Unearthed Arcana Archives - Tribality

UA 2025: The Psion Breakdown

Brandes Stoddard — Fri, 06 Jun 2025 19:48:31 +0000

Not even the Ranger has had as many UA releases thrown at it as the Psion (née Mystic). Searching through the dusty, moldering archives of this very website, I see that I last wrote a UA breakdown about psionics in 2020, but it was already in good company. I was genuinely surprised to see a new attempt, because I honestly thought the Aberrant Mind Sorcerer, Psi Knight Fighter, and Soulknife Rogue were WotC’s last word on the topic. Psion Class […]

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UA 2025: Horror Subclasses Breakdown

Brandes Stoddard — Mon, 19 May 2025 03:26:13 +0000

I haven’t written an UA breakdown in a hot minute—the last one was before the three core books of 2024-25 dropped!—but this drop sucked me back in. Part of this is to find out where the reading audience is these days. I’m sad to see that they’ve dropped bylines for UA articles; I liked knowing whose ideas I was reading. Also, the very short turnaround on this feedback window is a travesty. I’m sure they have reasons, but since the […]

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UA 2023 – Player’s Handbook Playtest 7 Breakdown, Part Five

Brandes Stoddard — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 13:33:22 +0000

Is… is it possible, by some strange chance, that I’m coming to a close in this series? Sure, I’m a whole packet behind, but I’m doing my best here, folks. This time, I’m planning to finish the packet. Wish me luck. Barbarian | Fighter | Sorcerer | Warlock | Wizard Wizard The flavor text name-checks several familiar figures – Bigby, Tasha, Mordenkainen, great! – and one who is a much deeper cut to me. Yolande, it turns out, is a significant figure in Greyhawk lore just […]

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UA 2023 – Player’s Handbook Playtest 7 Breakdown, Part Four

Brandes Stoddard — Tue, 31 Oct 2023 14:52:28 +0000

Let’s make a deal and have that talk about UA’s latest revision of Warlocks. Today, I’ll be bringing you quotes from Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, since it’s sort of an ur-text for the whole concept. It also explains how hard it is to have a new idea in game design: “There’s nothing wise and nothing silly wasn’t thought of long ago.” Barbarian | Fighter | Sorcerer | Warlock Warlock I have a long history of opinions on this class, and I’ve made […]

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UA 2023 – Player’s Handbook 7 Playtest Breakdown, Part Three

Brandes Stoddard — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 02:21:36 +0000

Welcome back! Sorcerers, and without further delay. Delays there have already been, aplenty. But this space still feels weird with only one two lines. Barbarian | Fighter | Sorcerer Sorcerer The Sorcerer’s narrative section hasn’t changed. You’re bursting with magic, and reasons vary (including an inciting incident where you discover your powers). There are substantial mechanical changes. Innate Sorcery is a new level 1 feature that is a single-encounter power-up mode. As a Bonus Action, you gain +1 spell save DC and […]

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UA 2023 – Player’s Handbook 7 Playtest Breakdown, Part Two

Brandes Stoddard — Fri, 06 Oct 2023 15:56:18 +0000

I’m going to need SO many more hours in a day to keep up with the rate of UA releases, book releases, photo flip-throughs of upcoming releases… It’s been a breakneck pace around here and I’m not keeping up. Anyway! It beats having nothing D&D related to talk about but the year that was January. Today I’m covering the Fighter class and its subclasses from the PH 7 packet, on the same day that the new Bastion and Cantrip packet […]

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UA 2023 – Player’s Handbook 7 Playtest Breakdown, Part One

Brandes Stoddard — Tue, 26 Sep 2023 20:26:29 +0000

This packet dropped before I’d even finished covering its cyclopean predecessor, so I took a little time to make progress on other projects (good stuff, Under the Seas of Vodari backers!) before taking up sword and spellbook once again. This time out, the remaining five classes get a fresh draft: Barbarian, Fighter, Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard. The spellcaster classes in particular signal a sweeping change to 5e.24’s development–we’ll get to that. Barbarian The changes noted in the change log sidebar […]

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UA 2023 – Player’s Handbook 6 Playtest Breakdown, Part Seven

Brandes Stoddard — Tue, 12 Sep 2023 21:57:08 +0000

The new packet came out yesterday, but I’m not covering that today. I’m still finishing up the last one, with the Rogue, new or revised spells, and anything else down toward the bottom of the packet. Let’s hit it. PH Playtest 6: Bard, Cleric, Druid, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, et al. Rogue The first UA Rogue didn’t excite me, because they had narrowed Sneak Attack down to only happening on your turn, and only as part of the Attack action – no Reaction Sneak Attacking for […]

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UA 2023 – Player’s Handbook Playtest 6 Breakdown, Part Five

Brandes Stoddard — Fri, 25 Aug 2023 20:21:31 +0000

Illness and wanting to get that Glory of the Giants review posted have delayed my progress through this UA packet, but I’m back today, baby. Paladins, it’s your turn. PH Playtest 6: Bard, Cleric, Druid, Monk, Paladin Paladin The previous version of the paladin was just two packets ago, and in a way it’s amazing that much has changed. I was generally positive on that earlier version. No changes to the Hit Die, weapon, armor, skill, or saving throw baselines. Lay on Hands is […]

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UA 2023 – Player’s Handbook 6 Playtest Breakdown, Part Four

Brandes Stoddard — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 00:32:48 +0000

Okay, we’re on to talking about Monks. As you undoubtedly know, this is the first draft of a new Monk we’ve seen in One D&D playtesting; other than the Artificer, which won’t be in the 2024 Player’s Handbook, it’s the only class still on its first round. Weird, Monks are usually better at Initiative than that! PH Playtest 6: Bard, Cleric, Druid, Monk Monk The 5e.14 Monk has always been a tough class for content design. On one hand, new moves for Monk […]

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