New D&D Unearthed Arcana Reveals Two New Subclasses for Monk and Sorcerer, Plus Revamps For Seven More

Wizards of the Coast has a new Unearthed Arcana playtest for Dungeons & Dragons, featuring revamps of seven existing Arcane-themed subclasses, plus two new subclasses. Today, Wizards of the Coast unveiled a new Arcane Subclass Unearthed Arcana, featuring the following subclasses:

• Arcana Domain Cleric
• Arcane Archer Fighter
• Hexblade Patron Warlock
• Conjurer Wizard
• Enchanter Wizard
• Necromancer Wizard
• Transmuter Wizard
• Tattooed Warrior Monk
• Ancestral Sorcery Sorcerer

Notably, the Hexblade Patron and Necromancer Wizard were both relatively high on the wishlist of many D&D players.

That Tattooed Warrior grants the Monk access to several magic tattoos with specific effects that enhance various monk abilities. The Ancestral Sorcery plays off the idea of having a powerful magical ancestor that grants them guidance and direction from beyond. Notably, the ancestral spirit has an spectral haze form and can even Frighten those around the sorcerer at higher levels.

Some of the notable changes in the UA include a revised Arcane Shot ability that comes with an Arcane Shot die used to deal extra damage that ramps up in size, the Conjurer Wizard's benign transposition starts at an earlier level as does Durable Summons, the Enchanter Wizard has some more versatile low-level options that replace Hypnotic Gaze, and the Necromancer has been wholly redesigned with an emphasis on generating temporary hit points for the wizard, their party members, and undead thralls.

 

[Remathilis]

This takes me back. Anyone else wish WotC would abandon their sterile class design and experiment more like they did in Tome of Magic and other 3.5e splats?

I wouldn't mind a 2e style Tome of Magic, a collection of new spells and a few new PC options (the original wild magic). Make a book with a bunch of new spells, magical subclasses and feats, magic items, and a few magical monsters. Toss in some bastion stuff and you got a good $30.00 supplement.

 

[Weiley31]

I personally still think the Cleric Death Domain and the Grave Domain are my go to choices for Necromancers.

 

[bedir than]

I REALLY want that Swarm of Undead version of a Necro

 

[Weiley31]

I'mma just go the easy route of allowing the 2014 Hexblade with some of the updates from the first Hexblade UA tagged on.

 

[WanderingMystic]

I am a little upset that we didn't get the earlier play test of the Necromancer, the one that was nearly in the phb, the one Chris said you could have a minion from level 3 on.

 

[WanderingMystic]

I like the idea of a tattoo Monk and I think the level 3 choices are nice but we need more of them, the level 6 are not worth bothering along with the lvl 17 ones. That leaves the resistances which are nice but costly. Nothing really synergies well with the core class and it moves back to making us spend more points for our subclass abilities which they had fixed in the phb.

 

[Stalker0]

You may have missed that Banishing is +1dx
Where most others are +2dx

You also lose the opportunity to focus fire. You did damage to someone your allies can't target.

Compared to Blind which gives your party advantage to hit it.

Nope didn't miss it....banishing is still by far the best of the bunch.

 

[Stalker0]

I think your missing a few things.
AA effects are much stronger. Restrained >> Trip, especially for a ranged attacker.
Many of the effects roll twice the damage.
Curving short doesn't take a die. It's just a bonus action attack if you miss.

To put some quick numbers to it.
AA adds 6d6 (21) at level 3
BM adds 4d8 (18)

At level 10 (assuming 18 Int)
AA adds 8d8 + (1d10+5 * .35) = 39.675
VM adds 5d10 = 27.5

Sure AA needs to spend an extra feat and DC is behind, but their damage and effects are better.

Which fits IMO. Magic is more limited but more powerful

this is true. the one counter though is the battlemaster can nova with his manuevers by using one on every attack, the AA cannot.

Also at 15th level the battlemaster takes off a lot more, since they basically get a free d8 on every attack outside of their superiority dice (whereas the AA still has a very limited number of uses per short rest).

 

[Parmandur]

This takes me back. Anyone else wish WotC would abandon their sterile class design and experiment more like they did in Tome of Magic and other 3.5e splats?

No, not really: as somebody who started with 3.x as a teenager, I have zero nostalgia for WotC approach back then.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

This takes me back. Anyone else wish WotC would abandon their sterile class design and experiment more like they did in Tome of Magic and other 3.5e splats?

3.5e Tome of Magic had some interesting concepts but generally failed mechanically for the Truenamer.

I was thinking more about the 2e Tome of Magic, which had some new spells and I guess what you could say were subclasses in 2e with the introduction of Wild Magic and Elemental schools of magic.