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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[Leatherhead]

I've spent a few days looking over these, and the only one I'm really disappointed with is the Sorcerer. I'd have liked to have seen an option to learn a spell as it's energy swapped version. As it stands now, you have a sorcery point tax on non-fire themes.

A Sorcery Point Tax, and a Metamagic Tax. That "Frostball" spell you just tossed out can't have any other augments, like Quickened or Seeking Spell.

Like I said before, this is in no way the solution that Elemental Sorcerers were looking for.

 

[tglassy]

I was actually considering it earlier, and instead of spells for Warlocks, I’d prefer to be able to switch out Invocations on a long rest. I’m always so torn over which ones to get, and certain Invocations just never get chosen. I’ve had to specifically make a Sight Based Warlock in order to justify using Eyes of the Rune Keeper, since I love the idea but can never pass up some of those better ones. If i knew I could change them more often than once on a level up, I’d do it in a heartbeat.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I've spent a few days looking over these, and the only one I'm really disappointed with is the Sorcerer. I'd have liked to have seen an option to learn a spell as it's energy swapped version. As it stands now, you have a sorcery point tax on non-fire themes.

Do you mean anything like the metamagic feat energy substitution?

Energy Substitution
( Complete Arcane, p. 79)

[Metamagic]
You can modify an energy-based spell to use another type of energy instead.

Prerequisite
Knowledge (arcana) 5 ranks, any metamagic feat,

Benefit
Choose one type of energy (acid, cold, electricity, or fire). You can then modify any spell with an energy descriptor to use the chosen type of energy instead. An energy substituted spell uses a spell slot of the spell's normal level. The spell's descriptor changes to the new energy type—for example, a fireball composed of cold energy is an evocation [cold] spell.

Special
You can gain this feat multiple times, choosing a different type of energy each time.

 

[Twiggly the Gnome]

Do you mean anything like the metamagic feat energy substitution?

Eh, sort of. My thought is to let the sorcerer choose the default energy type for a spell at the time they add it to their repertoire. If you know the spell as Frostball, you can meta magic it as usual, including spending sorcery points to cast it as Fireball.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Eh, sort of. My thought is to let the sorcerer choose the default energy type for a spell at the time they add it to their repertoire. If you know the spell as Frostball, you can meta magic it as usual, including spending sorcery points to cast it as Fireball.

I might be inclined to limit it to the sorcerer's associated element (e.g. fire for red dragon, lightning for storm).

Reason being, I would just learn everything as Thunder damage by default - it's much less resisted than any other of the damage types.

 

[Yaarel]

I might be inclined to limit it to the sorcerer's associated element (e.g. fire for red dragon, lightning for storm).

Reason being, I would just learn everything as Thunder damage by default - it's much less resisted than any other of the damage types.

I am ok with this, because the flavor benefits. There is a vivid magical theme.

I still would like to see some diversity, such as Thunder and Lightning. Or so on. Maybe have two minimum.

There would need to be a way to make other damage types, like Poison and Fire, be more viable. But this seems needed anyway.

 

[Mistwell]

Okay. I’ve read through it a couple times now, and I’ve got some thoughts.

*Clerics don’t need and should not ever have Smite Spells.

At least one existing Cleric subclass has a smite spell. Forge Clerics get it at first level: Searing Smite.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

In my experience paladins don't tend to use smite spells anyway. They usually prefer to use the spell slots for their smite ability.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Eh, sort of. My thought is to let the sorcerer choose the default energy type for a spell at the time they add it to their repertoire. If you know the spell as Frostball, you can meta magic it as usual, including spending sorcery points to cast it as Fireball.

I have thought about a racial feat for genasi for a softer version of energy substitution.

Other idea is the sorcerer could craft a special single-use magic item, a metamagic gemstone, or a metamagic rod. This only could be made or crafted with enough time in a special place, like a power node.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

At least one existing Cleric subclass has a smite spell. Forge Clerics get it at first level: Searing Smite.

And I’d rather they not, but st least that is a thematically appropriate smite spell for a subclass. If these new spells were in the War Domain, I’d be less annoyed by them.

But I’d still rather not have searing Smite on the forge domain list.