Here are my suggestions/clarifications.

Ajani • Paladin
Arlinn • Druid (Circle of the Moon)
Ashiok • Wizard/Sorcerer/Warlock?
Bolas • Sorcerer (Draconic Bloodline)
Chandra • Sorcerer (Elemental Bloodline)
Dack • Rogue
Daretti • Wizard (Artificer)
Domri • Ranger
Elspeth • Fighter/Paladin
Freyalise • Druid
Garruk • Barbarian
Gideon • Paladin
Jace • Wizard (Illusionist or Enchanter) (At least until they release a Psionics supplement)
Karn • A Warforged Cleric
Kaya • Rogue
Kiora • Druid
Koth • Fighter (Swordmage)
Liliana • Wizard (Necromancer)
Nahiri • Fighter (Swordmage)
Narset • Monk
Nissa • Druid
Nixilis • Anti-Paladin or Warlock
Ral • Sorcerer (Elemental Bloodline)
Ramaz •
Sarkhan • Druid
Sifa • ????
Sorin • Vampire Fighter (Swordmage)
Tamiyo • Bard
Teferi • Wizard
Tezzeret • Wizard (Artificer)
Tibalt • Warlock
Ugin • ????
Venser • Wizard
Vraska • Rogue
Vronos • Ranger
Xenagos • Bard

Also, I figured Sorin would be a Favored Soul Sorcerer. What is the source for Elemental bloodline?

Sorin is a knight. It's kinda of impossible to deny at this point, considering the aesthetics.

Full endorsement for bard!Xenagos on my part.

As a knight, doesn't that make him a paladin?

Downside is, I'm more inclined towards Pathfinder, but I feel it would be more genuine with D&D.

That would be true of 3rd edition, but both 5th and pathfinder are just derivatives of 3rd edition anyways.
All of pathfinder is basically backwards compatible with 3rd edition, so I'll still make up the list, but it will have to wait until I'm off work at least.

Well, I'm home now, so as promised, the Pathfinder classes I'd use for the various walkers.
Nominally, you could strip some of these down for 5th ed since it's basically just an anemic version of 3.5

Ajani • Paladin
Arlinn • Cleric (her deity might have changed, but she's put a lot of levels into cleric)
Ashiok • Mesmerist/Summoner
Bolas • No player class needed. He's already an ancient wyrm, that comes preloaded with spell like abilities.
Chandra • Sorcerer (Elemental Bloodline)
Dack • Occultist
Daretti • Alchemist (it's not an ideal fit, but it feels more in line than wizard)
Domri • Barbarian (he's got crap str stats, but it's appropriate. In fairness though, I just hate him.)
Elspeth • Cavalier
Freyalise • Druid/Wizard (she started in the wizard class. Those spells never really went away.)
Garruk • Ranger (he's got a lot more Ranger skills than Barabarian. It's just a huge Str score.)
Gideon • Cavalier
Jace • Psychic/Mesmerist
Karn • Medium (for flavor reasons mostly)
Kaya • Inquisitor (undead focus)
Kiora • Summoner
Koth • Brawler (Fighter/monk hybrid)
Liliana • Arcanist (wizard/sorcerer hybrid)
Nahiri • Magus (there's no really good choice for her. All her demonstrated skills are oldwalker level crazy)
Narset • Monk
Nissa • Hunter (druid/ranger hybrid)
Nixilis • Demon kind of overrides the need for a class. Same as with Bolas, the base creature comes loaded to the 9's.
Ral • Sorcerer/Alchemist
Ramaz • Oracle
Sarkhan • Shaman (Oracle/Witch hybrid)
Sifa • Bloodrager (barbarian/sorcerer hybrid)
Sorin • Paladin
Tamiyo • Investigator (alchemist/rogue hybrid)
Teferi • Arcanist
Tezzeret • Wizard (Artificer)
Tibalt • Investigator
Ugin • Dragon again. Though probably a weird planar variant.
Venser • Sorcerer (it was a natural talent to blink stuff. Everything else was non magical engineering)
Vraska • Slayer (rogue/ranger hybrid)
Vronos • Inquisitor (also lol Vronos)
Xenagos • Bard

Nice! I agree with most, though wouldn't Chandra be a Shaman and choose Flames?

Problem I'm hitting mostly is the idea of neglecting so many class features due to them not applying. While I'm not forcing players into being templated from Nissa, if characters like Nissa and Kiora (tho maybe Kiora's not a druid, but just a summoning-type wizard) don't change into animal forms, that's no less than 3 major class features ignored.

Nissa doesn't do that either. What's a good solution? I'm sure I may run into similar problems with other established characters, but for now Nissa the Wildshape-less Druid is causing me troubles.

in this context, definitely not. Shamans are a spiritual class, literally. Chandra's flames are from herself. If anything else, she'd be a kineticist specializing in fire.


well that's why I chose Hunter and Summoner for those two. Neither use Wildshape, but have some of the right mechanics for the character as they are.


Hunter focuses on the animal companion and working in conjunction with it, not having a wild shape at all.
There's a archetype in one of the books that lets you choose plant beings instead of an animal, so I'd apply that template to it.

Well, druid means something completely different in the two systems. It'd be more accurate to call MtG druids clerics by DnD standards. The portfolio would just be focused on Gaea esque figures.

so then is Gatewatch!Nissa a godless Nature Domain "Cleric of Zendikar", or a Beast Master archetype Ranger? For her role as an NPC, I figure she'd need access to higher level spellslots + Conjure Elemental and just make Ashaya a unique Elemental companion/familiar bonded with Nissa via DM storytelling....

Well if you are using the 'Walkers as NPCs only, why are you bothering to give them classes? Just build them like Monsters and give them whatever they need to get the job done.

Mostly for fluff, I want them to seem like any other characters if and when they appear, and if I look at it this way, with Nissa for example here, if the 1-2 characters I think could be played as druids can't play anything like that, then that reveals there is need of a little change. In this case, it did reveal that no matter who, I don't want Wild Shape as a Druid class feature in my campaign, even if Nissa would have other class fratures to ignore it, whether it be Druid+Ranger, Nature Cleric+Ranger, or Nature Cleric+Druid, she could be played as if she didn't have it, but that still revealed the fact that Wild Shape Druids don't fit in my canpaign. Only on Zendikar do I even have a viable optional replacement with a Totem Armor "summon animal aura" spell-like ability feature. The other classes can probably just be played and flavored however, but Wild Shape has to go.

I felt like this thread deserved a prequel asking "In-canon, what can these characters do with magic and such?"