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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[Maxperson]

I am very confident you are misreading the feature, Maxperson, at least in terms of RAI. I imagine the final form will be more clear. Your interpretation is seriously counter-intuitive in a way 5E actively avoids.

It may be written incorrectly, but I'm correctly reading it the way it is written. You don't specify this one or that one unless there are more than one of it. You would say, "This lamp over here or this hand," but not "this Mona Lisa." If there were only one spellcasting feature, it would(or should) say, "the."

 

[Paul Farquhar]

In other words, you can replace any Bard spell that you know − that you ‘learned’ by means of the Bard Spellcasting feature.

In other words, you can swap out any Bard spell.

You can replace any Bard spell that you know with any other Bard spell that you dont know.

Whatever the wording, it seems pretty obvious to me that this is the intent.

Indeed it never occurred to me that it meant anything otherwise. I think the assumption is that most players are not lawyers.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

"This spellcasting feature" refers to the new spellcasting feature which modifies the old spellcasting feature. Otherwise it was simply say, "The spellcasting feature." By using the word "this," they are telling you in no uncertain terms that the new feature is separate from the old one. You only need to specify "this" or "that" if there is more than one spellcasting feature.

It cannot refer to spell versatility because spell versatility isn’t a feature named Spellcasting. They didn’t capitalize it for no reason.

They specify “this Spellcasting feature” to make it clear that a multiclassed bard/wizard can’t swap bard spells for wizard spells.

The only thing that “this Spellcasting feature” can mean is the feature named “Spellcasting” that Spell Versatility is enhancing, ie the one for the class that the feature is being applied to.

You are absolutely reading it wrong.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

It may be written incorrectly, but I'm correctly reading it the way it is written. You don't specify this one or that one unless there are more than one of it. You would say, "This lamp over here or this hand," but not "this Mona Lisa." If there were only one spellcasting feature, it would(or should) say, "the."

You may or may not be right re: how it's written but if they intended that peculiar interpretation, they'd have worded it very differently, hence I don't believe that is the RAI.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Whatever the wording, it seems pretty obvious to me that this is the intent.

Indeed it never occurred to me that it meant anything otherwise. I think the assumption is that most players are not lawyers.

And American lawyers at that, because interpreting it the way Max does requires a brand of legal literalism unpopular in non-US common law countries. I agree with you re the RAI.

 

[NotAYakk]

Clearly the first time you use it, you simply pick any spell and thereafter you keep changing the spell selected by the new spellcasting ability.

There is no text that supports your "Clearly" claim that I can see. I mean, I understand your interpretation without the "Clearly" makes the feature useless. But a strange reading of a rule, followed by inventing a new rule to make your strange ruling work, doesn't mean that the invention was valid.

 

[tglassy]

Pretty sure Maxperson is just trolling at this point, trying to get reactions from people who like a new feature he doesn’t.

 

[Maxperson]

Pretty sure Maxperson is just trolling at this point, trying to get reactions from people who like a new feature he doesn’t.

I will only ever troll trolls and I don't see any in this thread. And I like the new feature. What gave you the impression that I don't?

Edit: By the way. Don't attack me personally again.

 

[Undrave]

It's clear to me that Spell Versatility is meant to allow the other casters to CATCH UP to the Wizard. That's why the Wizard isn't getting as big a 'boost'. They don't need it.

Why not give the casters one extra spell known slot in which they can plop a new spell after a long rest. If they learn the same spell this way for 7 days in a row they can swap it for another spell of the same level on their known list. You get a limited level of versatility but you can only swap spells permanently on your downtime.

Because it's busy bookkeeping?

 

[Yaarel]

Whatever the wording, it seems pretty obvious to me that this is the intent.

Indeed it never occurred to me that it meant anything otherwise. I think the assumption is that most players are not lawyers.

Heh, actually. When I first read Spell Versatility I understood the same way @Ashrym and others read it. It was only when I read it again to make sure I got right, that I realized the word ‘Spellcasting’ was capitalized, and referring to a feature with a specific name. What threw me off on the first reading was the word ‘this’ − a pronoun lacking a clear antecedent.