Unearthed Arcana Spores, Brutes, and Inventors: Unearthed Arcana Brings You Three New Subclasses

While I like the mechanics behind Brute, do we really need another generic fighter? Champion already does that pretty well.

 

[Dausuul]

1 HP seems weak, but it's a "free" ally. The main problem I see is the need to kill the enemy with your Halo of Spores. What are the odds you'll ever get the killing blow with those 6 HP of damage? It doesn't seem like you'd actually get to use this often unless you have a bound prisoner to HoS until they're dead (which is dark). If the designers intend to ever see this get used it should be someone you'd damaged with HoS within the last minute.

Keep in mind that Symbiotic Entity doubles your Halo of Spores damage output. Killing something with 6 points of damage is unreliable at best, but 12 points is a lot more likely.

And if you're fighting a crowd of weak foes with 12 hp or less, it will get really out of hand, because Halo of Spores has no miss chance and no saving throw, and neither Halo of Spores nor Fungal Infestation has any usage limit. Every round, you'll make a free zombie. The zombies have Undead Fortitude, too, so that 1 hit point is not as fragile as it seems.

 

[Irda Ranger]

Keep in mind that Symbiotic Entity doubles your Halo of Spores damage output. Killing something with 6 points of damage is unreliable at best, but 12 points is a lot more likely.

And if you're fighting a crowd of weak foes with 12 hp or less, it will get really out of hand, because Halo of Spores has no miss chance and no saving throw, and neither Halo of Spores nor Fungal Infestation has any usage limit. Every round, you'll make a free zombie.

I guess. You're still limited to 10' range on the HoS though, so if you're zombies start killing people (which is the point, right?) you don't get those as allies.

Anyway, free ally. I'm not against the idea. I like it! I guess I'd have to actually run a playtest for a while before deciding how useful it is.

The zombies have Undead Fortitude, too, so that 1 hit point is not as fragile as it seems.

Oh, for sure. I understood that part.

 

[flametitan]

And, for a final nail in the coffin, why would you bother with random spells? I mean a 10% of getting a specific spell is kind of bad if you really need it, and a lot of the time you'd be better off just casting the spells you've prepared like a normal wizard. I just don't see the appeal here.

I can see it working for An artificer, as a table of "unintended side effects." Say you're making a balm to coat on your fighter's sword for additional fire damage. It does that, but what if it also seems to feel soothing to the touch, to the point that you're certain it has the effects of calm emotions as well?

 

[Dausuul]

For the invention thing, I think a better approach would be to allow you to roll twice at the end of each long rest, and the spells you roll are added to your prepared spells until your next long rest. That seems more interesting, and also more inventor-like, than casting a random combat spell.

 

[Blue]

School of Invention is half of the old Lore Mastery wizard subclass. Alchemical Casting has bene toned tone a touch, but Prodigious X is the same. This other parts are new. i like the casting - seem like someone who wants wild magic without quite so much chaos and a bit more ooph. The arcanamechanical armor on the other hand is not a feature. Sure, it replaces casting mage armor for "only" the cost of 1 AC and one of only attunement slots, forces it to be non-magical armor it will never improve, and requires you wear it for another class feature to work. It's weakening the class.

 

[MechaTarrasque]

The more I think about it, the more I think a modified version of reckless casting would have been a better defining trait for sorcerers than metamagic: my idea is that sorcerers still get the same spells and slots, but if they run out of spell slots or don't want to use a slot, X number of times per long rest (where X increases as the levels of sorcerer go up), they take their chances and reach out into the Weave for a spell (out of the reckless list or maybe a list for each subclass). It becomes a hail mary play, but the sorcerers would cast noncantrips more than other classes, and the issue of # of spells known would diminish. In terms of power, the loss of control would largely even out the extra power from more casting.

 

[MostlyHarmless42]

There are classes (warlock) and subclasses (berserker barbarian, college of whispers bard, etc.) that seem to exist as much for DM's as for players. The brute (which I think maybe ought to be renamed the slayer) fighter and the spore druid seem to fit those bills, although the druid's bit about wildshape not being used for wildshape is pretty innovative (kind of like a paladin being "spell less" by pumping all the spell slots into divine smite, a "wild shape less" druid could pump all the wildshapes into something else; how long before the "rageless" barbarian appears?). I would have preferred a subclass feature that allowed the spore druid to get access to plant shapes for wild shape, but this is certainly more daring.

I have mixed feelings on the invention wizard. Some people on the threads have described wizards as fearless pioneers pushing magical boundaries, but mechanically, nothing could be further from the truth: wizards are basically magical auditors who spend their time stealing magic that they know will work from other wizards. So it would be nice if there was a subclass that did that. On the other hand, reaching out into the Weave and casting some random spell seems pretty sorcerer to me.

It's almost like there's a subclass for the sorcerer that is precisely designed to be just that: chaotic and random...or a base sorcerer mechanic in place that let's them tweak and adjust their spells using a daily replenishing resource...but that would be crazy right? God forbid the wizard not be able to out sorcerer a sorcerer.

 

[Ancalagon]

The Brute extra damage seems to be half the damage of the battlemaster... is that intentional? Because it's pretty damn good...

 

[gyor]

Circle of Spores is cool and I like it.

Brute is well designed mechanically, but thematically isn't inspiring.

School of the Inventor, interesting idea, do not like that actual features. It seems like it doesn't know what it wants to be, the Lore Wizard, the Artificer Wizard, or a Wild Magic Sorceror, it's mechanics are all over the place.

 

[gyor]

It's almost like there's a subclass for the sorcerer that is precisely designed to be just that: chaotic and random...or a base sorcerer mechanic in place that let's them tweak and adjust their spells using a daily replenishing resource...but that would be crazy right? God forbid the wizard not be able to out sorcerer a sorcerer.

I'm fine with a Wizard subclass that can dip into what Sorcerors do, it wouldn't be the first subclass to barrow something from another class, Divine Souls borrow Cleric Spell list, Eldrich Knights and Arcane Tricksters barrow spells from wizards, Bladedancers borrow fighting ability from fighters, the College of Blades borrows access to fighting styles, and so on.

I just don't like the execution of the idea here, changing damage type is something that should have been a straight up metamagic sorcerors can get, it's better then empower damage, but the Wizard gets it instead. I'm fine with the 2D10 bonus damage one.

Still the whole subclass feels slap dashed together from various themes and parts from other Wizards.

If they want this style of Wizard, just have a subclass that grants a few sorcery points and 2 metamagic, but can't be used to make more spell slots. Done, it's better then giving the Wizard a form of metamagic that is BETTER then regular metamagic. They could then just make changing one damage type into another a Sorceror metamagic, and the wizard subclass would still benefit.