Unearthed Arcana New Unearthed Arcana: Rune Knight, Swarmkeeper, The Revived

Another new Unearthed Arcana! "In today’s Unearthed Arcana, three classes each receive a playtest option. The fighter gets a Martial Archetype option: the Rune Knight. The ranger gains a Ranger Archetype option: the Swarmkeeper. And the rogue acquires a Roguish Archetype option: the Revived."

 

[FR41100MO]

After Reading all the latest UA, I am quite disappointed. In my opinion most of them lack of flavour, and are not balanced with the official material already released. Balance was not a issue in the old times, and they can work on it before the release of the supplement. The concept instead is something different, is there or is not.

Most of all these kind of ideas might be the beginning of the end, if you are not really solving all the issues of the test phase. After a while (1/2 years?) not required subclass are out, considering how uneven and worthless they are, the designing Team starts reshuffling and rethinking the whole system, anticipating the need of a new edition.

Hope I am wrong, but next year is going to be six of 5e. I wanted this edition to last 10 years, might be 7/8 are enough. Time will tell.

 

[Salthorae]

Something I did think about though with the Rune Knight, you can only put one rune on a single item. So, your armor gets one rune, your shield gets one rune (or your offhand weapon) and your weapon gets one rune. What do you do with a fourth and eventually fifth rune?

I mean, they specifically use the language "wearing or carrying" an item inscribed with a rune. Does that mean carrying it in my hand, or simply carrying it on my person? If I have 4 runes, - armor, shield, weapon and weapon, do I need to put away one weapon to use the other weapon's rune?

It's not entirely clear. And it could lead to some pretty weird situations at high level where I'm pulling out weapons, invoking the rune, tossing the weapon and pulling out another weapon just to use another rune the next round. Which is going to run into issues when the fighter doesn't want to chuck his flaming longsword to pull out his non-magical axe just to invoke a different rune.

I've noticed language that was a bit woolly on several of these new subclasses. In this case the intent appears to be that you can only have three runes active at any one time (or two if you use a 2H weapon) and you are expected to swap your gear about. That's one of the things I meant when I described the ability as "too complicated".

I thought the wording was pretty clear myself. It says wearing or carrying, and since the runes can only be on weapons, armor, or shields, to me that meant "equipped", so to speak.

If they meant "on your person", I think they would have said it like that as they did for the Luckblade and Stone of Good Luck

While this polished agate is on your person ...

While the sword is on your person, you also gain a +1 bonus to saving throws.
If the sword is on your person, you can call on its luck

 

[Paul Farquhar]

XGtE had 28, way more than have been out out here.

Many of which never appeared in UA, and some of which where reprints.

 

[Parmandur]

Many of which never appeared in UA, and some of which where reprints.

28 new Subclasses, not including reprintings. All Subclasses went through SCAG or UA first, and they tested somewhere around 40 Subclasses, many of which did not make the cut.

 

[Salthorae]

For my part I'm a big Eberron fan. When I hear "ancient giant rune magic" I think of Xen'drik, and when I think of Xen'drink I think of drow. Right now I'm bouncing between a drow finesse Rune Knight and dark skinned half-elf Rune Knight from Stormreach, even though it'll be ages before I get a chance to play either of them.

This is a great call. I like Eberron, but grew up in FR so that is my usual default.

Xen'drik drow would be a great fit for the Rune Knight as well thematically.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

You can't dodge with cunning action. You could hide but then you'd immediately lose it. You could disengage, which helps with the being ranged in melee issue with something like a crossbow. Dash is useful for ranged as well, especially since you need to be somewhat close to use the special attack, and you'd rather be farther away when firing your weapon.

The point of hiding would be advantage.

 

[Xenonnonex]

Wherever I think of rune magic I think of Paizo's rune giants. The greatest and tallest of all giants. I want to make a rune scarred goliath rune knight. Who is seeking his ancestry and maximum height.

 

[Salthorae]

Wherever I think of rune magic I think of Paizo's rune giants. The greatest and tallest of all giants. I want to make a rune scarred goliath rune knight. Who is seeking his ancestry and maximum height.

Ooo, another great concept. This stuff is all gold

A goliath that would (on average after the 10th level height increase) be able to grow to over 15' tall with the growth ability sounds delicious.

Need to figure out a way to get him the enlarge spell too so he can be 30' tall Maybe level 3 Giant Soul Sorcerer (hill giant) to get the shillelagh cantrip and enlarge spell as bonus spells. Then Rune Knight the rest of the way.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The point of hiding would be advantage.

Which again is weird. How long does something need to be out of sight for you not to know were it is?

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Which again is weird. How long does something need to be out of sight for you not to know were it is?

A tiny sliver of a moment.

Because you can know the area where something is without knowing where it is.

Being hidden means they’ve lost track of you, can’t target you directly, and you have advantage on attacks against them. That perfectly reasonable with hiding quickly in a fight.