Best way to emulate an Adept in 5e?

[Smashwidget]

What's the best way to emulate the Adept NPC class in 5e, or do something close to it? Bard might fit the bill since they can take spells from other classes' spell list, but they're a bit too musically-inclined for the character concept I have in mind.

[Kane0]

Wizard or sorcerer without arcane recovery/sorcery points?

Isn't it just an arcane full caster with no class features?

Edit: Or maybe just expand the Warlock's Arcanum concept for all spell levels, to give a full casting feel with less of the versatility of choice.

[Mara]

Make a half caster that pulls from both wizard and cleric spell list and prepares spells like a cleric. Let them ritual cast as either a wizard or cleric with any spell they can prepare. Use wisdom as the casting stat.

Basically a weaker Wizard x/cleric x.

[Mr.Moron]

Just put a couple random low-level spells on someone with low HP?

[Smashwidget]

Isn't it just an arcane full caster with no class features?

I should've written this in the OP: Adepts (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/npcClasses/adept.htm) are divine spellcasters that get a small number of spells from both the Cleric and Wizard spell lists, up to 5th level spells. I like them because they can work as characters that dabble in magic.

Make a half caster that pulls from both wizard and cleric spell list and prepares spells like a cleric. Let them ritual cast as either a wizard or cleric with any spell they can prepare. Use wisdom as the casting stat.

Basically a weaker Wizard x/cleric x.
What's the best way to do it without creating a homebrew class?

[Mara]

What's the best way to do it without creating a homebrew class? The issue you'll run into here is that the PC class version will be stronger and have more class features than you want because it is actually really hard to make an NPC quality character.

That being said.

Low strength Divination Wizard x/Knowledge cleric x sage background. Keep x as similar as possible.

Low strength will keep you out of medium armor. Both of the subclasses have cool class features but they blend together as being knowledged based or mystical.

You will still get a 9th level slot and your skills and spells will be an asset to the party, so you probably won't get that NPC feel.

[Kane0]

You can try a mystic theurge (Wizard / Cleric in equal measure). You will have higher spell slots but not higher spells available to you. Make sure not to make use of channel divinity nor your wizard school abilities.

[Cybren]

What's the best way to emulate the Adept NPC class in 5e, or do something close to it? Bard might fit the bill since they can take spells from other classes' spell list, but they're a bit too musically-inclined for the character concept I have in mind.

I think for simplicity sake 5E doesn't believe in "NPC classes", as NPC classes are meant to be weaker than PC classes. It rather assumes that if a character is weaker it's because they have fewer levels. It makes sense, in that the common wisdom is that level 3 in 5e is roughly (not exactly, given spell slots etc) is level 1 in 3.x, and a large number of people prefer to start at 3 since that's when all the classes have gotten their subclass.

What I would do is just take a spellcaster class (or multiclass, since adepts were divine casters that had a good number of wizard spells) and not give them a subclass.

[TheOOB]

Classes are purely in invention for PC's in 5e. For NPC's, just figure out what spells you want them to have and give them to them.

[CoggieRagabash]

Yeah, if you're just trying to make an NPC with abilities comparable to the former Adept NPC class, just take a cue from or adapt one of the spellcasting NPCs from the back of the Monster Manual. Acolytes, Archmages, Cult Fanatics, Druids, Mages and Priests all have spells and should give you an idea of how to build an appropriate NPC (in addition to advice from the DMG). Just swap out spells as necessary, change the casting stat if you gotta, etc.

Class levels are something that make PCs unique in 5e, and generally bog down NPC creation anyway from what I've heard.