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.

 

[pukunui]

It really doesn't go into too much detail of the laws and such, other than they can sometimes seem a bit stern. The narrator of the chapter (an elf ranger from Evereska) seems pretty approving of the nation from her tone, so it wouldn't seem to be all that bad.

Yeah, if an elf ranger approves of the place, it must be a decent place.

What, if anything, does it say about the Kingdom of Many Arrows?

LFR became non-canonical early in it's run. Was a win-win with WotC no longer having to police each module and LFR being allowed to tell grander stories

Altering the companion or the whole epic level storyline would not have been possible if LFR were still canon

Ah OK. I wasn't aware of that. Thanks.

 

[Serpine]

What feature does the Mercenary Veteran have?

Basically you can identify mercenary companies, know mercenary hangouts, and can work as a mercenary during downtime.

 

[Duan'duliir]

Basically you can identify mercenary companies, know mercenary hangouts, and can work as a mercenary during downtime.

Thanks. That player will probably stick to the PHB for her background, but I think that it suits another player's concept quite well.

 

[gyor]

I believe I owe an apology to both the community here and to the writers of the SCAG for that rude unread review I wrote based on bits and pieces of things I read on the internet.

I was going through some personally issues at the time, I had my father going on a 3 day drug binge during my birthday, the Canadian political party I support took a huge lose after coming so close to winning for the first time, plus other deep personal issues and when I saw certain things weren't in it, things I had been looking forward to thinking they'd be in it, I over reacted and flipped out.

Normally I am an emotional controlled person, I'm deeply ashamed of making such as a scene, and I'm no saint, but I know I'm a better person then that and so again I apologize for my behavior and unfortunate consquences.

 

[MoonSong]

....but if they don't need the power boost, there's no point in giving it to them. The people who like playing the class aren't really asking for it.

I love the class, I could even be the N1 fan of the class in the whole omniverse, and I think the class really needed it. Was the Favored souls simple PR? I don't know I'm starting to seriously reconsider giving up on 5e at all, not buying a ny single book and focus my energy into something else.

I really hope not. There are better, more elegant ways of making the FS more clericy without making the other sorcerer subclasses essentially obsolete.

But the other subclasses were born obsolete! Unflattering flavor, ultra focus on blasting. ugh.

 

[pukunui]

[MENTION=9501]Prism[/MENTION] et al: Does the SCAG mention the city of Elversult at all? I mentioned that it was misspelled on the map, but Chris Perkins claims "Eversult" is the correct spelling (despite it being spelled "Elversult" in all my 2e, 3e, and 4e content). I'm just curious to see how it is spelled in the book, if it appears at all. It's possible WotC decided it needed a spelling change. (It happens sometimes.)

 

[Prism]

[MENTION=9501]Prism[/MENTION] et al: Does the SCAG mention the city of Elversult at all? I mentioned that it was misspelled on the map, but Chris Perkins claims "Eversult" is the correct spelling (despite it being spelled "Elversult" in all my 2e, 3e, and 4e content). I'm just curious to see how it is spelled in the book, if it appears at all. It's possible WotC decided it needed a spelling change. (It happens sometimes.)

I can't see it mentioned. It falls outside of the detailed areas of the Sword Coast. I quick FR wiki search shows the different spelling appears earlier too, in a novel at least

 

[pukunui]

Ah well. Maybe both are right then.

 

[Charles Rampant]

As a question to those with the book:

How useful will this be to someone running Princes of the Apocalypse? My players don't appear hugely interested with straying outside of the map boundaries, except perhaps to find something to spend money on, so I don't /need/ the wider world information at the moment, beyond my hazy memories of the 3e book. I'm just debating whether to buy this (for background stuffs for my PotA game) or Out of the Abyss (for underdark chat for my homebrew game). Thanks!

 

[Irennan]

[MENTION=9501]Prism[/MENTION] May I know if Moander appears in the book?