Unearthed Arcana – D&D Release Date Rumors and Race Feats…
More feats abound in the final weekly update from Unearthed Arcana, plus a rumored release date…
That’s right, after this week, Unearthed Arcana returns to its monthly schedule, which means that the big playtesting push is done–for the moment. But it also heralds the return of Sage Advice, among other things. Hopefully we’ll see the fruits of these soon–my guess is that we’ll see these in November. And here’s why. The big playtesting push started in November with the article on the Barbarians, and has continued, basically weekly, from then until now. Each one has had an accompanying survey, and if you go back and look (at least at the time of this writing) the first 12 surveys each have an interesting title…
The important part here is D&D Midway. Why, you ask? Because earlier this year, for a brief moment two code-named WD&D products were spotted on the web. Each of which was priced at $49.99. About the price you’d expect to pay for a big hardbound book. And their codenames?
Dust and Midway.
So my best guess is that, come November 21, we’ll see the final version of the things they’ve been playtesting. Now I don’t know if it means anything that only the first 12 UA articles have Midway Surveys attached. Everything from 13 (Traps) onward is just D&D Survey X, but it follows the same numbering scheme. Either way, this includes the options explored for each of the base classes, the Artificer, and also Mass Combat. If we include the others as well this means Traps, Downtime, Mystics, new spells, and more.
We’ll ultimately just have to wait and see, but as far as tin foil hat speculation goes…I feel like there’s a compelling case here.
On to the feats though!
Feats for Races
It’s fitting that these would be the last thing they release. Holy cow, I love these feats. It feels like this is exactly what’s been missing from D&D. The feats add to the game, none of them feel strictly overpowered (with the possible exception of Draconic Flight), but they make your choice of race matter.
None of them are so good that they’re an auto-include for any build, but there’s something for just about any race/class combination to enjoy. Here’s the flavor and the customization that we’ve been needing. In my mind, these are perfect examples of what feats should feel like. They expand your characters and change the way you play, but not so much that people who can’t take a certain feat feel left out.
These all feel like real choices. Whether it’s something like Wood Elf Accuracy which lets you reroll one die you have when making an attack with Advantage (amazing), or Dwarf Resilience which lets you spend a hit die any time you take the Dodge action, giving dwarven characters a chance to be much more defensive… they all evoke a certain aspect of the various player races.
Almost all of them give you a 1 point increase to a corresponding stat (humans and half-elves generally get to pick from any, most of the other races have a choice from 2 or 3), plus some extra capability that is either usable usable once per rest. A few are always-on.
There are 27 new feats, and you should definitely go read up on all of them at the full article, but here are a few of my favorites:
Dragon Fear
Dragonborn add 1 to Str or Cha, and instead of using your breath weapon to deal some damage, you can ALSO use your breath weapon to instead roar and force each creature of your choice within 30 feet to make a Wisdom save with the DC based off of your Charisma modifier, or be frightened for one minute. It is only able to repeat a failed save if it takes damage. This is a wonderful way for high-charisma melee types (like the Stone Sorcerer or Valor Bards) to control the enemies they fight. Being frightened is brutal, and being able to hit so many with a single action is pretty great.
Human Determination
Add one to an ability score of your choice. Give yourself advantage for a single attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, usable once per rest. In addition to just being a good feat all around, this is perfect for humans. It’s nice to see them get something that flavors them a little more than “oh hey they are good at many things” or are the “generic baseline.” This actually gives them character, they’re full of determination and talent (their other feat is Prodigy).
Squat Nimbleness
Want to play a Dwarf or Halfling or Race-that-Adam-Harry-refuses-to-acknowledge-exists, but don’t want to deal with only having a 25 foot movement speed? This is the feat for you, my friend. Bump your Strength or Dex, increase your base walking speed by 5 feet, and become proficient with Acrobatics or Athletics. All around quite good. I can see Halfling Rogues really liking this one.
Unearthed Arcana – Feats for Races
Take the Skill Feats Survey
Happy Adventuring!
