Unearthed Arcana Unearthed Arcana: Spirits Bard and Undeath Warlock

We have a new UA release with two subclasses. The College of Spirits Bard is a fortune teller or spirit medium type character with a big random effect table. Meanwhile the Undeath Pact Warlock is a a do-over of the Undying Pact Warlock.

 

[Kurotowa]

While summoning Undead mooks to provide support/flanking bonus in the middle of the total chaos that is happening.

If we're going whole hog on the UA material, then let's dig out those alternative summoning spells from the Spells & Magic Tattoos UA. They're Concentration, so you'd want to invest in something to help make those checks, but some of the Undead Spirit options would make a really nice melee buddy.

 

[DeviousQuail]

Looks like Conquest paladins will have to make an actual decision when dipping into warlock.

I like that more things are given the "proficiency bonus times a day" treatment. I'm not sure I like it on Form of Dread, but that's a MC issue that isn't applicable to everyone.

 

[Weiley31]

If we're going whole hog on the UA material, then let's dig out those alternative summoning spells from the Spells & Magic Tattoos UA. They're Concentration, so you'd want to invest in something to help make those checks, but some of the Undead Spirit options would make a really nice melee buddy.

That UA Eldritch Mind Invocation looking mighty fine for dat!!! Give it Revised Ranger/Might of the Master for Companion scaling and your Undead Buddy is GOLDEN!

 

[Gladius Legis]

I get that, but like... I remember back when the UAs for the Xanathar’s Guide subclasses were making the rounds, I voted against the Oath of Treachery Paladin on the basis that we already have the Oathbreaker (as I’m sure many others did). And now I really wish I hadn’t because it never even got a second pass, and it was so much better as a mechanical expression of the concept of a Paladin who violated their Oath (as opposed to a Paladin sworn to an oath of evil, which is what the “Oathbreaker” seems like).

My problem with Oath of Treachery is that it was actually called an Oath. It should've just been a Blackguard and gone from there.

Oathbreaker to me is a Paladin who willfully and knowingly violated their Oath and decided to go full evil. Blackguard, on the other hand, would be cool if presented as a Paladin who believes they've been following their Oath and have justified increasingly questionable actions against their Oaths, and they've become so adept at lying that they believe their own lies as fact and are unaware of how far they have fallen. I think there's a lot of design space for that concept separate from Oathbreaker, but IMO the "Oath of Treachery" didn't handle it particularly well.

 

[JPL]

I'm into Theros right now, and I guess if you squint a little, these could work.

 

[Marandahir]

I get that, but like... I remember back when the UAs for the Xanathar’s Guide subclasses were making the rounds, I voted against the Oath of Treachery Paladin on the basis that we already have the Oathbreaker (as I’m sure many others did). And now I really wish I hadn’t because it never even got a second pass, and it was so much better as a mechanical expression of the concept of a Paladin who violated their Oath (as opposed to a Paladin sworn to an oath of evil, which is what the “Oathbreaker” seems like).

Also, despite the similar names, I feel like the Undead has a distinct story identity from the Undying. The latter feels like a lich in training - someone who made a pact with an undying being to extend their own life beyond its natural limits, while the former feels like someone who made a pact with a being that wields power over undeath for a measure of that power. Like the difference between giving your eye and hand to Vecna in exchange for the secret of lichdom vs giving your soul to Orcus in exchange for the power to wake the dead.

Personally, I don't think subclasses should be that narrow. Liches and Orcus are both Undead (or closely associated with the Undead). If it's called the Undead, a Lich should be a possible patron. Instead, it should have room for both Pact of the Blade style "Death Knights" and pact of the tome style "Liches-In-Training." And room for being a Vampire thrall.

I do agree about Oath of Treachery; I thought it was vastly preferable to Oathbreaker, and would wish instead that Oathbreaker belonged to a Ronin/historical Black Knight type concept of someone who has abandoned their oaths. I don't see all Oathbreakers becoming Blackguards because they broke their oaths. The one as written feels like someone who broke an Oath of Devotion specifically (maybe also Oath of Redemption). Though the name felt weird - I'm swearing an oath to betray? Treachery is more like the opposite of Oaths, hence the overlap with Oathbreaker. Still was a better iteration on the Oathbreaker's stories, but neither really fulfilled what they were named for. Might be an issue with calling Paladin subclasses Sacred Oaths… in 4Essentials we had the similar but destinct Cavalier Paladin Virtues and Blackguard Paladin Vices. I think Treachery fit that narrative chart a bit better than it did for "Oaths."

Ultimately, I don't MIND them publishing the Undead, but I'd prefer if they just out and said, "this is proposed errata for SCAG." And if they do that, they should just errata Way of the Four Elements Monk, PHB Ranger & Beast Master, etc, rather than dropping them as alternate iterations on the same concept. But then again, maybe this is all for that "Big Book of Character Options and Variants" in which case… sure?

 

[Marandahir]

My problem with Oath of Treachery is that it was actually called an Oath. It should've just been a Blackguard and gone from there.

Oathbreaker to me is a Paladin who willfully and knowingly violated their Oath and decided to go full evil. Blackguard, on the other hand, would be cool if presented as a Paladin who believes they've been following their Oath and have justified increasingly questionable actions against their Oaths, and they've become so adept at lying that they believe their own lies as fact and are unaware of how far they have fallen. I think there's a lot of design space for that concept separate from Oathbreaker, but IMO the "Oath of Treachery" didn't handle it particularly well.

So 3.5e Complete Divine's Greyguard?

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

But why? Has WotC forgotten that we already have the Undying Warlock.

Maybe they just realized that it really, really sucks.

 

[Weiley31]

Instead, it should have room for both Pact of the Blade style "Death Knights" and pact of the tome style "Liches-In-Training." And room for being a Vampire thrall.

We DO have Vampire, as a race/folk/PC/, for one of the Planeshift Articles. Continues to eye this Warlock Subclass

 

[Kurotowa]

That UA Eldritch Mind Invocation looking mighty fine for dat!!! Give it Revised Ranger/Might of the Master for Companion scaling and your Undead Buddy is GOLDEN!

That caught my eye too, but Eldritch Mind requires Pact of the Tome. So it's off the table for our hypothetical Undead Blade Pact Warlock. Maybe that requirement will be dropped in the final version, assuming it even sees print. And if not, well, there's always War Caster.