D&D 5E New Unearthed Arcana Today: Giant Themed Class Options and Feats

A new Unearthed Arcana dropped today, focusing on giant-themed player options. "In today’s Unearthed Arcana, we explore character options related to the magic and majesty of giants. This playtest document presents the Path of the Giant barbarian subclass, the Circle of the Primeval druid subclass, the Runecrafter wizard subclass, and a collection of new feats, all for use in Dungeons & Dragons."

Giant Options | Unearthed Arcana | Dungeons & Dragons

Explore character options related to the magic and majesty of giants! This playtest document presents new subclasses for the barbarian, druid, and wizard, and a collection of new feats, all for use in Dungeons & Dragons.

dnd.wizards.com

New Class options:

• Barbarian: Path of the Giant
• Druid: Circle of the Primeval
• Wizard: Runecrafter Tradition

New Feats:

• Elemental Touched
• Ember of the Fire Giant
• Fury of the Frost Giant
• Guile of the Cloud Giant
• Keeness of the Stone Giant
• Outsized Might
• Rune Carver Apprentice
• Rune Carvwr Adept
• Soul of the Storm Giant
• Vigor of the Hill Giant

WotC's Jeremy Crawford talks Barbarian Path of the Giant here:

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Operating on the assumption that this may be for a book similar to what James Wyatt did in Fizban's, but with Giants, Primordials and Dinosaurs instead...I would expect that a lot of Giantish PC ideas will be put forward as refluffs in something like the Draconic Character Ties table on page 17 of Fizban's. At least there might be more actually new material here.

Sure, I just think that some of those concepts are vastly more interesting in what mechanics could support them than what we see in this UA. Especially the wizard and at least half the feats.

• Rune Carver Apprentice: This is secretly WotC trying to see if they can replace multiclassing with feats. They may talk about runes but this is just a replacement for dipping Artificers.
• Rune Carver Adept: 100% Artificer replacement package.

Um...what on earth? How do these feats relate to the artificer at all? I cannot imagine anyone choosing these instead of MC artificer. They're just spell granting feats, and they don't grant especially Artificer themed spells.

 

[Parmandur]

Sure, I just think that some of those concepts are vastly more interesting in what mechanics could support them than what we see in this UA. Especially the wizard and at least half the feats

Yeah, I can't say thst I disagree though I like these options well enough. Kind of feels like they should have done a Runic Aetificer, at least.

 

[Faolyn]

Operating on the assumption that this may be for a book similar to what James Wyatt did in Fizban's, but with Giants, Primordials and Dinosaurs instead...I would expect that a lot of Giantish PC ideas will be put forward as refluffs in something like the Draconic Character Ties table on page 17 of Fizban's. At least there might be more actually new material here.

Probably end of Fall this year, or Winter early next year: Strixhaven Subclasses (which got axed) were tested in early June last year, so the timing works out between that and Wyatt turning the next 13 months after Fizban's was finished to a new project.

I thought the rumor/speculation was for a First World book? Giants, primordials, and dinosaurs would certainly fit in that sort of setting very well.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

I thought the rumor/speculation was for a First World book? Giants, primordials, and dinosaurs would certainly fit in that sort of setting very well.

I would think the first world would be gods dragons and fey but yeah that sounds good

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Yeah, I can't say thst I disagree though I like these options well enough. Kind of feels like they should have done a Runic Aetificer, at least.

Absolutely. The Rune Chanter Bard, and the Warlock idea, are a bit out there from DND's normal concepts, but the Runic Artificer is just...obvious.

If I really had to pare it down to less than 6 subclasses, I'd go Runecarver Artificer, Runemarked Sorcerer, Primeval Druid, Giantslayer Ranger, Giant Barbarian.

 

[Parmandur]

I thought the rumor/speculation was for a First World book? Giants, primordials, and dinosaurs would certainly fit in that sort of setting very well.

I think forum users are overreaching on the First World angle. It's not set up in Fizban's as a Setting, but as a Platonic realm of Ideas that explains why different D&D worlds share so much in common.

This feels much more like Fizban's with giants, particularly given Wyatt's invovlement.

 

[DeviousQuail]

I think this is more just 'get spells' feats that we already have. However if they are playtesting multiclass through feats I am 100% backing that

Um...what on earth? How do these feats relate to the artificer at all? I cannot imagine anyone choosing these instead of MC artificer. They're just spell granting feats, and they don't grant especially Artificer themed spells.

The feats let you imbue non-magical items with magic, which is pretty similar to what the Infuse Item ability does for Artificers. The feats being a secret test of alternate multiclassing was just me being facetious.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

I think forum users are overreaching on the First World angle. It's not set up in Fizban's as a Setting, but as a Platonic realm of Ideas that explains why different D&D worlds share so much in common.

This feels much more like Fizban's with giants, particularly given Wyatt's invovlement.

Breathe, dragons; sing of the First World, forged out of chaos and painted with beauty. Sing of Bahamut, the Platinum, molding the shape of the mountains and rivers; Sing too of Chromatic Tiamat, painting all over the infinite canvas. Partnered, they woke in the darkness; partnered, they labored in acts of creation.

Breathe, dragons; sing then of Sardior, ruby-red jewel they made in their likeness; Sardior, first-born of dragonkind, labored alongside Bahamut and Tiamat, Shaping the dragons they crafted: dragons metallic and dragons chromatic. Breathe, dragons—draw in the life-gift breathed into you at the dawn of creation.

Breathe, dragons; sing of the outsiders, war-bringer gods with their mortal adherents; Teeming, they came to the First World, seeking a home for their legions of followers. Mighty in magic and numbers, conquering deities seized their victory. Fallen was noble Bahamut, Sardior hid in the heart of creation.

Breathe, dragons; sing now of Tiamat, raging in battle with no hope of victory. She would not flee or surrender, fighting as death reached its cold claws toward her. War-bringers seized her and bound her, snatched her from death, entombed her in torment—Sealed in the darkness forever, captive to gods laying claim to creation.

Breathe, dragons; sing of the conquest, seeding the world with their legions of followers, Each to their own habitation, elves in their forests and dwarves in their mountains, Orcs in their caverns and canyons, goblins in badlands and halflings in green fields, Lizardfolk lurking in marshes, humans throughout every part of creation.

Breathe, dragons; sing of Bahamut, maker of peace with the outsider deities, Welcomed to mountains celestial, worshiped by some as the Platinum Paladin. Sing of his journeys of seeking, striving to understand gods and their children, Longing for Tiamat's freedom, grieving her loss from the face of creation.

Breathe, dragons; sing of her freedom—Tiamat loosed from her prison of torment! Tell how she rallied her children, dragons chromatic, a spectrum of mayhem. Sing of her fury, her vengeance, lightning and venom, ice, fire, and corrosion, Five-headed, monstrous, and mighty, rampaging on a campaign of destruction.

Breathe, dragons; sing of the First World, scattered in infinite seedling realities. Sing of Bahamut and Tiamat, watching its sundering, mourning their labor. Sing too of Sardior, sundered, consciousness scattered in minuscule fragments. Breathe, dragons: you are inheritors, ruling the wreck of the First World's destruction.

To me, this isn't a Platonic realm of ideas, it's a description of a time period of before the gods (of elves, dwarves, goblins, orcs, humans etc) came and wrested control of the Material Plane away from the dragons. Considering how most lore adds Giants and Dragons in competition with each other "before the humanoid civilizations" it makes a lot of sense that one of the new settings is really a book describing how to play a game in the period of the First World. So sort-of a setting but almost a time period that predated most D&D settings.

 

[Parmandur]

Breathe, dragons; sing of the First World, forged out of chaos and painted with beauty. Sing of Bahamut, the Platinum, molding the shape of the mountains and rivers; Sing too of Chromatic Tiamat, painting all over the infinite canvas. Partnered, they woke in the darkness; partnered, they labored in acts of creation.

Breathe, dragons; sing then of Sardior, ruby-red jewel they made in their likeness; Sardior, first-born of dragonkind, labored alongside Bahamut and Tiamat, Shaping the dragons they crafted: dragons metallic and dragons chromatic. Breathe, dragons—draw in the life-gift breathed into you at the dawn of creation.

Breathe, dragons; sing of the outsiders, war-bringer gods with their mortal adherents; Teeming, they came to the First World, seeking a home for their legions of followers. Mighty in magic and numbers, conquering deities seized their victory. Fallen was noble Bahamut, Sardior hid in the heart of creation.

Breathe, dragons; sing now of Tiamat, raging in battle with no hope of victory. She would not flee or surrender, fighting as death reached its cold claws toward her. War-bringers seized her and bound her, snatched her from death, entombed her in torment—Sealed in the darkness forever, captive to gods laying claim to creation.

Breathe, dragons; sing of the conquest, seeding the world with their legions of followers, Each to their own habitation, elves in their forests and dwarves in their mountains, Orcs in their caverns and canyons, goblins in badlands and halflings in green fields, Lizardfolk lurking in marshes, humans throughout every part of creation.

Breathe, dragons; sing of Bahamut, maker of peace with the outsider deities, Welcomed to mountains celestial, worshiped by some as the Platinum Paladin. Sing of his journeys of seeking, striving to understand gods and their children, Longing for Tiamat's freedom, grieving her loss from the face of creation.

Breathe, dragons; sing of her freedom—Tiamat loosed from her prison of torment! Tell how she rallied her children, dragons chromatic, a spectrum of mayhem. Sing of her fury, her vengeance, lightning and venom, ice, fire, and corrosion, Five-headed, monstrous, and mighty, rampaging on a campaign of destruction.

Breathe, dragons; sing of the First World, scattered in infinite seedling realities. Sing of Bahamut and Tiamat, watching its sundering, mourning their labor. Sing too of Sardior, sundered, consciousness scattered in minuscule fragments. Breathe, dragons: you are inheritors, ruling the wreck of the First World's destruction.

To me, this isn't a Platonic realm of ideas, it's a description of a time period of before the gods (of elves, dwarves, goblins, orcs, humans etc) came and wrested control of the Material Plane away from the dragons. Considering how most lore adds Giants and Dragons in competition with each other "before the humanoid civilizations" it makes a lot of sense that one of the new settings is really a book describing how to play a game in the period of the First World. So sort-of a setting but almost a time period that predated most D&D settings.

That's the myth, but the immediate gloss of the poetic myth on page 6-7 are explicitly Platonic readings thst apply it to various D&D worlds.

I would expect a counter-Myth from the Giants and Primordials would lead a new book, but a "First World" Setting seems a stretch.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I really hope they put the Artificer in the 2024 PHB. The biggest change I think they can make without causing blowback of any significance is to add in a few popular later options in order to make it easier to expand on them in future products. A PHB Artificer just means that now it's a-okay to put Artificer stuff in any future product that naturally calls for it.