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.

 

[Parmandur]

I don’t think Mackenzie is leading D&D, but she is certainly its main spokesperson. Mostly because she has an infectious love for the game. But there are a few other designers on the team with a more senior position, including James Wyatt and Justice Arman.

Yeah, Arman is the managerlike Crawford was before retirement, but De Armas seems to be the one doing rules R&D in stuff like UA, like Crawford was like 7 or 8 years ago.

 

[Kurotowa]

FYI, the survey is up. Be fair, honest, and focus on how you feel about the options not what your think they should do instead.

 

[TorgoTheWhite]

Seems like a CHA based monk is missed opportunity as of yet.

So a monk subclass (gladiator-like, luchador, WWE, Greco-roman). That transcends cultural pigeon-holing due to the widespread nature of the source trope. Bonesaw is Reeeady! And you wouldn't need to be that wisdomtastic monk... no this is your more oblivious non-wise type.. Just have to find a way to not make em too squishy or MAD since it may be good to make some more STR monks this way

 

[doctorhook]

I would feel a lot better if there were more Asian creators on WotC authors' list, given my sensitivity I perceive within this issue. But perhaps that is just me. I think that the real-life tradition and the fantasy of the "drunken fist" goes deeper than the martial arts movies, and I still want to emphasize that trying to copy martial arts movies within RPGs requires sensitivity that I am skeptical about a Westerner doing well. Changing the name of the class (a move I disagree with) seems strange in this whole context and does nothing to assuage my nerves.

If I said a buch of things that seem intense and not quite right, I hope you will chalk it up to the enormous landmines I see in this line of conversation which put me ill at ease.

If cultural sensitivity is a primary concern, then we should also be aware of the trap of homogenizing cultural representation into monolithic continents or ethnicities. Asian cultures are obviously not interchangeable, so having “an Asian person” on the team logically shouldn’t assuage your nerves at all; it’s not specific enough to represent a certain culture.

Talking about Chinese martial arts, a Japanese or Filipino perspective (for example) is hardly any better than an American one. It’s very similar to the reasons why I would absolutely never want an American to speak for me or my culture as a Canadian. We’re NOT the same.

 

[Xethreau]

If cultural sensitivity is a primary concern, then we should also be aware of the trap of homogenizing cultural representation into monolithic continents or ethnicities. Asian cultures are obviously not interchangeable, so having “an Asian person” on the team logically shouldn’t assuage your nerves at all; it’s not specific enough to represent a certain culture.

Talking about Chinese martial arts, a Japanese or Filipino perspective (for example) is hardly any better than an American one. It’s very similar to the reasons why I would absolutely never want an American to speak for me or my culture as a Canadian. We’re NOT the same.

No, but it helps, especially in the face of the shared concern of orientalism writ large.

 

[jayoungr]

I played a Drunken Master monk up to level 17 in 2014 rules and loved it. Hope the new version is as good.

 

[jayoungr]

Changing the name of the Drunken Master is odd, unless they're expecting both the 2014 and 2024 versions to coexist at the same table.

Having looked over the new subclass, it might be because it has been substantially changed. There was (ironically) no actual drinking involved with the Drunken Master subclass, while the Warrior of Intoxication is all about creating and consuming Mystic Brews.

Unmarrying it slightly from explicitly being drunk

The 2014 version was never married to explicitly being drunk. The one I played was a former actor who had learned the technique for stage combat.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Having looked over the new subclass, it might be because it has been substantially changed. There was (ironically) no actual drinking involved with the Drunken Master subclass, while the Warrior of Intoxication is all about creating and consuming Mystic Brews.

The 2014 version was never married to explicitly being drunk. The one I played was a former actor who had learned the technique for stage combat.

These feel like arguments for having the 2024 version use "drunken" in the name.

 

[Xethreau]

These feel like arguments for having the 2024 version use "drunken" in the name.

My sense of the conversation thus far has been that, even if you dislike the drinking mechanics,, removing drunken from the title was not the move and in fact made the situation worse. Having drunken in the name and divorcing it from the mechanics of intoxication would, in my opinion, be the best option. Clearly that's not going to work for everyone; my point is simply that there are more then two sides in this extremely complex situation.

 

[jayoungr]

Having drunken in the name and divorcing it from the mechanics of intoxication would, in my opinion, be the best option.

Like the 2014 version?