Unearthed Arcana [5E] Unearthed Arcana: Races of Eberron (July 2018)

[CapnZapp]

It's a bonus action, so why wouldn't you be able to use it with weapons? I make all my greatsword attacks at 2d6+Str and then get a bonus attack for 1d6+Str. Useless on a monk, but great for any greatweapon or sword and board combatant.

I fear we have very different minmaxing targets.

The goal for any greatweapon wielder (I know of) is to be able to use your actual greatweapon (complete with any boons such as greatweapon fighting weapon style, bonuses from your weapon being magical etc) on every attack, including the bonus attack.

The WFJ ability actually IS garbage because it takes an action to use. Free bonus action attacks are potentially great though.

Yes, as written Iron Fists is a pure ribbon ability. It lets you do damage in cases where you'd otherwise wouldn't, such as a barroom brawl between Fighters where nobody draws a real weapon. It is completely eclipsed by actual class features, however. What you get is essentially the level 1 monk ability, which nobody needs (not even at level 1, assuming you have a weapon - any weapon - at your disposal as a Fighter).

You get a skill, a built-in tool, AND double prof bonus on using that tool. Compare that to a useless unarmed attack and a extra carrying capacity and the envoy is definitely better.

As I said, the only way to make sense of it is to treat the Envoy as the luxury model. The only reason why you'd ever play a Juggernaut is if you aren't free to choose the Envoy.

The skirmisher is a ridiculously bad though.

Well, it doesn't get anything too useful. (+5 Speed is not nothing. Would have been better if other Warforged were "slow" = 25 Speed)

But does that make it "ridiculously bad"? I don't think so - it's still a Warforged, with Darkwood core protection.

Per this analysis light armor is actually the best integrated protection mode in that it brings Rogues up to Monk/Barbarian standard:
https://www.reddit.com/r/dndnext/comments/91dflo/warforged_integrated_protection_how_good_is_it/

You wouldn't want to pick Juggernaut for a Dex character. That Envoy is probably still better is just ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Wildshape. It's not really that much of an abuse since you don't gain the stats, but you could turn into something large and masquerade as something that's not a large animal.

A Changeling Druid turning into something large and then... turning into something else large, doesn't scream "abuse" to me.

I thought you were talking about assuming a huge form, perhaps to grapple gargantuan beasts (which would be... if not broken, at least unique) which explains my comment "changelings can't increase in size".

 

[MechaTarrasque]

I don't see any particular wildshape abuse. The relevant text is "You can make yourself appear as a member of another race,though none of your game statistics change. You also can’t appear as a creature of a different size than you, and your basic shape stays the same; if you’re bipedal, you can’t use this trait to become quadrupedal, for instance." So even if you can con the rest of the party (and DM) that "an elephant is the same basic shape as a dragon", you aren't going to be able to fly, breath fire, or use frightful presence any more than changing your appearance to be a high elf gets you proficiency with a long sword. You are just an elephant that looks enough like a dragon enough to fool people.

 

[NaturalZero]

I fear we have very different minmaxing targets.

The goal for any greatweapon wielder (I know of) is to be able to use your actual greatweapon (complete with any boons such as greatweapon fighting weapon style, bonuses from your weapon being magical etc) on every attack, including the bonus attack.

Sure, but the only consistent ways to get those extra attacks that i can think of off the top of my head are through polearm master and barbarian. PM has lower base damage on the bonus attack but is compensated for with that fat +10 damage from gwm. If you want to run greatsword or greataxe though? I'm not seeing how you get that extra attack, for free every round, without the overly punitive exhaustion rules. Obviously, polearm is still the gold standard but if you want to try a different greatweapon? This is a free extra damage without using a feat or multiclass.

The place i really see it shining is with sword-n-board or cantrip builds though, especially at low levels.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

How to abuse changling druid: Wildshape into an Ape (not the giant variety). Then use your changling ability to change back to your normal appearance. You can now use all your weapons and armour normally, and not draw unwanted attention when trying to infiltrate the Ambassador's ball, whilst having the stats and hp buffer of an ape.


Even more weirdly, RAW an 8th level druid could wildshape into an eagle, and then changling into a halfling (both are small bipeds). You would still be able to fly by flapping your arms.


It would have made life much simpler to give changlings unlimited use Alter Self spell.


As for warforged envoys, consider this: You are still trying to infiltrate the Ambassador's ball in order to steal her golden chocolates, which are locked in a safe. The party are frisked at the entrance, and the rogue's lockpicks are discovered, and they are dragged off to the dungeon. The remaining party reach the safe. "LEAVE THIS TO ME" intones the warforged, as lockpicks extend from its fingertips. (Not to mention with light armour proficiency and a good dex it has AC bloody stupid if it needs to fight it's way out).

 

[Horwath]

In the envoy sidebar it talks about "Masque" a warforged with a built in disguise kit. Is anyone else picturing a warforged wearing lipstick and a fake mustache trying to pass itself off as human? What is a disguise kit to a warforged? You aren't going to pass as anything other than a warforged, unless your disguise kit is actually just a big hooded cloak. And if you're disguising your-self as a different warforged, what on earth is in that kit?

Obviously, purely game-rule-wise there is no reason a disguise kit is less effective for warforged, but the imagery it evokes in my mind is not one of believable success...

I am Terminator, Cyberdyne systems model 101 series T-800

 

[Li Shenron]

Just for curiosity on the design process, I compared the old versions of Eberron races (1st UA article 3 years ago) to the new ones:

Kalashtar is completely new, it wasn't part of the old UA article.

Changeling
- Cha bonus increased to +2, Dex bonus can now be replaced with Int bonus
- Change Appearance is not limited to a creature you've seen, but you now must have the same shape; also includes advantage to Deception
- added Unsettling Visage and Divergent Persona abilities

Shifter
- added Perception proficiency
- removed Sylvan language
- all ability bonuses from subrace are doubled
- all subraces also grant one skill proficiency
- Beasthide subrace also grants temporary hit points while shifting
- Str modifier added to bite damage of Longtooth subrace (also some technical changes to the attack, which now counts as unarmed)
- Mark the Scent added to Wildhunt subrace
- Cliffwalk subrace is removed
- Swiftstride subrace kind of replaces Longstride, with a similar boost to speed and mobility but more complicated

Warforged
- poison, exhaustion and magic sleep defenses added
- 2 more hours of "sleep" required
- bonus language removed
- fixed AC replaces AC bonus
- subraces added (and they come with 2 points of score increases to replace the fixed +1 Str)
- quirks table added

 

[Valetudo]

Glad I'm not the only one who thinks Eberron is an animie setting.

I always saw it as a final fantasy rippoff myself. But hey there areFF anime so maybe we are both right.

 

[Mouseferatu]

I always saw it as a final fantasy rippoff myself. But hey there areFF anime so maybe we are both right.

Or both wrong.

 

[MonkeezOnFire]

The changeling shifting doesn't sit right with me. The text is taken almost directly from Alter Self which is a 2nd level spell. Other races that cast 2nd level spells can't do so until a higher level and even then only get it once per day. The changeling can morph at will at level 1. While Alter Self isn't the most powerful 2nd level spell, its still a huge boost to the social pillar that feels too powerful to come from a racial ability.

 

[TwoSix]

Glad I'm not the only one who thinks Eberron is an animie setting.

Feature, not bug.