Well this is a big PDF. I'm going to be a bit shorter than normal, and also jump around a bit for formating.
Proficiency Versatility
Basically it's a minor retraining rule.
Barbarian
Survival Instincts
You swap out Danger Sense for Expertise in a few select skills. A hard sell, but some would argue that Expertise in Perception is worth advantage on Dex saves. Especially if you already have a good dex score or some other way to mitigate the loss. The other skills are kind of ribbonish, Survival being the most practical, and Medicine being practically useless.
Instinctive Pounce
Instead of a free +10' of move every turn, you can spend your reaction to move to ½ of your speed without triggering OAs when some careless soul wanders withing striking distance of you. Not worth it for slow races at all. And it caps out at an effective 15' of movement so you can't otherwise stack speed to abuse it, such as by dashing, which
does work with the normal Fast Movement. The heavy restrictions make it a total downgrade of Fast Movement with some flowery flavor that isn't delivered upon.
Bard
Expanded Spell List
Do you find Bards somehow lacking in the spell department despite being considered one of the top-tier casting classes? No? Oh well, here are a few spells that should have probably been Bard spells to begin with, plus a few extra flashy spells because Bards are flashy. Also
Maze, for no discernible reason.
To be fair, a Bard could have easily picked up most of these spells due to their magical secrets ability.
Magical Inspiration
Your Bardic Inspiration can also boost the damage or healing of a spell. The Damage part is kind of “Whatever.” The healing boost, on the other hand, is interesting. It doesn't seem game-breaking but that might be because I have overlooked something.
Spell Versatility
Now this is meaty, you can swap out any one spell you know with another spell from the Bard Spell list once per Long Rest. Even a Cantrip (as noted by the convenient gray box). This sort of fits the Bard's theme of versatility, but damn that really opens up their builds to use spells with more niche appeal. It effectively makes them a prepared caster like a Cleric, only a bit more limited.
Note: This doesn't work with spells gained from Magical Secrets, so it doesn't open up every spell ever to them, which would have been totally absurd.
Cleric
Cantrip Versatility
You can Retrain Cleric Cantrips on a Level Up. Again, this doesn't work on spells gained via your Domain. Not particularly useful, considering that Clerics have a small cantrip list, and their cantrips tend to fall into either the “top of the line” or “solid Meh” camps. Most Clerics I have seen go with
Sacred Flame/ Toll the Dead (Based on how “holy” they are),
Guidance, and then whatever else that isn't
Spare the Dying and looks fun
. Maybe an obligatory
Light if they don't have darkvision. But even they, they start scraping the dregs of the barrel after their 3rd or 4th pick.
Expanded Spell list
Clerics are one of the most dangerous classes to give new spells too, along with Druids. This is because they automagically “know” every spell on their list. This time they end up taking mostly from the Paladin (though some domains could already do that), and
Power Word Heal, which is arguably less useful than
Mass Heal.
Channel Divinity: Harness Divine Power
You can regain an extra 1st level spell slot instead of doing whatever else you can do with your Divine powers. This is deceptively powerful: It allows the Cleric do use a short rest resource to regain someones HP. Which is a huge deal in and of itself, let alone at level 2 where it would let the Cleric act like a Warlock.
Blessed Strikes
Interesting for three reasons:
- It lets you do Cantrip and Melee damage boosting instead of just one of them.
- You can swap out a less desirable damage type for Radiant.
- It doesn't scale up like either option.
Druid
Cantrip Versatility
This might actually be useful for a Druid, who has oodles of cantrips to pick from. Then again, it's still a level up retaining tool, so any usefulness is going to be limited to begin with.
Expanded Spell List
The first spell list that will legitimately raise some eyebrows.
Revivify for instance, significantly erodes whats left of Cleric healer supremacy at lower tiers of the game (though they might be counting on Harness Divine Power to make up for that shrinking gap.)
Wild Companion
You can use your wildshape to summon a temporary familiar. Kind of a fun alternate use, makes scouting safer. Kind of a lowball variant of other alternate wildshape rules we have seen lately.
Fighter
I am disappointed by the lack of Brute options here.
Fighting Style Options
Martial Versatility
Retraining for Fighting Styles. A nice touch should your warrior be maimed an unable to do the thing they used to to.
Blind Fighting
As if the rules for being invisible weren't convoluted enough! I get what they are going for, but damn, the way they wrote it gives a headache.
Interception
You become a Bodyguard. Unfortunately, the damage reduction doesn't scale, and also you are required to wield a real weapon or shield to make it work. Just let them use their meaty bodies to absorb the damage in the targets stead, it will work out.
Thrown Weapon Fighting
Finally, justice for the Dart-Master. Not only can you ignore that weird rule about drawing weapons, you get a +1 damage bonus.
Unarmed Fighting
Really for grapplers, this lets people turn their fists into a club for damage. It also lets them do an additional 1d4 damage per attack when they are grappling someone. Which adds up for fighters or Monk Multi-classers. Is grappling worth it? Maybe if you are a Rune Knight.
Superior Technique (unique to Fighters)
Now every Fighter is a Battle Master. Especially handy for Champions who would otherwise just get +1 AC with their second Fighting Style.
Maneuver Versatility
Battle Masters can now prepare the maneuvers like a Wizard each morning.
Not going to lie, this kind of strains my verisimilitude. But I am all for Fighters becoming more versatile
Maneuver Options
Ambush
You can sneak better, and you have an optional bonus to initiative checks, at the cost of a superiority die. Handy.
Bait and Switch
Bringing back more Warlord, you can swap places with an ally and give them a bonus to AC for a turn.
Of note, this isn't an action, so you could do it in addition to anything else you were planning.
Brace
A superior OA option that triggers whenever something moves near you.
Restraining Strike
An option for Grapplers, unfortunately for them it will be hard to get all the options in these recent UA doccuments due to what classes get them.
Silver Tongue
Interesting. This turns a combat resource into a social resource.
Snipe
A bonus action ranged attack for people who like to throw things. A bit clunky if you are using a shield perhaps.
Studious Eye
Another way to turn combat resources into social resources. Makes me wish Battle Masters had access to even more maneuvers.
Monk
Monk Weapons
Everyone is a Kensei now. Too bad you cant use a Longbow or Polearm with this. Come on, those are all over the place in Wuxia films WotC! Just make them do reduced damage for a few levels or something.
Ki-Fueled Strike
A bone to the Way of the Four Elements monk I suppose, also a solid boost to the Way of Shadow. I don't see other Monks really benefiting from it due to wording, and Way of the Sun Soul is a ranged warrior so there might be some conflict there.
Ki Features
Distant Eye
Negates the weapon long range penalty for one turn.
Quickened Healing
Another Short rest healing power, this one is like Second Wind. Man WotC is really pushing this short rest healing thing lately.
Paladin
Fighting Style Options
I've gone over most of them for the fighter, here is the unique one:
Blessed Warrior
Two Cleric Cantrips that you can cast with Cha sounds cool, until you look at the Cleric cantrip list. Maybe there is something that could be done with
Word of Radiance.
Expanded Spell list
Spirit Guardians is a bit extreme (however it is available to Oath of the Crown), nothing else stands out.
Channel Divinity: Harness Divine Power
This might be more extreme on a Paladin than it is on a Cleric. Mostly because of Smites.
Ranger
Deft Explorer
Natural Explorer is often maligned for being too restraining, and also skipping an entire pillar of play. Lets see what they replaced it with. Note, you are going to get all three eventually.
Canny
Half of Expertise on a small list, and two bonus languages. Nice start.
Roving
Lets your Ranger range all over the battlefield, a small bonus to speed and two additional movement types. That's actually rather cool, thematic, and impactful.
Tireless
The ability that Berserkers wish they had. On a Ranger, it's still cool.
Favored Foe
Free
Hunters Mark! No, seriously, it's got it's own castings, and doesn't require concentration!
Fighting Style Options
They get most of the new Fighter ones.
Druidic Warrior
This one is way better than Blessed Warrior, because Druids get way better cantrips. Of particular note:
Shillelagh, which turns a Ranger into a Wisdom based Warrior.
Expanded Ranger Spells
They get some healer type spells they were missing.
Revivify is nice for Beastmasters at that stage of the game.
Spell Versatility
Same as the Bard one, only less useful because of Ranger. Though Rangers do get a lot of situational spells.
Spellcasting Focus
They can use a Druid Focus. Which is a nice, otherwise they were stuck with component pouches.
Primal Awareness
A better feature than the one it replaces. I know people who will absolutely love getting
Speak With Animals for free if nothing else.
Fade Away
You can use magic to become invisible for a turn instead of covering yourself in dirt to do a stakeout.
This might be the most strait-up even but different swap option in this entire document so far.
Ranger Companion Options
HERE WE GO. You get a “Primal Beast” instead of a normal beast.
Beast of the Air
The HP math is complex, fortunately you only need to recalculate it on level up. Also, because you are getting it at level 3, the minimum HP is going to be 16. Which is a good enough chunk for a hit-and-run type creature.
It has small size, Flyby Attack, 60' darkvision, And It understands any language you speak.
Most importantly: you can use your bonus action to make the beast attack or hide. AND you can spend a 1st level spell slot to bring them back to life! Soooo gooood.
Beast of the Earth
A bigger, more ground-bound beast. It is medium sized, meaning a gnome can ride on it. It can do most of the cool stuff above, with the exception of having a Charge Attack instead of Flyby.
All they need to do now, is introduce a few more creature templates, and hammer out the level scaling to more than just extra HP.
Rogue
Cunning Action: Aim
Before you think they get shafted by having one ability, realize this gives them advantage on demand for practically nothing other than their movement speed. No more trying to finagle the stealth rules, just strait up tank-and-spank.
Sorcerer
Expanded spells list
Yes.
Also
Primal Savagery is kind of cool.
Spell Versatility
The same as the above attempts. Sorcerers might be the ones who demanded something like this the most.
Font of Magic Options
I honestly just expected more Metamagic.
Empowering Reserves
Magic for skill boosts. The most potent part of this is that it would apply to concentration checks.
Imbuing Touch
You can make temporary magic weapons, and hand them to the other people in your party! Handy indeed.
Sorcerous Fortitude
Temp HP on demand. Them being d4's really crimps this option. Maybe if it was real healing.
Metamagic Options
We all knew they were coming at this point.
Elemental Spell
There has been much gnashing of teeth over this ability (While it was in Wizard form). However, I predict this metamagic option will be a hard pass for most Sorcerers. Why? Because it is still just a band aid over the gaping wound of not having enough elemental flavored spells to begin with! The Elemental Origins want a passive ability that reflavors their elemental spells without sinking metamagic into it. Other Origins might see this as sort-of useful, but is it worth giving up another potential metamagic option to them? Not really! Note: you can only apply one metamagic at a time to a spell, unless otherwise noted by the spesific metamagic option.
Seeking Spell
Ignore less than total cover for Dex Saves or Spell Attack rolls. Now that's a metamagic worth getting. And it works for every target of the spell, not just one of them.
Unerring Spell
You get a second attack roll with your spell if you miss. Can be applied to spells that have other metamagic effects! Worth considering if you are heavy into the spell attack playstyle.
Warlock
Spell Versatility
Here it is again. Unfortunately it doesn't work with the spells granted by your Otherworldly Patron, making it less useful.
Expanded Warlock Spells
It's more spells to pick from.
Pact Boon Option
Pact of the Talisman
+1d4 to rolls that you are not proficient in just doesn't have the draw of the other ones. At least not by itself.
Eldritch Invocation Options
Bond of the Talisman
Unlimited teleportation for you or your buddy at level 12. Nifty
Chain Master’s Fury
Now Warlock pets can benefit from bonus action attacking, but only after level 9. Bleh.
Eldritch Armor
It's basically heavy or medium armor proficiency, but with extra steps. Though you might be able to argue it works for any kind of armor, no matter how exotic it would be.
Eldritch Mind
Concentration check advantage get!
Far Scribe
Changes your Pact Tome into a iPhone for sending text messages to people.
Gift of the Protectors
Save one person from being KOed per day.
Investment of the Chain Master
You supercharge your Warlock Familar.
Protection of the Talisman
Gives your pact boon of 1d4 to other people
Rebuke of the Talisman
You punish whoever hits the person wearing your boon. Can be nifty for giving to a meatshield.
Wizard
Cantrip Versatility
Boooooo! You had the opportunity to let Wizards add multiple Cantrips to their spellbook and swap them out, but you just went for the copy-paste!
Expanded Wizard Spell list
Just a few spells they didn't already have for arbitrary reasons.
And that's it. Kind of ended on a whimper really.
dnd.wizards.com
