Tomorrow, we'll be getting a UA that gives us new revisions of the Cleric, Druid, Paladin, Bards, Rogues, and Rangers, and finally the new version of the Monk. Obviously, this post is going to be obsolete very quickly, but I wanted to toss out the things that I'm most hoping to see, or at least most expecting to see with the new versions.
So, let's go class-by-class.
Bard:
The Bard's biggest changes in the Expert playtest (which feels like an eon ago) was its spell list - using Arcane spells limited to certain schools. I suspect we'll still use that system, but I can also imagine that, like the Mages, we might see an array of new Bard-exclusive spells (Vicious Mockery, for instance). This could also open up some old favorites that were taken from the Bard in the sweeping redesign.
Subclass-wise, we could see a revision to the College of Lore, but we're likely also getting new subclasses. I think a revised College of Valor is an obvious one, and I think the hinted "College of Dance" could also find its way into this UA. I don't know how many subclasses we'll be getting for each of these classes - whether it'll be the full four or just a scattering.
On the nitty-gritty side of things, I'll be curious to see if Bards will go back to a "Spells Known" system or if they'll continue to prepare spells on a long rest.
Cleric:
The Cleric, as far as I could remember, seemed fairly solid in its playtest, but again I think we could see some exclusive spells granted to the class (though I think it's the paladin who is more likely to get that exclusivity on things like Find Steed).
In terms of Divine Domain, I'll be honest and say I don't really have a great sense of which are going to make it into the book. I think a more offensive-based subclass like Tempest would be an appropriate addition. Light or War could also fit that bill.
Druid:
The obvious thing to look out for here is Wild Shape. The new version presented in the Druid & Paladin UA had, I think, the right idea, but the execution left much to be desired. Conservatively, an AC buff could make the feature somewhat more palatable, but I think more defensive benefits would be needed (perhaps some temp HP - you could borrow the Spore Druid idea and give temp HP equal to some coefficient times your Druid level).
For subclasses, I think I previously said Shepherd and some kind of elemental-magic-focused subclass would be welcome, and I think Circle of the Land needs to get some really big revisions to make it seem worthwhile, but I think the flavor concept of it is still viable.
I'm also eager to see the Channel Nature feature expanded and emphasized - I think giving every subclass at least one unique thing to do with it (counting the improved Wild Shape for Moon druids) would be smart, but also to maybe give us one more option baseline (and/or not have the two become one at higher levels).
Paladin:
The Paladin as a class is solid, and for the most part there was a "not broke, don't fix" attitude in the revision. I think the nerf to Divine Smite is fair and will likely stick. And as sad as I am to see it removed, I can also see why getting rid of smites on ranged attacks would be done to preserve the vibe of the class (though a subclass that can do that would be cool).
What I want to see, though, is some of the Paladins' spells taken away from the Cleric - I don't like that a Cleric can summon a better Steed with Find Steed. (I also think that spells that summon a permanent pet should probably not scale with spell level, probably).
Subclasses from the 2014 PHB all work pretty well, though I might emphasize the "guardian of the wilds" aspect of Oath of the Ancients. I think Conquest makes perfect sense to give us a base "dark paladin" option.
Rogues:
So, of all the classes, the one that suffers the most from having the old subclass progression levels restored is the Rogue - waiting until level freaking 9 to get a second thing out of their subclass. They did tease a "Cunning Strikes" feature that will come at some lower level, which, judging from the name, seems like it will allow you to make attacks as a bonus action (which, also thanks to the addition of weapon mastery, should allow a Rogue to make three attacks in a round - already pretty good, but also makes it far more likely they land their Sneak Attack - the current math on a Rogue dual-wielding gives them a massive damage boost, assuming they have allies in sneak attack range).
If memory serves, the UA also made Sneak Attack only happen on the Rogue's turn. While I can see how this makes the damage tuning easier, I also think this is a painful nerf, especially to party builds that use things like a Battle Master's Commander's Strike.
Subclass-wise, I think I remain happy with the 2014 PHB options, and would add Swashbucklers as the fourth as a perfectly classic Rogue archetype. (Really hoping the Assassin gets some better mid-level features).
Rangers:
Rangers in the UA got a massive glow-up. I think the Hunter's weird down-casting feature didn't quite do what it needed to do, but the base class actually feels pretty solid.
Obviously, we'll see weapon masteries integrated into the class. I think sub-class wise the Gloomstalker was mentioned in the interview, so that suggests a greater likelihood of its inclusion. The Beast Master probably doesn't need much changed beyond its Tasha's revisions. I still contend that the Monster Slayer, perhaps with a stronger emphasis on a sort of Gothic Horror vibe to it, would fill out the Ranger quite nicely.
Monks:
This is the big question mark. Will we see faster or better martial arts die progression? More Ki/Spirit Points? (They'd have to, wouldn't they, if they were removing recharge on a short rest?) I think an upgrade to a d10 (if not d12) hit die is a no-brainer, and either boosting their AC or giving them some damage mitigation like a Barbarian's rage.
I'll also be very curious to see how Weapon Mastery works with their unarmed strikes (and maybe it won't). More broadly (and this might be outside the purview of the UA) I'd love to see some items that buff natural weapons, conjured weapons, and unarmed strikes with the classic +1/+2/+3 variants.
But without any full revision to the Monk seen since 2014 (or, arguably, the new features in Tasha's) this is very up in the air.
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