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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Libertad" data-source="post: 8147540" data-attributes="member: 6750502"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/Eyh2JCg.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Barbarian: Barbarians in Imaria are the same as in practically every other stock D&D setting: technologically-primitive warriors who channel their inner rage to fight. New Iltheria recruited many barbarians in their auxiliary ranks, and are very common among mutates and Neranians...in spite of the latter being mostly pacifists. The Bestial Path is a new mutate-only option centering around enhancing natural weapon attacks. At 3rd and 14th level it increases the damage die of natural attacks when raging to 1d8 and 2d8 respectively, also lets one attack with said natural weapons as a bonus action when raging at 3rd level, at 6th level lets one Dash as a bonus action provided the barbarian has no weapons, shield, or armor equipped, and at 10th level their natural weapons threaten a critical on a 19-20 and are considered magical for damage resistance/immunity.Overall the damage increase is good, but it’s a bit lacking in comparison to other archetypes. It lacks the utility of a Totem Warrior, and the “treated as magical” and the 2d8 damage come in rather late-game.Old vs New: The prior version had a picture of an ursine warrior for the Bestial Primal Path, but now it has an orc/Neranian...who cannot qualify due to said subclasses’ restrictions. Doh!Bard: Bards are some of the more trusted spellcasters in Imaria, but they suffered the Iltherian purges just as same. Their more subtle means of magic allowed them to more easily evade detection, but their existence caused many mundane performers to be executed under suspicion of using their art and music to enthrall people.Old vs New:There are technically 2 new Bardic Colleges, albeit one got replaced in the revision process. The College of Thar’Nandia is the older one and preferred by those living underground, making use of sound and vibrations for survival. At 3rd level they increase the spell save DC of Illusion magic by their Charisma modifier on top of their existing bonuses, can discern direction while underground, and gain blindsight out to 60 feet and can spend Bardic Inspiration to grant this to a number of creatures equal to the Inspiration die rolled for 1 hour. At 6th level they can create stone wall barriers which can be toggled to be see-through or opaque. At 14th level they learn Greater Invisibility or a bonus 4th level Bard spell if they already know it, and once per long rest and the spending of a Bardic Inspiration die can cast said invisibility spell on themselves and every ally within 30 feet. Overall a nice class, but effectively adding double your Charisma for Illusion spell DC makes this a rather overpowered option.The newer replacement College is something else entirely. The College of Adaptability focuses heavily on the jack-of-all-trades archetype, reflecting their wily abilities to survive in a hostile world. At 3rd level they can substitute Performance for any other Charisma skill check provided they perform for at least 10 minutes, can spend Bardic Inspiration die to give allies equal to their Charisma modifier their choice of +1 attack/damage, +1 to all skill checks, or +1 to all saving throws for a number of rounds equal to the Inspiration Die result rolled. At 6th level they can choose a class they have no levels in and gain all of the benefits of multiclassing into it without needing any of the prerequisites, but cannot actually multiclass into it later on. At 14th level they gain a bonus Ability Score Increase or Feat.College of Adaptability is very good in part due to the multiclassing boon. You know how the College of Lore is useful for granting access to non-Bard spells? Well this feature more or less does the same, but opens up the entire list of one other class for the Bard! The +1 miscellaneous skill is a bit weak in that while it can affect multiple people, it’s generally more effective to do the default Bardic Inspiration which can give a single ally a far larger number (you can still roll a 1, after all).Cleric: Nothing new here, save for the fact that the use of the Death domain is gaining popularity among elves seeking vengeance against the Iltherians.Druid: Druids were always loners, but with the rise of the Iltherian Empire they retreated farther into isolation. Their priority in the postwar period is returning the balance of mana to the land, searching out dead magic zones and other dangerous places to restore. The Circle of Vitality is reflective of this goal, where a druid learns to store up mana in their body and release it into the surrounding environment long-term. They’re very much a “help your party spellcasters” role; at 2nd level they can perform a Terrain Suffusion ritual that takes 1 round to generate a 50 foot radius of strong mana. Those within the area of effect instantly regain one 1st-level expended spell slot, have a 5% chance to retain a spell slot after casting a spell, increase their spell save DC by 1, and roll an additional 1d6/1d4 dice for damaging and healing spells respectively. The duration is a number of days equal to the Druid’s level, but costs 1 or 2 points of Constitution damage each time it’s used which can be restored by 1 every 7 days via natural rest.At 6th level the Circle of Vitality allows the druid to Wild Shape into Plant types and have their natural attacks count as magical, and at 10th level their Terrain Suffusion becomes doubly powerful (10% chance to retain, 2d6/2d4 bonus dice, spell save DC +2, restore up to one 2nd-level spell slot). At 14th level the druid becomes immune to all disease, poison damage, and gains resistance vs necrotic damage.As Terrain Suffusion is limited only by the Constitution score and lasts for days, the Circle of Vitality is a very good choice that only gets better refresh-wise at higher levels. It may not measure up to the raw staying power of the Circle of the Moon, but it makes up for it in other ways.Fighter: The book has nothing substantial to say on this class in how it fits into the world besides the new archetype. Poor Fighters...Old vs New: The older versions had an Aerial Lancer archetype that could only be taken by Aerial Elves. At 3rd level it grants a special Raptor Dive which is an air-to-ground charging attack that adds +10 damage to an attack roll with a spear or reach weapon. At 7th level the archetype increases natural flying speed to 50 feet, allows one to wear medium army and be one immune to attacks of opportunity while flying. At 10th level the Raptor Dive can be used within 10 feet and no longer requires going air-to-ground. At 15th level the Raptor Dive causes airborne opponents hit to fall 100 feet immediately, while at 18th level the Fighter gains temporary HP equal to 5 + their Constitution modifier for every round they remain within the air and they roll double the base weapon damage die when making a Raptor Dive.This archetype is a one-trick-pony in that it only really does one thing. Fortunately the Raptor Dive counts as only one Attack so you can still do Extra Attacks before, during, or after the Dive. But in comparison to the Battlemaster Fighter it doesn’t have as many versatile options. The constantly-gaining temporary hit points is a very powerful option, but as it kicks in at 18th level most gaming groups aren’t going to see it.Its replacement archetype, the Titan, is available to all races and represents your stereotypical big bruiser. At 3rd level they gain a pseudo-Power Attack where they can voluntarily suffer a penalty to attack rolls equal to their Strength modifier and add double the penalty as a bonus to the damage roll. At 7th level they gain an All-or-Nothing attack where they can give up Extra Attacks in exchange for gaining +3 bonus on the attack roll for every attack sacrificed and a flat +1d8 damage, +2d6 if a two-handed weapon. This is not a very good option unless you’re suffering a rather grievous attack roll penalty; the +1d8/2d6 is akin to a bonus longsword or greatsword, and you most certainly have that kind of weapon if you’re a Strength-based Fighter. Furthermore, in giving up Extra Attacks you are giving up not only bonus damage die but also the bonus to your Strength modifier and potential critical hits.At 10th level the Titan gains proficiency in Intimidation or one other Fighter class skill if already proficient, and can add Strength on top of Charisma to Intimidation rolls. At 15th level they can have their All-or-Nothing attack be treated as a critical miss on a 1-10 roll result on a d20, or a critical hit on an 11-20 but only once per long rest. I presume that a critical miss is an auto-miss, but as the term does not exist in the base 5th Edition rules (or mentioned elsewhere in the book) I am not entirely certain of the meaning. Their 18th-level ability allows the Titan to give up their bonus action to add +5 to the attack or damage roll of an All-or-Nothing attack.Overall the Titan is a rather weaksauce archetype save for the rather large critical threat range. But as that kicks in at 15th level you’re gonna be waiting a looooooooong time if your campaign ever reaches such vaunted heights.<img src="https://i.imgur.com/9xtyhkg.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Monk: Monks in Imaria live isolated lives in monasteries, and due to this they managed to evade Iltherian notice. They have a new Monastic Tradition, Way of the Sleeping Dragon, representing those monks who help guard Tensire’s Tree of Elements by instilling draconic power within themselves. At 3rd and 6th levels they can choose a type of draconic breath weapon which they can spend ki points to activate, and they don’t have to choose the same dragon type each time. The 3rd level abilities are pretty nice damaging effects, ranging from 3d10 to 4d10 damage in cones and lines of varying size. The 6th level options include breath weapons which impose debuffs as well as damage such as paralyzing breath, disadvantage on Strength rolls, becoming slower (half speed, can only attack once per round, can’t use reactions), and the like. Unfortunately the save DC for said breath weapons are set in stone, ranging from 13 to 15.At 11th level the monk can make their breath weapons more powerful via additional expenditure of ki points, increase the save DC and/or damage dice, and can also spend 2 ki points to grow spectral wings granting them a fly speed for 1 hour. Finally, the subclasses’ 17th level ability grants immunity to a specific energy type along with some other boon: regain HP when you’d suffer fire damage, can swim and breath underwater and immune to water/gas based difficult terrain, gain a frightful presence, or can choose to succeed on a failed saving throw instead once per long rest.The Way of the Sleeping Dragon is kind of like the Four Elements monk in that its primary features consume ki quickly, but unlike the Four Elements is rather lacking in utility features. In low-level games you can be a pretty good blaster; but given you need to spend precious ki points to boost the DC to respectable levels, a Warlock and Sorcerer can do this more often and better.Paladin: Paladins are less religious in this setting than others. Their Oaths are more commonly given to philosophical ideals and individuals rather than a (fictional) god or religion. The new Oath of the Bloodline represents paladins sworn to protect a Blooded dynasty. At 3rd level their Channel Divinity options include adding their Charisma modifier to all skill checks for 1 hour and a vow of protection which transfers all damage from an ally (can be non-Blooded) to the Paladin, who in turn has resistance against said damage. Additionally healing spells cast on one heal both parties. At 7th level the Paladin gains a permanent +2 bonus to AC and can spend a reaction to grant an ally within 10 feet (30 feet at 18th) +2 AC as well. At 15th level they have no need to eat, sleep, or drink. Their 20th level ability allows them once per long rest to grow to Large size, change their AC value to 30, and enemies have disadvantage on all attack rolls against a target other than the paladin. This last part has no specified range; is it line of sight or meant to be closer?The Oath Spells include a variety of defensive magic (Banishment, Dispel magic, Guardian of Faith, Lesser Restoration, Sanctuary, Wall of Force) but there are some offensive and utility options too (Bane, Commune, Haste, Hold Person).The 30 AC really stands out. I get that this is meant to be a primarily defensive subclass, but that goes way beyond 5th Edition’s bounded accuracy. In comparison to the Oath of the Crown, the other big “paladin tank” option, it is more one-note. Oath of the Bloodline can reduce damage and boost AC, but Oath of the Crown can compel enemies to stay within 30 feet of the paladin, and their 20th level capstone is more versatile in granting advantage on death and Wisdom saving throws and giving said benefits to nearby allies. The Crown’s 7th level ability in transferring damage is a bit less powerful (takes a reaction, cannot be reduced) vs Bloodline’s Channel Divinity, but unlike Channel Divinity has technically infinite uses.Old vs New: The prior Paladin has specifics for the Oaths’ tenets: swear fealty to one Blooded house and be prepared to lay down one’s life for them, must never leave a Blooded human unattended, and be prepared to kill a protected Blooded human if they are at risk of dying from a renik sword.<img src="https://i.imgur.com/vadHhl4.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Ranger: Rangers adapted well to the collapse of the Iltherian Empire, given the breakdown of infrastructure is something that affects them less due to their knack for living off the land. The Black Powder Conclave represents rangers who specialize in firearms. At 3rd level they gain proficiency with Tinker’s Tools and can use them to craft firearms and gunpowder-related accessories, and can clear a jam on a misfire as an Action rather than 1 hour which is the default rule. At 7th level they can reload a weapon fully rather than one ammunition at a time per Action or Bonus Action. At 11th level they deal +1d10 bonus damage with all firearm attacks, which are treated as magical. At 15th level they gain advantage on all attacks with firearms made within the weapon’s close range value.Although detailed in a later chapter, there are 6 firearm weapons in Legacy of Mana, and of those 6 only 2 can hold more than one bullet at a time: the Repeater Pistol (up to 4) and the Double-Barrel Arquebus (2). So the “reload multiple bullets” is really only useful for those weapons. Additionally, although they have some sweet damage values (ranging from 2d4 to a whopping 4d10) firearms use that stupid misfire rule which are pretty much Critical Fumbles that render the weapon unusable for an hour. D&D gamers’ weird need to “balance” firearms makes them impractical to use, which also limits this subclass unless you’re going for raw damage; and in that case you’d probably want to be a Fighter instead.Old vs New: The Ranger couldn’t clear a misfire in an Action, but instead got a free Repeater pistol and 50 bullets.<img src="https://i.imgur.com/mw65HaN.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Rogue: Rogues thrive off of the political instability caused by Iltheria’s fall. The new Roguish Archetype, Diamond Skull Spy, requires membership in the aforementioned organization. In exchange you gain proficiency with Disguise Kits and Insight at 3rd level, know the Skull Sign language which is like Thieves’ Cant but faster and better, and as a bonus action can grant advantage to a single attack roll 4 times per short rest (HELLO SNEAK ATTACK). At 9th level they can effectively “take 10” on all Deception checks instead of rolling, and at 13th level gain two additional skills to benefit from their Expertise class feature. At 17th level they gain advantage on all saves vs effects that bestow the Charmed or Fear conditions, and become immune to all abilities that can read or discern the contents of their mind unless the Rogue permits it.Overall this is a rather fine archetype. It grants the Rogue a more reliable means of sneak attack and is quite useful for skill monkeys. The magical defenses come in rather late, however, and besides the rest-based auto-advantage the bulk of the features feel kind of lacking in the “do cool stuff” department.Sorcerer: No new stuff that hasn’t been said about Sorcerers before. However, they do have one more Origin: Chronomancy. This represents a sorcerer whose abilities come from a previous life, which..wait, isn’t this basically the Reincarnated Bloodline but a subclass?The origin’s 1st level features have them substitute Constitution for Charisma as their spellcasting ability, as well as permanent proficiency in one skill and tool of the sorcerer’s choice. They can also replace sorcerer spells with Cleric/Druid/Warlock/Wizard spells as they level up, and at 6th level and every 3 levels thereafter gain one additional spell known. At 14th they can give themselves advantage on one skill check at will...but only once per short rest, which sounds kind of contradictory. At 18th level they more efficiently spend sorcery points for spell slot levels on a 1-1 basis (1st level costs 1 point, 2nd 2 points, etc) and once per long rest can spend sorcery points to create a spell slot of 6th to 9th level.Old Vs. New: At 14th level they used to gain advantage on all initiative rolls, and could never be surprised while conscious. At 1st level they could also grant themselves advantage on a skill check within the next 10 minutes once per short rest, which sounds cleaner than the newer 14th level ability we got.As an Origin the low-level abilities point to a more skillful sorcerer, but 6th level onwards they dive into “GET ALL THE SPELLS” territory. Gaining access to other class’ spell lists opens up some nice options, and subbing in Constitution over Charisma allows for some Muscle Wizard jokes.Warlock: Warlocks are nearly universally distrusted due to their knack for making pacts with strange, often dangerous patrons for their powers. Most joined the Exuro Mane for protection. The exception to this negative perception lies in Warlocks whose patron is the Mana Well.The Mana Well patron is not a sentient entity, but more akin to a body producing white blood cells in reaction to danger. Warlocks empowered by the Mana Well are always of good alignment, those with dispositions conducive to protecting the land and its people from wickedness and corruption. At 1st level the warlock’s own body is treated as an arcane focus that they themselves (and others touching their bare flesh) can use to cast spells, and they can spend a spell slot to ignore the effects of Exhaustion until the next short or long rest. They also ignore all prerequisites save for levels in learning Invocations, which is really good. At 6th level they can draw 5 spell slots worth of energy from ley lines once per long rest, and divide said slots among themselves and allies within 30 feet. At 10th level they ignore all nonmagical difficult terrain and gain various ‘immortal’ immunities (starvation, thirst, aging). At 14th level they need only spend 10 minutes to benefit from a short rest, but during that time they enter a deep meditative trance that renders them completely blind and deaf.The Mana Well’s expanded spell lists includes a variety of restoration/light based options (Cure Wounds, Moonbeam, Awaken, etc) and some odd choices (Blight, Locate Creature).This archetype is similar to Circle of Vitality in that it’s also a “help your fellow spellcasters” in terms of its abilities. Its other choices are largely passive or defensive in nature, and as such are more situational. But being able to short rest for 10 minutes makes the warlock even more able to rapid-fire spells over the course of a day. They are more vulnerable in such a state while resting, but that’s what fellow party members are for!I believe that the opening up of invocations was meant as a broader class reflavoring; the warlock as it stands rubs hard against the setting’s assumptions of a non-godly universal magical power source, so my guess is that all warlocks were meant to be Mana Well Warlocks at some point in the design process.Wizard: Wizards, while rare, are more common outside of Krymaris due to having more distance from Iltheria. Even Phaelan’s Republic saw an influx in spite of their low level of mana, if only due to safety than anything else. In the postwar period they are regarded positively by most people for their talents and wisdom, much like bards. This is a bit contradictory, as a later entry in the DM’s Toolbox chapter mentions that wizards are “as likely to enslave villagers as defend them from attacking orcs.” I also imagine that anti-magic sentiment would still be common in many Iltherian areas.Thoughts So Far: The new classes and subclasses are a mixture of good and bad. For the new core classes I think that the Iltherian Knight and Seer are good at what they do, albeit the former lacks a bit of versatility outside of said role. The clear losers of this chapter were the martial classes, who tend to either be too weak or situational for their intended purposes. New subclasses for the casters ranged from the reasonably good to the outright broken. The removal of fluff text for the new core classes is a loss as they did help out in establishing their place in the setting (Seer especially), and the fluff provided for the base PHB classes is nothing special.Join us next time as we learn the secrets of airships, renik steel, and more in Chapter 8: Equipment & Vehicles!</blockquote>

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