Expert Classes Unearthed Arcana Overview

 The second One D&D playtest document is out and it's an absolute feast.

Weighing in at 37 pages, this shows the revisions for the Bard, Ranger, and Rogue, along with a sample subclass (with their own revisions) for each. It also includes many new feats: 4th level feats, Fighting Style feats, and Epic Boons (aka 20th level feats). It also has a big Rules Glossary.

For this post, I'm going to talk about broad concepts and trends, and we'll delve into the specifics in later posts.

Spell Lists and Spell Preparation

The first really major thing is that, at least in the case of the Bard and Ranger, the spells they gain access to are now based not on a specific class list, but instead bounded by spell category and school.

For example: Bards have access to Divination, Enchantment, Illusion, and Transmutation spells from the Arcane spell list. Likewise, Rangers can choose any spell from the Primal spell list that is not Evocation.

While I had in fact stated otherwise analyzing the previous UA, it does look like "class spell lists" are going to be a thing of the past. But it also looks like this means that classes will use spell schools to limit what they can pick up within those lists.

Additionally, Bards and Rangers, who previously only learned a limited number of spells, now get to prepare spells after a long rest. The number of spells you can prepare is equal to your spell slots, and limited to how many spell slots of that level you have (so, for example, you'll only ever have one 9th level spell prepared at a time).

I don't know if this is going to be the plan for other "learned spells" classes like Warlocks and Sorcerers, but we'll see. Unless those classes are limited to certain schools, I feel like this would kind of take away the biggest appeal to the Wizard. But we'll have to wait until a future UA.

Class Groups

We now know the four Class Groups.

Experts: Bards, Rangers, and Rogues. Artificers are also considered Experts, which means that they can make use of any feature that requires they be an Expert, even though they aren't going to be in the PHB.

Mages: Sorcerers, Warlocks, and Wizards

Priests: Clerics, Druids, and Paladins

Warrior: Barbarians, Fighters, and Monks

Notably, Rangers get to pick up the Fighting Style feats despite not being Warriors. I'd assume the same will be the true for Paladins. (This does not, however, apply to Epic Boons, it seems).

Subclass Features Standardized

Subclasses now all gain new features at levels 3, 6, 10, and 14. For older subclasses, you'll simply get those features at those levels, except in the case of the Bard, which had only three levels with subclass features, who will just follow the old progression.

I'm not sure how this will work for classes with 1st level subclasses (mechanically this makes more sense, but it's hard to explain lorewise how a Warlock has their power before they pick a patron).

All 4th-Level Feats Include a 1-point ASI

Technically, Ability Score Improvement is now a feat, so that's not strictly true. But every feat you get after level 1 will now give you a 1-point bonus to an ability score.

This, frankly, makes Feats way, way more appealing. You might have to slow your progression on primary stats, but you won't just flat-out miss out.

The Rest Gets more Nitty-Gritty

That's the top-level stuff. There's a ton to get into regarding the class specifics. But my impression is generally:

Bards are going to be a bit more effective, especially making Bardic Inspiration easier to use.

Rangers feel like a good and proper, powerful class (indeed, they worry it's too powerful right now)

Rogues are the most similar, which is fine because they were in good shape already.