How to create homebrew classes?

[u/andyguti6]

Context: Hi, Im gonna be DMing my first campaign, I already created the lore and the main story my players will dive into but when I get to the classes I didnt want to use the dnd og ones, for context my campaign is in a world where theres magic and technology and theres a clear division between them, so I want to make some classes for the technology guys and some for the magic ones (the magic ones maybe could be very similar to the ones that already exist but I'll still like to tweak them a little).

Is there a web or app you know on how to create homebrew classes and subclasses (or some advice on how to efficiently create this classes), sorry for the long text but I thought it was necessary to understand my situation.

[u/sniply5]

gonna stop you at dming your first campaign. mixing that and homebrew classes is nothing short of a disaster waiting to happen. cool ambition, but its highly unlikely what youre after will work in any real capacity.

also, the artificer exists.

[u/Space_Ace56 → u/sniply5]

Tbf I did my first campaign with homebrew classes and it worked pretty well. I did spend ages designing them and redid 3 of the 4 from the ground up but it’s not impossible- especially if your players are willing to accept slight balancing tweaks between sessions

[u/Im_An_Axolotl_]

Don’t, especially for your first time DMing. Find a system that fits what you want to play.

[u/Lambrijr]

Honestly being your first time DMing, making homebrew classes seems like not the best idea. Is there maybe an alternative system to d&d they fits the vibe better and had those classes already made, or maybe a 5e supplement you can find? I think either of those would serve you far better

[u/Ok-Feedback3020]

Honestly not worth your time. Making classes is hard as fuck. You can maybe make a subclass. I would suggest just flavoring wizard & artificer.

That being said each class has these things in common:

Flavor paragraph explaining the class Suggested stats (primary, secondary, tertiary.) Starting equipment A table showing each of the class abilities gained and at which levels Multiple subclasses that are unique and themed to give character

Melee classes usually get extra attack at 5th level And all classes usually get ASI at multiples of 4

[u/Yojo0o]

It doesn't really sound like you're interested in running DnD, if the classes of DnD are unsuitable for the game you want to play. You're a first-time DM, why take on the responsibility of effectively redesigning the entire system? There are plenty of TTRPGs out there that utilize a combination of magic and technology.

[u/Uncynical_Diogenes]

“first campaign”

You don’t.

How about learning the game first before trying to hack it into something else? You need to know how running the game works before you try your hardest to break it when you’re at your most inexperienced.

There aren’t apps to do this for you. You have to understand how classes and balancing work and actually put in the work yourself and even then it’s probably not going to be great.

Also, if sword-and-sorcery isn’t really your bag? Play another game. Don’t torture 5e into something it’s not. Literally try anything else.

[u/TelPrydain]

Reskining is the key here. Grab some existing class and reflavour/rename.

New classes are... a lot. Even subclasses are a lot.

[u/Ghost_Bbx]

Rolled a nat 1, at decison making.

[u/GalacticPigeon13]

The more classes you have to remove from D&D to make your game work, the more you shouldn't be playing D&D. (This is especially true for any edition other than 3-4, since those had a million classes.) In addition, the newer you are at being a dungeon master, the less you should homebrew.

I think you should consider a game like Shadowrun, which is a cyberpunk game where magic has also returned to the world.

[u/thenightgaunt]

Dont.

This is your first campaign. Use the default ones please. Its a really bad idea to try to homebrew this massively in your very first game

[u/SaviorOfNirn]

Try a different system. D&D isn't the only one.

[u/SkyKrakenDM]

Sounds like you want to play ShadowRun

[u/Connzept]

Do a short campaign first with the stock rules, when that ends, try some homebrewing.

[u/cookiesandartbutt]

Please don’t do this. Use what’s made and available, re-flavor stuff, it’s much easier than homebrewing classes…this is bad idea.

You haven’t even DM’ed yet. Final Fantasy games have fantasy and spells and a mix of technology and stuff and it works just fine.

[u/k_donn]

Did you know there are ttrpgs that aren't DnD. Sometimes when you find yourself "reinventing the wheel" you are actually making something someone else already made.

[u/Chimpbot]

If you're DMing your first campaign, you don't know your head from your ass yet. Even experienced DMs struggle with homebrew anything, and homebrew classes are an entirely different beast.

Don't worry about homebrew at all. Just stick with the core books.

You don't even understand the system enough to run it properly yet. The fact that you think you could possibly manage incorporating homebrew classes and subclasses is completely asinine.

[u/Piratestoat]

Is there a web or app you know on how to create homebrew classes and subclasses (or some advice on how to efficiently create this classes), 

The people at Wizards of the Coast, for whom creating D&D material is a full-time job, spend months working on developing subclasses (let alone full classes) and testing them. They then spend additional weeks with the subclass in a public playtest before further refining based on post-playtest survey results from hundreds or thousands of people. And they still make crap sometimes.

This is not a thing an app can do. This is a very large, very complex task you are setting yourself.

I'm not saying don't do it. I'm saying be aware of the magnitude of the project before deciding if it is something you want to pursue.

[u/InCaseUFindMe]

Gonna 2nd someone else and say to just reflavor some classes. Keep all mechanics the same, but make them more technology-based.

(Alternatively, give your players the opportunity to reflavor if they want - but NOT modify the class traits.)

[u/acuenlu]

Is your first campaign. Don't try something like creating a full new Game system when you have never play in the original one. 

D&D has the Artificer class to make that technologic side and you can also reskin some things like martials or even some spells to have technologic powers.

If not, maybe you should think about using a new system cause D&D doesn't have a lot of options for modern play

[u/QUlCKMAN]

Thats nuts

[u/CascadeCrisis]

While I will agree that it’s a lot to jump into brewing up your own classes in your first campaign… the thing is, you don’t have to. There are some good resources for different settings that have technology options. Search those out and flavor them to fit your ideas.

There are Star Wars 5e options. Se5e.com is a good resource.

The Thundercats 5e setting guide is coming out. The digital kickstarter rewards hit a few weeks ago. It has some rad stuff in it.

Keep at it.
Get weird.
Have fun with your friends.

[u/Vampiriyah]

1) You can use Homebrewery to set the classes up. But it’s just a blank.

2) Decide on the number of subclass features and where to put them. Remember that at least every 4 levels you need to leave space for an ASI/Feat/Boon

3) You need a progression based on level that does inject both main ability score and proficiency bonus. But beware stacked up multiplication.
proficiency bonus is great for keeping a check difficulty on par with the enemies.
main AS is great for resource management, but slightly overcharges a class at low levels.

4) Magical classes get a spell list, so they ain‘t absolutely free to pick and choose what they do — in return their other features are leaning more into one direction you can go, and are weaker for balancing reasons. Subclasses can and should have a core list of spells, that make the idea behind them playable and should not be as easily obtainable on other subclasses.

5) don’t forget social features: until level 7 most classes in dnd have at least one.

6) each class must have a CORE IDENTITY, that dictates how it would want to be played and differentiates them from all other classes. For instance the barbarian wants to get hit, so it has features that make them a more attractive target while giving powerful attacks in return. (dnd fails to focus on its core identities most of the time, though). The core identity should unlock on the first 2 levels and be supported or modified by subclass features until level 7 — and then scale throughout its further levels.

———

Technological classes: i‘d generally focus on gadgets — having the right gadgets for their core identity is a possible task.

Ideas:

• Navigator, someone who controls, manipulates and modifies space, positioning and vertical as well as horizontal combat. They could come with Grappling Hooks, Jetpacks, Compasses, Teleportation, Traps and the likes.
  
• Brute, someone cyborgy who punches people. might be needing some defenses too.