In something of an echo of the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, among the first new books that will be coming out for "5.5" Edition is a two-book set that will be a big campaign setting book for the Forgotten Realms. While ten years of published adventures primarily in the Realms along with the aforementioned SCAG, not to mention the popular Baldur's Gate 3 computer game, and the D&D movie, probably means that anyone with any understanding of D&D beyond the surface level is well-aware of the Forgotten Realms or at least elements therein, these books will likely serve as the new definitive setting books. Will we get stuff beyond the Sword Coast, and maybe even beyond the continent of Faerun? No idea.
But, as someone who has actually never run anything in the Forgotten Realms, and who really likes setting-agnostic sourcebooks so that he can use them with his homebrew setting, the number one top appeal here is that, like SCAG, this comes with several subclasses.
And we just received the Unearthed Arcana to test said subclasses.
The subclasses are a mix of returning and brand-new. They are:
College of the Moon for Bards
Knowledge Domain for Clerics
Purple Dragon Knight for Fighters (don't worry - it looks like this is mechanically entirely different than the old one, which made the Champion seem complex and interesting)
Oath of Noble Genies for Paladins
Winter Walker for Rangers
Scion of the Three for Rogues
Spellfire Sorcery for Sorcerers
Bladesinger for Wizards
You'll note that some of these have very specific FR themes - the "Three" likely refers to the Dead Three, the trio of allied evil gods often worshipped in Baldur's Gate, and even the college of the Moon is specifically linked to the Moonshae Isles. This, thus, might require a bit of lore-bending for other settings, but we'll look at it mechanically.
College of the Moon:
Moon Bards weave tales of druidic magic into their Bard powers. At the core is your 3rd level feature, which lets you swap between three different "Folktales," each of which give you a different capability. You remain in this "mode" until you swap to another one.
Tale of Life allows you to expend a Bardic Inspiration die when you restore HP to a creature with a spell, adding the result rolled to the heal (no more than one BI per turn). One area of clarification that would be good to get is how this works on AOE heals, such as Mass Healing Word.
Tale of Gloam allows you to Disengage or Hide when you use your usual bonus action Bardic Inspiration feature.
Tale of Mirth allows you to, when an enemy succeeds on a saving throw within 60 feet of you, use a reaction and spend a BI die, forcing the enemy to subtract the roll of that die from their saving throw result, potentially turning it into a failure.
Given how reliant on saving throw spells Bards are, I think this last one is probably going to be your "default" option, and this is the one of these tales that I think could be a huge, clutch play - if some major enemy gets an 18 against your DC 16 spell, this could really turn the tables.
At 6th level, you get Blessing of the Moonwells, which automatically gives you the Moonbeam spell. You can cast the spell as a bonus action for free once per long rest, or by expending a 3rd level spell slot, and when cast this way, you get some extra benefits: while concentrating on it, you glow with dim light for 5 feet, and whenever a creature fails its save against the spell, another creature of your choice within 60 feet regains 2d4 HP.
Moonbeam is an ok spell, and this does a lot to buff it. I don't know that I'd rely on the healing, given that it requires the target to fail a saving throw, but making it a bonus action also means you can do plenty of other things with your turn.
Finally, at 14th level, you get Bolstered Folktales, which allows you to simply roll a d6 instead of expending a Bardic Inspiration die when you use Tale of Life and Tale of Mirth, and then, if you're using Tale of Gloam, you can teleport up to 30 feet as part of the bonus action.
This is a nice feature - basically allowing you to use the feature without ever running out. Again, getting to toss a d6 at a monster's saving throw, especially after you know what they rolled, can be very powerful.
I'll confess that I'm really bad at evaluating Bards. It's a class I can never totally wrap my head around. I feel like this is decent, but probably not blowing anyone's minds in terms of power - though that Tale of Mirth feature feels like it could be the gamechanger.
Knowledge Domain:
The first PHB subclass to be reprinted outside the PHB following the 2024 culling of Cleric and Wizard subclasses, Knowledge is the Cleric of the mind.
From the start, the first thing one will notice is that they get more domain spells than other subclasses - 3 for each spell level of 1-5, rather than the typical 2. (Remember that Cleric subclasses come at level 3 now, so you'll be getting your 1st and 2nd level domain spells at the same time.)
Domain spells are:
1st: Command, Comprehend Languages, Detect Magic
2nd: Detect Thoughts, Identify, Mind Spike
3rd: Dispel Magic, Nondetection, Tongues
4th: Arcane Eye, Banishment, Confusion
5th: Legend Lore, Scrying, Synaptic Static
That's a mix of some really solid spells to always have prepared, some very niche ones, and a few combat bangers (I love Synaptic Static).
Beyond this, it appears there's pretty extensive changes, so let's get into them:
At level 3, you get Blessings of Knowledge, giving you proficiency in a type of Artisan's Tools as well as not just proficiency, but expertise in two of the following: Arcana, History, Nature, or Religion. Damn, build yourself a Knowledge Cleric with the Thaumaturge Divine Order and you'll have the highest Arcana/Religion modifier by a large margin.
Also at 3, you get Mind Magic. You can use Channel Divinity to cast any spell on your Domain Spells list without expending a spell slot or requiring material components. That is... actually that's damn good: Scrying for just a Channel Divinity? No need to get the ivory strips and such for Legend Lore? (Also, I think this might turn the casting time into an action as well - I don't know the casting times for all those spells off the top of my head, but still pretty good). The other massive takeaway is that this means a 7th level Knowledge Cleric could potentially cast Banishment several times per day. Not bad at all.
At 6th level, you get Unfettered Mind, gaining telepathy out to 60 feet, and allowing you to simultaneously contact a number of creatures equal to your Wisdom modifier. Also, if you make an Intelligence check and the total is lower than your Wisdom score, you can take the score instead as your total. Granted, with your expertise in two knowledge skills, this might not come up super-often, but it does mean that if you have a -1 to Intelligence, and you beef an Investigation check looking for a trap or something, you could just say "nah, that's a 16." It's not quite Reliable talent, but at the least, if you're trying to figure out some major lore reveal, you have a pretty decent floor on what you can get.
At 17th level, you get Divine Foreknowledge. As a bonus action, you can give yourself advantage on all d20 tests for an hour. You can do this once per long rest, or by expending a 6th or higher level spell slot.
So, this is almost Foresight - a 9th level spell - once per day for free, or as a 6th level spell and as a bonus action. You can only cast it on yourself, and it doesn't impose disadvantage on attackers, but still. That feels... pretty damn good. A 6th level slot is certainly not cheap, but it's a powerful effect that could be clutch.
I've got to say: I don't know if this Cleric is going to be superpowered or anything, and the 6th level feature, while cool, does not really enhance your combat power or anything. But I could imagine playing one of these and really enjoying it, smartypants know-it-all that I am.
Purple Dragon Knight:
Ok, here we come to what, in the SCAG-version, I consider to be the least-inspired subclass in all of 5th Edition. A subclass that basically just took the three core Fighter features - Second Wind, Action Surge, and Indomitable - and let you spread them to your party, but adding absolutely nothing new to you.
Thankfully, though, this version just utterly trashes the SCAG PDK/"Banneret" in favor of a subclass with an actual identity. And that identity is: Fighter Pet Class!
At 3rd level, we get two features, but let's start with the headliner: Purple Dragon Companion.
The Purple Dragon (likely meant to represent an Amethyst Gem Dragon, as seen in Fizban's) has a scaling stat block, and like a Beast Master's pet or a Battle Smith's steel defender, uses the typical battle pet rules - they act only if you use your bonus action. You can always revive your dragon with the expenditure of a Second Wind use (and 1 minute - so not in-combat) or as part of an hour ritual that can be made as part of a short or long rest.
The Dragon scales with your level and your Intelligence modifier, so you'll really need to work on both your main attack stat and that. Its AC is 13+ your Int and its attack modifier is 3+ your Int (which means I suspect it'll fall behind a bit at high levels - I'll probably suggest in the response to this that it'd be nice to have the dragon scale better by using your Strength or Dexterity instead). The dragon does a Rend attack that deals Force damage, as well as a 2/day Gravity Breath, which doesn't deal damage, but can push or pull targets caught in it.
Also at level 3, harkening to the diplomatic role that PDKs are supposed to play, you get Knightly Envoy, giving you one additional Language and the ability to cast Comprehend Languages as a ritual.
At 7th level, you get Dragon Rider. Your dragon grows to Medium size, and you can ride it as a mount if you're Medium or smaller, but the dragon will fall to the ground at the end of a turn if it's airborne and being held aloft only by its Fly speed. It also only takes 5 feet of movement to mount or dismount. Additionally, the Gravity Breath now deals 2d6 Force damage to creatures that fail the save against it. Finally, when you use Second Wind to regain HP, your dragon regains HP equal to 1d6+ your Fighter level, and regains a use of Gravity Breath.
One thing I'd want to be really specific about is what kind of mount the dragon is. We'd probably want it as an uncontrolled mount so that it can use its own actions. And given that it acts on your turn and not immediately after, this should work fine, as the dragon can move you before you take your action.
At 10th level, you get Rallying Surge. When you use Action Surge, up to three allies in a 30-foot emanation (which could include your dragon, I guess) can use a Reaction to either Advance or Retreat. Advancing allows them to make an attack with a weapon or Unarmed Strike, or if the ally is your dragon, they can make a Rend attack. Retreating allows them to move up to half their speed without provoking Opportunity attacks.
This is... ok, so this is actually a bit like one of the subclass' old features, but what it does is turn your Action Surge into a real battlefield-management ability. I might prefer that this be its own resource, but this ensures that Action Surge will be a really climactic moment.
At 15th level, there's Amethyst Pinnacle. The Dragon grows to Large size and both its Speed and Fly Speed increase to 40 feet, and the dragon can now remain in flight even if you're still mounted on it. Additionally, you get Tandem Attack, which allows you to trade out one of your attacks to command your dragon to attack with a Rend, or spend two of your attacks to have them do their Gravity Breath.
This is fine, but there's an issue: I think the chance that your Dragon's Rend attack is more powerful than one of your own weapon attacks is deeply, deeply unlikely. Unless you are fighting something that resists Bludgeoning/Piercing/Slashing damage (which is more likely in the 2025 Monster Manual, as "magical" versions of those damage types don't exist anymore), even a Shortsword is probably going to deal more damage because it'll be using your preferred stats. I think the dragon could use better damage scaling - its attacks literally don't go up at all unless you can boost your Intelligence, meaning that there's a chance that it never does.
Finally, at level 18, you get Enduring Commander, which gives both you and your dragon resistance to both Force and Psychic Damage. That's pretty cool, actually - Force is a damage type we do see in some endgame campaign bosses, like the Monsters of the Multiverse-versions of the Demon Lords, for example. You'd actually be a more effective tank against such things than a Barbarian. This is not a flashy feature, but it's a solid one.
Overall, of course, this is a massive improvement over the original PDK. I do think it steps on the Drakewarden Ranger's toes, feet, and ankles. I'd prefer a version that's not so reliant on Intelligence, but then, to be fair, Beast Masters need to heavily invest in Wisdom. The main thing is that I think I could actually imagine taking this subclass, even if realistically I'm unlikely to ever play a Fighter that isn't an Eldritch Knight or Battle Master (or maybe Rune Knight).
Oath of Noble Genies
If you want an elemental-themed Paladin, this one is all about the glory and splendor of the most powerful Genies. A paladin oath that respects the power of the elements, here's what you get:
Your Oath spells are the following:
Cantrip: Elementalism
1st: Chromatic Orb, Thunderous Smite
2nd: Mirror Image, Phantasmal Force
3rd: Fly, Gaseous Form
4th: Conjure Minor Elementals, Summon Elemental
5th: Banishing Smite, Contact Other Plane
Whoo boy, you know what I'm seeing there: even if a Paladin won't get the infamous Conjure Minor Elementals until they're 13th level, that is a spell that works quite well for characters who have Extra Attack. Upcasting it to 5th level once in tier 4 will also be quite strong (though it is still better for someone like a Valor Bard, who can upcast it to higher levels). But even if we set aside that arguably busted spell, a Paladin with Fly or Mirror Image (especially the new version of Mirror Image, which gets better if you have high AC) is not bad.
At 3rd level, you get Elemental Smite: When you cast Divine Smite, you can also expend a Channel Divinity use to cause one of four additional effects:
Dao's Crush grapples the target (DC is equal to your spell save DC.)
Djinni's Escape allows you to teleport up to 30 feet and take on a mist-like form, which gives you immunity to being Grappled, Prone, or Restrained until the end of your next turn.
Efreeti's Fury adds 2d4 Fire damage on top of your Smite.
Marid's Surge causes the target and each creature of your choice within a 10 foot emanation coming from you to have to make a Strength save or get knocked back 15 feet and fall Prone.
This is a bit resource-heavy, but damn if that isn't some excellent utility. Efreeti's Fury of course you'll want to save for a Crit, but I can see Marid's Surge doing a great job of opening up a hole to retreat, and Djinni's Escape is going to be a great way to get away from some sticky monster.
Also at 3rd level, when you aren't wearing Medium or Heavy Armor, you can add your Charisma modifier to your AC. You also gain proficiency in your choice of Acrobatics, Intimidation, Performance, or Persuasion. So, that's really interesting: if ever you wanted to make a Dex Paladin, this subclass is 100% the one you want to choose. Now, the Paladin I've played had a -2 to Dex, so if I had this subclass, I'd still definitely take heavy armor. But, for example, in my Witchlight campaign, we have a Fairy Paladin, who can't wear heavy armor and fly. Indeed, now that dual-wielding Paladins are quite viable, I could very easily imagine a Dex-based one using Studded Leather and a Shortsword and Scimitar. You could easily start a Paladin character with a +3 to Dex and +2 to Charisma (or even +3, but we'll be conservative,) which would mean a 16 AC in Leather Armor. At high levels, if you maxed out Dex and got Charisma to, say, +4, even in just Studded Leather with no shield, you could have an AC 21. And you would actually stand a good chance at decent stealth checks! I will say that I prefer the aesthetic of heavy armor, but I could very much imagine this being a fun way to build.
At 7th level, you get Aura of Elemental Shielding. At the start of each of your turns, you can choose for creatures affected by your Aura of Protection to have resistance to your choice of Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, or Thunder damage (I've rephrased this: the aura remains in effect at all times the Aura is, you can just swap the damage type each turn with no action required).
This is, just, you know, good. And fighting Fire Elementals? Now you and nearby friends are resistant. It's responsive and applies to the most common magical damage types.
At 15th level, you get Elemental Rebuke. When you are hit with an attack roll, you can take a Reaction to halve the damage (rounded down) and then you can force the attacker (there does not appear to be a restriction on being able to see them or any distance limit) to make a Dexterity saving throw (against your spell save DC). On a failure, the attacker takes 4d10+Cha of your choice of Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, or Thunder damage. They take half damage on a success. You can do this a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier per long rest.
The retaliatory damage is fine and good, but the enormous thing here is that you have an amazing defensive feature to use against a massive hit - use this when you get crit, for example. And 4d10+Cha (likely 25 or so) is not a small amount of damage on a reaction.
Finally, your level 20 Ult is Noble Scion. As a bonus action, for ten minutes, you get a 60 foot flying speed (with hover) and when you or an ally in your Aura of Protection fails a d20 test, you can use a reaction to cause the test to succeed instead. Like other Ults, you can use this again by expending a 5th level spell slot.
That is damned good. At level 20, a failed saving throw can be massive, so being able to just, as a reaction, say "no, it succeeded," is hugely powerful. Sure, you might use this on an attack to make sure that you're damaging the final boss as much as possible, but I think the "no, I don't think I will get swallowed by the Tarrasque" reaction, for example, is really, really big.
I've got to say, of the four subclasses we've been through so far, this is the one that has me the most excited. This feels good. Possibly too good, but I'm ok with that.
Winter Walker
Gotta say, just from the name I'm already pretty excited about this one. While I've happily moved to Southern California where it's nice and warm basically all the time, in a fantasy tale, the frigid cold is a good setting for grim fantasy tales (naturally, the name evokes the White Walkers of A Song of Ice and Fire). So, let's look at what it is, mechanically:
At 3rd level, you get Frigid Explorer. This gives you the following: You have resistance to Cold damage (which, remember, also means that you don't get Exhaustion from being exposed to extreme cold) and also, when you hit a creature with a weapon, you can deal an extra 1d4 Cold damage. The target can take this damage only once per turn. The damage ignores resistance to Cold damage and goes up to 1d6 at level 11.
Couple nuances: first of all, this is just free damage. It's not a ton, but it's there, and should stack with things like Hunter's Mark or other boosts. Second, it's the creature that can only take this extra damage once per turn, meaning that if you are, say, a Dual Wielder, you could potentially hit four separate monsters and deal this damage to all of them (if you've got main hand 1, main hand 2, off hand Nick, and then off hand Bonus Action). Not enormous, but a pretty solid boost for a 3rd level feature. Ignoring Cold resistance also really helps it fit into the themes of the subclass without paradoxically hamstringing you when fighting in your preferred envrionment.
Also at 3, you get Hunter's Rime. When you cast Hunter's Mark, you gain Temp HP equal to 1d10+your Ranger level. Also, while a creature is marked by Hunter's Mark, it cannot take the Disengage action.
While I'm not always happy about features that only work when the Ranger is using Hunter's Mark, this is nice if you are using it. (I really wish the spell were just a class feature that didn't interact with the rest of your spellcasting abilities).
Finally, you have your subclass spells. These are:
Ice Knife, Pass without Trace, Remove Curse, Ice Storm, and Cone of Cold.
Nothing terrible there. Pass without Trace is a no-brainer for any Ranger, but I guess this frees up a spell option. All seems on-theme.
At 7, you get Fortifying Soul. When you finish a Short Rest, you can choose a number of creatures up to your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1) and they regain HP equal to 1d10 + your Ranger level and have Advantage against being Frightened for 1 hour. You can use this once per Long rest.
This feels... it feels very niche. The HP boost is cool, but the 1 hour of advantage against Fear effects feels like it's such a roll of the dice. If you know you're about to face something that will frighten party members, are you really able to take a rest before such a fight? And so soon before? And why can't we give this bonus at the end of a long rest?
At 11, we get Chilling Retribution. When a creature hits you with an attack roll, you can take a Reaction to make them make a Wisdom save. If they fail, the creature is Frightened until the end of your next turn and while Frightened, their speed is 0. You can use this a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier.
This is cool, but I'd prefer a slight change: let you use this in response to an attack, rather than a hit. That way the reaction can potentially prevent the hit coming for you.
At 15, you get Frozen Haunt. When you cast Hunter's Mark, you can adopt a ghostly, snowy form. The form lasts until the spell ends. While it's up, you have Immunity to Cold damage, and when you adopt the form and at the start of each subsequent turn, each creature of your choice within a 15 foot emanation takes 2d4 Cold damage. You also have immunity to being Grappled, Prone, and Restrained, and can pass through creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain, taking 1d10 Force damage if you stop inside a creature or object, and getting shunted to the nearest unoccupied space if the feature ends while inside a creature or object.
You can do this once per long rest, or you can spend a 4th level spell slot to do it again. (As far as I can tell, this is in addition to your casting of Hunter's Mark).
2d4 isn't a ton of damage at 15th level, unfortunately, even if it's guaranteed damage (and AoE damage... maybe it is fair?)
I'm mixed on this subclass: flavor-wise, I adore it. It's dripping with vibes, and those vibes are extremely grim. It would be the perfect subclass for playing in Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden. Like so many Ranger things, including the class in general, I just worry that it's a little undertuned.
Scion of the Three:
Do you want to be the party's token evil teammate? Ok, sure, you don't have to be a bad guy, but this is the subclass related to the Dead Three. Already a pretty strong aesthetic is presenting itself, but let's look at its mechanics.
At 3rd level, you get Bloodthirst. If your Sneak Attack hits a Bloodied creature, the creature takes extra damage equal to half your Rogue level (rounded up). When an enemy you can see is reduced to 0 hit points, you can use a reaction to teleport to an unoccupied space within 30 feet of yourself, and then you can make one melee attack. You can do this a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum 1) per long rest.
Ok, yes. Not only does this boost your damage by a bit, but so many team compositions are about finding ways to get the Rogue multiple Sneak Attacks per round. This has it built in.
Also at 3, you get Dread Allegiance. You pick between Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul. Each god grants a damage resistance and a cantrip (Intelligence to cast). You can swap your allegiance after a long rest.
Bane grants Psychic resistance and Minor Illusion
Bhaal grants Poison resistance and Blade Ward
Myrkul grants Necrotic resistance and Chill Touch.
Of these, I think Minor Illusion will be the easiest to use in most scenarios, though you might find the Poison resistance more broadly helpful.
At 9th level, you get Strike Fear. You gain an additional Cunning Strike, which is "Terrify." This costs 1d6 of your Sneak Attack and forces the creature to make a Wisdom saving throw, becoming Frightened for 1 minute on a failure (they can repeat the save at the end of each of their turns).
This makes perfect sense for the vibes here. And Frightened is a potentially really powerful effect.
At 13th level, you gain Aura of Malevolence. At the start of each of your turns, each creature of your choice within a 10 foot Emanation takes damage equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimim 1), the damage being the same kind you have resistance to via your Dread Allegiance feature. The damage ignores resistance (though the aura is inactive if you're incapacitated).
This definitely encourages you to fight in melee, which can be a risky proposition for a Rogue, but it's free, guaranteed, AoE damage that is always on, so I can't complain much.
Finally, at 17, you get Dread Incarnate: You have Advantage on attack rolls against creatures with the Frightened condition, and when you roll Sneak Attack damage, you can treat a roll of 1 or 2 on the die as a 3.
Ok, the first part is going to be very nice if your party can toss fear effects around, but you also have your Terrify Cunning Strike, so you can set this up for yourself. Let's figure out how the damage boost treats you:
Normally, a d6's average damage is 3.5. But with this change, the average damage becomes 4. So, at level 17, our Sneak Attack does 9d6, meaning we're going from 31.5 to 36, or a boost of 5.5 damage. (And 6 at level 19). Much like the new Great Weapon Fighting style, this isn't enormous, but we're also rolling way more d6s than we would with a Greatsword, so the boost is multiplied. I don't think this is a massive game-changer, but it's nice.
Like the Winter Walker, I love the vibe of this subclass - truly wicked, you can imagine this Rogue is just utterly splattered with blood in the midst of combat. I think the best features are probably the first ones, especially Bloodthirst. It might need a tune-up, but I think it's probably in pretty good shape.
Spellfire Sorcery:
The Spellfire Sorcerer gets its power directly from the Weave (the FR explanation for how magic works is that there's essentially an underlying energy field to the universe call the Weave). Thematically, you have strange magic that can act in myriad ways - both harmful and helpful.
First off, you get a number of subclass spells. These are:
1st: Cure Wounds, Guiding Bolt
2nd: Lesser Restoration, Scorching Ray
3rd: Aura of Vitality, Dispel Magic
4th: Fire Shield, Wall of Fire
5th: Greater Restoration, Flame Strike
Naturally, the notable ones here are that you get various healing and restoration spells, usually not the purview of a Sorcerer. Otherwise, there's a "radiant/fire" theme, not unlike a Celestial Warlock.
At 3rd level, you get Spellfire Burst. When you expend at least 1 Sorcery Point as a Magic action or bonus action on your turn, you can unleash one of the following effects (max once per turn). Bolstering Flames grants you or a creature you see within 30 feet Temp HP equal to 1d4 + Cha. Radiant Fire forces a creature you can see within 30 feet to make a Dex save or take 1d6 Fire or Radiant damage (your choice).
So, this is nice mainly in that it doesn't expend any more resources than you're already doing: just using Sorcery Points, which Sorcerers do most of the time anyway, will get these little bonus effects. Neither are huge, but they can help.
At 6th level, you get Absorb Spells. In addition to your subclass spells, you also get Counterspell, and if a target fails its saving throw against Counterspell, you regain 1d4 Sorcery Points. A fun little efficiency boost, though it's very, very dependent on how many spellcasters you're fighting.
At 14th level, you get Honed Spellfire, which lets you add your Sorcerer level to the Temp HP from Bolstering Flame (a massive boost) and Radiant Fire is now 3d6, up from 1d6, more or less keeping it relevant at this higher level.
Finally, at 18, you get Crown of Spellfire. As a bonus action, you gain a buff for 1 minute. Once per turn while under this effect, if you are hit by an attack roll, you can spend a number of Hit Dice up to your Charisma modifier, and reduce the damage you take by an mount equal to the roll plus your Sorcerer level. (So, if you spend the max of, say, 5d6 + 18, that's 35.5 on average). Additionally, you gain a Fly speed of 60 feet and can hover. Finally, you gain Spell Avoidance - if you're subjected to a spell or magical effect (notably a Dragon's Breath does not count, as it's not magical) that allows you to save for half damage, you instead take no damage on a success and half on a failure, as long as you're not incapaciated.
You can do this once per long rest, or you can expend 7 Sorcery Points to do it again.
This is actually a pretty cool Ult move, like a Paladin's. The spend-hit-dice feature is probably not the most efficient use of hit dice, but if you're in a really tight spot, this could be a way to avoid or mitigate some truly deadly blast of damage.
I think overall that the Spellfire Sorcerer is probably all right, and definitely letting Sorcerers use their tricksy metamagic on healing spells has some potential for fun. Thematically it's a little dull, though.
Bladesinger:
It feels like this was only just reprinted, but then I guess Tasha's was actually a while ago at this point.
Now, we've seen a lot of versions of this, but I'm going to go through each feature individually to make sure we're catching it all:
At 3rd level, we get Bladesong. As a bonus action, we enter our Bladesong, as long as we aren't wearign armor or using a shield (interesting: no armor whatsoever - this used to allow light armor). The Bladesong lasts 1 minute and ends if you're incapacitated or don armor or a shield, or if you use two hands to make an attack with a weapon. Or you can dismiss it, no action required. You can invoke the Bladesong Int times per long rest.
While active, the Bladesong does the following:
You gain a bonus to your AC equal to your Int modifier and your speed increases by 10 feet.
When you attack with a weapon with which you have proficiency, you can add Intelligence rather than Strength or Dexterity to the attack and damage rolls.
You can add your Intelligence modifier to your Concentration saving throws.
Let's back up: the enormous change here is that you can now use Intelligence to make your weapon attacks. I believe the earlier version allowed you to add Int to your damage rolls, but this will allow you to fully focus on your spellcasting ability and keep full pace on your weapon ability. Essentially, you get the benefits that Bladelock or an Armorer/Battle Smith does.
Also at 3rd level, you get Training in War and Song. You gain proficiency with all Melee Martial Weapons that don't have the Two-Handed or Heavy properties. You can use a Melee weapon you have proficiency with as a spellcasting focus for Wizard spells. You also gain your choice of Acrobatics, Athletics, Performance, or Persuasion.
So! While you won't be able to use a Greatsword or a Halberd, you can easily use a Longsword or a War Pick. That said, you won't be able to get a d10 die, as you still can't go Versatile. Thus, a Rapier is probably one of your best picks still. Or is it? You could also dual-wield d6 weapons, as nothing says you have to keep one hand free (and given that your weapons can be spell foci, you can still cast just fine with them).
With a reasonable +2 to Dex, and then with Mage Armor, you shouldn't have too much trouble pushing your AC up to Heavy Armor levels (with +5 to Int, that's now at 20, and 25 with the Shield spell).
At 6th level, you get Extra Attack. Much as in Tasha's, as well as what the Eldritch Knight and Valor Bard have inherited, the Bladesinger can replace one attack with a Cantrip. I think 99% of Bladesingers should pick up the new True Strike, which will work perfectly for them given that they can use Intelligence for attacks anyway.
At 10th level, you get Song of Defense. As a reaction, when you take damage, you can expend a spell slot and reduce the damage by an amount equal to 5 times the spell slot's level. So, if Shield doesn't do it, you can pick the spell slot to mitigate the ideal amount of damage. I think this is the same as from Tasha's.
At 14th level, you gain Song of Victory. If you cast a spell that has a casting time of one action, you can make an attack with a weapon as a bonus action. Note that this interacts nicely with your Extra Attack - if you cast True Strike and then make a normal attack as your Attack Action, True Strike triggers this and gives you a third attack.
The Bladesinger is a popular and powerful subclass (when I rolled really good stats for my Scribes Wizard I actually considered going this way because I could). I think that this version cuts down on some of the doubling-down that can let their numbers go crazy, but in exchange, the whole thing gets more user friendly. I think my only possible change would be to let a Wizard expend some level of spell slot to get additional uses of Bladesong. Even outside of Bladesong, the subclass has a lot going on, though.
And there we have it! A whole bunch of subclasses reviewed.
I think my favorite is probably the Oath of the Noble Genie. In terms of flavor, I like the Winter Walker and Scion of the Three best. Most improved has to go to the Purple Dragon Knight (though it's only one of three revisions).
I'll be curious to see what others think of these subclasses, but I think it's a decent crop.
