Unearthed Arcana 11/4

[Daithi]

Eldritch Armor is great because Mage Armor relies on Dex.

Many Bladelocks want to be STR focused, but between Charisma, Con, Dex for AC.... not many points left to toss into Strength.

This solves that, and grants you armor proficiency, AND has the wonderful bonus because now ALL armor works on you.

Oh, there’s no reason for your Warlock to want Plate Armor, you can’t- OH CAN’T I?! I can indeed!

This is one of new features I really liked. It doesn't come free though. It comes at the cost of losing an Invocation that you could have used for something else. If I'm stuck struggling over "do I want to use this feature or do I want to go with that feature" then the designers have done a good job.

[MeeposFire]

I can finally play a monk with a rapier without having to be a kensei and I can play an unarmed barbarian without multiclassing.

I am very cool with it all.

Now if they would just make a duelist class or subclass.

I hate to ask because if I am right it may burst a bubble but you could play an unarmed barbarain before (using tavern brawler if you wanted to) and the one option in this UA that involves uanrmed fighting deals with fighting styles and barbarian does not get one so they would need to multiclass to get it. So what did you get from this UA that allows barbs to fight unarmed better than before without multiclassing?

As for me I rather like these changes most of them are about making things easier to be fun and easier to fix mistakes or allow you to change your character organically as the campaign progresses. And many of the changes are just additional options for when you need to choose class abilities such as fighting styles. Heck it even gives a way for paladins and rangers to get cantrips just in a different way than how I was doing which is cool (I was jut giving them cantrips but this is almost as good).

Pretty exciting stuff and they did a fair job of spreading stuff around especially on classes that had complaints about how some things work (some of those complaints being more major like some ranger and bladelock abilities and sorcerer stuff while other stuff is much more minor but are very much appreciated). In addition I like how they are just added to the existing base classes so you get less of the "well this newer subclass is obviously so much better than the older ones because they have more experience now with the system" and now they all benefit including those of us who only have say the PHB and nothing else.

Overall very cool and I would be happy to add things like this into my games.

[MaxWilson]

10. Sorcerors were simultaneously boosted and nerfed. The new metamagics are sick. Having access to the new spells is okay... Still does nothing for overall spells known. Spell Versatility mitigates this slightly... but I'm not sure it's enough. Especially seeing as every major spellcaster got it.

Actually, the spell list change is pretty huge for Sorcerers because it means you can now get Extended Foresight without any multiclassing. If your DM is using this UA, you can now play a Divine Sorlock (Warlock 3/Divine Soul 17) and any day wherein you didn't use your 9th level spell slot, you just cast Extended Foresight on somebody (yourself or the party Sharpshooter or whomever) right before you go to bed, and now they are an atium misting they have advantage on everything until halfway through tomorrow. And you can now cast Extended Aura of Vitality for double healing, because Aura of Vitality is on the cleric list now.

While some of these changes seem like straight up power boosts, and others seem like they make subclasses subpar (looking at you, Kensei Monks), did anyone else notice the boost to 4e Monks? Being able to make a bonus action attack after you use Ki during your action allows 4e Monks to make an unarmed strike after using one of their spells, which is really nice.

Oh, good catch! There goes the one advantage the Sun Soul had over the 4E monk... overall that's fine though.

It also makes Empty Body less of an action tax, since you can now Empty Body on the first round and still Stunning Strike somebody. (And by "now" I mean "now, hypothetically, if the DM is using this UA").

[ATHATH]

there are a few minor nitpicks that I have with this UA article (sorry for the lack of capitalization in places, I'm reposting this from the Discord server that I wrote and posted this in initially):
*I feel like eldritch mind, eldritch armor, investment of the chain master, and rebuke of the talisman should have been level 3 addition features for their corresponding pact boons, not the "invocation taxes" that they currently are)
*phantasmal force is already on the bard spell list, you dummies
*while I love the new ranger changes, I feel like they should have buffed all of the beastmaster companions instead of just adding two new, stronger ones
*investment of the chain master should probably also give your familiar some extra HP or something so that it can survive being hit by a light breeze (some scaling bonuses to their attack bonus and some of their saving throw bonuses wouldn't hurt either, but I suppose that they aren't necessary)
*I'm kind of bummed that the Find Familiar spell from the Pact of the Chain ability didn't get buffed to not cost any expensive spell components when cast via that ability, but that's more of a "man, I wish that they did this too" thing than a real nitpick/complaint
*the new quickened healing option that you can spend ki points on is so laughably bad, it isn't even funny (halve its ki point cost and make it a bonus action, and it might see some use)
*seeking spell should be allowed to be used alongside other metamagic options on the same spell and/or should just be a font of magic option instead of a metamagic option
*I'd prefer it if Instinctive Pounce's ability's triggering condition was "when a creature ends its turn within half your speed of you" instead of "when a creature ends its turn within 15 feet of you" (it sounds awkward because D&D uses the "speed" stat as a measure of distance instead of, y'know, speed, but the rest of the ability does this too)
*there's an unneeded and out of place "The DC equals your spell save DC." in the description of the Beast of the Earth's Charge ability
*GOOlocks kind of got shafted by this UA's rules, because many of the spells that their patron's Expanded Spells feature is supposed to add to their spell list will... already be on it
*I've noticed a bit of favoritism for the Battlemaster in the Fighter changes. Its power bump from this UA was much larger than those of the other Fighter subclasses, and I'd have liked to have seen a patch or two for some of the Eldritch Knight's jank.
*magical inspiration+RAW magic missile is a big yikes (remember the 10th level Evoker Wizard ability+Magic Missile interaction/combo? yeah, that's now available to be exploited at level 2)
*I kind of feel like they should have made blind fighting do a bit more. For example, you can't cast most spells while blind, even if you have the blind fighting fighting style, since you can't "see" the targets of those spells. Maybe buff that fighting style to allow you to "ignore the negative effects of blindness and count/treat lines of effect from you as/like lines of sight from you (including for the purposes of "seeing" targets) for all purposes" or something. Maybe just make it give you immunity to the blinded condition? I dunno.

I will say, I absolutely LOVE this UA overall (Wizards FINALLY have native list access to Speak With Dead! Hallelujah!), and it brings some much needed buffs/changes to the various classes. This is some quality UA content right here.

[jaappleton]

I have it on good authority that Greater Invisibility on the Warlock list is going to be changed.

>_>

[Nidgit]

Generally really like the changes here, but a couple catch my eye as a bit unbalanced. Moving Hunter's Mark to Wis/LR uses and no spell consumption is great for the Ranger, but it's even better for a Monk dip. In general, the Ranger seems to lose some of its specialization- that's good to be more consistent, but it negatively impacts each Ranger's uniqueness.

Spirit Guardians for all Paladins is really strong. And on Conquest Paladins it's really, really strong. Flame Strike is pretty good too.

Eldritch Mind seems rather strong for an Invocation, but it requires 3 levels of Warlock and that's more than most dips.

I like the Sorcerer changes but they seem like a buff to Draconic Sorcerers and a very unneeded middle finger to Wild Magic Sorcerers. Elemental Spell means Draconic Sorcerers can be adding their Cha as damage to almost every damaging spell they cast while Wild Magic Sorcerers lose a bit of the uniqueness of Tides of Chaos to Empowering Reserves.

I can see Aura of Vitality making sense on Clerics, but it feels like too much for a Druid. On the other hand, the Wild Companion variant is pretty minor and loses its shine after 8th level.

While WotC was doing all this, I wish they would have tweaked some capstones too. Empowering early levels is all well and good but it just encourages more multiclassing if the capstones aren't worth reaching.

[MaxWilson]

Magical Inspiration: Spend die to improve spell damage/healing. Bard spells aren't known for their damage output but the healing is nice. Still not sure how necessary it is, I don't recall many complaints about Bards power and healing potential.

Actually the benefit goes to whomever you gave a damage die to, which means that all wizards just became Nuclear Wizards (if these rules are in play). d12 Bardic Inspiration = d4+d12+1 Magic Missile, which means an average of 70 HP of damage from a single casting of Magic Missile V even if you're just a bog-standard Transmuter or something.

That was probably not intended by whoever wrote the UA.

We are already making rules alterations, just let Thrown weapons count as ammunition for being drawn.

+1, yes.

Distant Eye: Again nice, ranged weapon monk love gets a thumbs up from me

Should have called it Zen Archery instead though.

Blade Warlocks can now steal armour amazingly quickly from armouries. Huh.

And from dead enemies. :D

One thing I'm glad they finally fixed was giving Planar Binding to the warlock. It always irked me that warlocks could summon demons and devils, but couldn't cast Planar Binding. It was an oversight in the original rules, so I'm glad they fixed it.

It's... not really fixed, in the sense that they still can't upcast it, and upcasting Planar Binding is where the main use of the spell is at.

It would be fixed for real if they said you could take lower-level spells as Mystic Arcana and get them automatically upcast.

*the new quickened healing option that you can spend ki points on is so laughably bad, it isn't even funny (halve its ki point cost and make it a bonus action, and it might see some use)

On the contrary, it's a great thing to dump all of your extra ki into right before you take a short rest.

*people (and by "people" I mean Warlocks (eldritch blast and/or scorching ray time, baby)) are gonna start dipping Ranger 1 for an almost resource-less +1d6 damage bonus on each of their attacks if they spend a bonus action marking each of their targets first (remember, Hunter's Mark can last for up to an hour under normal conditions), and that's a bit spooky (I'd recommend making the ability recharge on a short rest but automatically ending the concentration-less Hunter's Mark spells from the ability when the targets of said spells die, so you can't pre-cast it on a rat, kill the rat, and then pop down a bonus action "not technically casting a spell" ability in combat later)

Hunter's Mark doesn't work on Eldritch Blast or Scorching Ray. It only affects on weapon attacks.

I can see Aura of Vitality making sense on Clerics, but it feels like too much for a Druid. On the other hand, the Wild Companion variant is pretty minor and loses its shine after 8th level.

It won't matter anyway for a druid--they already have Healing Spirit, which is better than Aura of Vitality in almost every way unless you're trying to heal constructs or undead. But Revivify is probably a bit much on druids, too.

[Emongnome777]

Too bad they didn’t rework the ranger capstone. Love the rest, though. Only wished the ignore difficult terrain feature from the UA ranger could’ve made it in here somehow. Oh well, still good stuff.

[Scarytincan]

Haven't read all replies so maybe someone already caught this, but by my reading it doesn't gut kensei because you have to already be proficient with the weapon no? So can't pick longsword, can't pick a two handed weapon so no bows... Can do sling which I like...

[ATHATH]

Hey, so, uh, a Ranger 1/Light Cleric 3+ build looks kind of spooky:
Before heading into the dungeon, cast your concentration-less Hunter's Mark on a rabbit or something and kill it. When you next encounter an enemy that you don't want to exist anymore, use your bonus action to mark that enemy with your Hunter's Mark and then cast (a WIS-based) Scorching Ray at them (on the same turn, since using that bonus action ability of Hunter's Mark doesn't technically count as "casting a spell with a bonus action") for +1d6 damage per ray. You can then do this again without casting a new Hunter's Mark spell, by the way (the spell lasts for up to an hour normally). If you want to get silly/theoretical, throw in an Action Surge from a Fighter 2 dip while you're at it (although I wouldn't recommend delaying your spellcasting progression even further for that).

This build also doesn't require you to get very MAD, since the Cleric class just needs a 13 in WIS (your primary casting stat) to multiclass and the Ranger class just needs a 13 in WIS and a 13 in DEX (you might as well go for 14 DEX to make the best use out of the medium armor that Ranger gives you proficiency in) to multiclass. Sadly, Rangers don't get proficiency in CON saving throws by default, but hey, most other casters don't either.

This was possible before with normal Hunter's Mark or Hex (Fiendlocks even get both Hex and Scorching Ray without multiclassing), but normal Hunter's Mark/Hex requires your concentration, which meant that casting a ritual spell (or any spell with a casting time longer than 1 action) would require you to dismiss your nHM/Hex spell (and set it up again later if you wanted to use it again). Taking damage would also force a concentration check, and if you failed that concentration check, you'd have to set up nHM or Hex again mid-combat to do the combo (which can be annoying, since you can't cast a standard action spell on the same turn that you actually cast nHM or Hex as a Bonus Action).

[Misterwhisper]

I hate to ask because if I am right it may burst a bubble but you could play an unarmed barbarain before (using tavern brawler if you wanted to) and the one option in this UA that involves uanrmed fighting deals with fighting styles and barbarian does not get one so they would need to multiclass to get it. So what did you get from this UA that allows barbs to fight unarmed better than before without multiclassing?

As for me I rather like these changes most of them are about making things easier to be fun and easier to fix mistakes or allow you to change your character organically as the campaign progresses. And many of the changes are just additional options for when you need to choose class abilities such as fighting styles. Heck it even gives a way for paladins and rangers to get cantrips just in a different way than how I was doing which is cool (I was jut giving them cantrips but this is almost as good).

Pretty exciting stuff and they did a fair job of spreading stuff around especially on classes that had complaints about how some things work (some of those complaints being more major like some ranger and bladelock abilities and sorcerer stuff while other stuff is much more minor but are very much appreciated). In addition I like how they are just added to the existing base classes so you get less of the "well this newer subclass is obviously so much better than the older ones because they have more experience now with the system" and now they all benefit including those of us who only have say the PHB and nothing else.

Overall very cool and I would be happy to add things like this into my games.

I meant without having to multiclassing monk.
Fighter 1, Barbarian x is on the way.

[MaxWilson]

Hey, so, uh, a Ranger 1/Light Cleric 3+ build looks kind of spooky:
Before heading into the dungeon, cast your concentration-less Hunter's Mark on a rabbit or something and kill it. When you next encounter an enemy that you don't want to exist anymore, use your bonus action to mark that enemy with your Hunter's Mark and then cast (a WIS-based) Scorching Ray at them (on the same turn, since using that bonus action ability of Hunter's Mark doesn't technically count as "casting a spell with a bonus action") for +1d6 damage per ray.

Illegal. Hunter's Mark only adds damage to weapon attacks.

[ATHATH]

I don't suppose that we could get spell buffs too in the next UA? Flame Blade is just... so bad.

[ATHATH]

Illegal. Hunter's Mark only adds damage to weapon attacks.

Ahhhhhh, nevermind, then.

[hellgrammite]

Overall pretty happy about this. Just mention the Ranger since that got a bit more of an overhaul.

Ranger gets Deft Explorer, which is solid and works well within 5e mechanics.

Fade Away is pretty meh. I mean invisibility for a turn is nice, but you lose all ambush capabilities you got with hide in plain sight.

Here is how I would reword it:

Fade Away
You can use a bonus action to magically become invisible, along with any equipment you are wearing or carrying. You can remain invisible up to 1 hour, as long as you do not move or take an action. Once you move, take an action or reaction, the invisibility will end at the start of your next turn.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest

[Kane0]

Do you mean these are essentially just sort of agreed upon most common homebrew solutions to issues? You'd more than likely as not find these at any particular home campaign?

I mean many of these things have been proposed and commonly accepted in the past. For example changing skill profs/cantrips known/fighting styles when you level up, a throwing fighting style (as much as I dislike it), self-healing with Ki, Martial arts attack without the attack action, swapping favored enemy for a mark/quarry feature, swapping favored terrain for expertise, elemental damage swapping metamagic, attack rerolling metamagic, turning pact familiar more combat companion with extra invocations, etc.

Case in point.

Edit: Also its worth saying that this is the most exciting UA i’ve seen in a long time, or at least the most excited i’ve been.

[MaxWilson]

Overall pretty happy about this. Just mention the Ranger since that got a bit more of an overhaul.

Ranger gets Deft Explorer, which is solid and works well within 5e mechanics.

Fade Away is pretty meh. I mean invisibility for a turn is nice, but you lose all ambush capabilities you got with hide in plain sight.

Not entirely. You lose a hard-to-use +10, but you gain a compensating easy-to-use +2-6 from Deft Explorer, and of course you've still got Pass Without Trace. You're still going to be top-notch at ambushes, and so will your whole party because Pass Without Trace rocks.

So basically you lose a redundant feature and get a 1/short rest, bonus action, one-round free-Disengage-plus-Dodge-plus-advantage. It's not terrible!

===============================================

I mean many of these things have been proposed and commonly accepted in the past. For example changing skill profs/cantrips known/fighting styles when you level up, a throwing fighting style (as much as I dislike it), self-healing with Ki, Martial arts attack without the attack action, swapping favored enemy for a mark/quarry feature, swapping favored terrain for expertise, elemental damage swapping metamagic, attack rerolling metamagic, turning pact familiar more combat companion with extra invocations, etc.

Case in point.

You're not wrong, but if you want to grok the difference between homebrew and what happens when WotC puts corporate weight behind an idea, read Homesteading the Noosphere and then try thinking of each DM's campaign as a separate clone of an open-source git repo "owned" by WotC. In principle there's no reason anyone couldn't fork it and make their own changes, but Homesteading the Noosphere may yield some insight into why that doesn't happen much in practice. It helped me, anyway.

[hellgrammite]

Not entirely. You lose a hard-to-use +10, but you gain a compensating easy-to-use +2-6 from Deft Explorer, and of course you've still got Pass Without Trace. You're still going to be top-notch at ambushes, and so will your whole party because Pass Without Trace rocks.

So basically you lose a redundant feature and get a 1/short rest, bonus action, one-round free-Disengage-plus-Dodge-plus-advantage. It's not terrible!

What do you think of my fix though? You didn't note that in the post. My fix keeps a good combination of both the old ability and new ability I think.

[Scarytincan]

Also not really a fan of all palis getting SG. And very nervous about the concentration less hunter's mark being the birth of a new explosion of 1 level dips. Wish the unarmed fighting style had a way of working itself into a pure monk build, or at least some kind of grappling benefit (prof to starting /escaping grapples?).

Still holding out hope for a capstone version of one of these...

But yes overall really like this one.

[MaxWilson]

What do you think of my fix though? You didn't note that in the post. My fix keeps a good combination of both the old ability and new ability I think.

Oh, sorry... [rereads] I like your fix. As you say, it's a good balance. +1, would incorporate. I hate purely-combat-focused abilities and your fix has a lot of potential for ghosty rangers outside of combat.

[Kane0]

You're not wrong, but if you want to grok the difference between homebrew and what happens when WotC puts corporate weight behind an idea, read Homesteading the Noosphere and then try thinking of each DM's campaign as a separate clone of an open-source git repo "owned" by WotC. In principle there's no reason anyone couldn't fork it and make their own changes, but Homesteading the Noosphere may yield some insight into why that doesn't happen much in practice. It helped me, anyway.

Oh yeah of course, there is a massive difference in exposure and traction between common 'brew and even UA. I was just pointing out that none of this is exactly new, it's now just recognized/endorsed and will probably come to a proper release soon.

[ATHATH]

Fade Away
You can use a bonus action to magically become invisible, along with any equipment you are wearing or carrying. You can remain invisible up to 1 hour, as long as you do not move or take an action. Once you move, take an action or reaction, the invisibility will end at the start of your next turn.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest

Ooh, I like this version.

[Mikal]

I thought as I read that part that yeah, it makes Kensei obsolete. Sorcs finally get Flaming Sphere (I know, it's not that great a spell) so yay! Also being able to change spells gets rid of the possibility of building a sorc wrong. I love it as well as the mms for changing elemental damage and gaining temp HP.

You still need proficiency with the weapon to use it with this option- so it’s useful for multi class characters or those who have features or feats giving them expanded access to weapon. Otherwise a pure class monk will still use kensei to long sword it up

[Rowan Wolf]

Favored Foe could make for some interesting Barbarian multiclassing as concentration-less hunters mark, removed exhaustion from Tireless and Berserker's bonus action attack and Rage damage. A shame that the Whirling blades fighting style (from the Happy Fun Hour) did not make it into this round.

[Luccan]

Overall, I like it. I'm a bit concerned about the Unarmed Fighting Style being better than monk unarmed until level 11 (5 if you use a shield or are holding a torch).

[MaxWilson]

Overall, I like it. I'm a bit concerned about the Unarmed Fighting Style being better than monk unarmed until level 11 (5 if you use a shield or are holding a torch).

Even longer if you are willing to grapple first and then pull the other guy apart for d8+d4+Str per attack.

But personally I think that is okay. It's the difference between Jeet Kune Do and MMA.

[Millstone85]

Haven't read all replies so maybe someone already caught this, but by my reading it doesn't gut kensei because you have to already be proficient with the weapon no? So can't pick longsword, can't pick a two handed weapon so no bows... Can do sling which I like...

There are ways to gain additional weapon proficiencies. Even if feats and multiclassing are forbidden, you get to use Martial Arts as a longsword-wielding elf or a warhammer-wielding dwarf.

It doesn't entirely negate the kensei, but considering how it is already an unpopular subclass...

[MaxWilson]

Oh yeah of course, there is a massive difference in exposure and traction between common 'brew and even UA. I was just pointing out that none of this is exactly new, it's now just recognized/endorsed and will probably come to a proper release soon.

Agreed, that will probably happen.

[Rowan Wolf]

Even longer if you are willing to grapple first and then pull the other guy apart for d8+d4+Str per attack.

But personally I think that is okay. It's the difference between Jeet Kune Do and MMA.

I think that it would be d6+d4+Str as grappling requires one hand free then that hand would then be in use.

[8wGremlin]

Interesting interactionS

Revived rogue, action, aim cunning action, bolt from the grave. Now with advantage.

Make it an elf for triple advantage shenanigans

Or

draconian Sorcerer 3 + tempest cleric for lightning blade (flame blade) shenanigans

Or

Sea sorcerer elemental shenanigans