D&D 5E Strixhaven: Curriculum of Chaos No Subclasses Confirmed by James Crawford

[Parmandur]

So, Jeremy Crawford has confirmed that the Subclasses from the recent UA were rejected, and have been replaced with "Magic Collefe" Feats that broaden the possible PC types at any rate:

"'The Unearthed Arcana playtest did the job we asked it to do,' Crawford said. "Occasionally, we put some very experimental things in front of D&D fans and ask them if they want to see more of it. In this case, the very simple answer was 'No.'"

"'We learned two really important things from this playtest that reinforced something we've been seeing from the D&D community going back to D&D Next (the original playtest for Fifth Edition rules)' Crawford continued. 'People love for D&D subclasses to speak to the distinctiveness of a particular class. 5E fans also want subclasses to be usable in as many subclasses as possible, since so many DMs homebrew their own settings. In this case, there was a bit of an uphill climb since the subclasses were so tied to a particular setting, that being the magical college of Strixhaven.'c

"Crawford noted that they were prepared for the fanbase to reject the subclasses and had prepared "contingency plans" in case they didn't work out. The subclasses will be replaced with other character options, such as feats tied to each specific college, which will support even more character types than the subclasses would have. We could also see some design elements appear in future D&D products in another capacity. Various new magic items (including magic textbooks) will also appear in the book to help players feel tied to their chosen Strixhaven college."

Dungeons & Dragons Scraps Controversial Playtest Subclasses from Strixhaven Book

Dungeons & Dragons has opted not to move forward with five subclasses that could be used by [...]

comicbook.com

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Each College grants a free feat. I look forward to the feats and spells, I suspect the token summoning spells will be in.

I'm surprised at only 1 new race, even Witchlight gets two, and the Strixhaven set had tons of races in it.

 

[Parmandur]

Each College grants a free feat. I look forward to the feats and spells, I suspect the token summoning spells will be in.

I'm surprised at only 1 new race, even Witchlight gets two, and the Strixhaven set had tons of races in it.

Mostly either Races already in D&D or Anthropomorphic Animals: I wonder if the book will provide for Tashastyle custom Lineahes to cover sundry animals?

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Mostly either Raves already in D&D or Anthropomorphic Animals: I wonder if the book will provide for Tashastyle custom Lineahes to cover sundry animals?

Or its intended that all races can be used at Strixhaven, so no Ravnica or Theros style restrictions, including usually D&D only races like Tieflings, Halflings, Aasimar, Genasi, Yuan Ti, Tabaxi, Firbolgs, Warforged, Goliaths, Kenku, Hexbloods, etc...

 

[Professor Murder]

Disappointing.

 

[Professor Murder]

Look, I get it. They got pushback on the new take on subclasses and its better to yield to the audience, but the idea of cross class subclasses and the possibility that the game would require all the pcs to be full caster classes appealed to me. It was going to be a one off book and I wish they would have been braver.

 

[Parmandur]

Look, I get it. They got pushback on the new take on subclasses and its better to yield to the audience, but the idea of cross class subclasses and the possibility that the game would require all the pcs to be full caster classes appealed to me. It was going to be a one off book and I wish they would have been braver.

That's just the entire 5E core philosophy: not releasing options that aren't broadly wanted. Less "lack of bravery," and more "sticking to fundamental principles." I liked the idea, and wished to see more of it, but alas.

 

[Nikosandros]

That's just the entire 5E core philosophy: not releasing options that aren't broadly wanted. Less "lack of bravery," and more "sticking to fundamental principles." I liked the idea, and wished to see more of it, but alas.

When it comes to lore, they seem quite willing to push the boundaries and take the game in new directions, but, IMHO, they are exceedingly conservative regarding rules design.

 

[Parmandur]

When it comes to lore, they seem quite willing to push the boundaries and take the game in new directions, but, IMHO, they are exceedingly conservative regarding rules design.

But that's just it, a conservative rulset allows for storytelling experimentation more readily in a stable environment.

 

[Professor Murder]

That's just the entire 5E core philosophy: not releasing options that aren't broadly wanted. Less "lack of bravery," and more "sticking to fundamental principles." I liked the idea, and wished to see more of it, but alas.

I would be happier if I thought the move was motivated by playtesting finding that cross class subclasses are mechanically messy or broken.