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.

 

[bedir than]

Not being saddled with the seemingly infinite 3/3.5 classes and lore helps me appreciate this Vestige Warlock more.
The lore isn't broken if you have no idea what a "Binder" is.

 

[Misanthrope Prime]

The lore isn't broken if you have no idea what a "Binder" is.

 

[Minigiant]

I think the vestige warlock in this playtest might be better. If reflared as the warlock of a fallen or other setting pantheon, then you would have a valid reason why the warlock is taking spells from other domains..They are channeling the power of long forgotten or very distant deities. This also would allow you to as your summon. Be more attached to the elements of a pantheon. Imagine summoning the remnants of a war god or a God of trickery or a God of healing.

Like you can play a warlock who is in a packed with Ares, Artemis, and Apollo in the forgotten realms.

 

[TwoSix]

Not being saddled with the seemingly infinite 3/3.5 classes and lore helps me appreciate this Vestige Warlock more.
The lore isn't broken if you have no idea what a "Binder" is.

Personally, I don't consider Binder and the UA Vestige Warlock to have any sort of relationship other than the word "vestige" being used for both.

They're vastly different mechanical experiences with some overlap in narrative concepts, but nowhere close to the same overall concept.

 

[BenjaminPey]

I very much like these subclasses, because they all tell something. Good, evocative themes all around.

The monk is the laziest, mechanically speaking, but the strong Dragon Ball/Avatar vibe is enough, I think, to make this character feel alive. Kamehamehas for the win. Plus, EK is not a bad chassis, and some amount of factorisation on the mechanical side might even be good, or even warranted, provided that the narrative pull is strong enough, which is the case, here.

The paladin is terrific. The anti-magic police (think Templars in Dragon Age, for instance) is a strong theme by itself, and not as yet realized this fully.

The rogue might be the best theme of all, and, contrary to what the Beyond page says, I don't see to what previous class it's supposed to be a callback? Someone knows? I guess 3E? On the other hand, it might be the clunkiest and the weakest, mechanically speaking. Giving limits on the level of spells you can absorb, when there isn't any levels given in the monster stat block anymore, must be corrected. That said, being capable of dissipating magic without casting any spell is very nice, and somewhat more important now with all the imposed conditions — provided the trigger is widened a bit, maybe to encompass any conditions applied with even just a hint of magic, rather than spell-applied only. Fear, especially, could be considered. It's a party killer, now.

The Vestige warlock is an instant-buy for me. Extracting power from dead gods, yes! Can change each day, yes! Simple, slick implementation, yes! I can instantly imagine ton of stories with this. I didn't know the Binder and checked it out — way to complicated for me, as usual with 3E material, so I'm not, well, binded with the particulars of this previous iteration. I remember that I have found funny, reading the DMG24, that they keep this line about vestiges, when so much about gods was left out. Well, maybe they had this concept in mind all along.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

Some Vestiges listed in 3e were Ashardalon (a really powerful Red Dragon), Astaroth, Acererak (the Tomb of Horrors Lich), Kas (the vampire rival of Vecna), Gaia, Geryon, Karsus, Primus (or at least a remnant of a previous top Modron) and Teneborous (the identity Orcus assumed after he was slain). Some of vestiges do encroach on Great Old Ones, Fiends and (fallen) Celestials.

Vestiges as a Warlock patron was a 4e thing, that didn't quite catch what the 3e Binder class had.

Without fully recreating the Binder, to recreate some of that class from 3.5e I think the Vestige Patron subclass should have the ability to choose their vestige spell domain every long rest, and maybe have a Warlock invocation that's a flexible slot that can be picked on a long rest.

 

[TravDoc42]

View attachment 427445

I never thought I'd see Miku Binder Thomas Jefferson on Enworld.org this morning!

 

[TravDoc42]

Yeah, there is no more reason to suppose the Horror UA points to a Ravenloft book (VGR only had two subclasses)

Clearly the Horror subclasses UA was for a book everyone is REALLY clamoring for: Ghostwalk.

 

[Misanthrope Prime]

I never thought I'd see Miku Binder Thomas Jefferson on Enworld.org this morning!

I woke up this morning and chose violence.

Actually I chose coffee, but violence inevitably comes shortly after.

 

[Scribe]

Clearly the Horror subclasses UA was for a book everyone is REALLY clamoring for: Ghostwalk.