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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[Mind of tempest]

And a bunch of gem kobolds off to the sides, muttering that no one ever pays attention to them.

gem kobolds would love the whole not being adventure xp speed bump so they would just get into psionic traps as a hobby.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

But yeah I guess maybe we are getting new Dragonlance, just probably one with a maaaaaaaaaaaaaaassive reboot/reworking, and presumably lots and lots of dragon-people. Either that or Draconomicon, as people are saying.

This is exactly why i think they should make it a forward movement in time that brings the setting full circle to a place easily recognizable as the same world as the Chronicles, rather than a reboot. Kender and Gully Dwarves can just...be different, but you still have Solace and the Knights of Solamnia and all the other elements we would be sad without.

Good gravy. I have a hard time imagining Twinkle as a serious name for a sword even when the books were written, let along in this post-Twilight twinkle-vampire world.

Jeez you guys are a rough crowd. It's a sword that twinkles like starlight. It's a perfectly good name.

The gothic options are for the Ravenloft book.

I'm going to guess that the fey stuff is going to be separate from the dragon stuff. Maybe they'll finally do a Feywild book.

I'm hoping for a guide to the multiverse that has chapters on dragons, fey, and more.

I'm liking the "stealth" fix to Dragonborn. Makes them playable finally.

lol what!? Dragonborn are completely playable from the PHB.

I dont picture kobolds bashing people with their rat like tails or roaring

not a fan of this depiction of kobolds.

Also, dont like that the dragonborn lost darkvision again. They just added it to them in the Wildmount book.

The PHB, Wildmount, and UA Dragonborn are all separate variants of the race. They aren't gaining or losing anything.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I bet for a reboot for Councyl of Wyrms, or the gem dragon will appear in Dragonlance, but I doubt this seriously.

If Cris Perkins' homebred setting Iomandra was not only a planet, but a complete crystal sphere, there would be enough space for most of dragons (pearl, mist, cloud, shadow, faerie, electrum, steel...)

* I miss the rest of dragons, not drakes, but all those dragons from previous editions with age categories. Why not a cobra-dragon as leader of a yuan-ti cult? And arms for the rain dragons from Maztica. And the planar and outsider dragons (sun, moon, stelar..). what about the oriental imperial lungs? The rainbow dragon appeared in the magazine, but it was evil.

* When a dragon-them class as the dracolyte? You could create a subclass for each dragon specie.

* Let's remember the gem dragons have got psionic powers.

* The gemstone dragons from Mystara are different.

* Godzilla vs King-Kong is being a true blockbuster. This means if there is space for kaijus in the cinemas then the dragons may become popular again.

* Sometime I have wondered how would be Danerys Targaryen, the kaleshee, the mother of dragons, as dark lady in Ravenloft.

* Cults of the castatrophic dragons could be interesting antagonists.

* Dragon PCs as monster class?

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

R.A. Salvatore has a whole host of doofiest names:

Ivan & Pikel Bouldershoulder
Thibbledorf Pwent
Bidderdoo Harpell
Queen Dagnabbet
Aballister Bonaduce
Danica Maupoissant ("My fish," really?)

I could keep going.

I'm just going to outright state that "Icingdeath" is the doofiest name for a dragon. It sounds like the name of an evil cake dragon.

A Draconomicon would be cool, though I'd be more excited for the lore, new monsters, and magic items. Which, now that I think about it, have they ever released a UA with new monsters in it?

Dragonlance, naturally, would make me very happy. But were they prepping draconians, I'd have expected rules related to the various death effects to have been in here.

 

[Mind of tempest]

I bet for a reboot for Councyl of Wyrms, or the gem dragon will appear in Dragonlance, but I doubt this seriously.

If Cris Perkins' homebred setting Iomandra was not only a planet, but a complete crystal sphere, there would be enough space for most of dragons (pearl, mist, cloud, shadow, faerie, electrum, steel...)

* I miss the rest of dragons, not drakes, but all those dragons from previous editions with age categories. Why not a cobra-dragon as leader of a yuan-ti cult? And arms for the rain dragons from Maztica. And the planar and outsider dragons (sun, moon, stelar..). what about the oriental imperial lungs? The rainbow dragon appeared in the magazine, but it was evil.

* When a dragon-them class as the dracolyte? You could create a subclass for each dragon specie.

* Let's remember the gem dragons have got psionic powers.

* The gemstone dragons from Mystara are different.

* Godzilla vs King-Kong is being a true blockbuster. This means if there is space for kaijus in the cinemas then the dragons may become popular again.

* Sometime I have wondered how would be Danerys Targaryen, the kaleshee, the mother of dragons, as dark lady in Ravenloft.

* Cults of the castatrophic dragons could be interesting antagonists.

* Dragon PCs as monster class?

do not tempt me to find a way to add kaiju to d&d it will end in awe, also will need to make an atomic damage type.

do we have dragon warlocks yet?

 

[Kurotowa]

Would dragon and fey stuff work for an Eldraine book?

Player options in settings books tent to be pretty light. See: Ravenloft with two subclasses, three lineages, and nothing else. This is a whole bucket full of subclasses and races and feats and spells. That says to me it's a player options heavier book.

 

[Parmandur]

R.A. Salvatore has a whole host of doofiest names:

Ivan & Pikel Bouldershoulder
Thibbledorf Pwent
Bidderdoo Harpell
Queen Dagnabbet
Aballister Bonaduce
Danica Maupoissant ("My fish," really?)

I could keep going.



A Draconomicon would be cool, though I'd be more excited for the lore, new monsters, and magic items. Which, now that I think about it, have they ever released a UA with new monsters in it?

Dragonlance, naturally, would make me very happy. But were they prepping draconians, I'd have expected rules related to the various death effects to have been in here.

No, they never test monsters at all, though they have done stat blocks for spell summons as in this UA, or Subclass companions as with the draconic Subclasses UA last year. Monsters are easy to make and low impact compared to player options. A bad monster lasts three rounds at worst, an undesirable player option can longer for years.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I am a big kobold fan, and this take on the playable race is better than the one in Volo's, but it doesn't have a lot of personality.

If I were making a kobold PC (which I am always likely to do), I'd probably just pick one of the cantrips that emulates a breath weapon. That's a fine-but-not-exciting way to make the character. I think part of the issue is a lack of proficiencies -- making all kobolds proficient in trapmaking would be great flavor and not typically a big power-up, but would be a good "ribbon."

That could probably be addressed with the inclusion of one or more kobold backgrounds, like Miner, Trapmaker, Weasel Wrangler, etc. (Insert your own "weasel wrangling" joke here.)

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Player options in settings books tent to be pretty light. See: Ravenloft with two subclasses, three lineages, and nothing else. This is a whole bucket full of subclasses and races and feats and spells. That says to me it's a player options heavier book.

Eberron, Ravnica and Wildemount had a ton of player-facing options.

 

[Parmandur]

Player options in settings books tent to be pretty light. See: Ravenloft with two subclasses, three lineages, and nothing else. This is a whole bucket full of subclasses and races and feats and spells. That says to me it's a player options heavier book.

...two Subclasses and four Lineages is so much more than two and three...?

We don't know that the Fry material is linked (thought he Rabbitfolk would work with Fizban), but Eberron has over twenty racial options and a whole Class.