Unearthed Arcana Unearthed Arcana: Sorcerer and Warlock

There's a new Unearthed Arcana from WotC today, hot on the heels of the recent one for barbarian and monk. "Two classes, the sorcerer and the warlock, discover new playtest possibilities this week. The sorcerer receives a new Sorcerous Origin feature: the Aberrant Mind. Meanwhile, the warlock gains a new Otherworldly Patron feature: the Lurker in the Deep. We’ve also included a new cantrip: mind sliver."

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Just a minor point, but I think the text for Aberrant Sorcerer Revelation of the Flesh might need tidying up. The vision power says "you are aware of the location of hidden or invisible creatures within 60'".

Does this make you aware of the location of creatures you can't see because:

• It's dark?
• It's magically dark?
• It's obscured (thick fog etc)?
• You are blinded?

The wording "aware of the location" implies you still are at disadvantage in attacking them. Is this intended?

Can you use your telepathy to share locations with allies?

I would probably change this to "you gain blindsight to 60', but can see nothing beyond this distance".

 

[Paul Farquhar]

On the abhorrant druid idea, how about, rather than wildshape in MM aberrations, you wildshape into beasts, but the beasts are wrong somehow. Their type becomes "aberration" and you can give them certain abilities as you gain levels.

 

[Leatherhead]

So now we are back to subclasses giving Sorcerers bonus known spells?

Well I hate this!

I've been saying since the start that the Sorcerer is a bit too thin in number of known spells, and I blamed the fact that WotC did not include the Sorcerer into the public playtest (the first iteration of the class, later withdrawn from the playtest, doesn't count). The first Sorcerer subclass they put out in UA was the Storm Sorcerer and granted bonus known spells. It was fine but later they removed the bonus known spells with the explanation that it would have damaged the attractiveness of the 2 core Sorcerer subclasses.

So if they decide to release a new Sorcerer subclass that does grant bonus known spells, doesn't it damage the attractiveness of ALL previous Sorcerer subclasses? I suppose not... I'd like some consistency in their design principles though.

Here is an interview where they gloss over this angle:

 

[MarkB]

And a monk that can astrally project.

And a paladin who thinks things should stay on their own #$%#ing planes.

For the Paladin, how about Oath of the Inquisitor:

A paladin who uses psionic powers to find the truth, expose deception and unravel conspiracies.

 

[Parmandur]

Here is an interview where they gloss over this angle:

Very interesting...

Points out that the Sorcery point options is beefed up subtle spell metamagic.

God discussion about the exceptions based nature of the 5E ruleset, and how the Subclasses don't have to be purely symmetrical, focus of narrative centered nature of design, holistic nature of balance over the course of a full adventure.

 

[R_J_K75]

Spelljammer Confirmed.

I will say, smart money is on a big Mindflayer-centric storyline in the next few years.

Astromundi Cluster maybe? If I remember right, I believe that was where the Illithids originally came from.

 

[gyor]

A Lovecraftian setting would be cool.

FR and Eberron both have major Lovecraftian elements, with FR having a lot of different versions of it, from cults of Dagon, the society of the Kraken, Kraken cultists, Elder Evils, Beholder Cults, a flying city of Aboleths, Evil Stars, gateways to the Far Realms, the Warlock Knights of Vaasa, Ghaundar, Mind Flayer cities, Neogi on it's moon, and more.

 

[gyor]

Really, I was struggling to see these 4 Subclasses as fitting any traditional D&D setting, but now imagining them as Magic cards they make tonal sense.

They fit FR well enough, the Wild Soul Barbarians make sense in Feywild touched Rasheman and Yuirwood and even parts of Shou Lung.

FR has no shortage of Aberrants and even has a version of the Living Gate, a portal to the Far Realms in it, as well as other far realms/abberant stuff in it.

The Deep Lurker really super fits FR, the Kraken Society, Purple Rock, plenty of water Gods, Marid Princes, Elemental Lords, Primordials, Batrachi, Cults of Dagon and Demigorgan, Levithan, weirder stuff, Dragon Turtles, ect...

The Monk makes sense in places were the Githyanki raise their young and in Kara Tur.

Nentir Vale also fits it well, but Nentir Vale was kind of born of idea for FR that was spun out to be it's own points of light setting, so that is not surprising.

 

[gyor]

Honestly I don't see this coming in either a starter set or AP. Even a Setting is unlikely as it's not Darksun enough. I think it's going to be in a Psionics book of it's own.

 

[gyor]

Considering the Baldur’s Gate 3 focus on Mindflayers, it’s a good bet.

Mindflayers aren't the main enemy in BG3, what scared them is.