The Archivist is dead, according to the most recent Unearthed Arcana. This thread is for expressing your condolences for this subclass, as well as the Onomancer and Psionic wizard subclasses.
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Well, given the thread is entirely and specifically about Unearthed Arcana content and decisions about that content, I can't see how it could not be.
But anyway, the only one I'm sad about is Psionics Wizard. The ideas of that were decent and the features cool. Maybe a few tweaks but it was otherwise of decent balance, it was flavourful, useful for any type of playstyle be it combat, rp or utility and gave you considerable room to make it your own.
It's beyond lame they decided to outright cancel it rather than just adjust it.
*sighs*
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Here, I'll make it not just UA: they killed the artificer archivist and are trying it out as a wizard subclass. Is there precedent for this working with any of the published subclasses?
Here, I'll make it not just UA: they killed the artificer archivist and are trying it out as a wizard subclass. Is there precedent for this working with any of the published subclasses?
They did kill the Theurgy Wizard and turned it into the Divine Soul Sorcerer.
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But anyway, the only one I'm sad about is Psionics Wizard. The ideas of that were decent and the features cool. Maybe a few tweaks but it was otherwise of decent balance, it was flavourful, useful for any type of playstyle be it combat, rp or utility and gave you considerable room to make it your own.
It's beyond lame they decided to outright cancel it rather than just adjust it.
While I don't have any strong feelings either way about the mechanical content of the class, I found it thematically inappropriate. Every in-game reference to both psionics and arcane magic is that they are oil and water. In particular, Elder Brains (and by extension the Mind Flayers who serve them) outright ban their Flayers from it's study. This is in spite of the fact that, were they to encourage its use, they would probably easily dominate most other life immediately were they to do so. This also includes, from my understanding, previous classes based on psionics. The people looking for a Psion base class are all pretty adamant that using psionic abilities is not the same thing as casting spells.
Looking outside the bounds of DnD, psionic abilities and magical abilities can accomplish the same ends, but that's the end of their similarities. So I find it a little strange that a class dedicated to the intense study of magic (Wizard) would have a school of magic about studying an altogether unrelated form of ability (psionics). That's not to say a Wizard couldn't also have psionic ability (say, multiclassing into Psionics or taking one of the psionic Feats), but they just aren't the same thing.
I think your argument is more about "psionics as subclass" than about the specific Psionics Wizard. Or the psionic sorcs who were also arcane. Or the psionic fighter, which would stil be arcane. By the bye, "arcane" just means secret or known by a few. Psionic powers would indeed be arcane in nature, by definition. To say a Wizard developing psionic abilities is "thematically inappropriate" because of being "arcane" is just weird - given they have three schools of magic specifically about mental powers. So developing a few non-spell abilities based on the same thing seems perfectly fitting.
Psionics are a type of magic. Sure, you'd prefer a class that uses this magic in an innate way rather than a spellcasting way, but I see no reason why spellcasters cannot use spellcasting magic methods as a gateway to tapping into actual psionic magic methods. And if anyone's going to be able to achieve that, it's the wizard.
Personally, I don't care if a character gained psionic-styled powers through study, gifts, birthright or happenstance. As a standalone thing, it was a sweet subclass and the benefits of the thoughtform made spells work more like psionic powers rather than as spells - so those disliking "psionics as spells" should have found this the best psionic subclass as they didn't so much cast spells as "think and it happens." If anything they were the absolute closest to this idea, which makes your argument truly baffling.
I mean to each their own an' all. Just saying your argument doesn't make any sense to me.
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The Psionics wizard was an interesting foray into a strikingly unusual 'psychic' sub-trope - the Intellectual Psychic. Bizarrely enough, most people who play 'psychic' characters don't tend to make them particularly intelligent, or particularly knowledgeable about psychic or psionic ability. In fact, there's a heavy level of strong pushback against the idea that psychic ability should center primarily on the mind and coincide with, or require, a keen intellect. The Psionic wizard averted this and asserted that yes, you do actually need to be really smart to use psychic abilities well.
That is the method I strongly prefer, and I'll admit that the School of Psionics Wizard was - and is - the most put-together 'psi' subclass so far. It's sad to see it go, and I'll miss psychics who actually learn about psychic abilities and phenomena instead of always being "just go with your gut" intuitive talents.
The actual Archivist always struck me as hogwash, sadly +_+. I'm surprised it switched base classes, but I'm hoping we can do better with artificer subclasses in the future.
Here, I'll make it not just UA: they killed the artificer archivist and are trying it out as a wizard subclass. Is there precedent for this working with any of the published subclasses?
They did kill the Theurgy Wizard and turned it into the Divine Soul Sorcerer.
Not quite. Divine Soul was a 3e Class (there were no subclasses) that was almost the same as the 3e Sorcerer (also introduces in 3e) as the first real alternative to Cleric lIke Sorcerer was for Wizard. Druid was already a thing before, but it was like a strange semireligious/semiarcane thing.
A lot of the published and UA subclasses are adaptations of older classes.
The actual Archivist always struck me as hogwash, sadly +_+. I'm surprised it switched base classes, but I'm hoping we can do better with artificer subclasses in the future.
I'll admit the abilities were on the rough side, but the idea of it was what made it my 2nd favorite Artificer subclass. I hope they can take the AI/teleportation type artificer and reuse that idea in the future in some way.
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Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
The Archivist is dead, according to the most recent Unearthed Arcana. This thread is for expressing your condolences for this subclass, as well as the Onomancer and Psionic wizard subclasses.
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
RIP to the Onomancer I had just built. My condolences for your loss.
Salazar - Human Warlock of the Fiend (1) - The Lucarcian Incident
Shepherd Torrent Brallern Water Genasi Druid (1) - Ekuepool
Celeste Belle - Air Genasi Mutant Blood Hunter (1) - Old West
DM for A Waterdhavian Heist
Shouldn't this be in the Unearthed Arcana forum?
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Maybe, I'm not sure.
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
Well, given the thread is entirely and specifically about Unearthed Arcana content and decisions about that content, I can't see how it could not be.
But anyway, the only one I'm sad about is Psionics Wizard. The ideas of that were decent and the features cool. Maybe a few tweaks but it was otherwise of decent balance, it was flavourful, useful for any type of playstyle be it combat, rp or utility and gave you considerable room to make it your own.
It's beyond lame they decided to outright cancel it rather than just adjust it.
*sighs*
Click ✨ HERE ✨ For My Youtube Videos featuring Guides, Tips & Tricks for using D&D Beyond.
Need help with Homebrew? Check out ✨ this FAQ/Guide thread ✨ by IamSposta.
Here, I'll make it not just UA: they killed the artificer archivist and are trying it out as a wizard subclass. Is there precedent for this working with any of the published subclasses?
Birgit | Shifter | Sorcerer | Dragonlords
Shayone | Hobgoblin | Sorcerer | Netherdeep
They did kill the Theurgy Wizard and turned it into the Divine Soul Sorcerer.
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
While I don't have any strong feelings either way about the mechanical content of the class, I found it thematically inappropriate. Every in-game reference to both psionics and arcane magic is that they are oil and water. In particular, Elder Brains (and by extension the Mind Flayers who serve them) outright ban their Flayers from it's study. This is in spite of the fact that, were they to encourage its use, they would probably easily dominate most other life immediately were they to do so. This also includes, from my understanding, previous classes based on psionics. The people looking for a Psion base class are all pretty adamant that using psionic abilities is not the same thing as casting spells.
Looking outside the bounds of DnD, psionic abilities and magical abilities can accomplish the same ends, but that's the end of their similarities. So I find it a little strange that a class dedicated to the intense study of magic (Wizard) would have a school of magic about studying an altogether unrelated form of ability (psionics). That's not to say a Wizard couldn't also have psionic ability (say, multiclassing into Psionics or taking one of the psionic Feats), but they just aren't the same thing.
I think your argument is more about "psionics as subclass" than about the specific Psionics Wizard. Or the psionic sorcs who were also arcane. Or the psionic fighter, which would stil be arcane. By the bye, "arcane" just means secret or known by a few. Psionic powers would indeed be arcane in nature, by definition. To say a Wizard developing psionic abilities is "thematically inappropriate" because of being "arcane" is just weird - given they have three schools of magic specifically about mental powers. So developing a few non-spell abilities based on the same thing seems perfectly fitting.
Psionics are a type of magic. Sure, you'd prefer a class that uses this magic in an innate way rather than a spellcasting way, but I see no reason why spellcasters cannot use spellcasting magic methods as a gateway to tapping into actual psionic magic methods. And if anyone's going to be able to achieve that, it's the wizard.
Personally, I don't care if a character gained psionic-styled powers through study, gifts, birthright or happenstance. As a standalone thing, it was a sweet subclass and the benefits of the thoughtform made spells work more like psionic powers rather than as spells - so those disliking "psionics as spells" should have found this the best psionic subclass as they didn't so much cast spells as "think and it happens." If anything they were the absolute closest to this idea, which makes your argument truly baffling.
I mean to each their own an' all. Just saying your argument doesn't make any sense to me.
Click ✨ HERE ✨ For My Youtube Videos featuring Guides, Tips & Tricks for using D&D Beyond.
Need help with Homebrew? Check out ✨ this FAQ/Guide thread ✨ by IamSposta.
I loved the Archivist. Didn't care much about the Onomancer, but the flavor was cool.
RIP to both of them (and the Psionics wizard)
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My guess is that the Onomancer will become a Bard subclass.
I loved the Archivist, I wish it would come back.
The Psionic Wizard is better than the current sorcerer version of it, IMHO.
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Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
🌸 🌺 🌹
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The Psionics wizard was an interesting foray into a strikingly unusual 'psychic' sub-trope - the Intellectual Psychic. Bizarrely enough, most people who play 'psychic' characters don't tend to make them particularly intelligent, or particularly knowledgeable about psychic or psionic ability. In fact, there's a heavy level of strong pushback against the idea that psychic ability should center primarily on the mind and coincide with, or require, a keen intellect. The Psionic wizard averted this and asserted that yes, you do actually need to be really smart to use psychic abilities well.
That is the method I strongly prefer, and I'll admit that the School of Psionics Wizard was - and is - the most put-together 'psi' subclass so far. It's sad to see it go, and I'll miss psychics who actually learn about psychic abilities and phenomena instead of always being "just go with your gut" intuitive talents.
The actual Archivist always struck me as hogwash, sadly +_+. I'm surprised it switched base classes, but I'm hoping we can do better with artificer subclasses in the future.
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Not quite. Divine Soul was a 3e Class (there were no subclasses) that was almost the same as the 3e Sorcerer (also introduces in 3e) as the first real alternative to Cleric lIke Sorcerer was for Wizard. Druid was already a thing before, but it was like a strange semireligious/semiarcane thing.
A lot of the published and UA subclasses are adaptations of older classes.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
I'll admit the abilities were on the rough side, but the idea of it was what made it my 2nd favorite Artificer subclass. I hope they can take the AI/teleportation type artificer and reuse that idea in the future in some way.
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
I'm sorry for the loss of your friend, Levi. It really is sad. 😭😭💐. How about some cake🍰🎂😁
'The Cleverness of mushrooms always surprises me!' - Ivern Bramblefoot.
I'll worldbuild for your DnD games!
Just a D&D enjoyer, check out my fiverr page if you need any worldbuilding done for ya!
RIP
Thank you for paying your respects.
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
You're welcome. Now, have some more CAKE 🍰🎂!!
'The Cleverness of mushrooms always surprises me!' - Ivern Bramblefoot.
I'll worldbuild for your DnD games!
Just a D&D enjoyer, check out my fiverr page if you need any worldbuilding done for ya!
🍰🍰🍰🍰