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.

 

[Guest 6801328]

I’ve only skimmed, but I like both of them. I like the concepts, and the mechanics seem evocative. The warlock “rage” might be op.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

I personally think that the Warlock's Form of Dread should be once a short rest, like Hexblade's Curse, which is a similar feature for another warlock subclass.

I don't think it's OP, just too available. The immunity to the frightened condition at level one isn't super OP for warlocks, and fits the theme, but it's super abusable for multiclass dips.

Would moving the frightened immunity to Grave-Touched be better, and the extra damage dice (fixed to be once a turn) be better if moved to the level 1 feature?

 

[ZeshinX]

That's awesome. I'm definitely going to steal that at some point.

By all means.

 

[nogray]

Am I misreading, or is the 14th-level power essentially free out-of-combat healing to full?

Out of combat, the spirit bard uses Mystical Connection to roll the d6 until a 3 is rolled, then uses the "friends" tale, repeating without limit thanks to the feature not costing any Inspiration dice. After so doing, the bard could also set one of the party members up with 14+1d10 (or more, as you go up in level) temp HP and +10ft movement speed for each character (the hero story, a 6 result, also being within reach of Mystical Connection). Or, alternatively, the spirit bard could use Mystical Connection to ensure that whichever of the first six tales was considered the best for their party (Beast, Runaway, Avenger, or what have you) as a "preloaded" tale ready to tell. This part bothers me less than the "auto-heal-to-full" offered from the same feature, as I had thought that such healing was discouraged in 5e (no healing cantrips, etc.).

Thoughts? Or did I misread something?

 

[Leatherhead]

Am I misreading, or is the 14th-level power essentially free out-of-combat healing to full?

I had been totally disillusioned with the power before I got to that point, but yes.

 

[Charlaquin]

I personally think that the Warlock's Form of Dread should be once a short rest, like Hexblade's Curse, which is a similar feature for another warlock subclass.

I like that. Keeps the Warlock’s resource game more consistent, and makes it less abusable by multiclass dipping.

I don't think it's OP, just too available. The immunity to the frightened condition at level one isn't super OP for warlocks, and fits the theme, but it's super abusable for multiclass dips.

Would moving the frightened immunity to Grave-Touched be better, and the extra damage dice (fixed to be once a turn) be better if moved to the level 1 feature?

I would expect the extra damage die to be more appealing for multiclass builds than the Frightened immunity, even if fixed to once per turn. What about keeping that at 6th, making it once per turn, and changing the Frigtened immunity to advantage on saves to resist being Freightened at 1st and upgrading to immunity at 6th?

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

I would expect the extra damage die to be more appealing for multiclass builds than the Frightened immunity, even if fixed to once per turn. What about keeping that at 6th, making it once per turn, and changing the Frigtened immunity to advantage on saves to resist being Freightened at 1st and upgrading to immunity at 6th?

I guess that would work. I agree if they moved it to level 1 (the damage dice thing), that might be OP. Hexblades only get a +2 bonus at this level, and with EB this would be an average of +5. It would also encourage multiclassing more.

 

[Mistwell]

Maybe they just realized that it really, really sucks.

I mean, it's fine for a 1 level dip if you're in an undead-heavy campaign.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

I mean, it's fine for a 1 level dip if you're in an undead-heavy campaign.

And the small amount of cyanide in an apple's seeds won't kill you, either.

 

[Azzy]

In principle, stereotyping a Brit is just as problematic as stereotyping a Romani.

Several thoughts on this:

1) This isn't stereotyping the British. If anything, it stereotypes the Spiritualists of the late 19th/early 20th century that were fairly common in the Anglosphere amongst the well-to-do. And considering the amount of fraud that they perpetrated, I'm with Harry Houdini on this matter and I'm okay with stereotyping fraudsters that intentionally bilked gullible, vulnerable people who have lost loved ones just to make some filthy lucre. ¯\(ツ)/¯

2) Stereotyping a people that have been oppressed and persecuted (the Romani) is far greater sin than stereotyping a people that have a history of being the oppressor (the British). It's that whole unequal power dynamic thing. That's not to say that stereotyping the British, which this isn't doing anyway, is cool. (Except when the British stereotype themselves (and their Victorian forebears), then it's usually called comedy.)