Familiar faces emerge with this latest Unearthed Arcana! This collection revisits five iconic subclasses, each updated with fresh design and new flexibility for use with the latest Player's Handbook. Inside, you'll find the Barbarian (Path of the Ancestral Guardian and Path of the Storm Herald), the Fighter (Cavalier), the Monk (Warrior of Intoxication), and the Paladin (Oathbreaker).
You can read the full playtest packet yourself or click below for highlights from the subclasses, which include designer insights from Ben Petrisor.
- Updated Subclasses
- Path of the Spiritual Guardian (Barbarian)
- Path of the Storm Herald (Barbarian)
- Cavalier (Fighter)
- Warrior of Intoxication (Monk)
- Oathbreaker (Paladin)
Updated Subclasses
This Unearthed Arcana features subclasses from the past that we thought could use a touch-up. Each of these subclasses has new designs and quality of life updates to bring them in line with the updated Player’s Handbook.
As a side note, we saw comments about the Necromancer using an Arcane Focus along with their spellbook for their features, so we wanted to use this space to point to the Spellcasting Focus in the Wizard that states your spellbook can be used as a Spellcasting Focus for your Wizard spells. This means every Wizard has a Spellcasting Focus as long as they have their spellbook!
Path of the Spiritual Guardian (Barbarian)
Formerly Path of the Ancestral Guardian, we broadened the kinds of spirits that aid the Barbarian. They can still be your ancestors, but now could include spirits of animals and spirits of nature.
Spiritual Protectors (formerly Ancestral Protectors) has been broken up into multiple effects that can be chosen when the Barbarian hits with a weapon or Unarmed Strike. This feature now scales with the number of attacks the Barbarian makes, letting them replicate the 2014 effect with two attacks on the same target, or choosing different combinations as the situation calls for it.
Vengeful Spirits (formerly Vengeful Ancestors) continues this design emphasis of rewarding multiple attacks by letting the Barbarian make an additional attack when they roll 18-20 on the D20 on an attack roll. These features play well with Two-Weapon Fighting, Reckless Attack, and feats like Sentinel that let you make attacks as a Reaction more consistently.
Path of the Storm Herald (Barbarian)
Storm Aura has been redesigned to scale with the Barbarian’s Rage Damage bonus, and Desert and Tundra now use d4s instead of flat numbers.
Furthermore, Tundra has been redesigned from applying Temporary Hit Points to reducing the damage a creature can deal.
Each effect of Raging Storm has been redesigned. Desert now causes creatures to start burning; Sea can now cause a bolt of lightning to leap off the first target towards another; Tundra now deals Cold damage and halves the creature’s Speed in addition to the damage reduction.
Cavalier (Fighter)
Unwavering Mark no longer has limited uses. Ferocious Charger has been redesigned. It now gives the Fighter, and its mount, extra Speed, and moving doesn’t provoke Opportunity Attacks. In addition, during this movement, you can give a creature the Prone condition just by moving next to them.
Warrior of Intoxication (Monk)
Formerly the Way of the Drunken Master, the Warrior of Intoxication maintains its elusive nature and the ability to redirect attacks. New in this UA is the ability to create magical brews that the Monk can drink to gain various benefits. Drunkard’s Luck has been folded into a magical brew option and has been redesigned to grant Heroic Inspiration whenever you roll Initiative without it.
Oathbreaker (Paladin)
Like before, the Oathbreaker can replace a Paladin’s original subclass. In addition, the Oathbreaker can also be taken at level 3, without replacing another subclass.
Many of the Oathbreaker’s features have been adjusted or redesigned. Conjure Undead replaces Control Undead, allowing the Paladin to briefly summon Undead under its control; Dreadful Aspect now loops through Divine Smite; Aura of Hate now enhances Aura of Protection and clarifies only Undead and Fiends that are allies benefit from it; Finally, Dread Lord is a Bonus Action that imbues the Paladin’s Aura of Protection with each benefit broken up for readability.
Like similar features, Dread Lord can be recharged by expending a level 5 spell slot.
Your Feedback Matters
Once you’ve read or played with these playtest materials, be sure to fill out the survey on D&D Beyond, coming on November 6, and let us know what you think.
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Posted Oct 30, 2025Ugh, I really hope the note about Wizards using spellbooks as their focus doesn't mean the designers are sticking with making a bunch of the Necromancer's features require you to hold the spellbook specifically. Focus or not, it feels very arbitrary when spellbooks aren't unique to Necromancers and other subclasses tend not to rely on them so much. Why shouldn't a bone wand or a gem-encrusted skull be just as valid for a Necromancer to be casting with? What if we find a magic wand or something?
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Posted Oct 30, 2025Immediate reaction to Oathbreaker; it looks cool, but obviously the 3rd level Channel Divinity options have some bizarre ceilings: Conjure Undead will see little, if any, use after a point because its summoning CR 1/4 Undead, with almost no health, and a +5 to hit.
Aura of Hate, or some other feature, would need to make those Skeletons/Zombies way more sturdier: Suggestion: Just turn Conjure Undead into an option to pick the Undead up to a certain CR that scales with the Paladin. Make it their Wildshape type of flavor for their 1 minute of Necromancy.
This Paladin doesn't need 3 Fear effects. Dreadful Aspect; Abjure Foes; Fear (two at level 9) is TOO much Fear. You could swap Fear for Bestow Curse or something to that effect.
Also a carve out for Dread Lord to not break Abure Foes at level 20 with the damage it causes, like Sear Undead, would be nice.
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Posted Oct 30, 2025Ah, because that's what's called marketing. Which is why I never understood why anyone gave a crap about backwards compatibility, since this was always going to happen.
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Posted Oct 30, 2025"Way of..." Makes more sense for Monks, since their subclass is fundamentally about the specific lifestyle they lead on their journey of self. "Path of..." for Barbarians maybe had some unfortunate overlap, but Warrior of... makes way more sense for Barbarians if one was gonna change.
That ship done been sailed, though.
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Posted Oct 30, 2025It doesn't require the fighting style. Any character can use Two Weapon Fighting. The Fighting style just provides additional benefit.
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Posted Oct 30, 2025First of all its not Intoxication call it what it bloody is DRUNKEN FIST, second of all its pretty shit
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Posted Oct 30, 2025Warrior of the Drunken Fist
Warrior of the Brew
Warrior of the Disorienting Step
Yup…this feels just like something you’d hear from police / guards.
”Yeah, we got another drunk & disorderly at the tavern…bring the wagon.”
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Posted Oct 30, 2025The big concern I have with the new Way of Intoxication is that the beverages don't end when a different beverage is consumed.
Since you can spend a Focus Point to make them last 8 hours, you are able to spend 2-5 hours brewing up all your beverages (and only be down 1 Focus Point since you get back FP on a short rest). Then you have an array of buffs that all have staggered expiration timers, which is awkward to keep track of.
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Posted Oct 30, 2025Spirit Guardian Barbarian is great, I think…I still like the idea of ghostly warriors randomly phasing in or out, partying strikes, or hanging off enemies to inhibit them.
…but now there’s some good variable damage here to add to the flavor: maybe the spirit of a wizard appears, and shocks the target…or a ghostly archer fires a flaming arrow that partially burns them…I like that.
My second favorite is Oathbreaker (been playing too much BG3…all I hear is the Scottish Paladin). XD
But, they fixed the awkward Aura of Hate so your fiendish or undead bosses don’t benefit from your attack bonus; and I think I like the Conjure Undead Channel Divinity…good for on-demand minions. Very evocative, even at lower levels.
Spell list is…pretty good: Hellish Rebuke, Witch Bolt for Sith Lord-esque zapping…Summon Undead…ooh, Steel Wind Strike, nice…
And you can make the capstone renewable for a spell slot tax…and it’s pretty great, as usual.
The tenants are also quite flexible for players…I could easily see starting as a broken-down Oathbreaker who JUST committed their grievous sin, before drowning their sorrows at the tavern where they meet the party…
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Posted Oct 30, 2025just saying, there's a typo in the monk's Intoxicated Frenzy: up to a total of six unarmed strike.
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Posted Oct 30, 2025An opportunity attack uses your Reaction, it is not part of the Attack action. So the extra attack should not apply to opportunity attacks or other attacks that are not part of the Attack action.
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Posted Oct 30, 2025Order of...? Disciple of...? There are other options.
In general, whoever is naming their subclasses isn't doing so hot. Scion of the Three Rogue and Sorcerer King Patron Warlock are pretty bad.
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Posted Oct 30, 2025Yeah, we'll have to see what kind of magic spellbooks arrive along with the Necromancer. It'll be tough to compete with a Wand of Fireballs or Staff of Frost, etc. That said, we could prioritize War Caster (not that we weren't already) and wield both a spellbook and something else.
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Posted Oct 30, 2025Dreadful Aspect requiring both Channel Divinity and Divine Smite seems like a LOT for a basic fear effect. Maybe if they saved at disadvantage that would be worth it, but I would be reluctant to ever use so many limited resources for that as is.
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Posted Oct 30, 2025"Warrior of Intoxication" sounds so dumb
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Posted Oct 30, 2025Or Drunken Warrior to mirror the Tattooed Warrior.
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Posted Oct 30, 2025For a 30 ft. Emanation Fear effect at level 3, its good. You could throw a dagger and trigger it too.
Attack Action -> Hit -> Bonus Action -> Cast Divine Smite/Expend Paladin's Smite/Spell Slot -> expend Channel Divinity = 30 ft. Fear is... a lot - but impact wise, very strong.
Now, Channel Divinity ain't cheap, you're not going to be able to use this a lot until the 3rd Channel Divinity use, but the 2 to 3 times you can pull it off, its good when you're getting access to it.
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Posted Oct 30, 2025Keep it Drunken Master! Stop removing fun flavor from the game. Its iconic and fun and a known BG3 subclass. Warrior of Intoxciation is a bad name.
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Posted Oct 30, 2025I hate from the bottom of my guts the new direction for the Spiritual Guardian. Giving him more options on attacks goes against the subclass design. It's a support / tank, not a DPS! Give it options on his spiritual shield or something, and more importantly, don't take away Vengeful Ancestors! It's one of the most unique Barbarian subclass and giving it more attacks / more damage on attacks goes against that uniqueness. Please, I beg you, don't change it into a pseudo-DPS with support options, and go fully into the support / tank abilities.
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Posted Oct 31, 2025Oathbreaker is back... And still no sign of the Death Domain... COME ON