Unearthed Arcana Unearthed Arcana: Arcane Subclasses Update

[Stalker0]

In my head cannon, transmuter's are the rarest of wizard specialists.

Not because they are the least taught....but because they are hunted for their precious stones!

 

[Kurotowa]

Maybe instead of a familiar, the necromancer should get a minion (weak skellie or zombie that can fight) that levels up with her. I don't know. It seems like fluff at this point, for the most part (which as stated above, is fine). I get why it is how it is......

The commentary on this release called out that the community feedback around the Necromancer was that people wanted an undead horde. Not to be an undead reskin of the Beast Master Ranger. The disposability of undead minions seems to be an important thematic point for a lot of people.

That said, what you're describing is pretty close to the Reanimator Artificer back in the Horror Subclasses UA last May. Which means you'll mostly get your wish, just on a different class that's maybe more suitable for it.

 

[mellored]

It has all the capabilities of a normal familiar, which is easily one of the best features in the game in the hands of a creative player. I don't think it needs more buffs on top.

Well...

If you could spend your action you let them attack, that would be on par with a cantrip, but fit the theme and lot better.

Skeleton: 1d6+3 = 6.5
Toll the dead 1d12 = 6.5

Level 6
Skeleton: 1d6+3+4 = 10.5
Toll the dead 2d12 = 11.5

Skeleton falls off as you go up, but you won't be using cantrips much at that point.

 

[occam]

In my head cannon, transmuter's are the rarest of wizard specialists.

Not because they are the least taught....but because they are hunted for their precious stones!

If someone wants to get their hands on my precious stones, they're going to have to take me to dinner first.


I'll see myself out...

 

[Leatherhead]

It has all the capabilities of a normal familiar, which is easily one of the best features in the game in the hands of a creative player. I don't think it needs more buffs on top.

Part of what makes a normal familiar so good is the fact they are inconspicuous disposable spy drones that can fit and/or fly into areas that your normal PCs cant enter.
Skeletons and Zombies are not quite inconspicuous, are the same size as a PC, and most notably cant fly.

I'm not saying there aren't uses cases for them (Dressing one up as your body double to fool would-be assassins, for instance) but they most certainly do not have all the capabilities of a normal familiar.

 

[NotAYakk]

Tattoed Monk, IMHO, should have some tattooed-as-magic-item or infusion abilities.
Level 3 is very meh

LEVEL 3: BEAST TATTOOS
You gain two animal tattoos. Choose two tattoos
from the following options.
Bat. You know the Dancing Lights cantrip. You
also gain Blindsight with a range of 10 feet.
Butterfly. You know the Light cantrip. When
you make a High Jump, you can use your
Dexterity modifier instead of your Strength
modifier to determine how high you can jump.
Crane. You know the Guidance cantrip. When
you miss a creature with an attack granted by
your Flurry of Blows, you have Advantage on
your next attack roll against that creature before
the end of your next turn.
Horse. You know the Message cantrip. When
you expend 1 Focus Point to use Step of the
Wind, your Speed increases by 10 feet until the
start of your next turn.
Tortoise. You know the Spare the Dying
cantrip. When you expend 1 Focus Point to use
Patient Defense, you have a +1 bonus to AC until
the start of your next turn.

Utility spells which are great, and a nearly zero combat ability.

The high jump bit? That very rarely shows up in play. I'm guessing it used to be the jump spell?

6 is pure utility.

11 is resistance.

Only at level 17 do you feel like you are playing a different "combat gameplay" loop, or really have a significant combat feature.

Tracking a +1 1 turn AC boost is barely worth it. If it was always on it is worth it.

Blindsight 10 is ok, if a bit niche.

Advantage after you miss (on a flurry) for 1 attack for 1 turn is ok. Guidance is a great cantrip.

So I guess everyone goes Crane except for when special situations occur.

 

[Gladius Legis]

The Enchanter looks extremely nerfed to me. Moving its signature feature, Split Enchantment, down from 10 to 6 is nice, but putting a hard uses/day limit on it is not, and is unnecessary. And Hypnotic Presence now taking up your concentration makes it even more useless than its 2014 predecessor Hypnotic Gaze.

 

[NotAYakk]

The Enchanter looks extremely nerfed to me. Moving its signature feature, Split Enchantment, down from 10 to 6 is nice, but putting a hard uses/day limit on it is not, and is unnecessary. And Hypnotic Presence now taking up your concentration makes it even more useless than its 2014 predecessor Hypnotic Gaze.

What? That ability is crazy. In a multi-creature fight, for an action you get to remove a creature from the fight. You are now only using concentration to turn a N opponent fight into an N-1 opponent fight, followed by a 1 opponent fight.

It is basically banish as a 1st level spell.

Maybe I understood how strong it was because I used to play an enchanter in everquest - "mez" was basically that effect. Two one-monster fights is insanely easier than a two-monster fight. And while concentration is strong, so is this effect. The force multiplication is nuts.

In a classic 2 creature fight, you focus down one (in say 2 turns), then kill the other (in, say, 2 turns). You take 6 rounds of monster attacks.

If you shut down a monster with this ability, then kill one foe, then kill the other, you now take 4 rounds of monster attacks total. A 33% reduction in incoming damage. Plus, the max rate you take damage is significantly reduced, and you can take a breather to set stuff up (everyone patches themselves up, readies an action, you trigger them all right after the enemy's turn, then you all go again), possibly completely nullifying a monster's threat.

All for the cost of a 1st level slot and concentration.

It is even cheap enough that if things are going poorly, you can drop concentration and use it again mid-fight to save a party member.

Hell, against a single foe, you can wait until just before they go, use it, have them lose their turn, then whale on them.

 

[tombowings]

This is definitely an improvement. Well done to the WotC posse for responding to feedback.