This, I believe, was
@CleverNickName's point. Your shadow-monk might suffer, but of course the game really won't. There could still be a new "different" shadow-monk to feed that itch, if that is your think.
Yep, pretty much. I haven't had anyone choose to play a Ranger for years, and the game works just fine, so how "necessary" can it be?
I'd love it if all of the classes were subclasses of the "Core Four" classes. Like maybe Warrior (barbarian, fighter, monk, ranger), Priest (cleric, druid, paladin), Sneak (monk, ranger, rogue), and Mage (artificer, bard, wizard, warlock, and sorcerer). But unfortunately we would have to resolve dozens--maybe hundreds by now, they keep adding more--of different subclasses right out of the gate. And as
@Remathilis points out, that's a huge obstacle. It can be done, but hoo boy.
So while I'd still like to see it, and I still insist such a thing is possible, I acknowledge it's not coming anytime soon. Instead I've been looking for other ways to streamline the game. Right now I'm using something I call "
The Players Decide" which I've written about in another thread.