Dungeons & Dragons posts new Unearthed Arcana containing revised villainous subclasses, with one subclass shelved for now

A new Unearthed Arcana playtest includes tweaked villainous subclasses, plus some additional insight as to what classes will eventually appear in a future D&D product. The D&D Design team released the new Unearthed Arcana today, containing revised versions of the Circle of the Titan Druid, Hell Knight, and Demonic Sorcerer that previously appeared in the last Unearthed Arcana back in April. The Circle of the Titan subclass has a bulked up Titan Forms, with higher AC and more hit points. The Hell Knight saw more significant revisions, with a deemphasis on luck (with Infernal Wound Die rolls of 1 being treated as a 6 at Level 7 as opposed to Level 18) and advanced wounds triggering on any roll of the Infernal Wound die. The Demonic Sorcerer also received an updated spell list and a tweak to the Abyssal Rupture feature, with the rupture now creating the rupture within 30 feet of them to keep the sorcerer out of content.



In a post made to D&D Beyond, Justice Ramin Arman promised more transparency as to the result of Unearthed Arcana surveys. The Path of Lament Barbarian and Pestilence Domain Cleric “might” appear in a future D&D product alongside the feat paths for the Death Knight and Lich. However, the Primordial Patron for the Warlock is being shelved as it tested too low in the playtest.

 

[Oliksandr]

the lich path is not lore accurate at all and far to oversimplified. as someone who got into D&D because they love the setting and novels i cant stand how WOTC just screws everything together without any concern for lore.

The lore? Forgotten realms isn't the first. Fifth was the first to use it as default. The lore isn't consistent against settings nevermind editions.

 

[Oliksandr]

((message deleted due to duplication))

 

[Juomari Veren]

The long-ago stone sorcerer was similar. Great idea, bad rules.

That's really interesting, because I am of the exact opposite opinion.I really liked the actual mechanics of it, but the thematics definitely didn't feel cohesive. Another subclass I enjoyed a lot that was forever relegated to UA is Treachery paladin, I really wanted to be a pre-Mordenkainen's Goblin and use Fury of the Small and that Channel Divinity on someone with advantage and just deal a ton of flat damage, but alas.

 

[Toe Knee Nose]

Boo. I really liked the Primordial warlock. Sigh.

 

[Not a Decepticon]

Glad the backlash saved Warlock from becoming even more patronless

 

[MonsterEnvy]

the lich path is not lore accurate at all and far to oversimplified. as someone who got into D&D because they love the setting and novels i cant stand how WOTC just screws everything together without any concern for lore.

What’s not accurate about the Lich?

 

[Bae'zel]

I have the older set of cards from Gale Force 9. They were indeed handy, but keeping them stored and sorted was a big pain. I tried using binders and card sleeves for the spells but it also became a chore.

I mostly did this for my players' convenience, but I doubt I'll do this again. For smaller game systems, sure, but ones with hundreds of spells and monsters? Naw...

But they are handy at the table!

 

[Sacrosanct]

These have been cool, I just wish they didn't call them "villainous." They're largely antihero, or edgy. But since I haven't thought of a better name, I can't fault them too much.

Maybe I'm old, because when I think of hellknights who serve archdemons/devils and demonic sorcerers, I think villain. Han Solo was edgy. Archdemon? Pure evil.

 

[Azzy]

I have the older set of cards from Gale Force 9. They were indeed handy, but keeping them stored and sorted was a big pain. I tried using binders and card sleeves for the spells but it also became a chore.

I mostly did this for my players' convenience, but I doubt I'll do this again. For smaller game systems, sure, but ones with hundreds of spells and monsters? Naw...

But they are handy at the table!

Wrong thread?

 

[Mirrorrorrim]

These have been cool, I just wish they didn't call them "villainous." They're largely antihero, or edgy. But since I haven't thought of a better name, I can't fault them too much.

I dunno, friend. Serving devils/demons/fiends doesn't come across as "anti-hero" to me. The powers of the fiendish subclasses themselves are absolutely FOR evil servants of the evil afterlives. Narratively, they aren't intended for heroes, anti- or otherwise. Ultimately, while these concepts fit better for NPC villains, NPC villains are not designed with classes and subclasses like PCs, so it's pretty obvious that these subclass designs are specifically for those edgy players who want to play that one in a million anti-hero character.

Embracing those powers for a lifetime and not being a villain sounds like a extremely rare circumstance (although the game assumes that most fiend-pact warlocks are in that position). In fact, the game has to be written in a way that gods/patrons/fiends from which PCs get their power do not have the ability to take that power away if the PC starts working against their interests. I suppose one could narratively create a whole order of fiend-powered anti-heroes, but the only reason that works is if the narrative does not allow the fiendish masters to remove the powers from those who work against them. Ultimately, D&D is designed to support the player-fantasies. And these are valid player fantasies.

As for the hero/anti-hero side of things, common folk aren't going to want to hero-worship a fiend-follower, and if they do, that sounds like a potential problem for that community. It's not a "good" thing for the impressionable youth to want to follow in the footsteps of the fiend-powered "anti-hero," thinking it is ok to tie themselves to such horrors from the afterlife, and risk the consequences.

It does sound like they are creating a product that contains villainous options, but what we don't know is if the product will be designed to support Evil play, or just have more dark options for classes other than the Warlock, so more classes have access to anti-hero options to rebel against the darkness they are tied to.