New Unearthed Arcana Released, With 8 New Forgotten Realms-Themed Subclasses

Today, Wizards of the Coast has announced a new Unearthed Arcana playtest featuring eight new Dungeons & Dragons subclasses that will appear in the upcoming Forgotten Realms Player's Guide. The new subclasses include five classes tied to Forgotten Realms regions, as well as the return of the Knowledge Domain Cleric subclass from the 2014 Player's Handbook and the Bladesinger Wizard subclass and Purple Dragon Knight Fighter subclass from the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide.

Each of the five remaining subclasses are themed to one of the five regions explored in the Forgotten Realms Adventure Guide also coming out in November. The College of the Moon Bard subclass is tied to the Moonshae Isles, the Winter Walker Ranger subclass is tied to Icewind Dale, and the Oath of the Noble Genies is tied to Calimshan. The Scion of The Three is tied to the Dead Three (of Baldur's Gate fame). Meanwhile, Spellfire Sorcery dates back to 2nd Edition and can both heal allies and harm foes.

The eight new subclasses can be found below:

• College Of The Moon (Bard)
• Knowledge Domain (Cleric)
• Purple Dragon Knight (Fighter)
• Oath Of The Noble Genies (Paladin)
• Winter Walker (Ranger)
• Scion Of The Three (Rogue)
• Spellfire Sorcery (Sorcerer)
• Bladesinger (Wizard)

The Forgotten Realm's Players Guide comes out on November 11th.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

Scion Rogues are MAD for Dex and Int, so that encourages a build that goes light on feats so you can raise them both.

I doubt anyone would be trading the usefulness of a Dex combat feat that they use every round, to instead get one more use out of a daily resource.

True Strike Rogues might actually want some combat feats, so they could go to Dex 16 naturally... But they could also just wear medium armor and use their ability when they have advantage on the teleport attack (target prone, Lucky, etc) so Dex 14 could be enough.

For a normal Dex Rogue, though, it'd be better to hunt around for a Headband of Intellect - it's just an uncommon (so also very craftable!), and attunement just takes an hour even if you need to juggle your attunement slots to get those two extra uses when you need them.

 

[Kurotowa]

I doubt anyone would be trading the usefulness of a Dex combat feat that they use every round, to instead get one more use out of a daily resource.

For a normal Dex Rogue, though, it'd be better to hunt around for a Headband of Intellect - it's just an uncommon (so also very craftable!), and attunement just takes an hour even if you need to juggle your attunement slots to get those two extra uses when you need them.

On the one hand, fair point. On the other hand, I try not to do test builds with the assumption of any specific magic items if I can help it, and a Dex primary Scion Rogue with a Headband is just a bog standard Rogue. There's nothing new from the subclass besides some minor features and cool flavor.

Which I mean, maybe that's an important value judgment on the subclass. But more I think it's a reflection of how the class to subclass power split for some classes heavily favors the base class, and the subclass is more a light decoration on top. Which has always kind of bored me.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

Dex primary Scion Rogue with a Headband is just a bog standard Rogue. There's nothing new from the subclass besides some minor features and cool flavor.

It gives more than most Rogue subclasses (resistance, start most fights with Blade Ward on, damage boost on finishing off bloodied targets, actual resource to decide when to spend for off-turn boost)... but I do get that it's just making numbers bigger/smaller/faster.

Rogue subclasses just are really boring and you'll mostly see just the lv3 feature (and only Thief Rogue with access to wands can shine with that alone).

 

[Uta-napishti]

Around the time Tasha's came out, WotC seems have hired a full time artist whose job is to post-process all received art pieces to add "magicness". If they see someone who is supposed to read as a spellcaster they roll 1d4 and then add 1) colored fire 2) a glow-y aura, 3) orbiting runes or 4) ghostly figures wreathing them. We see this secret specialist's influence in most character art from Tashas through the 2024 PHB. Now I suspect the reintroduction of Spellfire proves this person has taken their game to the next level, influencing product direction to ensure full employment for themselves and their eventual expansion into the leader of a whole department!

 

[Paul Farquhar]

It's perfect fine in an FR specific book, they are very iconic. That being said, according to the bit of lore they give they used to be Cormyr specific, but aren't anymore.

No explanation given for the change either to the lore either, I NEED THE CONTEXT TO JUDGE!!!

Well, the flavour text in the UA seems to be a mini-preview of the lore from the upcoming DM facing-FR book (which is confirmed Cormyr will be a major focus). And it's been at least 100 years* (in world) since WotC last properly looked at Cormyr, so it would be surprising if things hadn't changed.

So I suspect you will get your context for this:

Although the Purple Dragons were originally founded in Cormyr, new recruits are enlisted from any realms where chivalry is in abundance, including the Silver Marches, Damara, and Chessenta.

*Further research indicates that the latest recorded event for Cormyr was in 1486, but that was a semi-canonical novel from 2014 (which would make it 4e). The most recent dated WotC FR stuff seems to be 1494 (including the conclusion of BG3, which I expect to feature in the new book). 8 years is plenty of time for an organisation to decide to take international recruits. And they might decide to move the clock on further of course. I wouldn't be surprised to see the new book give dates in the fifteen hundreds.

 

[Willie the Duck]

Your point is well taken, I just never liked feeling like I'm not my Class most of the time. Personal taste, nothing more.

I often feel like I have no class, it's... oh, that's not what you're saying?

 

[Minigiant]

Wait

Is the Winter Walker Ranger's Frozen Heart Frozen Soul just "Conjure Woodland Beings but Cold + Gaseous form" that runs off Hunter's Mark concentration?

Is that the new design

Instead of removing concentration from Hunter's mark, each subclass will:

1) Remove concentration from another spell of 4th level (Fey Warderer)
2) integrate another 4th spell into Hunter's mark (Winter Walker)
Or
3) Boost the damage of HM or the 3rd level feature (Hunter, Beastmaster, Gloomstalker).

So the new Swarmkweper might be able to cast Insect Plague without concentration or as a part of Hunters Mark.

An Elemental Plane ranger would get Conjure Minor Elementals with no concentration or a 15ft Emanation of fire damage when they cast Hunter's Mark.

 

[Malshotfirst]

I was only reminiscing about Spellfire the other day to an old friend, after I found my rather dusty copy of the novel in a box.

Spellfire, or as I call it: The Adventures of Torm and Rathan (and some other random people)

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Spellfire sounds like what it is. Purple Dragon Knight sounds like something much cooler than what it is. That’s the difference.

The dead three rogue I’m not really that into. I would prefer it be less FR specific and am probably going to say so in my feedback. But at least the dead three are three gods who are dead.

Were dead, as in past tense.

 

[Charlaquin]

Were dead, as in past tense.

Sure. Death is kind of an ephemeral thing for immortals.