Looking at UA: Class Feature Variants

Hoo boy, this Unearthed Arcana is a real big one. In this UA article, each class receives at least one enhancement or replacement for a class feature. Wizards of the Coast has portrayed these feature variants as options for a DM to enable at their discretion in their campaigns.

Also, the survey for the last Unearthed Arcana is available!

So let’s get into this big ol’ article.

Each of these features is either an enhancement or replacement. An enhancement is a boost to an existing feature, while a replacement, well, replaces the feature. So, an enhancement just attaches on to the existing feature’s wording and mechanics. A replacement removes the existing feature in favor of the replacement variant.

All Classes: Proficiency Versatility

Proficiency Versatility is an enhancement to the Ability Score Improvement feature. Using this enhancement, every time you level up and can grab an Ability Score Improvement, you can also pick a proficiency (any proficiency) and replace it with one of your class’s first level skill proficiencies.

Most classes don’t gain additional proficiencies as they level up; those are usually established at the early levels with your class, subclass, and background choices. This option is a neat twist for those who want some flexibility. I can see this appealing to players who are trying to match their character’s abilities to the challenges common to their campaign. Or, a character who changes throughout the course of a campaign and wants their skills to reflect that development!

Bard, Ranger, Sorcerer, Warlock: Spell Versatility

Spell Versatility is an enhancement to the bard, ranger, sorcerer, and warlock’s Spellcasting feature. With this enhancement, these classes can change out one of their spells for another of the same spell level on a long rest.

This is a really interesting change, and one I’m excited to use! Normally, these classes can switch out a spell on every level up (and still can with the enhancement). This gives you more flexibility and, honestly, some breathing room when choosing your spell list.

Cleric, Druid, Wizard: Cantrip Versatility

Cantrip Versatility is an enhancement to the cleric, druid, and wizard’s Spellcasting feature. Like Spell Versatility, but for cantrips, since these classes prepare their spells every day anyways.

The Spell Versatility feature applies to cantrips as well, so this evens things out for the spellcasting classes that receive either the Spell Versatility and Cantrip Versatility enhancements. (Paladins do not, but they have a similar option that’s a little more specific.)

Fighter, Paladin, Ranger: Style Options

Style Options enhances these classes’ Fighting Style feature, adding four fighting style options: Blind Fighting, Interception, Thrown Weapon Fighting, and Unarmed Fighting.

Blind Fighting allows you to fight without having to see a creature (so long as it is not hiding) and not incur disadvantage. I can see this working nicely for characters dealing with the darkness or invisibility spells often, or for characters who could encounter the blinded condition.

Interception allows you to use a shield, simple weapon, or martial weapon and your reaction to mitigate attack damage to a creature close to you. This is neat, especially if you like the idea of the Protection fighting style but don’t want a shield.

Thrown Weapon Fighting adds a +1 to ranged attack damage with a thrown weapon and allows you to draw your thrown weapon as a part of your attack. Now javelins can be cool! Or daggers, darts, et cetera.

Unarmed Fighting changes your unarmed damage to a 1d6 + Strength modifier amount of bludgeoning damage. You can change the d6 to a d8 by striking with two hands instead of one. It also allows you to deal damage to a creature when you successfully grapple it. This is an interesting choice, since monks used to have a monopoly on unarmed strikes. This isn’t as powerful as the monk’s features, but it does give an option to martial characters who wanna punch.

Barbarian

The barbarian gains two replacement options: Survival Instincts can replace Danger Sense, and Instinctive Pounce can replace Fast Movement.

Survival Instincts

The barbarian normally gets Danger Sense as their 2^nd level class feature. Danger Sense grants you advantage on Dexterity saving throws against certain visible effects. Instead, Survival Instincts grants proficiency for two skills (a choice of Survival, Animal Handling, Medicine, Nature, or Perception). This proficiency works like a rogue or bard’s Expertise, since it doubles the proficiency bonus the barbarian can apply to that skill’s checks.

Whether or not you’ll encounter visible Dexterity saves or survival-type skill checks more often is up to the campaign. This replacement might help a party with no druid, ranger, or other outdoorsy-focused class. This could also suit a character concept that focuses on the barbarian’s survival expert flavor.

Instinctive Pounce

At 5^th level, barbarians get Fast Movement, which increases their movement speed. Instinctive Pounce is a slightly less straightforward replacement. As a reaction when a creature ends their turn within 15 feet, you can use Instinctive Pounce to move up to half your speed (so usually 15 feet) towards them without incurring opportunity attacks.

This option is a nice combat mobility feature. You can change your positioning outside of your normal turn, a helpful tactical feature for front line combatants. Though, I can see how someone would want to just stick with Fast Movement if they’re excited about Going Fast, since that’s an overall movement speed boost.

Bard

The bard gets three enhancement options: Bard Spells and Spell Versatility enhance Spellcasting, and Magical Inspiration enhances Bardic Inspiration.

Bard Spells

This feature expends the spell list bards can access starting at 1^st level. It adds a total of 22 spells to the bard’s list, including some spells from Xanathar’s Guide to Everything. Some spells reserved for divine spellcasters (heroes’ feast, mass healing word) or wizards (mirror image, prismatic wall) are now available for bards without having to use Magical Secrets.

Many of these spells give more utility and support options for the bard. There are a few damage dealers in there like power word pain and mind spike as well. The bard is already a rather versatile spellcaster, and this just adds on to that existing versatility! I’m interested to see how many of these spells stick around in any future iterations of these options.

Magical Inspiration

Bards get the Bardic Inspiration feature at 1^st level, and Magical Inspiration is an enhancement to that feature. Creatures can now use a Bardic Inspiration die to add the result to a spell’s damage or healing.

With this enhancement, Bardic Inspiration can benefit casters who aren’t making spell attack rolls and instead using healing spells or spells that require saving throws. Thus, Bardic Inspiration can help out more characters, and you don’t have to worry about whether the character will be able to use it as effectively as another.

Cleric

The cleric has three enhancement variants and one replacement variant. Cantrip Versatility and Cleric Spells enhance Spellcasting, Harness Divine Power enhances/provides another option for Channel Divinity, and the Blessed Strikes feature replaces either Divine Strike or Potent Spellcasting (depending on your subclass).

Cleric Spells

This feature expands the cleric’s spell list, adding 9 spells. Many are from the paladin’s spell list (wrathful smite, aura of life), a few are from Xanathar’s Guide (cause fear, skill empowerment), and for some, I’m almost surprised they weren’t on the cleric list to begin with, like power word heal.

It’s cool to see the smite spells added to the cleric’s options, so you can grab those without having to play a paladin or certain warlock subclasses.

Channel Divinity: Harness Divine Power

Clerics get access to Channel Divinity at 2^nd level. Harness Divine Power allows the cleric to expend a use of Channel Divinity to regain a 1^st level spell slot on a bonus action.

This seems like a good option in a pinch—when you just need a spell slot to make a plan work, you’re up a creek and out of spells, that sort of situation. I’m curious to see how popular this is and when players make use of it.

Blessed Strikes

At 8^th level, clerics get either the Divine Strike feature (which buffs your weapon attack damage) or the Potent Spellcasting feature (which buffs your cantrip damage). Blessed Strikes replaces that feature, instead granting a 1d8 radiant damage bonus to weapon attack damage or spell damage once per turn.

Unlike Divine Strike, this damage does not increase, but it applies to more than just cantrips on the spellcasting side of things. So regardless of whether you’re casting spells or making weapon attacks, you can make use of Blessed Strikes every round if you’re just focusing on dealing damage.

Druid

The druid gains three enhancement variants: Cantrip Versatility and Druid Spells enhance Spellcasting, and Wild Companion enhances Wild Shape.

Druid Spells

This feature adds 21 spells to the druid’s spell list (20 spells and one cantrip). Many of these are elemental spells (elemental weapon, cone of cold), some are support spells (revivify, power word heal), and there are a few fun additions from Xanathar’s Guide (ceremony, mass polymorph).

It’s cool to see the druid get more options for elemental spells; it makes a lot of sense for a nature-focused class to be able to wield the elements of nature. On top of that are more opportunities for a druid to act as a supporting force for the party. For a class that prepares spells daily, this adds some good versatility.

Wild Companion

Wild Companion enhances the Wild Shape feature, which druids get at 2^nd level. With Wild Companion, you can expend a use of Wild Shape to instead cast find familiar (without needing to use material component). This version of find familiar is a little different—the familiar lasts for a number of hours equal to half your levels in druid, and it’s a fey instead of a beast.

This is a cool option for Wild Shape! Instead of becoming a critter, you can summon one to do your bidding. A familiar has a lot of fun potential and utility in exploration, and it’s neat to see the option for a familiar expanded beyond the recent wildfire druid UA.

Fighter

The fighter has three enhancement options. Fighting Style Options enhances Fighting Style, and both Maneuver Versatility and Maneuver Options enhance Maneuvers.

Fighting Style Options

On top of the Style Options feature for rangers, fighters, and paladins, Fighting Style Options adds another option for fighters: Superior Technique. Superior Technique grants you one superiority die and the choice of one of the Battle Master subclass’s Maneuvers.

So you don’t get as many options as the Battle Master fighter, but now, any fighter can use a fighting style choice to grab one of the Battle Master’s moves. The superiority die won’t scale up like the subclass’s will, but again, this UA has an overarching theme of more choices and more versatility for each character. It makes sense that this is restricted to just fighters, too—fighters are, well, good at fighting, so even a non-Battle Master could use a special fighting move.

Maneuver Versatility

This enhancement applies to the Maneuvers feature. The wording, though, is “If you know any maneuvers from the fighter’s Battle Master archetype…” so I would think that this applies to a maneuver gained from the above Superior Technique option. Maneuver Versatility allows a character to replace one of their maneuvers on a long rest.

Like the other “Versatility” features, this variant allows for a player to tweak their character’s skillset to reflect a change in the character or circumstances.

Maneuver Options

The Maneuver Options enhancement adds 7 more options for maneuvers: Ambush, Bait and Switch, Brace, Restraining Strike, Silver Tongue, Snipe, and Studious Eye. A few of these (Silver Tongue and Studious Eye) allow you to add a superiority die to a specific skill check. Others let you do some specific actions in combat—Restraining Strike gives you the option to try and grapple a creature after hitting them, and you add your superiority die result to the grapple check.

These options are overall pretty cool, I think people have wanted more opportunities to use grappling and overall more maneuver options for a while. Some of these, like Silver Tongue, might need a little more flavor attention, since they seem a little weak in that area right now.

Monk

Monks have three enhancement variants: Monk Weapons enhances Martial Arts, and Ki-Fueled Strike and Ki Features enhance the Ki feature.

Monk Weapons

So this is an enhancement that can replace the PHB’s definition of monk weapons (which is “shortswords and any simple melee weapons that don’t have the two-handed or heavy property”). This definition allows you to select a number of individual weapons to count as your monk weapons. They can be any simple or martial weapon that do not have the heavy, two-handed, or special properties, and you should be proficient with that weapon.

Again, we have more options and more versatility. I’m interested to see how our campaign’s monk uses this feature! It seems like with this, a monk could grab a sling or other weapon to have some range on their weapon attacks.

Ki-Fueled Strike

This feature variant enhances the monk’s Ki feature. If you expend ki on your turn as part of your action, you can use your bonus action to make an unarmed strike.

This is especially helpful for Way of the Four Elements monks or other subclasses who use ki to perform actions that aren’t necessarily damage-dealing. It’s a short variant, but a tweak like this can mean a lot to players who really like those subclasses.

Ki Features

Ki Features enhances the Ki feature, adding two options for using ki: Distant Eye, which allows you to use ki when attacking at range to get rid of range-based disadvantage, and Quickened Healing, which allows you to use ki to regain hit points equal to a Martial Arts die roll result.

With the expanded monk weapon definition, Distant Eye helps you if your opponent is just out of your weapon’s normal range. Quickened Healing seems good in a pinch, when you’ve got ki left but not so many hit points.

Paladin

The paladin has access to 3 class feature enhancements. Fighting Style Options (different than the fighter’s) enhances Fighting Style, Paladin Spells enhance Spellcasting, and Harness Divine Power (same as the cleric’s) enhances Channel Divinity.

Fighting Style Options

With this variant, the paladin has access to an additional fighting style option: Blessed Warrior. This option grants you two cleric cantrips (which count as paladin spells for you) and the option to replace one with another cleric cantrip on level up.

This option works if you want a slightly more spell-focused paladin. The cleric has a pretty good variety of cantrips to choose from, and a choice of two allows you to, for example, pick a utility cantrip like light and a damaging cantrip like sacred flame.

Paladin Spells

The Paladin Spells enhancement adds 7 spells to the paladin’s spell list. Two of them, life transference and dawn, are from Xanathar’s Guide. Most are typically associated with the cleric class, such as prayer of healing and gentle repose. Spirit guardians is a particular interesting choice, as that’s a beefy spell to put in the hands of a beefy class!

As half-casters, paladins don’t get spells above 5^th level, and their spell progression is slower than their full-caster counterpart, the cleric. But these options (and the Blessed Warrior feature variant) allow you to skew your paladin more towards the spellcasting side.

Ranger

The ranger has access to 5 replacement variants and 4 enhancement variants, for a total of 9 (!) options in this article.

Deft Explorer replaces Natural Explorer, Favored Foe replaces Favored Enemy, Primal Awareness replaces Primeval Awareness, Fade Away replaces Hide in Plain Sight, and Ranger Companion Options replaces the Beast Master’s Ranger’s Companion feature.

Fighting Style Options (different than the fighter’s and the paladin’s) enhances Fighting Style, and the Ranger Spells, Spell Versatility, and Spellcasting Focus features enhance Spellcasting,

Deft Explorer

This class feature variant replaces the 1^st level feature Natural Explorer. Natural Explorer allows you to pick a terrain type at 1^st, 6^th, and 10^th level, and you gain benefits to travelling over that terrain that you can extend to your group. Deft Explorer contains the Canny, Roving, and Tireless options—you pick one at 1^st and choose others at 6^th and 10^th level. Canny grants skill and language proficiencies, Roving boosts your walking speed and grants a climb and swim speed, and Tireless allows you to use your action to grant yourself temporary hit points. Tireless also means that you recover a level of exhaustion on a short rest.

Depending on what you want for your ranger, I could see either Natural Explorer or Deft Explorer working well. In some campaigns, one may be much more useful than the other (a group that travels frequently may benefit more from the ranger’s Natural Explorer ability, for example). The option between the two does allow a slightly different concept of ranger at the table.

Favored Foe

Favored Foe replaces Favored Enemy, another 1^st level ranger feature. Favored Enemy allows you to pick a type of creature that you get certain bonuses to tracking and interacting with, and you make additional choices at 6^th and 14^th level. In contrast, Favored Foe allows you to cast hunter’s mark without requiring concentration a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum once) per long rest. This comes in at 1^st level, before the class gets Spellcasting.

This is a pretty unique change. Instead of an overarching benefit to broad groups of creatures, the ranger can use a bonus action to (cast the spell and) gain extra damage and advantage on Perception and Survival checks to find the target. It’s a more specific bonus for combat or for tracking down a specific creature. No concentration means that you can have this version of hunter’s mark up while you cast a concentration spell. I don’t think we’ve seen this before, so I wonder if that “no concentration” bit will stick around.

Fighting Style Options

This variant enhances the ranger’s Fighting Style feature, adding the Druidic Warrior fighting style option. This is like the paladin’s Divine Warrior feature. The ranger can add two druid cantrips to their spell list, they count as ranger spells, and they can switch one out on a level up.

Again, this gives you the option to enhance your ranger’s spellcasting abilities. The druid cantrip list features some neat potential choices for rangers, like thorn whip and infestation (@ that swarmkeeper ranger UA).

Ranger Spells

This enhances the Spellcasting feature by adding 15 spells to the ranger’s spell list. They gain some buff spells like aid and enhance ability, and other support options such as death ward and revivify. Interestingly, they also gain access to two smite spells: searing smite and blinding smite.

These are some particularly cool additions, especially in conjunction with Spell Versatility. Rangers are perhaps more limited in versatility than paladins as half-casters, since rangers don’t prepare their spells every day. But now the ranger both has more spell options and more opportunities to take advantage of these options.

Spellcasting Focus

The Spellcasting Focus variant enhances the Spellcasting feature. With this variant, rangers can use a druidic focus for their spellcasting.

This allows rangers to not need a component pouch and instead use a focus. I think this actually came up early on in our campaign—I seem to remember the evil squad’s ranger needing material components for a while without having the opportunity to get them. But for the most part, this is a cool flavor thing instead of a mechanical change.

Primal Awareness

At 3^rd level, a ranger usually gains the Primeval Awareness feature. Primal Awareness replaces it. Primeval Awareness allows a ranger to expend a spell slot to sense whether certain creatures are close by. Primal Awareness is a pretty big change, replacing Primeval Awareness with additional spells the ranger learns as they level up.

There are 7 spells the ranger will learn across 3^rd, 5^th, 9^th, 13^th, and 17^th level. Speak with animals and speak with plants are included, as well as beast sense and locate creature. These are very nature and survival focused spells. The ranger can cast each of the spells once per long rest without using a spell slot, too.

This is a big change! I always love spellcasters, so I can see myself generally going with this variant over the existing feature. I feel like that would be the same for others, but hey, let me know if I’m wrong!

Fade Away

This class feature variant replaces the ranger’s 10^th level feature, Hide in Plain Sight. Hide in Plain Sight allows the ranger to craft camouflage to give them a bonus to hiding if they don’t move or take an action. Fade Away replaces that feature, instead giving the ranger the opportunity to use their bonus action to become invisible until their next turn, once per rest.

So here we’re trading a less powerful but more widely applicable/longer use feature for a shorter use but more powerful feature. Instead of a bonus to hide, you’re straight-up invisible, but it only last for a short amount of time. But, Hide in Plain Sight requires materials with which to create camouflage, while Fade Away is purely magical.

Ranger Companion Options

This variant replaces the Beast Master subclass’s Ranger’s Companion feature. Instead of using a stat block from the Monster Manual, the ranger’s beast companion is either a Beast of the Air or a Beast of the Earth, using the unique stat blocks in the article and then scaling them per the Beast Master’s existing mechanics. If they die and it’s been less than an hour since they died, the ranger can expend a spell slot to bring them back to life after a minute.

This approach with the stat blocks mirrors some of the other “pet subclasses” we’ve seen in previous UAs—the artificer and the wildfire druid. It’s a simpler approach that streamlines some potential pitfalls in choosing a companion, since you can still determine what animal it looks like, but the abilities are limited to two stat blocks. There are no stat block adjustments that you need to make (like getting rid of Extra Attack) since these are made for the Beast Master to use.

Rogue

The rogue has one enhancement option available: Aim enhances Cunning Action.

Aim

This variant adds another option for the rogue’s Cunning Action, which gives them different options for their bonus action. When a rogue uses Aim, they gain advantage (and thus Sneak Attack) on their next attack during this turn. But, they can only use Aim if they haven’t moved during this turn, and their speed becomes 0 once they use Aim.

This is great for rogues who need a Sneak Attack but for whatever reason can’t gain advantage/Sneak Attack through the current means available to them. Maybe there’s no one adjacent to the enemy. They sacrifice their mobility for that turn and get Sneak Attack in exchange, one of the rogue’s star features. This also works well for rogues who primary attack at a range.

Sorcerer

The sorcerer has four enhancement variants at their disposal. Sorcerer Spells and Spell Versatility enhance Spellcasting, the Font of Magic Options feature enhances Font of Magic, and the Metamagic Options feature enhances Metamagic.

Sorcerer Spells

This feature adds 10 spells (1 cantrip, 9 spells) to the sorcerer’s spell list. The primal savagery cantrip from Xanathar’s Guide is in the spell list now, along with some wizard spells like grease and demiplane. I also noticed three fire-based spells added: flame blade, flaming sphere, and fire shield.

These additions can fill out a sorcerer’s abilities with some options previously unavailable to them. Honestly, I might have assumed before that some of these were already on the sorcerer’s spell list.

Font of Magic Options

This enhancement adds 3 more options for the sorcerer to spend sorcery points: Empowering Reserves, Imbuing Touch, and Sorcerous Fortitude. Empowering Reserves uses two sorcery points to grant you advantage on an ability check. Imbuing Touch uses two sorcery points to make a weapon count as magical for a minute. Sorcerous Fortitude allows you to expend any number of sorcery points to gain 1d4 temporary hit points per point.

These options are all great ways to get out of a bad situation. Really need to succeed on that check? Don’t have any magical weapons on you? Need some more HP? I think these options are pretty useful, particularly at lower levels when you don’t have as many options and resources available to you.

Metamagic Options

This variant enhances Metamagic. A sorcerer now can choose from these additional Metamagic options: Elemental Spell, Seeking Spell, and Unerring Spell. Elemental Spell allows you to change an elemental spell’s damage to another element (acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder). Seeking Spell can let you ignore half and three-quarters cover when casting a spell with an attack roll or Dexterity save. Unerring Spell lets you reroll an attack roll for a spell that misses its target, even if you’ve already used Metamagic on that spell.

I’m also really liking these options. The Draconic sorcerer is closely tied to elemental damage, so the Elemental Spell option helps you play into that character concept. Seeking Spell is particularly useful if your opponents are often taking cover, and Unerring Spell seems especially handy. Since you can use Unerring Spell even if you’ve used Metamagic, that allows you to not worry about whether you’ll miss or not—if you’ve got the sorcery points, you can reroll the spell attack roll.

Warlock

The warlock has four enhancement options. Spell Versatility and Warlock Spells enhance Pact Magic, the Eldritch Invocation Options feature enhance Eldritch Invocations, and an additional Pact Boon Option enhances Pact Boon.

Warlock Spells

This feature adds 15 spells to the warlock’s spell list. A few like life transference and create homunculus are from Xanathar’s Guide. There are some fun control options (modify memory, planar binding) and spooky options (animate dead, weird) added for warlocks to use.

These additions are also pretty exciting for warlocks. Overall, the spell list additions have been really cool, especially (as I said previously) with the Spell Versatility option!

Eldritch Invocation Options

These options enhance Eldritch Invocations, adding a total of 9 eldritch invocations to the list. Three of them are for the new pact boon option, two are for Pact of the Chain, one is for Pact of the Blade, and three are for Pact of the Tome.

Generally, these invocations expand the support options for a warlock, but some add other functionalities (Chain Master’s Fury lets you command your familiar to attack as a bonus action, Eldritch Armor lets a Pact of the Blade warlock teleport… a suit of armor… onto them? And they’re proficient with it now?). I particularly like the Pact of the Tome additions, two of which cause a special page to appear in your Book of Shadows.

Pact Boon Option

As an enhancement to Pact Boon, this variant gives the warlock another option to choose from: Pact of the Talisman. Pact of the Talisman grants you a special amulet for you or someone else to wear. When the wearer makes a skill check they’re not proficient in, they add a d4 to the check.

I like the idea of this pact boon. But—and maybe I’m underestimating it—it doesn’t seem as useful as the other pact boons? A d4 is certainly nice (and I tend to play bards, who have a lot of skill proficiencies), but this pact boon seems to rely on the invocations to really be useful. Maybe I’m being too pessimistic. Let me know what you think, especially if you disagree with me!

Wizard

The wizard gains two enhancement variants: Cantrip Versatility and Wizard Spells, both of which enhance Spellcasting.

Wizard Spells

This feature adds four spells to the wizard spell list: augury, enhance ability, speak with dead, and divination. Three of these seem particularly useful for a divination wizard.

Honestly, the wizard’s spell list is expansive, so I can see why they only added a few targeted options to the list! I’m glad to see more divination spells added, and enhance ability is real neat too.

What do you think of these adjustments? Any you particularly like or dislike? Will you add these to your campaign? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!