Welcome to the RPGBOT.Podcast—where Unearthed Arcana comes to be lovingly examined, gently mocked, and occasionally asked, “Buddy… are you okay?” Today we’re cracking open the latest UA drop from Wizards of the Coast, featuring a Monk who does mystic stuff (but don’t ask him what kind), a Paladin who took an oath against spellcasters yet somehow became their HR department, a Rogue whose entire job is “stand near a wizard and vibe,” and a Warlock who finally said, “What if I just took the cCeric’s homework?” We’ve got scotch-fueled optimism, holiday fatigue, subclass features that boldly ask for coordination without offering agency, and at least one moment where we all realize: congratulations, you don’t have a feature—you have responsibilities. Strap in, casters, because someone’s about to give you a massage and call it game design.
Show Notes
In this episode, Randall James, Tyler Kamstra, and Ash Ely engage in a lively discussion about the latest Unearthed Arcana release, focusing on four new subclasses for Dungeons & Dragons. The conversation kicks off with light banter about personal experiences and preferences, particularly around scotch and the recent holidays. As they delve into the new subclasses, they express mixed feelings about the design choices, particularly criticizing the lack of creativity in naming and mechanics. The hosts explore the intricacies of the Mystic Arts Monk, Oath of the Spellguard Paladin, and the Magic Stealer Rogue, highlighting both the potential and shortcomings of each subclass. They emphasize the need for more engaging features and express disappointment over the reliance on existing mechanics without innovative twists.
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Tyler Kamstra
Ash Ely
- Professional Game Master on StartPlaying.Games
- Join Ash’s West Marches-style PF2 Game
- Bluesky: GravenAshes
- YouTube: @ashravenmedia
Randall James
- AmateurJack.com
- Bluesky: @JackAmateur
- Read Melancon: A Grimoire Tale
Personally I was so disappointed in the Monk, especially the level 11 and 17 feature. Level 11 because the Monk is so good at avoiding damage through it’s base class features like Evasion and Deflect Attack plus mystic spells like Shield, Mirror Image and Blur that a feature that is just “Advantage of Concentration Saves” is exceptionally boring. As for the Level 17 because (besides being a copy paste of the Eldritch Knight’s) it does literally nothing but worse. Monks only get 2 Main Action Attacks so trading them for a level 1 or 2 spell is stupid when you can just use a Magic Action to cast any level spell you have access to. You can tell they just copied the Fighter version (which makes more sense for a fighter since they peak at 4 Main Action Attacks) without thinking about it for more than 30 seconds.