Dungeons & Dragons newest Unearthed Arcana is meaty for Wizards and Warriors

Released on April 27, the new Unearthed Arcana provides

playtest material

intended for Dungeons & Dragons tabletop roleplaying games for its new edition planned for 2024.

https://twitter.com/DnDBeyond/status/1651269967990456320
The description on D&D Beyond for the Player's Handbook Playtest 5 reads as follows:

In this new Unearthed Arcana document for the 2024 Core Rulebooks, we explore material designed for the next version of the Player's Handbook. This playtest document presents the rules on the Weapon Mastery property, updates to weapons, new and revised spells, several new feats, and five classes: Barbarian, Fighter, Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard. You will also find an updated rules glossary that supercedes the glossary of any previous playtest documents.

The previous playtest D&D materials released highlighted the Character Origins, the Expert Classes (i.e. Rogue, Bard, Ranger), the Cleric and the

Revised Species

intended to address the racism issues, and the changes to the Druid and Paladin classes.

The first notable updates with the newest Unearthed Arcana material is the weapons. While weapons in D&D were fairly straightforward, the rules in the new edition will add Weapon Mastery properties. This adds a layer of tactical options intended to make characters more unique and effective in combat. Weapons in Dungeons & Dragons can now have features like Cleave, Flex, Graze, Nick, Push, Topple, Slow, Sap, and Vex.

For example, a character with Weapon Mastery of the Battleaxe can Topple the enemy, forcing it to make a CON save vs. DC equal to 8 + your Proficiency Bonus + Ability Modifier or be knocked prone to the ground. Meanwhile, a character that masters the Sling can cause a Slow effect on its target, reducing its Speed by 10 feet until the attacker's next turn.

Another key update with the new Unearthed Arcana is changes to spells. Now, there will be significant differences to the spell lists of different Arcane spellcasters such as the Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard classes. These Arcane spellcasters will also have unique abilities that coincide with the very nature of their magical abilities.

Sorcerers will have Innate Sorcery which means they always have Sorcerous Burst and Chaos Bolt spells prepared. Plus, a sorcerer gets Sorcery Points that can be used to create Spell Slots as a Bonus Action, thus giving them access to spells when they need it. At 2nd level, they also get Metamagic options, which can be used to enhance spell effects such as duration, range, and more.

Meanwhile, Warlocks will have actual Spell Slots. Compared to other Arcane spellcasters, Warlocks have had fewer spell slots via Pact Magic in the past. Instead, Warlocks will now have more spell slots (up to 15 instead of the previous 4). Moreover, Warlocks will always have Eldritch Blast and Hex prepared at first level. At 2nd Level, the Warlock begins gaining Eldritch Invocations which add bonus effects to spells. And Warlocks are now trained in wearing both Light and Medium Armor at Level 1.

Finally, Wizards receive new abilities that tie-in with their scholarly pursuit of magic. The new edition will introduce abilities such as Wizard's Spellbook, Academic, Memorize Spell, and Create Spell. For instance, Academic lets a Wizard take the Study Action to gain Advantage on any INT check. Another example is Arcane Recovery which allows the Wizard to choose expended Spell Slots to recover with just a Short Rest.

While it seems like the spellcasters are getting the most out of the newest D&D Unearthed Arcana, warriors are getting some love, too. Specifically, the Barbarian and the Fighter classes are getting some much-needed upgrades.

Barbarians will have a longer Rage that can last 10 minutes, as well as the ability to extend it with a Bonus Action. Meanwhile, Fighters can use Second Wind more than once (only requiring a Short Rest instead of a Long Rest), as well as gaining the Unconquerable ability at Level 17 that allows another use of Indomitable by expending a Second Wind (which still heals the Fighter in the same action). With both classes gaining Weapon Mastery options at 1st level, these new and updated abilities provide a better edge in battle for these Martial

character classes

.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgngcZpt_YQ
The Dungeons & Dragons Unearthed Arcana playtest can be downloaded as a PDF from the D&D Beyond app and website. The feedback survey will open on May 17, 2023.

{ "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "What is the new content in the D&D Unearthed Arcana?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "The new Dungeons & Dragons Unearthed Arcana playtest material, released on April 27, features updates on weapons, new and revised spells, several new feats, and five classes: Barbarian, Fighter, Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard. Notable updates include Weapon Mastery properties for weapons, changes to spell lists and abilities for Arcane spellcasters, and upgrades for the Barbarian and Fighter classes." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What is the Weapon Mastery property in D&D?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Weapon Mastery properties in Dungeons & Dragons add tactical options to make characters more unique and effective in combat. Weapons can now have features like Cleave, Flex, Graze, Nick, Push, Topple, Slow, Sap, and Vex. For example, a character with Weapon Mastery of the Battleaxe can Topple an enemy, forcing it to make a CON save or be knocked prone to the ground." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What are some key updates to spells and spellcasters?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "In the new Unearthed Arcana, significant differences are introduced to the spell lists of different Arcane spellcasters such as the Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard classes. These spellcasters will also have unique abilities that coincide with the nature of their magical abilities. Sorcerers will have Innate Sorcery, Sorcery Points, and Metamagic options. Warlocks will have more spell slots, Eldritch Invocations, and Light and Medium Armor training. Wizards will have abilities such as Wizard's Spellbook, Academic, Memorize Spell, and Create Spell." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What updates are there for the Barbarian and Fighter classes?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Barbarians receive a longer Rage that can last 10 minutes, with the ability to extend it using a Bonus Action. Fighters can use Second Wind more than once, requiring only a Short Rest, and gain the Unconquerable ability at Level 17. Both classes also gain Weapon Mastery options at 1st level, providing them with a better edge in battle." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How can the Dungeons & Dragons Unearthed Arcana playtest be accessed?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "The Dungeons & Dragons Unearthed Arcana playtest can be downloaded as a PDF from the D&D Beyond app and website. The feedback survey will open on May 17, 2023." } } ] }