Unearthed Arcana WotC Removes Latest Unearthed Arcana

WotC has removed this week's Unearthed Arcana from its website. Not only has the article's web page itself been removed, the actual PDF has been replaced with last month's "Subclasses, Part 1" PDF (although it's URL still reads... /UA2020-Subclasses02.pdf).

The article included three new subclasses, the bardic College of Creation, the cleric's Love Domain, and the sorcerer's Clockwork Soul.

[NOTE - NSFW language follows].

I don't know if it's linked, but WotC came under criticism on Twitter for its treatment of the Love Domain. The main argument isn't that mind-control magic has no place in the game, but rather that coercive powers should not be described as "love", and that the domain might be poorly named.

People like game designer Emmy Allen commented: "It seems WotC have tried to create a 'Love' domain for clerics in 5e. By some sheer coincidence they seem to have accidentally created a 'roofie' domain instead. Nothing says 'love' like overriding your target's free will to bring them under your power."


That domain was introduced as follows: "Love exists in many forms—compassion, infatuation, friendly affection, and passionate love as a few facets. Whatever form these feelings take, the gods of love deepen the bonds between individuals."

The powers were Eboldening Bond, Impulsive Infatuation ("Overwhelm a creature with a flash of short-lived by intense admiration for you, driving them to rash action in your defense”), Protective Bond, and Enduring Unity.

Whether the criticism was a factor in the article's withdrawal, I don't know. It might be that it just wasn't ready for prime-time yet. It seems the domain itself would be better named a "control" or "charm" domain than a "love" domain, which seems to be the main thrust of the criticism on Twitter.

WotC's Jeremy Crawford commented: "The official version of the Unearthed Arcana article “Subclasses, Part 2” is still ahead of us, later this week or sometime next week. Our team will hold off on answering questions until you’ve seen the real deal!"

 

[Bolares]

Where in those examples peaplo are pummeling social media to force change?

 

[Undrave]

It's back!

Unearthed Arcana - The Unearthed Arcana Is Back With Cleric's Unity Domain!

This week's Unearthed Arcana has reappeared, with a renamed cleric domain and a replaced cleric ability! "Unearthed Arcana presents three new subclasses for you to playtest: the College of Creation for the bard, the Unity Domain for the cleric, and the Clockwork Soul for the sorcerer."...

www.enworld.org

I think a new thread is in order, to clear the air and discuss them properly.

 

[Salthorae]

I think a new thread is in order to clear the air and discuss them properly.

Morrus already put one up: The Unearthed Arcana Is Back With Cleric's Unity Domain!

 

[Morrus]

What I'm NOT happy with is people's exaggeration of what the ability was, their pummeling of social media to force a change that should have happened through the Survey feedback.

Your problem is the technical method through which feedback was given? I mean, I'm sorry you're not happy about that, but... does it even matter?

 

[Morrus]

I think a new thread is in order, to clear the air and discuss them properly.

You're literally responding to a link to a new thread.

 

[Undrave]

You're literally responding to a link to a new thread.

My bad, I missed the new thread.

 

[Panda-s1]

Its a game effect forcing a player to do something they don't want their character to do. Within the context of the game it really isnt different. Its a mechanical expression of control.

I'm assuming you're talking about Commander's Strike, which says very specifically

That creature can immediately use its reaction to make one weapon attack

which is very different from the CD ability of the love domain

it must immediately use its reaction to make a weapon attack

also didn't know about the blurb at the end where if there's no valid target it uses its reaction to admire you, but that should lat to rest where they were going with this domain.

And anyone could have used the Infatuation ability for good or bad. The ability's description makes no effort to frame it as being used for "love", just that it's in the "love" domain.


I would say that this is just a sampling of the social media outpouring. Just look on twitter and you'll see the "backlash"

Look - I'm not 100% happy with the original UA. I think it would have much better been called the Charm Domain as has been done in pretty much all the previous iterations of it.

What I'm NOT happy with is people's exaggeration of what the ability was, their pummeling of social media to force a change that should have happened through the Survey feedback.

why are you showing me all this calm and valid criticism? where's the pummeling? what's so sacred about the survey feedback that changing things from social media feedback is wrong?

 

[Salthorae]

Where in those examples peaplo are pummeling social media to force change?

The fact that I was able to find those 4 in a 30 second twitter search because they were at the top of the results indicates trending and therefore high interaction.

I would be extremely surprised if they were resentful at having to make this change due to feedback on social media. I think it's much more likely that they are grateful that it was pointed out to them.

Could be. I have no way to know, and without explicit statements from those people, neither do you.

What I see is a company that intended to publish something thematic for Valentine's day and they then pulled it out and changed only those parts that were related to people's exaggerated and kneejerk social media posts of one ability that does things that many other classes and abilities already do, force another character to do something.

Your problem is the technical method through which feedback was given?

My problem is the rapidity with which it occurred, and that it was pulled down at all.

I was willing to give the benefit of the doubt about the cause of the pulldown until when it was re-posted, the only things that were changed were those associated with the social media backlash.

The domain as originally published should have had a chance to go through a normal play test cycle rather than what happened here.

 

[prabe]

I was willing to give the benefit of the doubt about the cause of the pulldown until when it was re-posted, the only things that were changed were those associated with the social media backlash.

Was there a Twitter mob complaining about the bard subclass, and I missed that? Because the College of Creation has some changes, too.

Edit: Turns out the Sorcerer (Mechanical Soul) has some revisions, too. I don't remember a Twitter mob about that one, either.

 

[Undrave]

I was willing to give the benefit of the doubt about the cause of the pulldown until when it was re-posted, the only things that were changed were those associated with the social media backlash.

They improved the Clockwork Soul too. It gets bonus spells, its shield adds D8s instead of D6 and Clockwork Cavalcade can heal up to 100 HP of damage in the area of effect.

It was going to change anyway, but now we also got improved material in the bargain! Stop trying to play the victim here, these materials are published to get feedback to begin with.

Maybe they'll try again for 'Love' later with a more interesting gimmick.