This chapter is rather self-explanatory: it goes over how the various classes fit into the Beast World along with a new subclass for each of them. Artificer is an exception, for that class isn’t OGL.
Barbarians aren’t technologically-primitive warriors too undisciplined to learn more “proper” fighting styles. In the Beast World, they come from all walks of life, but what unites them is harnessing a rage that is a form of ego death which strips away part of their willful nature in order to focus on sheer might and power. The Path of Thought’s Tremor is a representation of this trance, and its features initially include explicitly physical abilities such as adding one’s Constitution modifier to melee damage on the first 1-2 hits when raging depending on level, doing bonus psychic damage on a critical hit, and at higher levels levels gain preternatural senses such as always active tremorsense and being able to form a Telepathic Bond when raging.
Thoughts: Flavorwise I like how the setting is divorcing the Barbarian class from the unfortunate implications of technologically primitive people being prone to anger and lacking knowledge in more “refined” forms of combat. As for the subclass, Strength and Constitution are almost always going to be the highest ability scores of the Barbarian, so this subclass makes them better at doing what they do best: damage. The tremorsense feature is permanent and isn’t dependent on raging, so it also turns the Barbarian into a rather good scout/“ghost-slayer.”
Bards interpret the power of Arcana as a Universal Symphony of rhythm connecting all facets of creation, and influence this force by eliciting emotion from magic itself. Bards in the Beast World are evenly split between learning their powers via formal colleges vs informal self-taught techniques. The College of Witches specializes in using magic to gain influence over the ghosts of the Netherworld. Initially they can call a ghost into service for one hour that acts as a harmless scout, and can attract a limited number of ghosts to haunt creatures or objects as part of a long rest. These latter kinds of ghosts have Essences which provide minor bonuses and features to creatures or objects they haunt for 1 minute via Bardic Inspiration, such as the Scoundrel granting a bonus to ability checks and +1d6 force damage on a hit. At higher levels they can temporarily learn spells they don’t know from ghosts as part of a long rest, and can create ghosts from dying humanoids to perform special actions the creature possesses.
Thoughts: The ghost scout is like a more limited version of the Echo Knight’s phantom double, but even then it can be useful for scouting purposes. The class feature doesn’t explicitly say that it is incorporeal, so that makes it less powerful it may initially sound. The ability to learn bonus bard spells is extremely strong; unlike the Lore Bard they can only learn from their own class’ spell list, but they can learn a much higher number in being equal to half their bard level minus one. The capstone ability can be abusable a la the Bag of Rats trick, but the text does mention that creatures who know they will be resurrected via Revivify will not produce a ghost. Overall a really strong subclass.
Clerics serve the various gods of the Beast World (and potentially in worlds beyond), and Pirhoua has the most clerics due to having a close motherly bond with her creations. The Mercy domain represents those souls who seek to to turn the defeated to a brighter path and bring down death as a last resort. At 1st level they are proficient in Persuasion and have a longer-range multitarget Sanctuary, their Channel Divinity can negate the damage from a melee attack as a reaction, and at higher levels they can bestow providence on themselves or a friendly creature (treat a d20 roll as a 15) whenever a hostile creature surrenders or dissolves hostilities. At higher levels they can have all of their damaging spells be nonlethal in nature, and at 17th level has their Sanctuary cause attackers to autofail Wisdom saves when they attack the spell’s target.
Thoughts: The thing with the Mercy domain is that a player who chooses it is communicating that they want to play a particular type of game, one that would require more input from fellow players than other subclass options. While there is no penalty for choosing violence, a fair amount of its features revolve around avoiding death and being reactive rather than proactive. The book does mention these considerations in a sidebar to an extent, but its usefulness will really depend on the DM as much as the player.
Druids most commonly live in forests and spend their whole lives in the shadows of the trees. They are organized into circles who induct members by burying them alive beneath a tree, after which they are reborn in a seed pod. Druids are horrified at the Dungeon’s existence, viewing it as an affront to nature, swelling the ranks of Delvers with their kind.
The Circle of the Wild Card represents those druids who follow Varasta’s example and emphasize nature’s unpredictability. Their main feature involves crafting a special deck of magical Wild Cards which can be randomly drawn from a limited number of times per long rest based on their level. At higher levels they gain features to better control the odds at what card results they get. There are 23 different card results, and include a variety of features such as summoning a scimitar of moonlight that can be used in melee or expel a slash of light as a ranged attack, one where the druid and their allied creatures can communicate as though they were adjacent to each other for the next 8 hours, can turn their body incorporeal for 1 minute, and growing magical fruits which cause those who eat them to recover the maximum possible die results from healing spells.
Thoughts: The good thing about this subclass is that when you draw a card, you don’t have to immediately activate its powers, instead being any time until the next long rest. Barring a few exceptions you can’t use the cards or have the ability persist while you’re wildshaped, which thus makes the Wild Card druid more of a “classical caster.” The deck’s randomization and wide abilities hurt it a bit in that you can’t always guarantee you’ll get exactly what you need, although given you can “hold onto” a card’s use this lets you save it up for the right moment much like prepared spells.
Fighters are the most varied of adventurers, reflecting a diverse array of combat styles across countless cultures. Most fighters who were old enough fought in the Invader War, and many who survived became Delvers upon discovery of the Dungeon. The Main Event martial archetype reflects a professional wrestler of the Storied Histories League, who mixes special moves and grapples with showmanship. Their main ability involves generating points known as Heat, which have a variety of ways to be gained such as an ally hitting an enemy you have grappled or successfully hitting with an attack roll that has disadvantage. At higher levels the subclass grants them additional ways to gain Heat. Heat can be spent on special moves known as Spots, such as Hot Tag where you touch a creature which then uses its reaction to move and melee attack a target, or Clothesline where you spend a reaction to make a melee attack against a creature entering your reach and reducing their speed to 0 feet while knocking them prone. Gimmicks are basically more advanced Spots, which include passive effects as well as a more powerful Finisher move.
Thoughts: One cannot help but draw comparisons to the Battlemaster Fighter in that both subclasses learn special moves as they level up. However, unlike the Battlemaster Fighter the Main Event requires generating Heat before they can be used as opposed to automatically using them, and Heat is lost as soon as the battle is over and must be built up again during the next battle. As such it is a less attractive choice in its abilities being more situational.
Monks aren’t formal mystical fighters performing rote exercises and meditation to achieve enlightenment. Or at least, that is but one of many possible ways of mastering themselves. What unites monks is discovery of a process where they separate themselves from the world, glancing at hidden truths impossible to understand via conventional perception. The Way of the Kidney Punch are those who glanced upon a rather controversial truth, that to win fights is the greatest goal. They start out with being able to make a special Kidney Punch unarmed attack by spending ki, imposing one level of Exhaustion on the target if they fail a Constitution save. At higher levels they can reduce the damage of incoming melee attacks in much the same way Deflect Missiles works for ranged attacks, can waive the ki point requirement for Kidney Punches if they hit with their first unarmed strike in a Flurry of Blows, and at 17th level they can gain additional unarmed strikes by spending 3 ki points per bonus attack.
Thoughts: Being able to “deflect melee blows” is an extremely useful ability, as most monks will be punching up close. Although still requiring a reaction to activate, it makes Kidney Punch Monks reliable tanks when engaging 1 on 1. Exhaustion is a pretty good condition to inflict on enemies, although requiring a Constitution save means that a lot of big monsters will be resistant to it.
Paladins are those empowered by appropriate gods to use their might and skills to make the world a better place. They have high standards to live up to, but it is these standards which have communities place their trust in them in the first place. Before the Dungeon’s arrival undead and demons could only enter the Beast World by those making offers to Veronette, but the Dungeon provides a worrying new way for such creatures to menace mortals. This has caused paladins to take an intense interest in the Delve.
The Oath of Revolution Paladins are the checks and balances against the political leaders of the Beast World, having sworn oaths to empower and uplift the meek of the earth. Their bonus spells tend towards divinatory aims, such as Comprehend Languages, Speak with Dead, and Scrying. Their channel divinity can force a target to kneel prone for 1 minute and answer questions truthfully for the duration (can save each round to end the effect), as well as an Evincive Strike they can make the result of a d20 attack roll they just made usable by friendly creatures in treating it as their own attack roll until the start of their next turn. At higher levels they get an aura granting a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls to friendly creatures (up to a mile at 18th level), can detect lies and become immune to charm, and at 20th level can sing a song granting them free uses of Divine Word, a fly speed, and allied creatures can reroll the result of a d20 roll once.
Thoughts: This is what I’d call a role-play heavy class, in that it emphasizes more non-combat and investigative abilities for the paladin. The Channel Divinity is kind of weak in that there are spells like Hold Person, Entangle, and Zone of Truth which can achieve similar effects but require spell slots rather than being one use per rest. The Evincive Strike is so-so. If you crit with it, then you can share the benefits with nearby allies; parties with rogues and mages with spells requiring attack rolls will see a very nice boost to their damage when this occurs. But as you must declare your use of the strike before making the roll, this is rather unreliable and is thus better used to ensure that party members are guaranteed to hit a well-defended opponent instead.
Rangers are the protectors of the road and its travelers, learning the magic of the wilds to better protect both it and the civilized world from each other. The Carrion Master ranger archetype are those doomed souls who decide to enter into a pact with Veronette. Their bonus spells are appropriately necromantic, such as False Life, Animate Dead, and Death Ward, their magic can affect undead as though they were of the Beast type, and they have the ability to transform a corpse of a Beast type creature into a Carrion Companion which is like an animal companion but undead. Every long rest the Ranger can choose a different carrion companion provided they have access to an appropriate corpse, and there are different stat blocks with their own special abilities and attacks. At higher levels they can turn the corpses of Humanoid and Beast type creatures into zombies, choose from more powerful stat blocks for their Carrion Companion, can graft body parts onto said companion to give them new abilities such as a scorpion sting or wings for a fly speed, and at 15th level the ranger can gain some of the benefits of being undead for a short time and they can order commands to their companion and undead without spending a bonus action.
Thoughts: This subclass immediately invites comparisons to the Beastmaster Ranger, but I’ll be comparing it to the revised version on account that the original is nigh useless. The Carrion Master’s companion can be easily revived and/or replaced if destroyed, and combined with raising undead they have a reliable supply of meat shields although by the time they get these features regular zombies and skeletons are pretty weak companions. Conjure Animals is a more reliable means of generating meat shields to be honest, although raising zombies isn’t limited-use which works in its favor.* The carrion companion stat blocks have a few clear winners, which tend to be the higher-level ones: ghoul-touched have paralytic claws much like the monster, but have a weak non-increasing DC 10 Constitution save, and the mummy-touch has a dreadful glare ranged attack that can impose the frightened condition. As such, it’s a rather strong subclass due to the action economy.
*They’re still limited in how many zombies they can raise.
Rogues come from a wide variety of backgrounds, but are united by those who prefer finesse and panache as problem-solving tools, ranging from conventional criminals to smooth-talking politicians. This entry talks briefly about crime in the Beast World, notably that prisons are rare as punitive justice is the exception rather than the norm, and legal penalties vary ranging from hard labor to tattoos marking criminals as a felon.
Fell Infiltrators are those rogues who learn and use the powers of demons to better fight them…or so they say. Initially they gain proficiency in Religion and fiendish languages, and for a number of hours based on their rogue level can take the form of a demon which grants them a variety of benefits, such as turning the Sneak Attack dice into d8s instead of d6s, resistance to cold and poison (damage and condition), and darkvision. They can also generate an aura of silence on a creature they deal Sneak Attack damage towards until the end of their next turn once per short or long rest. At higher levels they gain features such as becoming immune to Zone of Truth and being able to shield themselves and nearby allies against divination spells, and can inscribe demonic sigils into objects and creatures with a variety of effects such as rotting away from necrotic damage each round.
Thoughts: Increasing your Sneak Attack damage is a very attractive option, and given the rarity of Darkvision among species this helps the Rogue act as a competent scout in nocturnal and dungeon-like environments. The downside is more role-play related as fiends and fiendish-looking creatures are as disliked in the Beast World as they are in other campaign settings; perhaps even more so, as tieflings aren’t a “common race.” The higher-level abilities are more situational, particularly the sigils and immunity to specific spells. As its lower level features are broadly useful, this is a dip-friendly subclass.
Sorcerers are those with inborn arcane magic, not necessarily from ancestry but being born in a magic-rich environment or influenced by a force manipulating the fundamentals of Arcana. If anything, sorcerers are
extra real in that they create magic through their own existence, and the world attempts to overcorrect them. The Frosturn Eclipse sorcerous origin are those who follow Aubade’s example and use the state of Sunblood to enhance their magic. They are Muscle Wizards, using Strength instead of Charisma for their spells and abilities, and gain proficiency in light armor and Aubade’s trademark war pick and morningstar. They also have abilities that encourage them to fight in melee, such as ignoring disadvantage on ranged spell attacks when adjacent to a hostile target and can spend sorcery points to continue staying conscious if reduced to 0 hit points. At higher levels they gain Extra Attack and can enter a special state known as Eclipse if they deal fire or cold damage to an adjacent enemy, which has several of the benefits of Haste plus dealing additional damage with melee attacks and gaining temporary hit points. Their 14th and 18th level abilities grant them the Penetrating Spell metamagic option (downgrade immunity to resistance and resistance to normal) and can cast a cantrip in place of a weapon attack.
Thoughts: Dispensing Charisma to use Strength makes this subclass an attractive choice for melee-focused builds that aren’t Valor Bards and Paladins. However, multiclassing may be more or less required to get the full benefits, as being proficient with just light armor and a puny d6 Hit Die makes the Frostburn Eclipse Sorcerer a surprisingly fragile fighter. Staying conscious at 0 hit points isn’t as attractive an option given that sorcery points are a precious resource, and a party with Healing Word can reliably get you back into the waking world if the group needs you up and running.
Warlocks gain their magic from patrons, creatures that don’t fit within the cosmic understanding of gods and mortals. As such, many people are suspicious of warlocks, leading many to believe that their powers come from demons…which can be true or not true depending on the warlock in question. Patrons can differ in personality and goals, but their alien minds make for strained relationships between them and their servants, often expressing impatience due to a different perception of time.
Warlocks with the Ghost God as their patron were chosen from a young age, expressed in unpleasant ways such as migraines and nightmares as a result of the pseudo-deity calling from across the cosmos. Their bonus spells don’t really have any consistent theme and include such options as Enlarge/Reduce, Sending, Confusion, Geas, and Fabricate. Hey, I thought that last one wasn’t available! Initially they can shift into the Broken World while holding an object bearing their likeness and are immune to the negative effects of that plane’s environment. They can also gather material during a long rest in the Broken World that adds +1 to their spell attack rolls and save DCs of warlock spells. At higher levels they can twist space and time as a bonus action a limited number of times per long rest to teleport or force creatures to spend extra movement, can create a 120 foot cube of safe space in the Broken World, empower an NPC to become a 1st level Ghost God Warlock who gains a level every time you do, and at 14th level once per long rest can cast Banishment on multiple targets to send them to the Broken World.
Thoughts: Being able to add +1 to spell attacks and save DCs is already a strong bonus, and as it costs virtually nothing there’s no real downside to it either. Getting an NPC warlock who levels up with you may be good depending on how they’re built, although as they are 9 levels lower you’re most likely going to keep them out of combat and rely on more utility talents. Being immune to the Broken World’s environmental dangers and ability to set up a safe zone will only be of use if the DM decides to have adventures centering around exploring that plane. As a result, the most useful features of the Ghost God Warlock come in at the early levels, making it another very dip-friendly option.
Wizards are scholarly mages who use spellbooks to perform mental exercises, holding a thought in their minds to be released as a spell at a later time. The Somnomancy arcane tradition was created by sloths studying the Dreaming, realizing that the plane’s connection to the thoughts of all living creatures can allow them to bestow the powers of wizardry onto others. Initially they cannot be magically put to sleep and recover one level of exhaustion on a short rest instead of a long one, and during a long rest gain bonus spell slots that they can only use in granting to other creatures albeit they use the wizard’s attack bonus and save DC. At higher levels they can make it so that such shared spells can be cast as a bonus action if they’re normally cast as an action, can fall unconscious* as a bonus action to gain blindsight to 60 feet, and at 14th level they can create a remote sensor they can view through while in such an unconscious state.
*Same as the condition, but with less penalties.
Thoughts: Sharing spell slots is by far the most broadly useful and potentially abusable ability. While the number and level of spell slots is dependent on your Wizard level, the text doesn’t specify that the spells have to be Wizard spells, which opens up some interesting multiclass combinations. And even just with Wizard spells, there are some nice choices: you can’t really go wrong in giving the Shield spell to your allies, and letting fellow party members share the load in maintaining Concentration spells themselves rather than relying on you opens up a lot of possibilities.
Thoughts So Far: For the subclasses that are mechanically powerful and effective in conjunction with their parent class, the winners are the Thought’s Tremor Barbarian, Witch Bard, Kidney Punch Monk, Carrion Master Ranger, and Somnomancy Wizard. These subclasses all have good abilities in both low levels and high. The Fell Infiltrator Rogue and Ghost God Warlock suffer in that their best abilities are at the earliest levels, leaving the higher level ones feeling too little, too late. The Wild Card Druid is hard to judge at a glance without seeing it in play given its random nature, and the Main Event Fighter, Revolution Paladin, and Frostburn Eclipse Sorcerer feel the weakest of the lot. The Fighter in that the Battlemaster archetype feels more reliable and broad, and the Paladin and Sorcerer in not really synergizing with their main class’ strengths.
Join us next time as we learn about the delving crews’ homes on wheels in Chapter 12: Wagon Customization!
