Unearthed Arcana Revived, Noble Genie and Archivist Revisited in UA

The latest Unearthed Arcana replaces the Revived, Noble Genie, and Archivist subclasses with new versions called the Phantom, the Genie, and the Order of Scribes. https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/unearthed-arcana/subclasses-revisited

The latest Unearthed Arcana replaces the Revived, Noble Genie, and Archivist subclasses with new versions called the Phantom, the Genie, and the Order of Scribes.

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Vael

Legend
The Scribe Wizard is a good generalist wizard, with some extra flavour that makes it not just a generalist, so I'm a fan.

This new approach to the genie warlock is really nice, I'm a fan.

There's something offputting with the Phantom Rogue, I think this needs another attempt.
 

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Levistus's_Leviathan

5e Freelancer
Okay, here's my breakdown:

First, the Phantom. I love the name change. I've been wanting a Phantom creature or subclass for years, the name is just super cool and underused.
Whispers of the Dead: Super useful ability. I could definitely see an Artificer multiclassing into Rogue in order to get the free tool proficiency that can change every short rest. Very nice.
Wails from the Grace: Very strange wording. I guess it's fair to be used an amount of times equal to your proficiency bonus, but no other ability in 5e works like this. I mean, it's a cool ability, but fairly limited. I wouldn't be upset if they changed it to your Intelligence or Dexterity modifier times per long rest. I would prefer it to be necrotic damage, but psychic is mechanically better.
Tokens of the Departed: I love this ability. Again, it's usage is a bit strange, but I'll allow it. Very useful, but I think you should be able to give them to allies. Rogues normally don't focus on support, but this would be a nice option. It would be cool if you could use these to create soul coins, but I don't think they'd put that in as a mechanic, as it's pretty niche.
Ghost Walk: Very cool ability. It certainly functions better than the previous version, and I love its relations with the Soul Trinket. Very nice.
Death Knell: Very nice ability. Adds a good boost of damage.
Overall, I like the changes. It got rid of the strangeness of "you learn that you used to be dead, at 3rd level"! It's still a viable background for this subclass, but it's much broader of a concept. I like it. It's good at dealing damage, it's very useful, and is the coolest themed rogue, IMHO.

Second, the Genie patron. I am glad they changed the name. Noble Genie seemed a bit strange. I don't think I'd ever refer to a Marid or Efreet as noble, but it's a nice change. It also helps distinguish between both versions of this subclass.
Expanded Spell List: I love these added spells. They're very useful. Also: WISH! Awesome! It's really great. I love that there's different spell lists for each patron you could served. That seems like a much needed change. Honorable Mentions: Thunderwave, Fireball, Control Water, Wall of Stone, Blur.
Genie's Vessel: Another much needed change to this subclass. Very nice. Bottled Respite is amazing. Once you get to ninth level you can take a full long rest inside, which is awesome. Genie's Wrath is awesome, and is great when you multiclass with Draconic Soul Sorcerers. A slight exploit is to purposefully destroy your vessel to take out the furniture inside it, and then just create a new one during a short rest. INFINITE SOFAS! You can then sell them, and make infinite money. They need to specify that destroying the vessel doesn't give you the pre-existing furniture. (Another tip: This is great for Spelljammer. If you float off into Wildspace, just enter your vessel, and you don't suffocate for a long time, probably long enough to have your party find you.)
Elemental Gift: Amazingly useful. No concentration, no spell based flying. Also, resistance to bludgeoning damage is nothing to sneeze at.
Sanctuary Vessel: When I first read Genie's Vessel I knew they'd have to do this. Extremely useful, again especially in Spelljammer. The short rest mechanic is also super useful.
Limited Wish: Also a great ability! I love this! I mean, you don't get to use it super often, but you're essentially a genie now! The apprentice has become the master. This is much better than the previous version of this ability, which was really terrible. You can cast Raise Dead, Reincarnate, and other super useful spells without spell slots or needing components.
Overall, I love this subclass! It's an amazing overhaul to the mess that was the previous version of this subclass. Very useful, nice-fully designed, and a viable Warlock subclass option.

Third, the Archivist, couch, hem . . . I mean the Scribe. I will miss the Archivist. I'm very sad to see it go. Weird that it's called an Order and not a tradition, but it sounds cool. Order of Scribes is definitely cooler than Tradition of Scibes.
Wizardly Quill: Very cool theme, very useful. The limit is your imagination, and 5 feet of range.
Awakened Spellbook: I can use my spellbook as a spellcasting focus! I always wondered why I couldn't do that. Most pop-culture wizards have scenes where they cast a spell with a spellbook in hand. Up until now, there was no reason at all to do this before. Also, the changing damage type feature is strange, and I would like to limit it to spells that are of the same level to avoid Psychic Meteor Swarms, but otherwise, very, very, extremely useful. Probably overpowered. Scratch that, it's very overpowered, and steps on the toes of the sorcerer. I'm not really complaining, I just think it should be a bit more limited. Now, the ritual casting as the normal casting time is awesome. Super useful. You no longer have the "Do I expend a spell slot to understand this language with Comprehend Languages, or do I wait to cast Thunderwave to possibly save my life?" scenarios. Very useful, maybe overpowered, but I don't think it is.
Master Scrivener: (Is that a word? I just looked it up. Yep, it's a word.) Okay, so you are really good at making spell scrolls. Cool. Kind of weird that they said "the spell is 1st or 2nd level, but actually 1 level higher". It makes sense why they did that, but is in a kind of weird wording. I like the ability. Basically give you another 1st-2nd level spell slot, but better. Also neat that it can be from your spellbook, and doesn't need to be prepared. Very useful. (A bit abusable when combined with Dragonmarked added spell lists and Ravnica backgrounds, but still okay)
Manifest Mind: So, it's like a mix of a familiar and an Abjurer's Ward. You can cast spells with a 300 feet extended range. Very useful. It's a neat ability, and limited enough to not be broken. Well done Wizards!
One with the Word: (Weird name) Wow. Teleportation at 300 feet. Very neat. Also, the revivification ability is awesome, but brutal on your spellbook. Make sure you always have a lot of spellbooks with you to use this on. The worst part is getting rid of your ability to cast those spells ever. You have to keep track of the spells you're not able to cast. This really sucks, but is worth it if you don't have a cleric or druid, access to any revivification magic, or any magic that restores your life. Brutal, but effective.
To summarize, I am very sad to see the archivist go. I loved that subclass, but I do very much like this subclass. This feels very much like a wizard subclass. I would love to give them the ability to cast any spell from their spellbook if they're holding it, even if they don't have it prepared. This subclass is very vulnerable to the loss of your spellbook, so you may want to consider getting a bag of holding to store it in, or getting an Enduring Spellbook.

Whither the Archivist? I am very disappointed the archivist is gone. I feel like these 2 subclasses can live together in peace, but I don't see that being possible. I'm also very sad to see Onomancy go, and mildly disappointed in the abandonment of the Psionic Wizard, but I understand the changes they made.

Summary of the whole UA: I like this UA. They did a very good job at building subclasses. There's a few quirks to work out, but otherwise it looks good. I am pleased with what they've done this month. The Phantom and Genie subclasses feel very Planescape-y to me, but I can't seem so find where the Scribe Wizard would fit into that theme. I like this UA, in my opinion, it's the best they've came out with in a long time.
 

-I like the Phantom and the concept of collecting soul tokens, but I feel there could be some other spooky-themed abilities added to the class. Maybe something else to do with bonus action as a rogue.
-The Genie Pact Warlock feels more like it's using a genie. I think it's neat that past 9th level the Warlock can be inside the vessel just long enough to have a long rest in it.
-The Scribe is a better try at the Wizard archetype. I really like One with the Word, it's almost like they're a Living Lich of some with the book as the Phylactery.
 






I like the concepts.
I think the damage substitues need some limits. Probably proficiency bonus per long rest or so. While I like the feature I would not like Force balls all over the place. It is nice as something you can pull out if needed desperately.
Yoou could also associate a cost to it. Take d6 psychic damage or lose a hit die per two spell levels rounded up.
 

TwoSix

Dirty, realism-hating munchkin powergamer
I like the abilities of Phantom Rogue, just not so much the order. I'd rather see Departed Tokens moved to 3rd, and then destroy a token to gain the Wail damage for 1 minute at 9th. X uses per long rest of a few d6 psychic damage just isn't exciting, despite the good action economy.
 

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