Unearthed Arcana Unearthed Arcana: Barbarian and Monk

Unearthed Arcana makes an unexpected return (the last one was back in May) with a three-page PDF containing two subclasses -- Path of the Wild Soul for the barbarian, and Way of the Astral Self for the monk.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I swear, I feel like WoTC is like those people who gave us peanut butter + jelly in a jar. Some things you WANT separate.

Yeah, it sucked when the grocery stores took away all of the separate jars of peanut butter and jelly after that happened.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

This is just ridiculous, a Flumph, really? Whatever happened to Barbarians hating magic? The longer I play D&D the more its seems that classes are just a bunch of powers/classes features. They should just give players a race and a set number of points per level with which you can buy whatever features you want. Theyve already gotten rid of race and ability score requirements and max level restrictions; I think its time to get rid of the class system all together. Itd be interesting to see the class features from the PHB compiled by level with a numeric point buy assigned and see what a 3rd or 4th level character built from a few fighter, rogue, and wizard features would look and play like. This is something that Ive thought about doing for awhile but just havent.

The OSR community is ready to embrace you.

You can get compatible versions of everything through 2E, tons of 3E variants and some efforts in 4E. Many of these are combined with modern improvements, like ascending armor class and advantage/disadvantage.

As much as I like 5E, the OSR scene is probably where most of the really interesting D&D stuff is happening.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Whoa there! I wouldn't mind a Swordcerer actually...

Make the martial attacks sorcerer-specific spells and you're three-quarters of the way there. Back in 3E, I was tinkering with a spell that made the caster's melee attacks (usually requiring a certain type of weapon, like a scimitar, depending on what NPC I was thinking of giving the spell to) a ranged attack instead. (This would be some sort of Arabian Nights sorcerer-swordsman, in this case.)

Creating new spells is probably the easiest way to tweak existing classes, IME.

 

[R_J_K75]

The OSR community is ready to embrace you.

You can get compatible versions of everything through 2E, tons of 3E variants and some efforts in 4E. Many of these are combined with modern improvements, like armor class that goes up and advantage/disadvantage.

As much as I like 5E, the OSR scene is probably where most of the really interesting D&D stuff is happening.

Where would I find some material to look into?

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[R_J_K75]

Start here.

D&D Retroclones

Here is an overview over all the retroclones and OSR systems based on the various editions of D&D as well as other RPGs that are based in D&D in one way or the other. A thank you goes to the RPG.net...

taxidermicowlbear.weebly.com

Thanks

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Magic as technology = Magitech. That the magical choo-choo trains don't have wheels doesn't make them not magitech.

People are more familiar with the Golem than you seem to think, and if they aren't, then they will be even harder pressed to disabuse of the idea of the Warforged as magic robots (which is appropriate, given that they are magic robots).

I’ve introduced many people to dnd using Eberron and warforged, and it has never once been confusing for them to explain that they aren’t robots, but instead are beings of living wood and stone imbued with sentience by magic, who seem to be just as likely to have souls as a human is.

Most of them have, at most, vaguely heard the word “golem” before, but haven’t a clue what it is.

Calling them magical robots (or rather, when other people do so before I can give an explanation of what they actually are) absolutely leads to confusion, however, where suddenly I have to explain over and over that they aren’t mechanical, they don’t have programming that simulates emotion but instead actually feel things, etc.

 

[Parmandur]

I’ve introduced many people to dnd using Eberron and warforged, and it has never once been confusing for them to explain that they aren’t robots, but instead are beings of living wood and stone imbued with sentience by magic, who seem to be just as likely to have souls as a human is.

Most of them have, at most, vaguely heard the word “golem” before, but haven’t a clue what it is.

Calling them magical robots (or rather, when other people do so before I can give an explanation of what they actually are) absolutely leads to confusion, however, where suddenly I have to explain over and over that they aren’t mechanical, they don’t have programming that simulates emotion but instead actually feel things, etc.

Do they not have programming that simulates emotion? Seems an open question in the setting.

 

[Gradine]

Do they not have programming that simulates emotion? Seems an open question in the setting.

They do not have programming that simulates emotion; they demonstrably have souls indistinguishable from other mortal races. The open questions are why and how they have said souls.