Thursday, April 15, 2021

New Unearthed Arcana Bring Draconic Race Variants, Feats, and Spells: Part Two

 Ok, we've handled the variant dragonborn and kobold options. Let's get into the feats:

There are only three feats here, and they're each linked to one of the three varieties of dragon - chromatic, gem, and metallic.

Gift of the Chromatic Dragon:

This gives you the following benefits:

As a bonus action, you can touch a simple or martial weapon and cause it to deal an extra 1d4 acid, cold, fire, lightning, or poison damage. You can use this once per long rest.

Then, when you take acid, cold, fire, lightning, or poison damage, you can use your reaction to gain resistance to that damage for that instance. You can use this reaction a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest.

Gift of the Metallic Dragon:

You learn the cure wounds spell and can cast the spell without expending a spell slot once per long rest. The spellcasting ability is your choice of Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma, which you select when you get the feat.

Additionally, as a reaction when you or another creature within 5 feet of you is hit by an attack roll, you can manifest spectral wings to add 1d4 to the target's AC for that attack, potentially preventing the attack. You can use this PB times per long rest.

Gift of the Gem Dragon:

This increases your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma score by 1 (max of 20).

When you take damage from a creature within 10 feet of you, you can use a reaction to force the target to make a Strength saving throw (DC based on the ability you chose to increase) dealing 2d8 force damage and knocking the attacker back 10 feet on a failure. You can do this PB times per long rest.

    So, these are interesting. The Chromatic Dragon one could be interesting on a fighter to get lots of extra damage in there. I think the Metallic Dragon one is particularly interesting if you're playing an Arcane caster like a Wizard or Sorcerer, gaining a healing spell.

Interesting options, but let's move onto the spells:

These are a little too involved for full write-ups, so let me see if I can sum up.

Draconic Transformation is a 7th level spell that grants you benefits similar to those of a dragon. You get blindsight out to 30 feet, incorporeal wings that give you a 40-ft fly speed, and a bonus action (you also get it for free when you cast the spell, which is itself a bonus action) to breath in a 30 ft cone for 3d8 force damage, which is a bit low for a 7th level spell, but is more of a cherry on top of the other benefits.

Fizban's Platinum Shield is a 6th level spell that creates a kind of force-shield around yourself or a creature within 60 feet of you, which you can switch to other targets within 60 feet on each turn as a bonus action. A creature shielded by the thing gets half-cover, resistance to acid, cold, fire, lightning, and poison damage, and also gets evasion (save for zero on dex saves, and only take half damage on a failure.) Also, I'm given to understand Fizban is someone from Dragonlance, so this might be further evidence that we could be getting a Dragonlance setting book.

Flame Stride is a 3rd level bonus action spell that increases your movement speed by 20 feet and prevents you from taking opportunity attacks. When you move within 5 feet of a creature or object that isn't being worn or carried, it takes 1d6 fire damage (though a single creature or object can only take this once per turn.) Higher spell levels will increase the speed boost by 5 and the damage by 1d6. So, if you want to run through hordes of enemies, burning them, this is the spell for you.

Icingdeath's Frost is a 2nd level spell that lets you shoot out a 30-ft cone (or 15? There seems to be some contradiction in its range line and the description.) Everything inside has to make a Con save and takes 3d8 cold damage on a failure and gets covered in ice for 1 minute, or until a creature uses its action to break the ice off itself or another creature. While covered this way, their speed is zero. On a success, the creature takes half damage and isn't frozen. Higher spell levels add 1d8 damage to the total.

Nathair's Mischief is a 2nd level spell and is probably my favorite. You fill a 20-ft cube with fey and draconic magic. You roll a d4 to determine the effect, and can move the cube 10 feet and reroll on the table at the start of each of your turns. The effects are:

A scent of apple pie that can charm people on a failed wisdom save.

Bouquets of flowers that spray water in peoples' eyes, requiring a dex save to avoid being blinded.

Each creature has to make a wisdom save or start giggling uncontrollably, becoming incapacitated and moving in a random direction.

Or drops of molasses hover in the cube, making it difficult terrain.

These effects last until the start of your next turn, so you'll keep getting different effects while you concentrate on it.

Raulothim's Psychic Lance is a 4th level spell that shoots psychic energy at a target you can see - or one you name as you cast the spell - forcing the target to make an Intelligence saving throw or take 10d6 psychic damage and be incapacitated until the start of your next turn. If you name the target, it can't benefit from any cover or invisibility. The damage goes up by 1d6 per spell level.

Finally, Summon Draconic Spirit works like the various "summon" spells from Tasha's, only this time you conjure a large dragon. It's a 5th level spell. The draconic spirit has high armor (at 5th level it gets AC 19, adding 1 per level) and does a breath attack every turn (though only for 2d6) as well as Bite and Claw attacks (equal to half the spell's level rounded down, as usual) that deal a much more modest 1d6+4+spell level piercing damage. You choose between Gem, Metallic, or Chromatic, and this determines its damage resistances. Also, when you summon it, you gain one of its resistances until the spell ends.

I love the Tasha's summoning spells, so I'm really happy to see this one added. Obviously this is better for groups of enemies, as it's the only one with a multi-target attack, though the breath weapon will not be a ton of damage for anyone who's able to cast 5th level spells. Its high AC makes it pretty tanky, though, and I think it has higher health than most of the other summoned creatures.

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