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 of 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.

 

[Parmandur]

That and WotC said that there really wasn't any such thing as canon.

Yeah, the canonical multiverse with the First World, Echoes and all that is just a suggested tool to give cover for DMs throwing any D&D product they want into a homebrew soup. So your homebrew has a Waterdeep, City of Grehhawk, Sharn, Barovia, Ashernadalon, Vecna, Mystara, etc? Don't worry about it it's echoes all the way down the multiverse.

 

[Cruentus]

That and WotC said that there really wasn't any such thing as canon.

WOTC said that things printed in their 5e hardback books were canon. But nothing before those was canon.

And, of course, your own table is as canon as your group wants it to be. As it’s always been.

 

[Scribe]

WOTC said that things printed in their 5e hardback books were canon. But nothing before those was canon.

And, of course, your own table is as canon as your group wants it to be. As it’s always been.

Only from the moment they said that. Volos, Tome of Foes? Poof.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I saw plenty of people complaining about how all the options are hypermafical superheros.

Not about these subclasses. Have you actually read them? They are no more high magic or superpowered than what’s in the PHB.

 

[Maxperson]

WOTC said that things printed in their 5e hardback books were canon. But nothing before those was canon.

And, of course, your own table is as canon as your group wants it to be. As it’s always been.

Sure, but the following year they went back on that by saying that Monsters of the Multiverse would supersede prior 5e hardcover canon, and further releases have eroded that even more. If they can(and will) just keep releasing new canon and invalidating the old, then there is no such thing as canon.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Since you mention canon, have you noticed that the MtG D&D books are treated as non-canon? In the sense that they are never mentioned again in other D&D products. The abortive Lorwyn content is the only one that is connected in any way to the D&D multiverse. If you compare to the Radiant Citadel, those settings are treated as canon, in that they have been mentioned several times in subsequent publications. And of course FR, Greyhawk, Ravenloft, Spelljammer, Planescape, Eberron and Dragonlance get regular mentions across D&D publications, and all feature in Vecna: Eve of Ruin, unlike any of the MtG settings.

One thing I've noticed about the changing of the guard at WotC is that people associated with MtG are out, and people associated with the Radiant Citadel and 3PP D&D-adjacent publications are up. This suggests to me a shift away from trying to get D&D players into MtG and visa versa, and an acceptance that they are separate products with a largely separate player base. The downgrading of Lorwyn from boxed set to DLC may be symptomatic of that change in approach.

 

[Azzy]

Since you mention canon, have you noticed that the MtG D&D books are treated as non-canon? In the sense that they are never mentioned again in other D&D products. The abortive Lorwyn content is the only one that is connected in any way to the D&D multiverse. If you compare to the Radiant Citadel, those settings are treated as canon, in that they have been mentioned several times in subsequent publications. And of course FR, Greyhawk, Ravenloft, Spelljammer, Planescape, Eberron and Dragonlance get regular mentions across D&D publications, and all feature in Vecna: Eve of Ruin, unlike any of the MtG settings.

One thing I've noticed about the changing of the guard at WotC is that people associated with MtG are out, and people associated with the Radiant Citadel and 3PP D&D-adjacent publications are up. This suggests to me a shift away from trying to get D&D players into MtG and visa versa, and an acceptance that they are separate products with a largely separate player base. The downgrading of Lorwyn from boxed set to DLC may be symptomatic of that change in approach.

James Wyatt is still there, and he was the main D&D/MTG crossover guy.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I dare to say WotC would rather all IPs and franchises can become "canon" in your own tabletop game. If I want I create a mash-up version of A-Team for my Eberron new campaign or Flash Gordon for Spelljammer. If we want, we do a Innistrad-Ravenloft-Duskmourn crossover, or Pretty Cure-Witchlight, or Ghostbusters+Ravenloft.

Some times the "canon" is rewritten by the DM because the players who have read the fandom wikis could known too much spoiling possible plot surprises.

* Could these subclases to be rewriten for other power sources instead arcane?

 

[Parmandur]

One thing I've noticed about the changing of the guard at WotC is that people associated with MtG are out, and people associated with the Radiant Citadel and 3PP D&D-adjacent publications are up

James Wyatt is a Principal Game Designer right now and write the new DMG, in addition to Theros and Racnica. He used to be the world building guru on Magic.

This suggests to me a shift away from trying to get D&D players into MtG and visa versa, and an acceptance that they are separate products with a largely separate player base.

The Magic D&D books sold like hotcakes, as did the Adventures in the Forgotten Realms cards. Indeed, that was the best selling set of Magic cards in the history of Magic up to that time (since surpassed by Lord of the Rings and Final Fantasy). The player bass have both a high Venn overlap, and a high potential growth overlap. Crossing the streams has been lucrative, they will continue to do so.

There was never a Lorwyn box set announced or suggested that I saw...and in fact, the 32 pages they did release could fit a product the recent FR DM book that covers a number of Planes...

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The Magic D&D books sold like hotcakes

That's not exactly true. The Ravnica book sold in line with the other setting books (not as well as Eberron). The others sold from slightly worse (Theros) to very much worse (Stryxhaven).

There was never a Lorwyn box set announced or suggested that I saw...

It was leaked, then quickly removed.