My friend is starting up a 3.5 campaign at the end of January, and is later planning to move us over to 5th edition once he gets the books and gets acquainted to the rules.
While this makes me super excited, it also poses a problem for me: I like to play non-core classes, such as Warmage, and Favoured Soul.
So, my question is: what would be a 5th edition equivalent for the following classes and/or how could one adjust 5th edition classes to fit?
Dragon Shaman
Favoured Soul
Samurai
Scout
Swashbuckler
Warmage
I know there are probably some simple ways to convert them, such as Eldritch Knight for Warmage, but there are some key mechanics that don't translate perfectly.
Thank you in advance to anyone who gives advice.
If you are looking for mechanical ways to have the same class options then you will be very disapointed. If you are just looking for a simular flavor then some of these can be given to you.
Bottom line, I have seen many folks get frustrated trying to convert old edition character classes to new edition rules. Be it 3 to 4, 4 to 5, or any edition to or from Pathfinder. They always seemed to find it hard to do. Just my opinion of course. 
dafrca wrote:
This is how I would do each, assuming feats are allowed:
- Dragon Shaman: I admit to not remembering this class much... but I'd probably go with a dragon sorcerer with a DM-allowed different spell list, or a sorcerer/druid multi-class.
- Favored Soul: Just a cleric.
- Samurai: Just a fighter.
- Scout: A fighter, rogue, ranger, or multi-class mix of those classes.
- Swashbuckler: A fighter, rogue, or multi-class of the two.
- Warmage: Just a wizard.
Most of those classes had special mechanics that don't have design space to occupy in 5e (a character with cleric spells that casts spontaneously rather than preparing specific spells - since now the standard cleric is basically just like that), or are in my opinion better represented by the 5th edition classes as-is than they were by their 3.5 class (such as samurai being much better represented by the battle master sub-class).
fargus wrote:
Lord_Kadarian wrote:
My thoughts are to go into it knowing it's a 5E game. Make your 5E character because you know that's what the eventual goal is, and how things definitely will end up. Have fun with all the new options even if they're "unofficial" right now for your current campaign. Then, try to convert your fun new character BACKWARDS to make it 3.5 compatible. Since Third Ed has been around for longer, there's more out there and more options for fine-tuning based on Prestige Classes and Splatbooks and such. Not to mention that 5E is based on 3E at least in part.
Not to start a new round of the Edition Wars, but it's more a matter of converting from the narrow case to the wider set of options (rather than vice versa). Plus if someone's putting off a conversion because of uncertainty about the rules it may be easier to keep things stock than trying to homebrew too much, too fast.
mellored wrote:
For Swashbuckler I'd suggest a Barbarian/Rogue. They actually have a lot of synergy. That multiclass can portray the archetype fairly well if you either go Dex finesse and ignore the melee Str damage bonus from Rage or use a finesse weapon while keying off of Str to take advantage of that bonus.
SailorNash wrote:
The easiest conversion is the zero work conversion. No really. Seriously.
You'd take a Full Caster and squeeze it's Spell Slots into the 5e schedule.
And just roll with it.
See what happens.
Finagle some 3e/5e -isms.
Report back to the community at large, that we did this, and this is what happened.