Unearthed Arcana New Year Unearthed Arcana Brings Back Those Old 2E Kits

The scout fighter looks like yet another take at a ranger, but one I'm personally more likely to use. For the Cavalier I might want some more feature related to social interaction, not just the horse part and a proficiency. Something along the lines of what the Banneret/Purple Dragon Knight got in SCAG or a new use of superiority dice.

The bard colleges seem nice, but "Tumble" might have a bit too many benefits compared to Rogue Cunning Action.

 

[Klaus]

I'd prefer more novel mechanical expressions of these ideas. Let the BM be the BM. Not everyone should be a BM.

Not *everyone*, but the Superiority Dice is possibly the most iconic expression of "martial" power in this edition. A Cavalier could take the Martial Initiate feat for extra dice and some maneuvers, for instance. Using SD as fuel for the Battlemaster, Cavalier and Scout allows you to unify the concept, introduce stuff later that "speaks" to these classes as a whole (say, an Alternative Reward that increases the dice's size), and helps create subclasses from other classes that facilitate multiclassing, like the Eldritch Knight and Arcane Trickster do for spellcasting classes. Imagine a Bravo as a rogue archetype that has a few maneuvers and SD, or a Psychic Warrior/Mindblade that mixes psionics with Superirity Dice.

 

[RotGrub]

I wonder why they ignored emotion and magic resistance features for the Cavalier. No mention of the Code of Chivalry either.

The Cavalier is completely immune to the fear spell. Because he is so brave, he inspires others to courage, and so, while he is fighting, he actually radiates an emotion spell in a 10' radius. This emotion spell radiates courage (see the writeup for the 4th-level wizard spell emotion), but only to the extent that it negates fear; it does not bestow the berserk fury that the actual wizard spell provides.
The Cavalier is +4 to save vs. all magic which would affect his mind, such as the wizard spells charm person, friends, hypnotism, sleep, irritation, ray of enfeeblement, scare, and geas, and the clerical spells command, charm person or mammal, enthrall, cloak of bravery, and symbol.

And finally, the Cavalier has the right to demand shelter. When he travels, he can demand shelter from anyone in his own nation who is of status lower than nobility. And most people of his own status or higher will be happy to offer him shelter when he is travelling.

 

[TrippyHippy]

What the game really needs is a few more Sorcerous origins. Unfortunately, Sorcerers weren't a thing in AD&D 2nd Ed, so it's not coming from this source. Nice to see the Cavalier back in commission though.

 

[TwoSix]

I'd prefer more novel mechanical expressions of these ideas. Let the BM be the BM. Not everyone should be a BM.

There's room for lots of types of BMs! I've had more than a few myself over the years.

 

[Avenger_jr]

I wonder why they ignored emotion and magic resistance features for the Cavalier. No mention of the Code of Chivalry either.

I see it that the magic resistance features would overlap with the base paladin auras thay allow them and their allies bonuses to saving throws and immunity to fear. As for the ability to demand shelter? That comes across exactly as one of several background features available to players. A fighter(cavalier)/paladin with the noble(perhaps knight variant but with the base feature?), folk hero, acolyte, or soldier backgrounds.

 

[jodyjohnson]

I wonder why they ignored emotion and magic resistance features for the Cavalier. No mention of the Code of Chivalry either.

I think this might be a better fit for a Paladin Code involving Horses. Possibly keying off the Cavalier base abilities.

The 'demand shelter' aspect was rolled into a background. Or could be.

Spell Resistance could be covered by the extra feats the Fighter class gets (Resilient).

 

[jodyjohnson]

There's room for lots of types of BMs! I've had more than a few myself over the years.

The Complete Book of BMs is filling rapidly. (Grab a plunger)

 

[RotGrub]

I think this might be a better fit for a Paladin Code involving Horses. Possibly keying off the Cavalier base abilities.

The 'demand shelter' aspect was rolled into a background. Or could be.

Spell Resistance could be covered by the extra feats the Fighter class gets (Resilient).

Maybe, but the point of the kit was to give a fighter a few of those features without the paladin requirement. If you think about it, such a thing is already being done with the EK subclass. Of course, in 2e fighters and paladins could take the kit.

 

[I'm A Banana]

There's room for lots of types of BMs! I've had more than a few myself over the years.

That's part of why the Scout and the Cavalier are having problems here I think! Everyone else who uses the BM manuevers is saying, in some way, "your BM CAN'T be this." Expanding the BM manuever suite is saying instead "BMs are a flexible subclass that lots of different characters can be."

Not *everyone*, but the Superiority Dice is possibly the most iconic expression of "martial" power in this edition.

I don't know that I'd totally agree with that. It's one subclass. I know spellcasting is pretty ubiquitous in 5e, but SD doesn't seem any more part and parcel of "martial power" in 5e than the Champion's improved crits or the assassin's Assassinate.

From where I'm sitting, "action economy" is where martial classes dominate - through Extra Attacks, through Action Surge, through "bonus action actions" (from the monk and the rogue), characters that don't use spells tend to fit bigger effects into a smaller space than other characters can.

I think it'd be interesting to see a subclass that does more with the action economy, rather than relying on cribbing from the BM's notes.

Something like...(THESE ARE NOT BALANCED AT ALL THEY'RE JUST CONCEPTUAL)
Mounted Mastery. As a cavalier, your mount becomes an elite fighting machine. You can use your bonus action to give allow your mount to take the Help, Disengage, Dodge, or Attack action.

Agile Defense. As a scout, you're able to defend yourself well in light armor. When you are in light or medium armor, and you are hit by an attack, you can use your reaction to cause the attack to miss. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Dexterity modifier, and then you must finish a short or long rest to recharge the feature.

Same ultimate goal of some of the SD features of each subclass, but mechanics that are more innovative than "loot the BM."

 

[TwoSix]

That's part of why the Scout and the Cavalier are having problems here I think! Everyone else who uses the BM manuevers is saying, in some way, "your BM CAN'T be this." Expanding the BM manuever suite is saying instead "BMs are a flexible subclass that lots of different characters can be."

Well, if BMs weren't flexible, they'd never get through the colon.

Same ultimate goal of some of the SD features of each subclass, but mechanics that are more innovative than "loot the BM."

Looting the BM should always be avoided. Many monsters have excellent senses of smell.