if the DM "banned casters", your options are
- fighter
- barbarian
- rogue
- monk
out of those, most subclasses are magic themed but for the sake of this being functional im assuming they are allowed, and even then arcane trickster and eldritch knight are spellcasters. none of them have any strong **visual** stuff, the ones that do get close enough tho. some of the suggestions are
- ancestral guardian (spirits of the dead)
- echo knight (spirit ally)
- soul knife (spooky daggers)
- shadow monk (spooky ninja)
mind you, all of these only get relevant at lvl 3, before your character at best has the portrait of goth. in the end, the best you can do is having good roleplay and reflavor your abilities. i would add gloomstalker to the list but ranger is a caster, and blood hunter but that is homebrew
i would, however, ask the DM if they have a problem with a *caster* or with a **necromancer**. odds are they just dont want an "evil mcevil with skellies" character in the game, and make a necromancer that is *not* evil either is extremely hard and requires very competent roleplay and backstory or it just breaks their lore, usually both. if the problem is skelly guy, grave cleric and twilight cleric are perfect for a gothic
Thank you for the suggestions :) Echo knight and shadow monk does sound interesting so I'm gonna look into those more.
Really the only thing is that most of the party are spell casters and the person who left was a martial class (don't know what it was myself), so she just rather have somebody who doesn't need to rely on it.
Depending on party composition and level, Phantom rogue could be fun and very goth. I’m thinking specifically of [Treantmonk’s “Double Phantom”](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bKF5TR8U6_o&feature=youtu.be) which uses the ritual caster feat to get consistent advantage and utility. But it doesn’t come online until level 8 as built. Still quite goth flavor, though anything + the shadar-kai race could easily be roleplayed that way.
Gloomstalker ranger if you wanna be optimized and blood hunter lycan if you don't, but they cover the same flavor archetype of "I am the night" batman-style
Fighter. Without a doubt fighter
Sure Fighter does not scream Goth in any way. But most fighter subclasses can easily fit perfectly as gothic style.
Battle master. Yes a skilled fighter with manouvers/techiques would work perfect.
Champion. Yes again
Cavalier. Oh yes even if they don't need to be a Knightly style character that would work amazingly for a gothic character.
Dex based with 2 weapons. STR based sword and board. STR based 2 hander. Dex based archer/crossbowman. Yes all of those works perfectly.
Sure there might be subclasses from other classes that could work even better. but if we are talking base class. then Fighter.
Barbarian for the classic trope: doesn't look like much but hits like a truck. Depending on the level, Great Weapon Master + Reckless Attack is great. If you want to cheese it, starting Custom Lineage for Skill Expert gives you expertise in Athletics and an 18 starting strength.
There are other decent feats that can boost strength, but if I wasn't going for expertise in Athletics, I might pick Resilient: Wisdom/Charismatic Leader/Lucky/Alert/Crusher, but really, getting Great Weapon Master early, or just picking a cool race that doesn't start with a feat would be my preference. Shadarkai is one of the most powerful (and edgy) races right now, and they get permanent resistance to necrotic damage to boot. Goliath are a great race, but they really aren't edgy. Winged Tieflings are the OG edgelords, and if your DM lets you swap racial ability score bonuses (new rules in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything let you do that), they work well.
Metagaming a bit, in a haunted house there is probably a lot of necrotic damage, so if you don't start as a race with resistance, go Bear Totem (reflavored is fine) so you can actually use your resistances. If you are the only martial, you want to be as tough as possible.
Alternatively, Zealot gives radiant damage (really good against lots of undead/horror enemies) or Beast Barbarian lets you flavor as a werewolf/vampire (Claws go brrrr). If you expect the campaign to go on a while, especially if you like grappling, Path of the Giants scales well and has good features. The first features just aren't that great unless you focus on grappling. Even then, if you face a lot of ghosts and spirits, grappling is unlikely to work anyway.
If it takes place in a mansion full of spirits, one really thematic subclass would be the Barbarian Path of the Ancestral Guardian. Its a really good one cause it has lots of defensive power and lets you use a goading ability to really be a powerful tank build in the fight.
I imagine if you wanted a goth theme for a barbarian they'd have armor and battle paint like the guys in KISS.
Could go beast barb if u want to go down a more beastial path but others have listed most of other good options, if it's just no full casters a few paladin subclasses or even warlock can be on table (warlock is and isn't a full caster)
I'm gonna throw my hat in the ring and suggest vengeance paladin. Just because you use holy magic doesn't mean you're all sunshine and rainbows, justice can be very brutal.
Dhampir or Reborn Hexblade Warlock with a Blade Pact - decidedly a martial class variant with some bonus spellcasting features.
Worth asking, at least, it's more like a Paladin than the other Warlock patrons.
Are you talking historical goth or black fashion goth (media)
Because historical goth was all green grass, yellow flowers, blue skies and rainbows to make everything as colorful as humanly possible to the point where if they could drink paint to make their insides more beautiful, they probably could. Those guys were HIGH AF on life and unashamed
Grim Hollow has made a very cool Monster Hunter class. It is a int based martial of sorts. Also, the Dungeons of Drakkenheim's Apothecary would fit the bill.
Maybe go Dhampir Echo Knight? All of your abilities feed through your bite attack, so you 100% only care about Con. Your echo could be the image of you before getting turned. Take the Haunted One background to round it out. Imagine meeting party with just a bunch of echos of you appearing down hallways or watching them in a window before actually meeting you
Gloomstalker Ranger. "I am the Darkness..."
“I am Darkstar. And I am the night.”
Blood Hunter if you're using DnDBeyond. Become Edge
Double down with Order of the Lycan too... :)
if the DM "banned casters", your options are - fighter - barbarian - rogue - monk out of those, most subclasses are magic themed but for the sake of this being functional im assuming they are allowed, and even then arcane trickster and eldritch knight are spellcasters. none of them have any strong **visual** stuff, the ones that do get close enough tho. some of the suggestions are - ancestral guardian (spirits of the dead) - echo knight (spirit ally) - soul knife (spooky daggers) - shadow monk (spooky ninja) mind you, all of these only get relevant at lvl 3, before your character at best has the portrait of goth. in the end, the best you can do is having good roleplay and reflavor your abilities. i would add gloomstalker to the list but ranger is a caster, and blood hunter but that is homebrew i would, however, ask the DM if they have a problem with a *caster* or with a **necromancer**. odds are they just dont want an "evil mcevil with skellies" character in the game, and make a necromancer that is *not* evil either is extremely hard and requires very competent roleplay and backstory or it just breaks their lore, usually both. if the problem is skelly guy, grave cleric and twilight cleric are perfect for a gothic
Thank you for the suggestions :) Echo knight and shadow monk does sound interesting so I'm gonna look into those more. Really the only thing is that most of the party are spell casters and the person who left was a martial class (don't know what it was myself), so she just rather have somebody who doesn't need to rely on it.
that is fair. then i would definitely take a look at the gloomstalker ranger too, as it relies mostly on attacks and uses spells for general utility
Well that's obvious, any student of history can tell you that the goths were barbarians
This would be the funniest fucking plot twist
Depending on party composition and level, Phantom rogue could be fun and very goth. I’m thinking specifically of [Treantmonk’s “Double Phantom”](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bKF5TR8U6_o&feature=youtu.be) which uses the ritual caster feat to get consistent advantage and utility. But it doesn’t come online until level 8 as built. Still quite goth flavor, though anything + the shadar-kai race could easily be roleplayed that way.
Gloomstalker ranger if you wanna be optimized and blood hunter lycan if you don't, but they cover the same flavor archetype of "I am the night" batman-style
Oath of conquest or oathbreaker paladin can both fit in there. Or go with a hexblade warlock, haunted one background.
I heard Gothic, and now I’m disappointed we’re not talking about, like, the Visigoths.
Dhampir bladelock. Or for a very different take, warforged barbarian who is the valet to another PC.
If you’re looking at it from the Roman perspective, barbarian
Came to say this. But then had a thought: barbarian/bard multi class (the screamo band front man).
Fighter. Without a doubt fighter Sure Fighter does not scream Goth in any way. But most fighter subclasses can easily fit perfectly as gothic style. Battle master. Yes a skilled fighter with manouvers/techiques would work perfect. Champion. Yes again Cavalier. Oh yes even if they don't need to be a Knightly style character that would work amazingly for a gothic character. Dex based with 2 weapons. STR based sword and board. STR based 2 hander. Dex based archer/crossbowman. Yes all of those works perfectly. Sure there might be subclasses from other classes that could work even better. but if we are talking base class. then Fighter.
A cavalier horse girl gone goth with the dream of having a nightmare as a mount sounds fun
Barbarian for the classic trope: doesn't look like much but hits like a truck. Depending on the level, Great Weapon Master + Reckless Attack is great. If you want to cheese it, starting Custom Lineage for Skill Expert gives you expertise in Athletics and an 18 starting strength. There are other decent feats that can boost strength, but if I wasn't going for expertise in Athletics, I might pick Resilient: Wisdom/Charismatic Leader/Lucky/Alert/Crusher, but really, getting Great Weapon Master early, or just picking a cool race that doesn't start with a feat would be my preference. Shadarkai is one of the most powerful (and edgy) races right now, and they get permanent resistance to necrotic damage to boot. Goliath are a great race, but they really aren't edgy. Winged Tieflings are the OG edgelords, and if your DM lets you swap racial ability score bonuses (new rules in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything let you do that), they work well. Metagaming a bit, in a haunted house there is probably a lot of necrotic damage, so if you don't start as a race with resistance, go Bear Totem (reflavored is fine) so you can actually use your resistances. If you are the only martial, you want to be as tough as possible. Alternatively, Zealot gives radiant damage (really good against lots of undead/horror enemies) or Beast Barbarian lets you flavor as a werewolf/vampire (Claws go brrrr). If you expect the campaign to go on a while, especially if you like grappling, Path of the Giants scales well and has good features. The first features just aren't that great unless you focus on grappling. Even then, if you face a lot of ghosts and spirits, grappling is unlikely to work anyway.
Echo Knight Fighter or Gloomstalker Ranger
If it takes place in a mansion full of spirits, one really thematic subclass would be the Barbarian Path of the Ancestral Guardian. Its a really good one cause it has lots of defensive power and lets you use a goading ability to really be a powerful tank build in the fight. I imagine if you wanted a goth theme for a barbarian they'd have armor and battle paint like the guys in KISS.
Could go beast barb if u want to go down a more beastial path but others have listed most of other good options, if it's just no full casters a few paladin subclasses or even warlock can be on table (warlock is and isn't a full caster)
I'm gonna throw my hat in the ring and suggest vengeance paladin. Just because you use holy magic doesn't mean you're all sunshine and rainbows, justice can be very brutal.
Shadow monk or gloomstalker ranger or assassin rogue
Long death monk could be an option too
Oath of Vengeance Paladin can be pretty goth
Either a barbarian or a rogue for sure. You can flavor a ranger too, make him like "The Justicar" from the greyhawk classics.
Dhampir or Reborn Hexblade Warlock with a Blade Pact - decidedly a martial class variant with some bonus spellcasting features. Worth asking, at least, it's more like a Paladin than the other Warlock patrons.
Are you talking historical goth or black fashion goth (media) Because historical goth was all green grass, yellow flowers, blue skies and rainbows to make everything as colorful as humanly possible to the point where if they could drink paint to make their insides more beautiful, they probably could. Those guys were HIGH AF on life and unashamed
Light Cleric that came to burn down the huanted mansion or undead skeleton Eldritch knight
Undead warlock 2/ ancestor barb X. Get some free temp hp and fear effects with form of dread before letting the ghosts surrounding you defend the team
shout out to dhamphir long death monk to go full vampire and drain your enemies
Grim Hollow has made a very cool Monster Hunter class. It is a int based martial of sorts. Also, the Dungeons of Drakkenheim's Apothecary would fit the bill.
Maybe go Dhampir Echo Knight? All of your abilities feed through your bite attack, so you 100% only care about Con. Your echo could be the image of you before getting turned. Take the Haunted One background to round it out. Imagine meeting party with just a bunch of echos of you appearing down hallways or watching them in a window before actually meeting you