I am very new with D&D. Just played a little teaser campaign and read the players Handbook. Now I hear people Talking about subclasses and i started asking myself if i overlooked it or if it´s something that isn´t in the book. Please help, i am very confused and will start a campaign with friends soon but my DM forgot that I´m the only new guy in the group and don´t understand it.
A subclass is a specialization within a character class. For instance, a Rogue might specialize as an Assassin, a Thief, or an Arcane Trickster. A subclass provides additional abilities that enhance or expand upon the abilities provided by the character's class.
However, the term "subclass" wasn't really used in official content prior to the release of the 2024 core books. Before that, each class had its own term for these specializations: for Rogues and Fighters they were "archetypes", for Clerics they were "divine domains", for Sorcerers they were "sorcerous origins", etc. If you were reading the 2014 Player's Handbook, that's probably why you didn't see the term in there — it was used by the community as a general term for all of those things, but wasn't actually in the rules until the 2024 Player's Handbook started using it.
Also, if you were playing a low-level character, your character might just not have had a subclass yet. In the 2024 version, all characters choose their subclass when they reach level 3, so level 1 and 2 characters don't have one at all. In the previous (2014) version of the rules, some classes got their subclass at level 1 or 2, but several didn't get it until level 3.
Xanithars was the first official book to use Subclass as the term for Class Options which is the 2014 term for the various “sub -class” optional class features.
I think 3.5e used subclass to describe the optional class features as well.
But as wagnarokkr stated subclass(es) are pretty much class specific specialty features. And each class allows for specific levels to be customized by the “subclass”, and enhancements to preset class features.( but you can’t replace or change the preset class features to function differently than how they currently work.)
Talk with your DM/GM if you interested in further details, they can better guide you on their specifics.
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" Darkvision doesn’t work in Magical darkness, and if something is magical, Never Trust it acts the same way as a non-magical version of that same thing!”- Discotech Mage over a cup of joe.
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I am very new with D&D. Just played a little teaser campaign and read the players Handbook. Now I hear people Talking about subclasses and i started asking myself if i overlooked it or if it´s something that isn´t in the book. Please help, i am very confused and will start a campaign with friends soon but my DM forgot that I´m the only new guy in the group and don´t understand it.
A subclass is a specialization within a character class. For instance, a Rogue might specialize as an Assassin, a Thief, or an Arcane Trickster. A subclass provides additional abilities that enhance or expand upon the abilities provided by the character's class.
However, the term "subclass" wasn't really used in official content prior to the release of the 2024 core books. Before that, each class had its own term for these specializations: for Rogues and Fighters they were "archetypes", for Clerics they were "divine domains", for Sorcerers they were "sorcerous origins", etc. If you were reading the 2014 Player's Handbook, that's probably why you didn't see the term in there — it was used by the community as a general term for all of those things, but wasn't actually in the rules until the 2024 Player's Handbook started using it.
Also, if you were playing a low-level character, your character might just not have had a subclass yet. In the 2024 version, all characters choose their subclass when they reach level 3, so level 1 and 2 characters don't have one at all. In the previous (2014) version of the rules, some classes got their subclass at level 1 or 2, but several didn't get it until level 3.
pronouns: he/she/they
Xanithars was the first official book to use Subclass as the term for Class Options which is the 2014 term for the various “sub -class” optional class features.
I think 3.5e used subclass to describe the optional class features as well.
But as wagnarokkr stated subclass(es) are pretty much class specific specialty features.
And each class allows for specific levels to be customized by the “subclass”, and enhancements to preset class features.( but you can’t replace or change the preset class features to function differently than how they currently work.)
Talk with your DM/GM if you interested in further details, they can better guide you on their specifics.
" Darkvision doesn’t work in Magical darkness, and if something is magical, Never Trust it acts the same way as a non-magical version of that same thing!”- Discotech Mage over a cup of joe.