Okay, not only do we have more UA coming in, it's also only the start of even more, which considering the sheer amount we've had in the last couple of months is pretty dang impressive. We've definitely got something big in the works, and I don't think It's got anything to do with the new Crit Role tie in that's coming out either.
I love the idea of the Way of Mercy, but I would have liked to see the healing abilities be a little more potent to make Monks a viable option as a party's primary healer if there's no Cleric around.
I also don't think the Level 6 feature fits with the whole pacifist/merciful Monk idea that they discuss in the opening. Would like to see a more "positive" alternative feature there.
The Oath of Watchers Channel Divinity "Abjure the Extraplanar" is definitely good flavor, but I don't like that it's just better than other Oaths. Both Devotion and Ancients only get 2 targets: fiends and undead, fey and fiends respectively. Getting 4 seems like a big boost, but maybe the other abilities balance out.
Do bear in mind that UA such as these are usually intentionally overpowered with the goal of tweaking then down as needed, so it may be that a nerf is needed. Then again it may also be that they intend to break the rules a little on this one, so I guess we'll see.
The Oath of Watchers Channel Divinity "Abjure the Extraplanar" is definitely good flavor, but I don't like that it's just better than other Oaths. Both Devotion and Ancients only get 2 targets: fiends and undead, fey and fiends respectively. Getting 4 seems like a big boost, but maybe the other abilities balance out.
The Watchers aura power seems weaker, though. I think that balances pretty well.
And the unceasing floodtide barrage of random subclasses continues.
First Impressions: -Path of the Beast mostly seems like a furrier Path of the Totem thing - choose your 'primal spirit' and gain a superstrong weapon instead of various nonweapony buffs. Cool for people whose need for a werewolf PC wasn't sated by Eberron shifters, but I'm not sure it doesn't tread on the toes of Totem barbarians some.
-Way of Mercy seems to be decently executed, though random toxic aura does seem a bit odd. The basic idea is a bit formulaic, it's the one I'm having the hardest time remembering the particulars of even just a few minutes after I read it, but ehh. Ki healing has been a thing IRL (for a given definition of 'thing') for forever; why not make it a thing in a world where ki actually, provably exists?
-Watcher palladalladingdong is...sure. The standout to me is that this is a Palladalladingdong with Counterspell, because **** you and the broom you rode in on. Watcher's Will is cool, Sentinel aura is fun if not particularly powerful, and the thought of one palladalladingdong Banishing an entire encounter's worth of extraplanar fiends or such, just pop-pop-pop, one after the other, back to Hell goes the weasel is hilarious.
The 'Noble Genie' warlock is hot moose piss. it's utterly, utterly awful and makes me long for the merely mediocre days of the Lurker of the Deep. Holy hell this is so bad. The mechanics, the thematics, the seed idea, the execution...this is bad homebrew by the standards of bad homebrew, let alone semiofficial Unearthed Arcana content. Noble Genie is so freaking awful it demeans my other warlocks, and they have actual patrons and such. Gods above this one is just sucha stinker I can't even figure out how it got past initial qualification. Wow. It's almost impressive just how horrible this patron is. Almost.
First off...I am genuinely excited that these Unearthed Arcana haven't stopped, after this hiatus from last year. I love the anticipation of waiting for these new subclasses!
Moving in to them...
Barbarian "Path of the Beast":
I immediately see some similarities to the Totem Barbarian, at least as far as the physical transformation into a beast-like aspect is concerned. Ordinarily, I'd flavor a Totem Barbarian to this type of background...but it's nice to have options.
I enjoy the feverish, predator-like roleplaying of this subclass, and how you can spread these effects to enemies or your allies. I also like how you can customize what sort of "beast" your emulating...no one likes getting pidgeon-holed into a lycanthropy, per se.
Monk "Way of Mercy":
Ah, the somber, healing monk whose holy task is the purity of the spirit, blessing the souls around them...
...now DIEEEEEEEEE...!!! NECROTIC DAMAGE!!! POISON MOST FOUL...!!!
Nice of them to make a healer monk, who isn't afraid to hurt others. Puts the mercy in "mercy-kill".
Good for a plague-doctor.
Paladin "Oath of the Watcher":
I love extra-planar characters (similar to the ranger's Horizon Walker), so having a paladin who specializes in neutralizing extra-planar threats is perfect. It also stands apart from the other Oaths by not necessarily being committed to an ideal, but a purpose.
Nice defensive features and support spells, good longevity throughout all levels of play.
It's like the Night's Watch from "Game of Thrones", except their enemy can be The Devil, or Cthullu. Yikes.
...and what happens with a Fiend Warlock multiclass? Instant death? That sort of violates the tenant immediately, doesn't it?
God, I love the implications of this subclass...
Warlock "The Noble Genie":
They finally did it, those sneaky Wizards! Genie patron...!
It isn't as elemental-focused as I might have thought, strangely enough...save for the swappable resistance feature.
Instead, this seems to clearly be a support-based subclass.
Teleportation, casting spells from an allies position, boosts to saving throws, limited healing, support spells...
...Bigby's Hand is nice, though...and especially needed, considering it is a bonus action to use, and some of these features require an action to use.
I feel like "Genie's Entertainment" needs a little more oomph to it...perhaps not as overpowered as, say, the Fiend Patrons "Hurl Through Hell"...but some kind of damage or debuff if they return.
Still, a Banishment-lite spell without costing a spell slot is good enough for me.
I also feel like this subclass ties nicely together with the Class Variant "Pact of the Talisman"...
I'm already concocting a character that is bound to an Efreet, and the Talisman manifests as a manacle around their wrist...and when they "tether" an ally, it sends a chain that then manacles to another ally.
The only other criticism is that SOME form of Wish spell be present...perhaps even a Wish-lite spell for a 14th level feature that let's you cast any spell of your warlock level, provided you make the Persuasion check...I suppose the benefits present are well enough.
hands down my fav ability is the Noble Genie 14th, alternative way to recharge the ability:
Alternatively, you can regain the use of this feature by sacrificing nonmagical treasure worth at least 500 gp to your patron. This sacrifice requires the treasure to be within 10 feet of you for at least 1 minute, at the end of which you use an action to teleport the treasure to your patron’s realm, provided you have the vessel of your Collector’s Vessel in hand.
I'm just liking that it doesn't necessarily have to be *your* treasure... *Cackle* !!!!!!
The oath of watchers paladin has more than a little bit of overlap with the Oath of Observation homebrew I published last year. Should I feel proud of that?
Huh, I wasn't expecting even more of these but I dig it. First impressions:
Path of the Beast seems pretty fantastic while not treading on the toes of Path of the Totem while remaining thematically similar. I kind of wish there were more attack options like a pair of horns you can use to damage and displace enemies but other than that this seems pretty solid.
Way of Mercy is the redo of Way of Tranquility that I have been waiting for without the crazy broken healing mechanic. The random Noxious Aura seems a bit out of place but in combination with Hands of Harm I can forgive it because that synergy is great. My one hope is that they tack on Dart proficiency and allow these abilities to be used in coordination with them... I just want a Acupuncture Monk real bad.
Oath of the Watcher is the exact kind of flavor I have been missing from the paladin. The concept is perfect for guardians of reality tears and those who fend off from the lovcraftian nightmares of the Far Realm. I do think Aura of the Sentinel is a bit out of place though, but that could be just my preference.
The Noble Genie... I want to like this really bad, but a lot of these abilities seem kinda bunk. Elemental Resistance is good and the tethering mechanic is super interesting, but the execution seems off. I'd rather get something else from tethering myself to someone than better Perception... Maybe if we BOTH got the benefit? Still seems kind of meh to me. We are under the influence of a powerful Djinn... why not have more elemental abilities? Protective Wish could be super useful when you have Armor Of A up, but Warlocks shouldn't be tanking.
I feel like this UA was somehow targeted at me. I've been trying to create the Beast Barbarian through shifter/tabaxi/monk/barbarian combos and whatnot for the longest time. They've been so stingy with tooth/claw/unarmed attacks for so long. There's so much focus on limitations and making sure every class stays in its lane in the past. It's nice to see them lighten up and have a little fun lately.
Mercy Monk seems very cool. I would like to see a beneficial aura thrown into the mix as well.
I've noticed that every time a new sublclass or feature is released there's a lot of fear of "stepping on toes" of X class or Y subclass. But realistically, not everyone is going to have every other class in their party or campaign. If the beast barbarian gets slightly into the totem territory thematically (jumping better seems to be the only mechanical similarity) is that really such a big deal? Usually there's one barbarian per campaign. And even if there's going to be another barbarian in the party, are they really going to be threatened by another animal themed barbarian? Or will it allow them to synergize their character backstories in some way? Maybe they're from the same tribe or rival tribes.
First thing I thought of with protective wish was the warlock slapping themself in the face and swapping places with the tethered creature. With a strength of 9 or lower and just a default unarmed strike for a whopping 0 damage of to the tethered creature (but probably still pretty insulting) allowing the warlock a relatively at will teleport up to 100 ft.
Pretty wild and silly that. Useful if the tethered creature can get through tight spaces or fly. Might strain the relationship with that creature over time though. Although if it's a familiar it doesn't have much choice in the matter.
Path of the Beast I like it a lot. While I agree, the flavor and them do get close to the Path of the Totem Warrior, mechanically they aren't that similar, so it shouldn't be a problem. I just want to point out that with a tail you have a 1d12 reach weapon that is nuts!
Way of Mercy: Okay, from a lot of people's takes, I assume they didn't read the flavor text. This monk is their to bring balance, healing those who need protecting and restoration, or destroying the evil, or simply ending suffering. Mercy-Kill is a part of their philosophy. So I like the give and take of the class, although, I do agree I'd like an alternate aura feature that helped with healing.
Oath of the Watchers: Crap do I love the flavor of this and the mechanics aren't bad. yeah, it's been pointed out the aura is a bit weak, but I guess that's to compensate for the other abilities.
Oath of the Nobel Genie: I love the flavor and idea of this. You serve the court of one of the elemental genies. But the Mechanics leave a lot to be desired. With the Collector's Vessel, I didn't get at first that you can only do this to one at a time, and that it's likely going to be one of your allies. I thought this might be an alternate to beast master. but it just... meh. There are nice things here, but I can't see myself playing it for the mechanics.
Oath of the Watchers: Crap do I love the flavor of this and the mechanics aren't bad. yeah, it's been pointed out the aura is a bit weak, but I guess that's to compensate for the other abilities.
My version of this had advantage on initiative rolls. I was afraid it might have been too strong, but if you think CHA modifier added to initiative is a little too weak, then maybe I made the right choice.
That's good on initiative rolls, but after combat begins there isn't really a benefit to it. out of combat there isn't really a benefit to it. So yeah, kinda weak, but it could be worse, and a lot of the rest is very helpful.
I see so many trashing on the way of mercy, mercy comes in many forms and sometimes it is ending a life gently through poison. No need for them to struggle as they cling to life, allow them slip gently into the sweet embrace of death. I enjoy the concept for riding the line between life and death being the arbiter of both. It's probably my favorite of this set thematically.
The Warlock seems subpar but could still be fun. Paladin looks solid, and the barbarian Is a good one for the barbarian that allows the ferocity to overtake them.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
I see so many trashing on the way of mercy, mercy comes in many forms and sometimes it is ending a life gently through poison. No need for them to struggle as they cling to life, allow them slip gently into the sweet embrace of death. I enjoy the concept for riding the line between life and death being the arbiter of both. It's probably my favorite of this set thematically.
Typically speaking when damage is dealt to a conscious creature in D&D it's usually includes inflicting pain. The damage over time aspect of the noxious aura is then pretty heavily at odds with the concept of a merciful death.
If they removed the WIS mod poison damage part of it I think it'd still be a quite good feature and thematically coherent seeing as the poisoned condition imposes disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks. Literally making it harder for enemies to hit you or anyone else for a round.
Of course a poisoning aura that also causes damage works well as a deterrent (for creatures that can be deterred anyway). It's an aura that says "Fighting me is going to be awful. You should stop while you still can." And if needed the monk can heal their opponent if they change their mind.
With that in mind Noxious Aura seems more in theme with trying to spare your opponent's life than trying to spare them their misery.
Also didn't say anyone trashing on way of Mercy, simply questioning whether Noxious Aura fit. If you want to see trashing though, I could totally find time in my day sometime to continue talking about how utterly disgraceful, putrid, and nigh-unplayable the "Noble Genie" patron is.
I see so many trashing on the way of mercy, mercy comes in many forms and sometimes it is ending a life gently through poison. No need for them to struggle as they cling to life, allow them slip gently into the sweet embrace of death. I enjoy the concept for riding the line between life and death being the arbiter of both. It's probably my favorite of this set thematically.
Typically speaking when damage is dealt to a conscious creature in D&D it's usually includes inflicting pain. The damage over time aspect of the noxious aura is then pretty heavily at odds with the concept of a merciful death.
If they removed the WIS mod poison damage part of it I think it'd still be a quite good feature and thematically coherent seeing as the poisoned condition imposes disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks. Literally making it harder for enemies to hit you or anyone else for a round.
Of course a poisoning aura that also causes damage works well as a deterrent (for creatures that can be deterred anyway). It's an aura that says "Fighting me is going to be awful. You should stop while you still can." And if needed the monk can heal their opponent if they change their mind.
With that in mind Noxious Aura seems more in theme with trying to spare your opponent's life than trying to spare them their misery.
I think the fact that hands of harm causes 3x damage to poisoned creatures is kind of too good of a mechanic to waste so I'm good with having to do a little bit of mental gymnastics to make it fit into the theme. Besides it says right in the description that you can play this class as genuinely merciful or some kind of "Angel of death" figure that sees themselves as ending suffering, even if it's suffering they're causing.
To that point though, I think they should maintain that duality in every class feature. A beneficial aura would balance things out nicely. Y'know really push the Yin and Yang angle.
On the other hand maybe it would be better if the aura caused a slow effect instead of the damage.
Path of the Beast is a psionic barbarian subclass. I know, I know, "It's clearly a lycanthrope subclass" yeah yeah, but heres the thing. The mechanics don't reflect that. Yes, in the flavor text they provide, it is connected to lycanthropy, but lets look at the mechanics individually, remove the flavor before them, and leave it a blank slate. I think this will help demonstrate my point.
Level 3: You can turn parts of your body into animalistic features when you rage. Now, yes, it may seem as if this is calling to mind a werewolf or other animal, but I actually disagree. You can choose what you turn into, and can flavor it as you want. "But what does shapeshifting have to do with psionics bunsen?" I hear you asking. Read the mystic class, and take note of the subclass (and disciplines tied to) the order of the immortal. This order is devoted to body manipulation, using psionics to alter their body to better suit them. This idea has legacy in D&D, and is known as psychometabolism.
Level 6: You can add additional things when you turn when you rage. You can mix match animal features. I don't know of any lycanthropes that can turn into half wolf half fish, but you can do that. This only furthers my point that this is psychometabolism, as you are able to create a combination to suit your current situation.
Level 10: When you attack someone, you can manipulate their mind to do one of the following:
Make them attack an ally next to them
Deal psychic damage
If you don't see how this fits into a psionic barbarian then I don't know what to tell you
Level 14: When you rage, you can spread your emotional fury through your allies, giving them benefits of your rage as well (reckless attack). You also gain more strength from doing this, all of the emotions running through everyone, being spread by you. This is emotion manipulation, which would easily and unarguably fit into psionics.
Basically, this is a psionic barbarian in disguise, is what I am saying. What do you all think?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Okay, not only do we have more UA coming in, it's also only the start of even more, which considering the sheer amount we've had in the last couple of months is pretty dang impressive. We've definitely got something big in the works, and I don't think It's got anything to do with the new Crit Role tie in that's coming out either.
Here's the new UA. We've got Path of the Beast Barbarian, Way of Mercy Monk, Oath of the Watchers Paladin, and the Noble Genie Warlock patron. https://media.wizards.com/2020/dnd/downloads/UA2020-Subclasses01.pdf
Thoughts?
I love the idea of the Way of Mercy, but I would have liked to see the healing abilities be a little more potent to make Monks a viable option as a party's primary healer if there's no Cleric around.
I also don't think the Level 6 feature fits with the whole pacifist/merciful Monk idea that they discuss in the opening. Would like to see a more "positive" alternative feature there.
The Oath of Watchers Channel Divinity "Abjure the Extraplanar" is definitely good flavor, but I don't like that it's just better than other Oaths. Both Devotion and Ancients only get 2 targets: fiends and undead, fey and fiends respectively. Getting 4 seems like a big boost, but maybe the other abilities balance out.
Adrik Torunn: Hill Dwarf Life Cleric of Moradin
Ando Fain: Half-elf Oath of Ancients Paladin of Miliekki, Dragon of Icespire Peak campaign
DM for home campaign
Do bear in mind that UA such as these are usually intentionally overpowered with the goal of tweaking then down as needed, so it may be that a nerf is needed. Then again it may also be that they intend to break the rules a little on this one, so I guess we'll see.
The Watchers aura power seems weaker, though. I think that balances pretty well.
And the unceasing floodtide barrage of random subclasses continues.
First Impressions:
-Path of the Beast mostly seems like a furrier Path of the Totem thing - choose your 'primal spirit' and gain a superstrong weapon instead of various nonweapony buffs. Cool for people whose need for a werewolf PC wasn't sated by Eberron shifters, but I'm not sure it doesn't tread on the toes of Totem barbarians some.
-Way of Mercy seems to be decently executed, though random toxic aura does seem a bit odd. The basic idea is a bit formulaic, it's the one I'm having the hardest time remembering the particulars of even just a few minutes after I read it, but ehh. Ki healing has been a thing IRL (for a given definition of 'thing') for forever; why not make it a thing in a world where ki actually, provably exists?
-Watcher palladalladingdong is...sure. The standout to me is that this is a Palladalladingdong with Counterspell, because **** you and the broom you rode in on. Watcher's Will is cool, Sentinel aura is fun if not particularly powerful, and the thought of one palladalladingdong Banishing an entire encounter's worth of extraplanar fiends or such, just pop-pop-pop, one after the other, back to Hell goes the weasel is hilarious.
The 'Noble Genie' warlock is hot moose piss. it's utterly, utterly awful and makes me long for the merely mediocre days of the Lurker of the Deep. Holy hell this is so bad. The mechanics, the thematics, the seed idea, the execution...this is bad homebrew by the standards of bad homebrew, let alone semiofficial Unearthed Arcana content. Noble Genie is so freaking awful it demeans my other warlocks, and they have actual patrons and such. Gods above this one is just such a stinker I can't even figure out how it got past initial qualification. Wow. It's almost impressive just how horrible this patron is. Almost.
Please do not contact or message me.
First off...I am genuinely excited that these Unearthed Arcana haven't stopped, after this hiatus from last year. I love the anticipation of waiting for these new subclasses!
Moving in to them...
Barbarian "Path of the Beast":
I immediately see some similarities to the Totem Barbarian, at least as far as the physical transformation into a beast-like aspect is concerned. Ordinarily, I'd flavor a Totem Barbarian to this type of background...but it's nice to have options.
I enjoy the feverish, predator-like roleplaying of this subclass, and how you can spread these effects to enemies or your allies. I also like how you can customize what sort of "beast" your emulating...no one likes getting pidgeon-holed into a lycanthropy, per se.
Monk "Way of Mercy":
Ah, the somber, healing monk whose holy task is the purity of the spirit, blessing the souls around them...
...now DIEEEEEEEEE...!!! NECROTIC DAMAGE!!! POISON MOST FOUL...!!!
Nice of them to make a healer monk, who isn't afraid to hurt others. Puts the mercy in "mercy-kill".
Good for a plague-doctor.
Paladin "Oath of the Watcher":
I love extra-planar characters (similar to the ranger's Horizon Walker), so having a paladin who specializes in neutralizing extra-planar threats is perfect. It also stands apart from the other Oaths by not necessarily being committed to an ideal, but a purpose.
Nice defensive features and support spells, good longevity throughout all levels of play.
It's like the Night's Watch from "Game of Thrones", except their enemy can be The Devil, or Cthullu. Yikes.
...and what happens with a Fiend Warlock multiclass? Instant death? That sort of violates the tenant immediately, doesn't it?
God, I love the implications of this subclass...
Warlock "The Noble Genie":
They finally did it, those sneaky Wizards! Genie patron...!
It isn't as elemental-focused as I might have thought, strangely enough...save for the swappable resistance feature.
Instead, this seems to clearly be a support-based subclass.
Teleportation, casting spells from an allies position, boosts to saving throws, limited healing, support spells...
...Bigby's Hand is nice, though...and especially needed, considering it is a bonus action to use, and some of these features require an action to use.
I feel like "Genie's Entertainment" needs a little more oomph to it...perhaps not as overpowered as, say, the Fiend Patrons "Hurl Through Hell"...but some kind of damage or debuff if they return.
Still, a Banishment-lite spell without costing a spell slot is good enough for me.
I also feel like this subclass ties nicely together with the Class Variant "Pact of the Talisman"...
I'm already concocting a character that is bound to an Efreet, and the Talisman manifests as a manacle around their wrist...and when they "tether" an ally, it sends a chain that then manacles to another ally.
The only other criticism is that SOME form of Wish spell be present...perhaps even a Wish-lite spell for a 14th level feature that let's you cast any spell of your warlock level, provided you make the Persuasion check...I suppose the benefits present are well enough.
hands down my fav ability is the Noble Genie 14th, alternative way to recharge the ability:
Alternatively, you can regain the use of this feature by sacrificing nonmagical treasure worth at least 500 gp to your patron. This sacrifice requires the treasure to be within 10 feet of you for at least 1 minute, at the end of which you use an action to teleport the treasure to your patron’s realm, provided you have the vessel of your Collector’s Vessel in hand.
I'm just liking that it doesn't necessarily have to be *your* treasure... *Cackle* !!!!!!
The oath of watchers paladin has more than a little bit of overlap with the Oath of Observation homebrew I published last year. Should I feel proud of that?
"Not all those who wander are lost"
Huh, I wasn't expecting even more of these but I dig it. First impressions:
Path of the Beast seems pretty fantastic while not treading on the toes of Path of the Totem while remaining thematically similar. I kind of wish there were more attack options like a pair of horns you can use to damage and displace enemies but other than that this seems pretty solid.
Way of Mercy is the redo of Way of Tranquility that I have been waiting for without the crazy broken healing mechanic. The random Noxious Aura seems a bit out of place but in combination with Hands of Harm I can forgive it because that synergy is great. My one hope is that they tack on Dart proficiency and allow these abilities to be used in coordination with them... I just want a Acupuncture Monk real bad.
Oath of the Watcher is the exact kind of flavor I have been missing from the paladin. The concept is perfect for guardians of reality tears and those who fend off from the lovcraftian nightmares of the Far Realm. I do think Aura of the Sentinel is a bit out of place though, but that could be just my preference.
The Noble Genie... I want to like this really bad, but a lot of these abilities seem kinda bunk. Elemental Resistance is good and the tethering mechanic is super interesting, but the execution seems off. I'd rather get something else from tethering myself to someone than better Perception... Maybe if we BOTH got the benefit? Still seems kind of meh to me. We are under the influence of a powerful Djinn... why not have more elemental abilities? Protective Wish could be super useful when you have Armor Of A up, but Warlocks shouldn't be tanking.
I feel like this UA was somehow targeted at me. I've been trying to create the Beast Barbarian through shifter/tabaxi/monk/barbarian combos and whatnot for the longest time. They've been so stingy with tooth/claw/unarmed attacks for so long. There's so much focus on limitations and making sure every class stays in its lane in the past. It's nice to see them lighten up and have a little fun lately.
Mercy Monk seems very cool. I would like to see a beneficial aura thrown into the mix as well.
I've noticed that every time a new sublclass or feature is released there's a lot of fear of "stepping on toes" of X class or Y subclass. But realistically, not everyone is going to have every other class in their party or campaign. If the beast barbarian gets slightly into the totem territory thematically (jumping better seems to be the only mechanical similarity) is that really such a big deal? Usually there's one barbarian per campaign. And even if there's going to be another barbarian in the party, are they really going to be threatened by another animal themed barbarian? Or will it allow them to synergize their character backstories in some way? Maybe they're from the same tribe or rival tribes.
First thing I thought of with protective wish was the warlock slapping themself in the face and swapping places with the tethered creature. With a strength of 9 or lower and just a default unarmed strike for a whopping 0 damage of to the tethered creature (but probably still pretty insulting) allowing the warlock a relatively at will teleport up to 100 ft.
Pretty wild and silly that. Useful if the tethered creature can get through tight spaces or fly. Might strain the relationship with that creature over time though. Although if it's a familiar it doesn't have much choice in the matter.
Okay, so here's my take on reading it.
Path of the Beast I like it a lot. While I agree, the flavor and them do get close to the Path of the Totem Warrior, mechanically they aren't that similar, so it shouldn't be a problem. I just want to point out that with a tail you have a 1d12 reach weapon that is nuts!
Way of Mercy: Okay, from a lot of people's takes, I assume they didn't read the flavor text. This monk is their to bring balance, healing those who need protecting and restoration, or destroying the evil, or simply ending suffering. Mercy-Kill is a part of their philosophy. So I like the give and take of the class, although, I do agree I'd like an alternate aura feature that helped with healing.
Oath of the Watchers: Crap do I love the flavor of this and the mechanics aren't bad. yeah, it's been pointed out the aura is a bit weak, but I guess that's to compensate for the other abilities.
Oath of the Nobel Genie: I love the flavor and idea of this. You serve the court of one of the elemental genies. But the Mechanics leave a lot to be desired. With the Collector's Vessel, I didn't get at first that you can only do this to one at a time, and that it's likely going to be one of your allies. I thought this might be an alternate to beast master. but it just... meh. There are nice things here, but I can't see myself playing it for the mechanics.
My version of this had advantage on initiative rolls. I was afraid it might have been too strong, but if you think CHA modifier added to initiative is a little too weak, then maybe I made the right choice.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
That's good on initiative rolls, but after combat begins there isn't really a benefit to it. out of combat there isn't really a benefit to it. So yeah, kinda weak, but it could be worse, and a lot of the rest is very helpful.
I see so many trashing on the way of mercy, mercy comes in many forms and sometimes it is ending a life gently through poison. No need for them to struggle as they cling to life, allow them slip gently into the sweet embrace of death. I enjoy the concept for riding the line between life and death being the arbiter of both. It's probably my favorite of this set thematically.
The Warlock seems subpar but could still be fun. Paladin looks solid, and the barbarian Is a good one for the barbarian that allows the ferocity to overtake them.
"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
Typically speaking when damage is dealt to a conscious creature in D&D it's usually includes inflicting pain. The damage over time aspect of the noxious aura is then pretty heavily at odds with the concept of a merciful death.
If they removed the WIS mod poison damage part of it I think it'd still be a quite good feature and thematically coherent seeing as the poisoned condition imposes disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks. Literally making it harder for enemies to hit you or anyone else for a round.
Of course a poisoning aura that also causes damage works well as a deterrent (for creatures that can be deterred anyway). It's an aura that says "Fighting me is going to be awful. You should stop while you still can." And if needed the monk can heal their opponent if they change their mind.
With that in mind Noxious Aura seems more in theme with trying to spare your opponent's life than trying to spare them their misery.
Also didn't say anyone trashing on way of Mercy, simply questioning whether Noxious Aura fit. If you want to see trashing though, I could totally find time in my day sometime to continue talking about how utterly disgraceful, putrid, and nigh-unplayable the "Noble Genie" patron is.
Please do not contact or message me.
I think the fact that hands of harm causes 3x damage to poisoned creatures is kind of too good of a mechanic to waste so I'm good with having to do a little bit of mental gymnastics to make it fit into the theme. Besides it says right in the description that you can play this class as genuinely merciful or some kind of "Angel of death" figure that sees themselves as ending suffering, even if it's suffering they're causing.
To that point though, I think they should maintain that duality in every class feature. A beneficial aura would balance things out nicely. Y'know really push the Yin and Yang angle.
On the other hand maybe it would be better if the aura caused a slow effect instead of the damage.
Path of the Beast is a psionic barbarian subclass. I know, I know, "It's clearly a lycanthrope subclass" yeah yeah, but heres the thing. The mechanics don't reflect that. Yes, in the flavor text they provide, it is connected to lycanthropy, but lets look at the mechanics individually, remove the flavor before them, and leave it a blank slate. I think this will help demonstrate my point.
Level 3:
You can turn parts of your body into animalistic features when you rage. Now, yes, it may seem as if this is calling to mind a werewolf or other animal, but I actually disagree. You can choose what you turn into, and can flavor it as you want. "But what does shapeshifting have to do with psionics bunsen?" I hear you asking. Read the mystic class, and take note of the subclass (and disciplines tied to) the order of the immortal. This order is devoted to body manipulation, using psionics to alter their body to better suit them. This idea has legacy in D&D, and is known as psychometabolism.
Level 6:
You can add additional things when you turn when you rage. You can mix match animal features. I don't know of any lycanthropes that can turn into half wolf half fish, but you can do that. This only furthers my point that this is psychometabolism, as you are able to create a combination to suit your current situation.
Level 10:
When you attack someone, you can manipulate their mind to do one of the following:
Make them attack an ally next to them
Deal psychic damage
If you don't see how this fits into a psionic barbarian then I don't know what to tell you
Level 14:
When you rage, you can spread your emotional fury through your allies, giving them benefits of your rage as well (reckless attack). You also gain more strength from doing this, all of the emotions running through everyone, being spread by you. This is emotion manipulation, which would easily and unarguably fit into psionics.
Basically, this is a psionic barbarian in disguise, is what I am saying. What do you all think?