Tag: Unearthed Arcana

  • The mistake of abandoning personality via One D&D

    The mistake of abandoning personality via One D&D

    Due to the massive scale of the two playtests that have come out for the next iteration of Dungeons & Dragons reviewing them seems impractical. Unlike Unearthed Arcana they are dozens of pages, with some mechanical changes that make the game a bit easier, some that are hefty.

    Overall One D&D’s tabletop test is backwards compatible so far. A current character could be converted and on a level playing field just by selecting a 1st level Feat.

    In a surprising turn, the Backgrounds available via the One D&D playtest “origins” remove story elements. That’s the first time during the current popularity of D&D that Wizards of the Coast has made a story reduction rather than expansion. No longer are there any personality suggestions, nor personality associated with Backgrounds or Races. That is coupled with changing Inspiration away from rewarding role play to rewarding roll play. The second One D&D playtest also removes Inspiration as a role-play reward and just shoves it to rolling a 1 on a d20.

    This is a mistake.

    Every other change in 5e has been about expanding the stories that are told while expanding how they can be told using our silly dice and paper game.

    Removing Traits, Ideals, Bonds and Flaws is a reduction of story content, a reduction of the style of play which surged D&D into the mainstream. It’s a damn shame.

    Personality isn’t just part of the social pillar. These tiny tools available via backgrounds aren’t locked away from combat scenes. Story and dice should co-exist in modern Dungeons & Dragons. That’s what we see in various livestreams and podcast actual plays. It is one of the grand differentiators from video gaming and board gaming.

    The rules of D&D should include character personality beyond alignment. TIBF expands on alignment and can even replace it, as a better and simpler system with story power.

    No, the TIBF system isn’t perfect. But it’s better than it not existing.

    Fixing Traits, Ideals, Bonds and Flaws

    • Reduce them from the one to two sentence structure to a one to three word phrase.
    • Consolidate the Traits, Ideals and Bonds into a single section and pick two or three there.
    • Have a main list of suggestions rather than have them directly tied to specific Backgrounds, with examples at the Background.
    • Continue to reward role play at the table — my suggestion is to have a specific d20 (I use gold).
    • Have Inspiration dice capped at proficiency bonus uses per long rest, rather than just a cap of one available. People are more likely to use something that they have more than one use of – the potion problem.

    As a lover of backgrounds, I want them to succeed. I want more of them, a lot more. The addition of minor Feats to Backgrounds is glorious (I’m in the process of adding the most common first level Feats to each of my released backgrounds)

    Custom Backgrounds for 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons

    And yes, every response to every playtest survey has me saying this. I don’t expect it to change, and it’s sad that the guidance towards story will be reduced in the 2024 version of the ruleset.

  • They might be giants, a new Unearthed Arcana

    They might be giants, a new Unearthed Arcana

    A big, hefty Unearthed Arcana was released in late May. Giant Options hints at a something massive — the book could be a Giant version of Fizban’s, the First World’s war between giantkin and dragons, or a new set of player options with this just being the first of a series.

    Some of these will be immediately available to players in my campaign. Others need more work before I would allow them. Overall they are strong and I’m encouraged by more flavorful Feats being added to the game.

    Archetypes/Subclasses

    Barbarian: Path of the Giant

    “Barbarians who walk the Path of the Giant draw strength from the primal forces that are the Giants and their elemental ilk. Their rages surge with elemental power and cause these barbarians to grow in size, transforming them into avatars of primordial might.”

    What I like:

    The Giant Power cantrip makes perfect sense. Connecting rages to growing in size and throwing things is excellent. Elemental Cleaver is basically Thor’s ability, so that will be very popular. Adding a ruleset for the fastball special fits this concept, but I’m hoping to see more mooks used as ranged weapons than friends.

    What I don’t like:

    Unless a campaign uses culture rather than language, learning the language of Giant just because you turn into one makes no sense.

    Will I use it in play:

    Yes. Every mechanic fits the build except for the odd way D&D embraces languages.

    Druid: Circle of the Primeval

    “The Circle of the Primeval teaches that, though the land may change over time, it never truly forgets. By tapping into the timeworn memory of the earth, these druids summon and bond with the spirit of a primeval behemoth — a hulking creature that once ruled the ancient world alongside the giants.”

    What I like:

    While there are other abilities, the main reason you want to play this Druid is for the Primeval Companion. Similar to the new Beast Master Ranger beasts, the Primeval Companion has very light flavor. Want it to be an ankylosaurs or wooly mammoth or a velociraptor? You can. It just starts a bit small than those first two were, but that’s easy to call an adolescent. It’s nice that it can avoid your overflowing blasts, because your dino-companion is probably in the fray while your druid is back a layer. Scourge of the Ancients comes on in the late game, giving 1st level spells purpose.

    What I don’t like:

    Nothing.

    Will I use it in play:

    These fit Mehmd, in my home campaign, very well.

    Wizard: Runecaster

    “Runecrafter wizards enhance their spellcasting through the ancient power of runes. Though the tradition originated with the giant rune casters of old, runecraft magic has expanded to encompass countless languages and practitioners across different worlds.”

    What I like:

    Like most of the non-school Wizards, the Runecaster feels more powerful, especially so in a campaign that ignores material components and spell inscribing costs. The runes themselves have interesting riders when combined with spells — cast a magic missile and boost the health of ally with a Life Rune for example.

    Overall the narrative of the runes is strong and fills a hole in the game.

    What I don’t like:

    Rune Maven is a complicated recovery mechanic. Thankfully Think DM broke down how it works.

    There’s also a disconnect between the narrative and the mechanics. The runes are being cast in less than 6 seconds, but when you think of a runemaster those runes should take time.

    Will I use it in play:

    I’m undecided. It is a bit complicated above level 9. I also must get over my frustration about crafting a rune taking a time

    FEATS

    A few of the feats are meant to be taken at first level, the kind of powers a character might be born with or that inspires them to go out adventuring. Others are clearly too powerful for 1st level and so are gated at 4th or 8th level, which makes sense unless the character is a fighter who gets their second feat at 6th level. These 4th and 8th level feats also don’t make narrative sense. Why would the powers of a giant manifest based on adventuring?

    Feats: Rune Carver Apprentice and Rune Carver Adept

    The two rune feats are meant to be taken in a series. Apprentice first and than at 4th level or higher after taking Apprentice a character make take the Adept.

    What I like:

    Unlike the Runecaster Wizard, these runes are inscribed during a long rest – lovely! Unlike other spellcasting feats, the Rune Carver feats offer a high level of versatility. There are 19 different spells that one may have available. Just one at the Apprentice level and from two to six as an Adept.

    What I don’t like:

    The Apprentice assumes that versatility is more significant than a cantrip and ASI or two cantrips, which every other 1st level spell granting Feat has. My solution would be to add one of the general cantrips as a choice or even more broadly, every cantrip tagged with Utility on DnDBeyond.

    Will I use it in play?

    Absolutely. I love these. I have no idea where they fit in my world, but they belong.

    Feats: Elemental Touched; Outsized Might

    These are the other two feats that don’t have level requirements. Both could connect a character to the primordial or the Giants. One thing that latter-stage D&D does is strongly connect the Giants to elements, but not in the same ways as dragons.

    What I like:

    The spell-like abilities granted by Elemental Touched are perfectly flavored, like Top Chef finale quality flavor.

    Outsized Might is excellent for grapplers and other martial artists. It is also story-full. Imagine a Stout Halfling that carries more than strong Humans. That’s great as a rare ability granted by a Feat.

    What I don’t like:

    The versatility of Elemental Touched removes strong flavor potential. Being touched by every element is part of what went wrong with the Four Elements Monk and it continues to be poor story here.

    Outsized Might overlaps heavily with a few races (Orc, Bugbear, Centaur, Firbolg, Goliath, Loxodon), which isn’t as fun. There’s no practical way for Powerful Build to stack. While the Feat is still useful, there may need to be a way to make up for that.

    Will I use it in play?

    Elemental Touched may be tweaked to connect to a specific element while granting an additional use.

    Outsized Might isn’t great, but I’d allow it.

    4th Level Feats: Fury of the Frost Giant; Keenness of the Stone Giant; Vigor of the Hill Giant

    The three lower power common giants are bundled together and locked in as something a character would take just before they enter tier 2 play. This makes some sense as there are more and more ways to have a Feat at 1st level (my campaign allows a Feat for every 1st level character).

    What I like:

    Keenness of the Stone Giant has a strong connection to their lore as wizened leaders who tend to be less into the violence of other giants.

    Vigor of the Hill Giant is perfect — 100% perfect. The lore of the Hill Giant is wrapped in mechanics that directly connect the character to the big, dumb oafs that use trees as clubs and use hills as pillows.

    What I don’t like:

    Frost giants make you afraid, more than other giants? I don’t get the narrative justification.

    Will I use them in play?

    If a player asked, probably. But I’d have to come up with a story for Keenness and Fury. The core D&D assumptions about Giants aren’t present in my world. I would allow Vigor right out of the box.

    8th Level Feats: Ember of the Fire Giant; Guile of the Cloud Giant; Soul of the Storm Giant

    These big hefty feats are overly delayed for Fighters. They’re powerful, probably the most powerful Feats of 5e and unchained. You don’t have to start with Outsized Might to somehow develop a connection to Giants. Maybe you should. Maybe these should be three-feat chains that include Elemental Touched and Outsized Might.

    What I like:

    The flavor of Ember of the Fire Giant is well done.

    Misty Form from the Cloud Giant is very powerful, a non-concentration casting of blur is encounter changing. It also fits the narrative.

    What I don’t like:

    An attack at 8th level does more damage than Ember of the Fire Giants does, and while there’s an area of effect it isn’t big enough to mitigate the reduction in damage. I might throw on one of the fire cantrips to increase versatility.

    A soft caution on adding a lot of divination to the game must be given. It’s one of the thought spells that can dramatically change the genre of play.

    The Storm Giant grants a defensive bonus, which feels unusual for a giant. How hard can it be to hit a 40′ tall human-like representation of a thunderstorm? But, it’s a great ability. So much so that I wanted to list this as a like, even though my narrative first thoughts are that I don’t like it.

    Will I use it in play:

    I like these, all of them. Even the weak Fire Giant ability is a lot of fun.

    Overall many of the Feats add 5′ and 10′ ranged abilities. These ranges are very tactical and hard to do in Theater of the Mind. I’ve come to thinking that TotM works better with abilities that are 5/15/30 rather than 5/10/20/30.

  • Dragonlance appears in Unearthed Arcana

    Dragonlance appears in Unearthed Arcana

    The tea leaves seemed to indicate that Wizards of the Coast would be going back to Dragonlance. Once one of the strongest lines of fantasy novels, Dragonlance encapsulates stories of absent but powerful gods; mighty romantic heroes; that good and evil can work together; that it is always right to help those you love. Krynn was the first world upon which I ran campaigns. I own the Atlas of Krynn still. I owned the recipe book at some time. The first six books were as much a part of my youth as Lord of the Rings and Wheel of Time.

    For someone with this background, and who had stepped away from D&D for 20 years, seeing Heroes of Krynn be released as the latest Unearthed Arcana set of a nostalgia bomb. As a rather religious child, the allegory within Weis & Hickman’s books was something that was empowering. The tales they told were ones my even more religious mother could accept. Dragonlance was a path past the Satanic Panic.

    I’m ready for the land of naval Minotaur, Irda, Kender, and so many dragons. The UA only gave us one of those.

    Kender

    “These short-statured beings have a knack for producing the right tools in every situation.”

    What I like

    I love kender, just like I love halflings. Played kender in both a Dragonlance and a Spelljammer campaign back in my youth. All the flavor from history I like (I know many hated them). The modern take which says that their items aren’t stolen is good.

    Taunt is great. Bravery is good.

    What I don’t like

    There’s no need to make the Aces ability magical. Just say it happens. Let the lore of the campaign decide the how. Also, the options within the Aces are a complex layer of dice rolls and limited lists. ThinkingDM breaks out exactly which items you can find in your pocket.

    https://twitter.com/ThinkingDM/status/1501547336362831873?t=_5_sTyeqcOEah2DoJGZKtA&s=19

    Will I use it in play?

    Absolutely. I’d allow them in my home campaign right now.

    Lunar Magic Sorcerer

    “You, or someone from your lineage, has been exposed to the concentrated magic of the moon (or moons) of your world, imbuing you with lunar magic. Perhaps your ancestor was involved in a druidic ritual involving an eclipse, or maybe a mystical fragment of a moon crashed near you. However you came to have your magic, your connection to the moon is obvious when you cast sorcerer spells.”

    What I like

    They got rid of calendar tracking, which is great. Most people don’t want to bother with tracking moon cycles. The payoff isn’t there for a majority of tables. Maybe if you have a table like my first one there’s one player who wants you to build a calendar and track that stuff.

    Adding spells to every Sorcerer subclass just makes sense. Please errata that into every Sorc.

    The flexibility to change what lunar phase you are attached to means you can be a different type of lower-case mage every day, and later whenever you want.

    What I don’t like

    There’s enough to keep track of when switching between lunar phases that most players will probably just settle on one phase, similar to how Eladrin are used in play. All the power of being able to switch isn’t useful if you don’t do it.

    Will I use it in play?

    Allowed immediately. My world has four moons, and it just makes sense for them to be connected to powers.

    Knight of Solamnia

    “You have trained to be a valorous warrior known as a Knight of Solamnia. Strict rules guide your every action, and you work to uphold them as you strive to defend the weak and oppose all forms of evil. Your honor is as important to you as your life.”

    What I like

    If you read Full Moon Storytelling regularly, you know I love backgrounds with more “oomph.” I love backgrounds in general.

    What makes the Knight of Solamnia more interesting than the standard knight is that it gets trinkets and it gets a feat.

    What I don’t like

    There are only suggested traits. This ignores the mechanical weight of backgrounds. The should get the entire TIBF system.

    Will I use it in play?

    Probably not. In my youth I was a bit of a religious zealot and knight fan, and would have played this constantly.

    I’m going to put the four feats related to this background here, because they’ll almost certainly be taken as a set.

    Squire Solamnia

    Your training in the ways of the Knights of Solamnia

    What I like

    Martial Training is better than two current feats that are rather weak. Then again, most character concepts that would take this feat don’t need any Martial Training.

    Encouraging Rally is a nice buff similar to warlord concepts, the Purple Dragon Knight, probably some bards. It’s nice side benefit.

    What I don’t like

    Defensive Rider is unlikely to come up in most games.

    The single use per day of Encouraging Rally is weak, but that’s to be expected since this feat is already about a feat-and-a-half.

    Will I use it in play?

    This will be allowed at my table immediately. No one should ever take Weapon Master or any of the armor feats except Heavy Armor Master (which I would just make Armor Master and allow the benefit of damage reduction to any level of armor worn).

    Knight of the Crown

    “You are a Knight of Solamnia aligned with the Order of the Crown, a group that extols the virtues of cooperation, loyalty, and obedience. You excel in group combat.”

    What I like

    Tactical Teamwork is another warlord-esque ability, which is great to see.

    The “feat chain” makes sense. You have to be a squire before you are a knight and locking this into level 4+ makes sense.

    What I don’t like

    Getting to use Tactical Teamwork only twice a day at fourth level is disappointing.

    Will I use it in play?

    Probably not. Reaction based advantage for close combat won’t come up enough for me.

    Knight of the Sword

    “You are a Knight of Solamnia aligned with the Order of the Sword, a group devoted to heroism and courage. Bravery steels your spirit.”

    What I like

    The extra saving throw proficiency granted by Disciplined Spirit is great.

    What I don’t like

    Tying Hit Dice into Willpower doesn’t feel right. Yes, hit dice are your own willpower, but is the strength of my will going to help a friend? I guess that fits many narratives, but I’m not sold.

    Will I use it in play?

    A moderate chance, especially if I play a Fighter that starts at higher level, because I would probably mimic the traditional Solamnia path of Squire, Crown, Sword, Rose.

    Knight of the Rose

    “You are a Knight of Solamnia aligned with the Order of the Rose, a group known for leadership, justice, and wisdom.”

    What I like

    Bolstering Rally is similar to Inspiring Leader, with a few more limits on how many times you can use it, but a likely larger amount of temporary hit points gained.

    What I don’t like

    Connecting Bolstering Rally to Constitution.

    Will I use it in play?

    Yep. Absolutely. This is great for so many characters I enjoy playing.

    Mage of High Sorcery

    “Your talent for magic came to the attention of the Mages of High Sorcery, an organization of spellcasters that study magic and prevent its misuse. You’ve trained among the Mages, but whether or not you’ll face the dangerous tests required to become a true member of the group remains to be determined.”

    What I like

    I said this earlier and I’ll say it again. If you read Full Moon Storytelling regularly, you know I love backgrounds with more “oomph.” I love backgrounds in general.

    Also, since you’ll get a tiny bit of casting from taking the background, I think I could play a failed Initiate with any class.

    What I don’t like

    There are only suggested traits. This ignores the mechanical weight of backgrounds. The should get the entire TIBF system.

    Will I use it in play?

    All fey peoples in my world start with the ability to cast spells, and it would make a lot of sense for them to use this background.

    This background starts a feat chain, like the Solamnia background does. They are with the one you gain upon getting the feat and then the three options you may take later.

    Initiate of High Sorcery

    “You’ve received training from magic-users affiliated with the Mages of High Sorcery.”

    What I like

    The attachment to one of the moons of Krynn is rather flavorful.

    What I don’t like

    1 cantrip and 1 spell is less powerful than the Solamnia version of the beginner feat. That’s probably fine if the character is already a spellcaster, since they are a bit more powerful than martials.

    Will I use it in play?

    Yep, though I would suggest just taking Magic Initiate instead.

    Adept of the Black Robes

    “Your ambition and loyalty to the Order of the Black Robes has been recognized.”

    What I like

    Throwing your own essence into your damage spells via Life Channel is the type of story creep I love. I’d usually just use odd number of HD because the rounding up statement.

    The 20 spells you can select when you gain this feat.

    What I don’t like

    Ambitious Magic ties back to the ability score increase from Initiate of High Sorcery, which might mean you have two different spell casting stats.

    Will I use it in play?

    Yes. It’s dark and nasty, and a way to channel your own life force into killing things.

    Adept of the Red Robes

    “Your pursuit of truth and dedication to maintaining the balance between all things has been recognized by the Order of the Red Robes.”

    What I like

    Magical Balance is kind of a like a minor divination type benefit. It’s fine.

    The 30 spells you can gain from this feat.

    What I don’t like

    Insightful Magic ties back to the ability score increase from Initiate of High Sorcery, which might mean you have two different spell casting stats.

    Will I use it in play?

    Didn’t like Red Robes in the 80s and I don’t like them now.

    Adept of the White Robes

    “Your oath to use magic to make the world a better place has been recognized by the Order of the White Robes.”

    What I like

    Protective Ward is almost exactly what the Abjurer from the PHB gets, but now you can get it as a cleric, bard, druid, paladin. That’s great.

    The 17 spells you can select with this feat.

    What I don’t like

    Protective Magic ties back to the ability score increase from Initiate of High Sorcery, which might mean you have two different spell casting stats.

    Will I use it in play?

    I want to use it yesterday. This would have been great with Awf.

    Divinely Favored

    “A god has chosen you to carry a spark of their divine power.”

    What I like

    In Dragonlance alignment matters. Connecting the spells gained to your alignment is perfect for this setting.

    What I don’t like

    This is weaker than Magic Initiate and the only reason to take it is to get Divine Communications later.

    Will I use it in play?

    No.

    Divine Communications

    “Your connection to your god deepens”

    What I like

    Augury and Commune are potent story devices when used well. Taking this feat is a clarion call to your DM that you two will be regularly talking to gods.

    What I don’t like

    This makes Linguist useless (it already was).

    It’s easy to lose track of 1d4 long rests for two different spells. Your abilities will recharge on different days.

    Will I use it in play?

    I think this should be allowed without Divine Favored, and will be at my table.

  • Latest Unearthed Aracana sends us to the Phlogiston (maybe)

    Latest Unearthed Aracana sends us to the Phlogiston (maybe)

    With the announced pace of products picking up, we should also expect Unearthed Arcana’s pace to pick up. Today, Wizards of the Coast sent out the latest Dungeons & Dragons playtest document with six new races to play n the game. They have strong flavors of my favorite settings from the days of yore — Spelljammer.

    Unlike the foundational settings of D&D Spelljammer has no relationship to the real world or literature. The concept is D&D in space, but an odd kind of space with ships that look like dragonflies and mind flayer heads, all powered by hooking up a magic user to a chair/helm/etc that sucks magic from them. Each “solar system” exists within a crystal sphere, and outside of that is a highly flammable sea of a Phlogiston.

    There are prates, even crafter gnomes, space monkeys that can glide, Victorian hippo-people, asteroid trading posts run by beholders, fleets of mind flayers. The whole of the setting is comc book/cartoon joy with themes of exploration similar to Star Trek.

    Some of the new races are also part of the Planescape realm and the thri-keen are one of the signature elements of Dark Sun.

    Astral Elf

    An elf denizen of the Astral Plane who is likely thousands of years old.

    What I like

    Radiant Soul is a cool way to bounce back from death’s door once per day. That you must be down and making death saves in order to use it connects the mechanics to Astral Elf’s planar nature.

    Trance Tools are a non-cultural way to gain proficiency, nifty little mechanic. Maybe my favorite from this drop, which is funny because…

    What I don’t like

    Don’t know why the world needs another elf, ever. There are a lot in D&D these days, with more to come for every new setting. The Astral Elf, if the feedback is strong, will be the 14th elf within official D&D worlds for Fifth Edition.

    Also, just after so many reminders that each playable races is supposed to have a human-like age spectrum, the Astral Elf is even older than normal elves.

    Will I play one?

    Probably not. Elves and all their permutations are my least played race. The idea of an ancient people viewed as the ideal of sapience has little appeal to me.

    Autognome

    A mechanical gnome gifted with free will.

    What I like

    True Life is a brilliant way to empower healing for living constructs. The Warforged need this in the expected minor racial reworks coming with the three-book gift set.

    Built for Success strongly connects the rules of the race to why the race exists. Gnomes created these automatons to be better than gnomes are, at least at certain tasks.

    What I don’t like

    Sentry’s Rest is another variant on Trances. Having a party with a creature that needs 4 hours, and another that needs 6 hours, and most that need 8 hours adds unnecessary complexity to organizing watches.

    Will I play one?

    Yep, I love the little people. Also, I enjoy tool users and specialists. These would make strong Rogues.

    Giff

    A hippo-headed being of impressive size.

    What I like

    They’re big, really big. Playing a super-sized race that doesn’t have to smush itself through most passages is a great way to feel more powerful than you are in real ife. Hippo Build embraces this.

    What I don’t like

    Damage Dealer connects more strongly to Rogues and Paladins than the Giff’s traditional role as a Fighter. Also, that’s it. They only have two traits. The Astral Elf, embracing their racial superiority have seven.

    Will I play one?

    Yep. Absolutely. Anthropomorphic races are cool. The Giff’s traditional Victorian military culture can be fun. There will be a search for another trait that connects to their build, maybe something as boring as Tough Hide which gives them an extra hit point every level.

    Hadozee

    A highly adaptive simian being who uses winglike membranes to glide.

    What I like

    The climbing speed and Glide are both great ways to capture their tree glider meets monkey vibe.

    Dexterous Feet allowing a bonus action to Use an Object is good, but it doesn’t go quite far enough.

    What I don’t like

    Dexterous Feet should include the tail, and to enable more fun, should allow the activity via a Reaction too. Yes, that break the standard for Reactions, but it’s cool.

    Will I play one?

    Maybe. Kinda want to be an Artificer or Wizard, who manipulates their magic components with their feet and tail.

    Plasmoid

    An amoeba-like being.

    What I like

    These things are bizarre, the oddest playable concept in the game. You have no standard form, as you are an Ooze. Shape Self enables you to look kind of like a person and also lets you grow an ‘arm’ up to ten feet long.

    What I don’t like

    The mechanics are great, the ability to be one the creatures mentally needs a lot of explanation.

    Will I play one?

    Not until the lore is revealed. My head needs help wrapping around this concept even more than it does for Lizard Folk.

    Thri-kreen

    A six-limbed, telepathic insectoid.

    What I like

    Secondary Arms is a good solve for how these six-limbed peoples work with the D&D action economy. There is a fun synergy with Two-Weapon Fighting and with light thrown weapons when you have multi-attack or related abilities.

    What I don’t like

    Sleepless Revitalization reveals another Long Rest variant to confuse the party.

    With five racial traits, most with power, they are insectoid elves.

    Will I play one?

    No, but they are absolutely necessary for the world of Dark Sun, and maybe in my own world (spoiler?).

  • Unearthed Arcana expands playable dragons – lacks playable dungeons

    Unearthed Arcana expands playable dragons – lacks playable dungeons

    The latest drop of Unearthed Arcana is another exploration of Draconic options – this time lineages, feats, and spells. Previously the Dungeons & Dragons team explored a Monk: Way of the Ascendant Dragon and a Ranger: Drakewarden.

    The UA also reminds readers that everyone gets a floating +2&+1 or three floating +1 with two languages (Common and one other being recommended).

    This review of UA will include bolded statements of what I like, what I would change, and what I dislike but can’t think of how to fix.

    Dragonborn

    Fifth edition D&D already has two sets of Dragonborn, one in the Player’s Handbook and another in Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount, the Critical Role book. Soon, there will be even more Draconic races, as the new set splits Dragonborn into the subsets – chromatic, metallic, gem. This Unearthed Arcana is also an expansion of Kobold options, as they were previously released in Volo’s Guide to Monsters.

    For all three there is a small boost in power for the breath weapon. This was needed. The PHB Dragonborn breath weapon wasn’t able to be used enough for it to serve a purpose. Having it be an attack replacement grants some great options for martial players after tier 1 play. Rather than 1 bonus action per rest (short or long) the UA version gets proficiency bonus number of uses per long rest. This is true for all three of the new subraces. They also increase damage from 2d6 with tier scaling to 2d8 with tier scaling. I like this.

    Chromatic

    Their breath weapon is a line, which is a switch for green and red dragonborn.

    At third level they gain the ability to be immune to the energy connected to their draconic origin. This ten minutes at once ability can help ahead of a combat encounter, but is also quite handy for some exploration challenges. It’s a fun little bit of story creep too. I like this.

    Metallic

    Their breath weapon is a cone, which is a switch for brass, bronze, and copper.

    Their third level boost is a secondary breath weapon that they can use once per long rest. There is a choice of two effects – a push and or kind of knock-out gas that incapacitates targets. These are both fine.

    Gem

    Previously gem dragonborn weren’t a thing, and as someone who didn’t get into gem dragons, this section is a lot of new ground. The various gems connect to new damage types (force, radiant, psychic, thunder, necrotic). As all gem dragons are connected to psionics these dragonborn gain the ability to telepathically communicate with a single creature within 30′, as long as they share a language. I like this cool boost.

    At third level they get this weird ability to fly by being surrounded by spectral gems. I don’t like this.

    Kobolds

    The kobolds in Volo’s have two negatives – their strength is reduced and they have sunlight sensitivity. The new draconic versions of kobolds suffer from neither of these.

    But the new kobolds also don’t get Grovel, Cower, and Beg (ok), nor do they get Pack Tactics (boo).

    The draconic versions get to choose between three abilities.

    • Advantage on saves versus fear. I like this.
    • A sorcerer cantrip. I like this because it connects them to the Volo’s monster kobold sorcerer.
    • An unarmed strike with the tail. I would change this strike to be finesse, so that dex builds could benefit.

    They also can roar. I don’t like this.

    I would rather the playable kobolds lean into the variant kobolds like dragonshields, winged, and inventors. Further connections between kobold culture and playable kobolds would be wonderful.

    Feats

    The new feats are about granting non-dragonborn a small lean into the powers and abilities of various dragons. This part is cool, but because they are each a different feat that means your character could take each feat once picking up a bit of chromatic, gem, and metallic. I don’t like this.

    Spells

    There are seven new spells that range from level 2 to 7. Four of them are named spells, with three carrying iconic names from the Forgotten Realms and one from Dragonlance. All are available to sorcerers and wizards, with a few being open to other casters.

    Draconic Transformation is a way to be nearly a dragon.

    Fizban’s Platinum Shield is a potent protective spell.

    Flame Stride is a movement boost that burns people as you pass them.

    Icingdeath’s Frost is a cone blast that covers the target in an ice shell.

    Nathair’s Mischief is a cube (yuck) that is rather fey in its behavior.

    Raulothim’s Psychic Lance is a piercing blast that has an interesting known name twist.

    Summon Draconic Spirit follows the new summons from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, and is a dragon.

    I like the story behind the spells and hope that Awf can add the Icingdeath’s Frost and Flame Stride to his known spell list. A Bladesinger running through traffic with flaming feat is a great image.

    Overall there’s a lot of flavor in these, but similar to the Fey UA, there is a clear need to fold the earlier releases and this next book together. There are competing versions of Orc, Hobgoblin, Dragonborn, and Kobold now. These would make more sense as subraces in a book, or digital version, that is consolidated with all the changes, shifts, and combinations.

  • Fey-folk enter testing with March Unearthed Arcana; continues floating ASIs

    Fey-folk enter testing with March Unearthed Arcana; continues floating ASIs

    Four Fey-folk are explored in the March 11 Unearthed Arcana drop. This includes the classic Fairy, two animal-folk (rabbit and owl), and a Fey Hobgoblin. While all of these races are connected to the Feywild, they are not called out specifically as being from the Feywild, just connected to it. Only the Fairy is Fey, by creature category. In some ways this makes the other three racial options (the document does not call them out as lineages) like “normal” Elves rather than Eladarin. If this UA gets strong feedback there will be two Hobgoblins in existence, one a martial warrior and the other that creates a unique bond through gift giving.

    Just as in the last Unearthed Arcana there is a sidebar explaining the path forward in regards to Ability Score Increases at character creation. Mostly it is a reminder about the rules in Tasha’s, but it continues the commitment to reduce racism and bioessentialism within Dungeons & Dragons.

    The “Creating Your Character” section provides special character-creation rules for the race options in this article. The races that use these rules can coexist seamlessly with races that use other rules. For example, the race options in the Player’s Handbook have built-in ability score increases, while the races in this article don’t. Race options from both sources can adventure together.
    If you’d like a race that doesn’t appear in this article, such as an elf or a dwarf, to have similar ability score flexibility, the book Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything provides a rule, called Customizing Your Origin, that gives you that flexibility. That book also gives you the option of building your own race, rather than choosing an existing one. That option is called the Custom Lineage. No matter which option you choose for your character—a race in this article, a Player’s Handbook race, a race modified by the Customizing Your Origin rule, or a Custom Lineage—you can adventure with characters who are built with a different option.
    This sidebar builds on the design note in our previous Unearthed Arcana, “Gothic Lineages.”

    UNEARTHED ARCANA 2021 | Folk of the Feywild

    Fairy

    Any fey centered story has to have fairies as playable characters. Fifth edition is finally adding them. They fly, of course. The Fairy joins Aarakocra and Feral Tieflings as able to fly at first level. Owlfolk join that group shortly. These are the only races limited away from some versions of Adventurers League.

    All of the abilities just make sense for what we expect from fairies, but the one that stands out to me as unique and situationally potent is Fey Passage. The ability of a small fey to enter nearly sealed spaces fits so much of the legend and lore surrounding these peoples.

    Hobgoblin of the Feywild

    Whereas the Volo’s version of Hobgoblins focused on every single one of them being at least a light fighter, those Hobgoblins with connections to the Feywild are helpers. Rather than armor or weapon proficiencies, your Hobgoblin gains a leveling version of the Help action. This is much more interesting flavor.

    Hopefully when the Fey Hobgoblin gets dialed into official material the two version appear more like subraces, rather than having similar, but still different abilities. There is language drift between the new Fortune from the Many and the old Saving Face. Also, the older version of the Hobgoblin is just weaker. Three proficiencies is just weaker than Fey Gift and Fey Ancestry.

    Owlfolk

    Another flying creature, of course. The choice to be either medium or small makes sense, as there is variation in size for real owls, as well as the stories upon which the Owlfolk are based. There are two sight based abilities, but neither directly relate to Perception. This UA does insert a third scale of Darkvision. It should likely be changed to either 60′ or 120′ to be inline with other races. 5e is about those kinds of simplicity.

    My favorite ability for Owlfolk is Magic Sight. Adding a ritual spell makes so much sense for a race that is so storied in wisdom and intelligence. It combines well with spellcasters and martial types. Hopefully there are more races that access rituals rather than the now standard 1 per long rest usage of a 1st level spell.

    Rabbitfolk

    Hip, hop and hippity hop. Yes, there will be a Rabbitfolk Bard in my future. There’s some interesting mirroring of Halfling abilities here, which makes sense. The two generally smaller folk both love freedom and large families. Rather than Lucky, the Rabbitfolk get a minor bonus on failed Dexterity saving throws. These similar abilities maintain interest while connecting to their stories.

    Here, the Rabbit Hop is the ability that leaps out. Being able to jump around is key for a rabbit. Getting to use it with no cost is wonderful. The d12 of additional feet is clunky (just as the similar rules regarding Athletics are clunky). For gridded play something like +5′ per proficiency bonus would be simpler. For those playing with Theater of the Mind the difference between 3 feet and 4 feet is meaningless in combat.

    Overall these should be popular. There are entire game systems dedicated to animal folk. Humblewood was extraordinarily popular, because people just enjoy being little floofs of magic and power. Official support for similar folk makes sense.

    Hopefully the feedback helps dial in some changes to the various hobgoblins and other non-core races that have clear subraces but operate as completely separate instances rather than those that share story and abilities.

  • Lore Collage: Adventurer’s League changes, UA survey, and 38 other items to read and watch this week.

    Lore Collage: Adventurer’s League changes, UA survey, and 38 other items to read and watch this week.

    This is the final week for Lore Collage to contain the “Inspiration” section. Instead that will be spit out as simpler quick articles similar to Inspiration is Everywhere: Trees. This is part of my effort to show that everyone is creative enough to play Dungeons & Dragons, as well as a reinforcement of the concept that every lived moment is prep for a Dungeon Master.

    Last week, on the Wolf Moon, I published my latest tiny fiction. Please read it and the other fiction on this here blog because frankly, I like it when people see my stuff.

    Official D&D Products Releases and Reviews

    Adventurer’s League

    The biggest news in D&D land is that the Adventurer’s League is moving all support to within official D&D channels. You’ll find games, rules announcements, and related news through the Yawning Portal. Whereas many see this as a reduction in the importance of AL, folding its presence within the tent where fans would look for D&D stuff more than anywhere else consolidates and amplifies its presence. It is no longer an adjunct, but a feature.

    https://twitter.com/DnD_AdvLeague/status/1355281262059999233

    Alphastream (Teos) is a huge advocate for AL. He reviews what the changes mean for a player or DM.

    Unearthed Arcana: Gothic Lineages

    The survey is already up for the Gothic Lineages UA. With race/lineages being light on mechanics there can be a quick practical review of those. POCGamer, who is one of the authors in Candlekeep Mysteries, says that the non-mechanical racial changes are necessary step that doesn’t go far enough. A sentiment that I share.

    Other Wizards of the Coast Stuff

    Screen Rant doesn’t like 5e slings, and I’m with them on that. My solve would be to switch up the typical 5e difference between standard and long ranges. Slings should have a much longer ranger available — let’s triple that.

    Third-Party Products

    Tribality reviews MCDM’s Arcadia, the latest effort in a D&D magazine. tl;dr — it’s pro quality with pros who have put in extensive effort building 3rd party products.

    Streaming D&D Shows

    Basements & Bugbears is a D&D show focused on suicide prevention and involving Broadway theater talent.

    The latest streaming partner for Wizards of the Coast features puppets.

    https://twitter.com/Wizards_DnD/status/1355153853101072387

    The top 68 D&D themed podcasts. My listens are at spots 1, 8, 38, and 52.

    Playing D&D During the Pandemic

    Wyoming county libraries continue to host D&D.

    Saratoga Springs, Florida libraries are hosting D&D.

    Queen Anne’s County, Maryland libraries are hosting D&D.

    In Australia a group is using D&D to help children on the spectrum.

    Dungeons & Dragons & Mainstream

    Yes, that’s Black Irish rapper mixing medieval themes into her latest video. Fader has a review.

    CNET reviews Heroes’ Feast, the D&D cookbook. This is still on my wishlist. As a flavor nerd I must have it.

    Arizona State University’s student paper features the campus D&D and other RPG group.

    If you’re a D&D fan and haven’t watched Onward yet you are missing the best D&D movie of 2020.

    ABC (Australian version) focuses on how D&D helps writers of any genre.

    Boston’s NPR station, WBUR, featured how D&D and Critical Role are helping people cope with the pandemic. The mainstreaming of the hobby will never stop surprising me.

    In Huntsville, Alabama a D&D–themed café opens and is featured in AL.com and its affiliates.

    Inspiration for Your Next Adventure

    https://twitter.com/livepixelart/status/1355293799795179520
    I want to be a solo player who experiences this.

    Every time there is a new discovery of ancient pre-history in the real world it is a reminder that your D&D world needs similar history. In this case a little girl found a 220-million year old footprint. Give your creation a sense of history.

    https://twitter.com/kiwamissimo/status/1355703231590981632
    Green Flame Blade without the green.

    Always, always, always think about the foods that your character enjoys. Flavor can inform other character decisions. Why does your character enjoy cabbage soup thickened with bread crumbs?

    Make people, not stats — design stronger characters for your game.

    https://twitter.com/BeholderPie/status/1354159556058902528
    Tired: Bards | Wired: Wizards whose spellbook is a violin
    https://twitter.com/CitrusFoam/status/1351302821073842181
    My next D&D character is…

    Other Geek Stuff

    This game makes me want a Nintendo Switch. Linguistic archeology is a great fit for a D&D game as well.

    Your dice storage boxes can look like swords and stuff.

    SyFy has all the genre coming to your TV, or whatever screen you watch streaming shows and movies on these days.

    Sundance Film Festival entry Cryptozoo tells the tale of unreal animals.

    There’s a Magic: The Gathering video game that combines the lore and card play of MTG with the video game stylings of original Diablo.

    That shanty-band we featured in a previous Lore Collage signed a major label contract.

    As Always, Maps

    https://twitter.com/dimitrisromeo/status/1355484956336730112

    This is your next hobbitton. It’s real.

    If you make your own maps KM Alexander has a great new paintbrush for you.

    Hyacinth: A Free 19th Century Mountain Brush Set for Fantasy Maps
  • Latest Unearthed Arcana further uncouples race from mechanics

    Latest Unearthed Arcana further uncouples race from mechanics

    When a new Unearthed Arcana drops much of the focus is on the mechanics. They are mechanical tests after all. In some cases the development team removes story mentions to not taint the survey results. This UA drop is focused on playing as Undead or Fey. The purpose is to test Dhampir (emergent vampires, kinda), Hexblood (emergent hags, kinda), Reborn (those that hover between living and dead, mostly).

    Photo by freestocks.org on Pexels.com

    The mechanics are intriguing. The Dhampir has a bite attack that uses Constitution for its damage stat, which makes sense. The Hexblood has a superior version of Message and Arcane Eye combo. Reborn are sleepless, with a kind of elvish trance available.

    More important than the new racial options and mechanics is the sidebar titled Design Note: Changes to Racial Traits. Thanks to Justice Arman for calling this out on Twitter and forcing me to look deeper into the change.

    Let’s take it piece by piece.

    The first paragraph further emphasizes the small changes in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. It’s a solid reminder of the product and the small steps already taken.

    In 2020, the book Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything introduced the option to customize several of your character’s racial traits, specifically the Ability Score Increase trait, the Language trait, and traits that give skill, armor, weapon, or tool proficiencies.

    From UNEARTHED ARCANA 2021: Gothic Lineages

    Paragraph two is a reminder that the work is not done. Forward all D&D books are removing those elements from races that are purely cultural, as well as the Ability Score increase. This will obviously, and *necessarily*, impact the current races (a change that will be simpler via DnDBeyond and other digital systems than those with physical books. There will still be physical and magical differences for the characters with certain races.

    Following in that book’s footsteps, the race options in this article and in future D&D books lack the Ability Score Increase trait, the Language trait, the Alignment trait, and any other trait that is purely cultural. Racial traits henceforth reflect only the physical or magical realities of being a player character who’s a member of a particular lineage. Such traits include things like darkvision, a breath weapon (as in the dragonborn), or innate magical ability (as in the forest gnome). Such traits don’t include cultural characteristics, like language or training with a weapon or a tool, and the traits also don’t include an alignment suggestion, since alignment is a choice for each individual, not a characteristic shared by a lineage.

    The final paragraph is a strong reminder that a character is not the normal part of any culture, species, lineage, or race. The player-character occupies a unique space within a D&D world. They are heroes or anti-heroes, not paragons of a racial group.

    Finally, going forward, the term “race” in D&D refers only to the suite of game features used by player
    characters. Said features don’t have any bearing on monsters and NPCs who are members of the same species or lineage, since monsters and NPCs in D&D don’t rely on race or class to function. Moreover, DMs are empowered to customize the features of the creatures in their game as they wish.

    The multi-year critique directed at D&D in regards to its history and legacy of racism and racial-tinged rules is having an impact — a slow one. This are necessary changes. Some of them are small. Some of them are big.

    To borrow from Jemma Simmons, Agents of SHIELD, “The steps you take don’t need to be big. They just need to take you in the right direction.”

    These are steps in the right direction. This is progress. The path forward is exciting.