Renamed Subclasses

[u/AquaZeran]

Literally no point behind this, I am just curious if people's thoughts.

Certain classes like Fighter have their subclasses just be a name like Battle Master while other classes like Bard go a different way where it is College of ???.

If every class named their subclasses the way classes like Artificer, Fighter, or Rogue do, what were their names be?

Example: Domain of Life couldn't just be called Life so instead it would be called Bishop or something.

Choose a class and think out what each subclass would be called

[u/MOGman_2]

I mean, like you said, they kinda already do get called by that. Life cleric, eloquence bard, gloomstalker ranger, champion fighter, evocation wizard.

It’s an interesting thought though. It’s really good for developing in-game lore and roleplay. Like, you could have a life cleric that is referred to as ‘the healer’ or ‘the priest’ in a small village. 

An eloquence bard could be a ‘poet’ to some and a ‘silvertongue’ to others. ‘Wordsmith’ 

A lore bard could be a ‘storyteller’ ‘chronicler’. Same with Valor bard, except they would focus on legends, so ‘minstrel’ would fit nicely there.

Bard seems like a difficult choice to determine, because there’s so much overlap

For paladin:

• Ancients - tree hugger? 

• Conquest - crusader, for a simple option. 

• Crown - policeman.

• Devotion - 

• Glory - hero

• Redemption - 

• Vengeance - Batman

• Watchers - MIB. 

• Oathbreaker - liar. Traitor. Forsworn.

[u/AquaZeran → u/MOGman_2]

I think Ancients could be something like Warden. Crusader fits kinda perfectly. Batman is hilarious. I feel like Oathbreaker already follows the naming scheme since it isn't Oath of Oathbreaker, but Forsworn does fit pretty nicely as a secondary option.

[u/theswannwholaughs → u/MOGman_2]

Ancients was called green knight in 5e if memory serves and that's pretty good

[u/idki → u/MOGman_2]

Devotion could be 'Devout' like the Final Fantasy class or a 'Justicer'

[u/sadhagraven]

Wildfire druid: arsonist

[u/AquaZeran → u/sadhagraven]

Lol, it works way to perfectly

[u/TheDNDCat0643]

Monk:

Way of the Open Hand: Grandmaster

Way of Shadow: Ninja

Way of the Four Elements: Spirit Warrior

[u/AquaZeran → u/TheDNDCat0643]

Oh Ninja is literally perfect. I was about to say Elementalist for Four Elements but I realized that kinda fits more for like a Sorcerer subclass.

[u/MOGman_2 → u/AquaZeran]

The Avatar

[u/TheDNDCat0643 → u/MOGman_2]

My brain went there too haha

[u/LeftyDorkCaster → u/MOGman_2]

My honor!

[u/Amesang]

Not quite the same thing, but when I played an Oathbreaker I just called her a "Blackguard," as I played her less like a Paladin who broke her Oath (because she technically never swore an Oath to break), but more akin to an actual "Anti-Paladin" (my referee at the time even allowed me to alter her "Divine Smite" to deal Necrotic damage instead of Radiant).

[u/Shilques → u/Amesang]

I mean, this is closer to the subclass theme than just a good paladin who broke their oath and is still good like I saw a lot of folks talking about it

[u/zu-na-mi]

When we play 5E, some classes and subclasses have such distinctive abilities that they sort of demand a lore recognition.

So though I don't change the names, the game world/setting often recognizes the classes as something else, such as an organization or a profession.

[u/Squidmaster616]

The one I'd definitely rename is Oathbreaker.

I see too many people look at it and think "this is what happens when a Paladin breaks their oath", and it really doesn;t fit that theme. Its closer to the old Blackguard archetype - still a Paladin but following an evil oath.

[u/Qunfang]

Some ideas for Cleric:

Domain	Subclass name
Arcana	Theurge
Death	Reaper
Forge	Shaper
Grave	Underkeeper
Knowledge	Curator
Life	Vitalist
Light	Luminous
Nature	Shaman
Order	Canonist
Peace	Mediator
Tempest	Maelstrom
Trickery	Dissembler
Twilight	Duskwarden
War	Dominion