A dizzying array of options...many of which seem quite fun and practical.
I particularly enjoy that "Pact of the Talisman" for the Warlock...it essentially gives you the flexibility to create an object you can flavor to your character, one that has interesting uses should you use the Invocations.
It also makes you a more skillful character, potentially...or an ally.
Damn...this Unearthed Arcana is such an injection of fresh ideas.
Dunno...
Taking a pact for whats essentially a glorified Bless...
Only interesting thing i can think off is the Invocation that lets you teleport to the amulet..., but honestly its meh in general.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Normality is but an Illusion, Whats normal to the Spider, is only madness for the Fly"
"Magical Inspiration" will help aid those spells that often require a roll to hit...increasing the likelihood of a good result, and no wasted spell slot (a very common fear among spellcasters).
Actually, it only adds to damage or healing rolls. Thankfully, regular ol' Bardic Inspiration already can add to any kind of attack roll, including spell attacks.
Wow, this list is amazing. I think the biggest change is actually the Wild Companion Enhancement. This is a huge boon to non-moon druids who have little use for Wild Shape.
Also, does this confirm 5.5 Edition? All these UAs really feel as though a 5.5 Edition book is in the works.
"Magical Inspiration" will help aid those spells that often require a roll to hit...increasing the likelihood of a good result, and no wasted spell slot (a very common fear among spellcasters).
Actually, it only adds to damage or healing rolls. Thankfully, regular ol' Bardic Inspiration already can add to any kind of attack roll, including spell attacks.
Ah! That is very good, too.
Indeed, spell casters can hold on to the Inspiration Dice until they crit, and then the Inspiration Dice is doubled as well!
A dizzying array of options...many of which seem quite fun and practical.
I particularly enjoy that "Pact of the Talisman" for the Warlock...it essentially gives you the flexibility to create an object you can flavor to your character, one that has interesting uses should you use the Invocations.
It also makes you a more skillful character, potentially...or an ally.
Damn...this Unearthed Arcana is such an injection of fresh ideas.
Dunno...
Taking a pact for whats essentially a glorified Bless...
Only interesting thing i can think off is the Invocation that lets you teleport to the amulet..., but honestly its meh in general.
I like the lucky charm aspect of it from a skill standpoint...but what I like most are the Eldritch Invocations it provides.
The teleportation aspect you mentioned is a substantial feature...but I also enjoy "Rebuke of the Talisman", which is a renewable Reaction-based attack that does minor damage, but also knocks that attacker backwards 10ft., with no save.
Add other Eldritch Invocations like "Repelling Blast" or "Grasp of Hadar", and you essentially are shoving or pulling enemies around the battlefield like some spooky chess-master. That's a lot of fun.
Other classes being better at grappling/H2H than Monks... seriously, Restraining Strike and Unarmed Fighting Style are things that should be baked into the core Monk class, not as options for other classes.
WoTC, you do not make your game more fun & interesting by breaking down all the barriers that make class choices meaningful. You do it by enhancing what already makes classes unique. Make them better at their unique focus.
I'm getting really tired of saying "D&D isn't White Wolf", but maybe that's not actually true for their overall vision anymore. Maybe this is ******* White Wolf now.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
I dunno, I've never thought that monks should be the sole class that's good at unarmed combat. That seems the less plausible route. I think a viable unarmed Fighter has been a pretty popular request for a long time, as well.
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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!
Including maneuvers for social and mental encounters also seems to signal the attempt to make Fighters of all different styles and I also really like that.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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!
I actually don't agree with being able to switch out proficiencies. Like, in fiction, how would that work? Like "I studied diligently for years to become the best doctor I can be but *ding! level up* I'm really good at cartwheels now and have seemingly forgotten how to set a broken leg!"??
Works just about as well as the broken logic of cantrips -- "Repeated practice has fixed the spell in the caster's mind and infused the caster with the magic needed to produce the effect over and over" -- and yet whoops, here I am at level whatever with a brand new cantrip!
Is no one else disappointed that the warlocks don't get a similar 'favored foe' feature for their hex? Hex should be a class feature since its pretty much a given in the first place and wasting a spell slot on hex is a lot more costly with a warlock's 2 spell slots even if the ranger is also pretty limiting. Between the almost necessity to have hex at all times, and the 'kill a bag of rats in the morning' exploit, just give it to us already!
Not to mention that the warlock - 'cursing class' doesn't even get other curses as base class spells, only granted things like bane through an invocation.
After spending more time to read it over I'm actually happy with most of these changes. Though there are two things that stand out to me. First, the new cunning action option, second the unarmed fighting style.
Aim Cunning Action - What worries me about this, is that this will allow archer rogues to be the go to. Reason being now they don't even have to try to hide or attack a creature next to an ally to gain their sneak attack. Sure, if you're using a short bow you can only be up to 80 feet (without sharpshooter) and it can be argued that they'd be charged or attacked by another creature at that ranged. When you take into consideration that some rogues use long bows that can do this at a possible range of 120 feet (without sharpshooter). You can be out of range of most attacks, and without much risk to the character, plus this issue is worse if they do take sharpshooter being able to do this from a much longer range.
Unarmed Fighting Style - I haven't done the math of this one, but my worry is that this can possibly enable fighters to out pace monks in unarmed combat. Mostly cause fighters can do 1d8 + str mod at level 1 which monks are limited to 1d4 + str or dex. Which I understand that dex is a super stat, but monks wouldn't even get the damage die until they reach level 11 and now surpass that until level 17. Which by that point the fighter can make 3 unarmed strikes without expending any resources and I'm not even going to include action surge or possible subclass features
Other classes being better at grappling/H2H than Monks... seriously, Restraining Strike and Unarmed Fighting Style are things that should be baked into the core Monk class, not as options for other classes.
WoTC, you do not make your game more fun & interesting by breaking down all the barriers that make class choices meaningful. You do it by enhancing what already makes classes unique. Make them better at their unique focus.
I'm getting really tired of saying "D&D isn't White Wolf", but maybe that's not actually true for their overall vision anymore. Maybe this is ******* White Wolf now.
They allready tried that, and everybody and their dogs hated it...
Its called 4th Ed.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Normality is but an Illusion, Whats normal to the Spider, is only madness for the Fly"
Is no one else disappointed that the warlocks don't get a similar 'favored foe' feature for their hex? Hex should be a class feature since its pretty much a given in the first place and wasting a spell slot on hex is a lot more costly with a warlock's 2 spell slots even if the ranger is also pretty limiting. Between the almost necessity to have hex at all times, and the 'kill a bag of rats in the morning' exploit, just give it to us already!
Not to mention that the warlock - 'cursing class' doesn't even get other curses as base class spells, only granted things like bane through an invocation.
There's lots more issues with Warlocks than just the Hex.
But yeah not a lot of Hexing for someone who's supposed to use Curses...
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Normality is but an Illusion, Whats normal to the Spider, is only madness for the Fly"
Proficiency Versatility - a little pointless, but decent if everyone made characters independently & there are gaps as a result.
Barbarian
Survival Instincts - love it! I'm a sucker for both proficiencies & expertise, and while dexterity save advantage is very worthy it is also true that many barbarians pump dexterity to the point that this is tempting.
Instinctive Pounce - I would absolutely never choose this over Fast Movement personally (niche conditional vs always on), but I can see how it is kind of credible. Would be better if Sentinal and Polearm Mastery weren't already prevalent.
Bard
More spells! More inspiration utilizations!
Spell Versatility - great quality of life improvement, though realistically may as well let them change all to avoid "lets rest for a week!" situations? Possibly OP either way.
Cleric
Won't argue with more spells - steps on paladin toes, but then paladins often just smite their spell slots anyway...
Cantrip Versatility - I like it, though realistically it will seldom be used because the cleric cantrip list is very slim (most likely just if new spells are published during a campaign).
Harness Divine Power - useful early on, and honestly makes some of the worst domains a bit more credible overall (*cough* nature *cough*).
Blessed Strikes - basically invalidates Potent Spellcasting & tough call vs Divine Strike, but I don't begrudge clerics it myself.
Druid
Fun spells, fun cantrip boost.
Wild Companion - another great little idea; thematic and useful, for the druid who fears getting swatted while scouting & separated as a result - also a winged scout at low levels. Love it!
Fighter
Fighting Style Options - Martial Versatility is great, and I think thematic too. Blind Fighting is super for players wanting to play literally blind characters (awful in all other contexts) - however that remains impractical in myriad other ways... Interception is interesting, but is it needed with the existing Protection style? Thrown Weapon Fighting is disappointing in all honesty - I would have expected something better than Archery to reflect it is narrower & the weapons have lower range & damage, or wild benefits like throwing swords. Unarmed Fighting justifies publication a.s.a.p.!
Superior Technique - tremendous, I know people have wanted this one forever.
Maneuver Versatility - sure, why not.
Maneuver Options - so much to love here, but Restraining Strike and Silver Tongue are the stand-outs for me.
Monk
Monk Weapons - so basically battleaxe, longsword & warhammer are the new quarterstaffs? I'd still say it is harmless overall & does grant flexibility, but not a fan myself.
Ki-Fueled Strike - bit of a head-scratcher, but I guess it is a rebate on Stunning Strike or using a class feature in extreme proximity? Did Stunning Strike need this buff?
Ki Features - Distant Eye is meh, Quickened Healing is a nice contingency & short rest buff though.
Paladin
Blessed Warrior - cantrips for paladins, what a time to be alive! I probably wouldn't give up a fighting style for it - unless really struggling for illumination - but can see it being a thematic choice sometimes.
Ranger
The spell list deserves a shout out for revivify, tongues and greater restoration - really adds some new roles.
Deft Explorer - tremendous, lots to like about this one. The sequence of selection really feels impactful, too.
Favoured Foe - straight up buff, much needed & another popular request.
Druidic Warrior - I can foresee some shillelagh fun with this, so more practical than Blessed Warrior in my book.
Spell Versatility & Spellcasting Focus- nice buffs, no caveats.
Primal Awareness - would choose this over Primeval Awarenss all day long.
Fade Away - again, simply turns the impractical into the practical.
Ranger Companion Options - they are both highly thematic, and I like that Wizards went the extra mile adding lore (rather than just adding HP to ordinary beasts), but it's hard to see what they offer long-term with such lightweight offense... They only seem like they'd function if the DM chooses to treat them as an extra party member for adventuring who can operate independently (8 INT and 14 passive perception), as in combat they don't do much beyond surviving.
Rogue
Aim - this is simply superb, and makes the longbow rogue a viable new archetype (combined with Elvish Accuracy in particular). Great addition, and I would love to build around this with a scout.
Sorcerer
I have a soft spot for Primal Savagery, so very happy to see it sneak on to a charisma spell list - intrigued by all the melee additions sneaking on, but not sure they're particularly viable.
Spell Versatility - thank you! But like with the bard, this seems like a feature that can result in prolonged downtime.
Empowering Reserves - glad it isn't a meta magic, but for 2 sorcery points I thinks this needed to grant a re-roll rather than advantage (after vs before).
Imbuing Touch - garbage ability with fleeting low-level once-in-a-blue-moon applicability.
Sorcerous Fortitude - this seems an inferior version of Quickened Healing, which is itself only a contingency feature.
Elemental Spell - I am glad this exists, though a shame that it doesn't do a little more i.e. affect more spells or provide a small buff.
Seeking Spell - it's just too niche; seems like a newbie trap, as absolutely nobody should choose this with only 4 metamagic slots.
Unerring Spell - a worthy option with the appropriate spell selection.
Warlock
Some OK spells - Teleportation Circle stands out, given the lack of any comparable capabilities.
Bond of the Talisman - it is somewhere between OP or useless, depending on how your campaign & combat encounters play out. The whole Pact of the Talisman is outstanding for roleplaying in tandem with another player, but a feature that only works when you give your pact feature to another character is iffy for me.
Chain Master’s Fury - it is something to do with bonus actions & handy on scouting missions, but I'm not enamoured getting this at level 9. Frankly it could have just been added to the core feature, given their low HP and 10 minute summon time.
Eldritch Armor - very tasty, opens up some new builds & lessens Hexblade dependency for Pact of the Blade.
Eldritch Mind - very handy with appropriate spell selections, freeing up a feat potentially. It's a shame this is restricted, when the Pact of the Tome doesn't have any concentration links itself.
Far Scribe - I love this, though the actual usefulness is questionable (since the party won't split that often). I can imagine this working with cherished NPC's as the equivalent of someone glue'd to their phone.
Gift of the Protectors - why are all these things Pact of the Tome related? This could just be a personal pact kind of deal with someone. I'm not dazzled, though it is the foundation of a good class feature somewhere.
Investment of the Chain Master - this is clearly centred on the warlock-specific forms (for the saving throws on bonus attacks), but it is really lightweight beyond the save DC. I'd combine this Chain Master's Fury into a single invocation, ditching the frothier aspects.
Protection of the Talisman - solid feature, though I would prefer it a few levels earlier as the core talisman function is a bit meh. In fact, I would go so far as to swap this and the core feature!
Rebuke of the Talisman - it is something to do with your reactions, and potentially a strong defense against foes with multiple attacks. I like it.
Pact of the Talisman - I like that there is a option for when the party has plenty of wizard ritual casters and familiars, but as features go I don't rate it very highly; warlocks don't really have much of a draw to focus on anything besides CHA, CON & DEX so this will seldom help with more than stealth checks plus any social skills you didn't care about enough to train. Would happily hand it to an INT or WIS based caster, unless using an invocation that deters doing so.
Wizard
More wizard spells? Who'd have thunk!
Cantrip Versatility - nice once again, can see good merit for it for this class.
I think the main reason they didn't give something similar to the Warlock is because not all Warlock builds use Hex and it sort of would paint the Warlock class into a corner and be like "Okay, you have to use curses." I agree that Hex is a very important spell for many warlock builds, but it isn't 100% must add for every Warlock. I've built plenty of Hexless Warlocks, have yet to built a Ranger without Hunter's Mark.
I think a happy medium would be an Invocation that allowed you to cast Hex at will without expending a spell slot.
it works less well for the GOO or the Hexblade, but I think it works really well for the Archfey. A good luck charm? totally works
I can see a Great Old One patron bestowing an amulet, something along the lines of: "A strange amulet, intricate in its design, which seems to twist and shift the longer you gaze at it, preventing you from discerning any permanent shape to it."
The psychic damage it potentially bestows makes sense with GOO, as well.
A Hexblade could be any entity from the Shadowfell, or any evil or neutral entity, really.
"An amulet to help stave off Death; bestowed by your patron. A polished, obsidian stone...cold to the touch."
Is no one else disappointed that the warlocks don't get a similar 'favored foe' feature for their hex? Hex should be a class feature since its pretty much a given in the first place and wasting a spell slot on hex is a lot more costly with a warlock's 2 spell slots even if the ranger is also pretty limiting. Between the almost necessity to have hex at all times, and the 'kill a bag of rats in the morning' exploit, just give it to us already!
Not to mention that the warlock - 'cursing class' doesn't even get other curses as base class spells, only granted things like bane through an invocation.
There's lots more issues with Warlocks than just the Hex.
But yeah not a lot of Hexing for someone who's supposed to use Curses...
Other than the hex/lack of curses what other issues are there for the warlock?, between subclass, pact AND invocations, I actually love the versatility and customization that the warlocks have.
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Dunno...
Taking a pact for whats essentially a glorified Bless...
Only interesting thing i can think off is the Invocation that lets you teleport to the amulet..., but honestly its meh in general.
"Normality is but an Illusion, Whats normal to the Spider, is only madness for the Fly"
Kain de Frostberg- Dark Knight - (Vengeance Pal3/ Hexblade 9), Port Mourn
Kain de Draakberg-Dark Knight lvl8-Avergreen(DitA)
Ah! That is very good, too.
Wow, this list is amazing. I think the biggest change is actually the Wild Companion Enhancement. This is a huge boon to non-moon druids who have little use for Wild Shape.
Also, does this confirm 5.5 Edition? All these UAs really feel as though a 5.5 Edition book is in the works.
Indeed, spell casters can hold on to the Inspiration Dice until they crit, and then the Inspiration Dice is doubled as well!
I like the lucky charm aspect of it from a skill standpoint...but what I like most are the Eldritch Invocations it provides.
The teleportation aspect you mentioned is a substantial feature...but I also enjoy "Rebuke of the Talisman", which is a renewable Reaction-based attack that does minor damage, but also knocks that attacker backwards 10ft., with no save.
Add other Eldritch Invocations like "Repelling Blast" or "Grasp of Hadar", and you essentially are shoving or pulling enemies around the battlefield like some spooky chess-master. That's a lot of fun.
Be quiet my divination wizard wants to cast divination!
Eldritch Armor is pretty potent, since it essentially grants proficiency with all armor.
Okay, maybe one or two changes.
Wizard (Gandalf) of the Tolkien Club
it works less well for the GOO or the Hexblade, but I think it works really well for the Archfey. A good luck charm? totally works
Rangers and Druids continue to get more of the things that make Clerics unique...
Other casters getting smite spells...
Paladins getting Spirit Guardians...
Other classes being better at grappling/H2H than Monks... seriously, Restraining Strike and Unarmed Fighting Style are things that should be baked into the core Monk class, not as options for other classes.
WoTC, you do not make your game more fun & interesting by breaking down all the barriers that make class choices meaningful. You do it by enhancing what already makes classes unique. Make them better at their unique focus.
I'm getting really tired of saying "D&D isn't White Wolf", but maybe that's not actually true for their overall vision anymore. Maybe this is ******* White Wolf now.
You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
I dunno, I've never thought that monks should be the sole class that's good at unarmed combat. That seems the less plausible route. I think a viable unarmed Fighter has been a pretty popular request for a long time, as well.
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!
Including maneuvers for social and mental encounters also seems to signal the attempt to make Fighters of all different styles and I also really like that.
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!
Works just about as well as the broken logic of cantrips -- "Repeated practice has fixed the spell in the caster's mind and infused the caster with the magic needed to produce the effect over and over" -- and yet whoops, here I am at level whatever with a brand new cantrip!
Birgit | Shifter | Sorcerer | Dragonlords
Shayone | Hobgoblin | Sorcerer | Netherdeep
Is no one else disappointed that the warlocks don't get a similar 'favored foe' feature for their hex? Hex should be a class feature since its pretty much a given in the first place and wasting a spell slot on hex is a lot more costly with a warlock's 2 spell slots even if the ranger is also pretty limiting. Between the almost necessity to have hex at all times, and the 'kill a bag of rats in the morning' exploit, just give it to us already!
Not to mention that the warlock - 'cursing class' doesn't even get other curses as base class spells, only granted things like bane through an invocation.
After spending more time to read it over I'm actually happy with most of these changes. Though there are two things that stand out to me. First, the new cunning action option, second the unarmed fighting style.
Aim Cunning Action - What worries me about this, is that this will allow archer rogues to be the go to. Reason being now they don't even have to try to hide or attack a creature next to an ally to gain their sneak attack. Sure, if you're using a short bow you can only be up to 80 feet (without sharpshooter) and it can be argued that they'd be charged or attacked by another creature at that ranged. When you take into consideration that some rogues use long bows that can do this at a possible range of 120 feet (without sharpshooter). You can be out of range of most attacks, and without much risk to the character, plus this issue is worse if they do take sharpshooter being able to do this from a much longer range.
Unarmed Fighting Style - I haven't done the math of this one, but my worry is that this can possibly enable fighters to out pace monks in unarmed combat. Mostly cause fighters can do 1d8 + str mod at level 1 which monks are limited to 1d4 + str or dex. Which I understand that dex is a super stat, but monks wouldn't even get the damage die until they reach level 11 and now surpass that until level 17. Which by that point the fighter can make 3 unarmed strikes without expending any resources and I'm not even going to include action surge or possible subclass features
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They allready tried that, and everybody and their dogs hated it...
Its called 4th Ed.
"Normality is but an Illusion, Whats normal to the Spider, is only madness for the Fly"
Kain de Frostberg- Dark Knight - (Vengeance Pal3/ Hexblade 9), Port Mourn
Kain de Draakberg-Dark Knight lvl8-Avergreen(DitA)
There's lots more issues with Warlocks than just the Hex.
But yeah not a lot of Hexing for someone who's supposed to use Curses...
"Normality is but an Illusion, Whats normal to the Spider, is only madness for the Fly"
Kain de Frostberg- Dark Knight - (Vengeance Pal3/ Hexblade 9), Port Mourn
Kain de Draakberg-Dark Knight lvl8-Avergreen(DitA)
All
Proficiency Versatility - a little pointless, but decent if everyone made characters independently & there are gaps as a result.
Barbarian
Survival Instincts - love it! I'm a sucker for both proficiencies & expertise, and while dexterity save advantage is very worthy it is also true that many barbarians pump dexterity to the point that this is tempting.
Instinctive Pounce - I would absolutely never choose this over Fast Movement personally (niche conditional vs always on), but I can see how it is kind of credible. Would be better if Sentinal and Polearm Mastery weren't already prevalent.
Bard
More spells! More inspiration utilizations!
Spell Versatility - great quality of life improvement, though realistically may as well let them change all to avoid "lets rest for a week!" situations? Possibly OP either way.
Cleric
Won't argue with more spells - steps on paladin toes, but then paladins often just smite their spell slots anyway...
Cantrip Versatility - I like it, though realistically it will seldom be used because the cleric cantrip list is very slim (most likely just if new spells are published during a campaign).
Harness Divine Power - useful early on, and honestly makes some of the worst domains a bit more credible overall (*cough* nature *cough*).
Blessed Strikes - basically invalidates Potent Spellcasting & tough call vs Divine Strike, but I don't begrudge clerics it myself.
Druid
Fun spells, fun cantrip boost.
Wild Companion - another great little idea; thematic and useful, for the druid who fears getting swatted while scouting & separated as a result - also a winged scout at low levels. Love it!
Fighter
Fighting Style Options - Martial Versatility is great, and I think thematic too. Blind Fighting is super for players wanting to play literally blind characters (awful in all other contexts) - however that remains impractical in myriad other ways... Interception is interesting, but is it needed with the existing Protection style? Thrown Weapon Fighting is disappointing in all honesty - I would have expected something better than Archery to reflect it is narrower & the weapons have lower range & damage, or wild benefits like throwing swords. Unarmed Fighting justifies publication a.s.a.p.!
Superior Technique - tremendous, I know people have wanted this one forever.
Maneuver Versatility - sure, why not.
Maneuver Options - so much to love here, but Restraining Strike and Silver Tongue are the stand-outs for me.
Monk
Monk Weapons - so basically battleaxe, longsword & warhammer are the new quarterstaffs? I'd still say it is harmless overall & does grant flexibility, but not a fan myself.
Ki-Fueled Strike - bit of a head-scratcher, but I guess it is a rebate on Stunning Strike or using a class feature in extreme proximity? Did Stunning Strike need this buff?
Ki Features - Distant Eye is meh, Quickened Healing is a nice contingency & short rest buff though.
Paladin
Blessed Warrior - cantrips for paladins, what a time to be alive! I probably wouldn't give up a fighting style for it - unless really struggling for illumination - but can see it being a thematic choice sometimes.
Ranger
The spell list deserves a shout out for revivify, tongues and greater restoration - really adds some new roles.
Deft Explorer - tremendous, lots to like about this one. The sequence of selection really feels impactful, too.
Favoured Foe - straight up buff, much needed & another popular request.
Druidic Warrior - I can foresee some shillelagh fun with this, so more practical than Blessed Warrior in my book.
Spell Versatility & Spellcasting Focus- nice buffs, no caveats.
Primal Awareness - would choose this over Primeval Awarenss all day long.
Fade Away - again, simply turns the impractical into the practical.
Ranger Companion Options - they are both highly thematic, and I like that Wizards went the extra mile adding lore (rather than just adding HP to ordinary beasts), but it's hard to see what they offer long-term with such lightweight offense... They only seem like they'd function if the DM chooses to treat them as an extra party member for adventuring who can operate independently (8 INT and 14 passive perception), as in combat they don't do much beyond surviving.
Rogue
Aim - this is simply superb, and makes the longbow rogue a viable new archetype (combined with Elvish Accuracy in particular). Great addition, and I would love to build around this with a scout.
Sorcerer
I have a soft spot for Primal Savagery, so very happy to see it sneak on to a charisma spell list - intrigued by all the melee additions sneaking on, but not sure they're particularly viable.
Spell Versatility - thank you! But like with the bard, this seems like a feature that can result in prolonged downtime.
Empowering Reserves - glad it isn't a meta magic, but for 2 sorcery points I thinks this needed to grant a re-roll rather than advantage (after vs before).
Imbuing Touch - garbage ability with fleeting low-level once-in-a-blue-moon applicability.
Sorcerous Fortitude - this seems an inferior version of Quickened Healing, which is itself only a contingency feature.
Elemental Spell - I am glad this exists, though a shame that it doesn't do a little more i.e. affect more spells or provide a small buff.
Seeking Spell - it's just too niche; seems like a newbie trap, as absolutely nobody should choose this with only 4 metamagic slots.
Unerring Spell - a worthy option with the appropriate spell selection.
Warlock
Some OK spells - Teleportation Circle stands out, given the lack of any comparable capabilities.
Bond of the Talisman - it is somewhere between OP or useless, depending on how your campaign & combat encounters play out. The whole Pact of the Talisman is outstanding for roleplaying in tandem with another player, but a feature that only works when you give your pact feature to another character is iffy for me.
Chain Master’s Fury - it is something to do with bonus actions & handy on scouting missions, but I'm not enamoured getting this at level 9. Frankly it could have just been added to the core feature, given their low HP and 10 minute summon time.
Eldritch Armor - very tasty, opens up some new builds & lessens Hexblade dependency for Pact of the Blade.
Eldritch Mind - very handy with appropriate spell selections, freeing up a feat potentially. It's a shame this is restricted, when the Pact of the Tome doesn't have any concentration links itself.
Far Scribe - I love this, though the actual usefulness is questionable (since the party won't split that often). I can imagine this working with cherished NPC's as the equivalent of someone glue'd to their phone.
Gift of the Protectors - why are all these things Pact of the Tome related? This could just be a personal pact kind of deal with someone. I'm not dazzled, though it is the foundation of a good class feature somewhere.
Investment of the Chain Master - this is clearly centred on the warlock-specific forms (for the saving throws on bonus attacks), but it is really lightweight beyond the save DC. I'd combine this Chain Master's Fury into a single invocation, ditching the frothier aspects.
Protection of the Talisman - solid feature, though I would prefer it a few levels earlier as the core talisman function is a bit meh. In fact, I would go so far as to swap this and the core feature!
Rebuke of the Talisman - it is something to do with your reactions, and potentially a strong defense against foes with multiple attacks. I like it.
Pact of the Talisman - I like that there is a option for when the party has plenty of wizard ritual casters and familiars, but as features go I don't rate it very highly; warlocks don't really have much of a draw to focus on anything besides CHA, CON & DEX so this will seldom help with more than stealth checks plus any social skills you didn't care about enough to train. Would happily hand it to an INT or WIS based caster, unless using an invocation that deters doing so.
Wizard
More wizard spells? Who'd have thunk!
Cantrip Versatility - nice once again, can see good merit for it for this class.
I think the main reason they didn't give something similar to the Warlock is because not all Warlock builds use Hex and it sort of would paint the Warlock class into a corner and be like "Okay, you have to use curses." I agree that Hex is a very important spell for many warlock builds, but it isn't 100% must add for every Warlock. I've built plenty of Hexless Warlocks, have yet to built a Ranger without Hunter's Mark.
I think a happy medium would be an Invocation that allowed you to cast Hex at will without expending a spell slot.
I can see a Great Old One patron bestowing an amulet, something along the lines of: "A strange amulet, intricate in its design, which seems to twist and shift the longer you gaze at it, preventing you from discerning any permanent shape to it."
The psychic damage it potentially bestows makes sense with GOO, as well.
A Hexblade could be any entity from the Shadowfell, or any evil or neutral entity, really.
"An amulet to help stave off Death; bestowed by your patron. A polished, obsidian stone...cold to the touch."
Other than the hex/lack of curses what other issues are there for the warlock?, between subclass, pact AND invocations, I actually love the versatility and customization that the warlocks have.