Dungeons & Dragons Announces Horror Subclasses Unearthed Arcana

Dungeons & Dragons has announced a new Unearthed Arcana focused on horror subclasses. The new UA, available now on D&D Beyond, introduces a mix of new subclasses and thematic subclasses from 2014 5th Edition. The full list of subclasses are as follows:

• College of Spirits Bard
• Grave Domain Cletic
• Phantom Rogue
• Shadow Sorcerer
• Heblade Patron Warlock
• Undead Patron Warlock
• Reanimator Artificer
• Hollow Warden Ranger

The Reanimator Artificer is built around creating a reanimated companion that can act in combat and explodes when it dies. The Hollow Warden Ranger adds a Wrath of the Wild feature that activates when casting Hunter's Mark and adds various emanation effects while active.

No word on what this UA is related to, but there is a mystery product coming out in October and these horror subclasses could tie into a potential Ravenloft book.

You can check out the full Unearthed Arcana here.

 

[jgsugden]

I think the lawyers are guiding WotC and they're making a clear claim to their IP by releasing setting books for each of their settings.

• Toril/Forgotten Realms,
• Eberron,
• Ravenloft,
• Oerth/Greyhawk,
• Athas/Dark Sun,
• Krynn/Dragonlance,
• Sigil/Planescape,
• Blackmoor,
• MtG planes,
• Mystara,
• Spelljammer / Extraplanar, etc...
• Gamma World?
• Exandria? (Yes, I know Critical Role / Mercer owns it, but things can change over a few years).

I'm betting we'll see a new setting book every 6 months or so - which seems to be slightly slower than the pace at which they are releasing these setting specific UA. This will be a way for them to reaffirm their IP rights - as well as meet a desire that lingers from the past couple decades where many of these settings have sat mostly untouched.

 

[Reynard]

Could be a book about undead, which would be my top hope. Could be part of the shadowfell. Could be the dark side mentioned above. I'm tired of rewrites.

New support for existing settings isn't "rewrites."

 

[Kurotowa]

My gut says it would be an extension like Forge of the Artificer is to Eberron. Mechanical update with expansion lore like new domains and stuff.

I'm not so sure. Don't just look at the nature of these subclasses, but the number. Most setting and creature type books have had a small sampling on subclasses, in the two to four range. This is eight subclasses. That's half way to a Xanathar's or Tasha's level of player options focus.

If they're going to throw ten whole subclasses into a Ravenloft or Shadowmoor book, that's a big departure from past books. And if they're not, then this might be half of a more thematically focused "of Everything" type book for next year.

 

[Blue]

Weird they didn't include a Necromancer Wizard.

What needs to be playtested and/or gain player buy-in about it? It seems like it's set technology, no need to put that in a UA.

 

[Sulicius]

So, I started out really hyped with the Dr. Frankenstein artificer finally being released by WotC, but after that I kinda soured on all of these subclasses.

Likes

• The reworks overall look good and effective.
• Theming is mostly good

Dislikes

• Where are my ribbon features? For most of these subclasses, you can't tell the difference from one another except in combat. That is a BIG miss for me.
• A lot of features that remove power from monsters. Removing opportunity attacks, bonus actions, disadvantage on saves. I am not a fan of these options because it often takes away agency from monsters.

My feedback will be to be careful with AC buffing abilities and to give each subclass some chance to shine in exploration and role play.

 

[Blue]

Just started, and right away this stood out:

View attachment 404794

How often do they think players are using Spare the Dying? That seems really weak for something almost never used.

The question isn't "how often are they using base Spare the Dying". When PCs are down we see a lot of healing word, which is a bonus action, but we also see action-to-cast cure spells, Lay-on-Hands (with no range), feeding a potion (BA but no range), and the like. And this now fits the category of "gets someone back on their feet" like them, which is head a shoulders above just stabilizing for an action in the middle of combat.

Basically, since we see things to stand someone up that take a full action already, there's no doubt this will also hit play. Especially without slot cost on a half-caster.

 

[KoolMoDaddy-O]

I wouldn't stare too hard into the tea leaves because I doubt all of these options are sincere. There were three subclasses for Bigby's in the Unearthed Arcana but only one made into the final book. I feel like the College of Spirits and the Undead Warlock are red herrings because Van Richten's was so recent (2021).

I don't think there is enough time for October. I'm guessing 2026 early.

Maybe. But I find the theme and the October release of the mystery book to be, as the kids say, suss.

While Ravenloft (Strahd, Van Richten) seems likely, I wonder if a Shadowfell setting is possible, opposite a Feywild setting.

A Shadowfell book would be great because it could work triple duty as a 5.5 update to a handful of subclasses, a relatively circumspect setting guide, and as an undead bestiary.

 

[Sulicius]

Jolt to Life doesn't need to be strong for me, it's very flavorful.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I love the Reanimator Artificer. Nothing like a Frankenstein pet class!

 

[EthanSental]

And a YouTube video on them as well.