D&D 5E Unearthed Arcana: Travelers of the Multiverse

New free content from WotC - the latest 4-page Unearthed Arcana introduces six new races: astral elf, autognome, giff, hadozee, plasmoid, and thri-kreen.

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dnd.wizards.com

Looks like Spelljammer and/or Planescape is back on the menu!

 

[Steampunkette]

By the letter of the rule, there’s no reason it shouldn’t. But, I think in this case it’s very clearly and obviously against the spirit of the rule.

I meeeeean...

Dragonborn Druids can transform into a Firebreathing Squirrel at level 1.

Is it a cheat? Absolutely. Is it a particularly -powerful- cheat? No. The Druid can already make themselves something small that can squeeze through a narrow opening like a mouse or something. Doesn't -really- matter.

 

[Umbran]

"Amorphous. You can squeeze through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide, provided you are wearing and carrying nothing."

That seems pretty clear that nothing can be worn. I don't see an exception for gear, magic or otherwise.

That means you can't wear things while you are squeezing through a small space, not in general.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

You're right, it doesn't. I guess my point was more that Aberrations are just as diverse as any other creature type, and there is a precedent to have non-evil aberrations.

Ah, ok. (Are the gnome squids friendly!?) Sure, and in past editions there were even playable Illithids. There is a helpful Illithid in DDO that helps you retrain feats, which is…disturbing.
But even those friendlies, IMO, should be too alien to be playable. The flumph should be nice for the same sort of “reasons” the beholder wants to giggle as it watches you gibber yourself to death. None of it should make sense, or be…something that anything not an aberration can begin to meaningfully engage with.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Ah, ok. (Are the gnome squids friendly!?)

Kinda. They're not outright hostile, and while the Mind Flayer stat block in the Monster Manual has the Lawful Evil alignment, Gnome Ceremorphs have "any Alignment" instead. Based on how they're presented in Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden, you could definitely have a Lawful Good Gnome Ceremorph.

(I think the book explains it as Gnomes that undergo Ceremorphosis for some reason maintain some of their memories/personality from before the transformation. Something to do with Gnomish Cunning and Gnomes having magical brains, or something along those lines.)

Spoiler: Spoilers for Id Ascendant from Rime of the Frostmaiden

The side quest in the book that has the Gnome Ceremorphs in it has the option for you to help them, as they don't outright attack you (they need a Psi Crystal to fix their crashed Nautiloid). The specific Ceremorphs in this quest are Chaotic Neutral, and are willing to pay the party in alien tech for their help (giving them Laser Pistols if they help them, IIRC). They're even described to maintain their gnomish curiosity and tinkering skills, and are described as being "delighted to meet visitors who are willing to help them".

They're pretty friendly, especially for Mind Flayers. They only attack the party if the party initiates combat, and are more than willing do make a deal with the party (either to fix their ship or hide in the Ten Towns if that doesn't work).

So, yeah, they're friendly.

Sure, and in past editions there were even playable Illithids. There is a helpful Illithid in DDO that helps you retrain feats, which is…disturbing.
But even those friendlies, IMO, should be too alien to be playable. The flumph should be nice for the same sort of “reasons” the beholder wants to giggle as it watches you gibber yourself to death. None of it should make sense, or be…something that anything not an aberration can begin to meaningfully engage with.

I respect your opinion, and you're perfectly free to do that at your table, but for mine, I would like a Ceremorph Lineage (similar to the ones from Ravenloft). If something like that ever becomes playable in 5e, feel free to ignore them, but I personally would use them (I even have an option for my world where there's Mind Flayers that reject their evil empire, instead choosing to exist solely by eating animal or lab-grown brains. I'd definitely make use of a playable Mind Flayer race).

 

[Chaosmancer]

Orcs in Space!

... Not sorry. This is funny stuff. Entirely tangential.

 

[jasper]

A release date of 15 March 2022. Isn't that kinda tight for it being connected to this UA? Five months out, including over the holidays. The UA dropped 8 October 2021. A week to argue about it online before they drop the survey. Say a week to argue about the survey. Anyone know how long it takes to get a few million books physically printed in the USA these days? With the supply chain apocalypse already delaying things, this will be pushed back at least a month.

The tagline is "Tune in on October 12 to find out what adventures await."

Could be a setting/adventure, a la Curse of Strahd. Could be an adventure anthology, similar to Candlekeep.

Did the dhampire UA drop about 5 months before Ravenloft?

 

[doctorbadwolf]

think the book explains it as Gnomes that undergo Ceremorphosis for some reason maitaining some of their memories/personality from before the transformation. Something to do with Gnomish Cunning and Gnomes having magical brains, or something along those lines.)

Huh. Interesting.

I respect your opinion, and you're perfectly free to do that at your table, but for mine, I would like a Ceremorph Lineage (similar to the ones from Ravenloft). If something like that ever becomes playable in 5e, feel free to ignore them, but I personally would use them (I even have an option for my world where there's Mind Flayers that reject their evil empire, instead choosing to exist solely by eating animal or lab-grown brains. I'd definitely make use of a playable Mind Flayer race).

Yeah I don’t expect everyone to share my POV on aberrations, for sure.

I also just especially hate the idea of trying to make illithids redeemable, because they propagate by violating a victim and removing thier volition and transforming their body into a new thing, which is worse than nearly anything else in the game, IMO.

I guess I’d be fine with the option as long as it is gated behind multiple levels of “optional content”, because a big thing for me is that aberrations are only worth (for me) having in the game if they actually fill their role, which to me seems to be “alien being from beyond reality that cannot be understood be any creature from within reality.

But that may also be partly because I don’t find any aberrations to be independently interesting, so I need that general dynamic to be there to even see any reason to not just take aberrations out of the game altogether.

In my own system, the First Gods existed before and outside of the universe, weren’t part of the “First Word” that caused the chain reaction that started the “big bang”, and most of them resent the entirety of creation for existing, and despise it for being (relatively) rational.

 

[jasper]

That means you can't wear things while you are squeezing through a small space, not in general.

But but DM no where on the equipment page is the thickness given on swords, armor, wands, backpack. Wh6y c
why cant i ooze thru with full armor or at atleast my wand. cat get off my arm so I can type betttter

 

[jasper]

doctor wolf ...I also just especially hate the idea of trying to make illithids redeemable,...
From what been happening in the last 24 months. Everything is going to be redeemable. So more races aka humans in green screen suits.

 

[overgeeked]

Did the dhampire UA drop about 5 months before Ravenloft?

Four months? January for the UA and May for the book release. But that was when the global supply apocalypse wasn't as bad and it didn't straddle the holidays.