D&D 5E Tasha's Optional Class Features - Using Them or Not?

[jgsugden]

Tasha's Cauldron of Everything features optional/alternate class features that replace or augment other options from the PHB. Those include additions (like the Rogue Aim ability), and replacements (like the Ranger Favored Foe replaces Favored Enemy). This poll asks how you use these options in your game(s). If you're in multiple games, answer either for the most common approach, or for the game you play most often or longest.

Clarification: If your group allows some, but not all, of the options, the third choice is appropriate for that situation. (Case by case decision).

 

[Mind of tempest]

I would, but I am between groups so it is not really an option.

 

[Oofta]

We chatted about it briefly and decided to use them. Since we're all on my DndBeyond account, I just turned everything on and told people to review their character sheets.

I didn't see anything particularly broken, and I'm not going to go through each and every feature. I figured that if it ends up being problematic we can always turn it off later.

 

[TheSword]

It’s great stuff. For balance and interest reasons it’s all in my games. It’s a good book, as interesting as Xanathars Guide.

 

[iserith]

My current campaign just ended and my new campaign starts in a couple weeks. I've added Tasha's optional class features to the character creation rules. My reason for including it is that there will be multiple PCs per player so increased options will make it less likely there is overlap or redundancy.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

We chatted about it briefly and decided to use them. Since we're all on my DndBeyond account, I just turned everything on and told people to review their character sheets.

I didn't see anything particularly broken, and I'm not going to go through each and every feature. I figured that if it ends up being problematic we can always turn it off later.

Yeah basically this.

I mean, sure, technically it's all subject to DM approval, but the way it works with D&D Beyond is they're either on, or they're off, so in real terms, they're on. We're not playing D&D much atm though so we haven't had much of a chance to test them. None seem broken. All the more powerful ones were removed or changed. In fact, some of the changes in Tasha's were dumb and excessive (like taking Fireball away from Fire Druids... I mean for god's sake).

 

[jgsugden]

OP here - In the games I DM, it is all fair game. I am not a person terribly concerned with precise balance. As such, with the exception of the optional rules in the DMG, everything WotC produces is fair game, including UA articles. In the three four games in which I am a player, all are allowing it (although most of them have not met since the book release - busy people).

 

[TheAlkaizer]

I've read all of them at least once but it's hard to fully grasp their effect on the game. I told my players to ask me if they were interested in use theirs and I'd double check to make sure it's all good.

One is going to be quite useful. I've got a player interested in playing the Kensei Monk and he was pretty disappointed to find out that he would effectively only attack with his weapon once with all the bonus stuff being unarmed attacks.

The optional features are quite cool for the Kensei! There's Dedicated Weapon. But more interestingly, there's Ki-Fueled Attack which allows the Kensei to use his bonus action to make a attack either unarmed or with his Monk Weapon if he spent a ki point during his action that turn. So he'll still resort to unarmed attack for bonus actions on most turns, but when he pops and uses ki he'll get this additional boon. He was pretty happy about it!

 

[Weiley31]

I allow them. Of course It's the UA version, unless there are actual few parts in the printed version that is better/buffered compared to the UA version, I think the Variant Features Barbarian in the book is better than the variant features in the UA version, so that is an exception to using the UA version.

 

[Stoutstien]

im allowing all but the channel divinity for spell slot recharge.