New spells have been unearthed this week, a collection of cantrips and 1st-level spells for characters to choose from at the start of their spellcasting careers and beyond. We invite you to read these spells, give them a try in play, and let us know what you think in the survey we release in the next installment of Unearthed Arcana.
The Final Month of the Current UA Series
For a while now, we’ve been releasing Unearthed Arcana multiple times a month as part of a special series of articles. That series wraps up at the end of April 2017. After that, we’ll return to releasing Unearthed Arcana once, sometimes twice, a month, and the Sage Advice column will return. In the meantime, Jeremy Crawford will continue to provide official rules answers on Twitter (@JeremyECrawford), as well as in the Sage Advice segment in the Dragon Talk podcast.
XD the puppet spell has my head churning with ideas of how to mess with my players
the "toll the dead" spell seems like an awesome replacement or alternative to the old eldritch blast for warlocks
I do think the guiding hand spells wording should be changed to "any commonly available map or a map you've seen" as any map in existence is too broad for my liking.
The interesting thing about Puppet is that there is no clause that restricts the targeted creature from taking damage. On a failed save you can make them move up to their speed in a direction of your choice, regardless of whether it forces them to take damage or not. You can simply run enemies off of ramparts, into lava, off cliffs, etc as long as they are within the required number of feet. The CON save makes it more difficult but creatures with a +2 are still going to fail more than 50% of the time against a first level caster.
The interesting thing about Puppet is that there is no clause that restricts the targeted creature from taking damage. On a failed save you can make them move up to their speed in a direction of your choice, regardless if whether it forces them to take damage or not. You can simply run enemies off of ramparts, into lava, off cliffs, etc as long as they are within the required number of feet. The CON save makes it more difficult but creatures with a +2 are still going to fail more than 50% of the time against a first level caster.
In addition, you can make them drop their magic weapon before tossing them off a cliff.
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The interesting thing about Puppet is that there is no clause that restricts the targeted creature from taking damage. On a failed save you can make them move up to their speed in a direction of your choice, regardless if whether it forces them to take damage or not. You can simply run enemies off of ramparts, into lava, off cliffs, etc as long as they are within the required number of feet. The CON save makes it more difficult but creatures with a +2 are still going to fail more than 50% of the time against a first level caster.
In addition, you can make them drop their magic weapon before tossing them off a cliff.
That's right. Puppet is a spell that just keeps on giving.
I really like Chaos Bolt, and the Wild Magic Sorcerer in my group is going to go mad over it. Also loved seeing Cause Fear make a return, Infestation, Hand of Radiance, and Toll the Dead Cantrips were all a nice addition. Snare and Puppet both have nice ways you can use them. The rest were pretty bland or way too limited for my liking (although being able to fix Alignment changes may come in handy in the game I'm in... Can we say Eye of Vecna?).
Ceremony is a nice catch-all spell, but I guess my polygamous fantasy people can't benefit from the spell more than once? Neither can those who get divorced? How forward :P
Chaos Bolt... hrm, is there any way to make damage rolls count as their maximum value? I don't remember all the options in 5e yet, but if that's the case, you get a free casting of a thunder damage spell.
In general, I like low-level options, so this is a nice week, if a little sparse. I'm happy, though!
Chaos Bolt... hrm, is there any way to make damage rolls count as their maximum value? I don't remember all the options in 5e yet, but if that's the case, you get a free casting of a thunder damage spell.
Maximize Spell doesn't exist as a Metamagic option in 5e, Empowered Spell would allow you to re-roll dice allowing you to change the type of damage and give you a 2nd chance of producing the additional bolt.
Must say that I'm pretty excited about these introductions. I"m about to start a new campaign with my group and I can't wait to test out how these new spells work out. At a glance, they seem like they have quite a bit of kick and lots of fun flavor options. The only spell that I'm a bit unsure about is the Necromancy belltoll spell. The spell itself seems cool, but the flavor text I personally find lacking. Does anyone know if UA material will be added to the permanent spell listings in the compendium? I would personally like to see all of the UA stuff in the compendium maybe with a tag saying that its still in playtest mode. This would be a lot more convenient than trying to sift through pages and pages and dozens of pdfs.
Must say that I'm pretty excited about these introductions. I"m about to start a new campaign with my group and I can't wait to test out how these new spells work out. At a glance, they seem like they have quite a bit of kick and lots of fun flavor options. The only spell that I'm a bit unsure about is the Necromancy belltoll spell. The spell itself seems cool, but the flavor text I personally find lacking. Does anyone know if UA material will be added to the permanent spell listings in the compendium? I would personally like to see all of the UA stuff in the compendium maybe with a tag saying that its still in playtest mode. This would be a lot more convenient than trying to sift through pages and pages and dozens of pdfs.
I belive they first have to published "officially" the UA material. So we have to wait for the book.
But this book will be epic!! The UA material is fantastic!
Yeah I know right! Love that they are recycling so much! Fun stuff that is both new and nostalgic. My group is thrilled to see so much of the classic content being revisited. I've really enjoyed the surveys they do for each UA that is released. It's something that I've really enjoyed since way back when when the testing for 5e first started; it's always felt like they are getting loads of feedback and reacting to it. I wonder if eventually there will be some settings re-released such as the dragonlance or dark-sun's stuff? I'm not sure if they would do that as a UA or just a new supplement.
Besides my fascination with the potential uses of Puppet, I think Primal Savagery is my favorite with Toll the Dead coming in just behind it. I like the flavor of a primal caster using this when faced with a melee situation. I can see the Warlock in my campaign using this instead of Eldritch Blast so he can mix it up in close quarters.
I really like Chaos Bolt, and the Wild Magic Sorcerer in my group is going to go mad over it.
I'm struggling with why. I totally get that it's thematic for a Wild Sorc in ways that most of the Sorc spell list is not. However, it is 2d8 damage of a random type where Chromatic Orb is 3d8 of a type you choose, and both are essentially inferior to Magic Missile unless you have a specific reason to use something other than Force damage. The chances of hitting a second target with Chaos Bolt are 1 in 8, which is not a large number. So just the flavour?
Ceremony: Marriage is funny, at least its duration. It's like a joke, and reminds me to Pirates of the Caribbean 3 when they marry in middle of a fight on the ship.
My first thought upon reading Guiding Hand was "I can absolutely make a ghost hand show up for an entire day in a random village, and freak everyone out." There's an 8-hour time limit, no range restriction, and the hand only moves if you move towards it, and it's 5ft away. Plus, it moves every few minutes. All day. This is the greatest "Spook the locals" spell ever!!!!! Put it in the town square and grab your spyglass!
This is great! Finally, UA material my current character can use!
Also, the Warlock in my group has been focusing on building a "mind mage". Puppet and Cause Fear really help his character's theme. Can't wait to playtest!
You don't think that the primal savagery will be underpowered since the caster needs to use a whole action to cast the spell, then attack? I was wondering if they would make it a free action spell.
It's nice that 'Toll the Dead' can be picked for Death Domain clerics they are then allowed to twin them with the reaper ability
REAPER At 1st level, the cleric learns one necromancy cantrip of his or her choice from any spell list. When the cleric casts a necromancy cantrip that normally targets only one creature, the spell can instead target two creatures within range and within 5 feet of each other.
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D&D Beyond StaffUA: https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/unearthed-arcana/starter-spells
Direct Link to PDF: http://media.wizards.com/2017/dnd/downloads/UA-Starter-Spells.pdf
New spells have been unearthed this week, a collection of cantrips and 1st-level spells for characters to choose from at the start of their spellcasting careers and beyond. We invite you to read these spells, give them a try in play, and let us know what you think in the survey we release in the next installment of Unearthed Arcana.
The Final Month of the Current UA Series
For a while now, we’ve been releasing Unearthed Arcana multiple times a month as part of a special series of articles. That series wraps up at the end of April 2017. After that, we’ll return to releasing Unearthed Arcana once, sometimes twice, a month, and the Sage Advice column will return. In the meantime, Jeremy Crawford will continue to provide official rules answers on Twitter (@JeremyECrawford), as well as in the Sage Advice segment in the Dragon Talk podcast.
Link to the survey for the Trio of Classes from last week: http://sgiz.mobi/s3/094cf972a82e
XD the puppet spell has my head churning with ideas of how to mess with my players
the "toll the dead" spell seems like an awesome replacement or alternative to the old eldritch blast for warlocks
I do think the guiding hand spells wording should be changed to "any commonly available map or a map you've seen" as any map in existence is too broad for my liking.
The interesting thing about Puppet is that there is no clause that restricts the targeted creature from taking damage. On a failed save you can make them move up to their speed in a direction of your choice, regardless of whether it forces them to take damage or not. You can simply run enemies off of ramparts, into lava, off cliffs, etc as long as they are within the required number of feet. The CON save makes it more difficult but creatures with a +2 are still going to fail more than 50% of the time against a first level caster.
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ModeratorI really like Chaos Bolt, and the Wild Magic Sorcerer in my group is going to go mad over it. Also loved seeing Cause Fear make a return, Infestation, Hand of Radiance, and Toll the Dead Cantrips were all a nice addition. Snare and Puppet both have nice ways you can use them. The rest were pretty bland or way too limited for my liking (although being able to fix Alignment changes may come in handy in the game I'm in... Can we say Eye of Vecna?).
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Wary the wizard who focuses on homebrew, for he can create nightmares that you wouldn't even dream of
Ceremony is a nice catch-all spell, but I guess my polygamous fantasy people can't benefit from the spell more than once? Neither can those who get divorced? How forward :P
Chaos Bolt... hrm, is there any way to make damage rolls count as their maximum value? I don't remember all the options in 5e yet, but if that's the case, you get a free casting of a thunder damage spell.
In general, I like low-level options, so this is a nice week, if a little sparse. I'm happy, though!
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Wary the wizard who focuses on homebrew, for he can create nightmares that you wouldn't even dream of
Primal savagery!
Must say that I'm pretty excited about these introductions. I"m about to start a new campaign with my group and I can't wait to test out how these new spells work out. At a glance, they seem like they have quite a bit of kick and lots of fun flavor options. The only spell that I'm a bit unsure about is the Necromancy belltoll spell. The spell itself seems cool, but the flavor text I personally find lacking. Does anyone know if UA material will be added to the permanent spell listings in the compendium? I would personally like to see all of the UA stuff in the compendium maybe with a tag saying that its still in playtest mode. This would be a lot more convenient than trying to sift through pages and pages and dozens of pdfs.
Yeah I know right! Love that they are recycling so much! Fun stuff that is both new and nostalgic. My group is thrilled to see so much of the classic content being revisited. I've really enjoyed the surveys they do for each UA that is released. It's something that I've really enjoyed since way back when when the testing for 5e first started; it's always felt like they are getting loads of feedback and reacting to it. I wonder if eventually there will be some settings re-released such as the dragonlance or dark-sun's stuff? I'm not sure if they would do that as a UA or just a new supplement.
I agree, the chaos bolt spell is my favorite of the new additions. I'm most eager to introduce it to my players.
Besides my fascination with the potential uses of Puppet, I think Primal Savagery is my favorite with Toll the Dead coming in just behind it. I like the flavor of a primal caster using this when faced with a melee situation. I can see the Warlock in my campaign using this instead of Eldritch Blast so he can mix it up in close quarters.
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in awhile.
Ceremony: Marriage is funny, at least its duration. It's like a joke, and reminds me to Pirates of the Caribbean 3 when they marry in middle of a fight on the ship.
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My first thought upon reading Guiding Hand was "I can absolutely make a ghost hand show up for an entire day in a random village, and freak everyone out." There's an 8-hour time limit, no range restriction, and the hand only moves if you move towards it, and it's 5ft away. Plus, it moves every few minutes. All day. This is the greatest "Spook the locals" spell ever!!!!! Put it in the town square and grab your spyglass!
This is great! Finally, UA material my current character can use!
Also, the Warlock in my group has been focusing on building a "mind mage". Puppet and Cause Fear really help his character's theme. Can't wait to playtest!
You don't think that the primal savagery will be underpowered since the caster needs to use a whole action to cast the spell, then attack? I was wondering if they would make it a free action spell.
It's nice that 'Toll the Dead' can be picked for Death Domain clerics they are then allowed to twin them with the reaper ability
REAPER At 1st level, the cleric learns one necromancy cantrip of his or her choice from any spell list. When the cleric casts a necromancy cantrip that normally targets only one creature, the spell can instead target two creatures within range and within 5 feet of each other.