Dungeons and dragons just posted a new Unearthed Arcana playtest document testing changes to several popular subclasses, including Path of the Spiritual Guardian and Storm Herald Barbarian, Cavalier Fighter, Warrior of Intoxication Monk, and Oathbreaker Paladin. These subclasses, most of which originally appeared in Xanathar's Guidehas been updated to match the 2024 update to the core rules for Dungeons and dragons.
Few books in Dungeons and dragons the story has been as loved as Xanathar's Guide to Everything. Hailed by many as the “missing half” of Player's Handbookthis 2017 masterpiece featured tons of new content for players and dungeon masters alike, including a whopping 31 subclasses.
D&D Unearthed Arcana updates Xanathar's guide subclasses
Now several of these subclasses are getting a facelift for the modern era 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons. Wizards of the Coast recently released a new Unearthed Arcana with revisions to five subclasses, four of which were first seen in Xanathar's Guide to Everything:
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Barbarian – Path of the Ancestral Guardian (formerly Ancestral Guardians)
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Barbarian – Path of the Storm Herald
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Fighter – Cavalier
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Monk – Warrior of Intoxication (formerly Way of the Drunken Master)
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Paladin – Oathbreaker (from Dungeon Master's Guide 2014)
The Path of the Spiritual Guardian and Storm Herald Barbarian subclasses i Dungeons and dragons both got some pretty nice buffs to their original abilities. The Spiritual Guardian's spirit protectors now provide options to deal additional damage, the Spirit Shield now scales with level, and a new capstone called Vengeful Spirits can give them extra attacks. Meanwhile, Storm Herald's Storm Aura now scales with Barbarian Rage Damage and includes rework of Raging Storm's environmental effects.
The Cavalier Fighter, one of the strongest Fighter subclasses in the D&Dcan now use his Unwavering Mark with impunity and gains a speed boost in the first round of combat with Ferocious Charger, while the Warrior of Intoxication Monk, formerly known as Way of the Drunken Master, gains the ability to make special potions with Mystic Brew to double the alcohol-themed subclass. Meanwhile, Oathbreaker Paladin – the only one of these subclasses not from Xanathar's Guide originally – received a massive rework and can now summon undead, combine with Divine Smite and boost their Aura of Protection with terrible powers.
It is currently unclear what Dungeons and dragons book these options will appear in. The subclasses from D&Dpp Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerun and Eberron: Forge of the Artificer books coming this year have already been revealed, meaning these iconic options will likely appear in an unannounced product next year. Regardless, the poll for these subclasses opens on November 6th, so fans hoping to help shape them for their final iterations should be sure to fill it out when it's available.
- Franchise
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Dungeons & Dragons
- Original release date
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1974
- Designer
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E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson
