With the recent UA looking to update some long-suffering subclasses, people are hungry for more. Here are some we’d love to see updated!
The recent “Subclasses Update” Unearthed Arcana raised all sorts of possibilities by revisiting some of the old subclasses that had suffered a little from power creep over the years. While the results were a mixed bag, the mix was a pretty good one all in all. But the fact that they did it at all put many in mind of what else they could update.
After all, despite the technical cross-compatibility of the two editions, there’s still plenty to be gained by revisiting some of the classes of the past. With that in mind, here are some classes we might like to see get a new look in the not-too-distant future.
Bard College of Swords
The Bard College of Swords was first introduced in Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, and then later became a popular mainstay after it was added to Baldur’s Gate 3. It absolutely seems due for an upgrade, given the new weapon masteries available to PCs. Maybe a revamped College of Swords would have more flourishes, or ones that do different things – or as they did in Baldur’s Gate 3, gain the ability to make attacks with their Charisma. There’s a lot you can play with since the edition has changed, and a flamboyant, charismatic fencer seems like a welcome addition to the edition.
Barbarian Path of the Giant
The Barbarian Path of the Giant is another good candidate for an update. However, it’s a much more recent one – since it came out right at the tail end of 5E and the dawning of 5.5E. You’ll find the original in Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants. They are all about having a rage that transforms the Barbarian, making it easy for them to be more giant-like. But a few of the concepts the subclass introduced, like the ability to add Rage Damage to thrown weapons, have been folded into the core class. So they could definitely do with extra features, especially with the added power subclasses have in this edition.
I feel like there’s room for the subclass to experiment a little less with making thrown weapons work (since they already do) and a little more with “and now you get big”, which it didn’t do the first time.
Swashbuckler Rogue
Swashbuckler Rogues are another classic from Xanathar’s Guide to Everything. These are Rogues focused on combat – and are meant to be especially good with dual weapons. But given the changes to weapon fighting styles, I think there’s a space for a more combat-focused Rogue. The Rakish Audacity, for instance, could give you more of an offensive option especially since a lot of mobility is kind of baked more into the Rogue core.
Warrior of the Astral Self Monk
The Way of the Astral Self out of Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything was a great level up for a Monk. In 5E, they needed every drop of power they could get. But now that the Monk is good enough that it doesn’t need a subclass to try to make it good, Monk subclasses instead make them more powerful.
Especially since a lot of what the Astral Self did was focused on the old rules of grappling. With revised grapple rules there’s room to play more with what the Monk’s battle transformation can do. Especially since even the higher level features have kind of been incorporated into the Monk (like the ability to deflect energy damage).
Echo Knight Fighter
Finally, the Echo Knight Fighter, which was hands down the most powerful Fighter subclass in 5E. And now with 5.5E, there’s a chance to double down. I mean the Echo Knight’s ability to summon echoes was so good that it’s one of the only things from the Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount that consistently breaks through into the mainstream D&D community.
Happy adventuring!
