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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ClaytonCross" data-source="post: 7898581" data-attributes="member: 6880599">I agree and disagree. I agree that when ever possible players should make what they what from what they have. D&D 5e is very flexible and sometimes you don't need a new class for what you want. Players often want a new subclass like "Thug the strength based rogue" instead of just being a fighter with urchin background because they want to power game / munchkin the crap out of it and their GM will not let them. So they ask for a new official subclass to legitimize their desire. I disagree that adding new official content is just bloat and unnecessary when you can just homebrew. While players power game, GMs do gate keep. No GM I have ever played under ever let me as a player homebrew. Homebrew is generally a GM only tool because "its there world, there rules". Official rules for players allows for them to ask for a tested product with a level of authority to gain a level of freedom on the one thing they control in D&D games... their character choices. Best Examples I have seen is the Beast master ranger and warlock pact of the blade. The Beast Master was a cool idea that worked for about 5 levels, then died a painful death of uselessness. The revised ranger UA and new UA alternate class features have made their way on to a great number of tables that the GM had previously denied attempts to homebrew fix the class. The Warlock pact of the blade was a constant discussion on how to make it hold it weight as the gish everyone wanted it to be. Then it got the hexblade in Xanthar's Guide to Everything and  UA alternate class features has the Eldritch Armor invocation which has resulted in many happy players who were not able to get what they wanted without multi-classing paladin which of course many GMs (not all) take issue with. The design of a class that leads people to assume a specific style of play is intended but then requires a multi-class your GM may not even allow to not hold back your party and feel like a joke needs a fix. I will point out that I used Unearthed Arcana in both examples, and called them official, I know this is not truly "official" however, even UA has all the effects you describe and while some GMs may not allow UA, if like the hexblade, they release options in an official book players are likely to be freed up to play more the character they want. Of course, some GMs will just not allow the book, but players having something to point to other than themselves and homebrew helps. My conclusion, is that content for the sake of more content... is bloat and going to over bloat for the sake of Wizards of the Coast having new stuff to sale. That is the natures of RPGs and publishers. However, content released directed at fixing specific player issues and new story source material / simplified mechanical systems for GMs like downtime in Zanthar's are the best use of these releases. Zanthar's over all is the best book outside of the core 3 in my opinion because it seems built around this premise.</blockquote>

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