Unearthed Arcana Unearthed Arcana August: Races of Ravnica

I don't know modern MtG or Ravnica other then what we have been talking about on here and at D&D the last few weeks...but quick look I like this.


Vedalken sound like I could totally play the blue elves like 'mystic elf' and 'magician of black chaos' from yugioh. I think I really like the race even if I never heard of it before.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Now that Ravnica and it's classes and races are being added to D&D official does that include those? If so where for the Simic Hybrid (likely to be renamed), Vedelkyns, Viashino, where those fit into FR? (FR already has Centaurs, Minotaurs, and Loxo/Loxodons).

I expect the Ravnica book will have sideboxes "how to use this content in with settings" like SCAG did.

 

[gyor]

I expect the Ravnica book will have sideboxes "how to use this content in with settings" like SCAG did.

I hope so.

 

[Parmandur]

No, but Princes of the Apocalypse, which is an adventure set in the Forgotten Realms, does.

PotA is barely set in the FR: it even includes guides for setting it in Dark Sun, Greyhawk, Eberron and Dragonlance. The changes needed are barely anything at all, just some proper names.

 

[Parmandur]

But my point is manta glide is considerably better than flying. Aarocka have a maximum flight speed of 50'. Manta glide can achieve speeds of up to 1000'. That's 20 times faster. It works out at around 150 MPH. That's a lot faster than Spiderman.

I mean, it's cool, very cool, but again seems to working as intended.

 

[Chaosmancer]

But my point is manta glide is considerably better than flying. Aarocka have a maximum flight speed of 50'. Manta glide can achieve speeds of up to 1000'. That's 20 times faster. It works out at around 150 MPH. That's a lot faster than Spiderman.

It is an incredible distance, but how often is it useful. Think about it, first you have to get 500 ft up, then fall 500 ft. If you are already flying and able to get 500 ft up... then whatever 1,000 ft gap you are trying to cover could have been covered by whatever you used to fly 500 ft up.

And if the fact is that moving 1,000 ft from instantly falling is the problem, then go ahead and use the Xanathat variant (think it was in that book) that gives an actual falling speed per turn, which I think may have been 200 ft. Even if it was 500 ft... this just seems like a really convoluted way to get somewhere and will have little actual benefit in a real game.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

how often is it useful.

That's the thing, if you compare it to the other simic level 1 abilities, the intention is that they each be occasionally situationally useful.

However, unlike the other 1st level simic abilities it's quite easy to build a character who the answer to "how often is it useful?" is "most of the time". All you need is a class ability that allows you to propel yourself vertically upwards. And there are many of those: Fly spell, druidic shape changing (after level 8, change into a bird, fly up, revert to natural form, glide), Spider Climb spell, Fey Step, Storm Sorcerer ability, Misty Escape (Warlock), Tiger Totem, Eagle Totem barbarian abilities, and I'm sure there are more I haven't thought of.


As for "why" you would want to use it, the important thing is not the maximum speed, but the fact that it is "free" movement, in addition to what you can normally get from your move and dash actions. So you could use it to:


1) move between melee targets that would otherwise be too far apart

2) close rapidly on an archer

3) Stay well out of melee range, even against superfast enemies

4) surprise a target by beginning a round well beyond their visible range

 

[Parmandur]

That's the thing, if you compare it to the other simic level 1 abilities, the intention is that they each be occasionally situationally useful.

However, unlike the other 1st level simic abilities it's quite easy to build a character who the answer to "how often is it useful?" is "most of the time". All you need is a class ability that allows you to propel yourself vertically upwards. And there are many of those: Fly spell, druidic shape changing (after level 8, change into a bird, fly up, revert to natural form, glide), Spider Climb spell, Fey Step, Storm Sorcerer ability, Misty Escape (Warlock), Tiger Totem, Eagle Totem barbarian abilities, and I'm sure there are more I haven't thought of.


As for "why" you would want to use it, the important thing is not the maximum speed, but the fact that it is "free" movement, in addition to what you can normally get from your move and dash actions. So you could use it to:


1) move between melee targets that would otherwise be too far apart

2) close rapidly on an archer

3) Stay well out of melee range, even against superfast enemies

4) surprise a target by beginning a round well beyond their visible range

Still all seems to be working as designed. These don't seem like unintentional consequences.

 

[cmad1977]

Nnnnj

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Still all seems to be working as designed. These don't seem like unintentional consequences.

Why would anyone choose one of the other two highly situational abilities when you can choose something that is useful pretty much all the time?

Seems like a pretty unintentional consequence to me!

(even without special class abilities, you could end your movement with a running high jump to gain an extra 3+strength mod movement each turn.)

 

[Parmandur]

Why would anyone choose one of the other two highly situational abilities when you can choose something that is useful pretty much all the time?

Seems like a pretty unintentional consequence to me!

(even without special class abilities, you could end your movement with a running high jump to gain an extra 3+strength mod movement each turn.)

It's useful whenever you can get height (anything above 100 feet will cause damage, do note), which is just as situational really. The Tabaxi get straight up free movement, which is consistent. Moving underwater in a city that has underwater sections is fairly useful, as is climbing at walking speed: that I think you are underestimating. Still none quite as useful as a High Elf Melee Fighter getting Fire Bolt.