Unearthed Arcana 1/26/21 - Gothic Lineages

[jaappleton]

https://media.wizards.com/2021/dnd/d...icLineages.pdf

[MaxWilson]

https://media.wizards.com/2021/dnd/d...icLineages.pdf

Thank you, jaapleton, for your diligence in bringing new material to the community's attention. Without you I probably wouldn't even realize there was a UA for days or weeks.

[Warder]

So confirmation that all future books will work with Tasha's system for ability scores. Blurgh.

[animewatcha]

How much 'Hex' can you stick in one character?

[Amechra]

I like how the Dhampyr just straight-up gives you a Con-based attack. It's not the strongest attack, but I'd kinda love to make a Dhampyr Shadow Monk that prioritizes Constitution. I hope that they don't change it to be based off of Strength (or Dexterity) in the future.

Hexblood is going to be an optimization favorite, since they get Hex as a free spell known and can base it off of any mental stat they want. I'm not a big fan, honestly.

I kinda like the Reborn? It still feels a bit lackluster, but that's probably just because it has a big ol' passive ability.

EDIT: OK, there's an Adventure Time reference in the Dhampyr's list of hungers. I'm... not sure how I feel about that.

[jaappleton]

How much 'Hex' can you stick in one character?

Reborn Phantom Rogue is also up there with Hexborn Hexblade with the Hex spell, Pact of the Chain using a dog familiar named Hecks.

[Amnestic]

Using conmod for attack/damage on the dhampir's bite is unusual. Has that ever happened before? I know some races got con-spells (genasi) but it's the first time I can recall seeing it for a weapon attack, natural or otherwise.

Shame it wouldn't work with sneak attack. Powerbiting people as a rogue is a funny image to me.

[Evaar]

Dhampir gets a Constitution based simple weapon attack. I'd try to work out a SAD Barbarian focused on Constitution, but the damage is only 1d4 so you'll just be tickling things with it. You could still make yourself useful by grappling stuff, but then you end up needing strength anyway.

Odd that the Hexblood, which actually has the Fey type, doesn't get the Sleep immunity from Fey Ancestry. Instead they get Fey Resilience, which only provides the Charm advantage; maybe the Sleep part is supposed to be specific to elves, what with Trance. I feel like granting a 1/longrest Hex via lineage is abusable, but it's probably fine. Potentially a tad bit riskier with the clause allowing it to be used with other spell slots. Still not better than a 1 level dip for a Hexvoker, since you want the Hexblade's Curse feature, or for any of the classes trying to become Cha-SAD.

Reborn seems fine, a little dull. Completely outclassed by Yuan-Ti, but what isn't? Unclear to me whether their bonus from past life has to be used before the die is rolled or after.

[tmjr6]

I like how Wizards is going forward with adding new options for the lineages. I like how Reborn is an easy way to allow players to play a Revenant. Not 100% sure how I feel about Reborn, but this is playtest material after all. These also feel like great ways to allow players to come back in a form of divine intervention or Faustian deal.

[kaervaak]

The double creature types are an interesting choice. All of these are humanoid and something else which I haven't seen before. This seems to be a reasonably large drawback as it makes them vulnerable to more spells and effects.

[PhantomSoul]

So confirmation that all future books will work with Tasha's system for ability scores. Blurgh.

Worse than just "work[ing] with Tasha's" -- looks like they might effectively mandate it instead of putting the time, effort or thought into which ability scores fit and effectively force you to use optional rules for their future races, therefore pretty much forcing you to use it for the existing races unless you play "bad guy" by specifying the scores.

[nickl_2000]

How much 'Hex' can you stick in one character?

Yo' Dawg, I heard you like Hex!

I'm not super impressed, although the Dhampir Fanged bite being based Constitution for to hit and damage is interesting and could create some unique characters.

[Warder]

Worse than just "work[ing] with Tasha's" -- looks like they might effectively mandate it instead of putting the time, effort or thought into which ability scores fit and effectively force you to use optional rules for their future races, therefore pretty much forcing you to use it for the existing races unless you play "bad guy" by specifying the scores.

Yeah, that's what I meant. Optional was optional for all of one book, from now on it's mandatory.

[J-H]

Hmm.
Looks like these all tie in to Ravenloft or similar settings.

I disagree strongly with the Tasha's changes and don't use them, BUT for these three racial options, it makes sense... these are unique changes to the new creature's physical nature and its manner of metamorphosis. A dwarf might lose its sturdy Constitution for unnatural quickness as a hungering undead, a half-orc's muscles might wither even as it gains a dominating presence, etc. etc.

I would probably allow a maximum of one of any of these in a party at a time. Dhampir obviously does the most for vampire wish-fulfillment, as does Reborn. Hexblood is pretty meh, but on theme.

I don't see anything particularly unbalanced, given that taking these races with spell-like options does cost the extra skills or proficiencies a player would get from other racial options.

[nickl_2000]

And you now have the ability to easily cast Hex on an EK Fighter without a feat or multiclassing. They have effectively boosted all EKs damage by a substantial amount.

[animewatcha]

Crazy question. Going with 'choosing new lineage instead of old race' kinda. Humanoid(elf) + one of new options. Can they take Elven Accuracy?

[MaxWilson]

So confirmation that all future books will work with Tasha's system for ability scores. Blurgh.

Also an(other) official repudiation of the DMG-advised system for systematically applying racial modifiers to MM NPC templates. New claim: racial modifiers are only for PCs, because they're heroic.

The new UA feels like a White Wolf product. Too many edgy powers and abilities.

[Amechra]

The more I look at Vampiric Bite, the better it looks. To summarize:

• It's a simple natural weapon that deals 1d4 piercing damage.
• Unlike most weapons, it's Con-based.
• You have Advantage on attack rolls with it while you are below half health.
• A few times per long rest, you can use it to regain hit-points or gain a bonus to your next attack roll or ability check equal to the damage dealt.

Honestly, I fully expect that the attack roll/ability check bonus rider is going to be straight-up removed if we see a final version, because that's very broken. Without any real optimization, you're looking at a bonus from +3 to +6 - however, since the bonus is based off of the damage and not what you rolled with that d4, you can pump it up with stuff like smites or turning it into a Monk weapon.

I mean, it's hilarious that this effectively turns a Dhampyr Paladin into an absurd skill monkey, since even a first-level spell is likely to give you a ~+13 bonus on average (if there's a horse or something you can chomp on). But that's not good for the health of the game.

EDIT: My biggest complaint, though, is that they're using the "you get a number of uses equal to your proficiency modifier!" thing. I hate that.

[PhantomSoul]

Vampiric Bite. Your fanged bite is a natural weapon, which counts as a simple melee weapon with which you are proficient. You add your Constitution modifier to the attack and damage rolls when you attack with your bite. Your bite deals 1d4 piercing damage on a hit. While you are missing half or more of your hit points, you have advantage on attack rolls you make with this bite. When you use your bite and hit a creature that isn’t a Construct or an Undead, you can empower yourself in one of the following ways of your choice:•regain hit points equal to the damage dealt by the bite•gain a bonus to the next ability check or attack roll you make; the bonus equals the damage dealt by the bite You can empower yourself with your bite a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Well, if Vampiric touch didn't sound bad enough eh! This gives the full damage to HP/checks/rolls, counts as a melee weapon attack with a simple melee weapon, and you can boost the 1d4+CON to get more of a bonus (e.g. smite, hex) if the DM deems hex doesn't count as "not by the bite". Oh, and you can get easy advantage in case that was a problem. (And interestingly you're attacking using constitution.)

[Damon_Tor]

The reborn can be a construct, which means they can be a Battlemaster and be healed by their defender. Also interesting that the 4 hour long rest is now explicit.

EDIT: OK, there's an Adventure Time reference in the Dhampyr's list of hungers. I'm... not sure how I feel about that.

I find it deeply annoying, especially since without context it's not at all clear what it even means.

[nickl_2000]

EDIT: My biggest complaint, though, is that they're using the "you get a number of uses equal to your proficiency modifier!" thing. I hate that.

I can see the hatred, although I think it makes sense on a racial feature. At least it isn't a class feature where it gets more powerful even when you aren't taking levels in the class.

[animewatcha]

Did they ever come up with a ruling on natural weapon vs monk martials arts things?

[Warder]

I find it deeply annoying, especially since without context it's not at all clear what it even means.

It's incredibly tone deaf. I mean I don't mind a reference or a joke here and there, but this is presumably for something Ravenloftesque where that's incredibly out of place.

[Damon_Tor]

The implications for being able to change your racial ability bonuses mid game are troubling. What happens if you start the game with +2 to str for a total of 13, take a level of paladin, then a level of warlock, then trade out your strength bonus. Do you still have the level of paladin that you no longer qualify for? What does this mean for taking more levels of paladin? Or more levels of warlock? By RAW can you now take levels in zero classes?

And since race is officially only skin deep anyway, why even bother with letting people change their ability scores when they change raves? Make it like languages where you keep whatever bonuses you started with.

[rlc]

So, if I’m a hexblood, I can leave a piece of my hair on somebody’s shirt and tell them that I hate them from 10 miles away? That’s awesome.

So confirmation that all future books will work with Tasha's system for ability scores. Blurgh.

I mean, how did you not see that coming?

[PhantomSoul]

I mean, how did you not see that coming?

Wishful thinking -- and no, that's not blue text.

[Warder]

I mean, how did you not see that coming?

I did, but I honestly didn't think they'd make that change until next edition. I (naively?) assumed that what they stated multiple times was an optional rule would remain optional. In hindsight I guess that was just a way to try to appease those who didn't care for the change, for whatever reason. I feel pretty stupid now, I guess.

[jaappleton]

I like the approach they're taking in the sense of, "I want to play ____ but none of the races really work for it"

Want to be a construct but not a Warforged? Reborn. Remember the old Shardmind from previous editions? Reborn works for that, too.

Believe it or not, they actually did an old UA for Revenants waaaaayyy back, like 2016 I think? Gothic Heroes was the name of the article. It.... was decent in concept but not very practical to implement. It was a new subrace applicable to all races, essentially.

[Damon_Tor]

A PC in a party with an Oathbreaker might feel pressured to become a Dhampir or Reborn to benefit from his Aura of Hate.

[sayaijin]

Reborn Phantom Rogue is also up there with Hexborn Hexblade with the Hex spell, Pact of the Chain using a dog familiar named Hecks.

I love the flavor, but the mechanical overlap of advantage on death saving throws on both your race and your class is annoying. Kinda wish it was a static boost to death saving throws or maybe proficiency with death saving throws.