Min-maxers will soon lose some of their favorite build options for characters inDungeons & Dragonsdue to the upcoming rule changes in the2024 Player’s Handbook. Specifically,the strategy of “dipping” into a class with a strong and front-loaded set of abilities will be less powerful. This is because of a change made across every class to the progression of class features. From now on, all subclass specializations are granted at level three.
In the case of some classes, like the fighter, rogue, or ranger, this changes nothing.For others, getting their subclass at first level has been a core part of their identity for years, and this will shift the way they level up and gain power entirely. It’s a bold change that has many players upset, both over the ramifications when it comes to multiclass builds and the thematic nature of how certain classes relate to their subclasses, particularly the cleric and warlock.
Why Level One Subclasses Matter For Multiclassing
Less Incentive For Players To Switch Up Their Class Progression
Multiclassing, or taking levels in another class to switch up one’s feats, is a staple of minmaxer builds and experimental players alike. But often, dividing one’s levels too much between two or more classes can make a character feel cluttered and less powerful, so the typical strategy is to take only a few levels in another class. Amongthe most popular classes to “dip” intolike this are thecleric, warlock, and sorcerer,which all used to have their subclass features at level one.
Dipping into a class for a level or two and getting many new abilities was a fun way of offering horizontal progression, giving players new options without making them more powerful than their party members.
Because of this, there was a lot to gain from just one level in these classes. Some may argue that these front-loaded options are too powerful in comparison to others, but in the case of most of them, the power levels even out by around level two or three, and any imbalance that remains is more attributable to spellcasting. These characters do get some small new abilities to fill in at early levels, butmaking progression more uniform like this feels like it detracts from the identity of the classes, in more than just one way.
Level One Subclasses Often Define The Powers And Stories Of Characters
Some Classes Need To Know Where Their Power Comes From
In the case of the cleric, warlock, and sorcerer,understanding the source of a character’s power is essential to defining their story and background. Sorcerers get their powers from some inherent magical part of themselves or exposure to arcane energy; clerics get theirs from worship of a deity; warlocks have made a pact with a creature beyond mortal life. The reason it felt natural for them to get their subclasses at level one is because the core of their identity was themed around that choice.
Best D&D Cleric Domains
With 14 cleric subclasses to choose from, it’s no wonder some players are left scratching their heads. Here are the best D&D cleric domains on offer.
It makes more sense for a fighter or rogue, someone who has more choice in how their abilities can grow as they learn and get experience, to make that decision after a few levels.The points at which these subclasses unlockwere not arbitrarybut, rather, integral to the storytelling ofDungeons & Dragons. Changing that just to make subclass choice uniform among all the classes as they progress just seems wrong.
Dungeons and Dragons
Dungeons and Dragons is a popular tabletop game originally invented in 1974 by Ernest Gary Gygax and David Arneson. The fantasy role-playing game brings together players for a campaign with various components, including abilities, races, character classes, monsters, and treasures. The game has drastically expanded since the ’70s, with numerous updated box sets and expansions.
