D&D 5E Xanathar's Guide to Everything: Gloom Stalker Subclass

[BookBarbarian]

open up new and exciting options (like the Samurai or College of Whispers),

What new and exciting options do you think Samurai opens up? I feel like it's a pretty generic fighter subclass. At least as Generic as the PHB version. I felt like all it got were the mini Rages.

Introducing the Gloom Stalker! He sneaks into parties uninvited and bemoans how the world sucks and no one loves him!

Introducing the Kylo Ren Ranger!

 

[Charles Rampant]

What new and exciting options do you think Samurai opens up? I feel like it's a pretty generic fighter subclass. At least as Generic as the PHB version. I felt like all it got were the mini Rages.

It's a fighter strongly themed around duty to a lord. That makes it a very interesting class from a world-building perspective, and also makes it a great option for the 'dutiful servant' theme in character creation.

 

[Saeviomagy]

The Deep stalker has never "Only worked in the dark".
...
I don't know which if any of those abilities made it into the final form, but "Only works in the dark" obviously wasn't a design goal in the previews incarnation.

The entire interview minus 1 sentence focuses on the ability of the subclass to be invisible to darkvision-using creatures while in darkness, and carries on about how it's scary to creatures that dwell in darkness because of that. The fact that a previous subclass with a different name wasn't like that doesn't seem like especially pertinent information. I'm listening to the spiel for the subclass and it's "Dark dark, darkety dark dark dark! Dark dark dark. Dark!"

 

[BookBarbarian]

It's a fighter strongly themed around duty to a lord. That makes it a very interesting class from a world-building perspective, and also makes it a great option for the 'dutiful servant' theme in character creation.

I suppose that was the fluff described in the video. I just found no evidence of that theme reflected in the version of the Samurai we saw in UA. But perhaps that will change in the published version.

To me the story potential of a Ranger who gains Darkvision (or expanded darkvision) ambush abilities, and Wisdom Save Proficiency from some kind of Bond with a an environment like the Underdark or Shadowfell, or perhaps by joining an order of Rangers that takes this darkness unto themselves is far greater than that of a fighter sworn to lord. But to each their own.

 

[BookBarbarian]

The entire interview minus 1 sentence focuses on the ability of the subclass to be invisible to darkvision-using creatures while in darkness, and carries on about how it's scary to creatures that dwell in darkness because of that. The fact that a previous subclass with a different name wasn't like that doesn't seem like especially pertinent information. I'm listening to the spiel for the subclass and it's "Dark dark, darkety dark dark dark! Dark dark dark. Dark!"

But that's been the description of practically every video for these subclasses. Zealot was saying "it's not a paladin" over and over for six minutes. Ancestral Guardian was "It's like a nature-paladin" over and over for the whole video.

At some point I must have just stopped worrying about how bad these guys are at doing these videos, and looked at what we got in previous versions, wondered at what we'll get in the published versions, and thought about how they might influence my games.

 

[Jacob Bentley]

Seems like the Gloom Stalker is very overpowered for combat in dark areas but average in lit areas. To balance out the "I'm a solo player, stay out of my way" thing you could just load up on as many support-type/battlefield control spells you could get in order to help the party out, and if you were in a party where everyone has darkvision it wouldn't be a problem.

 

[BookBarbarian]

Seems like the Gloom Stalker is very overpowered for combat in dark areas but average in lit areas. To balance out the "I'm a solo player, stay out of my way" thing you could just load up on as many support-type/battlefield control spells you could get in order to help the party out, and if you were in a party where everyone has darkvision it wouldn't be a problem.

I think additional Movement and Attack in the first round of combat, additional saving throw proficiency, and re-rolling one missed attack per turn make it more than just average in lit areas.

2 of those three things are pair really well with Sharpshooter (or GWM if you are crazy like me and enjoy a Strength Ranger). It makes the Gloom Stalker some one that can really get in and do some damage at the start of combat.

Also I think this thread was really more about the video that was released to introduce us to the Gloom Stalker before XGtE came out, not really a general discussion of the subclass as published.