D&D Homebrewery Guide - Classes

First off - it should be said that making a Class is very difficult and making a guide for it is even harder since there are many general rules than can be applied to many balanced and play-tested classes (both official and unofficial) that cannot be applied to others in spite of the fact that these classes are still balanced and play-tested. The other thing is that you could write a guide bigger than the Britannia Encyclopedia on making a class and still not be done.

So in light of this, here is a things to think about when creating (or at least thinking about creating) a class.

Making a Class? Stop - Think
Stop where you are, before you go actually crafting a class. You need to do a little bit of introspection before you do this. You need to understand where you are actually coming from and what you actually want before you can effectively go out and get it. So take off your boots, kick up your feet, and stay a while. Let's talk.

So, you want to make a class, do you? Maybe you want a little help with that, eh? Classes are one of the most complex elements of the game, making them one of the hardest things to create. Making a class is no simple task, and completing its creation can take months - even a year or more. Designing a functional class demands extensive play-testing, which takes a lot of time. This guide can help you on that long journey.

What Are My Objectives?
Think for a second about why you thought up a class. No doubt, you think it's just because you have a great idea for a class that just isn't in the game, but the truth is, most people never think about what actually drives their ideas. When I ask, what are your objectives, I don't mean "Why do you want to make a class?", I actually mean, "What motivated you to start dreaming up anything at all in the first place?" What inspired your creativity to even start bubbling away?

Many people think they just get ideas from nowhere, but this isn't really the case - all of the human consciousness is a reaction to external stimuli, we are a reflection of our world. Every thought, emotion, and idea, has a cause, a catalyst of some sort. Understanding what it is that sparked your imagination will help you greatly in successfully achieving your goals. So, what was it? Whatever your motivations are, they are also your objectives. If you felt the creators did a bad job on Rangers, for example, your objective is likely to correct their failure. Remember how I said that we are just a reflection of our world? Our memories are part of the world we are reacting to. As a result, most of human thought is actually quite cyclical like this. It isn't a bad thing though, it's actually wonderfully convenient. Makes it very easy to understand yourself if you just take the time to think about it.
 * To simulate something from history?
 * To emulate something from a work of fiction?
 * To make a more powerful character?
 * To explore the rules and mechanics of the game in a unique way?
 * To overcome some obstacle not covered by the core rules?
 * To do a better job than the original creators, or to resolve perceived shortcomings, failures, or errors made in the core material?
 * To just make more options for the sake of having more options?
 * To create a class which will fit a setting better?

Are There Other Ways I Could Achieve My Objectives?
Now the question is, "Why a class?". There are dozens of other types of game content you can create. Why did your motivations lead you to a class? In many cases, people dream up classes over other types of content because of several reasons.

Honestly, your idea may actually be a perfect example of one that should be a class. But stop for a second and consider, "what if it isn't?".
 * 1) Players tend to think of D&D in terms of people and characters more than a collection of rules and content.
 * 2) Humans tend to think about people more than things- even going so far as to think of things as people.
 * 3) Classes have the biggest impact on a game but don't rewrite the whole game because they are centralized on a character.

Re-Imagine
For many ideas, the honest truth is that the core classes alone can cover it just fine. Simply look at the mechanics without considering their context or flavour, and imagine all of the things such mechanics could potentially represent. Depending on equipment selection, the Fighter class can effectively represent nearly every form of fighting class imaginable, with classes like Barbarian and Rogue covering the gaps with ease. It's easy to re-imagine the core classes to make them cover all manner of strange and unique ideas not included in their class description.

Background
If the idea is more about flavor and style, and the exact mechanics aren't that important, it may better serve as a background, if it is flexible enough. For instance, a historically accurate Shogun could be more useful as a background, as it could be applied to a variety of classes, allowing a wide range of fighting styles with the same flavor and context. (Furthermore, the Soldier background is open and flexible enough that, with a bit of research on your behalf, can represent a historically accurate shogun on its own.)

Race
If your class is more about what you are than what you do, it may function better as a race. Races have an instant, permanent, and universal effect on your character, and can have a strong mechanical influence, as seen with the Dragonborn and Aarakocra. The biggest advantage here is that races are much easier to construct and test, but can have just as much impact. With the existence of subraces as well, it's easy to make highly variable and flexible races, as has been exemplified by the Genasi and Elves.

Sub-Class
If your idea is just going to replace some elements of a core class, it may work as a sub-class. This allows you to flavour a class mechanically in all sorts of ways without resorting to the onerous task of building a balanced and meaningful class. However, sub-classes only affect a character at certain intervals, and only start at third level.

See this article for more.

Class Variant
If your idea is going to change some fundamental component of a core class, but still essentially function the same, it may be better suited as a class variant, which we actually have a section for here on the wiki. The benefit of having class variants is that they allow players more options in character creation, but bypasses the weirdness of cross-classing variants to make min-maxed mary-sue characters.


 * Examples:
 * A Druid that uses the cleric spell list.
 * A mashup of Fighter and Rogue features.
 * A ranged combat focused Barbarian.

Variant Rule
If your class covers activities which could be considered as extremely broad or inordinately complex, it may be that you are trying to do something classes were never intended to do. For example, trying to make a class which revolves around waging war through the command of thousands of soldiers.

Such ideas may be more easily created as variant or supplemental rules.

Can Your Class Stand With The Official Classes?
The biggest question of all here, honestly. If you look at the core classes, do any stand out which are clearly substantially superior or inferior to the rest? Some may have imbalanced advantages and disadvantages, but it ultimately balances out. This internal imbalance gives characters reasons to rely on one another and uses their strengths more creatively to overcome their weaknesses.

This balance gives each character one or two functional roles they can play in the party - a place where they each belong, with the party composition and functional roles being filled determining the personality of the group. It is best for a class to have more than one functional role, as this allows groups with more than one character of a given class to remain functional, as the two characters can serve different purposes with their common gifts. Even the fighter can play a few different combat roles, including support, tanking, or even spell-blasting!

So, when you look at the classes and all of the amazingly beautiful ways they can fit together to satisfy various practical roles through variations in build and play style, think to yourself, "Where does my class fit in?".

Class Walkthrough
OK, now that we've given you a better idea of what you want, and hopefully redirected some people to present their content in its most appropriate form, let's talk about making your class because you've obviously made up your mind! The following section gives a detailed walkthrough of the class preload, explaining how to go about filling out each section to get the most out of it.

Please make sure that you are familiar with the relevant content found in the 5th Edition core books the Player's Handbook, Monster Manual, and Dungeon Master's Guide. The core classes can be found on Player's Handbook on pages 45 - 112 and you should read Character Creation Step-By-Step on page 11 of the Player's Handbook.

Guidelines on how to create a class can be found on pages 287 - 289 of the Dungeon Master's Guide. You can find guidelines on converting material from previous editions into 5th edition rules in this freely available PDF. This content is subject to The Three Pillars of Adventure and Understanding Bounded Accuracy. When you open up a class creation page for the first time, you will see Class Yays and Nays at the top of the page. It's better to read them right now while you're still planning.

Aside from that, a general recommendation: Know the entire rest of the game. Read the Player's Handbook and Dugeon Master's Guide extensively and play the game a lot. If you can't be bothered to understand the game you're playing or play the game you're interested in, you're kind of missing the point.

It is best if you have had experience brewing up other types of content before making a class. Classes directly interact with every single other element of the game in incredibly complex ways. Not having a basic knowledge of the relationships between classes and all other game elements can lead to imbalanced or dysfunctional results.

Understand the classes and how they interact with each other especially. See how they fit together, fill in each other's weaknesses, reinforce each other's strengths, and where any gaps may seem to exist. You may be shocked to discover just how precisely the core classes fit together, like parts of a well-engineered machine. That's what D&D is. To be successful, you should aim to make your class just as well crafted, an expansion and upgrade to the machine. Failed classes just come across as unnecessary brickabrack, no matter how balanced or complete they may be.

It All Starts With a Concept
Fluff can make or break a piece of content through its immersive qualities. In general, the "crunch" of the game is intended to represent the fluff. If your mechanics don't match what they're trying to represent, people lose immersion, and the material falls flat. So knowing your fluff, getting it right, describing it clearly, and adhering to it consistently, is essential to producing a successful class.

While you're working on all of the mechanical stuff, keep your original idea in mind. Figure out what you are trying to represent conceptually, and stick to it. Even if you come up with a cool new idea while you work on the class, if it doesn't support your idea, save it for another creation. For each feature you add, consider, "How does this represent my idea?" An easy way to keep yourself on track is to describe your idea as a point-form list of themes. For example:

Chivalrous Knight
 * Armored combat with a shield
 * Cavalry
 * Nobility
 * Chivalrous romance
 * Medieval games

Hit Man
 * Classy and cool
 * Stealth
 * Intellectual
 * Emotionless and remorseless
 * Secret enemy

Then, whenever you add or tweak a feature, refer to your themes and consider whether it supports them. Also, remember to occasionally look at your themes and consider how well each one is represented by the class features. Don't be afraid to tweak your idea as you go, if you find yourself being painted into a corner.

Roles
In party dynamics, a character's role is the practical function they serve in the party. This mainly regards combat roles, but in 5e, every character should be able to at least function in a couple of non-combat roles as well.

Combat Roles.
 * Tanks force enemies to waste their time by absorbing damage that would otherwise be dealt with other members of the party. Armour Class and Hit Points are their friends, with constitution as a primary ability score. May earn damage reduction or temporary Hit Points. Fighters, Barbarians, and Paladins fill this slot well, as does a Hill Dwarf Dragon Sorcerer. Barbarians can do this if they optimize for unarmored Armour Class, and Monks can do the same to a lesser extent.
 * DPS stands for Damage Per Second. These characters focus on raw damage output and are typically lead fighters or spellcasters. Maybe ranged. Melee DPS characters are often designed such that they can double as a tank. Dual-wielding Fighters do this very well, but Barbarians, Rogues, and Bards can do it, as can casters with the right spells under their belts. Monks, using their martial arts damage, can also put out some impressive numbers.
 * Healer. Clerics and Paladins are the best examples of these, though Druids can do it a bit too. Their primary job is to keep everyone alive by healing their allies, buffing their allies, and by debuffing their enemies. A common ability among healers is the repulse effect, which makes a bunch of enemies, usually of a specific type, flee for a short duration, effectively removing them from the fight.
 * Support roles are characters who generate field effects, buff allies, debuff enemies, take advantage of combat circumstances or amplify the effects of allies. They serve tactical purposes, rather than direct combat interaction. All spellcasters can satisfy this role with ease.

Exploration Roles.
 * Scouts sneak ahead of the party, identifying and removing traps, opening barriers, and preparing ambushes for upcoming threats. They may also trail behind, watching for ambushes and covering tracks. Rogues and Rangers all the way here.
 * Guides know certain environments, reducing the number of threats the party may stumble into, reducing the chance of the party getting lost, speeding up travel, finding food and water, and locating safe places to rest. Rangers and Druids fit the bill.
 * Eggheads are characters with extensive knowledge and access to information sources. The Acolyte, Sage, and Criminal are perfect examples. The Druid and Ranger can also often relate a great deal of circumstantial information. Another recurring trait of an egghead role is their ability to effectively search out and obtain information where it would not otherwise be available, sometimes through direct investigation.
 * Skill Monkeys are characters who focus on having a bonus available for as many checks and saves as possible and trying to get those bonuses as high as possible.

Socialization Roles.
 * Diplomats are typically the party leader. Their skills get the party work, catch people who are trying to lead you into a trap, get bargains at stores, ask for better pay, fib your way into and out of trouble, convince people to see things your way, etc. Bards are best in this role, but sorcerers are often well adapted to it as well. Certain backgrounds, (Noble, Entertainer, Guild Artisan) can make any character better suited to this.
 * The deceiver is a character who can get around the rules for the party. They spy on important figures, find secret passageways through sewers, procure shady transportation and lodging, and more. Many deceiver functions pair well with scout functions. Case in point, the rogue with the criminal background is an exquisite expression of this role.

Format of the Article
For the format of the article, you should follow the format of the Classes on the Player's Handbook as closely as possible. The format of the classes found in the Player's Handbook is also a good guide to what you need for your class from Class Features to your Class' table to your Class' Path Options.

This will be checked and enforced since Classes tend to be very complex even before you add in a different format to the article.

Hit Points and Hit Dice
The Hit Dice used by the core classes are the d6, d8, d10, and d12. You need to be able to justify your choice of Hit Dice and, as a result, you need to be well informed about the why of the core classes and their Hit Dice.

The Wizard and Sorcerer - the only two classes whose only purpose is spellcasting - are also the only classes with a d6 Hit Dice. This is important to note, as these two classes are traditionally the frailest.

The implication is that a d6 should be as low as you go. Bard, Cleric, Druid, Monk, Rogue, and Warlock all use the d8. This makes the d8 the most common Hit Dice. Also note that these classes range balance and role across the board, from spellcasters to mundanes, from combat units to support team, from utility characters to specialists. This implies that a d8 is actually the standard Hit Dice, and that adjustment from there is considered to be a class feature.

The Fighter, the Paladin, and the Ranger each use the d10. Note that two of these characters are typically front-line combatants, while the ranger is intended to be a hardcore survivalist so the added Hit Points goes well with that theme.

The Barbarian is the only class that uses the d12. This is because the Barbarian is intended to not wear any armor. Also, they're a front-line combatant, like the Fighter, and a rugged survivalist to boot. That d12 is not arbitrary - it serves both combat and exploration purposes, as well as being justified by the class' mechanics. So, although the d12 is the maximum limit by precedent, it takes quite a bit to justify it.

Why Not d4?
Simply put, if the lowest weapon damage possible is 1d4 with no bonus, that means 1 in 4 successful attacks from a dagger are guaranteed to knock you to zero hit points! To remind you again - that's before bonuses...

You should not need any other reason to not include the d4 as a Hit Die, but here's another just in case: The d6 is used for the most frail of classes. Do you really need to be more frail and the most frail?

Why Not Half-Dice?
Half dice are what you get when you roll an even-numbered die, divide the results in half, and round down to the nearest whole. Therefor 1d4 becomes 1d2, 1d6 becomes 1d3, 1d8 becomes 1d4, 1d10 becomes 1d5, etc. There is no meaningful benefit from using these half-dice for Hit Dice compared to the standard d6, d8, d10 and d12 dice, so do not use them.

Class Features & Proficiency Bonus
First off - Proficiency Bonus does not differ at all from anyone else, regardless of your class. It is always a +2 for Levels 1 - 4, a +3 for Levels 5 - 8, a +4 for Levels 9 - 12, a +5 for Levels 13 - 16, and a +6 for Levels 17 - 20. This will never change and nothing about your class ever should. Elements of your class might manipulate this number beyond simply adding it to something (such as a Class Feature doubling your Proficiency Bonus when applied to something specific), but it will never actually alter the aforementioned Proficiency Bonus brackets.

Class Features are a little harder to do as a general rule. The best advice that can be given to you is try to emulate what you see in a core class. For example - the Barbarian gets the Brutal Critical Feature at Levels 9, 13, and 17, so when you have a unique Class Feature for your own class, maybe it too can start at 9th Level and level up a at 13th and 17th Levels. You could also take inspiration for your own Class Feature from the Brutal Critical does.

Class Features should also revolve around a particular theme. This should also extend to Path Features, but you have to remember that for every Path, all Path Features will have a theme of their own as well. For example, the Rage and Vanish Features would not work in the same class (at least not as a general rule). Path Features should focus on a specific aspect of your class and/or theme associated with you class in much the same way Beast Master Path works well for the Ranger.

Focused Optimization
Choose an interesting aspect about your class and try to build a character who focuses on and optimizes the effects of it, then give the character a quick whirl through some example encounters which would use that detail. Try to challenge yourself, give yourself a feel of how effective the character is (or isn't) because of the optimization.

You can do this at any point during class design, just to check if something is working the way you think it should. One of the most common mistakes is people making a trait or feature which works fine at first but has math which causes it to quickly spiral out of control.

In general, here is a list of items you may wish to target for optimization. For each item you think may be problematic, simply build a character focused on nothing else.
 * Hit Points. A 1st Level character should not be able to start with more than 17 maximum Hit Points, which is equivalent to: 1d12 (max. Hit Die) + 5 (max. Constitution Mod.)


 * Armour Class. The maximum, non-magical Armour Class attainable by a level 20 character is 24.


 * Speed. The fastest core character on land is a Wood Elf Monk who has 5 levels in Barbarian and 15 levels in Monk at 70 ft. They only go 35 ft at 1st Level though, and that's just because of the sub-race, not the class.


 * Initiative. The maximum initiative attainable by a Level 20 character is +13. That's assuming a Dexterity score of 20 (+5), having taken the Alert Feat (+5), and also attained the Jack of All Trades Class Feature (+3) (The Jack of All Trades Class Feature adds this bonus to Initiative rolls as Initiative is considered an ability check).

The other form of optimization test is to do the complete opposite. Play against type, put your weakest scores in your most important abilities, choose overlapping proficiencies as much as possible, and equip yourself wrong. Then see if the character still functions. If the character is still just as capable (or more capable) as a different character who has been built appropriately, then you may have a balance issue. In such a case, it is likely that you have static class features which are simply all-around good no matter what. This may not necessarily be a problem - after all, your class is supposed to make you intrinsically good at stuff - but if these features are so good that you are rarely if ever impacted by your shortcomings, you have a problem.
 * Raw Damage Output per Turn. Extra attacks and bonus attacks are key here, and this is closely tied to gear selection. A maxed out Fighter can make 8 attacks and 1 bonus attack in one turn.

A class which "covers all the bases" isn't great for play because characters need to have some weak points that they are affected by. These weak points give the Dungeon Master opportunities to threaten and challenge PCs, and it gives PCs a place to rely upon and support one another. If you have features which are particularly good, even when you suck, it is very likely that these features are amplified to become totally broken when paired with synergizing abilities, proficiencies, and gear.

Vs. Mode
Make two characters, one of your class, and one of the class they are most similar to, or most likely to be compared to. Next, have them compete head-to-head in a variety of challenges, including 1v1 fights. If one of the two consistently wins over the other in some area, with the tables only being turned by bad rolls or tactics alone, then that indicates a balance issue.

One-Shot Solo Campaigns
The best way to get the fullest grasp of the true nature of a class is to actually play it. For this, you want to use the class to build a whole, real character, and then play it in a very short adventure. You can play it by yourself, being devil's advocate as your own Dungeon Master, but it works better if you can find someone else to sit behind the screen.

As for the adventures, you can, of course, build your own little one-shot campaigns. You might even build standardized adventures you use on yourself over and over again! A great way to get reliably balanced adventures which match what other Dungeon Masters and Players are likely to create or encounter is to download some of the Adventurers League Expeditions adventures, which are now all available in the Dungeon Master's Guild.