I'm hoping to build my 5e Bladesinger into a Magus here, and I have a question about Spellstrike.
If the Spellstrike crits, do the spell dice double? If a melee Magus Expansive Spellstrike's Lightning Bolt, does that double the Lightning Bolt dice?
Same for a Starlight Span one using ES to use Fireball to turn their bow into a Ye Olde Rocket Launcher.

This is one for those with both 5e and PF2e experience. Looking for input on those who prefer either or both. Text dump incoming.

So I was having a conversation with a friend about the differences between PF2e and DnD 5e. Since I'm still a novice at both systems I didn't really think I could fully commit to the topic and, even after more reading, am still a bit stymied. So I'd like some community feedback. He's a fan of DnD because of the simplicity. It's very pick up and play, especially if you use standard array, and your character follows a straight line progression wise. So it's easy to balance encounters for a party while also making it so that everyone feels like they can contribute.
On my side of it, I don't like 5e because I feel like it's creatively sterile. If your character concept doesn't fit into the narrow constraints of one of these classes / subclasses, then you're stuck. Like it's willing to let you play whatever stupid race you could hope for and makes sure that you get whatever ability score bonuses you want, but classes are incredibly rigid.
I've played the same character in almost every version of DnD (never played 4th) since the first and I've never had a problem making it until 5e. It's not even complicated (Half-elf Fighter / Mage with a support caster and bow focus) but because of how 5e moved all progression to class it makes playing this character very difficult. 5e's answer to this is to either make an Eldritch Knight (not ideal since they're bad casters / janky Magus knock-offs) or a Bladesinger (doesn't work since not a melee character). And since they moved all progression to class levels, not character, any multiclass has to follow strict progression guidelines or fall behind very quickly (i.e. have to get to 4 to get ASI or feat, have to get to 5 to get multi-attacks).
The other thing I don't like is how they handle high level play. Since everything is a straight line there's no variety to high end play and most stuff becomes just a numbers game. But since Pc's are by definition going to win on that end someone thought up my least favorite thing in video games as a DnD rule: Reaction turns. God I hate the Alien Rulers in X-com 2.
I don't think I've seen anything more demoralizing to a party than Legendary Actions. When I mentioned it, he brought up that those were restricted to very high level fights but in a previous campaign we got our shit pushed in by an Aboleth (CR 10) with its legendary and lair actions. Three level 11 PC's got stomped by a single Aboleth since it kept using Lair actions to deal minor damage or knock us prone, it charmed our bard and kept draining his health every round while also making four attacks per round (three tentacles and one tail slap). We survived only via lucky critical hit from my Goliath Paladin smite. Another game got seriously messed up when a vampire kept using his legendary actions to pursue our caster by using a legendary action to move without reaction attacks and then punching and biting the caster until his max HP hit 0.
So it's safe to say I hate this stuff. It feels like the DM needs to basically cheat to be competitive for the players but if he plays it smart with this cheating it ends up feeling unfair. After all why wouldn't that vampire focus on the weak link? But since every action we took just let him beat on the caster more it ended up feeling like the caster never had a chance and it was a punishment for leveling up. Basically I don't like the high level "balance" of encounters nor how the game basically forces you into very narrow boxes.
Conversely the other guy likes how easy it is to balance encounters since everyone is indeed on a straight line. There's no worries that someones character is sub-optimal because they chose flavorful feats or multiclassed poorly. So he prefers that 5e prevents you from doing this. While I agree that the amount of options is a bit overwhelming I think that if you go in with a character concept and focus on it, it's not actually all that bad. And it has the benefit of better late game enemies without legendary actions.
Anyone who knows more willing to chime in and make some more sense out of this? Any help in advance is appreciated.

I find the current options for Arcane Gish characters to be... lacking in 5e. On the one hand you have Eldritch Knight, who starts off well with Booming Blade and War Magic, but eventually ends up going 'I cast Shadow Blade' and then attacking. On the other you have Bladesinger, who again starts with some nice options, but will almost always end up as a Spell caster who can go melee if required. I've tried building some other options, but they all tend to come online later (around level 8 or 13) Eldritch Knight 7/Bladesinger 6 (Melee Attack+Cantrip+BA Attack, probably using Spirit Shroud) Bladesinger 6/Hexblade? with Crossbow Expert (Handbow Attack+Eldritch Blast+BA crossbow Attack, probably using Hex). Does anyone have some builds that blend magic and attacks like this, that start earlier than most campaigns end?

Now I know what you're thinking; "PvP shouldn't be allowed or people shouldn't be allowed to play LE", but hear me out first.
So my party and I are a group of friends who have been playing over the past year for each other and various people of the party are members that have Dm'd for me in other games with the same people, that have also had moments of pvp. The first time was when a party member was possessed by a devil and we had half the party fight the other half and then from the people that survived had to fight the devil (We won btw with no deaths). The second was a short party disagreement. We are an experienced RP group and we understand that these fights served the story.
But for this current group things are different so I'll give you an idea of what our party comp is. So we have; me, a homebrew dragonborn subrace thats a CG Bladesinger, my characters half brother who is a CG gem dragonborn Lore Bard, an LN Astral Elf Astrologian (The class is sort of like an arcane/divine spell caster with a tarot deck), and lastly a LE Tiefling Painkiller Illriger (it's a class that's the most powerful martial I've ever seen in 5e). The last thing to note is that the Astrologian is a loyal follower of the Illriger which in my view makes her also LE by extension.
So we have a party that's split in half by opposite alignments and it makes me feel rather uncomfortable. On one hand I feel like I should trust my friends out of character to not do anything too anti-social but on the other hand I don't want to compromise my our characters personalities. The intra party drama could prove interesting.
Now believe it or not even though we are a heavy RP group I am a serious power gamer at my core and everyone knows that, and is ok with it (as they should be), so I regularly make battle plans against other characters if I feel that they could be a serious existential threat, which is something that most characters or IRL people would do. For example, in the fight against the possession it was my power gaming that prevented a TPK but it was close.
Now I know how to deal with the Illriger even though he has serious power but I don't think I can consistently handle the Astrologian at every character level. We start at level 3 and I planned my character all the way to 8 even though we will go to level 13 in this module but the only level where I don't have good chances is level 3, and that bothers me.
Now if I really wanted to, I could develop the entire character around this hypothetical encounter which is something that I am seriously considering but I'm not sure if I want to compromise the mechanics of my character based off of what could be paranoia. We haven't even started the game yet and I'm already planning to battle the other PC's??? I feel like something is wrong if I'm seriously considering this. Can you guys offer me your opinions?
tldr: Half the party is LE alignment and my half is CG in a new campaign. What should I do about it?
Here is the Astrologian homebrew that we are using. It looks like a fun class to play and I encourage you all to try it.
https://ageofadventure5e.obsidianportal.com/wikis/astrologian

Hey 3d6! Joining a new group of which I'm the only one with 5e experience (DM has played before but this is their first time DM'ing. Two players have only ever played AD&D years ago, and one has never played a ttrpg before).
We're running lost mines and I think I'll be the only full caster. The other players sound like they're going to roll:

• a bow ranger (unknown sub).
• a fighter or barb.
• celestial warlock.

My thoughts are to roll a full caster to assist and do full caster stuff. I think I'll let them handle the cool damage moments and run more support, utility, and CC I'd like to have some front line capability to assist the barb/fighter as I'm assuming ranger and warlock will be hanging back.
Three things to note. We're doing point-buy or standard array. We get a free level 1 feat, I'm assuming Vhuman is still in play, and we're using the OD&D revised TWF I'm thinking:

• moon, wildfire, or stars druid.
  
• divination, bladesinger, or abjuration wizard.
  
• death, trickery, or arcana cleric
  

I'm not going to go uber sweat as the dm's new but I'd like enough ability to be able clutch out TPK's so I'm leaning one of the druid options, but I do love my wizards.
Cheers!

My wife and I joined an ongoing 5e campaign already in progress - a first for both of us. It was a homebrew campaign in a setting where we knew very little other than a few plot hooks to justify our sudden appearance in the party. One of the involved mysterious portals and an Archfey. Since we knew nothing about the world, we decided that her character - A dragonborn valor bard named Puff (the magic dragon) - and mine - a drow bladesinger wizard named Imrae - were from the forgotten realms universe. This let us write backstories that we thought might be interesting while justifying not knowing a damn thing about the world we were to step into.
I didn't want to play the usual evil drow, but I also didn't want to play someone so hideously noble that I'd feel railroaded by her morality, so I settled on Chaotic Neutral and then pulled my personality trait (horrible awkwardness - charisma was my second lowest stat, so...mechanically justified), ideal (chains are meant to be broken), bond (someone saved her life so she'd never leave a friend behind) and flaw (slow to trust) straight from the manual. There's a whole backstory to go with that, but that isn't important. What is important is that Puff is the only true friend to my character - a true ride or die type. The first several sessions have things going really well. My bladesinger is actually shockingly effective in melee for the moment, the party gels well in general, and we mow through pretty much everything we run across.
Then we encounter a "friendly" rakshasha merchant. I decided there is a decent chance my character knows to not trust such an entity, but this is the first time I've had an opportunity to buy, well, anything other than what I was allowed to start with. (And given that my starting gear included a +1 rapier and a knave's eye patch, I wasn't inclined to complain.) So I boarded the devil's magic ship to buy some minor odds and ends - potions and a light crossbow. Up till that point, the fact that she was a drow had been no big deal, so I was mildly surprised when the DM had a small party of NPCs follow her around insulting and harassing her. I was inclined to let it lie - chaotic neutral doesn't mean murderous psychopath after all - so after completing her business, she cast invisibility with the intention of simply walking out without any trouble. Of course she stumbled on the same party, a tiny bit worse for wear thanks to our previous interactions. I decide that being a drow of the underdark she'd consider murdering them on principle alone and declare as much. The rakshasha notices (the knave's eyepatch likely should have prevented it, but it seemed interesting so I didn't interject) and makes an offer: kill them for a reward. They're murderous pirates - normally no big deal - but they also have a habit of disrupting commerce and generally being a mild inconvenience. The reward: six soul coins apiece. I ask if my character knows what those are, and the DM asks me to roll. I score well, and it turns out she does. To make a long story short, I take the offer, and rather easily dispatch the trio, collect my reward, and end up back on the ship.
My character would quite clearly hate what the coins are but the DM eventually rules she would not know how to free the souls. They become a plot hook over the next several sessions. Eventually we make our way to a port city with a proper library so after helping Puff with a performance (my character's charisma might be trash, but she is proficient in performance and has prestidigitation) she heads to the library looking for information on rakshasha and soul coins. As luck has it, the library has some information, but most of the useful stuff is in a restricted section. The library is busy and attentively staffed. Even though my bladesinger is a reasonably skilled sneak she concluded she'd need a distraction. Luckily she'd picked up a small gang of goblins a few sessions back. The heist was simple, as all truly brilliant plans were: she got the goblins drunk, led them to the library, and then stepped aside while they went about being drunken goblins and then used the distraction to pick the simple lock, grab every relevant book in the restricted section, and headed back to her quarters on the ship. It was the perfect crime.
In fact I thought that all the way until the DM gave a list of the books I'd stolen which included books that'd teach me to read and write in celestial and infernal, a spell book full of some pretty good level 4 spells...another spellbook full of some very good level 6 spells......And a book stuffed with nearly every level 8 spell in the game. That was when the DM had me roll for perception and note a flashing gem on the high level spellbook that seemed to be speeding up.
The session ended there.
I talked to the DM offline about all of this, laying out that my character would plausibly know the staggering value of what she'd stolen and thus the probability that someone was going to come looking for it, likely quite unhappily. The DM agreed that this was reasonable. I looked at my stupid character sheet with those very silly spur-of-the-moment choices for bonds and ideals and asked how likely it was that I'd need to prepare a new character should I decide to return the loot directly to the person I'd stolen it from. The DM, aware of my scant +1 to deception and persuasion, said I'd have better odds bringing Puff. That, I knew, was precisely the thing that my character wouldn't do. The DM asked what the plan was so I said that ideally she'd want to convince the party to leave and be well over the horizon before I attempted to return it. The DM informed me that that'd likely be impossible, because people were already looking for my character. Then she decided that if I was dead set on confronting the problem solo, we'd handle it out of session.
Mechanically she gave me a 10 count. Imrae spent the first two of those counts dropping all of my gear and weapons other than the eyepatch reasoning that none of it would do me any good against an entity that could cast level 8 spells. She collected all the stupid soul coins and all of her wealth (a whopping 100 platinum) and went into the city, heading first to the temple. There Imrae prayed to Eilistraee and Tymora for obvious reasons before giving the bag of soul coins as well as her pitiful savings, tied shut with a simple silver holy symbol of the dark lady that tied the bag shut. With this she included two hasty notes. One was a request to cast remove curse on the coins and to use the funds to help offset the cost. (She'd learned just enough from the books to figure out that was one way of freeing the souls.) The other was a sealed note for the party with a request to deliver it to the ship should I not return by highsun the next day. The count stood at 6 when I declared she'd return to the library to seek information on the owner. The DM asked if there were any further actions since I had some to spend. As a player I didn't have any ideas and Imrae, whose only purely offensive spell was magic missile, didn't either.
Crossing the threshold of the library did not lead to the interior, of course, but to a massive space lined with bookshelves, expensive art, an enormous portal that did not appear to lead to anywhere near the library - or the town for that matter - and a shining figure in golden robes. My bladesinger kept her mouth shut, waiting to be spoken to. The figure did not make her wait long before observing that my bladesinger and her goblin friends had been rather annoying and asking whether what she'd sought had been worth raising her ire.
"Yours? Likely not. A dusty librarian concerned only with the keeping of old tomes in proper order? Yes."
The shining figure roared with laughter at that, noting that the librarian was a codger, but that the man had his uses. At that point they pointedly ask what Imrae was looking for, and for good measure throw back their hood so that Imrae could get a good look at them. It was a strikingly beautiful woman of indeterminate age and, one high perception roll later, a dragon.
(Maybe my next character would be a paladin by other means.)
Imrae answered honestly, saying "I've crossed paths with a rakshasha. Some of my acquainteances are inclined to continue dealing with the creature. They do not understand the danger, and are too foolish to take precautions. I cannot prepare a countermeasure for a sort of being I only know by reputation. I sought information to that end, as well as that which might help me better understand the nature of certain...items left in my possession."
The dragon is intrigued by that last, asking what sort of items.
"Large coins made of a strange iron. By touch alone it is clear that they somehow contained the essence of a mortal being."
The dragon hisses angrily and tosses off their mortal disguise, revealing their true form: an ancient gold dragon. "Soul coins?" she bellowed. "And you accepted these? Where are they now?"
(Maybe I should have kept those coins as a bribe. Ah well, divine soul sorcerer with enough levels in fighter for an extra attack at least would be interesting.)
The DM asked for a will check. A lucky roll means Imrae gets to keep her composure, if only just. "At the temple with instructions to break the fell binding magic and what little money I had to pay for the task."
The dragon calms slightly at this, but asks "Why did you accept those foul things? You seem decent enough otherwise."
Up to that point, I couldn't quite decide. They were valuable - easily the most valuable thing I'd owned - and it was certainly possible that Imrae would look at the coins not as bondage, but deserved reward. I could justify it that way, but I'd also paid every copper I had in the hopes of seeing them destroyed as a likely last act. In the end Imrae responded by saying "I had hoped to discover a way to break the binding magic myself."
The dragon nodded in approval at that, but returned to the theft, wondering why I'd stolen what I could have gained by asking. Imrae noted she had asked and had been denied. That angers the dragon slightly - it would seem that Imrae should have been allowed access to what she needed to know. The dragon then asks for Imrae's name and occupation. Imrae gives an honest answer to both questions for the first time since she'd left the underdark which...also seems to please the dragon.
At that point the dragon asked whether my character would like to be an apprentice in exchange for seeking out fancy art to fill the lair with. A bit of back and forth ensued, including a bit where Imrae rather rashly pointed out that keeping books of such value and power with only a simple lock as protection (Imrae might be better with a lockpick than you'd think a wizard likely to be, but she's no rogue) was a rather stupid choice. Somehow that didn't get her immolated and eventually a deal was struck.
And that is the story of how a successful heist books from an unassuming library somehow netted Imrae a gold dragon as a patron.
(After the solo session, I learned that had I not destroyed the coins at the temple - or at least been very lucky with getting the dragon to deal with them - I'd likely have ended up playing that paladin by other means.)

Wizards in 5e can do all sorts of shit, but they get one subclass that lets them dip into melee. Let's just do the same thing with Moon Druids.
Keep wild shape mostly the same for most druid subclasses. Let them become a mouse or a deer or whatever. Rangers are still better at scouting and Rogues are still better at sneaking. Druids are a utility class, not experts, so let them be okay at each; they can scout ahead or sneak but have to expend a resource to do it, and they can't speak or pick locks in wild shape so they can scout a couple times whereas Rangers can just... range at will, and Rogues can actually get through obstacles or steal shit for their party. This gets rid of the absurd level 11 tiny gate, and supplements rather than overshadows the expert classes.
Moon druids should be the exception. They should be able to dip into combat. Not slug it out like a bruiser barbarian or deal insane damage like a fighter with great weapon master, but they should be able to jump into melee as a big fucking bear and feel like they're impactful before they dive out again and start calling lightning. Give moon druids a specific set of subclass wild shape templates (if we must keep the templates) but limit those shapes behind 1 minute timers a la bladesinging. Right now bladesingers can get a +3 to +5 to their AC, increased movement speed, multi-attack (with cantrip weaving), and bonuses to concentrate on spells that make jumping into melee actually useful. But they are limited in the number of times they can do this and they give up other subclass specializations like spell sculpting in favor of this extra option.
So, give moon druids some combat wild shape forms with multiattack, extra HP, pack tactics, etc. but limit it behind a small window of time like 1 minute so it's specifically for combat. This would let other druid subclasses be the quirky nature wizard who talks to plants, or the aloof-shapeshifter-deer-spirit-protector-of-the-woods type, without completely hamstringing the class WoTC thinks is most emblematic of the druid.
Oh also... Archdruids should get subtle spell and be able to wild shape into weak ass beasts an unlimited number of times. Is a druid shapeshifting into a eagle and then divebombing into a lake as a shark more than once per day really going to break your campaign at level 20?

I'm really excited, I haven't played PnP DnD in years (like a lot of years) and my friend is starting up a 5e campaign. To spice it up a little, he is allowing every PC to take an additional class feature, and it can be from any class. As I understand it the class feature will be available at the appropriate level.
I am going to play a High Elf Bladesinger. We rolled for stats and I rolled well, i think. I have Str 11 Dex 18 Con 15 Int 18 Wis 14 and Cha 12.We are starting at level 2. Also, the DM has already said he will allow me to use the blade cantrips on Shadow Blade.
I think I have narrowed it down to one of two Class Features, but if anyone has suggestions, I am eager to listen to them.
First is Action Surge because it's so versatile and probably available most fights.
The second is Arcane Deflection from the War Mage. Getting a +2 AC or, potentially even more important a +4 to saving throws, for a reaction seems solid to me. Only being able to cast cantrips on the next turn doesn't seem too bad with a Bladesinger once he gets few levels on him.
Any thoughts? I appreciate any advice. Like I said, I haven't played anything other than digital versions of DnD for a long, long time.

I'm stubborn and I want nets to work in 5e.
So, I've designed a build for using nets. I'm assuming we are travelling in a party of four. I'm assuming NOBODY in the party is going to use crossbow expert, sharpshooter or gunner. So, everybody has disadvantage using the nets. I'm assuming we don't have a fighter battle master with quick toss. So, a typical party of a rogue, a paladin and a bladesinging wizard. I'm assuming everybody is in on the plan. And I'm assuming the enemies will always break the nets in their turn. Nets are going to be circumstantial, like the Web spell. But when the appropriate target for nets arrives this build will destroy it.
​
LEVEL 2: Clockwork SorcereOrden Domain Cleric
Race: Hill Dwarf
Stats: Str 8, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 8, Wis 13, Cha 17
We are getting tool proficiencies in whatever your DM tells you would let you repair and construct nets. We are getting proficiency in nets with our dwarven background.
This build comes alive at level two. We will pick the following spells: Silvery Barbs, Sleep, Healing Word and Bless. If we know we are going against a huge/gargantuan enemy, we will not be doing this strategy. If we know we are going against a bunch of small minions, we aren't going to be using this strategy. Sorcerer will cast sleep. If we are going against one big enemy that is large or smaller, we are doing this:
Combat starts. Everyone in the group have a net in their off-hand. Paladin is using a longsword with a net, Bladesinger is using a Rapier with a net, Rogue is using a dagger with a net. Big bad enemy starts battle and rushes to either of the four of us and commence their multi-attack sequence. I use my reaction on the first of their multi-attacks (if the enemy doesn't have slashing weapons or on the last attack if they do) to cast silvery barbs. That will synergies with voice of authority to make either of the three use their reaction to use the net at a normal throw because silvery barbs cancels the disadvantage. If the net hits the big bad will be restrained and ALL the attacks of the full party until the monsters next turn will be with advantage.
Once my turn arrives, I'll start the battle with bless, which will cause another voice of authority trigger and another opportunity to use our nets. The moment a net hits, it restrains and everybody gets advantage on their attacks. All the paladins attacks are at advantage, rogue sneak attack is at advantage, Wizard's scorching ray is at advantage. If I use a healing word to get an ally up, he gets to attack immediately and restrain a creature.
Possible Voice of Authority Procs: 3
​
LEVEL 6: Clockwork SorcereOrden Domain Cleric
At level 4 I'm picking war caster to protect my concentration and the spells Web, Aid, and haste. If we are going against minions, I'll probably be using web. I'm also grabbing plate armor and a shield, and the shield spell. For an AC of 20 and possibly 25. If the attack would hit me with shield, I'm casting silvery barbs. Concentration is +6 with advantage. Since I have war caster I can the shield spell with a shield.
Now, If we are going against a bad guy that is large or smaller, and there's no minions. I'm twinning haste on the two characters that have their initiative immediately after the BBEG. If it's the Wizard he can use his hasted attack to use a net, and then use a regular spell. If it's the Paladin, he can use his hasted attack to throw a net then double attack with advantage. The idea is that we want to maximize the restrain condition duration, so our team has advantage on all attacks.
If the enemy teleports to me and breaks my concentration (I have a possible 25 AC and a +7 with advantage) I'll use my reaction to cast silvery barbs and make one of my fatigued from haste friends use their reaction (which they can use! They can't move or take actions, but they can use their reactions) to throw another net on this enemy and possibly restrain the enemy again. Using haste saves me from using so many silvery barbs to trigger net attacks. Also any range character with haste can use their movement to get to 15 feet of the enemy use their hasted attack and move back into cover.
Possible Voice of Authority Procs: 8
​
That's the build. At level 9 I'm picking up resilient wisdom to shore up my defenses. You have now a full clockwork sorcerer caster that can make his party members restrain the enemy. Crossbow Expert rogues are a very good match, they get a straight role if they are within 5 feet of the enemy and they could even get advantage through silvery barbs. That's a +10 to hit at level five with the archery fighting style. Bladesinging Wizard's are also good because they can't use shields, nor use two-handed weapons. Any build with sharpshooter will also benefit immensely. Anyway, this is a situational strategy, the build doesn't depend on the nets working, you are still a full caster. You can grab whatever other spells you want, but if you ever encounter an enemy caster, a large creature with a mace or basically any creature large or smaller you can use a simple reaction with silvery barbs you are possible restraining the BBEG.

In 5e, druids were by far my favourite class, and my most played one. I've played every subclass in a decently serious campaigns, most multiple times.
Honestly, I was pretty happy when I saw the OneDND druid. Why?
Because they didn't nerf any of druids best spells, particularly at the levels people mostly play. For now, goodberry, entangle, pass without trace, conjure animals and other vital spells have all been kept untouched. This is massive for druid, and imo more important than the wildshape nerf.
So what are people missing?
It's that while wildshape is important to druid, it isn't really a key feature like sneak attack for any subclass other than moon druid, and even then, after lv5 in 5e, spellcasting took over.
When not a moon druid, I generally found myself using the wildshape for either a subclass ability, or as find familiar.
This is for good reason. If you had a fullcaster who could also do the same job as a martial by using a less limited resource than rage, you have a really big balance problem.
Imo moon druid should be the only one that really is able to compete with martials while wildshapped, much like bladesinger or hexblade.
Do I like the wildshape changes?
No obviously.
They are badly designed, especially with moon druid.
But I like the general idea of making druid more approachable.
At the moment, the biggest issue is that there is no real reason to wildshape, even for moon druids. You are less survivable, and spells were much better offensively anyway.
So how do you fix this:
The key is adding a point to using wildshape.
Either you can make wildshape a great damage option, but then restrict the defenses and spellcasting, making it a sort of last resort in combat and some utility outside of combat.
Or you can make it a much better defensive option, with higher hp and AC, with it as an option to effectively help druids concentrate.
First, in both cases, removing the ban on features is vital, and switching around the utility options and when they get unlocked. I'd have tiny from lv1, then swim/climb/flight speed at probably the same levels as right now.
At lv11 I'd add an entirely new feature, probably increasing the utility by adding more senses/grappling abilities, or allowing you to have other people use your wildshape, or allowing you to have some of the features of wildshape even when not wildshapped. Maybe some other uses for channel nature, or upgrades to the current uses.
I think it's cool to keep a ban on spellcasting while in wildshape.
As for other general changes, add more high level spell options for druids. It's a bit bear right now.
Then, if you are going for option 1:
Keep the no added hp.
Change the AC to wisdom + pb.
Change the damage to scale with cantrips, in terms of either more dice or multiple attacks. I like the scaling with dice more, as it makes moon druid more significant. Then give it a feature like pact tactics to encourage party play. Then change damage dice to a d12 or some other way of increasing damage.
This makes it effectively an offensive form you can use to have great damage, but at the cost of not being able to cast spells, and having to go into melee.
For moon druid: Combine the second and third features, changing the damage dice. Reword the lv10 and 14 features to make them actually worthwhile. Possibly adding extra saves while wildshapped or a defensive bonus.
If you go for option 2:
Return the HP pool my suggestion would be making it half of max hp, make ac probably equal to 10 or 12+ twice wisdom modifier, making it similar to a barbarians unarmoured defense. Then add con saves while wildshapped. Make extra attack a moon druid only thing, and add it to the lv6 feature.
Also fix the lv10&14 features for moon druid.

I'll start with the Paladin since it is quite simple. The paladin lacks any sort of theme versatility, imo. The main reason is that the paladin is always, "holy boy who hit things with radiant power." Maybe I'm in the minority here, but it does not make sense to me that every paladin's divine smite is radiant damage. If I worship a god of death I should be doing necromancy, god of the oceans and sea, cold damage, god of thunder... thunder! The smite spells still feel odd. I'm not sure what the fix is, but using your bonus action for them doesn't feel great. Further, why are they still concentration? The biggest issue with them in 5e was not that they took a bonus action and then you hit it was that they require your concentration. Which means you did this mediocre spell on ONE hit instead of idk, 1d4 to 3 creatures every attack for 1 minute. Further, the new Find Steed is great, but why is it lacking an undead variation? Anti-paladins and death knights? I love the idea of defined stat blocks though instead of diving into the monster manual!
Druids... Oh druids. This may be a radical idea, but I think they should just fully get rid of wild shape. In 5e it's too powerful in this playtest it feels unfulfilling. It also pushes Druid's into this role that many don't want. Personally, I don't want every druid I play to utilize wild shape. Often I desire to just be a caster of nature. If anything I'd much rather see them have an animal companion as part of the core of the class and the wild shape feature be pushed to an entirely new class (similar to the PF shifter class).
OR, here's an idea for you WotC. Instead of having casters with their "own" table say there are 4 types of casters. A full caster (wizards, sorcerers, etc), half caster (paladin, ranger, etc), quarter caster (eldritch knight, arcane trickster, etc.) and pact caster (warlocks). Every spellcasting class effectively chooses one of these, or is one of these inherently. I think this would make it a lot easier to play around with the spellcasting of classes. For example; Bladesinger as a Wizard subclass would cause the character to go from a full caster to a half caster, which would help significantly in reducing bladesinger's power.
As a druid at first level you get a feature called, "Natural Order" (or whatever name). You choose between being a full caster or being a half caster with wild shape. Personally, I would just make a new class. Druid is a full caster (maybe with an animal companion?) and "Shifter" is a half caster with wild shape. That should satisfy both groups of people and allow both versions of the druid to feel fulfilling and not lacking based on whether someone wants to wild shape or not.
Idk if we need to chat about the Circle of the Moon druid. In short, thematically I like it but the level 6 and 10 abilities are UNDERWHELMING. Elemental Strike should be baked into Elemental Wild Shape and a new, more interesting ability added. If you choose fire you do damage to adjacent creatures at the start of their round, cold slows creatures in 10ft radius, acid does 1d6 damage at the start of the creature's next turn for each attack you hit them with, lightning does 1d6 damage to a creature (different than the target) of your choice within 15ft of the creature hit, air does when you hit a creature they are pushed back 10ft. I'm not saying these ideas are the best choices or whatever, but making a point that it is not that difficult to be more interesting with the abilities.

I wrote another post to ask this sub what people thought the role of a martially inclined "battle" Cleric is. Most of the responses I received where along the lines "this shouldn't exist", "just play a Paladin", "you want to use weapons and be good? As a full caster?".
The truth simply is that the Cleric, historically and thematically, has always had the possibility to focus into a more "martial like" role, to portray characters worshipping war deities, storm gods and the like. While some may argue that this should change as it overlaps with Paladin (I can see the overlapping, but I ultimately disagree), it's just a matter of fact. You can see it in all of 5e domains that offer proficiency in Martial Weapons and Heavy Armor; and it came through in the OneDnD playtest in the form of the Protector Holy Order, as of now widely regarded as the worse of the three options.
Problem is that, while the thematics are there (e.g. War Cleric), the playstyle is not supported in 5e. It's not that a full caster might never cover a Martial role: Valor and Swords Bards, Bladesinger and Hexblade show indeed the opposite.
But when it comes to Clerics, they might get Heavy Armor and Martial Weapon proficiencies, yet they lack Extra Attack; DEX is so much better than STR that a Cleric is better off pumping DEX independent of their proficiencies; and even as they wade into the fray after casting Spirit Guardians, a Cleric is better off dodging to protect their concentration rather than attacking with weapons.
Are these optimization ramblings that could be ignored to play the character you envision? Yes, but at least in the design phase of a new game version optimization ramblings are worth listening to.
With the latest playtest, we saw the Cleric getting Smite Spells and Find Steed, and being able to scale them faster and better than Paladin due to faster and better spellcasting progression. Don't get me wrong, that's not something I commend.
However, as I see some proposals for making Smites and Steeds Paladin class abilities, I want to say that's not a good solution. For the first time in 8 years, we can finally build a single classed, martially focused Cleric in some other, more flavorful way than giving Extra Attack to an homebrew subclass that inevitably will be frowned upon.
MECHANICS
Mechanically, Smite Spells are a perfect incentive for a Protector Cleric to wade into melee, dual wielding Martial Weapons. A mount is more useful to the less tanky Cleric to jump in and out of the frontlines, compared to the tankier Paladin.
At the same time, I don't think Paladins got completely screwed by the unification of the Divine Spell list, as some say: they got Spirit Guardians and are better at concentrating on it due to their Aura's saving throws bonus. Compared to the Cleric they don't have high level spells and Divine Intervention, but the Aura is extremely good (if a bit boring, being completely passive); they have Extra Attack, more hp, Healing Hands, a Fighting Style and they can use Divine Smite and still keep a Bonus Action for something else. The only subclass we have seen for the Paladin thrashes the Cleric's one from a "martial" point of view; albeit that's not a fair comparison due to divergence of subclasses' goals.
Overall, I think the Cleric is almost as fine as it is (yup!), and an appropriate buff could solve the bad feeling of seeing the Paladin bested by the Cleric in those that have been his historical features. Something along the lines of:
2nd level: Divine Smite
When you strike a target and channel divine energy to smite it, the power you deliver is enhanced by searing light. Whenever you damage a creature with a spell that has the word "Smite" in its name, the creature takes additional Radiant damage. The additional damage equal 1d8. When you reach 5th level in this class, it increases to 2d8; when you reach 11th level in this class, it increases to 3d8; when you reach 17th level in this class, it increases to 4d8.
5th level: Faithful Steed
You can easily call on the aid of an otherworldly steed. You always have the Find Steed spell prepared, and it doesn't count against the number of spells you can prepare. When you cast this spell, its casting time is one action. You can also cast the spell once without expending a spell slot, and you regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you cast the spell this way, to determine the stat block used by the summoned creature act as if the spell was cast with a spell slot of a level equal to half your paladin level, rounded up (to a maximum of 9th level).
These are strong, but I think they are balanced in the sense they are far from game-breaking. To better contextualize my view on the power of the playtested classes: with or without these buffs of mine, the Paladin is as of now the strongest "martial". I have...hopes for the Warriors playtest, and I think WotC should buff the Ranger and most of all the Rogue, in order to close the martial-caster disparity.
THEMATICS
In this section I argue that both the Smite Spells and Find Steed are a perfect thematical fit for the Cleric, as they are for the Paladin.
Smites almost go without saying. Even if it has always been a Paladin ability, a Cleric that channels divine power in Smiting Spells to deliver the judgement of their deity is a natural fit.
Find Steed stems from the trope of the knight in shining armor, the horses of the crusaders, and so on. However, with time the Paladin class has come to distance themselves from that trope, being now able to choose any alignment and pick whichever oath they prefer.
You know who a bunch of mythological steeds are associated with? Gods! Who gifted humanity horses in Greek mythology? None other than Poseidon. Who helped Bellerophon tame Pegasus to kill the Chimera? It was your favorite gal from Olympus, Athena. Who gave birth to Arion, horse of Hercules (among others)? The goddess of harvest, Demeter. And who fathered (maybe? It's complicated) Sleipnir, the unbelievably fast eight-legged horse of Odin? It was that crazy mischievous trickster Loki. Horses even have their own deity, the Celtic goddess Epona. I could go on, but you get the gist: many different gods are associated to horses and steeds, and can gift or lend them to those who do their bidding.
This is not to say Find Steed belongs to Clerics more than it does to Paladins. Some deities might never have been associated with horses or other steeds, just as some Paladin oaths might be antithetical to the idea of a knight in shining armor. I'm just saying both Clerics and Paladins deserve these spells equally, from a thematical point of view.
CONCLUSION/TL;DR
For the first time in 8 years, the new changes in OneDnD are bringing a mechanical breath of fresh air to the archetype of the "battle" Cleric. This is happening at the expense of the uniqueness of the Paladin, and things need to be ironed out for sure.
In my view, a buff like the one I proposed to the Paladin's uses of the Smites and Find Steed Spells could solve this whole situation of the Cleric being better than the Paladin at some historical Paladin abilities; but negating such abilities completely to the Cleric, for example by turning them completely into Paladin class features, would be throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

CLOSED - Thank you for all the replies
Campaign Hook: The above lands of Aelwyn and its four nations live and work in relative peace, between the Hunter’s guild fending off monstrous attacks, the Delvers of Fang Island seeking lost treasure to the East, a fabled scriptorium emerging in the North, war brewing in the Khardan deserts to the West, and Keridian inventors constantly innovating how the world operates in the South, there is never a dull moment to be had on this peculiar planet suspended between two stars.
As evil emerges how will you face it? Who will you trust?
Looking for: 1 player interested in a long-term campaign with lots of opportunities for RP as well as combat. This game features a lot of homebrew content based around the Monster Hunter video games, and includes a lot of survival, exploration, gathering, and potential crafting. We also tend to really enjoy cute/fun stuff, so amid the vicious monsters and dangerous wilderness, expect lots of adorable creatures and NPCs.
Currently party composition: Vengeance Paladin, Range Twilight Cleric, Echo Knight, Bladesinger Wizard. We’re not severely lacking anything specific, so feel free to come with character concepts that are more towards fun instead of party optimization.
Must be LGBTQ+ friendly and 18+ due to mature themes in game.
Schedule: Friday evening, 7 pm EST to about 10 – 10:30 pm EST – weekly (not currently negotiable)
Format: Roll20 VTT for maps, Discord voice during sessions, Discord chat for text RP
System: D&D 5e
Source Materials: All published sources, homebrew, Monster Hunter 5e Homebrew
Character Level: Party is currently at level 4, home rules for character creation.
Commitment: Long term campaign, 1 year +
Current Group: 4 players and a DM!
Please DM me directly with the form below and we can chat if you’re interested!
Name:
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Questions:

One of my players is having issues deciding on a class and subclass for his character. I also don't know which avenue fits his character the best, so I figured I would ask this subreddit for help.
It is DnD 5e. All official classes and subclasses are usable, as well as Blood Hunter. And the player doesn't really care how powerful the subclass is, as I can help it feel good and buff it up.
The player's character concept is a half-elf who is quite smart, and is in search of these mystical artifacts about the world. While he says that this is to help him understand the mysteries of the world, uncovering all of its secrets, he is truthfully wanting to grab them for an old deity who is trapped behind a magical barrier that the artifacts can break. He is hoping to do this to obtain more knowledge and unlock the deepest secrets of the world around him, hopefully to share to the rest.
The patron in question is a large hydra-like being from ancient times that is waiting to destroy the world. While does have divine magic, but as I was thinking about it, I could see it falling into a lot of warlock subclasses.
Currently the ideas are:

• Wizard (probably bladesinger or chronurgy)
• Warlock (with a preference towards a reflavored Fiend)
• Sorc/Lock combo (dragon sorc with something else)
• Bard (cause really that is my best way of allowing him to focus on so much stuff)
• Blood Hunter Profane Soul

Edit: Feel free to leave suggestions and everything if you all want. Due to some helpful commenters, and more questioning, me and the player did decide on a Sorc/Lock for more caster blasting. Thank you to everyone though.

I believe the paladins name was Cynthia, it was played in a game shop and I remember one of the episodes had a monk as their ally (played by DM) going "OHH YEAH". Thanks to anyone who can help, it was one of the first shows that got me into DND.

Heya everyone. I have just learned that pretty soon in our dnd 5e campaign futuristic weapons will be available and we were also told to make back up characters as the next dungeon will be very hard.
So I have an oppurtunity to make a build focused around enjoying futuristic weapons but I cant decide on a build. The back ups will be lvl 4 and stats are rolled. I have rolled good enough to pull off any build short of a paladin bladesinger. Can you all help me brainstorm?
Build 1: Half elf samurai with elven accuracy. Triple adv for massive antimatter rifle 6d8 hits and juicier crits. Can and will multi class into gloomstalker and assasin late campaign.
Build 2: Half elf champion with elven accuracy. Boring yeah but if ur going to make critfishing build do it with a 6d8 base dmg weapon. Can multi class after getting third attack
Build 3: MoM Bugbear gloomstalker. No elven accuracy but massive first turns. Bonus points for being the bugbear sniper raining death from the shadows. Will multiclass into battle master and assasin
Build 4: anything to make dual wielding laser pistols work well
Obviously all builds need to pick up gunner as second feat around when futuristic weapons become available.
Came up with those for now but open to any ideas. While min maxing is fun cool concepts are equally appriciated.

So after our current campaign ends, our DM's decided to try out a 5e gestalt game for the first time - for the sake of anyone who hasn't heard of it, a gestalt game is one where the PCs level in two classes simultaneously.
He's implementing a few restrictions in order to "tame builds."

1. The old Adventurer's League rule of only having access to the PHB plus one other book of each player's choice. This applies to everything: races, classes, feats, spells, etc.
2. No additional multiclassing.
3. No Hexblade - not a hard and fast rule as far as I can tell, but he seemed to be down on the idea so I figure I'd rather not push it.

I always have at least a few character concepts saved up, but the PHB+1 rule is proving to be more restricting than I expected in actually building them out. Like, a Xanathar's subclass is harder to justify since you miss out on all the Tasha's alternate rules and feats. My heart also sank when I realized I couldn't have Shadow Blade on a Rogue/Bladesinger...
I can't speak for what everyone else in the party is doing (save our self-declared Bardificer), but for me the current frontrunner is a Mercy Monk/Spores Druid, since it's thematically neat, has good ability score overlap, and it's probably the only time I'll be able to play a Monk multiclass without hating myself for it. Also in contention is a Battlemaster FighteSwashbuckler Rogue just because I love duelist/fencer characters (plus you get SO MANY ASIs).
I'm open to more ideas, of course, but I'm mostly just curious to see what other people would do with these restrictions.

You. Yes you. The DM reading this while procrastinating on some work by redditing. I'm here to fix some of your problems with balance.
It is my position that going back to RAW rules on casting solves a lot (not all) of the problems both with sorcerer feeling like a worse wizard, and with spells being too impactful in the social pillar. A large part of the oft bemoaned caster-martial divide.

illusion and mental manipulation in public

This stems from a discussion over in DM academy (not gunna link, its not the point) where people were talking about nice insults the noble npcs at a fancy do might say to your PCs, and somebody suggested that a good comeback would be to cast suggestion and to suggest that the npc noble go and tell some other noble what they really thought of their dress.
The issue is that RAW this doesn't work quite like that. And yet 90% of games do run it this way. The V/S/M rules (phb 203) state that the V (voice component) is a specific magical noise that is audible, with a particular resonance and frequency. The V component is audible and it is not the suggestion itself . The actual suggestion happens after the separate V component https://twitter.com/JeremyECrawford/status/652550899814916096 . This applies to other such spells with a V component also, like command. If you were in amongst nobles, or near the king, and suddenly stopped and chanted 'hockus pocus, latinium deliramentum' without a visible effect and then just continued trying to talk or negotiate, well then it is clear you have just cast some sort of spell. The other nobles, queen and the guards will have panicked, magic has just been cast right in front of the king with no visible effect, it could be mental manipulation. Whatever it is, it is absolutely a threat that needs to be dealt with.
Look at the lower-magic world of lord of the rings. Guards were given instructions to not allow Gandalf near Rohan's king with his staff (because it was a focus, though the guards didn't know why). And in a higher magic world everyone has a greater understanding of magic, and so would be reacting trying to recognize what was cast, and putting up their own shields and spells, while recognizing that you have done something, if not exactly what. You can't mumble this, its a particular pitch and resonance. Rolling to just 'do it stealthily' takes away from other classes specific abilities, and does not make sense. It's better than just letting it happen sure, but it's still not a thing that can be done without the circumstances being right.
But what if we enforce the V/S/M rules? Well then its not as simple as just casting a lvl 2 spell to get what you want. All of a sudden casters aren't quite as powerful as most tables play, though it isn't RAW.
Enter the sorcerer. The sorcerer with subtle spell now has a valuable niche. The social pillar is theirs to manipulate in a different way than the bard. The subtle spell lets them spend some more resources and achieve that suggestion in public. It lets them manipulate and cast spells without arousing suspicion (which otherwise should be drawn in most settings).
Or the party has to get creative. You want to manipulate the noble? Well then you need to have the bard infiltrate or talk his way onto the band, and then blow his trumpet for a long loud final note. Now, maybe, the wizard can cast suggestion more subtly. Or perhaps you need to create some other loud noise, or perhaps create some other effect so that it looks like you cast purify food instead or something. Or you could get that noble off the dance floor, more onto the balcony with less witnesses for the spell. Either creativity or resources need to be expended to cast these spells somewhat subtly, and you run a mighty big risk in attempting it still.
Now we have a world were lvl 2 spells are at an appropriate power level, they're not a magic bullet, they have a risk, and they need either a sorcerer or creativity to be used in all situations. All by enforcing the rules as written (yah!).

We also get to take casters down a peg as compared to martials by enforcing V/S/M.

I think part of the problem with 5e is that the caster's AC is silly high relative to martials. Some weirder cases like bladesinger in particular, but just in general. But then there's the additional problem of letting them have a +2 shield AND cast shield and absorb elements when RAW, that is something that I am willing to bet 2/3rds of your players cannot actually do. If we enforced the rules, the casters would be weaker.
S/M needs a hand holding the material/focus. S by itself though needs a free hand to wiggle the fingers and make the magic.
How many of your caster characters have that free hand?
If we get pedantic about V/S/M, then its fair the players can be pedantic too, and you'll get arguments about being freely able to drop their sword, cast a spell, and then pick it back up again with their object interaction (p190 phb). And they are right, but it feels incredible silly I agree, and the end result is that casting on your turn just uses your object interaction, and 99 times/100 it ends up being the same thing. A better way of imagining it is that on your turn casting with your hands full uses your object interaction cause it's a bit fiddly. That way we're enforcing the rule in most cases on their turn, and it doesn't feel dumb.
On their turn though, that is an important qualifier. Where this actually matters most of the time is reaction spells*. You can't free drop and pick up or use your object interaction when its not your turn. And so the reaction spells that require a free hand are:

• absorb elements
• hellish rebuke
• shield
• counter spell
• Might be others in like, the CR books.

These are the big ones that add a lot of defensive powers. If you insist on following the rules for these and following RAW then if those casters want to cast them they either have to invest in feats, forgo weapons, seek out particular items (which I do not suggest you give out), forgo having a shield, or perhaps having to pick some other specialty subclass features over others.
All of a sudden, just by enforcing a commonly neglected rule that isn't actually that complex and only really effects reaction spells, we've brought casters down another peg, they have to make some hard choices, invest in some feats over better stats or are now a bit more vulnerable in combat (in accordance with RAW).

Bring those rules back, but let your players know

These rules aren't all that often enforced. It's handwaved and ignored, which unfortunately ends up just buffing casters even more, when they do not need it. Because they are so commonly ignored, you should inform your players that they will be, and allow spell changes and the like if you re-introduced these rules and begin enforcing them mid game.
Or you need to homebrew up some buffs for martials just to bring them back up to it being fair, because you are unintentionally homebrew buffing casters by ignoring these rules. By ignoring VSM you are, in effect, giving casters a free feat, or +2AC(or more for magic shields), or letting them cast spells when they can't.
*also aerial and underwater combat, any time there isn't a floor.

Other implications and nerfs to casters this brings

Guidance: Yeah no you can't cast guidance socially either. Those already tense negotiations are going to go south if you start casting
Surprise: No you can't surprise anyone not deafened with a fireball, they heard you chanting 'ignius von ballius' before that mote of fire came flying at them then exploded.
Stealth: Casting V spells will potentially break stealth.

Now that I have some time in my life for a campaign, I'm wanting to get back to the player side of things! Title's pretty self-explanatory I hope. The pitches you see here are characters I've written for games I never got the chance to really play in. (Albeit worked down to the core concept behind them; the specifics I want to specialize to your world and game!) Seems like everybody has a growing list of characters they might never get to play so I figure I might see if just one can be brought back from the grave.
As a player, my main focus at the table is storytelling; I like developing characters, relationships, and stories! I do my best to make my character feel like a part of the setting rather than a witness to it, and would like to really talk with you to make sure we're on the same page with themes and lore. (I know, a bit rich coming from the guy posting prebuilt characters lol) My roleplay is strictly limited to what my character knows (unless there's some major OOC concern) and I tend to be proactive instead of reactive - I'll never be afraid to speak or make choices and don't need to be prompted to engage with things. When appropriate, I have a fondness for applying that in character as well, being the one to drive the plot! I'm familiar in and out with 5e having ran games of my own, and I'm quite happy to learn pathfinder if you have the patience to tolerate my learning curve! I am 100% LGBT, women, POC friendly - we're all here to have fun!
As far as the gimmick of this post goes, I've for a few character concepts posted below - lemme know if you think you'd like any of them at your table, whichever fits best! I want to stress that I am absolutely willing to adapt em to the game and setting! There's few details about any given pitch that can't be tweaked, and I want to add entirely new angles to whatever I wind up playing to make it really click with the game. I've always thought that the best characters are a team effort with the DM - if you have any ideas for where one of these guys might go, or you know the perfect bit of lore to tie them into, hit me up!

• Rose Fisker, changeling paladin. The idea behind Rose is that he resents his nature as a changeling, and tries to separate himself from it. (with mixed results) When Rose was young, his parents were involved in sketchy intrigues; one day they didn’t come home. From the on Rose grew up as a human and came to view his hidden nature a a changeling as a curse, one that led his parents down a road that eventually killed them. Feeling a relentless need to prove himself an honorable individual, Rose chose the path of a warrior. But, he can’t change who he is, nor does he know how to come to terms with it. His arc is hopefully to face his darker issues, and hopefully work out his role in the world!
• Francis Atafort, human sorcerer. (Maybe with a handful of rogue levels in the mix?) Francis' deal is that he was born to commoners, but was forcibly adopted at a young age by an influential family (moderately corrupt nobility, sketchy merchants, maybe outright mafia?) when he showed signs of a sorcerous gift. He was raised with upper class and it shows, but he doesn't enjoy most privileges of such a background. Instead, Francis is expected to attend to dutifully attend to his family's more underhanded dealings in exchange for the comfortable life he's been given. For obvious reasons he has a complicated (but not completely unaffectionate) relationship with his adoptive family, and his personal arc would most likely revolve around navigating his obligations and relationships while trying to gain some measure of control over his life.
• Ancius Kerularios, human (probably) echo knight or wizard. As a forewarning, Ancius is by far the hardest character here to work into a specific setting - his backstory has a lot of assumptions about the history of the world. But, if you’re big into the “build the world around the characters” methodology, he can hopefully offer some unique storytelling angles! Ancius is from the remnant capital of a formerly massive empire; his home having been subjected to a plague and cut off from the world decades ago while the rest of the world moved on. He grew up in the aftermath and adopted the life of a scholar slowly organizing half-forgotten archives, coming to have a very biased and rose-colored view of the empire's glory days. When the tiny remnant was eventually besieged by a people they'd once conquered Ancius dug up a lead that might be able to help, and when we meet him he's left his imperiled home in search of power or friends to help it. Ancius is an imperialist with kind of a patronizing attitude towards people, but he's also a very moral person, genuinely believing things were better for everyone under the empire. (A view that's hopefully challenged by his friends and travels!)
• Anette Laskin, tiefling bladesingeswashbuckler. (Has a pretty cool multiclass IMO) She relies on two assumptions: first, that the setting is discriminatory towards tieflings; and second, that the starting level is a bit higher than usual. (5 or more, though this is negotiable! Results in a very different take on the character, however) Tieflings are traditionally isolated individuals without any real community of their own; what sets Anette apart is her belief in forming a real community for her people. She spends whatever spare time and money she has to try and build a real community and culture for tieflings. To this end (and to allow herself a better lifestyle than most of her kind) she works as a mercenary of respectable skill, taking whatever work she can short of anything blatantly evil or illegal. Anette might be curt or even abrasive to people she doesn't know, but she warms up quickly to folks she can trust, and is reliably levelheaded and professional if nothing else.

Now, with all that out of the way, please hit me up here or on discord, @ Faleap#2983! Thank you for reading that whole wall!

I know this is going to ruffle feathers, so I just put the question right as the title so people can decide to engage on their own terms. I'm not trying to start anything, I'm just legitimately confused and looking to understand others' perspectives on the subject. I'll put my own biases up front: I don't like the class and I never have, but I understood its niche in 3.5 even if I didn't necessarily agree that was a niche that needed filling.
I started in 2nd edition AD&D when I was a kid. I remember when sorcerer was a wizard kit, where the player picked elemental specializations instead of school specializations. I was a big proponent of spontaneous casting and spontaneous casters being the "specialized, low utility" option, but recognized WotC hamstrung the niche by poorly implementing metamagic. And instead of fixing sorcerer, WotC just "for some reason" (read, they wanted to sell Complete Arcane) made warlock to fit the "limited utility blaster" niche.
I was one of the many to jump ship for Pathfinder, and only recently got talked into at least trying 5th. Coming back, it's nice to see WotC took quite a few cues from Paizo as to how to fix classes and better fit class fantasy to crunch, but here warlock still is and I just can't help but wonder to myself, "why?". Casters have wider and better-balanced (compared to monster abilities) damage options with secondary effects abound, with cantrips scaling to level for the at-will casting that was warlocks' key class feature in 3.5.
Personally, I'd rather see warlock merged back into sorcerer. Just about every pact except hexblade has its own sorcerous origin analog. No, don't ask me why there aren't fey or undying origins as you'd think those to be no-brainers, but I will say storm sorcery is kind of like a primordial origin if you squint hard enough. Almost every warlock invocation (except EB buffs) are effects that would fit perfectly well as subclass options -- would you argue Devil's Sight or One with Shadows wouldn't be right at home in an aberrant or shadow sorcerer's repertoire?
Where would the class fantasy be without a pact and patron, though? Well, Tome and Blood (if I recall correctly) has the answer: it had an excerpt on sorcerous origins other than having an innately-magical ancestor. One of those alternate origins was a pact with a powerful entity or demigod. Being the 5E write-up of the sorcerer was already expanded to include attunement to or influence from planes other than the prime material, or that or their denizens, it slots straight in and there's your answer.
So, we wouldn't even need to deal with the peculiarities -- and potential for abuse -- of pact magic as a mechanic of and by itself. But, I wouldn't mind seeing pact magic being built into a sorcerous origin in the vein of Aberrant Mind or Clockwork Soul, with its subclass features being a distillation of tome and chain pacts. Hexblade would -- and should -- be its own sorcerous origin, the sorcerer's counterpart to bladesinger.
To take a step forward from that, I'd like to see sorcery points cut by half. Match that with the choice of metamagic or invocation, starting at 3rd level and every three afterwards.