Dungeons & Dragons Announces Horror Subclasses Unearthed Arcana

Dungeons & Dragons has announced a new Unearthed Arcana focused on horror subclasses. The new UA, available now on D&D Beyond, introduces a mix of new subclasses and thematic subclasses from 2014 5th Edition. The full list of subclasses are as follows:

• College of Spirits Bard
• Grave Domain Cletic
• Phantom Rogue
• Shadow Sorcerer
• Heblade Patron Warlock
• Undead Patron Warlock
• Reanimator Artificer
• Hollow Warden Ranger

The Reanimator Artificer is built around creating a reanimated companion that can act in combat and explodes when it dies. The Hollow Warden Ranger adds a Wrath of the Wild feature that activates when casting Hunter's Mark and adds various emanation effects while active.

No word on what this UA is related to, but there is a mystery product coming out in October and these horror subclasses could tie into a potential Ravenloft book.

You can check out the full Unearthed Arcana here.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Copyright is shorter in Canada as there's Popeye's Supplements which outright uses the Popeye character to sell supplements, proteins, fitness nutrition stuff and other things like that, which has existed since 1989. While I've heard of the copyright has not yet expired in the US.

That’s thanks to Disney, who had the US copyright period extended to 95 years to hang on to Mickey for longer. I think Canada is 65 years, same as UK, which means Popeye entered the public domain in 1994. In the US he should have gone public domain last year. I guess no one cared enough to notice.

As I said, it has nothing to do with if the character is used or not, it goes from date they first appeared.

For WotC I think they generally try to publish something on each of there settings at least once every 10 years.

I think you will find the facts do not support that assertion, unless you count old product downloads from DMG.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Now the reanimator subclass makes me to remember the 1999 sci-fi horror movie "Virus". Could a reanimator to "craft" (almost artificial) muscles for biopunk machines? For example a crossbow that reloads itself.

I wonder how would be a subclass about the dread elementals (blood, grave, mist and pyre), using these to fight against undeads.

* Now I am thinking about "Nova Falkovnia" with the "original" Vlad Drakov. Here the key is technophobia. To stop the undead hordes an army of constructs are created but these are like the gothic horror of Skynet + 1984. If I explained it with other words, it is like the governor of the Walking Dead controlling an army of clockpunk "borgs". But there are also cute autognomes! Or maybe this Vlad Drakov is dead but as ghost he has got the power to posse machines and constructs.

* The church of Avacyn (Innistrad) should appear in Ravenloft.

* I have listened something about the law of copyright to be changed, but if the company enjoys enough brand power and prestige they shouldn't worry too much. Now the first Mickey Mouse cartoon is public domain, but we know it is not so easy other companies dared to use it.

OK, Infestation: Origins (videogame) and "Twisted Childhood Universe" (cinematographic franchise) could be "adapted" or reimaginated for Ravenloft. (Is your a PC a werebeast? Then face to Bambi: Racknarock!)

* The shifters/theriantouched (from Eberron) should reappear in Ravenloft 5e. The "nerferd" medusa from Eberron could be a PC specie.

How would be the dragonborn version of infernal/upper planar dragons? (Howling, hellfire, Styx, pyroclastic, rust, Tarterian, gloom, chole, deathmasks). And abbysal genasi? (Caustic, Cinder, Plague and Void). And the Wisplings(Fiend Folio) may be small but within a right story they could be as dreadful like the crossed (ultragore comic), they would be like the jerren (evil halflings) but with different racial traits.

* Do you remember the survival horror games "Haunting Ground", "Forbidden Siren" or "The Rule of Rose"? They could be source of inspiration for your own games.

* Let's remember the novel "Heir of Strahd" will arrive to the book stores soon.

 

[Parmandur]

You're talking copyright, which is 90% of the story - that is 95 years if created before a certain date and 70 years beyond the life of the 'author' for items created after 78 ... which some pessimists might say is one of the reasons we often used to get cute stories about how a very small child came up with a chartacter.

The other 10% of the idea is trademark which has a use it or lose it element that has to be re-proven every 10 years.

And then there is non-US IP laws ... which also can involve use it or lose it provisions and contractual provisions that also factor into the use it or lose it discussions. I believe Enworld forums may house an old thread on the ~2010 Gamma World boxed set that talked about the IP issues that allowed them to get the chance to make the boxed set. It allowed them to test out the "Your D&D character reduced to a deck of cards" idea that was going to aim to make D&D character building a CCG.

Copyright is shorter in Canada as there's Popeye's Supplements which outright uses the Popeye character to sell supplements, proteins, fitness nutrition stuff and other things like that, which has existed since 1989. While I've heard of the copyright has not yet expired in the US.

For WotC I think they generally try to publish something on each of there settings at least once every 10 years.

It is important to note that for trademark...DMsGuild sales count as being "in print" legally, so WotC doesn't need to worry about any classic D&D trademarks.

 

[Minigiant]

The Ranger’s biggest issue is that using its central class feature makes it effectively not a spellcaster while it’s active. Too many other Ranger spells use concentration, including Ensaring strike which should be bread and butter alongside hunters mark, but can’t be.

Hunter's Mark is a spell.

The issue is fans want to run 2 buff/debuff/summon spells at once for cheap which is against the whole spell philosophy of 5e.

The trick is that fans must make a compromise to run multiple buffs, debuffs, and summons at once.

Hollow Warden and Winter Warrior just buff a buff spell.Fey Wanderer nerfs a Summon.

Ranger really needs more instant spells though.

 

[Kurotowa]

I roughed out a Hexblade Warlock using the new release. It's interesting for me because I played a 2014 Hexblade in a long campaign, and the new Hexblade is similar thematically while being almost entirely different mechanically. Some thoughts after going through the character creation process:

In theory, Draining Slash is a pseudo-Disengage so you don't have to worry as much about being a glass cannon and can use Rogue tactics. In practice, though, it's double gated. You have to hit AND they have to fail a save. So that's far from reliable. I think that a starting Fighter 1 dip for Heavy armor will remain attractive. And with that dip can you effectively get double-Graze, which sounds really sweet.

The emphasis on Hex is interesting. You get enough free casts that it ought to be available for every encounter, but it discourages taking too many Concentration spells. Instead I found myself mostly picking self-buffs and utility, focusing on being a magic enhanced martial with some out of combat contributions. You also want to avoid the Chain Master invocation path, so plenty of free Bonus Actions for things like Jump and Armor of Agathys.

There's a decent amount of self-sustain in the subclass. Life Stealer plus the Lifedrinker invocation is a good amount of self-healing for a weapon user. And the damage reduction from Armor of Hexes just adds to that, and combos wonderfully with Armor of Agathys because it protects the Temp HP while still dealing retaliatory damage.

Stymying Mark is going to be feast or famine depending on party composition and initiative order. Sometimes it's great, when you can use it to set up and ally for a Grapple or control spell. Other times it's not going to shine as much. But that's probably okay. Knowing when the right situation to pick it is part of playing the class, and is one of those "tactical choices" things so many people ask after.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Hunter's Mark is a spell.

The issue is fans want to run 2 buff/debuff/summon spells at once for cheap which is against the whole spell philosophy of 5e.

The trick is that fans must make a compromise to run multiple buffs, debuffs, and summons at once.

Hollow Warden and Winter Warrior just buff a buff spell.Fey Wanderer nerfs a Summon.

Ranger really needs more instant spells though.

The Ranger has no equivalent of things like divine favor or armor of Agythis or mirror image or false life.

So no, it isn’t against the game’s philosophy, just against the Ranger design philosophy apperently.

And ensnaring strike, again, just has no good reason to be concentration. Especially when Wrathful Smite isn’t.

 

[mellored]

problem is that to use HM most, you need to be in melee with TWF, and you lose Conc as soon as someone sneezes at you, especially at T2 when monsters start to roll out with 3 attacks per action.

you cannot base a class for 12 levels on a feature that you lose when someone looks at you the wrong way.

There are enough slots and free casts to maintain it just fine.

The issue is they can't use other concentration spells in combat. But even then, most are out of combat spells and not competing with HM (pass without trace, locate object, beast sense).

And many other concentration spells don't scale well with half casters (conjure, summons) anyways, as well as your DC being lower. So they are not good picks even without hunters mark.


My favorite idea thus far is to add a variety of higher level Mark spells, that count as Hunter's Mark.

I.e.
Wolf Pact Mark
Level 2 spell, concentration.
Bonus Action
You cast Hunter's Mark (no additional slot required). While you're adjacent to the target, your allies have advantage with melee attacks against it.

Fey Mark
Level 2 spell, concentration.
Bonus Action
You cast Hunter's Mark (no additional slot required). When the target of your Hunter's Mark ends it's turn within 120' of you, you can use a reaction to teleport adjacent to it.

 

[Parmandur]

The Ranger’s biggest issue is that using its central class feature makes it effectively not a spellcaster while it’s active. Too many other Ranger spells use concentration, including Ensaring strike which should be bread and butter alongside hunters mark, but can’t be.

See, I kind of like this for most Rangers at least: thst means that in combat, the Ranger is going to be an archer or melee combatant primarily, using their Spell Slots more for in-between utility functions...which feels more Aragorn-y?

 

[Minigiant]

There are enough slots and free casts to maintain it just fine.

The issue is they can't use other concentration spells in combat. But even then, most are out of combat spells and not competing with HM (pass without trace, locate object, beast sense).

And many other concentration spells don't scale well with half casters (conjure, summons) anyways, as well as your DC being lower. So they are not good picks even without hunters mark.

The truth is most of the other concentration spells that are combat aren't better than HM.

You wouldn't really cast them outside of the niche situations where they are good or if you are blatantly trying to cheese them (Spike growth dragging, Conjure aura multihits).

The '24 Ranger has enough uses of favorite enemy that they can use all their slots on out of combat and support spells then when combat starts pop a FE to just concentrate on Hunter's mark.

The Ranger has no equivalent of things like divine favor or armor of Agythis or mirror image or false life.

So no, it isn’t against the game’s philosophy, just against the Ranger design philosophy apperently.

And ensnaring strike, again, just has no good reason to be concentration. Especially when Wrathful Smite isn’t.

Restrainted is Way better than Frightened

Rangers have summons and "summon" Emanations. It's against 5e's design to let you have buffs and summons up.

 

[The Harbinger]

New Van Richten's Guide?