Unearthed Arcana New UA: 43 D&D Class Feature Variants

The latest Unearthed Arcana is a big 13-page document! “Every character class in D&D has features, and every class gets one or more class feature variants in today’s Unearthed Arcana! These variants replace or enhance a class’s normal features, giving you new ways to enjoy your character’s class.”

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[doctorbadwolf]

No, it cannot Attack on it’s turn. It can attack as a reaction when the Warlock uses the attack action and gives one of its attacks to allow it to. This invocation makes it a bonus action instead.

Huh. Hadn’t realized that. The stock chain Warlock is garbage, in that case.

 

[Salthorae]

Sacred Flame to patch up the Paladin's typical weakness in ranged combat, and Guidance because it's, well, Guidance. What more do you need?

Depending on your type of Paladin other options: Spare the Dying or Toll the Dead would be good secondary options as well.

Huh. Hadn’t realized that. The stock chain Warlock is garbage, in that case.

That's always been true, OTOH if I'm worried about my combat effectiveness, I'm not playing a Chain-lock in the first place.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Depending on your type of Paladin other options: Spare the Dying or Toll the Dead would be good secondary options as well.



That's always been true, OTOH if I'm worried about my combat effectiveness, I'm not playing a Chain-lock in the first place.

The Barbarian option is horrible. Worse than worthless, in that it destroys something valuable.
[/QUOTE]
I mean, it is optional.

 

[tglassy]

Huh. Hadn’t realized that. The stock chain Warlock is garbage, in that case.

That’s not true at all. Having a Familiar with a fly speed, Devil’s Sight, a poisonous sting, the ability to polymorph into a spider, rat or crow, that can turn invisible at will and whom you can see through their senses from any distance on the planet is incredibly useful. Oh, and they can, invisibly, give you advantage on every Attack by hovering 5 ft above the enemy. While invisible. And you’re upset because it can’t attack on it’s turn? Would you like the Familiar to take on the Big Bad by himself as well? He’s not an animal companion, he’s a Familiar. Stock familiars can’t do half that.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

That’s not true at all. Having a Familiar with a fly speed, Devil’s Sight, a poisonous sting, the ability to polymorph into a spider, rat or crow, that can turn invisible at will and whom you can see through their senses from any distance on the planet is incredibly useful. Oh, and they can, invisibly, give you advantage on every Attack by hovering 5 ft above the enemy. While invisible. And you’re upset because it can’t attack on it’s turn? Would you like the Familiar to take on the Big Bad by himself as well? He’s not an animal companion, he’s a Familiar. Stock familiars can’t do half that.

Stock familiars can do all but the invisibility and attacking, and the attack is absolutely never worth it if it costs your action.

 

[Parmandur]

Stock familiars can do all but the invisibility and attacking, and the attack is absolutely never worth it if it costs your action.

You are severely overestimating what the Find Familiar Spell provides, and underestimating what the Chain Pact adds. Like you suggested people do with Monk weapons, take another look.

 

[Dausuul]

Lots of great stuff in here! Especially for the warrior types. And the new warlock invocations are friggin' awesome. The talisman pact is pretty darn sweet, too.

Although... animate dead on the warlock spell list? Seriously? The class that can cast it twice per hour starting at 5th level? That seems... uh... potent.

Inelegant but effective fix to dragon sorcerers with the elemental swap. Except green dragon sorcerers, who can't use it. Poor green dragon sorcerers. Their damage spells are a sad joke, whole categories of creatures are flat-out immune to their favored damage type, and now the fix for every other dragon sorc--the one they need more than anybody--goes right past them. They just can't catch a break.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

You are severely overestimating what the Find Familiar Spell provides, and underestimating what the Chain Pact adds. Like you suggested people do with Monk weapons, take another look.

Meh, the gap isn’t that great unless the chain familiar can use its own actions however it wants on its turn.

And yet, I still think it’s silly to be mad that the invocation that sparked this discussion come in at 9th.

 

[Kurotowa]

Although... animate dead on the warlock spell list? Seriously? The class that can cast it twice per hour starting at 5th level? That seems... uh... potent.

I suspect it's one of those things where it looks stronger in a white room sim where the Warlock has an infinite supply of corpses and no daily activities besides casting Animate Dead and taking short rests. In actual play, Warlocks want to take part in adventurers and use spell slots for adventurer things. You can probably get away with using it twice at the start of the day and counting morning activities like breakfast as a short rest, but beyond that you really need to get on with the day.

 

[renbot]

Wow it gives every spell-casting class the versatility of the wizard. And gives the wizard absolutely nothing.