Unearthed Arcana Unearthed Arcana Returns to Monthly With Some Revised Subclasses

the fighter’s Sharpshooter subclass was, by far, the least popular

No one in their right mind liked that abomination. A terrible concept from the start.

 

[Guest 6801328]

Jesus would be a Favoured Soul, so would the Antichrist and the Pope a Cleric, just for comparison sake.

Dalai Lama is an even better example, imo.

Reminds me of the time I was caddying for the Lama....

 

[MechaTarrasque]

Now we just need a favored soul fighter or barbarian subclass for Hercules and all those Greek demigods.

Outside of fulfilling the support sorcerer idea, the other big thing here is that the favored soul actual gives a subclass spell to a sorcerer. Admittedly 1 spell is not as good as domain/oath/pact, etc. spells, but once precedent is established, who knows where it will go?

 

[sphen5117]

And I'm a little shocked Sharpshooter was the worst received subclass. I was certain it would be Lore Wizard, but they did rework Lore wizard when they did War wizard, so maybe it didn't count?

Is there a place to see these results that I am missing?

 

[Al2O3]

Is there a place to see these results that I am missing?

In the description for the article.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using EN World mobile app

 

[BookBarbarian]

Flurrying with Kensei weapons would be very OP without some kind of drawback. They can two-hand a longsword for d10 damage, which would be 3x d10+Dexmod attacks right at 3rd level, far outstripping any other class.

The defensive Path of the Kensei benefit seems set up as a choice. The Kensei gets to either:

1) do a little more damage than most monks, by using a versatile martial weapon: one 1d10+dexmod attack and one 1d4+dexmod martial arts attack (or two extra attacks with flurry, all of this is at level 3)
2) do a little less damage than most monks, but gain +2 AC without having to use a bonus action: gain +2 AC for a turn and make two 1d4+dexmod attacks (or three with flurry, again at level 3)

At early levels they basically get +1 dpr vs other monk subclasses or +2 AC/-2 dpr. Later on the tradeoffs change around a bit due to martial arts damage die increases, but they basically always have a dpr advantage over other subclasses as long as they make attacks with their kensei weapon.

Maybe it doesn't seem like much, but +2 AC without having to burn the bonus action is a pretty big deal for a monk - they have so many other uses for bonus actions.

The Flurry of blows made with the Kensei weapon could be limited to the Martial arts die damage for balance.

I don't have a problem with the defensive aspect of the Kensei, I have a problem with the fact that the Kensei is making so many attacks that aren't with the Kensei weapon. That doesn't translate to what a Kensei should be. This is a fine Zen Archer or Weapon Master Monk, but it ain't no Kensei.

 

[sphen5117]

In the description for the article.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using EN World mobile app

I should have been more clear. I mean like numbers or overall results, aside from just the brief mention of Sharpshooter?

Sent from my SM-N910V using EN World mobile app

 

[MechaTarrasque]

I should have been more clear. I mean like numbers or overall results, aside from just the brief mention of Sharpshooter?

Sent from my SM-N910V using EN World mobile app

I would be very surprised if anyone not working for WotC will ever see the numbers. You could tweet Mike Mearls and ask, but getting an answer is a long shot.

The list might misleading as well. If hypothetically, the treachery paladin was the second least popular, it might be the case that the overall subclass is unpopular (people want good leaning paladins), but the mechanisms of the subclass might be popular (people want sneaky paladins), so they might reflavor it (and make some small changes to fit the reflavoring), and an oath of resistance paladin (a good leaning but sneaky paladin who mocks tyrannical authority) might show in the Big Book of Content. To go with the paladin example a little further, the conquest paladin could be the 3rd most popular, but the surveys might indicate that we want them to double down on the Hellknight aspect, so the final version might have a lot more changes then something in the middle of the list, even though it was near the top. [Yes, these examples indicate that the target audience has conflicting views on similar things, which is not uncommon in market research.]

 

[Ganymede81]

Aww, Vailis Quane, Wandering Star of Fharlanghn, was really hoping that they'd redo the Horizon Walker instead.

 

[Sacrosanct]

About a year and a half ago I came up with my Kensai homebrew (also a monk subclass). So I was kinda close to what WoTC put out. But I still think I like mine better (ignore my bias

Weapon Bond
Become proficient with one specific melee
weapon of choice. That weapon is now
considered a monk weapon. Upon reaching
6th level, this weapon is also applicable for the
Ki-Empowered strike ability. Additionally, any
natural roll of a 19 or 20 using this weapon is
considered a critical hit.

Weapon Defense
When reaching 6th level, you can use your
weapon to help in defense. Spend 2 ki points to
channel into your weapon to help deflect blows.
Roll your base monk damage dice. Your AC
increases by this amount against all attacks you
can see until the start of your next short rest.

Saintly Weapon
At 11th level, your chosen weapon increases its
reach by 5ft. Additionally, your weapon is now
eligible to be used for your flurry of blows ability.

Whirlwind Attack
When reaching 17th level, as an action, you can
attack all targets within the range of the weapon
from the point where you stand when you invoke
this ability. A separate attack roll must be made
for each target.

 

[Jonathan Alvear]

[forgot to quote the post]