Dungeons & Dragons Playtests Four New Mystic-Themed Subclasses

Dungeons & Dragons has dropped their first Unearthed Arcana playtest of 2026, with four brand-new subclasses being tested. Today, Wizards of the Coast posted a Mystic Subclasses Unearthed Arcana playtest to D&D Beyond, featuring four magic-themed subclasses. The new subclasses include the Warrior of the Mystic Arts Monk subclass, the Oath of the Spellguard Paladin subclass, the Magic Stealer Rogue subclass and the Vestige Patron Warlock subclass.

The Warrior the Mystic Arts is a spellcasting subclass that grants Monks the ability to cast Sorcerer spells up to 4th level spells. The Oath of the Spellguard is designed with protecting magic-casters in mind, while the Magic Stealer Rogue targets spellcasting and can empower their Sneak Attacks with magic stolen from nearby spellcasters. The Vestige Patron Warlock forms a bond with a dying god, with the god taking on a vestige form as a companion. The Vestige companion grows in power with the spellcaster. Notably, the Vestige Patron draws inspiration from the Binder from past editions of D&D.

There's no indication when or what this new Unearthed Arcana could be related to. There are several Unearthed Arcanas not currently attached to an announced D&D product, although two almost are certainly tied to a Dark Sun sourcebook.

You can check out the subclasses here. Feedback opens for the playtest on January 22nd.

 

[Misanthrope Prime]

Also before anyone claims it I am 100% playing Brutha and Om from Discworld as a vestige 'lock.

 

[GarrettKP]

Why can't these subclasses be the first batch for a big expansion? Why do they have to be directed at a particular THING.

They could be. But it’s now the 3rd UA specifically for Arcane/Magic focused subclasses. So it seems pretty targeted.

 

[Misanthrope Prime]

Why can't these subclasses be the first batch for a big expansion? Why do they have to be directed at a particular THING.

It was a bit of a meme during the UA process for the PHB that the WotC devs had a hard time adding subclass features that weren't just spells.

At this point, I think the vast majority of new subclasses and many revised subclasses are spellcasting themed or interact primarily with the spellcasting system. Maybe it's not a meme... maybe for whatever reason WotC doesn't want to or cannot design class features that aren't, basically, spells.

 

[THEMNGMNT]

Monk subclass probably works if the spell slots<>focus points ability was moved down to level 3.

Spellguard Paladin feels very niche, both thematically and mechanically. This isn't quite the right take. What I really want to see is a Swordmage. The Paladin chassis is sooo close.

Haven't looked at the other subclasses yet.

EDIT: Now I have looked at the other subclasses.

I love the concept of the Spellthief but doubt that their actions would trigger very often. Most of the time, it would be like playing without a subclass.

Vestige Warlock has a very cool concept. I love being able to use the bonus spell list from a cleric domain. That's a great ability. I'm unsure how I feel about the vestige companion and if it is mechanically effective.

Overall, this UA should have gone through another revision before it was released.

 

[wicked cool]

Is that a mezzoloth they are fighting and is it a spell being cast

 

[mellored]

EDIT: That said, the subclass capstone literally does nothing, as Monks only ever get 2 attacks with their Attack action. And in 2024 Flurry of Blows can be done independently of whatever action you did, so it doesn't even do anything there, either.

If dip Fighter 2, it would let you cast a spell with Action Surge.

But yea, they definitely just copied and pasted from Eldritch Knight and forgot to check it.

 

[Uta-napishti]

Is "Magic Stealer Rogue" really better than "Spellthief?"

EDIT: Well, it's a different subclass, focused on draining magic and restoring magic to allies, which is not a niche I would have thought rogues would have. I don't know if I like it or not -- it's pretty odd.

The name is horribly clunky yes. Hopefully we are spared seeing that in print.

 

[Mistwell]

So many foe abilities which used to be explicitly spells are now explicitly not spells so the utility of many of these abilities is much more narrow than it was under 2014. And it wasn't particularly broad then.

Given how uncommon it is to be within 30 feet of a foe who is casting a spell, I see no reason to have limitations on number of uses for these kinds of abilities. Make it infinite, and you still are not likely to see anything game breaking or even above-average from these abilities.

 

[SkidAce]

I also don't like that it is tied to Sorcery.
To me a mystic monk feels more religious, not less -- Cleric stuff!

Me too!

Mystic monk: choose cantrips and spells from the Sorcerer Cleric list.

Done.

 

[GarrettKP]

So many foe abilities which used to be explicitly spells are now explicitly not spells so the utility of many of these abilities is much more narrow than it was under 2014. And it wasn't particularly broad then.

This really isn’t the case in 2024. They walked back most of the changes to Spellcaster NPCs in the new Monster Manual, and now there’s plenty that still cast, including all the dragons now.