D&D General Unearthed Arcana presents another three villainous subclasses

The last Unearthed Arcana gave us some villainous options, including subclasses and feat chains which enabled your character to turn into a death knight or a lich. This week, a new Unearthed Arcana over on D&D Beyond presents us with three new villainous subclasses, following on from the subclasses and feat-chains in the previous playtest document. These subclasses are designed to let players "embrace their inner antiheroes or engage with sinister powers". In this one, we get the Path of Lament (barbarian), Warrior of Venom (monk), and Primordial Patron (warlock).

The barbarian's Path of Lament harnesses sorrow and anguish, leaning into a Banshee's Wail feature which allows the barbarian to cause psychic damage with their voice. The monk's Warrior of Venom enables the character to exude bodily toxins, including hallucinogens and truth serums. This monk also makes use of the Bloodied condition allowing the character's blood to splash onto their attacker when they receive a melee strike, Xenomorph-style. Finally, the warlock's primordial patron is an alliance with a destructive force of nature, such as the Elemental Evils.

You can check out the new Unearthed Arcana playtest here.

 

[Mort]

It's like Barbarian is inherently a class vastly more powerful than a Monk and WotC plays favorites.

5.5 Monks got a massive upgrade. I'm certainly itching to try one out.

 

[Misanthrope Prime]

Because it doesn't make sense and will encourage boring PCs that are little more than tanks.

I get what you are saying about role playing, but a lot of players cringe when PCs who don't invest in social skills try to be the center of social encounters.

At minimum you need strength to make attacks, and what's wrong with a barbarian who maxes strength and con and dumps mental stats? Isn't that like... the stereotypical barbarian?

 

[MonsterEnvy]

I've been running a primordial warlock PC using the old noble genie pact, so I'm stoked to try this new subclass out.

All that being said, am I nuts or are none of these "villainous" in the same way a lich or death knight are? The barbarian is a victim, not a perpetrator, the monk is literally Just a Guy who likes entheogens, and there are plenty of good and neutral primordials out there to partner with.

Death Knight and Lich were not subclasses

 

[Maxperson]

I've been running a primordial warlock PC using the old noble genie pact, so I'm stoked to try this new subclass out.

All that being said, am I nuts or are none of these "villainous" in the same way a lich or death knight are? The barbarian is a victim, not a perpetrator, the monk is literally Just a Guy who likes entheogens, and there are plenty of good and neutral primordials out there to partner with.

The barbarian is sliding into undeath because of his despair. Not all villains are villainous immediately. Poison users have traditionally been evil/bad guys in D&D. The warlock I agree with you on. The patrons aren't nice, but that doesn't translate into the warlock being a villain.

I also agree that none of these are eeeevil with a capital E like the lich and death knight.

 

[Maxperson]

Barbarians typically have high constitution. Why make them unnecessarily MAD?

I mean, they're barbarians. You never want to make one unnecessarily mad. They rage often enough as is.

 

[Misanthrope Prime]

The barbarian is sliding into undeath because of his despair. Not all villains are villainous immediately. Poison users have traditionally been evil/bad guys in D&D. The warlock I agree with you on. The patrons aren't nice, but that doesn't translate into the warlock being a villain.

I also agree that none of these are eeeevil with a capital E like the lich and death knight.

It's only evil when you use socially unapproved poisons. When you use neurotoxins that people like they call you a "drunken master."

 

[Maxperson]

It's only evil when you use socially unapproved poisons. When you use neurotoxins that people like they call you a "drunken master."

Spiking my drink with cyanide is going to be quite a bit worse than spiking it with more vodka. You aren't generally trying to kill something when you give it a glass of wine.

Alcohol technically being a poison doesn't make any of the others okay. I'd guess the overwhelming number of people on earth don't consider it to be a poison, even if they know that it is.

 

[Remathilis]

It's only evil when you use socially unapproved poisons. When you use neurotoxins that people like they call you a "drunken master."

Don't you mean "warrior of intoxication"?

 

[Misanthrope Prime]

Don't you mean "warrior of intoxication"?

I'll remember to trot that one out the next time my friends and family have the nerve to stage an intervention for my drinking.

 

[humble minion]

I do hate that we've gone back to acid damage for earth-aligned elementalist PCs. I mean, other than that one scene in The Mummy with the salt trap, when has earth=acid been a thing? The noble genie pact had the right idea using bludgeoning damage for earth. And yeah, the whole imbalance with blasting spells across the elements and the perverse incentives that creates with Elemental Transmutation is a bit of a long-running sore point.

5.5 Monks got a massive upgrade. I'm certainly itching to try one out.

I ran a 5.5e monk as a NPC villain against my 5e party. It was fairly horrifying how much better he was than them. Between a 5e and 5.5e monk there's just no comparison.