New SCAG Info: Someone Got The Book

Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide hits preferred stores tomorrow (and everywhere else in a couple of weeks). However, some stores have jumped the gun - which only benefits us, as folks on social media are telling us all about it! Below is a compilation of that information. I'm sure come tomorrow, the amount of information on the book will increase dramatically.

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[h=4]Original Post[/h]
Thread is here, Gnunn and others are answering questions about it:

https://www.reddit.com/r/dndnext/comments/3pot39/call_your_local_stores_scag/

The info:

I'am trying to compile the answers here by those who have new information. The answers do not represent me in anyway I'am just passing on the information.

Q: Name all the subclasses (submitted by me)

A:

Not really interested in spoiling all of the specifics, but here's what I noticed to be new at first glance:
Races:
Gray Dwaves (Duergar)
Ghostwise Halflings
Deep Gnomes (Svirfneblin) -- also provides a new feat "Svirfneblin Magic" (same as EE)
Half-Elf Variants
Tiefling Variants


Classes (only new class options, not new classes):
Barbarian - Path of the Battlerager, new Totem Spirits
Bard - New musical instruments
Cleric - Arcana Domain
Fighter - Purple Dragon Knight
Monk - Way of the Long Death, Way of the Sun Soul
Paladin - Oath of the Crown
Ranger - Several paragraphs that amount to nothing
Rogue - Mastermind Swashbuckler
Sorcerer - Storm Sorcery
Warlock - The Undying
Wizard - Bladesinging


New cantrips for sorcerers, warlocks, and wizards
Booming blade, green-flame blade, lightning lure, sword burst.

Backgrounds:
City Watch
Clan Crafter
Cloistered Scholar
Courtier
Faction Agent
Far Traveler
Inheritor
Knight of the Order
Mercenary Veteran
Urban Bounty Hunter
Uthgardt Tribe Member
Waterdhavian Noble
This only covers about 50 pages of the almost 160 page book. There's a TON of info on the Sword Coast itself. I'm sure DMs who already have the book are salivating at the moment.



Q: No Bard, Ranger or Druid subclasses?

A: There are new bard colleges. I only listed non-flavor changes (in my opinion at least each one is paired with an existing class option so nothing new in terms of mechanics.

-Q2: Wait WHAT? So the Bard Colleges AND Druid Circles don't list fully new subclasses that offer new mechanics to that class? And no "spell-less" Ranger variant or anything?

-A2: Correct on all accounts.



Q: Monk Subclasses specifics

A: Sun Soul gives the monk methods of dealing radiant damage. Burning hands makes an appearance as well.It seems almost too obvious, but all of the Long Death abilities are triggered by death in some way - either yours or an enemy.



Q: Warlock the Undying

A: Hard to explain. It's Lich-like, but not undead it seems.



Q: Paladin Oath of the Crown

A: The new paladin oath is a straight up tank. They seem to have added a ton more detail for the paladin codes. Too much to go into here.



Q: Fighter Purple Dragon Knight

A:Party buffs/heals. Would be a good party leader out of combat as well.




Q: How do the Half elf and tiefling variants work?

A: Tiefling variants are pretty different. I'm not next to my book currently, but I believe there were three options. Half elf replaced the half elf skill dealy with a selection from the elf half. Like Drow magic replacing the skill selection for example.


Q: What does it say about Aasimar?

A: It basically just says, "See the DMG.

(I guess that makes Eldarin valid as well)

Edit 1: Did some cleaning, added cantrips and explanation that is not me giving the answers.

 

[Mirtek]

2e earth genasi were allowed in rare cases to be paladins. Aasimar and bariaur could become paladins as well. So that's at least three races other than humans with the potential to become paladins in 2e.

But in the planewalker handbook they were also exclusively half-human

 

[Twiggly the Gnome]

If it's not to much trouble, could you provide a brief rundown on the using this book in Eberron section?

 

[TheThirdFlash]

Same with bladesingers, there's no racial justification beyond "elves are pricks and managed to keep it secret" which is completely believable that in 20,000 years of bladesinging no rogue bladesinger ever violated his oath to not teach non-elves and no non-elve ever managed to just steal the technique

What you are describing here would be a very, very rare situation. If I remember correctly, the fluff from the Complete Book of Elves in 2e essentially said that if any elf "went rogue", they'd be hunted down and stopped to protect their secrets. And I gave the odd examples of how the bladesong may be taught to others, but again, they are exceptions to the rules.

Now, the 2e handbook was absolutely an all settings book, yet bladesingers never showed up in other fiction than Forgotten Realms. So it's become an FR only concept.

 

[gyor]

They were introduced to the Realms during 4e, when parts of Abeir swapped places with Toril. They had two realms on the Inner Sea - Akanûl and Tymanther - both of which returned to Abeir during the Sundering. My guess is that the dragonborn are now scattered across Faerûn with no home to call their own. Is that about the gist of it?

Actually Akanul was a Genasi Realm, not Dragonborn, Dragonborn had Tymanther and Returned Abier continent. Well Akanul may have had some Dragonborn, but it was a Genasi City/Nation.

Anyway saw a pic including Booming Blade, wow, Half-Moon/Sun Elven Paladins are going to want that spell. Deals weapon + Thunder damage and if you move it deals more thunder damage.

And it targets a single being so it can be twinned spelled by Sorcerors, add on Warcaster and you can hit an enemy with a twinned Booming Blade as a reaction, if the target keeps moving ouch.

 

[pukunui]

Actually Akanul was a Genasi Realm, not Dragonborn, Dragonborn had Tymanther and Returned Abier continent. Well Akanul may have had some Dragonborn, but it was a Genasi City/Nation.

Meh. Close enough.

Anyway saw a pic including Booming Blade

Where did you see this pic?

 

[Staffan]

But in the planewalker handbook they were also exclusively half-human

Bariaur are half-human?

 

[Mirtek]

Bariaur are half-human?

Genasi. Bariaur are celestials native to the upper planes

 

[gyor]

Btw this what twinned Booming Weapon looks like roughly at level 18.

normal weapon attack (W + Dex or Strength Mod) + (3D8 thunder damage + 4D8 thunder damage if the target moves) x 2. With Warcaster feat you can do that as a reaction. If your sorceror has an physical attack stat mod of 4 and a d12 weapon, and the target moves that's 2d12 + 8 + 7d8 damage with Warcaster that's done as a reaction for the cost of your reaction and 1 sorceror point.

 

[gyor]

I saw the booming blade pic in the reddit.

 

[Greybird]

At the time that Paladins were human only, the entire system had a convoluted mess of racial class restrictions and maximum level limitations. Human only paladins were part of that, and they got rid of the whole shebang at once, as there was no lore/logical reason that other races couldn't be warriors serving the gods.

That aside, I don't mind single race only classes with a cultural and historical basis. Races having their closely guarded military/magical secrets is a fundamental trope of much fantasy.