I love these so much. If there's any criticism of 5e we see a lot, it's the lack of customization compared to previous editions, so alternate class feature options definitely go a long way towards letting people mix and match and build more unique characters.
I especially liked all the attention they paid to the Ranger class. I've never been one of the people saying the class was completely broken or anything, but favored terrain and favored enemy could be a bit underwhelming at times.
The new fighting style options are also pretty intriguing!
I did not see this coming. Even if some of these feel potentially really overtuned on first reading, I am absolutely 100% in favor of anything that allows a measure of extra control over/customization of one's character. Even if none of this particular document whatsoever actually makes it, I feel like we all need to pull extra especial hard on this one and let Wizards know that we need more shit like this.
Yowzas.
Anyways. Going to digest the options some before opining further, but I just felt like exploding with glee a little bit over the idea of variant class features. Oh my GAWD 5e needs this. Needs. This.
EDIT: @BelfastBiker You're new to UA, ne? The DDB team does not see this stuff one singular second before we do, and Wizards offers them absolutely no assistance coding it in. Give the poor folks some time, especially with something as complicated and unexpected as variant class features.
Also, side note: pray whatever codework they have to do to make 'Variant Class Features' work becomes part of the homebrew editor later. here's everybody's solution for running the (extremely shitty and over-munchkiny) Revised Ranger, as well as fixing up any other class however they need.
Meh, most of them are either blanket upgrades or muddle anything that makes classes feel unique.
Most of the blanket upgrades are for rules that are honestly kind of unfun or have very little risk of power creep. Being 100% locked into skill proficiencies, fighting styles and cantrips from 1st/2nd level kinda sucks and the number of Spells Known classes like sorcerer or ranger get is so ridiculously low compared to prepared casters that it's baffling. Giving some flexibility in those departments doesn't break anything and takes some of the edge off of those early-level commitments. Slightly expanding class spell lists doesn't break anything either since you're still bound by your spells known/prepared and spell slots.
You can call on your bond with nature to mark a creature as your favored enemy for a time: you know the hunter’s mark spell, and Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for it. You can use it a certain number of times without expending a spell slot and without requiring concentration— a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (a minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. When you gain the Spellcasting feature at 2nd level, hunter’s mark doesn’t count against the number of ranger spells you know.
A target can generally only be affected by a given ability once. I forget where the exact rule is, but if you generate a Hunter's Mark effect on a target, then try to Hunter's Mark it again, you would simply replace the existing mark, not double up on it.
Admittedly, the ranger's kind of needed Hunter's Mark to work like this for a long time, it's ridiculous that their 'class-defining' ability is a spell that conflicts with three quarters of their existing spell list, but no, you can't double Hunter's Mark.
You can, however, add Hex to it. Which is mostly just a straight-up better version of the same thing.
A target can generally only be affected by a given ability once. I forget where the exact rule is, but if you generate a Hunter's Mark effect on a target, then try to Hunter's Mark it again, you would simply replace the existing mark, not double up on it.
Admittedly, the ranger's kind of needed Hunter's Mark to work like this for a long time, it's ridiculous that their 'class-defining' ability is a spell that conflicts with three quarters of their existing spell list, but no, you can't double Hunter's Mark.
You can, however, add Hex to it. Which is mostly just a straight-up better version of the same thing.
I'm just wonder cause I thought that was only restricted by it having concentration which this feature is getting rid of.
Funny, I'm playing a Barbarian in a low-magic campaign and we did something a lot like Survival Instincts. In our case my Totem Barbarian gets skill proficiencies instead of Spirit Seeker and Spirit Walker.
From an RP point of view I'm not thrilled by Survival Instincts because it feels weird to me for characters to suddenly gain expertise after first level. This Barbarian had no talent in Medicine or Animal Handling but suddenly they're an expert, huh? Same for the Scout Rogue, incidentally. I really feel like those skills should build up slowly, maybe starting at half-proficiency, then going up to proficiency a level later, then expertise a level after that.
Heh. By that logic, Phoenix, you could opt to dump all of your uses of Favored Foe onto the same target over the course of a few turns, stacking several Hunter's Marks.
In this case I'd simply call it a byproduct of UA wording not being as tight as Official Content wording (seriously...what happens to the REST of a barbarian's 'Fast Movement' if they take Instinctive Pounce, instead?), and assume the intent is simply to allow the ranger to Hunter's Mark the regular way, save a bit more freely.
Well they essentially took away the main selling point for kensei monks. So I personally hate that.
If you're talking about the more flexible Monk Weapons I think the only weapons this would include that are different from the original 5E Monk are .. darts and slings. That's weapons natively proficient to the Monk class, of course. If you're a dwarven Monk you can throw in the battleaxe and warhammer; elves get rapiers and hand crossbows (drow), longsword and short and longbows (high/wood). It's really not that open. What it does open up, though, is multiclass dips into Monk being more viable since it allows you to use the weapons you were proficient with form other classes with Monk abilities. Kensei still have their place, especially now with Distant Eye.
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Canto alla vita alla sua bellezza ad ogni sua ferita ogni sua carezza!
I sing to life and to its tragic beauty To pain and to strife, but all that dances through me The rise and the fall, I've lived through it all!
well now that every UA caster can swap cantrips the artificer is losing ground i guess. shame really seeing as thats a 10th lvl power for the artificer; but maybe this will be a sign that it will be moved as well?
Well they essentially took away the main selling point for kensei monks. So I personally hate that.
If you're talking about the more flexible Monk Weapons I think the only weapons this would include that are different from the original 5E Monk are .. darts and slings. That's weapons natively proficient to the Monk class, of course. If you're a dwarven Monk you can throw in the battleaxe and warhammer; elves get rapiers and hand crossbows (drow), longsword and short and longbows (high/wood). It's really not that open. What it does open up, though, is multiclass dips into Monk being more viable since it allows you to use the weapons you were proficient with form other classes with Monk abilities. Kensei still have their place, especially now with Distant Eye.
Yea I skipped over the part that requires proficiency. That's my bad.
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Enhance or replace PHB class features at the DM's discretion.
#theyfixedtherangeragain
https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/unearthed-arcana/class-feature-variants
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in awhile.
Hope these get added as player options on DNDbeyond soon
I love these so much. If there's any criticism of 5e we see a lot, it's the lack of customization compared to previous editions, so alternate class feature options definitely go a long way towards letting people mix and match and build more unique characters.
I especially liked all the attention they paid to the Ranger class. I've never been one of the people saying the class was completely broken or anything, but favored terrain and favored enemy could be a bit underwhelming at times.
The new fighting style options are also pretty intriguing!
So many extra ways to make a character more unique or personal, the warlock in particular feels like it got a great spread of new choices.
When do we get these on dndbeyond?
WOW.
I did not see this coming. Even if some of these feel potentially really overtuned on first reading, I am absolutely 100% in favor of anything that allows a measure of extra control over/customization of one's character. Even if none of this particular document whatsoever actually makes it, I feel like we all need to pull extra especial hard on this one and let Wizards know that we need more shit like this.
Yowzas.
Anyways. Going to digest the options some before opining further, but I just felt like exploding with glee a little bit over the idea of variant class features. Oh my GAWD 5e needs this. Needs. This.
EDIT: @BelfastBiker
You're new to UA, ne? The DDB team does not see this stuff one singular second before we do, and Wizards offers them absolutely no assistance coding it in. Give the poor folks some time, especially with something as complicated and unexpected as variant class features.
Also, side note: pray whatever codework they have to do to make 'Variant Class Features' work becomes part of the homebrew editor later. here's everybody's solution for running the (extremely shitty and over-munchkiny) Revised Ranger, as well as fixing up any other class however they need.
Please do not contact or message me.
Most of the blanket upgrades are for rules that are honestly kind of unfun or have very little risk of power creep. Being 100% locked into skill proficiencies, fighting styles and cantrips from 1st/2nd level kinda sucks and the number of Spells Known classes like sorcerer or ranger get is so ridiculously low compared to prepared casters that it's baffling. Giving some flexibility in those departments doesn't break anything and takes some of the edge off of those early-level commitments. Slightly expanding class spell lists doesn't break anything either since you're still bound by your spells known/prepared and spell slots.
The Forum Infestation (TM)
Am I reading this wrong or would this mean with the favored foe feature you can stack hunter's mark?
My Homebrew | Background | Feats | Magic Items | Races | Spells | Subclass | Homebrewery
To see my more recent homebrew creations, please check out my content on Hombrewery.
The barbarian variants are nice. I'm not sure I'd use them, but options are good.
https://www.dndbeyond.com/subraces/137390-weretouched-beasthide
https://www.dndbeyond.com/subraces/137424-weretouched-longtooth
https://www.dndbeyond.com/subraces/137431-weretouched-razorclaw
https://www.dndbeyond.com/subraces/137461-weretouched-swiftstride
https://www.dndbeyond.com/subraces/137646-weretouched-wildhunt
A target can generally only be affected by a given ability once. I forget where the exact rule is, but if you generate a Hunter's Mark effect on a target, then try to Hunter's Mark it again, you would simply replace the existing mark, not double up on it.
Admittedly, the ranger's kind of needed Hunter's Mark to work like this for a long time, it's ridiculous that their 'class-defining' ability is a spell that conflicts with three quarters of their existing spell list, but no, you can't double Hunter's Mark.
You can, however, add Hex to it. Which is mostly just a straight-up better version of the same thing.
Please do not contact or message me.
I'm just wonder cause I thought that was only restricted by it having concentration which this feature is getting rid of.
My Homebrew | Background | Feats | Magic Items | Races | Spells | Subclass | Homebrewery
To see my more recent homebrew creations, please check out my content on Hombrewery.
no becuse effects frome the same spell even if yopu can cast it a diffrent way dont stack
Funny, I'm playing a Barbarian in a low-magic campaign and we did something a lot like Survival Instincts. In our case my Totem Barbarian gets skill proficiencies instead of Spirit Seeker and Spirit Walker.
From an RP point of view I'm not thrilled by Survival Instincts because it feels weird to me for characters to suddenly gain expertise after first level. This Barbarian had no talent in Medicine or Animal Handling but suddenly they're an expert, huh? Same for the Scout Rogue, incidentally. I really feel like those skills should build up slowly, maybe starting at half-proficiency, then going up to proficiency a level later, then expertise a level after that.
Heh. By that logic, Phoenix, you could opt to dump all of your uses of Favored Foe onto the same target over the course of a few turns, stacking several Hunter's Marks.
In this case I'd simply call it a byproduct of UA wording not being as tight as Official Content wording (seriously...what happens to the REST of a barbarian's 'Fast Movement' if they take Instinctive Pounce, instead?), and assume the intent is simply to allow the ranger to Hunter's Mark the regular way, save a bit more freely.
Please do not contact or message me.
Well they essentially took away the main selling point for kensei monks. So I personally hate that.
If you're talking about the more flexible Monk Weapons I think the only weapons this would include that are different from the original 5E Monk are .. darts and slings. That's weapons natively proficient to the Monk class, of course. If you're a dwarven Monk you can throw in the battleaxe and warhammer; elves get rapiers and hand crossbows (drow), longsword and short and longbows (high/wood). It's really not that open. What it does open up, though, is multiclass dips into Monk being more viable since it allows you to use the weapons you were proficient with form other classes with Monk abilities. Kensei still have their place, especially now with Distant Eye.
Canto alla vita
alla sua bellezza
ad ogni sua ferita
ogni sua carezza!
I sing to life and to its tragic beauty
To pain and to strife, but all that dances through me
The rise and the fall, I've lived through it all!
well now that every UA caster can swap cantrips the artificer is losing ground i guess. shame really seeing as thats a 10th lvl power for the artificer; but maybe this will be a sign that it will be moved as well?
Yea I skipped over the part that requires proficiency. That's my bad.