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

tetrasodium · Nov 4, 2019

Al2O3 said:
I wonder how much of this is intended to address power creep in other areas. The UA Artificer Battlesmith seemed on the verge of being a better Beast master than the Ranger. This UA solves that issue, probably. So there might be some power creep, but at least this might help making it balanced power creep.

the ranger being a bad beast master isn't reason to make everything else similarly bad, it's a reason to fix rager beastmaster. Some of the changes are doing that, but others are really breaking of some of the FR trops baked into classes at low levels of their core design s& allowing tropes from other settings to be slotted in there instead.

Charlaquin · Nov 4, 2019

This might be my favorite UA to date!

The Aim Cunning Action option for rogues is NUTS! If you thought Sharpshooter was OP before, wait until every Sharpshooter character starts taking a 2-level dip into rogue for at-will Advantage on their -5/+10 attacks.

Hussar · Nov 4, 2019

Charlaquin said:
This might be my favorite UA to date!

The Aim Cunning Action option for rogues is NUTS! If you thought Sharpshooter was OP before, wait until every Sharpshooter character starts taking a 2-level dip into rogue for at-will Advantage on their -5/+10 attacks.

That thought occurred to me as well. Never minding that this would allow the rogue to sneak attack at long range so long as they had Sharpshooter.

Sniper time!

nexalis · Nov 4, 2019

Best UA article I've ever seen. I'm somewhat disappointed that they did nothing to address warlock spell slots. Most groups I play with have far fewer than the expected number of short rests per day, so the warlock gets seriously gimped.

Urriak Uruk · Nov 4, 2019

tetrasodium said:
I think that it's more "Rather than reprint every core class with fluff & boundaries more linked to eberron than FR, there will be some fluff & some optional x replaces/extends y ability" things like how PF archtypes work

I dunno, this combined with all the new subclasses seems like a new Xanathar's to me... none of this stuff smells like a specific setting, unless it's a "meta-setting" like Planescape, MagictG or even Spelljammer which barely needs an explanation...

If they did this, the subclasses, new DM rules, and new spells, that's a book.

RSIxidor · Nov 4, 2019

Thought vomit, apologies: Blessed Strikes is a good replacement for Cleric 8. Good to see another use for Wild Shape for non-Moons. All fighters getting access to a battle master maneuver as a fighting style is kind of intriguing. A couple of the added maneuvers might be too much. I like the monk weapon variant. Ki-based healing is also nice. Paladins can take a fighting style to get cleric cantrips, nice, and more fighting style options. Everything Rangers get here is really good, except I don't like Fade Away. It's quick to use but only lasts 6 seconds. Changed from an exploration to a combat ability because of that, I think. Should last some time based on wisdom, IMO. I like beast companions being specific options but not sure how well the feature will work. Cunning Action to get advantage is incredible. Sorcerer stuff is okay (changing damage type is good, though). Warlock invocations are mostly nice. Good fighting style options added for all the fighting style classes.

When does PHB2 come?

Tales and Chronicles · Nov 4, 2019

I must say, I was already quite satisfied with the ranger, but those changes are really great. To me the ''revised ranger'' is a closed subject. The new warlock invocations are really cool and most of them were needed (the armor one for non-hexblade blade-locks and the one who let the chainlock make a bonus attack with its familiar).

At last, new metamagic! With Sorcerous Fortitude, Elemental spell, quicken spell and dragon origin, I can make a somewhat interesting sorcerer gish.

tetrasodium · Nov 4, 2019

Urriak Uruk said:
I dunno, this combined with all the new subclasses seems like a new Xanathar's to me... none of this stuff smells like a specific setting, unless it's a "meta-setting" like Planescape, MagictG or even Spelljammer which barely needs an explanation...

If they did this, the subclasses, new DM rules, and new spells, that's a book.

not necessicarily a specific setting so much as fixing wrongs like the ranger & chopping off some of FR's setting baseline boundaries inflicted on classes to allow other settings to be less jarring & in need of homebrewing to fit. Take the bard spell list additions for example; Keith Baker has long talked about hoe the dhakaani used bards rather than clerics because they were not very faithful people for various reasons... the new spells on that list greatly help there. Similar can be say for all the education allowing skill changes or learning cantrips is normal not rare & mystical ways of gaining cantrips

Salthorae · Nov 4, 2019

Sacrosanct said:
my interpretation was that you can draw as many weapons as you have attacks. So a fifth level dual wielding fighter could draw and throw three daggers (2 normal plus bonus offhand weapon), all with an additional +1 damage.

Raw you can only draw one weapon a round using your Free Object Interaction. A Dual Wielder can draw two weapons with that Free Object Interaction, but that's it.

This fighting style would let you draw as many weapons as you have Attack/Extra Attacks.

Undrave said:
I don't know anyone who even considers changing all their spells on a day to day basis anyway.

I know my Druid had a default load out ready, plus a few secondary choices I kept in mind in case of specific situations and some I never even considered preparing.

I mean if I COULD change my spells know on a long rest for a Sorcerer? I'd certainly do it. It hasn't been an option so it' hasn't been something considered, but I regularly use the swap spells known at level-ups. I can only imagine I'd do it on long rests regularly as well.