Unearthed Arcana New UA: 43 D&D Class Feature Variants

The latest Unearthed Arcana is a big 13-page document! “Every character class in D&D has features, and every class gets one or more class feature variants in today’s Unearthed Arcana! These variants replace or enhance a class’s normal features, giving you new ways to enjoy your character’s class.”

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dnd.wizards.com

 

[RSIxidor]

Part of me wishes Pact of the Talisman worked exactly like Jack of All Trades, but maybe JOAT is too good to begin with?

I don't see what's so bad about Bards, Sorcerers, and Warlocks being able to change a single spell once per day. Clerics and Druids already can choose all of their spells from their entire class list daily, at no cost. Wizards can pick from their spellbook every day. I can only see this versatility leading to more fun.

The Primal Beast still uses the Ranger's Companion features rules, right? So does it still take the "Add your proficiency bonus to the beast’s AC, attack rolls, and damage rolls, as well as to any saving throws and skills it is proficient in." Part? It obviously replaces how hit points work. If it doesn't take stuff from the existing feature, then there's also no explanation for how to control it. It's a little unclear what we take from the existing feature and add to the new one.

 

[Salthorae]

But not very good for the warlock if someone else is wearing it. And it has the same problem as Resistance - you often don't know who will need to make the save before hand. And tossing magic items between party members was something attunement was supposed to prevent.

True, but 5e is exception-based. If the Talisman is the one way to do it, it's not that game-changing. If it is a precursor to future design then it might be worrisome, but this seems fine to me.

You might not know generally speaking who will need to make a save, but for prepared fights, it could be very tactically useful for the fighter to have it for Wis saves if you know you're fighting someone/something that is heavy on "mind" stuff like a mind flayer or enchanter wizard or something. Similarly, I'd probably give it to the party wizard most of the time to maintain concentration if they're any kind of wizard but a blaster.

Warlock picks up that new Eldritch Mind invocation and is better off. If they have their own talisman, then bobs your uncle!

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I'd like to see a little more cost associated with swapping out spells for Bards, Sorcerers and Warlocks. Perhaps you have to spend 1 HD per level of the spell you are swapping for to show the toll this process takes?

That seems like an inappropriate penalty, as it means you're essentially gambling a vast number of potentially necessary HP on a single spell change, whilst adventuring, and yet has zero impact in downtime. Plus what does it even actually represent? The sum total effect would be that in tough campaigns where HD were regularly dug deep into, no-one would do this, whereas in others, it had little and odd impact.

Limiting it to one spell per long rest already keeps this under strict control. If you don't like it I'd suggest it's better to simply not use the optional rule or limit it to downtime. How often do you even anticipate it being used?

 

[Salthorae]

I don't see what's so bad about Bards, Sorcerers, and Warlocks being able to change a single spell once per day. Clerics and Druids already can choose all of their spells from their entire class list daily, at no cost. Wizards can pick from their spellbook every day. I can only see this versatility leading to more fun.

It shoehorns pretty hard into the whole Wizard shtick of being the king of Versatility, especially since it applies as a feature to Cantrips as well which they kick wizards the scraps of changing upon level up.

if any class should be able to change cantrips on a Long Rest, I think it should be Wizards. I would expand the Bard/Sorcerer/Warlock ability to swap out spells they already get on a level up to just apply to their cantrips with this new "spell versatility" and then call it good.

The Primal Beast still uses the Ranger's Companion features rules, right? So does it still take the "Add your proficiency bonus to the beast’s AC, attack rolls, and damage rolls, as well as to any saving throws and skills it is proficient in." Part? It obviously replaces how hit points work. If it doesn't take stuff from the existing feature, then there's also no explanation for how to control it. It's a little unclear what we take from the existing feature and add to the new one.

Everything from the existing feature still works exactly as is.

The only difference is specifically the Primal Beasts themselves. It has its specific stat block baked into the class feature, which is something they're leaning pretty hard (see Wildfire Druid).

That's it. It just gives two new "animals" options to make companions and just gives the stats so you don't have to go chasing them.

There is literally no changes to the Beast Master features at all besides giving two new companion options.

That + the Revivify spell for keeping around non-Primal Beast companions, but that is from expanded spell list, not the Beast Master option itself.

Everything else that boost the companions is specific to these two companions. The extra HD to heal on short rests, the extra hit points, the Primal Rebirth option to raise your companion to life, etc are all baked into the companion, not the Subclass.

 

[OB1]

That seems like an inappropriate penalty, as it means you're essentially gambling a vast number of potentially necessary HP on a single spell change, whilst adventuring, and yet has zero impact in downtime. Plus what does it even actually represent? The sum total effect would be that in tough campaigns where HD were regularly dug deep into, no-one would do this, whereas in others, it had little and odd impact.

Yes, the effect is that this is not an easy thing to do, and if you are already stressed from being in danger, it's more of a risk to do it than when you are sleeping comfortably in your keep.

It represents the effort that you spent during your rest to make the change. My first thought had been that when you make the switch on a long rest, you do not get back any HD from the rest, but I like this version better as it makes swapping out a low level spell low risk and a high level spell higher risk.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

It shoehorns pretty hard into the whole Wizard shtick of being the king of Versatility, especially since it applies as a feature to Cantrips as well which they kick wizards the scraps of changing upon level up.

That's really overstating it.

Changing one spell, on a long rest, is not remotely comparable to the wizard being able to rejig their entire load out. Wizards are amazing because of this. If they could change, say four, then you'd have a point, but right now this is silly.

With Bards I'd exclude their magic secrets though if they aren't already. That's the one issue I see.

 

[tglassy]

That's really overstating it.

Changing one spell, on a long rest, is not remotely comparable to the wizard being able to rejig their entire load out. Wizards are amazing because of this. If they could change, say four, then you'd have a point, but right now this is silly.

With Bards I'd exclude their magic secrets though if they aren't already. That's the one issue I see.

It does say when you puck a spell from the soellcasting feature, botnthe magical secrets feature, so id assume it excludes that.

 

[Salthorae]

That's really overstating it.

Changing one spell, on a long rest, is not remotely comparable to the wizard being able to rejig their entire load out. Wizards are amazing because of this. If they could change, say four, then you'd have a point, but right now this is silly.

With Bards I'd exclude their magic secrets though if they aren't already. That's the one issue I see.

I mean, ok. Take out "really hard" from the "shoehorns really hard" of my statement. I think the sentiment still applies.

Wizards are limited to the spells in their spellbooks, which they only get to add to on level up and based on how often the DM lets them come across scrolls/others spellbooks/other casters willing to trade or sell access/etc.

So sure, they can switch their complete loadout on a long rest, but only to what is in their books.

For the Bard/Sorc/Warlock they're letting them drop a spell known on a long rest for ANY other spell on their spell lists. That seems like it veers to hard into wizard territory to me.

In the most powerful spells (7th/8th/9th) it really makes your very meaningful and significant choices of spells known at those levels... far less meaningful.

If I can know Wish today and Time Stop tomorrow or Foresight, etc. it doesn't matter that I selected Mass Polymorph with my level up.

8th level it means I can learn Demiplane today, create one store stuff and then just get it back to Dominate Monster tomorrow. Or something like that.

To me, it's just too much flexibility in their spell lists/known which to me should be the silo of the Wizard.

 

[CapnZapp]

Welcome to 5.5th edition.

Not while this remains an UA PDF...

(When you can point to this being added in the PHB, I'll take your point)

 

[Undrave]

Monk Weapons

• I'm not sure if people are reading this wrong of if I am. I know it says its an "enhancement" to Martial Arts, but it says in the ability that it actually swaps out standard monk weapons for this option of 5+Wis mod of monk weapons.
• So if you go with this one, you dont' get all simple + short swords. You have to define a smaller list of weapons which still dont' include bows
• Nice but not over the top and doesn't eat into Kensei as much as people are saying.

I mean, ok. Take out "really hard" from the "shoehorns really hard" of my statement. I think the sentiment still applies.

Wizards are limited to the spells in their spellbooks, which they only get to add to on level up and based on how often the DM lets them come across scrolls/others spellbooks/other casters willing to trade or sell access/etc.

So sure, they can switch their complete loadout on a long rest, but only to what is in their books.

For the Bard/Sorc/Warlock they're letting them drop a spell known on a long rest for ANY other spell on their spell lists. That seems like it veers to hard into wizard territory to me.

In the most powerful spells (7th/8th/9th) it really makes your very meaningful and significant choices of spells known at those levels... far less meaningful.

If I can know Wish today and Time Stop tomorrow or Foresight, etc. it doesn't matter that I selected Mass Polymorph with my level up.

8th level it means I can learn Demiplane today, create one store stuff and then just get it back to Dominate Monster tomorrow. Or something like that.

To me, it's just too much flexibility in their spell lists/known which to me should be the silo of the Wizard.

but the Cleric and Druid already do much better than the Wizard...

And who plays up to the level where 8th and 9th level spells are available? Not that many people really.