Unearthed Arcana Waterborne Adventures: New from Unearthed Arcana

Jester Canuck said:

Toujours l’Audace really needs some work.
First, it pretty much lets you sneak attack every round. Either your allies are going to be within 5 feet (sneak) or none are (sneak). Secondly, it uses the term "when none of your allies are adjacent", but 5e doesn't use the term "adjacent" to refer to positioning.

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A rogue who isn't getting sneak attack almost every round anyway is doing something wrong. This is barely going to add to their average damage. It's just a little perk. (And yeah, it should have said "within 5 feet" like everything else.)

turkeygiant said:

I just don't like the lack of symmetry between these UA races and the ones in the PHB, especially when some of the PHB races have equally potent racial features and still get the +2/+1.

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But the thing about the minotaur is that they get to choose one of those stats. Sure it's from a limited list, but it's a list which supports half of the classes. The designers weight your choice of a feature like an ability score or a feat higher in value than if it were chosen for you. That's one of the reasons variant human is so attractive to some people.

That minotaur is so much like mine! Awesome!

ehren37 said:

I really think people are glossing over how powerful the non-hostile charming aspect is. You win an opposed check, to gain advantage on all social rolls for a minute. Which means once you charm the target, you gain advantage to keep charming them. There's no downside, and no expenditure of resources. Charm Person requires a spell slot, and the target knows it was charmed when it wears off. If they didnt want casters dominating social challenges with magic (which is a good call btw), I think it is reasonable for swashbucklers to not do the same. And watch out if they took persuade or bluff as an expertise skill.

I'm not sure the best way to tone this down. Letting it not be reapplied seems fairly appropriate, as it lets the swashbuckler make a good first impression, as opposed to being Grima Wormtongue cranked up to 11.

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That's a valid point, actually. I think just putting a full-stop number of times per long rest works best mechanically, but it doesn't make sense, fluff-wise, save thinking about it as if you get frazzled when you can't charm someone.

Panache
At 9th level, it is arguable which is sharper, your blade or your wit. As an action, choose one creature within 60 feet and make a Charisma (Persuasion) check opposed by their Wisdom (Insight) check. The creature must be able to hear you, and the two of you must share a language.

If the creature is hostile and you succeed, the creature has disadvantage on attacks against others save yourself for one minute. This effect ends early unless you make a melee attack against the creature each round or use this ability a second time on the creature to maintain the effect.

If the creature is not hostile, it becomes charmed by you for one minute, regarding you as a friendly acquaintance. The charmed effect ends if you or an ally attacks the creature.

Whether a hostile creature or not, you may use this a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier. You regain expended uses when you take a long rest.

Larac said:

Here is another new 9th Level Ability
Starting at 9th level, you have advantage on saving throws against poison and have resistance to poison damage.

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I was hoping this was a setup for a "Don't cross a sultan when death is on the line!" joke. 0/10.

ehren37 said:

I really think people are glossing over how powerful the non-hostile charming aspect is. You win an opposed check, to gain advantage on all social rolls for a minute. Which means once you charm the target, you gain advantage to keep charming them. There's no downside, and no expenditure of resources. Charm Person requires a spell slot, and the target knows it was charmed when it wears off. If they didnt want casters dominating social challenges with magic (which is a good call btw), I think it is reasonable for swashbucklers to not do the same. And watch out if they took persuade or bluff as an expertise skill.

I'm not sure the best way to tone this down. Letting it not be reapplied seems fairly appropriate, as it lets the swashbuckler make a good first impression, as opposed to being Grima Wormtongue cranked up to 11.

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At 9th level, it is arguable which is sharper, your blade or your wit. As an action, choose one creature within 60 feet and make a Charisma (Persuasion) check opposed by their Wisdom (Insight) check. The creature must be able to hear you, and the two of you must share a language.

If the creature is hostile and you succeed, the creature has disadvantage on attacks against others save yourself (since the end condition is not based on the target's ability to hit you now, I'm taking this out) for one minute until the end of your next turn (because it was never going to last a minute with these rules). To extend the duration of this effect for another round, you must make a melee attack against the creature or use this ability a second time on the it.

If the creature is not hostile (and not already charmed by you), it becomes charmed by you for one minute, regarding you as a friendly acquaintance. The charmed effect ends if you or an ally attacks the creature. After it ends, the creature is aware that you've been buttering it up and can't be charmed this way by you again.

There, now it can only be used once and there's a valid flavor reason for it!

EDIT: Arrgh, why do people here have to be so clever?! Now I can't decide whether to go with my original "taunt ends when they hit you" idea or Mouseferatu's "keep hitting them to maintain the taunt" idea!

The minotaur is pretty much a human variant, except it can stack its ability mod on STR. It gets 1/3 of the Shield Master feat and and 1/2 of Charger, then some proficiencies. I think it is balanced, though, because I think the piecemeal feat features aren't quite as powerful as one whole feat would be.

Between that and Fancy Footwork overlapping with 1/2 of Mobile, my biggest complaint with the article is that they seem to be throwing parts of feats into class and racial features, rendering those feats redundant for those characters. It isn't a deal breaker, but it is less clean than it has been.

It does open up some room for a racial feats. For example:

Brutal [Minotaur Feat]
-When you use a bonus action to shove a creature with your horns, you can attempt to knock them prone.
-When you use a bonus action to make a melee attack with your horns after using the Dash action, if you move at least 10 feet in a straight line before taking the bonus action, you get +5 to the damage roll.
-When you use your action to Dash, you can use a bonus action to shove a creature with your horns. If you choose push the target and succeed, you may push the target up to 10 feet away.

It basically gives them the other half of the Charger feat and another third of the Shield Master feat. It leaves out the defensive stuff from Shield Master. I think it still is potent enough for a feat because it synergizes well with the Minotaur's advantage on offensive shove rolls.

Edit: Added the extra push distance from charger.

spinozajack said:

1d10 weapon for an attack is not very powerful. A similar weapon costs what, 10gp? And how exactly does one magick them? Not easily, that's for sure. It's a flavor item, that's all.

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For direct comparison against a two-handed weapon wielding melee combatant class, I agree with you. But that's not all there is out there.

First, this is a direct upgrade for a sword-and-board fighter at low levels (pre-magic items), since the best they can get is a d8 weapon.

Also, it leaves you with a hand free. Very good for a grappler, even better for a melee casters who can cast spells with somatic components and still have a good weapon (and perhaps a shield).

Let's combine them all. A strength based minotaur skald (bard of valor) who uses expertise on Athletics to grapple even better. Free hands for spells and grappling, better AC with shield, and a weapon with a higher damage die then they could do with that shield otherwise.

Just like racial weapon proficiencies from dwarves and elves, it usually doesn't help those who are already focusing on using those weapons, but does help those who normally wouldn't get something that good.

Koren n'Rhys said:

You wouldn't weaponize your rear, no - though the Twerking Monks of Myth Drannor brings a very amusing image to mind.

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Don't be silly. We all know elves got no booty. The Twerking Monks of Mithral Hall are a different story. Dem Dwarven Lasses, ahhhh.

Jester Canuck said:

Toujours l’Audace really needs some work.
First, it pretty much lets you sneak attack every round. Either your allies are going to be within 5 feet (sneak) or none are (sneak). Secondly, it uses the term "when none of your allies are adjacent", but 5e doesn't use the term "adjacent" to refer to positioning.

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Just a random thought, not sure if I believe it. Because this was listed as an "in addition" instead of it's own power that a major upgrade would be, could the intend that this replaces the "ally within 5 feet"? So a normal rogue can SA with advantage or an ally within 5' of the target, and a Swashbuckler rogue can SA with advantage or with no allies adjacent to the target.

Just changes the parameters, not extending them.

Again, not sure I read it like that, just putting it out there for others to digest.

[MENTION=6752135]Inchoroi[/MENTION] does it need to be melee only? Can you not shout witticisms while firing arrows from the rigging?