D&D 5E Unearthed Arcana: Draconic Options

The latest Unearthed Arcana from WotC is called Draconic Options. It includes three variant Dragonborn races and a new kobold race, as well as a handful of new spells and feats. Dragonlance fans might do a double-take when they see Fizban's platinum shield (two Forgotten Realms dragons are referenced in the spells, too -- Icingdeath and Raulothim -- as is the FR god of fey dragons, Nathair).

Harness the power of dragons in this installment of Unearthed Arcana! This playtest document presents race, feat, and spell options related to dragons in Dungeons & Dragons.

First is a trio of draconic race options presented as an alternative to the dragonborn race in the Player’s Handbook, as well as a fresh look at the kobold race. Then comes a handful of feat options that reflect a connection to draconic power. Finally, an assortment of spells—many of them bearing the names of famous or infamous dragons—offer a variety of approaches to manifesting dragon magic.

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[jasper]

Those weren’t the swords’ names though, they were what the goblins called them. Their names were Glamdring, the Foehammer and Orcrist, the Goblin Cleaver.

Orcist.
Help me father. My little girl is not right.
Priest, Begone foul demon. Begone adventurer.

 

[Charlaquin]

Orcist.
Help me father. My little girl is not right.
Priest, Begone foul demon. Begone adventurer.

OrcRist. With an r. Which I used.

 

[Sacrosanct]

This thread is beginning to remind me of the "if dragonborn are reptiles, why do they have mammary glands?" discussion.

Are kobolds mammalian or reptile?
Well, they have nipples, and you can milk anything with nipples
I have nipples Greg, can you milk me?

 

[Parmandur]

And trow were short, ugly, mischievous fairies, and hobgoblins were benevolent short creatures, yet here we are talking about drow racist overtones and legionnaire hobgoblins

Right, just saying it's not too odd that Gygax originally intended Kobolds to be just another Goblin: he was fond of multiplying Humanoid mooks.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Right, just saying it's not too odd that Gygax originally intended Kobolds to be just another Goblin: he was fond of multiplying Humanoid mooks.

If someone had told him he could have just given goblins and orcs levels, D&D would look very different today.

 

[see]

Well, in Moldvay, they were described as more dog-like than anything else (Not sure why you omitted the first sentence in the description):

Because whether the old-school descriptions were of dog-like reptiles or some other sort of reptiles was irrelevant to the question of whether there were "old school mammalian Kobold descriptions" that could be called back to. The thorny, for example, was also described as "dog-like" (AD&D Monster Manual II, AD&D 2nd Monstrous Manual), but somebody who talked about a callback to "old school mammalian Thorny descriptions" would also be making a "callback" to something that never existed.

Sure, it's obvious how people who didn't read closely or who were relying on DM narration missed the parts that established kobolds as reptilian.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Sure, it's obvious how people who didn't read closely or who were relying on DM narration missed the parts that established kobolds as reptilian.

Well, this is ironic, you telling others they aren't reading closely, when the B/X version doesn't mention reptilian at all, but does mention dog-like, and yet you're assuming they are reptilian and dismissing the reference to canines. Interesting, that.

Again:
"These small, evil dog-like men usually live underground. They have scaly rust-brown skin and no hair."

Scaly skin =/= reptile, before you ask (like pangolins, or skin conditions).

 

[Faolyn]

Well, this is ironic, you telling others they aren't reading closely, when the B/X version doesn't mention reptilian at all, but does mention dog-like, and yet you're assuming they are reptilian and dismissing the reference to canines. Interesting, that.

Again:
"These small, evil dog-like men usually live underground. They have scaly rust-brown skin and no hair."

Scaly skin =/= reptile, before you ask (like pangolins, or skin conditions).

Plus platypuses and echidna lay eggs.

I propose that kobolds are just scaly monotremes.

 

[see]

Well, this is ironic, you telling others they aren't reading closely, when the B/X version doesn't mention reptilian at all, but does mention dog-like, and yet you're assuming they are reptilian and dismissing the reference to canines. Interesting, that.

Again:
"These small, evil dog-like men usually live underground. They have scaly rust-brown skin and no hair."

Scaly skin =/= reptile, before you ask (like pangolins, or skin conditions).

Congratulations, you've just proved that old-school thornies are mammals. Take a bow.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Plus platypuses and echidna lay eggs.

I propose that kobolds are just scaly monotremes.

I figure dragons and their derivative species are their own Order, draconia or perhaps draconis, with “true dragons” being draconis magnificens and Kobolds being draconis dimunitis. All members of order draconis mate sexually, lay eggs, nurse their young, and have relatively long development cycles compared to other creatures who fill similar ecological niches.