D&D 5E Unearthed Arcana: Travelers of the Multiverse

New free content from WotC - the latest 4-page Unearthed Arcana introduces six new races: astral elf, autognome, giff, hadozee, plasmoid, and thri-kreen.

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Looks like Spelljammer and/or Planescape is back on the menu!

 

[Charlaquin]

That’s the point of playing a monk. You don’t need any gear. No weapons to worry about other than a staff. No clothes to worry about. You can forage for food and water and most DMs don’t bother reinforcing that anyway. Have someone carry your coin until the party gets a bag of holding.

I guess? In my experience it’s usually important to at least have have basic survival gear - food, water, mess kit, tinderbox, torches, and bedroll at the very least, and potentially clothing for any extreme weather conditions you anticipate potentially facing. Maybe some dungeoneering equipment, climbing gear, etc.

As I said, if someone in your party has strong build, or just very high strength you might not need to carry it yourself. But in my experience monks need gear, just not weapons or armor.

 

[overgeeked]

In my experience it’s usually important to at least have have basic survival gear - food, water

You can forage for food and water in most environments. The amounts of food and water you find are quite high, 1d6+WIS mod pounds of food and 1d6+WIS mod gallons of water. Medium and small creatures only need 1 pound of food and 1 gallon of water per day, according to 5E. A character with a decent WIS mod will automatically cover the assumed party of four characters. After the first few levels, spell slots are plentiful enough that worrying about food and water is a waste of time.

mess kit, tinderbox, torches,

Plasmoids eat through osmosis. You can literally dump food and water onto your head and you still "eat" it. How many tinderboxes does one party need? Plasmoids have darkvision, someone will have the light cantrip, or dancing lights, or a lantern or a torch.

and bedroll at the very least, and potentially

Plasmoids revert to a state that's easily confused with a rock or piece of scenery when they sleep. They don't need a bedroll.

clothing for any extreme weather conditions you anticipate potentially facing.

If you're going into super cold environment, sure. Super hot environments just mean more water consumed.

Maybe some dungeoneering equipment, climbing gear, etc.

As a monk you're likely to have athletics and/or acrobatics trained. After 9th you can walk up walls. A grappling hook might be handy.

As I said, if someone in your party has strong build, or just very high strength you might not need to carry it yourself. But in my experience monks need gear, just not weapons or armor.

Most of that's true for the solids. Plasmoids don't need most of that stuff.

 

[Charlaquin]

You can forage for food and water in most environments.

Not in my experience. I mean, technically yes, but you don’t tend to go adventuring in “most environments.” Certainly dungeons are not places where foraging is usually possible.

The amounts of food and water you find are quite high, 1d6+WIS mod pounds of food and 1d6+WIS mod gallons of water. Medium and small creatures only need 1 pound of food and 1 gallon of water per day, according to 5E. A character with a decent WIS mod will automatically cover the assumed party of four characters. After the first few levels, spell slots are plentiful enough that worrying about food and water is a waste of time.

Yeah, foraging is definitely useful when it’s possible. But it isn’t always, and you don’t always succeed when it is, so it’s important to have something in reserve. Again though, it’s probably reasonable to have someone else in the party carry it if you need.

Plasmoids eat through osmosis. You can literally dump food and water onto your head and you still "eat" it.

Good point!

How many tinderboxes does one party need?

Depends how closely they want to have to stick together, and how much they want to risk being without one if something happens to the character(s) who do have one.

Plasmoids have darkvision, someone will have the light cantrip, or dancing lights, or a lantern or a torch.

Right, so like I said, if there’s someone else in the party who can carry it for you. (Relying on Darkvision alone is a bad policy since you still have disadvantage on Wis checks relying on sight without a light source.)

Plasmoids revert to a state that's easily confused with a rock or piece of scenery when they sleep. They don't need a bedroll.

Eh, different DMs will rule differently here. Nothing says they don’t need warmth or shelter when they sleep, so in games where it’s likely to matter whether you have stuff like bedrolls and tents, I don’t think being a Plasmoid is likely to exempt you. I’ll grant though that most DMs handwave this for everyone.

If you're going into super cold environment, sure. Super hot environments just mean more water consumed.

Right, and more water consumed means more water you need to carry (water is very unlikely to be forageable in environments where extreme heat is likely to be an obstacle.) Its also good to consider things like rain, snow, heavy winds, etc. Whatever weather you anticipate possibly encountering, it’s smart to bring gear to help protect you from it.

As a monk you're likely to have athletics and/or acrobatics trained. After 9th you can walk up walls. A grappling hook might be handy.

That it might. And climbing gear is useful whether you’re trained in athletics or not. 9th level you’re very likely to be near the end of a campaign anyway.

Most of that's true for the solids. Plasmoids don't need most of that stuff.

Sure, but they are likely to need at least some of it some of the time. And as I’ve said numerous times, you can probably get away with getting another party member to carry it for you. But it’s something to keep in mind all the same.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Plasmoid Monks are gonna be sweet I think...No need to get rid of armor to fit into any space.

Path of the Beast Barbarians, too.

Actually, this is a perfect way to play Venom. Not Eddie Brock, but Venom.

If you choose to be a Small Plasmoid, you can use one of your Medium party members as a mount, being flavored as you being bonded to them as Symbiote and Host. Then take the Mounted Combatant feat, and you can use your reaction to take a hit that your "Host" should have taken, symbolizing a Symbiote increasing the durability of their Host (which is actually really effective if you're on a squishy party member, because if you're raging, you have resistance to most of the attacks you'll be absorbing, so you'll be a really effective Tank). The Evasion ability for your Host can be flavored as the Symbiote using its otherworldly senses to save the Host's skin, and the advantage on attacks against targets Smaller than your Host is similar to how a Symbiote is weaker without a Host.

Your Pseudopod is one of your tendrils that you use to manipulate objects from far away, your Bite attack is you transforming your host to bite enemies, your Tail attack is another one of your tendrils attacking an enemy (and protect you if you're targeted by an attack). The Movement enhancements from the Path of the Beast at level 6 perfectly fits your Symbiote nature, Infectious Fury could be you terrifying enemies to death or using a tendril to force an enemy to attack another enemy, and Call of the Hunt embodies your bond with your Host growing stronger, allowing them to take more hits and deal more damage with an attack.

As for your Host, I think Eddie Brock would probably be a Commoner that takes Sidekick Levels, probably being an Expert (wearing light armor reflavored as the Symbiote body protecting them, using the Help action as a bonus action to aid the Symbiote with its attacks, Coordinated Strikes to help the Symbiote deal more damage, etc). However, I could see an argument for Rogue or Warlock.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

You mean like how at 6th level a paladin can cast 6 spells per day (4 1st level and 2 2nd) but can’t smite if they do so? Sounds about equivalent to me.

Nah, because Paladins still have other resources to expend. Paladins get both Spell Slots and Channel Divinities. Monks just get Ki points. Class feature combined with subclass feature instead of using a class feature to fuel your subclass feature. Big difference.

 

[overgeeked]

Not in my experience. I mean, technically yes, but you don’t tend to go adventuring in “most environments.” Certainly dungeons are not places where foraging is usually possible.

No, you're not likely to be able to forage whilst in a dungeon. But it depends on the dungeon. You'll also have to travel to the dungeon. I don't know many adventuring parties that go into a dungeon and stay there for days at a time. Typically it's in and out. Besides, your plasmoid monk only has to worry about carrying things while they're stretching through 1' holes. They can drop their gear and collect it later.

Depends how closely they want to have to stick together, and how much they want to risk being without one if something happens to the character(s) who do have one.

Well, four of the seven packs come with a tinderbox. It's not like you're going to be starting fires all over the place. "Well what if something happens?" is kinda a pointless thing to worry about. Sure. Every character could be perfectly prepared for every single contingency...but where's the fun in that. Especially when you can be a plasmoid monk running around naked with no gear? That's awesome.

Right, so like I said, if there’s someone else in the party who can carry it for you.

Or you just don't have any and rely on the whole rest of the party having them. Like they will.

Eh, different DMs will rule differently here. Nothing says they don’t need warmth or shelter when they sleep, so in games where it’s likely to matter whether you have stuff like bedrolls and tents, I don’t think being a Plasmoid is likely to exempt you. I’ll grant though that most DMs handwave this for everyone.

You're playing a sentient slime mold. I'm not sure you need to worry about getting tucked in at bed time. You turn into a puddle. Unless someone's bringing a plastic tarp, you're probably better off sleeping on the ground.

Right, and more water consumed means more water you need to carry (water is very unlikely to be forageable in environments where extreme heat is likely to be an obstacle.)

Yeah. And if you go to the desert you can carry more water. And put it down when you need to. I really don't get this boyscout thing. Not every adventurer needs to carry 100lbs of gear every second. That's ridiculous.

Its also good to consider things like rain, snow, heavy winds, etc. Whatever weather you anticipate possibly encountering, it’s smart to bring gear to help protect you from it.

Wind and rain give you disadvantage on perception checks. Having a blanket won't prevent that.

That it might. And climbing gear is useful whether you’re trained in athletics or not.

What is the exact benefit of climbing gear?

Sure, but they are likely to need at least some of it some of the time. And as I’ve said numerous times, you can probably get away with getting another party member to carry it for you. But it’s something to keep in mind all the same.

I think we're disagreeing because you seem to assume a plasmoid character would need the majority of the same gear as a regular human. I don't agree with that. I also don't agree that every member of the party needs to be slowed down by carrying several sets of redundant gear. As long as the DM is being reasonable about foraging, or you have a ranger, or a druid, or a cleric, or someone with outlander...then the plasmoid monk could literally go in naked and have someone hold their coin purse and be perfectly fine.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Yup. Bariaur, Githzerai and Tieflings were the other three main ones, with rogue modrons coming later

Now, Bariaur's a race I have no idea if they'll bring back or not, given we have full on centaur...

Well, we already have Warforged, but just got a playtest version of Autognomes. Anything's possible, IMO. It's even more probable if they make Bariaurs be Celestials and give them some holy abilities, to differentiate them from Centaurs . . . and Satyrs, I guess.

 

[Parmandur]

Nah, because Paladins still have other resources to expend. Paladins get both Spell Slots and Channel Divinities. Monks just get Ki points. Class feature combined with subclass feature instead of using a class feature to fuel your subclass feature. Big difference.

You underestimate the non-Ki related core Monk features here.

 

[Charlaquin]

Path of the Beast Barbarians, too.

Actually, this is a perfect way to play Venom. Not Eddie Brock, but Venom.

If you choose to be a Small Plasmoid, you can use one of your Medium party members as a mount, being flavored as you being bonded to them as Symbiote and Host. Then take the Mounted Combatant feat, and you can use your reaction to take a hit that your "Host" should have taken, symbolizing a Symbiote increasing the durability of their Host (which is actually really effective if you're on a squishy party member, because if you're raging, you have resistance to most of the attacks you'll be absorbing, and so you'll be a really effective Tank). The Evasion ability for your Host can be flavored as the Symbiote using its otherworldly senses to save the Host's skin, and the advantage on attacks against targets Smaller than your Host is similar to how a Symbiote is weaker without a Host.

Your Pseudopod is one of your tendrils that you use to manipulate objects from far away, your Bite attack is you transforming your host to bite enemies, your Tail attack is another one of your tendrils attacking an enemy (and protect you if you're targeted by an attack). The Movement enhancements from the Path of the Beast at level 6 perfectly fits your Symbiote nature, Infectious Fury could be you terrifying enemies to death or using a tendril to force an enemy to attack another enemy, and Call of the Hunt embodies your bond with your Host growing stronger, allowing them to take more hits and deal more damage with an attack.

As for your Host, I think Eddie Brock would probably be a Commoner that takes Sidekick Levels, probably being an Expert (wearing light armor reflavored as the Symbiote body protecting them, using the Help action as a bonus action to aid the Symbiote with its attacks, Coordinated Strikes to help the Symbiote deal more damage, etc). However, I could see an argument for Rogue or Warlock.

Holy crap, that’s awesome!

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

You underestimate the non-Ki related core Monk features here.

I disagree. Almost all of the Monk abilities that are worth using are based off of consuming Ki. I've played 2 monks, ran multiple NPC Party Member Monks, and had 3 Monk PCs at my table throughout my time DMing for D&D 5e. I'm familiar with how they work, and am well aware that their useful combat abilities either come from their subclass or are based off of Ki. And Way of the Four Elements Monks throw out the regular, slick Action Economy of the base Monk class (admittedly, this did get a buff in TCoE, but that further proves how awful the subclass is from its base standpoint).

Care to give an example of a non-Ki Core Monk feature that is actually worthwhile to Way of the Four Elements Monks?