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.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

And now that it's all said and done, they just shrug and say, "too late now. Sorcerers shall just have to continue being lame."

I'm hopefully that Mike will float some sorcerer buffing playtest brainstorm past us in a year or so. I'll be glad to see it, but there are other things I want to see first.

Right now, its one of those situations where, if you take into account A, and you think about how B compares to C, and you kind of squint at it just right, you can how sorcerers are kinda sorta okay.

If they just all had about one bonus spell for each level from 1-5 I think that's be about the best way to balance them, personally.

 

[Celtavian]

10 bonus spells seems about right to me.

Clerics get to prepare up to 25 + 10 domain spells.
Bards get 22 (24 as lore bard) spells known with access to every list.
Druids get 25 (35 with domain)
Wizards get 25 prepared (+2 at 18th level usable at will and exchangeable). They have a possible 40 spell list to choose those 25 from.
Sorcerer gets 15.

None of their archetype abilities for leveling makes them more powerful than the other classes. Their metamagic can be nice. The current best use for it making a sorlock and using points to double up on eldritch blast. I don't see how adding bonus spells 5th level or lower was a balance issue. 15 spells is far too few.

 

[mellored]

10 bonus spells seems about right to me.

Clerics get to prepare up to 25 + 10 domain spells.
Bards get 22 (24 as lore bard) spells known with access to every list.
Druids get 25 (35 with domain)
Wizards get 25 prepared (+2 at 18th level usable at will and exchangeable). They have a possible 40 spell list to choose those 25 from.
Sorcerer gets 15.

None of their archetype abilities for leveling makes them more powerful than the other classes. Their metamagic can be nice. The current best use for it making a sorlock and using points to double up on eldritch blast. I don't see how adding bonus spells 5th level or lower was a balance issue. 15 spells is far too few.

Metamagic for heightened hold person, or twin haste, is very nice.
Empowered fireball isn't shabby either.
Subtle suggestion is also fun.

They aren't lacking.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Speaking as the player of a sorcerer, I think they're fine. Narrow spell selection and metamagic are the bread n' butter.

 

[EroGaki]

Moldy bread and rancid butter...

 

[Celtavian]

Metamagic for heightened hold person, or twin haste, is very nice.
Empowered fireball isn't shabby either.
Subtle suggestion is also fun.

They aren't lacking.

It is very nice. I don't think it is so nice as to be better than Arcane Recovery or Empowered Evocation or a Philosopher's Stone or the Diviner ability to alter rolls to guarantee a failure or success. Or a lot of the various cleric abilities.

I can sort of understand concerns for players that don't play much past level 9 or 10. That's ten free spells for nothing for the sorcerer, which puts them past the wizard and close to even with the cleric or bard. For those of us that like to push past level 15, the bonus spells are inconsequential. That being said, I may extend the levels needed to obtain them to balance for the lower level abilities if I find a balance problem from giving the sorcerer bonus spells. To me this is the same as Pathfinder. WotC more concerned about balance at the levels most people play rather than balance across all levels. It makes sense business-wise, it kinds of screws those of us that want to play a higher level game where the bonus spells are anything but a balance a problem.

 

[pukunui]

Mike Mearls has just posted a whole series of tweets about the storm sorcerer:

- "Quick note about the storm sorcerer in the Sword Coast Adventurers Guide - bonus spells were removed based on playtest feedback."

- "Which might sound weird, because people really liked that sorcerer and the bonus spells. However, implementing feedback is never that simple."

- "The original sorcerer is rated very well without bonus spells. Having sorcerous origins with them would make PHB ones look weaker."

- "The class didn't need the buff, and while people like the idea of the bonus spells, they don't fit with the game's overall structure."

- "You can expect that kind of revision as UA material enters the environment - we sometimes try stuff in UA to get a sense of future paths."

 

[Celtavian]

Mike Mearls has just posted a whole series of tweets about the storm sorcerer:

- "Quick note about the storm sorcerer in the Sword Coast Adventurers Guide - bonus spells were removed based on playtest feedback."

- "Which might sound weird, because people really liked that sorcerer and the bonus spells. However, implementing feedback is never that simple."

- "The original sorcerer is rated very well without bonus spells. Having sorcerous origins with them would make PHB ones look weaker."

- "The class didn't need the buff, and while people like the idea of the bonus spells, they don't fit with the game's overall structure."

- "You can expect that kind of revision as UA material enters the environment - we sometimes try stuff in UA to get a sense of future paths."

I don't buy the "don't fit with the games overall structure." I don't buy the feedback other than feedback saying, "It makes them more powerful than PHB origins." The only part that I buy is the makes the PHB sorcerous origins look weaker, which was likely in the feedback. Which could have been fixed by adding bonus spells to both the PHB origins.

 

[Azzy]

Because, if what they say doesn't agree with your bias, they must be lying. Amiright?

 

[pukunui]

Perhaps. But it seems like they want to avoid changing anything in the PHB unless absolutely necessary.