How commonly is UA used?

[NecroDancer]

There is a fair amount of things I like with UA, like the Savage Bard, Desert Half-Orc, Paladin of Freedom, and Specialists Wizard Variants.

How often are these UA variants used at the average table? What are the chances of a DM letting players use these options? What are some UA that you DON'T allow and why?

[sleepyphoenixx]

The things you mentioned are fine at most tables that aren't core-only in my experience. The ACFs are mostly in line with other ACF options, so there's really no reason not to.
Prestige Bard/Paladin/Ranger are rarer, but then i've rarely seen anyone who actually wanted to play those either. I can't recall it ever coming up actually.

LA buyoff being allowed varies from game to game. It's not exactly gamebreaking but some groups aren't comfortable with getting LA "for free". Personally i don't have a problem with it, but the other DM in my regular group doesn't allow it.
Item Familiars are more iffy because there's pretty much no way not to abuse one. Or at least nobody who buys it doesn't abuse it. I generally don't allow them unless it's already a high power game.
I've never seen anyone allow bloodlines and i haven't ever allowed them myself either because the problems with Item Familiar apply even more to them.

[Zaq]

I have only anecdotes rather than data, but the vast majority of the games I’ve been in allow at least the simple stuff from UA (races, paragon classes, and alternate class features). Most, but not all, of the games I’ve been in have allowed fractional BAB/saves. Traits and flaws seem reasonably common, though some GMs of course get all up in arms about them.

More exotic stuff like the alternate skill system, alternate casting systems, bloodlines, item familiars, taint/sanity rules, wound points, generic classes, gestalt, and so on is a bit of a harder sell. My impression of that sort of stuff is that it’s usually put into the game when the GM is intentionally trying to shake things up.

Overall, though, how common something is overall is ultimately immaterial. There’s really only one person’s opinion who matters when it comes to this kind of thing, and that person is the GM. Every game is different, after all.

[Elkad]

I've used basically everything in the first 3 UA sections of the SRD.

Flaws, Traits, and race/class variants I think see pretty wide usage. Also LA buyoff and fractional BAB.
I require fractional BAB (and no +2 save stacking) in all my games.

I really like hex maps and facing (usually used together).
Wound Points and Armor as DR are OK.
I use Action Points often, but I'm stingy with them. 1-2 per level, not 5-15 like the rules say. Using an action point is for emergencies, not something you can spam 2-3 times per encounter at mid levels.

Variant Magic rules (including item familiars and legendary weapons) I personally don't like. Too much potential munchkinery.

And the campaign stuff with Taint, Insanity, Honor, etc just don't seem to fit. I guess you could have games where they mattered, but it feels to me like stretching D&D into some other system. If I want Insanity, I'll play Cthulhu.

[Jormengand]

Universal Aptitude? Well, I don't get to play truenamers that often, so...

Oh, Unearthed Arcana! Now that I use a lot. I've used variant races and classes, flaws, traits, and the Item Familiar feat. I usually allow people variant races and classes, as well as a couple of traits and/or flaws if they make the downsides decently relevant.

[Telonius]

I've seen at least some kind of Unearthed Arcana variant in most of the campaigns I've played over the last decade. (I do tend to play in longer-term campaigns, with few one-offs, with a relatively consistent group of people, so that might skew it).

[Quertus]

I've seen most of UA in play / seen most of it allowed at most tables. Flaws are the most commonly used bit from that book.

Sure, there's some things that would be allowed, but no-one cares about, like Prestige Paladin. The odd man out here is LA buyoff. Because, either the group is racist, and wants the humans/elves/dwarves vs the monsters, or the group just grants X free level adjustment.


I've never seen anyone allow bloodlines and i haven't ever allowed them myself either because the problems with Item Familiar apply even more to them.

Am I thinking of the right thing? The "+2 to a few things at the cost of a level"? How is that broken, outside making the character weaker (and one strange build I once made)?

[Fizban]

There is a fair amount of things I like with UA, like the Savage Bard, Desert Half-Orc, Paladin of Freedom, and Specialists Wizard Variants.

How often are these UA variants used at the average table? What are the chances of a DM letting players use these options? What are some UA that you DON'T allow and why?
Unearthed Arcana in general has a vast range of stuff, so asking about the book doesn't produce much of a result. Those specific variants?

Savage Bard is pretty meh but I'd allow it. I dislike their "four flavors of every core race and some monsters!" table, but the raw numbers on desert half-orc don't offend me. Paladin of Freedom, sure fine -I built a player a special Paladin of Tyranny once, wouldn't allow it again but freedom is just compulsion instead of fear (and compulsion is actually easier to block than fear so you're getting a downgrade on the whole).

Specialist Wizard variants? Pick one and we'll see- specialist wizard variants are some of both the cheapest and most powerful variants there are, and even UAs have plenty of stinkers.

[Telonius]

As for what I don't allow ... there are some variants in there where it's really an all or nothing deal. Either everybody's using Gestalt, or nobody is; either we're all using Taint or nobody is; either Sanity is in play or it's not.

One thing that I don't allow is Tainted Sorcerer on an Undead character (Necropolitan, etc), for the same reason I don't allow the Heroes of Horror version.

Item Familiar is another very unbalancing option. I generally don't allow it.

[daremetoidareyo]

Bloodlines need to be sent back to the outer planes. They are such a headache.