New Unearthed Arcana Brings Back Five Subclasses

Five existing D&D subclasses are getting a rework in a newly released Unearthed Arcana. Four of the subclasses come from Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, while the fifth is the Oathbreaker subclass for Paladins from the 2014 Player’s Handbook.

The revised subclasses are:

• Path of the Spiritual Guardian Barbarian (previously Path of the Ancestral Guardian)
• Path of the Storm Herald Barbarian
• Cavalier Fighter
• Warrior of Intoxication Monk (formerly Way of the Drunken Master)
• Oathbreaker Paladin

The Path of the Spiritual Guardian has received a revamped Spiritual Protectors ability with a choice of effects. The Storm Herald’s Storm Aura now scales with Rage damage and the Raging Storm now has redesigned environments. The Cavalier’s Unwavering Mark no longer has limited uses. The Warrior of Intoxication now has the ability to create potent drinks that grant abilities when drank. The Oathbreaker has received some updates bringing its abilities in line with the revamped Paladin’s ability.

The survey for the new subclasses opens on November 6th.

 

[doctorhook]

One note of caution: the inclusion of a jester class historically was taken by some players as license to behave disruptively.

Unfortunately, bards still exist

 

[doctorhook]

Okay? What’s that got to do with what I was saying?

No. No one has claimed that the Drunken Master is the main part of any problem, least of all me.

Man, you literally brought up the topic of Chinese cultural consultants and suggested that WotC should be careful with this concept. I quoted you in my original reply. You even used the phrase “I’m not saying it’s racist, but…”

Anyway, I made my point originally, not much to add. I’m not super interest[ed] in debating the details of whether you meant what you previously wrote.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Man, you literally brought up the topic of Chinese cultural consultants and suggested that WotC should be careful with this concept. I quoted you in my original reply.

Which has no direct bearing to what you said in your quote reply.

You even used the phrase “I’m not saying it’s racist, but…”

This is a lie.

Anyway, I made my point originally, not much to add. I’m not super interesting in debating the details of whether you meant what you previously wrote.

or you could not lie about what I said after replying to it nonsensically.

 

[CM]

They didn't go with my suggestion, Warrior of the Hour of Happiness.

 

[Umbran]

Mod note:
Some of you are getting a little pointed and heated.

I suggest you cool it off off, before the red text also has to become pointed.

 

[Weiley31]

Way of The Drunken Fist is probably the best name.

 

[Mistwell]

I fear you have misunderstood my point, or perhaps my point was not well expressed. It is one thing for the Chinese-made martial arts movies to emphasize the themes of alcohol use. It is another thing for WotC, an American company based on the West Coast, to emphasize the themes of alcohol use without "the briefest of time researching the subject to see where it comes from."

No, it's not. Those Hong Kong films were very popular here. It's not racist and colonial to bring them to a class themed on those movies. It's respectful and directly in line with the theme of what those movies did with those themes to bring them to the class. What is disrespectful is an American saying we shouldn't respect the creations as they are by Asian creators and change them for fear that us bringing them accurately here is somehow colonist and racist.

You calling them racist, smacks as at least odd to me. That you, with your Western eye, somehow know better about the value and representation they created than the original creators do. I am struggling to understand your perspective on this topic.

Alcohol is a colonizing weapon

It was not in this case. That's only a valuable view WHEN IT IS TRUE IN THE CONTEXT OF THE DISCUSSION. America didn't bring alcohol to China. China had alcohol around 9000 years ago! Why on earth did you make that argument with this particular topic?

What do you honestly think the remaining creators of the Drunken Master movie would think if they heard there WAS a Drunken Master class in Dungeons and Dragons which was trying to bring their creation to the game, and Americans decided to change it's name to "Warrior of Intoxication" for fear of colonial and racist overtones? I am willing to bet cold hard cash they would think that was insulting and ridiculous.