Balancing Unearthed Arcana To Bring It Up To Speed

[DracoKnight]

I offered to do this and a couple of forum frequenters expressed interest. The point of this project is to balance the content presented in the Unearthed Arcana options to the point where we have universally accepted content on par with the rest of 5e. I am in the process of creating PDFs that I can edit for each one, and I have already completed the Revised Ranger PDF for us to go over and tweak. I've already added in a few things that my group has implemented - for instance: a feat to allow the animal companion's attacks to count as magical.

The next article I'm converting is Light, Dark, Underdark, and I will add that to my signature as well once it is done. I will compile everyone's tweaks, with the more widely accepted changes getting priority.

All links to the PDFs will be in my signature, and they will be the most recent version, with the community's tweaks. Thank you everyone for your help, and I look forward to conducting this project with all of you! :smallbiggrin:


- Added a "Feral Ranger" variant that gets Unarmored Defense instead of armor proficiencies.
- Added a feat to the Revised Ranger to make the beast's attacks magical. I will be folding this into one of the other features for featless games.

[dejarnjc]

This looks great. Is there a redline version though? Or at least a list of all the changes you've made?

[DanyBallon]

Are you going to do it UA by UA, or as a global file? I'm asking because the deep stalker ranger is both in the latest UA and in the Light, Dark, Underdark, that you are about to start. At the very least, it would be nice that both archetype be the same if they appear in two or more different files.

[DracoKnight]

This looks great. Is there a redline version though? Or at least a list of all the changes you've made?

I do not have a change log yet. I will work on that soon, as I actually hadn't thought of doing it.


Are you going to do it UA by UA, or as a global file? I'm asking because the deep stalker ranger is both in the latest UA and in the Light, Dark, Underdark, that you are about to start. At the very least, it would be nice that both archetype be the same if they appear in two or more different files.

I was going to do it as UA by UA. I'll make sure that if there's repeat content, I'll use the same version in both :smallsmile:

[brainface]

I've already added in a few things that my group has implemented - for instance: a feat to allow the animal companion's attacks to count as magical.
I feel like this is kind of... patchy? Kludgy? It's a very specific feat that patches a hole in the class's behavior. I'd argue for magic "weapons" for animal companions as inherently more satisfying, or modifying the conclave to add the mechanic at some level. As is, it feels too much like a feat tax or not worth taking, depending on campaign. A ribbony effect added in might make it more interesting, at least?

Otherwise, it looks very nice. If I was playing a ranger and allowed the new revision, I'd print this out for reference and stick it in the PHB. ^^

[Chronos Flame]

So looking through it I like it if for no other reason than it looks a bit nicer in this form, haha. I do agree that a changelog would be nice so I and other readers don't have to reference back and forth. As for problems I have/still have. I don't like the advantage on initiative/advantage on attacks, but that of course isn't your revision, that is the class as presented. As to the feat that makes attacks magic, I feel like it goes against the feel of 5e pretty hard. It is a nearly required feat in campaigns where magic resist will come up (most of them at some point or another). It should be a feature. I'd consider lumping it in with one of the existing features, like the 11th level one.

[DracoKnight]

I feel like this is kind of... patchy? Kludgy? It's a very specific feat that patches a hole in the class's behavior. I'd argue for magic "weapons" for animal companions as inherently more satisfying, or modifying the conclave to add the mechanic at some level. As is, it feels too much like a feat tax or not worth taking, depending on campaign. A ribbony effect added in might make it more interesting, at least.


So looking through it I like it if for no other reason than it looks a bit nicer in this form, haha. I do agree that a changelog would be nice so I and other readers don't have to reference back and forth. As for problems I have/still have. I don't like the advantage on initiative/advantage on attacks, but that of course isn't your revision, that is the class as presented. As to the feat that makes attacks magic, I feel like it goes against the feel of 5e pretty hard. It is a nearly required feat in campaigns where magic resist will come up (most of them at some point or another). It should be a feature. I'd consider lumping it in with one of the existing features, like the 11th level one.

Alright, so I'll fold it into a feature then, and whip up that change log.

[Mjolnirbear]

Requesting Psionics redo!

[Quintessence]

Did you make this using Homebrewery?

[DracoKnight]

Requesting Psionics redo!

Coming up after Light, Dark, Underdark!


Did you make this using Homebrewery?

Yes I did :smallsmile: Why??

[Quintessence]

Coming up after Light, Dark, Underdark!



Yes I did :smallsmile: Why??

I was just curious, no real other reason. Nice work

[DracoKnight]

I was just curious, no real other reason. Nice work

Well thank you :smallsmile:

[DracoKnight]

Change Log added.

[DracoKnight]

So would it work better to give the Animal Companion magical attacks at 5th or 7th level?