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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Libertad" data-source="post: 9372317" data-attributes="member: 6750502"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/NsXAriY.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /> Chapter 5: the Peoples of SolastaAnother short chapter, this section details the major groups of humanoids that call Solasta home. Despite being much less humanocentric than other settings, the vast majority of the population hews to the Tolkien classics in being humans, dwarves, elves, or halflings along with the subraces specifically listed here. Other races and subraces can be found but tend to be very rare. Which is unfortunate as the DLC for the game expanded options for dragonborn, gnomes, and tieflings, but they get no mention here.Dwarves, elves, and halflings are all native to Solasta, with humans being the exception in having Tirmar as their ancestral homeland. It’s often believed that these four major races are strongly associated with one of the four elements: elves are associated with air, dwarves earth, and water for halflings given their predisposition for living on islands and in marshes. Humans are a matter of scholarly debate, as while sometimes placed alongside fire, their foreign origin speculates that their method of creation sits outside the evolution of Solasta. Sylvan elves maintain that there’s a fifth element known as wood. None of this has actual game effects or objective fact; elves aren’t better with air or wind magic, nor are halflings adept with water spells.For existing OGL PHB options, we have humans, hill dwarves, high elves, half-elves, and half-orcs. In spite of its brevity this chapter has a lot of padding, repeating the game stats from the aforementioned base races and subraces and more or less going down the list of checkboxes for fantasy cliches: half-orcs are viewed as part-monster and treated badly by both human and orc society, hill dwarves are obsessed with family and tradition and innovators in mining, etc. In terms of flavor text, there’s honestly not much to say which would really make these new and existing races stand out that hasn’t already been covered in earlier chapters.The new subraces include Sylvan Elves (like wood elves, but instead of increased speed and camouflage their gain proficiency in Athletics, Survival, and roll advantage on Survival for hunting and foraging), Snow Dwarves (+1 Dexterity, proficient in all crossbows, take less damage and auto-succeed vs cold damage and cold hazards and can cast Protection From Energy once per long rest vs cold), Marsh Halflings (+1 Constitution, darkvision 60 feet), and Island Halflings (+1 Charisma, proficient and expertise in Acrobatics).Thoughts: The Sylvan Elf feels like a downgrade from the base Wood Elf, as that persistent 5 foot speed can make a lot of difference in combat. Snow Dwarf abilities are just too situational given that cold isn’t one of the most common damage types. As for the halflings, darkvision is boring yet practical, as halfling abilities strongly hew towards roguish pursuits but the base race’s lack of darkvision hinders them in this. Double proficiency with Acrobatics is a bit of an acquired taste, as besides broad feats of agility its most explicit use in the base rules is as an Athletics alternative for resisting grapples.Chapter 6: ClassesNow we get to the most thorough chapter of the book, and what makes this version Revised given it incorporates subclasses from the video game DLC that wasn’t present in the original sourcebook. With each class gaining 3 new subclasses (save the Cleric which gets 6 and the Wizard getting 4), we have an awful lot of options here.<img src="https://i.imgur.com/klyHGNC.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Barbarians are common among hunter-gatherer and subsistence cultures, and the most well-known races who count them among their ranks are humans, snow dwarves, and marsh halflings.The Path of the Claw are descendants of dragons who draw upon their heritage’s powers in battle, such as gaining a 30-foot breath weapon cone that can be used once per rage, adding bonus damage in line with their dragon element on melee attacks, and while raging gaining resistance to that damage type as well as adding their Rage Damage bonus to AC when not using a shield.Path of the Magebane are those who passed down memories of the horrors of the Cataclysm and taught people that magic is a vile force that can destroy the world. Their features are explicitly designed to counter spellcasters, such as letting out an AoE battlecry as a reaction once per rage to grant advantage on saves vs spells to allies and deal psychic damage to enemies, impose disadvantage on concentration saves on a target they damage in melee, and as their capstone ability can dispel magic effects on a target like Dispel Magic by hitting them in melee. Including things that can’t otherwise be damaged, such as Cloudkill!The Path of Stone is all about pushing one’s body to be able to survive anything and turns the Barbarian into a tank, such as gaining temporary hit points equal to their class level each turn when raging, can choose to add their Constitution modifier to saving throws instead of the normal ability score when they’d make a save, and gain cumulative +1 AC (maximium +4) for each enemy they’re adjacent to while raging.Thoughts: Of the three subclasses, I think that the Claw is most appealing. Being able to deal elemental damage is useful for getting around damage resistances (and possibly exploit vulnerabilities), the AoE cone is a good multi-target option, and the AC bonus certainly doesn’t hurt either. Magebane is a bit too situational, as it’s explicitly against enemies that use spells vs anything vaguely magical, so its usefulness hinges greatly on what enemies the DM throws at you. Stone’s refreshing temporary hit points are good, but the problem is that it doesn’t really punish foes who can outmaneuver the Barbarian and go for their allies instead, which Path of the Ancestral Guardian is built to handle.<img src="https://i.imgur.com/WNxFvKP.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Bards are common to all cultures, as everyone has one or more musical traditions. Various races and cultures prefer certain instruments, such as snow dwarves using throat-singing and mountain horns or high elves using operas and stringed instruments.The College of Heroism lives to help others achieve their dreams rather than themselves, and the subclass makes heavy use of Bardic Inspiration. For example, allies can roll BI twice and choose which roll to use, they can still grant BI when they run out by opting to take psychic damage, can once per long rest give a nearby ally advantage on saves and immunity to frightened for 1 hour, and their capstone ability lets them once per long rest sing a concentration-based song where for the next minute they can spend their bonus action to grant nearby allies advantage on saves and resistance to all damage.The College of Hope focuses on healing, such as letting those they grant BI to the ability to immediately spend Hit Dice to heal themselves or gain temporary hit points, gain bonus spells such as Prayer of Healing and Revivify, an effect similar to the Aid spell at the end of a short or long rest based on the roll of their BI, and as a capstone ability can restore a target reduced to 0 hit points up to half their hit point maximum as a reaction once per long rest.Finally, the College of Tradition treats music as a scholarly field. Their initial abilities let them treat any Insight or Intimidation check of 9 or lower as a 10, and every time they have the opportunity to learn or replace a bard spell they can also choose from the wizard spell list. At 6th level once per rest as an action they can verbally castigate a target, and if they fail an Intelligence save they subtract a BI roll from any attack, ability check, save, or damage roll until the start of the bard’s next turn.* And their capstone ability lets them once per rest gain a free BI as a bonus action they can give to themselves and an ally and have the maximum result for the die.*The Bard doesn’t have to spend BI in order to use this ability.Thoughts: The College of Heroism is a welcome addition to any party. BI is a very useful thing given its broad applications, and being able to not only make it better but gain more uses in favor of taking damage can see a steady increase in higher rolls for when they matter. Hope isn’t as impressive, as healing in 5e is suboptimal to do except when outside combat, and as it mostly focuses on healing damage and doesn’t grant things like Raise Dead or Remove Curse they’re still shown up by Clerics, Paladins, and other dedicated healer types. Tradition’s focus on Insight and Intimidation generally aren’t as useful as Eloquence’s broader Deception and Persuasion. While Insight can be useful, Wisdom isn’t really a score the Bard class emphasizes. Gaining access to the Wizard spell list is really good, and the 6th level debuff is like a more powerful version of Eloquence’s Unsettling Words in that it can apply to multiple rolls, but it can be resisted by a save and comes in at higher level.<img src="https://i.imgur.com/11ipLsu.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Clerics originated among humans, but like bards can be found among all peoples now. Not everyone who works at a temple is even a cleric or spellcaster, such as guards, clerks, and the like.The Battle Domain is associated with Einar and Misaye, reflecting those who know that arms must be taken up in order to live by their principles. Their domain spells focus heavily on buffs such as Haste and Stoneskin, but also includes the ever-useful Shield and Phantom Steed. They’re a front-loaded subclass, gaining proficiency with martial weapons and can use somatic and material components even when their hands are occupied by shields or weapons. Once per long rest they can also gain temporary hit points equal to 3 times their class level as a bonus action. Their other abilities include a smite that deals bonus force damage and can incapacitate a target on a failed Constitution save, Extra Attack at 8th level, granting a +1 to attack and damage rolls to themselves and allies within 10 feet, and can give their Channel Divinity a secondary AoE damaging effect.The Elemental Domain is associated with Arun, representing the many facets of nature. Its bonus spells center around damage and battlefield control, such as Scorching Ray, Sleet Storm, and Control Water. At 1st level they can learn a bonus cantrip that deals fire/cold/lightning damage from any class’ spell list, and whenever they cast a spell that deals any kind of damage they can opt to change the type to one of the 3 aforementioned types. Their Channel Divinity is selected from one of three weather-based abilities, dealing 2d8 + Cleric level of an appropriate damage type along with a secondary effect on a failed save such as buffeting winds that can shove and knock prone targets. At higher levels they add their Wisdom modifier to cleric cantrip damage and gain improved uses of Channel Divinity, such as making a shield to grant immunity to an incoming elemental damage type and gaining temporary hit points equal to the damage they would’ve otherwise taken.The Insight Domain is associated with Pakri, representing clerics who prioritize truth and the pursuit of knowledge. Their bonus spells are invariably divination in nature, such as Identify, Tongues, and Arcane Eye. At 1st level they gain proficiency in Insight and two Charisma skills, and have double proficiency in Insight. Their other initial ability lets them add their Wisdom modifier to Charisma checks provided that they spoke with the target they’re influencing for at least 1 minute. Their Channel Divinity lets them predict an opponent’s future attacks for 1 minute, imposing disadvantage on attack rolls against the Cleric and they can switch to a new target as a bonus action. At 6th level they become partial scouts, gaining permanent Detect Magic and Insivibility along with adding double proficiency to all checks for finding traps and hidden stuff. At 8th level they add Wisdom to cantrip damage and at 17th their Channel Divinity grants the Foresight spell for 1 minute instead.The Law Domain is favored by Einar and Pakri, representing those who use the law to punish evil and exalt good. Their bonus spells are a broad variety with a few debuffs, such as See Invisibility, Counterspell, Hypnotic Pattern, Faithful Hound, and Geas. At 1st level they gain proficiency with martial weapons and double proficiency with Intimidation, and advantage on checks and saves vs forced movement and the prone condition. Their Channel Divinity lets them infuse a melee attack with bonus psychic damage that can frighten a target if they fail a Wisdom save. At 6th level they can force a creature concentrating on a spell to lose that concentration if they fail an Intelligence save a number of times per long rest equal to their Wisdom modifier, and at 8th and 14th level they add bonus force damage to weapon attacks. Their 17th level capstone lets them deal psychic damage and restrain a target for 1 minute, where the target takes damage each turn but has the ability to end it early if they succeed on a Wisdom save.The Mischief Domain is Misaye’s purview, and its bonus spells focus heavily on illusion and deception such as Invisibility, Grease, Nondetection, and Confusion. At 1st level they can reroll a failed d20 result they don’t have disadvantage on a number of times per long rest equal to their Wisdom modifier, and can opt to go over this limit in exchange for suffering bad luck where the DM can give them disadvantage on one future roll per additional use until the next long rest. They also gain Vicious Mockery and proficiency in Deception or another roguish skill if they’re already proficient. Their Channel Divinity turns them invisible and imposes a random debuff on foes within 10 feet for 1 turn. At 6th level they can spend a reaction to gain a free use of Dodge and Disengage if they’re hit by a melee attack, add Wisdom to cantrip damage at 8th level, and at 17th level can spend a bonus action once per long rest to gain advantage on all d20 checks for 1 minute.The Oblivion Domain is a reflection of Maraika’s darker aspects. Its bonus spells focus on necrotic damage and the quietness of death such as Cam Emotions, Sleep, and Banishment. At 1st level they learn Chill Touch, gain advantage on death saves and grant advantage to allies within 30 feet provided the Cleric remains conscious, and their Channel Divinity is an AoE attack dealing necrotic damage and causes foes to have disadvantage on attacks and ability checks for 1 minute (can make a new save each round to end it early). They also become immune to all forms of magical sleep, can remain awake during long rests, and magically awaken allies automatically when combat begins. At 6th level, a number of times per long rest equal to their Wisdom modifier, they can mark targets with curses that deal bonus damage equal to half their Cleric level whenever the target would take damage for the first time on their turn. At 8th level they add Wisdom to cantrip damage, and at 17th marked targets also have disadvantage on rolls relevant to one chosen ability score.The Sun domain is associated with Arun, favored for its ability to make crops grow and being the bane of many sunlight-hating monsters. The bonus spells heavily focus on fire and radiant damage but also include related things such as Color Spray and Plant Growth. They learn the Sacred Flame and Light cantrips, and foes suffer disadvantage when saving against the former spell. Their Channel Divinity creates a 10 foot aura of fire that damages foes within, granting temporary hit points to friendly targets. At 6th level they can touch an ally as a bonus action and remove the Charmed, Frightened, or Incapacitated condition a number of times per long rest equal to their Wisdom modifier. At 8th level they add their Wisdom modifier to cantrip damage, and at 17th level they gain resistance to fire and radiant damage and can have spells dealing these types of damage to overflow and damage nearby targets for 2d8 beyond the originally affected.Thoughts: When it comes to the subclasses, the Battle Cleric is extremely powerful. They can gain an awful lot of temporary hit points, and since they last until they’re gone or a long rest it effectively puts them on par with a Barbarian in terms of staying power. The ability to cast spells with their hands full is really good, and getting the Shield spell is helpful. The Elemental domain is focused around being blasty, and being able to change damage types of spells is nice. However, the three damage types they focus on have more enemies resistant to them than radiant (one of the common damage types for cleric spells), and in terms of being an offensive mage they’re still upshone by the Warlock with their nifty Eldritch Blast and short rest refresh on spell slots. Insight is nice for face builds in that 1 minute of conversation before rolling a check is a pretty generous window. As for being the party scout, the constant spells and double proficiency for searching is good, but as Clerics by default don’t get stuff like Invisibility or prioritize a high Dexterity they’re still not as good as Bards or Chain Warlocks with familiars for being sneaky casters. The Law domain is kind of a paladin-lite in using martial weapons and focusing on melee weapons, and making a caster lose concentration via a rather rare save of Intelligence is pretty good. However, the Battle cleric and paladins with smite are still overall better, and their 17th level capstone feels a bit underwhelming as single-target restrain is something far lower level spells can replicate. Mischief is front-loaded in that being able to reroll failed rolls is useful at all levels, but their Channel Divinity and Dodge-Disengage are more situational in when they’re optimal to trigger.Oblivion isn’t very impressive given that necrotic is a commonly-resisted damage type in comparison to Light’s similar AoE, and while advantage on death saves is pretty good, a cleric with Healing Word is still easily able to have PCs avoid certain death. The immunity to magical sleep and awakening asleep allies is another situational use. As for the Sun domain, it’s inevitably going to be compared with the existing Light domain, and sadly it doesn’t measure up. Warding Flare and its improved version are a better option than being able to remove a limited number of conditions by touch, and their Channel Divinity is much shorter range and more or less requires the Cleric to be up close and personal with enemies in order to get the most out of its damage potential. Additionally, Light’s 17th level capstone imposing disadvantage on saves vs fire and radiant damage can deal a lot more potential damage than the 2d8 to secondary targets.<img src="https://i.imgur.com/DmwSVdT.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />The tradition of Druids originated among sylvan elves and marsh halflings, coming upon shared truths about the world in parallel development. Over time druidism spread to the rest of Solasta, for everyone could use an edge in surviving in nature.The Circle of Balance are those who uphold the loving, harmonious side of nature and the cruel, violent side in equal measure. They can heal and uplift, or ravage and slay, when the situation demands it. Their bonus spells are a mixture of healing and necrotic damage, and whenever they use a spell to restore hit points they also heal an additional amount equal to half their druid level at the start of their next turn. At 6th level, targets who fail a save against their spells take necrotic damage equal to the druid’s proficiency bonus and can’t regain hit points for one round. At 10th level a number of times per long rest equal to their Proficiency Bonus, whenever another creature takes damage within 30 feet, the druid can spend a reaction to heal a different creature within 30 feet an amount equal to half the damage taken. At 14th level once per long rest they deal an AoE necrotic damaging attack to all hostile targets within 60 feet when they drop to 0 hit points, and regain health equal to the total damage dealt.The Circle of the Kindred Spirit represents a druid who can summon a portion of their spirit into the world, taking the form of a mundane animal. At 2nd level they can spend uses of Wild Shape to summon a Kindred Spirit which has a stat block that improves with level on relevant aspects (hit points, proficiency bonus, attack and damage). In addition to halving telepathy with the druid as well as Pack Tactics, it more or less uses the rules for companion-based class features but takes actions independently of the druid’s. The druid takes 1d4 force damage per level if the Kindred Spirit is reduced to 0 hit points, so it can be risky to have it used as a meat shield even though that’s its primary purpose. At 6th level the Kindred Spirit’s attacks are magical, and whenever the druid casts a leveled spell the Kindred Spirit gains Temporary Hit points equal to half the druid level. At 10th level the Kindred Spirit can also attack twice per turn, and whenever it takes damage the Druid can spend a reaction to split the damage between themself and the spirit. At 14th level anyone the spirit attacks grants the druid advantage on attack rolls vs the target and the target takes disadvantage on saves, while in turn the spirit deals 2d8 bonus force damage on attacks on any target the druid cast a spell on. Finally, the spirit auto-succeeds vs any spells the druid casts unless the PC desires otherwise.Circle of Winds represents druids who use air currents to reshape the flow of mana to heal the world after the Cataclysm. They are a mobility-based subclass, and their bonus spells are all wind and air related such as Feather Fall, Fly, Freedom of Movement, and Conjure (Minor) Elementals. At 2nd level they gain the benefits of short-term +10 feet to movement speed and Disengage whenever they cast a leveled spell. At 6th level they can use a bonus action a number of times per long rest equal to their Wisdom modifier to shelter allies within 30 feet via a nice breeze, granting themselves and allies advantage on all saves until the start of their next turn. At 10th level they can grant increased mobility to an ally after they cast a spell or cantrip, giving them +20 feet speed and they can also Disengage as a bonus action until the end of their turn. At 14th level the druid’s speed increases by 5 feet permanently, they gain +3 on initiative checks, and once per short or long rest they can choose to gain the immediate benefits of Freedom of Movement whenever they’d be grappled, paralyzed, or restrained against their will. Is there any other kind, really?Thoughts: As I mentioned before, it’s hard to do a healer-focused subclass in 5e, but I think that the Circle of Balance manages to succeed on this for several reasons. The main reason is that it takes advantage of the action economy in a way that doesn’t interfere with most of the druid’s existing options and is tracked separately from spell slots. There’s not a lot of class features or spells that a druid can use with a reaction, and as the 10th level feature is congruent on a very common trigger in combat (anyone taking damage nearby), there’s hardly any penalty for using it vs something like spending an action and spell slot to cast Cure Wounds. The 14th level capstone is also nifty in that it grants the druid a nice AoE burst that avoids allies and immediately puts them back in the fight without any aid from their allies.As for Kindred Spirit, it is competing with two other minion-focused subclasses: Spores and Wildfire. Wildfire’s minion has more going for it, with a fly speed immediately whereas Kindred needs to be at least 8th level, a variety of condition immunities, and it doesn’t punish the summoning druid with damage should it be slain. What Kindred Spirit has going for it are better AC and more hit points (10 + half your hit points vs Wildfire’s 5 + [5 x druid level]) along with damage.Which brings us to Circle of Spores, which wins out over Spirit in terms of action economy and being meat shields. While the minions Spores can raise are individually not very powerful, they do a better job at putting themselves between the Druid and enemies in that there’s more of them on the battlefield rather than one minion. Additionally, the subclass grants the spell Animate Dead, which lets them create even more minions on top of what their subclass features normally give them.Circle of Winds doesn’t really do it for me. A lot of their mobility-based bonus spells require concentration, forcing them to compete with other druid spells. And things like Fly and Expeditious Retreat are also competing with Wild Shape forms that are also speedy or can fly once the druid gains access to winged animals. As for its subclass features, only the group advantage on saves really stands out, as the uses of Disengage and bonus movement speed don’t last very long and are mostly best for kiting archer and sniper types who need to move away so that they don’t suffer disadvantage on ranged attacks. The 14th level capstone feature also feels unimpressive even if a bonus to initiative isn’t something to sneeze at; the prime features are reactive rather than active, and replicates the use of a spell they already got at lower level.<img src="https://i.imgur.com/Kw6DTG3.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Fighters can be found the world over, for there has always been a need for people able to injure and kill others, be it for mere survival or a greater cause.The Commander represents those who lead the charge in battle, from military officers to charismatic partisans. Initially they gain proficiency in Intimidation and Persuasion (or from a small list of skills if they’re already proficient in one or both) and can choose to add their Strength modifier on top of Charisma when using such skills. They can also a number of times per long rest equal to their Constitution modifier give a Rousing Shout as a bonus action, granting nearby allies advantage on their next attack roll until the start of the Fighter’s next turn. At 7th level they can give up one attack from the Attack action to grant themselves or a nearby ally a free use of Dodge. At 10th level their Rousing Shout increases to 60 feet rather than 30 and also grants temporary hit points. At 15th level they can mark a target (no action required) whenever they hit one with a weapon attack, and until the start of their next turn the creature takes 1d6 additional damage whenever they’re hit with an attack. Their 18th level capstone lets them perform a Last Stand as a reaction once per long rest when they or an ally within 60 feet has fewer than 50% hit points remaining. This is a broad buff, granting them and allies +2 to attack, AC, saves, and don’t fall unconscious at 0 hit points. The Fighter risks exhaustion every turn they maintain this buff, with a progressively higher Constitution save, and it ends if they fall unconscious or die.The Mountaineer is a post-Cataclysm martial tradition that arose out of people fighting monsters in the Badlands, Marches, and other dark corners of the world. Initially they can use shields as a 1d4 bludgeoning martial weapon, can shove or make an attack against opponents with shields as a bonus action, add a shield’s AC bonus to Dexterity saves vs single-target spells and harmful effects, and can spend reaction to take no damage vs such effects if they’d take half damage instead. They also can move through the space of creatures one size larger, and whenever they’d impose forced movement on a creature no more than one size larger they can swap places instead. At 7th level they gain additional +2 AC when in total cover (+7 AC total) or when next to a wall or other obstacle that can grant such cover. At 10th level a number of times per short or long rest equal to their Proficiency Bonus, anyone they hit with a shield suffers from mechanics identical to the Slow spell for one turn if they fail a Constitution save. At 15th level they can swap places with an adjacent target about to be hit by an attack and take the attack instead, and at 18th level their AC bonus for total cover/walls also grants +2 to attack rolls and applies when they’re adjacent to allies no more than one size smaller than them.The Spellblade is an “I Can’t Believe It’s Not An Eldritch Knight” subclass, originating from the Manacalon Empire but now the Circle of Danantar are the most well known practitioners. It even has almost-identical spell slot and level progression. But unlike the Eldritch Knight, the wizard spells it can learn are broader, including the Conjuration, Enchantment, Evocation, and Transmutation schools. But no Abjuration, so bye-bye Shield! Initially they can treat any melee weapon as a spellcasting focus and perform somatic components with the weapon instead of a hand, and they ignore disadvantage on ranged spell attack rolls due to adjacent opponents. At 7th level they can imbue their weapon with energy whenever they cast a spell or cantrip with a casting time of 1 action, giving their weapon +1d10 bonus force damage on attacks until their next turn. At 10th level they automatically gain a number of temporary hit points equal to five times the level of a spell they cast. At 15th level they can change a spell with a casting time of 1 action to 1 bonus action once per short or long rest, and at 18th level they can spend a bonus action once per short or long rest to enter a dance-like stance for 1 minute, granting them a bonus equal on attacks, AC, and saves equal to the level of a spell they cast for 1 round.Thoughts: More than the other subclasses, the Fighter subclasses are inevitably going to be compared to existing official options. The Commander to the “leader-like” Battlemaster maneuvers, and Spellblade to Eldritch Knight. First off, the Battlemaster maneuvers that do similar or equivalent effects (Distracting Strike for advantage on attack rolls, Rally for temporary hit points) are single-target, whereas the Commander’s features affect multiple allies. And like Maneuver Dice, the Commander’s non-capstone features also refresh on a short rest. So the Commander has the upper hand in being multi-target, but the Battlemaster has the advantage in that allies don’t have to stay close until the double-digit levels, as buff-based maneuvers have much more generous ranges like Rally’s “friendly creature who can see or hear you.” As for trading in attacks for Dodge, I can’t see this being as useful save for the Fighter using it on themself, and even then. The best defense in 5e is a good offense, and given that Fighters are great at mowing down enemies via damage, there’s not many times when I can see them giving up one or more attacks to make them and their allies harder to hit.As for Mountaineer, it is good for sword and boarders via a shield shove or bonus attack, albeit that is partially replicating something an existing feat already does. As for the +2 AC from cover-based structures, by my reading it sounds like it can apply even when they’re not in total cover but merely adjacent to such a thing, meaning they can get this bonus when they are next to a wall but targets otherwise have unobstructed line of sight. I believe that’s how it worked in the video game. Otherwise, a lot of the abilities focus on situational things, like only being useful against foes within a certain size category.Finally, the Spellbade. First off, being able to cast a spell with an occupied hand is great, for it makes sword and board gishes viable. Whereas the Eldritch Knight gains bonus action weapon attacks with a cantrip and eventually leveled spells, the Spellbade cannot typically attack and cast during the same turn. But +1d10 force damage can make up for this next turn, particularly when combined with Action Surge. They can attack-cast with leveled spells earlier than the Eldritch Knight (15 vs 18), but that is refreshed by rest rather than at-will. Gaining temporary hit points with leveled spells helps their staying power, and having a wider array of spell schools to choose from is also good. I’d rate them higher than the Eldritch Knight, but losing out on Abjuration hurts them.This post is getting lengthy, so I’ll cover the rest of the subclasses in the next one.Thoughts So Far: The chapter on races and subraces left me rather cold, particularly because they didn’t include discussions on the races added in the DLC, and also because the new subraces felt rather bland. As for the new subclasses covered so far, there’s a mixture that are both cool and practical, but also some that fall short of existing official options. Only the Battle Domain for Clerics feels overpowered to the point I’d take some heavy convincing to permit them in a campaign. It’s clear that a few of them were made to fill in the gaps for subclasses not OGL-friendly like the Sun Domain or Spellblade, but otherwise most feel original enough to have a unique place in the world.Join us next time as we finish up character creation with the rest of Chapter 6 as well as Chapter 7: Backgrounds</blockquote>

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