The barbarian's morph attacks -- do you add you STR mod? For most attacks you do but these make no mention of it. The 4x 1d6+Str claw attacks at level 5 sounds nice along with the 1d12 reach tail.. but less so without damage mods (It doesn't say what it requires for attack rolls either). I know it's safe to assume but Crawford always says "It does what it says and not more or not less".... (ARE YOU PROFICIENT?! The Aarokocra & tabaxi claws both explicitly say that you're proficient)
Where are you getting 4x on the claws? It should be 1d6 for single claw, 1d6 for the extra claw granted from the claws, and 1d6 from the extra attack feature. It doesn't seem like you get any bonus action attacks from that, short of having Great Master Weapon and getting a kill or crit, and I don't think you get an extra 1d6 attack for each attack in an Extra Attack.
You are naturally proficient with your unarmed strikes, which is what these are. The Tabaxi, Aaracokra, etc. all have natural weapons that count as unarmed strikes. In those cases, it specifically states that you're proficient with those as a point of clarification, not because without that line you would not have that proficiency.... at least, that's how I understand it.
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.
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.
Hold up, hold up, hold up!
*grabs popcorn*
Okay, I'm ready!
Can I get in on some of that popcorn? I love Yurei’s rants, reminds me of Dennis Miller’s old monologues.
How long does it usually take for new UA content to be available to use in character creation?
We still don’t have Class Feature Variants or full Eberon Rising so....
Yeah but the new Psionics stuff was up in less than a week. I expect the same for these as soon as they're done doing the Matt Mercer marketing cycle.
Also, what part of Eberron is missing?
It all depends on how much they need to adjust thy system to accommodate the features. The psionic stuff fit all the traditional molds as far as how their features work. The very concept of Class Variant Features broke those molds. I haven’t looked at the new stuff much yet. How “different” is it?
Did they get all of the infusions and stuff up? It wasn’t there last time I checked, but it’s been a little bit so I may very well be out of date on my info as far as Eberon Rising.
I really want a good lycanthropy subclass, and this one has absolutely exemplary flavour... but I don't see any disputing that is straight-up inferior to just fighting like a regular barbarian once you can get a magic weapon with a solid damage die; there's nothing here that matches the bonus to attack rolls, even before traits are factored in. If playing a campaign/module that caps out at level 6 this would be an absolute hoot, but the features can't possibly hold-up at higher levels.
Way of Mercy
The 'branding' of this subclass seems squiffy to me, but mechanically this is the model of elegant simplicity... right up until the mind-bogglingly weird Hand of Mercy. That is just a bizarre feature to have anywhere, but at level 17 and as something that can feasibly be used as an attack it is off the chart strange - how easily could this derail a story or simply create the weirdest D&D moments ever? I.e. Hand of Mercy your Goliath ally so the party can surf on them down a lava flow.
Aside from that feature though, the rest of the subclass seems extremely playable to me - though I wouldn't really going in the character concept direction given here.
Oath of the Watchers
A very interesting subclass; on the one-hand the power level can read as really high (access to counterspell, banishing to home planes), but on the other - aside from the initiative bonus - it is easy to imagine going whole sessions getting nothing from these features beyond a dash of Vigilant Rebuke damage. I think it is perhaps just enough that this one stands out from the existing options - would make a fine addition as-is.
The Noble Genie
That is an... interesting... patron spell list; high on fun, but far too many non-scaling spells to be a proper warlock list. Spells like enlarge/reduce and create food & water need to be bonus know spells - they aren't worth a warlock giving up bandwidth for.
To be honest, the whole subclass seems to be about impractical fun; along with the Pact of the Talisman UA you can surely make some memorable duos with a buddy - but for general play it looks a hot mess of a design. I get a strange vibe that this is what a warlock subclass might look like if designed by someone who wasn't allowed to see the existing sub-classes e.g. Collector's Call healing burst might look reasonable (if using an action to gamble on a heal ever can be) if someone didn't know Healing Light exists and is fantastically better. Definitely a one-shot only kind of subclass, in my estimation.
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.
Hold up, hold up, hold up!
*grabs popcorn*
Okay, I'm ready!
Can I get in on some of that popcorn? I love Yurei’s rants, reminds me of Dennis Miller’s old monologues.
You may bring the popcorn, but Yurei always brings the salt.
Noble Genie may not be the best in terms of strength but it definitely has the most unique flavor and the most amusing class features. Unlike The Undying, it isn't completely unusable, and its clear focus on support is quite refreshing. Seriously though I love how it just turns you into a freakin' Tax Collector.
The only real bad thing about it imo is its spell list, as other people mentioned it should have more elemental abilities. At least throw in chromatic orb or something.
Noble Genie may not be the best in terms of strength but it definitely has the most unique flavor and the most amusing class features. Unlike The Undying, it isn't completely unusable, and its clear focus on support is quite refreshing. Seriously though I love how it just turns you into a freakin' Tax Collector.
The only real bad thing about it imo is its spell list, as other people mentioned it should have more elemental abilities. At least throw in chromatic orb or something.
I agree that it is not unplayable, but it can still be unique AND powerful (or at least decent). There is a total niche for a support heavy warlock and this has the potential to be one of the more interesting concepts for one... they just need to change a few things around. Like the whole "boosts your perception" thing for Collector's vessel... You have connected yourself with cosmic elemental energy to someone and it just helps you see good? That's lame as hell. If you are connected to someone why not have it so that you share skill proficiencies (or at least you can choose to share a specific one) or saving throws.
And yeah, the spell list sucks. Brainstorming a better one that fits the current theme is kind of tough though, they are clearly going for a more "Disney" Genie vs a classic Djinn... so maybe:
1st Level, Bane (using your Genie magic to wish the enemy to be weaker) and Chromatic Orb (a perfect spell to reflect your elemental patron)
2nd Level, Enlarge/Reduce (I actually like this one here) and SPIRITUAL WEAPON (Phantasmal Force is already given to two other warlock subclasses and its bad... why not just use your Genie magic to summon in an actual manifestation of your patron's will and smack people with it) or Dragon Breath (sticking with the elemental theme here, and you'd be able to give it to your tethered friend).
3rd Level (these are arguably the worst offenders), Spirit Guardians (instead of celestials or fey its creatures from your patron's menagerie manifesting to your aid) and Bestow Curse (in a lot of ancient lore, Genies were spiteful creatures that often cursed those that tried to bend them to their will... lets put a little bit of that in there).
4th Level, Conjure Minor Elemental (just makes sense) OR Elemental Bane (leaning further into the whole elemental nature of your patron) and, Polymorph (this is still fun and should stay in).
5th Level, These last ones are actually pretty great and thematically fitting.
Honestly, if these two things were changed I could see the subclass becoming a lot more viable...
The disney thing is a good point, I hadn't noticed it until I reread the spell list.
I think your spell choices are pretty good, though I think that Phantasmal Force is a pretty good spell. Not saying three warlocks need it, just that it's a good spell.
Furthering the clear emphasis on material wealth in this patron, Maybe an ability that lets you sacrifice money to cast a spell without spell components, or maybe even without using a spell slot at all? Would that be overpowered?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
It's ok Ranger, you'll always be cool to me.. Unless druid gets another use for its wild shape charges.
Gonna be a little honest, I'm not feeling the sizzle with these. I don't really have any strong feelings one way or the other on Beast path. Conceptually, the most interesting part to me is the Call of the Hunt feature. Makes me want a skald type option more than anything else. Wotc, please, give to me a barb sub that just shouts party buffs...
Mercy monk would probably be my pick out of the bunch, and don't mind that its healing is kinda weak, since you get your primary resource back on short rest. Aside from that it feels a lot like a gamefied plague doctor, which I'm honestly pretty okay with. It is a little funny to me though that the "healer" monk can spend ki to hurt someone more than they can heal.
I like the pieces of Watcher paladin feeling vaguely like the mage crusher but kinda wish its kit doubled down on that concept. Other than that, the Watcher feels competent if a bit straightforward.
Noble Genie sounds like a neat idea, but overall I don't think there's a lot of synergy to its kit at first blush. Minor skill buff, mobility, specific damage tanking, it's just a bit all over the place, though I guess these things do add up to decent surviving.
Overall though I'm gonna admit I don't feel that inspired by this batch. Nothing here catches my eyes quite like "here's a scruffy hobo in the woods with a bow and a pet swarm of horrible tiny fey monsters buzzing through their cloak."
I really want a good lycanthropy subclass, and this one has absolutely exemplary flavour... but I don't see any disputing that is straight-up inferior to just fighting like a regular barbarian once you can get a magic weapon with a solid damage die; there's nothing here that matches the bonus to attack rolls, even before traits are factored in. If playing a campaign/module that caps out at level 6 this would be an absolute hoot, but the features can't possibly hold-up at higher levels.
That doesn't prove to be true though. if you have max str at level 20
a +3 Greataxe with 2 attacks is giving you about 46 damage per round. (this is using totem or AG barb. obviously zealot, storm, and berserker do more)
3 attacks with the claws here is about 45 damage per round.
The tail is clearly inferior for damage at about 38 except that it's the only d12 with reach you can get afaik. so now you've got OA's for enemies 10' away. giving you great battlefield control. Your main attacks could still be with a Greataxe/Greatsword and this is just a bonus that no other subclass has without using a weapon with smaller dice.
The bite is also inferior for damage at only around 34 dpr. But man, adding HP every turn for a barbarian is monstrous and you only have to bite once. so you can use a Greataxe, bite, get the 7 HP, next turn go straight greataxe then if you take damage, use your bite for a full turn and get 14 HP (if maxed con) then go back to the greataxe. that's pretty incredible.
I really want a good lycanthropy subclass, and this one has absolutely exemplary flavour... but I don't see any disputing that is straight-up inferior to just fighting like a regular barbarian once you can get a magic weapon with a solid damage die; there's nothing here that matches the bonus to attack rolls, even before traits are factored in. If playing a campaign/module that caps out at level 6 this would be an absolute hoot, but the features can't possibly hold-up at higher levels.
That doesn't prove to be true though. if you have max str at level 20
a +3 Greataxe with 2 attacks is giving you about 46 damage per round. (this is using totem or AG barb. obviously zealot, storm, and berserker do more)
3 attacks with the claws here is about 45 damage per round.
The tail is clearly inferior for damage at about 38 except that it's the only d12 with reach you can get afaik. so now you've got OA's for enemies 10' away. giving you great battlefield control. Your main attacks could still be with a Greataxe/Greatsword and this is just a bonus that no other subclass has without using a weapon with smaller dice.
The bite is also inferior for damage at only around 34 dpr. But man, adding HP every turn for a barbarian is monstrous and you only have to bite once. so you can use a Greataxe, bite, get the 7 HP, next turn go straight greataxe then if you take damage, use your bite for a full turn and get 14 HP (if maxed con) then go back to the greataxe. that's pretty incredible.
Also the tail leaves your hands free. You can use a shield and get d12 damage which is nice.
I really want a good lycanthropy subclass, and this one has absolutely exemplary flavour... but I don't see any disputing that is straight-up inferior to just fighting like a regular barbarian once you can get a magic weapon with a solid damage die; there's nothing here that matches the bonus to attack rolls, even before traits are factored in. If playing a campaign/module that caps out at level 6 this would be an absolute hoot, but the features can't possibly hold-up at higher levels.
That doesn't prove to be true though. if you have max str at level 20
a +3 Greataxe with 2 attacks is giving you about 46 damage per round. (this is using totem or AG barb. obviously zealot, storm, and berserker do more)
3 attacks with the claws here is about 45 damage per round.
The tail is clearly inferior for damage at about 38 except that it's the only d12 with reach you can get afaik. so now you've got OA's for enemies 10' away. giving you great battlefield control. Your main attacks could still be with a Greataxe/Greatsword and this is just a bonus that no other subclass has without using a weapon with smaller dice.
The bite is also inferior for damage at only around 34 dpr. But man, adding HP every turn for a barbarian is monstrous and you only have to bite once. so you can use a Greataxe, bite, get the 7 HP, next turn go straight greataxe then if you take damage, use your bite for a full turn and get 14 HP (if maxed con) then go back to the greataxe. that's pretty incredible.
Also the tail leaves your hands free. You can use a shield and get d12 damage which is nice.
You are naturally proficient with your unarmed strikes, which is what these are. The Tabaxi, Aaracokra, etc. all have natural weapons that count as unarmed strikes. In those cases, it specifically states that you're proficient with those as a point of clarification, not because without that line you would not have that proficiency.... at least, that's how I understand it.
Small miscalculation, the term 'unarmed strikes' is not used in any way in the Path of the Beast. Instead it specifically says you manifest a natural melee weapon. So it's more like a Warlock summoning up their Pact Blade than a Tabaxi lashing out with their claws. The difference here is that when using the attacks, you are making 'Melee Weapon Attacks with a Weapon' as opposed to 'Melee Weapon Attack using Unarmed Strike' and certain abilities specifically call out the use of a weapon and not unarmed strikes. (trust me there have been volumes written on this confusing combination of terms).
@Vorsa: You may be underselling the Claws a bit. The bite and the tail underperform a bit due to their overall lower damage but gain Life Drain and a Reach respectively. But the Claws are the pure damage option. (side note: you can choose between mandibles, claws, and a stinger tail each time you shift....Were-Scorpion?)
I crunched some numbers and on average they will out do a GreatSword by a few points per round due to the additional application of strength and rage. At level 20 the average is 7 pts higher than the weapon, which means you're going to need something with +3 modifier and +1d6 damage to equal the claws, certainly not difficult, but for a level 3 ability that's pretty impressive. GWM muddles the water significantly with the massive +10 damage addition, besting the claws by 13 extra damage, but then again there are very very few options for a barbarian that will out do the GWM feat. Brutal Critical does favor more attacks and more chances to crit, but I'm not sure if that is enough to beat out GWM (I suspect not). It is a feat investment so it should be powerful, but the claws certainly does a damn good job keeping pace.
You are naturally proficient with your unarmed strikes, which is what these are. The Tabaxi, Aaracokra, etc. all have natural weapons that count as unarmed strikes. In those cases, it specifically states that you're proficient with those as a point of clarification, not because without that line you would not have that proficiency.... at least, that's how I understand it.
Small miscalculation, the term 'unarmed strikes' is not used in any way in the Path of the Beast. Instead it specifically says you manifest a natural melee weapon. So it's more like a Warlock summoning up their Pact Blade than a Tabaxi lashing out with their claws. The difference here is that when using the attacks, you are making 'Melee Weapon Attacks with a Weapon' as opposed to 'Melee Weapon Attack using Unarmed Strike' and certain abilities specifically call out the use of a weapon and not unarmed strikes. (trust me there have been volumes written on this confusing combination of terms).
wait. does that mean that a longtooth shifters bite doesn't get rage damage added?
The disney thing is a good point, I hadn't noticed it until I reread the spell list.
I think your spell choices are pretty good, though I think that Phantasmal Force is a pretty good spell. Not saying three warlocks need it, just that it's a good spell.
Furthering the clear emphasis on material wealth in this patron, Maybe an ability that lets you sacrifice money to cast a spell without spell components, or maybe even without using a spell slot at all? Would that be overpowered?
Yeah, they definitely watched Aladdin and figured Robin Williams/Will Smith would make a good patron... and great, now I want this to be official so I can RP this.
Phantasmal Force is over used for the warlock. Giving them a Spiritual Weapon would be equally as fitting and something no other Arcane caster has (though it may be stepping on the toes of Bigby's Hand, in which case it could be something else).
Now I LOVE the idea of pushing this in a monetary wealth direction. Sacrificing a certain amount of gold could maybe even give you back Sorcery Points, you could roll your level 14 ability with advantage if you bribe your patron, creatures that you send to your Genie's court could be stripped of a magical item/gold the longer they are there. Thinking about ideas like that actually excite me about this subclass as it is something literally no other class has.
Man. I don't know whether to feel pleased or called out. QwQ
Nevertheless. Even if you really, seriously, tippy-toes-with-ice-cream want a support Warlock, the Noble Genie is not that support warlock. Let's go over this in detail, shall we?
Fluff/Flavor This is maybe the only thing they got even halfway right. The 'Noble Genie' is a powerful, influential Greater Elemental that exerts control over a wide swath of extraplanar territory, and which prizes the acquisition of stuff. Genies of this sort are greedy, very much to a fault, and are as bad as dragons when it comes to their 'hoard' - or in this case their collection/menagerie. This is the appropriate tack for such a patron to take, and provides a very Sultan of the Sands/Marquet/Agrabah feel. That's cool. Very specific and narrowly applicable, but cool.
Now, let's move on to all the myriad ways in which this particular UA subclass completely and utterly fails to live up to that ideal.
Expanded Spell List The Noble Genie spell list is not a complete failure, but it's also kinda boring. Fog Cloud feels like the sort of thing you add when you can't think of a better idea and just go "well, genies always appear in puffs of smoke so...smokebomb spell? Sure. Smokebomb spell". The spell itself is useful enough, but a warlock that uses one of their precious known spells and their more precious spell slots on Fog Cloud is a warlock that probably should've planned better. Sleep is also weird, and one of those spells that even people who can cast normally don't tend to keep.
Enlarge/Reduce, sure, that's Robin Williams-y (even if the patron is not even slightly a Blue Robin type), but I'm getting mighty sick of seeing Phantasmal Force. Stop duplicating other patron's spell lists, Wizards. the rest of it is general 'conjure whatever the mind fancies' stuff, which is workable but doesn't really fit with either the 'Support Warlock' thing people seem to want for whatever figgety-fudgesicle reason or the way Warlocks in general work.
And now, on to the moose manure.
Collector's Vessel Hooo. Leee. Hell. This thing is so awful. Let us reference the whole ideal of the 'Noble Genie', shall we? This is a Lord of the Elemental Planes, an enormously powerful and fiercely territorial creature whose arrogance is matched only by its ability to back that arrogance up, and who greatly prizes its collection of the unique, exotic and valuable. A deadly magician who can bend the fabric of reality itself, and what is the key, defining ability it grants to those mortal agents who agree to help it extend its reach beyond its plane?
The ability to create a magic jump rope that lets you see better and displace your spells.
Excuse me. What.
No part of this ability is remotely related to being the agent of a 'Noble Genie'. I don't care that you can spawn the magic jump rope from Aladdin's Lamp; Noble Genies do not timeshare, and your boss did not hire you to temporarily acquire things for it. This 'temporary binding to your patron's menagerie' is no such thing; it is not indicative of the patron's power or the patron's goals and it runs completely counter to the entire idea that this same document said your patron was all about one Expanded Spell List ago - that your patron is a greedy bastard who DOES NOT give up ownership of those things which it claims as its own.
This is kinda like if they said that the Celestial patron gave you Expertise in Athletics and the ability to mark farm animals as your familiar. Or if the Great Old One granted you proficiency with martial weapons and the ability to expend a warlock spell slot to regain health. Not only does 'Collector's Vessel' offer nothing that relates to the patron you ostensibly serve, its two abilities don't even complement each other! What does seeing better have to do with displacing your spells, or vice versa?! ARGH! Zero of ten, would not make magic jump rope with tropey reskinned Pokeball again.
Elemental Resistance So...we're basically stealing Fiendish Resilience, save only for damage types associated with the Elemental Planes. On the flip side, magic gear/silver can't bust through it and you can extend that resistance to whatever you've saddled with your magic jump rope. Boring, but serviceable enough. For an 'Elemental Planes' patron this sort of thing was likely inevitable, though I would've liked to see it more resemble the Elemental Affinity feature of the Durgansorc, grant the warlock both offensive and defensive benefits for the element associated with its patron.
As is...well, it could be worse. it could be Collector's Vessel.
Protective Wish Calling something a 'Wish' does not make it a 'Noble Genie' feature. There's nothing protective about this 'wish', unless you use your jump rope on a plate-armored paladin or something and entirely screw up his battle plan every time something pokes you. At which point, congrats - you are now in melee with whatever the paladin was fighting, and it's eighty feet away fuming. Going the other way - taking hits for whatever else you've jump-roped to - is not why God invented warlocks. The whole "I slap myself and teleport to my flying familiar's location" thing is the sort of cheesy exploit DMs should squelsh (and in my case, I'd rule that your slap deals the one damage required to pop your familiar. Congrats on needing ten gold and an hour to get it back for more 'free' teleports). In either case, the feature is clunky and unwieldy, and its reliance on the Magic Jump Rope means it's automatically worse than it could be - and it's already pretty sketchy.
Genie's Entertainment HOLY SHIT, A FEATURE THAT ACTUALLY MAKES SENSE FOR THE PATRON! Wonders will never cease! ...at least for your patron, who gets treated to a parade of whatever jackholes you feel like dealing with the least whenever you have the feature up. I actually kinda like the idea that if the critter stays long enough for your patron to enjoy the show to its satisfaction, it lets you do it again. That's the sort of thing that fits with the mercurial nature of just such a creature, who traditionally takes its generosity as seriously as its greed. Noble genies are willing to give lavish gifts to those who offer it lavish gifts in turn, and this is the ONE GODDAMNED FEATURE in the entire subclass that keys off that idea and thus feels like it honestly works.
The fact that the critter has to fail ten consecutive Charisma saves in order to get your banish back is a bit of a bookkeeping hassle, and it does involve the godawful Collector's Vessel, but at least in this case the Vessel is doing something worthwhile.
Collector's Call All right. So we have a feature which requires you to persuade yourself to work, which jives with the patron and is flavorful but also seriously cuts the feature's effectiveness. The feature requires you to have proficiency at the very least in Persuasion, elsewise you're not beating your own warlock DC by level 14. if you do have proficiency in Persuasion, you have to roll 9 or better on the d20 to make your big fancy subclass capstone work if you've got nothing else going on to improve your DC (hint: by 14th level, this should not be the case), and regardless of whether it works or not, you don't get to try again until you long rest. Or until you grease your sugar daddy's palms with a not-insignificant chunk of treasure.
What are the payoffs for spending the dosh and beating your own DC?
One critter loses a Lesser Restoration condition and regains ~27HP. One critter gets disadvantage for a turn. Or you get to cast Legend Lore without eating 250gp worth of incense.
...whoo?
The payoff is seriously sad. Legend Lore can be a useful spell, sure - but either you pay the 250gp for incense or you pay 500gp in Nonmagical Treasure. One of those is a better deal than the other, and if you need Legend Lore at 14th level or higher, it's usually not a showstopper to find 250gp to cast it for realzies. Imposing disadvantage on saves is super powerful, yeah. Paying 500gp for a ~60% chance to impose disadvantage on saves is sliiiiightly less powerful. The heal can be significant, but it's not really any more significant than a Cure Wounds at fifth level from a Celestial warlock at 14th or higher would be. From a distance yes, and with a Lesser Resto attached...provided you hit the ~60% chance of actually making it happen. Which, if you need the healing in the first place, you're not going to appreciate. Healing Light, at 14th, can heal you for 5d6 from a distance as a bonus action. Then do it the next turn, and the turn after that, before needing a long rest recharge.
It's just...underwhelming. This is supposed to be your Djinn patron twisting reality to your benefit, and the best it can do is a moderate heal, momentary disadvantage, or some information it probably already has anyways, and only if you can butter its biscuits enough to make it care? Nah. Not flying with me.
In Summation Collector's Vessel is so godawful putrid it drags the entire subclass down. The other features are better, but the only good one is Genie's Entertainment, and that still halfway feels like just a reskin of Dark Delirium from the Archfey patron or a less obnoxious version of Hurl Through Hell. The spell list is mediocre, the subclass capper is disappointing, and the complete lack of Wish-type shenanigans outside of one badly-named class feature is more disappointing yet.
I Am Disappoint, son. If you want me to pay for this garbage when you release Xanathar's Guide to Everything Else, Wizards, you're going to need to do a whole helluva lot better than this chicken-bake bullshyte.
Yurei, I'm curious what you think would be a good replacement for collector's vessel and the like? I for one really love the flavor of having Robin William's (or just a fairy tail-esque Genie) as your Patron but I agree that a lot of these abilities are in need of a lot of love.
If they went in a more "give your patron money and it will grant you and your team added benefits" direction, it could be a lot more interesting.
Maybe a 1st level ability where you sacrifice non-magical riches to gain the equivalent to luck points OR double proficiency on a specific skill to you and those on your team?
Protective wish could be you spending an action to blink you or a teammate into your Patron's court. In there you (or they) spend an extra turn able to spend an action or two casting healing or support spells before being brought back more prepared (like the UA Seeker's ability Astral Refuge).
Collector's Call should just straight up be a weaker version of Wish, which they clearly tried to do here but the debuffed it waaaay too far: The heal should be more and you should still end all the debuffs on that creature (and hell, through damage resistance for a round in there for fun), or just give us the
"You undo a single recent event by forcing a reroll of any roll made within the last round (including your last turn). Reality reshapes itself to accommodate the new result. For example, a wish spell could undo an opponent's successful save, a foe's critical hit, or a friend's failed save. You can force the reroll to be made with advantage or disadvantage, and you can choose whether to use the reroll or the original roll."
Where are you getting 4x on the claws? It should be 1d6 for single claw, 1d6 for the extra claw granted from the claws, and 1d6 from the extra attack feature. It doesn't seem like you get any bonus action attacks from that, short of having Great Master Weapon and getting a kill or crit, and I don't think you get an extra 1d6 attack for each attack in an Extra Attack.
You are naturally proficient with your unarmed strikes, which is what these are. The Tabaxi, Aaracokra, etc. all have natural weapons that count as unarmed strikes. In those cases, it specifically states that you're proficient with those as a point of clarification, not because without that line you would not have that proficiency.... at least, that's how I understand it.
Partway through the quest for absolute truth.
Hold up, hold up, hold up!
*grabs popcorn*
Okay, I'm ready!
Can I get in on some of that popcorn? I love Yurei’s rants, reminds me of Dennis Miller’s old monologues.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
It all depends on how much they need to adjust thy system to accommodate the features. The psionic stuff fit all the traditional molds as far as how their features work. The very concept of Class Variant Features broke those molds. I haven’t looked at the new stuff much yet. How “different” is it?
Did they get all of the infusions and stuff up? It wasn’t there last time I checked, but it’s been a little bit so I may very well be out of date on my info as far as Eberon Rising.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
First thoughts...
Path of the Beast
I really want a good lycanthropy subclass, and this one has absolutely exemplary flavour... but I don't see any disputing that is straight-up inferior to just fighting like a regular barbarian once you can get a magic weapon with a solid damage die; there's nothing here that matches the bonus to attack rolls, even before traits are factored in. If playing a campaign/module that caps out at level 6 this would be an absolute hoot, but the features can't possibly hold-up at higher levels.
Way of Mercy
The 'branding' of this subclass seems squiffy to me, but mechanically this is the model of elegant simplicity... right up until the mind-bogglingly weird Hand of Mercy. That is just a bizarre feature to have anywhere, but at level 17 and as something that can feasibly be used as an attack it is off the chart strange - how easily could this derail a story or simply create the weirdest D&D moments ever? I.e. Hand of Mercy your Goliath ally so the party can surf on them down a lava flow.
Aside from that feature though, the rest of the subclass seems extremely playable to me - though I wouldn't really going in the character concept direction given here.
Oath of the Watchers
A very interesting subclass; on the one-hand the power level can read as really high (access to counterspell, banishing to home planes), but on the other - aside from the initiative bonus - it is easy to imagine going whole sessions getting nothing from these features beyond a dash of Vigilant Rebuke damage. I think it is perhaps just enough that this one stands out from the existing options - would make a fine addition as-is.
The Noble Genie
That is an... interesting... patron spell list; high on fun, but far too many non-scaling spells to be a proper warlock list. Spells like enlarge/reduce and create food & water need to be bonus know spells - they aren't worth a warlock giving up bandwidth for.
To be honest, the whole subclass seems to be about impractical fun; along with the Pact of the Talisman UA you can surely make some memorable duos with a buddy - but for general play it looks a hot mess of a design. I get a strange vibe that this is what a warlock subclass might look like if designed by someone who wasn't allowed to see the existing sub-classes e.g. Collector's Call healing burst might look reasonable (if using an action to gamble on a heal ever can be) if someone didn't know Healing Light exists and is fantastically better. Definitely a one-shot only kind of subclass, in my estimation.
You may bring the popcorn, but Yurei always brings the salt.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
Noble Genie may not be the best in terms of strength but it definitely has the most unique flavor and the most amusing class features. Unlike The Undying, it isn't completely unusable, and its clear focus on support is quite refreshing. Seriously though I love how it just turns you into a freakin' Tax Collector.
The only real bad thing about it imo is its spell list, as other people mentioned it should have more elemental abilities. At least throw in chromatic orb or something.
It's ok Ranger, you'll always be cool to me.. Unless druid gets another use for its wild shape charges.
I agree that it is not unplayable, but it can still be unique AND powerful (or at least decent). There is a total niche for a support heavy warlock and this has the potential to be one of the more interesting concepts for one... they just need to change a few things around. Like the whole "boosts your perception" thing for Collector's vessel... You have connected yourself with cosmic elemental energy to someone and it just helps you see good? That's lame as hell. If you are connected to someone why not have it so that you share skill proficiencies (or at least you can choose to share a specific one) or saving throws.
And yeah, the spell list sucks. Brainstorming a better one that fits the current theme is kind of tough though, they are clearly going for a more "Disney" Genie vs a classic Djinn... so maybe:
1st Level, Bane (using your Genie magic to wish the enemy to be weaker) and Chromatic Orb (a perfect spell to reflect your elemental patron)
2nd Level, Enlarge/Reduce (I actually like this one here) and SPIRITUAL WEAPON (Phantasmal Force is already given to two other warlock subclasses and its bad... why not just use your Genie magic to summon in an actual manifestation of your patron's will and smack people with it) or Dragon Breath (sticking with the elemental theme here, and you'd be able to give it to your tethered friend).
3rd Level (these are arguably the worst offenders), Spirit Guardians (instead of celestials or fey its creatures from your patron's menagerie manifesting to your aid) and Bestow Curse (in a lot of ancient lore, Genies were spiteful creatures that often cursed those that tried to bend them to their will... lets put a little bit of that in there).
4th Level, Conjure Minor Elemental (just makes sense) OR Elemental Bane (leaning further into the whole elemental nature of your patron) and, Polymorph (this is still fun and should stay in).
5th Level, These last ones are actually pretty great and thematically fitting.
Honestly, if these two things were changed I could see the subclass becoming a lot more viable...
The disney thing is a good point, I hadn't noticed it until I reread the spell list.
I think your spell choices are pretty good, though I think that Phantasmal Force is a pretty good spell. Not saying three warlocks need it, just that it's a good spell.
Furthering the clear emphasis on material wealth in this patron, Maybe an ability that lets you sacrifice money to cast a spell without spell components, or maybe even without using a spell slot at all? Would that be overpowered?
It's ok Ranger, you'll always be cool to me.. Unless druid gets another use for its wild shape charges.
Gonna be a little honest, I'm not feeling the sizzle with these. I don't really have any strong feelings one way or the other on Beast path. Conceptually, the most interesting part to me is the Call of the Hunt feature. Makes me want a skald type option more than anything else. Wotc, please, give to me a barb sub that just shouts party buffs...
Mercy monk would probably be my pick out of the bunch, and don't mind that its healing is kinda weak, since you get your primary resource back on short rest. Aside from that it feels a lot like a gamefied plague doctor, which I'm honestly pretty okay with. It is a little funny to me though that the "healer" monk can spend ki to hurt someone more than they can heal.
I like the pieces of Watcher paladin feeling vaguely like the mage crusher but kinda wish its kit doubled down on that concept. Other than that, the Watcher feels competent if a bit straightforward.
Noble Genie sounds like a neat idea, but overall I don't think there's a lot of synergy to its kit at first blush. Minor skill buff, mobility, specific damage tanking, it's just a bit all over the place, though I guess these things do add up to decent surviving.
Overall though I'm gonna admit I don't feel that inspired by this batch. Nothing here catches my eyes quite like "here's a scruffy hobo in the woods with a bow and a pet swarm of horrible tiny fey monsters buzzing through their cloak."
That doesn't prove to be true though. if you have max str at level 20
a +3 Greataxe with 2 attacks is giving you about 46 damage per round. (this is using totem or AG barb. obviously zealot, storm, and berserker do more)
3 attacks with the claws here is about 45 damage per round.
The tail is clearly inferior for damage at about 38 except that it's the only d12 with reach you can get afaik. so now you've got OA's for enemies 10' away. giving you great battlefield control. Your main attacks could still be with a Greataxe/Greatsword and this is just a bonus that no other subclass has without using a weapon with smaller dice.
The bite is also inferior for damage at only around 34 dpr. But man, adding HP every turn for a barbarian is monstrous and you only have to bite once. so you can use a Greataxe, bite, get the 7 HP, next turn go straight greataxe then if you take damage, use your bite for a full turn and get 14 HP (if maxed con) then go back to the greataxe. that's pretty incredible.
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
Also the tail leaves your hands free. You can use a shield and get d12 damage which is nice.
Add shield master in to that. Mmmmmmm
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
Small miscalculation, the term 'unarmed strikes' is not used in any way in the Path of the Beast. Instead it specifically says you manifest a natural melee weapon. So it's more like a Warlock summoning up their Pact Blade than a Tabaxi lashing out with their claws. The difference here is that when using the attacks, you are making 'Melee Weapon Attacks with a Weapon' as opposed to 'Melee Weapon Attack using Unarmed Strike' and certain abilities specifically call out the use of a weapon and not unarmed strikes. (trust me there have been volumes written on this confusing combination of terms).
@Vorsa: You may be underselling the Claws a bit. The bite and the tail underperform a bit due to their overall lower damage but gain Life Drain and a Reach respectively. But the Claws are the pure damage option. (side note: you can choose between mandibles, claws, and a stinger tail each time you shift....Were-Scorpion?)
I crunched some numbers and on average they will out do a GreatSword by a few points per round due to the additional application of strength and rage. At level 20 the average is 7 pts higher than the weapon, which means you're going to need something with +3 modifier and +1d6 damage to equal the claws, certainly not difficult, but for a level 3 ability that's pretty impressive. GWM muddles the water significantly with the massive +10 damage addition, besting the claws by 13 extra damage, but then again there are very very few options for a barbarian that will out do the GWM feat. Brutal Critical does favor more attacks and more chances to crit, but I'm not sure if that is enough to beat out GWM (I suspect not). It is a feat investment so it should be powerful, but the claws certainly does a damn good job keeping pace.
wait. does that mean that a longtooth shifters bite doesn't get rage damage added?
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
Yeah, they definitely watched Aladdin and figured Robin Williams/Will Smith would make a good patron... and great, now I want this to be official so I can RP this.
Phantasmal Force is over used for the warlock. Giving them a Spiritual Weapon would be equally as fitting and something no other Arcane caster has (though it may be stepping on the toes of Bigby's Hand, in which case it could be something else).
Now I LOVE the idea of pushing this in a monetary wealth direction. Sacrificing a certain amount of gold could maybe even give you back Sorcery Points, you could roll your level 14 ability with advantage if you bribe your patron, creatures that you send to your Genie's court could be stripped of a magical item/gold the longer they are there. Thinking about ideas like that actually excite me about this subclass as it is something literally no other class has.
Man. I don't know whether to feel pleased or called out. QwQ
Nevertheless. Even if you really, seriously, tippy-toes-with-ice-cream want a support Warlock, the Noble Genie is not that support warlock. Let's go over this in detail, shall we?
Fluff/Flavor
This is maybe the only thing they got even halfway right. The 'Noble Genie' is a powerful, influential Greater Elemental that exerts control over a wide swath of extraplanar territory, and which prizes the acquisition of stuff. Genies of this sort are greedy, very much to a fault, and are as bad as dragons when it comes to their 'hoard' - or in this case their collection/menagerie. This is the appropriate tack for such a patron to take, and provides a very Sultan of the Sands/Marquet/Agrabah feel. That's cool. Very specific and narrowly applicable, but cool.
Now, let's move on to all the myriad ways in which this particular UA subclass completely and utterly fails to live up to that ideal.
Expanded Spell List
The Noble Genie spell list is not a complete failure, but it's also kinda boring. Fog Cloud feels like the sort of thing you add when you can't think of a better idea and just go "well, genies always appear in puffs of smoke so...smokebomb spell? Sure. Smokebomb spell". The spell itself is useful enough, but a warlock that uses one of their precious known spells and their more precious spell slots on Fog Cloud is a warlock that probably should've planned better. Sleep is also weird, and one of those spells that even people who can cast normally don't tend to keep.
Enlarge/Reduce, sure, that's Robin Williams-y (even if the patron is not even slightly a Blue Robin type), but I'm getting mighty sick of seeing Phantasmal Force. Stop duplicating other patron's spell lists, Wizards. the rest of it is general 'conjure whatever the mind fancies' stuff, which is workable but doesn't really fit with either the 'Support Warlock' thing people seem to want for whatever figgety-fudgesicle reason or the way Warlocks in general work.
And now, on to the moose manure.
Collector's Vessel
Hooo. Leee. Hell. This thing is so awful. Let us reference the whole ideal of the 'Noble Genie', shall we? This is a Lord of the Elemental Planes, an enormously powerful and fiercely territorial creature whose arrogance is matched only by its ability to back that arrogance up, and who greatly prizes its collection of the unique, exotic and valuable. A deadly magician who can bend the fabric of reality itself, and what is the key, defining ability it grants to those mortal agents who agree to help it extend its reach beyond its plane?
The ability to create a magic jump rope that lets you see better and displace your spells.
Excuse me. What.
No part of this ability is remotely related to being the agent of a 'Noble Genie'. I don't care that you can spawn the magic jump rope from Aladdin's Lamp; Noble Genies do not timeshare, and your boss did not hire you to temporarily acquire things for it. This 'temporary binding to your patron's menagerie' is no such thing; it is not indicative of the patron's power or the patron's goals and it runs completely counter to the entire idea that this same document said your patron was all about one Expanded Spell List ago - that your patron is a greedy bastard who DOES NOT give up ownership of those things which it claims as its own.
This is kinda like if they said that the Celestial patron gave you Expertise in Athletics and the ability to mark farm animals as your familiar. Or if the Great Old One granted you proficiency with martial weapons and the ability to expend a warlock spell slot to regain health. Not only does 'Collector's Vessel' offer nothing that relates to the patron you ostensibly serve, its two abilities don't even complement each other! What does seeing better have to do with displacing your spells, or vice versa?! ARGH! Zero of ten, would not make magic jump rope with tropey reskinned Pokeball again.
Elemental Resistance
So...we're basically stealing Fiendish Resilience, save only for damage types associated with the Elemental Planes. On the flip side, magic gear/silver can't bust through it and you can extend that resistance to whatever you've saddled with your magic jump rope. Boring, but serviceable enough. For an 'Elemental Planes' patron this sort of thing was likely inevitable, though I would've liked to see it more resemble the Elemental Affinity feature of the Durgansorc, grant the warlock both offensive and defensive benefits for the element associated with its patron.
As is...well, it could be worse. it could be Collector's Vessel.
Protective Wish
Calling something a 'Wish' does not make it a 'Noble Genie' feature. There's nothing protective about this 'wish', unless you use your jump rope on a plate-armored paladin or something and entirely screw up his battle plan every time something pokes you. At which point, congrats - you are now in melee with whatever the paladin was fighting, and it's eighty feet away fuming. Going the other way - taking hits for whatever else you've jump-roped to - is not why God invented warlocks. The whole "I slap myself and teleport to my flying familiar's location" thing is the sort of cheesy exploit DMs should squelsh (and in my case, I'd rule that your slap deals the one damage required to pop your familiar. Congrats on needing ten gold and an hour to get it back for more 'free' teleports). In either case, the feature is clunky and unwieldy, and its reliance on the Magic Jump Rope means it's automatically worse than it could be - and it's already pretty sketchy.
Genie's Entertainment
HOLY SHIT, A FEATURE THAT ACTUALLY MAKES SENSE FOR THE PATRON! Wonders will never cease! ...at least for your patron, who gets treated to a parade of whatever jackholes you feel like dealing with the least whenever you have the feature up. I actually kinda like the idea that if the critter stays long enough for your patron to enjoy the show to its satisfaction, it lets you do it again. That's the sort of thing that fits with the mercurial nature of just such a creature, who traditionally takes its generosity as seriously as its greed. Noble genies are willing to give lavish gifts to those who offer it lavish gifts in turn, and this is the ONE GODDAMNED FEATURE in the entire subclass that keys off that idea and thus feels like it honestly works.
The fact that the critter has to fail ten consecutive Charisma saves in order to get your banish back is a bit of a bookkeeping hassle, and it does involve the godawful Collector's Vessel, but at least in this case the Vessel is doing something worthwhile.
Collector's Call
All right. So we have a feature which requires you to persuade yourself to work, which jives with the patron and is flavorful but also seriously cuts the feature's effectiveness. The feature requires you to have proficiency at the very least in Persuasion, elsewise you're not beating your own warlock DC by level 14. if you do have proficiency in Persuasion, you have to roll 9 or better on the d20 to make your big fancy subclass capstone work if you've got nothing else going on to improve your DC (hint: by 14th level, this should not be the case), and regardless of whether it works or not, you don't get to try again until you long rest. Or until you grease your sugar daddy's palms with a not-insignificant chunk of treasure.
What are the payoffs for spending the dosh and beating your own DC?
One critter loses a Lesser Restoration condition and regains ~27HP. One critter gets disadvantage for a turn. Or you get to cast Legend Lore without eating 250gp worth of incense.
...whoo?
The payoff is seriously sad. Legend Lore can be a useful spell, sure - but either you pay the 250gp for incense or you pay 500gp in Nonmagical Treasure. One of those is a better deal than the other, and if you need Legend Lore at 14th level or higher, it's usually not a showstopper to find 250gp to cast it for realzies. Imposing disadvantage on saves is super powerful, yeah. Paying 500gp for a ~60% chance to impose disadvantage on saves is sliiiiightly less powerful. The heal can be significant, but it's not really any more significant than a Cure Wounds at fifth level from a Celestial warlock at 14th or higher would be. From a distance yes, and with a Lesser Resto attached...provided you hit the ~60% chance of actually making it happen. Which, if you need the healing in the first place, you're not going to appreciate. Healing Light, at 14th, can heal you for 5d6 from a distance as a bonus action. Then do it the next turn, and the turn after that, before needing a long rest recharge.
It's just...underwhelming. This is supposed to be your Djinn patron twisting reality to your benefit, and the best it can do is a moderate heal, momentary disadvantage, or some information it probably already has anyways, and only if you can butter its biscuits enough to make it care? Nah. Not flying with me.
In Summation
Collector's Vessel is so godawful putrid it drags the entire subclass down. The other features are better, but the only good one is Genie's Entertainment, and that still halfway feels like just a reskin of Dark Delirium from the Archfey patron or a less obnoxious version of Hurl Through Hell. The spell list is mediocre, the subclass capper is disappointing, and the complete lack of Wish-type shenanigans outside of one badly-named class feature is more disappointing yet.
I Am Disappoint, son. If you want me to pay for this garbage when you release Xanathar's Guide to Everything Else, Wizards, you're going to need to do a whole helluva lot better than this chicken-bake bullshyte.
Please do not contact or message me.
Yurei, I'm curious what you think would be a good replacement for collector's vessel and the like? I for one really love the flavor of having Robin William's (or just a fairy tail-esque Genie) as your Patron but I agree that a lot of these abilities are in need of a lot of love.
If they went in a more "give your patron money and it will grant you and your team added benefits" direction, it could be a lot more interesting.
Maybe a 1st level ability where you sacrifice non-magical riches to gain the equivalent to luck points OR double proficiency on a specific skill to you and those on your team?
Protective wish could be you spending an action to blink you or a teammate into your Patron's court. In there you (or they) spend an extra turn able to spend an action or two casting healing or support spells before being brought back more prepared (like the UA Seeker's ability Astral Refuge).
Collector's Call should just straight up be a weaker version of Wish, which they clearly tried to do here but the debuffed it waaaay too far: The heal should be more and you should still end all the debuffs on that creature (and hell, through damage resistance for a round in there for fun), or just give us the
"You undo a single recent event by forcing a reroll of any roll made within the last round (including your last turn). Reality reshapes itself to accommodate the new result. For example, a wish spell could undo an opponent's successful save, a foe's critical hit, or a friend's failed save. You can force the reroll to be made with advantage or disadvantage, and you can choose whether to use the reroll or the original roll."
part of the spell and see what happens.
J.Craw just weighed in on ability modifiers for the Beast Natural weapons.
link
Spoilers. STR mod applies.