with no components also becomes something that can be done on any non-cantrip spell as long as you spend spell points on it. The capstone power also turns from becoming a black hole into just teleporting and making a spatial rift in your wake; while stronger, it can't be prolonged beyond a turn.
*'''Clockwork Soul''' (Tasha's Cauldron of Everything):  This particular subclass focuses on ties to the [[Mechanus]] and the ability to support others with your magic while also granting actual bloodline spells. This allows you to nullify the advantage/disadvantage mechanic without spending Sorcery Points, use points to build barriers that absorb damage, and even summon a swarm of [[Modron]]s to heal and dispel anything on your party. If you're left asking "Why is this a sorcerer instead of a warlock?" then you're not alone.

===[[Warlock]]===
These too get fewer spells than wizards, but warlocks get a few neat unique spells, notably the sweet-ass ''eldritch blast'' cantrip, as well as some domain spells from their archetypes - i.e. beings they made their pacts with. 

In addition to their pact, they get additional customization through a pact boon - a spellbook with cantrips (which can be upgraded to include rituals), a magic weapon (mostly useful to take advantage of some of the fun magical weapons that require a caster to use, weaker than the others without a bunch of invocations bulking it up), or a more powerful familiar, such as a pseudodragon, imp, or quasit with some benefits over a normal one. Also, they have certain invocations/mini-feats, granting them normally unavailable spells, altering known spells, offering class features from other classes, etc. Several of them allow you to cast specific regular spells at-will (effectively turning them into higher level cantrips).

Worth noting also is that with the exception of the warlocks' solitary 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th level spells, all their spell slots are of the same level (capping at 5th) and regenerate every short rest, making them the best burst dungeon crawlers in the game. On the other hand, Warlocks natively only have 2-4 spell slots at most, ''in total'', so choosing the right moment to utilize this limited resource is a major decision.

*'''[[Cthulhu Mythos|Great Old One]] Patron''' (PHB): You're friends(?) with Cthulhu! You gain mindfucky spells and the ability to mess with peoples minds, culminating in making mindless ones out of your enemies.
*'''[[Archfey]] Patron''' (PHB): Fairies. That is all. Okay, really, you gain some fey powers - the ability to charm people nearby, the ability to teleport short distances, and illusory powers. You also have invocations that deal with support.
*'''[[Fiend]]ish Patron''' (PHB): Fiends Fiends Fiends. You gain some hellish powers - the ability to gain temporary hit points when you reduce kill/knockout/maim just right an enemy, the ability to add more dice to skill/save rolls, floating damage resistance, blasty invocations and spells, and the ability to throw someone through the lower planes. 
* '''Undying Patron''' (Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide):  You made a deal with an entity that has "cheated death" in some way, such as a [[Lich]], [[Vestige]], or other powerful undead/abmortal entity. On top of necromantic bonus spells and the ''Spare the Dying'' cantrip, they're somewhat resilient. They eventually come to resemble their undead masters, with advantage on saving throws against disease, slowed aging, the loss of bodily needs like food, sleep, ''breathing'', and an number of regeneration powers to reattach lost limbs and recover hitpoints. Finally undead need to pass a saving throw before they can try and hit them eventually. Not as straightforwardly powerful as some of the others, but offers plenty of utility.
* '''Ghost In the Machine Patron''' (UA: Modern Magic): A "technomantic" option for more [[dungeonpunk]], [[magitek]] or [[Urban Fantasy|urban fantasy]] settings. Gains the ability to mentally control computers, teleport along electrical wires & data cables, resistance to magical forms of detection and information retrieval, and the ability to "infect" others with a techno-virus by touching them, which hurts them with Psychic damage and lets you control them like puppets.
* '''[[Celestial]] Patron <sub>Formerly Undying Light</sub>''' (Xanathar's Guide to Everything): Contrasting the Undying patron from SCAG, and the Sorcerer's Shadow Bloodline, it's a bond to a powerful entity of fire or light, connecting the Warlock to positive energy. It comes with a D6 table of optional character flaws, all of which revolve in some way around fear of the dark or obsession with the light. It gets a bunch of fiery spells (Burning Hands, Flaming Sphere, Daylight, Fire Shield, Flamestrike), the Sacred Flame and Light cantrips, resistance to Radiant damage, extra oomph when dealing Fire or Radiant damage, increased reserves of life force, and culminating in the ability to heal others with a touch. In June 2017, they revealed the Celestial Patron for Warlocks, which is a rename of this Patron. It grants curative spells alongside the burninating ones, and a rearranged feature list: Healing Light is now its 1st level feature (with some mechanical tweaks), Radiant Soul is now its 6th level feature, and Searing Vengeance is its 14th level feature. Also, Radiant Resistance has been renamed to Celestial Resistance.
* '''Seeker Patron''' (UA: The Faithful): Based on the [[Greyhawk]] deity of [[Celestian]] and represents a warlock who serves a usually inscrutable deity tied to gathering knowledge. It gets a mixture of advanced mobility spells like Feather Fall, Levitate and Passwall and some divination spells as its bonus stuff, a unique Pact Boon called the Pact of the Star Chain that gives them a magical item that boosts Intelligence checks and can cast Augury, the Astral Refuge ability (once per turn, can cast two self-targeting spells), resistance to fire & cold, no need to breathe, and finally gains the ability to shift to the Astral Plane once per long rest.
*'''[[Hexblade]]''' (Xanathar's Guide to Everything): Despite the name, the Hexblade isn't limited to blade-pact warlocks, despite what you'd think. Rather, it represents a warlock who draws upon the power of an artifact-level magical weapon, using its strength to sustain itself. With [[Blackrazor]] called out as perhaps the definitive example of the kinds of blades who are power-sources for these warlocks, a blade pacted Hexblade is the perfect character for playing a expy of [[Elric]] of Melnibone. Aside from having a [[gish]]y array of bonus spells, like Shield, Magic Weapon, Smite, Blink and Destructive Wave, it's essentially a reiteration of the Hexblade from editions past, with maybe a touch of [[Swordmage]]. For 1st level features, it grants both Hex Warrior (proficiency with medium armor, shields, martial weapons; can use Cha for attack and damage rolls with a one-handed melee weapon you are proficient with) and Hexblade's Curse. This feature lets you curse a victim for 1 minute once per encounter, gaining a bonus to damage rolls against them, increased likelihood of dealing a critical hit to them, and some free healing if they die before the curse expires. Both of the Hexblade's higher level traits augment the curse; Armor of Hexes (level 10) lets you roll a D6 whenever a cursed victim attacks you and make them auto-miss on a 4+, whilst Master of Hexes (level 14) removes the recharge requirement for cursing somebody, though you can only have 1 cursed victim at a time - if you curse somebody else, the old curse ends. The only exception to this is the level 6 feature, Shadow Hound, which lets you animate your shadow as a spooky sentinel who can merge with an enemy's shadow to negate their cover bonus and let you always know exactly where they are. This got changed in Xanathar's because it made no fucking sense for the warlock to randomly get a shadow dog. Instead, the Hexblade gets Accursed Specter at level 6, where the warlock curses the soul of a slain humanoid to rise as a player-controlled specter until the next long rest.
* '''[[Raven Queen]] Patron''' (UA: Warlocks and Wizards): Every 4rrie's favorite spooky spirit of death, winter and fate returned as a mysterious oracular being with her own secret agenda. Aside from a list of bonus spells that mingles "white" necromancy like false life and speak with dead with icy attack spells, she gives a weird mixture of traits. The 1st level feature, Sentinel Raven gives you a familiar raven (without needing the Pact of the Chain) that can boost your perception by sitting on your shoulder or become a flying spy, as well as instantly wake you up if somebody tries to shank you in your sleep - bonus is, it comes back to life on its own if it dies. The 6th level feature, Soul of the Raven, lets you turn into a raven whenever you like. Level 10 gives you death protection via the Raven's Shield, in the form of Advantage on Death Saving Throws, immunity to Fear, and Resistance to Necrotic Damage. Finally, at level 14, you become the Queen's Right Hand, which lets you cast Finger of Death once per day.
*'''Noble Genie/Genie Patron''' (Tasha's Cauldron of Everything): You now have a lamp with which you can summon a genie and link yourself to an ally for protection and extra casting range.  Later levels let you effectively charm crowds and make (sorta but not really the spell) wishes to your genie. 
**The revisited version makes the genie an elemental type, making the class more like a Sha'ir alongside making it less support-based. You can now hide inside the genie's lamp to lay low (and eventually take others with you). The wish-alike now acts more like Limited Wish, though it requires a longer cooldown than if it were Wish.
* '''[[Lolth]] Patron''' (Mearls' Twitter): A dark counterpart to the [[Archfey]] patron, with plenty of spider-themed goodies.
* '''Fathomless Patron <sub>Formerly [[Kraken]] and Lurker in the Deep Patron</sub>''' (Tasha's Cauldron of Everything): A surprisingly solid subclass revolving around serving as the emissary for a monstrous god-like horrors from beneath the waves. Sort of a more aquatic & storm-focused counterpart to the Great Old One patron. 
**Was reworked in a recent UA under a new name, ''Lurker in the Deep'', to suit a wider choice of deep sea patrons. Now with extra tentacles and earlier access to underwater breathing.
**Tasha's final print makes the water breathing a feature from the start and instead delays access to communicating with the sea creatures. It also provides a free 1/day casting of Everard's Black Tentacles that also heals while the capstone feature loses all offensive ability.
*'''Undead Patron''' (UA 2020 Subclasses Part 4): Curiously not the same as Undying, you are instead the pawn of some death god or powerful undead. While they still remain slightly more durable and can eventually become more like their patron, they instead gain the ability to explode upon death (Only to return with 1 HP and exhaustion) and the power to project their astral spirits. Will be getting a final writeup in Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft.

===[[Wizard]]===
Knows a bag of holding worth of spells, can cast some spells without using up slots at higher levels, etc. Instead of filling each spell slot with a particular spell at the beginning of the day, he chooses a small set of spells from his spellbook to be his "prepared" spells for the day, and then uses these "prepared" spells as though he were a 3e Sorcerer.

Archetypes are named after schools of magic and grant awesome bonuses when casting spells from those schools - like allowing an Evoker to shape a fireball so it doesn't hurt allies or granting an Abjurer a damage-absorbing shield (of the scifi videogame variety) which recharges as he casts lots of abjurations. All archetypes also get to know spells of their school for cheaper, making spellbook-scribing less of a money-sink.

Not as overwhelmingly powerful as they were in 3.5, but they still have more options than pretty much anyone else, and still get ridiculous at high levels with the [[powergamer|right mindset]]. Simulacrum + wish can bypass the usual restrictions on both spells for free wishes and infinite simulacra[https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/35kea4/5e_potentially_gamebreaking_problem_with/], true polymorph allows you to turn your entire party into pit fiends with no duration limit (if your DM is gullible enough to allow such shenanigans).

*'''Abjuration, Conjuration, Divination, Enchantment, Evocation, Illusion, Necromancy, Transmutation Schools''' (PHB): A tradition for each of the types of spells. Each one makes writing down a spell from their respective school cheaper and offers some extra effects when casting them. Abjurers gain shielding benefits, Conjurers have benefits for teleports and summons, etc. etc..  These subclasses are of [[skub|wildly varying power levels and debatable usefulness]], especially early. To wit, Abjurers, Necromancers, and Diviners are strong off the bat, Conjurers and Transmuters are far less so.  
* '''Bladesinger School''' (Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide): Although based on [[Forgotten Realms]] lore, it may well remind players of the [[Swordmage]]. Officially comes with the fluff-based lore of "this should be restricted to elf and half-elf PCs", but the book admits the DM can waive this if they require - and, really, who would want to leave this cool class in the hands of elves? Best thing 4e did for the Swordmage vs. the Bladesinger was remove that stupid racial restriction. Anyway, it differs from the Eldritch Knight in that it's a full caster path that has some extra "oomph" in close quarters, thanks to its Bladesong class features. Was reprinted in ''Tasha's Cauldron of Everything''.
* '''[[Artificer]] School''' (UA: Eberron): Yes, this is the "magic item maker" class that was its own thing in the last two editions. Gains the ability to create spell scrolls and potions, to temporarily enhance ammunition/armor/weapons, and finally to create permanent magical items, though it takes a week to make an item and after making one you need to rest for a ''month'' before you can regain the mojo to make another. It is worth noting that there is a very sharp limit on the strength of those items, and by the time you get this ability those items have long since ceased being useful. It was eventually made into its own class.
* '''Technomancy School''' (UA: Modern Magic): Tablet computer spellbooks, programming electronic gear to disperse spells, casting spells through electronic medium (so, yes, if you can see them on the security camera's monitor, you can blast them with a fireball) and ability to set a computer to concentrate on a spell for you.
* '''Theurgy School''' (UA: The Faithful): an alternative take on the [[Mystic Theurge]] concept earlier covered by the Arcana Domain for Clerics. In essence, it lets you pick a Cleric Domain and gain that Domain's powers, though at a lower level than a Cleric would, as well as the ability to learn Cleric spells, although A: you need to learn all of your Domain Spells first before you can add other Cleric spells to your spellbook (so, if you didn't take the Life Domain, you can't learn Cure Wounds until around level 10), and B: other wizards can't copy your clerical spells out of your spellbook. It has been roundly denounced as the most ''broken'' Tradition in 5e so far, between arguments that, RAW, an Arcana Domain Theurgist gets Wish at level 14, and arguments about the potential to apply Spell Mastery to Cleric spells like Cure Wounds.
* '''Lore Mastery School''' (UA: Warlocks and Wizards): This is probably the closest thing we're going to get to the traditional "generalist" wizard in 5e, but it's more of an Admixture specialist. Fortunately, it's quite powerful. Its first 2nd level feature, Lore Master, doubles your proficiency bonus for Arcana, History, Nature and Religion checks (you still gotta be proficient in the first place) ''and'' lets you roll Initiative based on your choice of Int or Dex. The second level 2 feature, Spell Secrets, lets you change the change the damage types of non-physical damage spells (that is, spells that inflict something not Bludgeoning/Piercing/Slashing) at will, and change the saving throw type of a single spell per rest. This means that not only could you throw around all of the "acid damage inflicting fireballs" that you want, you could also throw a fireball that is resisted with a Strength check once per encounter. Level 6's Alchemical Casting lets you modify certain spells by burning an extra spell slot; give up a 1st level spell slot when casting a spell that inflicts damage for +2d6 bonus Force damage, give up a 2nd level spell slot when casting a ranged spell of at least 30 feet to instead upgrade its range to 1 mile, and give up a 3rd level spell slot when casting a spell with a saving throw to increase its DC by +2. At level 10, you gain the Prodigious Memory trait, which lets you use a bonus action to swap one of your memorized spells out for a prepared spell instead once per encounter. Finally, level 14 makes you a Master of Magic, letting you cast 1 spell from '''any''' spell list (must be a level you can actually cast for, though) once per day. This tradition has received a huge outcry for effectively being better at magical flexibility than the entire Sorcerer class is.
* '''[[Warmage|War Magic]] School''' (Xanathar's Guide to Everything): This is weird at first glance due to how the class functioned more like a [[Sorcerer]] in 3e, but given it's based on extensive study and training (as well as a kit in 2E), actually does make sense. Perhaps more surprising is that it's not redundant when compared to the Evoker; its powers actually make it more of a tank. Their first features, Arcane Deflection and Tactical Wit, give them the ability to spend a reaction to being hit or failing a Con save to grant themselves +2 AC or +4 to their Con save (at the cost of not being able to cast any spells more powerful than cantrips until the end of their next turn) and the ability to add their Int bonus to their Initiative rolls, respectively. Their second feature, Power Surge, lets them boost up a group-affecting damage-inflicting spell by doing +2 dice worth of damage once per short rest. Their next feature, Durable Magic, gives them +2 to AC and all saving throws whilst sustaining a Concentration spell. Finally, their last feature, Deflecting Shroud, lets them blast all enemies within 10 feet for half their level in Force damage each time they use Arcane Deflection. So basically it has boring, but decent features, and two very interesting, but unluckily weak ones. I mean, come on, bonus damage equal to half your wizard level once per spell? Meh.
* '''Invention School''' (UA:  Three Subclasses January 2018): A sort of rework of Lore Mastery, you now gain proficiency with a specific suit of armor that resists Force damage. It also gains the ability to cast randomized spells. It also steals Lore Mastery's Alchemical Casting, adding in that sacrificing a first-level slot changes the spell's damage type.
* '''Onomancy School''' (UA: Cleric, Wizard and Druid): The return of the much-maligned [[Truenamer]]. This lets you force an enemy to make a Wis save in order to learn their names, but it suffers the same issue of everything being tied to that one feature. You now have special features that you can add to your spells that focus on this true name, and all of them don't work otherwise.
* '''[[Psionics]] School''' (Mearls' Stream, UA: Fighter, Rogue, and Mage): The ultimate end-result of Mearls' idea of trying to handle [[psionics]] without needing specific new classes to ''be'' psionic, this turns your [[wizard]] into a [[psion]].  The UA version is disgustingly powerful, from high damage, a powerful "Thought Form," and a bonus cantrip which can be cast as a bonus action and gets a free upgrade.
* '''Chronourgist''' (EGtW): Wizard who practices time-controlling magic. Can mess around with the rolls of enemies, has higher Initiative than other classes, can freeze enemies in bubbles of stasis time, and freeze its own spells in time bubbles so they can be used later by the wizard or other people.
* '''Graviturgist''' (EGtW): Wizard who practices gravity manipulating magic, giving them lots of options for manipulating the positioning of others via class features.
* '''Order of the Scribes''' (Tasha's Cauldron of Everything): Actually a port-over of the Artificer's Archivist subclass while also being an update of Lore Mastery. You gain a magical quill that facilitates learning spells and a magical spellbook that lets you swap spell damage types and a 1/day ability to cast a ritual as a normal spell. Your quill can eventually write low-level scrolls while your book can manifest its spirit as a ghostly scout/range booster for your spell as well. The capstone, however, is quite dangerous, as it lets you cheat death by permanently sacrificing spells in your book - you can't even relearn them without spending a Wish spell for each spell lost. The final print in Tasha's swaps two features around and makes the capstone's drawback less permanent, only robbing you of those spells for 1d6 days.

===[[Mystic]]===
A sample class released for playtesting as part of the Unearthed Arcana: [[Psionics]] article. This class seems to have replaced the [[Psion]] as the core [[psionics]]-using class, and in fact seems to be able to mimic several psionic classes of former editions, depending on which Psionic Order the Mystic chooses to follow.

It got bumped up to a 10-level class in the February 2016 UA article, which tweaked the disciplines around and makes it more flexible.

The March 13th 2017 Unearthed Arcana finally saw the Mystic Mark 3, which brings the class to full 20th level. This brings it to full fruition; aside from having six subclasses, all Mystics now gain access to both Disciplines and Talents. Psionic Talents are essentially the Mystic's equivalents of cantrips, being at-will powers that the Mystic doesn't need to fuel with psi-points and which aren't tied to any specific discipline. Disciplines are packages of psionic abilities that come with a psychic focus and several options to spend Psi Points on. Psychic focuses are psionic stances for lack of a better word; a Mystic can engage in one psychic focus at a time, granting access to its passive bonus. However, the class specifically states that you can have the psychic focus of one discipline active while you use any other discipline and it does not impede your ability to use said disciplines.  As it states on page 4 of the Mystic v3 UA: "You can have only one psychic focus benefit at a time, and using the psychic focus of one discipline doesn’t limit your ability to use other disciplines."

One more [[Skub|controversial]] aspect of the full version of the Mystic is that it [[Derp|explicitly makes psionics THE SAME THING]] [[Rage|AS FUCKING MAGIC.]] Like, there's literally no ruleswise differentiation between the two; psionic powers are all established to be magical effects. Odds are that this is just so they don't make double the stuff for boosting psionic shit, as some settings do treat psionics and magic as intermiscible.

In June 2017, it was stated that the Mystic and Artificer were to be placed on the Dungeon Master's Guild website for further refining, after which WoTC would take the feedback and fandom support from those sites and use it to create the definitive official version of each.

* '''Order of the Awakened''': The closest to the iconic Psion, with access to the disciplines of Conquering Mind (altering thoughts), Intellect Fortress (psionic counter-attacks), and Third Eye (enhanced sensory abilities). As innate abilities, it gets Mind Thrust (psychic blasting), Psychic Mind (telepathic communication) and Object Reading (postcognition). The focus of this one is being able to analyze psionic stuff, weaken enemies, and turn into a psionic ghost.
* '''Order of the Immortal''':  This is closer to the [[Battlemind]], being a psychic who focuses on channelling psionic energy through their body. They get martial weapon & shield proficiency for free, Durable Mind (concentration can't be broken by taking damage) and Psionic Regeneration (regain missing hit points equal to half of Mystic level) for free, and their disciplines are Celerity (super-speed), Iron Durability (super toughness) and Psionic Weapon (channel psionic energy through a weapon to enhance it in various ways). The Take 3 rewrite makes this remarkably stronger by giving them ways to regenerate health for free, ending with the ability to cheat death altogether.
* '''Order of the Avatar''': These are more in line with the [[Tactician]]s from Pathfinder. All their abilities focus on protecting allies and boosting their effectiveness.
* '''Order of the Nomad''': Teleport spam ftw. This ability not only grants swappable proficiency slots, but it also grants the ability to teleport and avoid any sort of damage that they might have come across.
* '''Order of the [[Soulknife]]''': These guys don't gain free Disciplines, but they instead gain Medium Armor and Martial Weapon proficiencies. The titular knives are psychic weapons that can be finessed and can be boosted by Psi points. It eventually gains the power to ignore armor.
* '''Order of the Wu Jen''': This sort of mystic is sort of like a Wizard (2E Gave Wizards a kit of the same name). These guys mess with Resistances and can even spend Psi Points to cast spells.

Unfortunately, development on the Mystic has since been mothballed as of April 2020. Mearls has admitted that they had no clear idea how to make this class particularly focused on being good at anything, and with their decision to just make psionics act as special class features, feats, or just plain magic, the concept became less appealing.

===[[Artificer]]===
Initially released as a Tradition (subclass) for the [[Wizard]] in the much-maligned "Eberron Update" by WoTC, the Artificer was a shock revelation to /tg/ when it appeared as its own unique class, the first fully-developed alternative class of 5e, in the January 2017 [[Unearthed Arcana]]. In June 2017, it was stated that the Mystic and Artificer were to be placed on the Dungeon Master's Guild website for further refining, after which WoTC would take the feedback and fandom support from those sites and use it to create the definitive official version of each.

The 2017 version of Artificer is an Intelligence based one-third caster, getting a mixture of [[Wizard]] and [[Cleric]] spells with a focus on buffing and boosting (alarm, cure wounds, protection from poison, etc). Although still the "[[magitek]] gadgetteer" class, the crafting rules have been drastically simplified; now, the Artificer creates their choice of specified magic items, gaining one at each of levels 2, 5, 10, 15 and 20. It hasn't been made clear if other characters can use these "homemade" magic devices or not, nor whether they can recreate them if destroyed or swap them out as strictly-better options become available. They also have the ability to attune a lot more magical items than other characters, and can "infuse" items, imbuing a spell of their choice into an object and then letting somebody else activate it later. Additionally, they get a pet [[golem]] at 6th level.

For subclasses, by default, they got the [[Alchemist]] and the [[Gunslinger|Gunsmith]].

*'''Alchemists''': You get access to a special satchel full of various alchemical goodies, like flasks of fantasy napalm and acid, smoke bombs, concussion grenades and healing potions. Of course, they only get a small selection of recipes over the course of their career and they can't stockpile these; a given goody will magically vanish and return to the satchel after 1 minute if it hasn't been used. However, they can use all these tricks as often as they like.
*'''Gunsmiths''': You get a free handgun, a one-shot-then-reload rifle called a "Thunder Cannon", although DMs will probably agree to let a Gunsmith eventually trade it in for other guns in the right campaign. They get an Arcane Magazine that gives them a functionally-if-not-technically endless supply of bullets, and eventually the ability to shoot sonic bolts, cones of force, lightning bolts and fireballs out of their gun.

An updated version of the artificer wouldn't appear until February 28th 2019. Now it was an Intelligence-based half-caster (1st through to 5th level)s with the ability to create a level-capped number of "Infused Items" - temporary magical items, in a sense - and to cast a mixture of [[Wizard]] and [[Cleric]] spells. This version retains the '''[[Alchemist]]''' subclass, but ditched the Gunsmith subclass. Instead, you got...
*'''Artillerist'''; a combat artificer who can create a walking turret companion and whip up make-shift wands for enhanced blasting abilities.

The mark 3 version of the artificer appeared in the May 2019 [[Unearthed Arcana]]. This expansion on the the previous version added two new subclasses:
*'''Archivist''': A specialist in intelligence storing and AI development, not to be confused with the spellbook-toting divine caster from 3e
*'''Battle Smith''' (a buff-focused caster with a [[Golem]]-esque bodyguard, similar to 4e's Warrior Forge Artificer).

The final release of the Artificer came with November 2019's ''Eberron: Rising from the Last War''. This version, while largely similar to the Mark 3, does away with the Archivist and restores the Gunsmith...in a sense, by letting Artillerists make handheld turrets.


* '''Alchemist''' (Tasha's Cauldron of Everything)
* '''Armorer''' (Tasha's Cauldron of Everything)
* '''Artillerist''' (Tasha's Cauldron of Everything)
* '''Battle Smith''' (Tasha's Cauldron of Everything)