Unearthed Arcana Unearthed Arcana: Spirits Bard and Undeath Warlock

We have a new UA release with two subclasses. The College of Spirits Bard is a fortune teller or spirit medium type character with a big random effect table. Meanwhile the Undeath Pact Warlock is a a do-over of the Undying Pact Warlock.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Right, so it is 1 die when rolling damage. You are rolling damage that is 1d10+1d6. So you only get 1 die, not two.
Well, sure it all gets doubled from a crit, but Acerak is claiming that you get 1d10 Blast, 1d10 subclass, 1d6 hex, 1d6 subclass. Which is not true

Yeah, this is probably right. It was just a minor mistake. It doesn't make the ability balanced even without the hex being doubled, though. It's still OP.

 

[Blue]

I hate random effect tables, so I'm going in with that bias already. HOpefully it's a pleasant surprise!

So do I. If a player joins the party as a wild sorcerer, I hate them already with the fury of 1000 suns

Heh, we're going the other way. Not only do we have a Wild Magic Sorcerer in a campaign I'm running, but I've given all of the other players the ability to trigger a surge to recharge Tides of Chaos, not just the DM. (I also let players give out Inspiration - it's a trustworthy and veteran group.)

Actually, now that I think of it, I have wild magic sorcerers in two campaigns I run. The second campaign though is for a bunch of early teens, and things are a bit looser.

 

[Leatherhead]

So, I did some math based upon an interpretation of this text:

In addition, when you hit a creature with an attack and roll damage against the creature, you can replace the damage type with necrotic damage. While you are using your Form of Dread, you can roll one additional damage die when determining the necrotic damage the target takes.

The interpretation being "when you change the damage type of your attack into necrotic damage, you gain one extra die of that damage". Also meaning no extra Hex Damage when you trigger it.

It was a little surprising, to be honest. It starts out as being stronger than even the Hexblade, but then stagnates a bit in the late game.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

I don't get why people hate random effect tables so much for characters. I personally like them, even though the Wild Magic Sorcerer is underpowered. I like this table and the "Wild Magic Barbarian" one (I forgot the name of that UA, with the chaotic magic barbarian). As long as the results on the random effects table are balanced, I'm okay with them. Hell, they can be slightly more powerful for some of them, as you aren't guaranteed to get any specific feature when you roll on those tables.

I also like how the Bardic Inspiration random effects table scales.

 

[Parmandur]

I don't get why people hate random effect tables so much for characters. I personally like them, even though the Wild Magic Sorcerer is underpowered. I like this table and the "Wild Magic Barbarian" one (I forgot the name of that UA, with the chaotic magic barbarian). As long as the results on the random effects table are balanced, I'm okay with them. Hell, they can be slightly more powerful for some of them, as you aren't guaranteed to get any specific feature when you roll on those tables.

I also like how the Bardic Inspiration random effects table scales.

Fun to note that this week's UA options were spearheaded by Ben Petrisor, who also did that Barbarian and Monk combo last year.

 

[jmartkdr2]

I don't get why people hate random effect tables so much for characters. I personally like them, even though the Wild Magic Sorcerer is underpowered. I like this table and the "Wild Magic Barbarian" one (I forgot the name of that UA, with the chaotic magic barbarian). As long as the results on the random effects table are balanced, I'm okay with them. Hell, they can be slightly more powerful for some of them, as you aren't guaranteed to get any specific feature when you roll on those tables.

I also like how the Bardic Inspiration random effects table scales.

The Wild Sorcerer is a special case where they can randomly screw over the party - at low levels, there's even about a 2% chance of a TPK.

This one (the bard) is fine. Not everyone's cuppa tea, but you'll rarely get a useless one and you still have the full range of bard goodies.

 

[ZeshinX]

Necroprancer?

Ouija Board?

It is now and forever the Ouija Bard if it EVER sees print outside of UA at my table.

 

[OblivionDrive]

I don't get why people hate random effect tables so much for characters. I personally like them, even though the Wild Magic Sorcerer is underpowered. I like this table and the "Wild Magic Barbarian" one (I forgot the name of that UA, with the chaotic magic barbarian). As long as the results on the random effects table are balanced, I'm okay with them. Hell, they can be slightly more powerful for some of them, as you aren't guaranteed to get any specific feature when you roll on those tables.

I think there are some people who just don't like that degree of chaos and unpredictability at their tables? I mean, if that works for you then I guess go nuts, but personally that feels boring to me.

I know random tables can sometimes produce nonsensical results if you simply take them straight out (much as was the case of, say, incorporating critical hit tables from third party sources/different games like LITERALLY EVERY GROUP I PLAYED 2E WITH DID) but with wild magic, that's almost the point.

I remember back when Tome of Magic came out, the first thing I thought was "Well... CLEARLY I need to play one of these guys!" but I sadly never got the chance to.

It's just a playstyle preference thing, even if I think it's a boring one. I also find CharOps types boring too, but for some that's where they find their happy place. Godspeed on your quest to make the next Pun-Pun, random hypothetical player! May our tables never meet!

 

[ZeshinX]

Yeah but if you're dual wielding lances on a horse, it feels like a corner case at that point... But it makes a great build for a villain.

I do love those ridiculous (but possible) examples. It helps remind me to not take the game too seriously at times.

The mental imagery alone is incredible....seeing the undeath emo warlock, sitting astride his black steed, dual-wielding darkened steel lances with "Point" down one lance and "Taken" down the other.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

I do love those ridiculous (but possible) examples. It helps remind me to not take the game too seriously at times.

The mental imagery alone is incredible....seeing the undeath emo warlock, sitting astride his black steed, dual-wielding darkened steel lances with "Point" down one lance and "Taken" down the other.

Yeah. In D&D, you often have to suspend your disbelief for the purposes of the rules or fun to happen. I mean, yeah. Who doesn't want to play a death knight who rides on top of a Skeleton Warhorse, both you and your steed wearing Plate Armor, and you have two giant shadowy lances, with which you instantly kill any commoner who has the misfortune of coming across you.

Imagine a warlock who makes a pact with a lich, who as part of their pact have to capture bodies or souls for their master, to either feed them, grow their undead army, or use them for some other unholy purposes.