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.

 

[grimslade]

Still going through the whole thread, but the Barbarian seems more like it is hinting at Dark Sun to me. The trading damage for spell power seems a lot like it could be a Defiler mechanic. Invert it. If the defiler can gain spell slots from dealing damage to the environment and possibly enemies at higher levels.
The Monk seems to be a psionic melee class substitute.

 

[Arilyn]

Lots of people in this thread just really hate new ideas, don't they? Shame on WotC for trying to get us beyond the days of angry barbarians and simple fighters! Damn everything new, everything creative, everything to push Fantasy somewhere further beyond!

I don't think this is a fair assessment of what's going on here. The barbarian subclass is extreme, and frankly, rather silly. It's not surprising that there is a higher than usual negative reaction. It's okay to be critical. Nobody is going to like every idea WOTC comes up with, and WOTC needs to hear honest reactions from players. And of course, there will be disagreements. That's okay, as we aren't going to all like the same things. Saying it's players hating this idea, simply because it's novel is unfair.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Yup, guy who gets mad does have an inherent identity problem. I would have loved for the berserker to be a fighter subclass (and not to unnecessarily punish itself) but here we are.

As a proponent of Barbarians as a class, I agree that the Berserker would be a great Fighter subclass.

Then allow the Barbarian to fully embrace the primal warrior theme it had in 4e and mostly has in 5e.

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

They’re canonically fully sapient, and possessed of free will in a non-deterministic universe (dnd assumes that free will exists for mortals, and distinguishes that from creatures thought to lack free will, like demons and angels. Therefor, dnd is non-deterministic by default.)
The origin of this sapience, which was not the intent of their creators, is an open question.

If you wouldn't call it magitech or steam punk what would you call it?

Magipunk, and/or Gas Lamp Fantasy.

It is objectively not steampunk, bc it doesn’t use technology, much less steam and clockworks and Victorian sci-fi tech, and it isn’t a commentary on modern social and global politics through the lense of a subversive reimagining of the Victorian world.

In general, fantasy that plays with some of steampunk’s aesthetic, but doesn’t embrace tech or necessarily the subversive politics, is called Gas Lamp Fantasy.

But Eberron does embrace -punk politics in some ways, particularly some of those of Cyberpunk. Obviously it doesn’t focus on the looming specter of trans-humanism and the loss of humanity represented by it all that much, though that is a theme that exists in the world. What it instead plays with is the threat of international mega corporations and their ability to create super-national oligarchies that ignore the power of the State in order to better milk profit from the masses, the devastation of weapons of mass destruction, and the struggle to be recognized as a person by a world that only sees either a tool, or a monster, all while imagining a world that has DnD magic, and extrapolating what that would entail.

So, I like magipunk.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

They are constantly putting out tests with zero context

They often put out tests without context. Zero context is not the same as concealing context, which is something they have done exactly once.

as they are not concerned with that for playtest purposes.

If true, that would be stupid. I do not believe WotC are stupid.

They dissembled about the Eberron hardcover, and people were saying there would be no Eberron book on these forums.

No they didn't. They said if the Wayfinder's Guide sold well there would be an Eberron hardcover.

I don't believe WotC are stupid. I can't say the same about some of the people on these forums.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The Barbarian is zany, the monk is more serious. So I don't think its Rick and Morty.

Both share a theme that R&M are unlikely to display, planar.

1) There is no reason to assume both subclasses are intended for the same publication.

2) The monk is very anime influenced. Some people would consider anime over the top for their D&D game. (as it happens, a couple of my players are big fans).

3) The whole point might be to see how much zanieness players are willing to tollerate, with one slightly zany option and one very zany option.

4) Rick and Morty are constantly jaunting through time, space and parallel dimensions (it started as a Back to the Future spoof). A planer themed adventure would be an excellent fit.

 

[Parmandur]

They often put out tests without context. Zero context is not the same as concealing context, which is something they have done exactly once.


If true, that would be stupid. I do not believe WotC are stupid.


No they didn't. They said if the Wayfinder's Guide sold well there would be an Eberron hardcover.

I don't believe WotC are stupid. I can't say the same about some of the people on these forums.

They have fudged the context heavily as long as they have done UA: the tests for Sword Coast Adventurers material, and stuff appropriate to Ravenloft in 2015 are but a small sample. They do this all the time.

 

[gyor]

As a proponent of Barbarians as a class, I agree that the Berserker would be a great Fighter subclass.

Then allow the Barbarian to fully embrace the primal warrior theme it had in 4e and mostly has in 5e.


They’re canonically fully sapient, and possessed of free will in a non-deterministic universe (dnd assumes that free will exists for mortals, and distinguishes that from creatures thought to lack free will, like demons and angels. Therefor, dnd is non-deterministic by default.)
The origin of this sapience, which was not the intent of their creators, is an open question.


Magipunk, and/or Gas Lamp Fantasy.

It is objectively not steampunk, bc it doesn’t use technology, much less steam and clockworks and Victorian sci-fi tech, and it isn’t a commentary on modern social and global politics through the lense of a subversive reimagining of the Victorian world.

In general, fantasy that plays with some of steampunk’s aesthetic, but doesn’t embrace tech or necessarily the subversive politics, is called Gas Lamp Fantasy.

But Eberron does embrace -punk politics in some ways, particularly some of those of Cyberpunk. Obviously it doesn’t focus on the looming specter of trans-humanism and the loss of humanity represented by it all that much, though that is a theme that exists in the world. What it instead plays with is the threat of international mega corporations and their ability to create super-national oligarchies that ignore the power of the State in order to better milk profit from the masses, the devastation of weapons of mass destruction, and the struggle to be recognized as a person by a world that only sees either a tool, or a monster, all while imagining a world that has DnD magic, and extrapolating what that would entail.

So, I like magipunk.

Magipunk is going to have people comparing it to Shadowrun. I'll look into this Gas Lamp Fantasy.

 

[gyor]

I'll also point out RM are starter sets, so I see no reason to believe the product has subclasses

 

[Garthanos]

They’re canonically fully sapient, and possessed of free will in a non-deterministic universe (dnd assumes that free will exists for mortals, and distinguishes that from creatures thought to lack free will, like demons and angels. Therefor, dnd is non-deterministic by default.)

An aweful lot of fantasy stories feature worlds with "fated heroes" and the like.... I mean the entire prophecy schtick and so on... witches telling you your fortune. Myth and legend certainly has a ton of room for different stories are you really saying the flavor text of a couple monster types out of that many... undermine that much.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Magipunk is going to have people comparing it to Shadowrun. I'll look into this Gas Lamp Fantasy.

Eberron is pseudo-1928 (10 years after the great war). By 1928 gas lighting was being replaced by electricity.