D&D 5E Which of these UA subclasses do you HATE?

[Paul Farquhar]

So out of curiosity what’s wrong with Onomancy?

It has a unique power to break plots.

Some fantasy storylines make discovering the True Name of some entity or other a key plot point. Arch-fiends and the like go to great ends to conceal them. And now some 2nd level wizard can come along and uncover the deepest secret with no effort at all, and there is nothing even the most powerful arch-fiend can do to stop them.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

There is only one person I ever saw say they actively hated the warlord. “I don’t see a need” doesn’t mean hate.

Indeed. I deliberately used hyperbolic language for this poll*. I would not confuse a lack of interest in something for hatred.



*and no, it was not intended entirely seriously - but the Dark Side does have cookies...

 

[Paul Farquhar]

That runs into worse problems from the other direction. Either you need to make a subrace variant for every single eligible race or you end up with "Well I was a halfling but then I died and now I'm all big and generically human looking". By bolting it onto Rogue it's open to everyone and can leverage the class's innate focus on skills and tricks.

I would rather keep the whole "reincarnation" thing a plot point, and setting specific. The Nameless One returns to life because of a warlock style pact. It's not a class feature.

An Epic Boon would be closer to the mark.

 

[Kurotowa]

I would rather keep the whole "reincarnation" thing a plot point, and setting specific. The Nameless One returns to life because of a warlock style pact. It's not a class feature.

In concept, I like the idea of making it a subclass. It gives you room to put mechanical weight and game abilities behind it, and that makes it more real. More earned. If it's just a plot point in your background it's just chuuni posturing about how amazingly awesome you are even though you're only 3rd Level.

Now, am I in love with the specific execution offered up? Not especially. The whole Grave Bolt thing is kinda wonky. But in the abstract I think it's a solid concept for a Rogue subclass, if the premise is we're doing a book of subclasses that are getting more experimental and specific.

 

[Azzy]

There is only one person I ever saw say they actively hated the warlord. “I don’t see a need” doesn’t mean hate.

Coo story, bro.

Maybe if some people wouldn’t take anything that isn’t glowing support as “you’re a h4ter!”, maybe there wouldn’t be so much drama.

Funny, me not being a fan of 4e and all, and supposedly suggesting that others are h4ters. Right, gotcha.

Otherwise I’m anxious to see all of these people saying they hate the warlord or psion, as opposed to people just disagreeing with you

Yeah, because I bet you're really interested in seeing someone dredge through past threads just to show you uo... Or you could just be a sea lion.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

In concept, I like the idea of making it a subclass. It gives you room to put mechanical weight and game abilities behind it, and that makes it more real. More earned. If it's just a plot point in your background it's just chuuni posturing about how amazingly awesome you are even though you're only 3rd Level.

Now, am I in love with the specific execution offered up? Not especially. The whole Grave Bolt thing is kinda wonky. But in the abstract I think it's a solid concept for a Rogue subclass, if the premise is we're doing a book of subclasses that are getting more experimental and specific.

Another approach would be to use the idea of "Epic Backgrounds" from Heroes of Baldur's Gate.

The background ability is more powerful, but comes with drawbacks as well as benefits.

 

[cbwjm]

That runs into worse problems from the other direction. Either you need to make a subrace variant for every single eligible race or you end up with "Well I was a halfling but then I died and now I'm all big and generically human looking". By bolting it onto Rogue it's open to everyone and can leverage the class's innate focus on skills and tricks.

Except then if you want to play the nameless one you need to be a rogue, what if you wanted to be a cleric or sorcerer?

 

[Son of the Serpent]

Except then if you want to play the nameless one you need to be a rogue, what if you wanted to be a cleric or sorcerer?

Nameless one?

 

[Kurotowa]

Except then if you want to play the nameless one you need to be a rogue, what if you wanted to be a cleric or sorcerer?

I'm not particularly hung up on identifying it as specifically the "Be the Nameless One" subclass. Fiction is full of heroes back from death, or the verge of it. The Crow, Ghost Rider, the Bride from Kill Bill, the recent fad for reincarnation stories in anime, the list goes on.

But I make it a deliberate policy not to treat anything in D&D as something indented to replicate an outside character. Take inspiration from them, sure, but square peg into a round role is an understatement for how badly trying to directly import characters can go. Even characters from a D&D video game.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Nameless one?

The protagonist in Planescape: Torment CRPG (which is excellent BTW).