D&D's latest tech is proficiency scaling for class features. Let's dive into this new tech, see what the designers are saying about it, and figure out what we need to look out for in playtesting.
Proficiency Scaling
Category: Unearthed Arcana
Tattoos (Unearthed Arcana)
A chart summarizing the rarity, persistent effects, and activated effects of new D&D tattoos from the March 26, 2019 Unearthed Arcana playtest material.
How Does Shapechanger Work?
Today we're exploring a rules clarification with the new Eberron Changeling. The Changeling gets a racial feature called "Shapechange" which allows it to change form. Here's the relevant part we'll be examining: The language of the feature says that you can change your appearance as an action. It also says you stay in this form … Continue reading How Does Shapechanger Work?
Is Oath of Heroism OP?
The Oath of Heroism Paladin subclass is D&D's latest Unearthed Arcana playtest release. While the mythological flavor is incredible, the subclass gets some goodies that were historically only available by multiclassing: expanded critical range, Haste as an oath spell, and free attacks. How does this add up to a standard Paladin? We ran the numbers.
Oath of Secret Knowledge (Paladin)
Once upon a time, a character came across a shrine deep within an abandoned Dwarven stronghold carved deep into the Iron Mountains. Struck by reverence to the shrine of the lost deity Dumathoin, he knelt and prayed. So his character changed forever. I worked with the player to create a Paladin subclass devoted to the … Continue reading Oath of Secret Knowledge (Paladin)
Magic Reserves
Diving into Wizards of the Coast's latest Unearthed Arcana offering for a look at the Magic Reserves class feature and how you can turn your Barbarian into an infinite mana battery!
Breath Weapon Dice Pools
Torching the whole party with a dragon's breath weapon is one of the most fun moments as a Dungeon Master. How can we tweak this rule to have greater control over its power and establish ludonarrative harmony?
Artificer Survey Results
Shortly after the release of The Artificer Returns, we ran a survey asking D&D fans some more general design questions than you get from the typical Unearthed Arcana survey. Here's the results!
Design Tips: Trap Features
We used to build characters a different way. Back in 3.x, the splat got so numerous that you were practically forced to "work backwards from 20." In other words, you would build your ultimate character concept and work backwards to see what you needed to take at each level. For example, failure to properly plan … Continue reading Design Tips: Trap Features
Artificer: Cantrips vs. Crossbows
Examining damage outputs of cantrips vs. crossbows for the new Unearthed Arcana Artificer. It seems crossbows can outscale cantrips, but at what cost?
ThinkDM 