Looking at UA: Cleric, Druid, and Wizard

It’s time for more Unearthed Arcana! Surprisingly enough, we’ve got three new subclasses this time, one for the cleric, druid, and wizard classes. All that’s left now to get UA subclasses are fighter, ranger, and rogue! If you haven’t already, don’t forget to take the survey for last UA’s bard and paladin subclasses.

Let’s get into it—we’ve got an intrepid cleric, a fiery druid, and a pretty unique wizard to look at!

Cleric Divine Domain: Twilight Domain

Clerics of the Twilight Domain have learned not to fear the dark. They’ve grown accustomed to the transition of day to night and can cross that threshold to bring light to those lost in shadows.

The cleric class gains their subclass right at 1^st level, and they gain additional subclass features at 2^nd, 6^th, 8^th, and 17^th level.

Twilight Domain Spells

Once a cleric has reached a high enough level to cast these spells, these domain spells are always available for them. The Twilight Domain spells include darkness or illusion-related spells like, well, darkness, but also invisibility and dream. There’s also Leomund’s tiny hut, which is useful for exploration.

These spells provide some good utility that a Twilight cleric will always have in their pocket. When Domain Spells (or similar features) come easily, that’s a good sign for a subclass.

Bonus Proficiencies

At 1^st level, Twilight clerics gain proficiency in martial weapons and heavy armor.

This is pretty typical for cleric subclasses. For example, the Life Domain grants heavy armor proficiency. Already, Twilight clerics are shaping up to have good exploration utility and solid staying power in a fight.

Eyes of Night

Also at 1^st level, Twilight clerics gain darkvision with no maximum range (!) and can grant that darkvision to creatures within 10 feet for 10 minutes as an action. They can grant creatures that benefit a number of times equal to their Wisdom modifier (minimum of once) per long rest.

This is also great for exploring, especially for groups with one or more members that don’t naturally get darkvision. Actually, it’s good even for groups with natural darkvision, since this version of darkvision has no maximum range. It lasts for 10 minutes, which won’t last an entire dungeon crawl, but it’ll definitely come in handy for short bursts of time when visibility is key.

Vigilant Blessing

Also at 1^st level, Twilight clerics can use the Vigilant Blessing feature as an action. This feature grants a creature the cleric touches (or the cleric themselves) advantage on the next initiative roll—period. It seems to stick around until the next time initiative comes up or until the cleric shifts the feature’s benefit to another creature.

This is a great start-of-the-adventuring-day feature to make sure someone has a good chance of going earlier in the turn order. Advantage roughly equates to a +10 bonus (though it depends on your dice luck, of course), since you get two shots at rolling well. Then, right after that advantage gets used, you can grant it again!

Channel Divinity: Twilight Sanctuary

At 2^nd level, Twilight clerics gain this Channel Divinity option. They can use their action to create a sphere of dim light that moves with them and lasts for a minute. When someone ends their turn there, the cleric can cure them of a frighten or charm condition or grant them a small amount of temporary hit points.

This allows the cleric to provide additional help to their party without constantly using a bonus action, reaction, et cetera throughout the fight. That’s really useful! I’m curious how this ability will perform at higher levels. Fighting off frighten and charm conditions is always useful, but the amount of temporary hit points is fairly small and doesn’t go up with level. To be fair, there’s always a big difference between surviving at 1 HP and being knocked to 0!

Steps of the Brave

At 6^th level, Twilight clerics gain two benefits from this feature. They gain advantage against any save versus the frightened condition. And, when in darkness or dim light, the cleric can grant themselves a fly speed as a bonus action until the end of their next turn.

Twilight clerics are characterized by their courage, so these benefits make sense as the cleric grows in power. A fly speed can come in handy, too! It only lasts a turn, so it’s not too crazy. With Domain Spells and Channel Divinity, though, these clerics can create areas of dim light/darkness, so they can manufacture the conditions necessary to use the fly speed ability.

Divine Strike

At 8^th level, some cleric subclasses gain the Divine Strike feature, which gives them extra damage once per turn. The Twilight Domain’s Divine Strike is psychic damage.

Psychic damage is generally useful. Not many creatures resist or have immunity to it, as I recall. It fits with the Twilight Domain’s ability to stave off mental conditions like frightened.

Midnight Shroud

The final ability comes in at 17^th level. When the cleric casts darkness, they can choose creatures who can see through that darkness. They can choose a number of creatures equal to the Wisdom modifier, with a minimum of one. They can include themselves as well. Assuming you’ve gotten your WIS to 20, a +5 modifier, you can include yourself and four other party members.

This is cool! Darkness can’t be pierced by darkvision. There’s a warlock invocation that allows the warlock to see through magical darkness, but overall, seeing through darkness is tough. Usually it’s easier to dispel it or disrupt the caster’s concentration. This gives the party a really great advantage, especially at the start of the fight before the enemies can do much about the spell!

It’s unusual that this subclass has three 1^st level features. Most cleric subclasses have one or two, not including Domain Spells.

Overall, this cleric subclass seems really fun. It would be great for a Ravenloft-inspired campaign or anything with a spooky bent, but the utility it offers could be useful for any situation!

Druid Circle: Circle of Wildfire

These druids have forged a connection with a fire spirit. They have a deep connection to both the destructive and regenerative qualities of a wildfire—burning away and encouraging new growth.

Druids gain their subclass at 2^nd level and gain additional subclass features at 6^th, 10^th, and 14^th levels.

Circle Spells

At 2^nd level, the Wildfire druid gains the cantrip fire bolt and Circle Spells, which function like the cleric’s Domain Spells. The Wildfire Circle Spells are fire-focused, but they also feature some outliers like locate animals or plants and raise dead.

These spells all fit into the wildfire theme, especially as we look at its more complex function in nature. Fire also can mean rebirth or renewal, so raise dead does fit even if it seems a little odd at first.

Summon Wildfire

Also at 2^nd level, Wildfire druids can summon their wildfire spirit in place of a use of Wild Shape. When summoned, the spirit does some fire damage to surrounding creatures, and the druid can command it in battle to attack or do a fiery teleport.

Like the Artificer’s pet, this familiar’s stats increase as the druid grows more powerful. It’s interesting to see this exploration of familiars tied to a subclass, but that are different from the Beastmaster ranger’s companion.

Enhanced Bond

At 6^th level, the wildfire spirit enhances the druid’s spells that deal fire damage or heal. It grants a d8 to those spells’ damage or healing rolls as long as it’s summoned. The druid can also now cast Self range spells to originate from the spirit instead of the druid.

Since this subclass focuses on the wildfire spirit, it’s nice to have a constant buff some of your spells while it’s around. It’s one more incentive to summon the spirit.

Flames of Life

At 10^th level, Wildfire druids can use the Flames of Life feature as a reaction whenever a Small or larger creatures dies near them or their wildfire spirit. This features makes flames come out of the dead body. If a creature touches the flames, the druid can choose to deal damage or heal the creature, and the flames disappear. They also disappear after 1 minute. This is a feature the druid can use a number of times equal to their Wisdom modifier, with a minimum of once per long rest.

This is a neat, flavorful ability! I’m not sure how you’d get someone to touch a fire if it’s going to damage them, but maybe I’m overlooking some creative solutions here.

Blazing Endurance

Once they reach 14^th level, the Wildfire druid can drop to 1 HP instead of 0 once per long rest. When they do, they gain a chunk of temporary hit points and can choose to deal fire damage to surrounding creatures.

I love abilities like this! We’ve seen similar features in, for example, the Fighter Samurai’s feature that allows you to delay falling unconscious when knocked to 0. These abilities can turn things around in a fun and dramatic way.

This druid subclass is cool, and I’m curious to see what other people think about a druid with a familiar-esque companion!

Wizard Arcane Tradition: School of Onomancy

The Onomancy school is concerned with the magic of true names. These wizards can empower their spells by speaking the true name of their target, allowing them increased control over that creature’s reality.

The wizard class gains a subclass at 2^nd level, gaining additional subclass features at 6^th, 10^th, and 14^th level.

Bonus Proficiencies

At 2^nd level, Onomancy wizards receive proficiency with one additional language and calligrapher’s tools.

This feature seemingly replaces the more traditional wizard subclass’s feature that makes it easier for wizards to write down spells of their chosen school.

Extract Name

Also at 2^nd level, Onomancy wizards can use a bonus action to try to learn a creature’s true name. The creature has to make a Wisdom saving throw. If they fail, the wizard knows and can use the creature’s true name (if the creature has no true name, the wizard learns that fact instead). If they succeed, the wizard fails to learn their name, and they can’t use this feature against them again, so be careful! A wizard can use Extract Name a number of times equal to their Intelligence modifier per long rest, with the standard minimum of once.

Depending on your campaign lore, some creatures (like fiends, for example) can be controlled or summoned by just knowing their true name. This feature is especially nifty in those situations. Generally, though, this is a useful way for an Onomancy wizard to empower their other subclass features if used carefully.

Fateful Naming

Also at 2^nd level, Onomancy wizards gain the bane and bless spells and always have them prepared. If they speak one of the target’s true names when casting, they can cast those spells without expending a spell slot, a number of times equal to their INT modifier per long rest with a minimum of once.

This is a neat way to dole out some buffs or debuffs, and you don’t have to worry about spell slots if you have a true name somewhere in there. These spells don’t see a lot of use (in my experience) at high levels. However, they’ll be nice throughout lower levels of play, especially when you’re strapped for spell slots.

Resonant Utterance

At 6^th level, Onomancy wizards get access to Resonants. They can choose two resonants now and can replace a resonant with another every time they gain a level. They can use a resonant when they use a spell slot to cast a wizard spell and speak the target’s true name as they do so, a number of times equal to their wizard level, rounded down, per long rest. There are six Resonant options with various beneficial (to you) or detrimental (to enemies) effects.

You can definitely get creative with these Resonant options. This opens up a whole new set of choices for a wizard build. They’re not quite like a Sorcerer’s Metamagic, especially since they’re coming it at a higher level, but they’re all pretty useful in their own way.

Inexorable Pronouncement

Once they reach 10^th level, an Onomancy wizard gains access to two more Resonant options.

For those of you keeping score at home, that allows a wizard to have four of the six Resonant options at a time!

Relentless Naming

At 14^th level, an Onomancy wizard can speak a creature’s true name while casting a damage-dealing spell on it to deal psychic or force damage to that creature instead of the spell’s normal damage type.

For example, you could cast fireball, speak a target’s true name, and they’ll take the fireball damage as psychic or force instead of fire damage. So, if they were resistant to fire damage, that wouldn’t be a problem anymore.

This wizard subclass has cool lore and interesting additional options for the class!

Overall, I’ve enjoyed seeing these new UA subclasses, and if the pattern holds, we’ve got three more coming down the line! If I had to guess, we’ll probably see fighter, ranger, and rogue grouped together in one document like these were.

What do you think of these new UA subclasses? I’d love to hear your thoughts!