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.”

News Archive | Dungeons and Dragons

Read the full archives of Dungeons & Dragons news, Sage Advice, Unearthed Arcana, and D&D Studio Blogs.

dnd.wizards.com

 

[dave2008]

Seems like their response to Pathfinder 2e and this doesn't come close still to the versatility of other d20 fantasy rpgs. It's a nice step in the right direction though.

Not likely, this has probably been in the works for quite some time. I agree there is not the number of options as some other games have, but that is something we like about 5e. A little more is good for us, but I don't want the flood of options available in PF2e. That being said, I would like to see the concept of variant features expanded some.

 

[Connorsrpg]

The more I think about this, the more I agree.

Now we even have a formula: 1 fighting style = 2 cantrips.

So, the proposed Fighting Style feat is something like a ½feat, that can either add +1 ability score, or more stuff relating to a fighting style.

I have a feat that does exactly this. Adds +1 Strength or Dexterity & choose another fighting style. So it has a prereq' that you already have access to them.

Are people suggesting this should be available to anyone? I was thinking this could be a little too good, but wonder how people feel about this?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

There should probably be a Fighting Style for would-be eldritch knights - 2 wizard cantrips.

 

[akr71]

Things I like

• more maneuvers
• more fighting styles
• more metamagic options (though I think they could have come up with more)

Things I dislike

• Spells Known is now irrelevant - Bards, Rangers, Sorcerers and Warlocks can change up their spell lists on a long rest. I know it is only one spell/long rest, but I still don't like it.
• Aim, its cool, but is that all they could come up with for Rogues?

I'll have to re-read it, but those are my first impressions.

 

[5ekyu]

Obviously testing will weed out dome stuff but I really like these. I especially like flex-canttips and known spells getting one chsnge at long rest.

Definitely like druid salt wildshape. Familiar for stuff etc.
Feels like Talism should give one expertise plus the d4 for non-prof checks.

 

[JPL]

So the Aim Rogue could be, f'rinstance, a scout who uses his exceptional mobility to get to a safe spot, and then drops some enemies with long-range sneak attacks. Nice.

Fighter's Unarmed Fighting style would be a lot more appealing if his unarmed strikes were also considered weapon attacks. Look at how many fighter features for battlemaster and champion are keyed to weapon attacks.

 

[tglassy]

For those saying they want them to change Spell Versatility for Bards, Sorcerers and Warlocks to work for level up rather than long rest...that’s exactly how it works now.

Those classes already can only have an extremely small number of spells. 2, at lvl 1, 15 at lvl 20. That’s not a lot. Wizards have up to 6 at lvl 1, and 25 at lvl 20, and every ritual in their book, as well. And that’s a whole lot more. And Wizards have a much, much larger spell list to choose from, and can eventually learn ALL of them.

Allowing a being infused with magic, or a person connected to a powerful being, to switch up a single spell every long rest won’t overshadow the Wizard, it just solves what is an arbitrary nerf to these classes. Their philosophy of “You get what you get and you don’t throw a fit” was the biggest thing I had a hard time with, even though they are some of my favorite classes.

As for them knowing their whole list, technically, it makes sense for Sorcerers and Warlocks. Sorcerers do things on instinct, not learning, and Warlocks have a patron that teaches them power, so both have a leg up on a Wizard, who gets more prepared spells per day and a larger list to pick from, but who is limited to the spells in their book. Bards are a little more of a stretch, unless you figure they’re another kind of Sorcerer.

 

[gyor]

For a multiclass Druid/Chainlock, could you use Wild Shape to summon say or imp or would it summon a seperate familiar?

 

[gyor]

Elemental magic sure as heck can, not only does it allow the Sorcerer to target vulneribles and avoid resistance, but it makes sure that any type of Dragon Sorcerer has more spell options that fit their element.

To expand on this, the Storm Sorcerer also gets a lot synergy out of Elemental Metamagic.

 

[Azzy]

There's a whole lotta Rosie here, and it's good.

Considering that there are more uprades than optional choices, this just screams 5.5th edition like I said earlier. It comes across a lot more palatable, however.

It seems that one of the goals here is to make characters more flexible and not stuck with poor choices. That's a good thing imo.

I like a lot of the Fighter upgrades. The Champion could have used an improvement to Remarkable Athlete, but the additional Maneuvers for the Battlemaster (and those with the feat or the new fighting style) are much appreciated. Still, I'd like to see a few more and more mowerful ones (like those that use multiple superiority dice or level-gated maneuvers).

The Ranger upgrades are real nice, too. I'd like more options for Deft Explorer, though. Favored Foe also steps on the Monster Hunter's Slayer's Prey ability pretty hard.