UNEARTHED ARCANA 2022

THE CLERIC AND REVISED SPECIES

This document is the third in a series of Unearthed Arcana articles that present material designed for the next version of the Player’s Handbook. The material here uses the rules in the 2014 Player’s Handbook, except where noted. Providing feedback on this document is one way you can help shape the next generation of D&D!

Inside you’ll find the following content:

Cleric Class. The Cleric Class is available for playtesting, along with one Subclass: the Life Domain. More Subclasses will appear in Unearthed Arcana in the months ahead.

Revised Species. Three revised Species appear in this document: the Ardling, the Dragonborn, and the Goliath.

Rules Glossary. In this document, any term in the body text that is underlined appears in the glossary at the end. The glossary defines game terms that have been clarified or redefined for this playtest or that don’t appear in the 2014 Player’s Handbook. This rules glossary supersedes the glossary in previous Unearthed Arcana articles.

To play with this material, you may either incorporate it into your campaign or run one or more special playtest sessions. For such a session, you may create an adventure of your own or use a short adventure from a source like Journeys through the Radiant Citadel or Candlekeep Mysteries.

POWER LEVEL

The character options you read here might be more or less powerful than options in the 2014 Player’s Handbook. If a design survives playtesting, we adjust its power to the desirable level before publication in a book. This means an option could be more or less powerful in its final form.

FEEDBACK                                                         

THIS IS PLAYTEST MATERIAL

This article is presented for playtesting and feedback. The material here is experimental and is in draft form. It isn’t officially part of the game. Your feedback will help determine whether we adopt it as official.

HOW TO PLAYTEST THIS MATERIAL           

We invite you to try out this material in play. When you do so, you’re welcome to combine this article with the “Character Origins” (August 2022) and “Expert Classes” (September 2022) articles.

If you do combine this article with any previous one, use only the rules glossary found here. In the One D&D Unearthed Arcana series, the rules glossary of each article supersedes the glossary of any previous article.

PARTS OF A CLASS

Each Class contains the rules elements described below. Characters who have levels in a Class are exceptional; most of the inhabitants of the multiverse aren’t members of a Class.

PRIMARY ABILITY

The primary ability of a Class is critical to some of the Class’s features, so when you create your character, that ability is a great place to put one of your highest scores.

Similarly, whenever you gain the Ability Score Improvement Feat, consider increasing your primary ability.

Finally, to use the multiclassing rules, you must have at least a score of 13 in the primary ability of all your classes.

CLASS GROUP                                                   

Each Class is a member of a Class Group—a set of Classes that have certain features and themes in common. The Class Groups table lists the groups and summarizes characteristics the members of a group have in common.

CLASS GROUPS

Group         Classes                     Characteristics

CREATING A MEMBER OF THE CLASS

A Class’s description includes a section on how to create a member of that Class. That section tells you how to determine your Hit Points, which Proficiencies and Armor Training you gain from the Class, the equipment the Class provides at 1st level, and how to use the multiclassing rules with the Class.

CLASS FEATURES

Each Class grants special features at certain levels in the Class. Those features are listed on the Class’s table and detailed in the Class’s description.

SUBCLASSES

A Class’s description is followed by a section dedicated to Subclasses for that Class. A Subclass represents an area of specialization for a member of a Class, and the Subclass grants special features at certain levels.

When playtesting the new version of a Class, you can use a Subclass from an older source, such as the 2014 Player’s Handbook or Tasha’s

Mages Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard

Warriors     Barbarian,

Fighter, Monk

Adepts of Arcane magic, focusing on utility and destruction

Masters of combat who can deal and endure many wounds

Cauldron of Everything. If the older Subclass offers features at levels that are different from the Subclass levels in the Class, follow the older Subclass’s level progression after the Class lets you gain the Subclass.

In some cases, you might find an older Subclass doesn’t fully work with the features in the playtest version of a Class. If we publish the new version of the Class, we’ll resolve that discrepancy.

A Class Group has no rules in itself, but prerequisites and other rules can refer to these groups. For example, only members of the Mage Group might be able to attune to a particular magic item, or a Feat might be available only to members of the Warrior Group.

When creating a party of adventurers, one way to form a well-rounded group is to include at least one member of each Class Group. That said, mix and match Classes to your heart’s content!

CLERIC

Class Group: Priest

Primary Ability: Wisdom

Clerics draw power from the realms of the gods and harness it to work miracles. Blessed by a deity, a pantheon, or another immortal entity, a Cleric can reach out to the divine magic of the Outer Planes—where gods dwell—and channel that energy to bolster people and to battle foes.

Because their power is a divine gift, Clerics typically associate themselves with temples or shrines dedicated to whatever deity or other immortal force unlocked their magical ability. Harnessing divine magic doesn’t rely on study or training, yet a Cleric might learn formulaic prayers and ancient rites that help them focus their minds and spirits on drawing power from the Outer Planes. Even a Cleric who declines to worship their divine benefactor might perform

their benefactor’s rites if doing so helps the Cleric feel connected to the immortal realms.

Not every acolyte or officiant at a temple or shrine is a Cleric. Some priests are called to a simple life of temple service, carrying out their devotion through prayer and rituals, not through magic. Some of the most influential high priests are incapable of harnessing divine magic, and a few of them feel threatened when a Cleric appears. Many can pray, and some mortals claim to speak for the gods. But few can marshal the power of those gods the way a Cleric can.

CREATING A CLERIC

To create a Cleric, consult the following lists, which provide Hit Points, Proficiencies, and Armor Training. If you’re making a 1st-level character, also consult the “Starting Equipment” section, and if you’re using the multiclassing rules, see the “Multiclassing and the Cleric” section.

Then look at the Cleric table to see the Class Features you get at each level in this Class. The descriptions of those features appear in the “Cleric Class Features” section.

HIT POINTS

Hit Dice: 1d8 per Cleric level

Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier

Hit Points per Level after 1st: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier

PROFICIENCIES

Saving Throws: Wisdom, Charisma

Skills: Persuasion, Religion (or choose two from History, Insight, Medicine, Persuasion, and Religion)

Weapons: Simple Weapons

Tools: None

ARMOR TRAINING

Light Armor, Medium Armor, Shields

STARTING EQUIPMENT

As a 1st-level character, you start with the following equipment, or you can forgo it and spend 110 GP on equipment of your choice.

CLERIC CLASS FEATURES

As a Cleric, you gain the following Class Features when you reach the specified levels in this Class. These features are listed on the Cleric table.

1ST LEVEL: CHANNEL DIVINITY

You gain the ability to channel divine energy directly from the Outer Planes, using that energy to fuel magical effects. You start with two such effects: Divine Spark and Turn Undead, each of which is described below. Each time you use your Channel Divinity, you choose which effect to create, and you gain additional effect options at higher levels in this Class.

You can use your Channel Divinity a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.

Some Channel Divinity effects require Saving Throws. When you use such an effect from this Class, the DC equals the Spell Save DC from this Class’s Spellcasting feature.

Divine Spark. As a Magic Action, you point your Holy Symbol at another creature you can see within 30 feet of yourself and focus divine

Chain Shirt Holy Symbol Mace

Priest’s Pack Shield

7 GP

energy at them. Roll a number of d8s equal to your Proficiency Bonus and add the rolls together. You either restore Hit Points to the creature equal to that total or force the creature to make a Constitution Saving Throw. On a failed save, the creature takes Radiant Damage equal to the total, and on a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage (rounded down).

1ST LEVEL: SPELLCASTING

You have learned to cast Spells through prayer, meditation, and devotion. See the Player’s Handbook for the rules on spellcasting. The

information below details how you use those rules as a Cleric.

Prepared Spells. You have the following Spells prepared: Cure Wounds, Sacred Flame, Shield of Faith, Spare the Dying, and Thaumaturgy.

Alternatively, you can prepare three 0-level Spells (also known as cantrips) and two 1st-level Spells of your choice. Any Spell you prepare for this Class must be a Divine Spell.

Whenever you finish a Long Rest, you can pray or meditate and replace any Spell you have prepared for this Class with another Divine Spell of the same level.

At higher levels in this Class, you can prepare more Spells, as shown on the Cleric table. The numbers there determine the number of different Spells you can prepare of each level. For example, as a 4th-level Cleric, you can prepare four different 0-level Spells, four different 1st-level Spells, and three different 2nd-level Spells.

Consult the “Prepared Cleric Spells” section for recommendations on which spells to prepare at higher levels.

Spell Slots. The Cleric table shows how many Spell Slots you have at each level to cast your Cleric Spells of 1st level and higher; the number of different Spells you can prepare of each level equals the number of Spell Slots you have at that level. For example, as a 5th-level Cleric, you have four 1st-level Spell Slots, three 2nd-level Spell Slots, and two 3rd-level Spell Slots.

Spellcasting Ability. Wisdom is your Spellcasting Ability for your Cleric Spells.

Spellcasting Focus. You can use a Holy Symbol as a Spellcasting Focus for the Spells you prepare for this Class.

2ND LEVEL: HOLY ORDER

You have dedicated yourself to one of the following sacred roles, either on your own or as part of a religious order. Choose one of the following options:

Protector. Trained for battle, you gain Martial Weapon Proficiency and Heavy Armor Training.

Scholar. Studying and teaching about lore of the gods and the multiverse, you gain Proficiency in two of the following Skills of your choice: Arcana, History, Nature, Persuasion, and Religion. Whenever you make an Ability Check using either Skill, you gain a bonus to the check equal to your Wisdom Modifier.

Thaumaturge. Delving deeper into your divine magical abilities, you can prepare one extra 0- level Spell from the Divine Spell list. See your Spellcasting feature for more information on preparing Spells. In addition, you regain one expended use of your Channel Divinity whenever you finish a Short Rest.

3RD LEVEL: CLERIC SUBCLASS

You gain the Life Domain Subclass or another Cleric Subclass of your choice. The Life Domain is detailed after the Cleric’s Class description, and other Subclasses will appear in future Unearthed Arcana articles.

A Subclass is a specialization that grants you special abilities at certain Cleric levels. For the rest of your career, you gain each of your Subclass’s features that are of your Cleric level and lower. This Class’s description tells you the levels when your Subclass provides features.

4TH LEVEL: FEAT

You gain the Ability Score Improvement Feat or another Feat of your choice for which you qualify.

5TH LEVEL: SMITE UNDEAD

You can cause your Turn Undead feature to smite the undying; whenever you use Turn Undead, you can roll a number of d8s equal to your Proficiency Bonus and add the rolls together. Each Undead that fails its Saving Throw against that use of Turn Undead takes Radiant Damage equal to the roll’s total.

6TH LEVEL: SUBCLASS FEATURE

You gain a feature from your Cleric Subclass.

7TH LEVEL: BLESSED STRIKES

Divine power infuses you in battle. When a creature takes damage from one of your 0-level Spells or your attacks with Weapons, you can also deal 1d8 Radiant Damage to that creature. Once you deal this damage, you can’t use this feature again until the start of your next turn.

8TH LEVEL: FEAT

You gain the Ability Score Improvement Feat or another Feat of your choice for which you qualify.

9TH LEVEL: HOLY ORDER

Your sacred duties have expanded, allowing you to choose a second option from the Holy Order feature.

10TH LEVEL: SUBCLASS FEATURE

You gain a feature from your Cleric Subclass.

11TH LEVEL: DIVINE INTERVENTION

You can call on your deity or pantheon to intervene on your behalf when your need is great.

As an Action, describe the assistance you seek, and roll percentile dice. If you roll a number equal to or lower than your Cleric level, the divine power intervenes. The DM chooses the nature of the intervention; the effect of any Divine Spell is appropriate.

If the intervention occurs, you can’t use this feature again for 2d6 days. Otherwise, you can use it again after you finish a Long Rest.

12TH LEVEL: FEAT

You gain the Ability Score Improvement Feat or another Feat of your choice for which you qualify.

14TH LEVEL: SUBCLASS FEATURE

You gain a feature from your Cleric Subclass.

16TH LEVEL: FEAT

You gain the Ability Score Improvement Feat or another Feat of your choice for which you qualify.

18TH LEVEL: GREATER DIVINE INTERVENTION

When you use your Divine Intervention feature, it succeeds automatically—no roll required— and you can use it again after 2d4 days.

19TH LEVEL: FEAT

You gain the Ability Score Improvement Feat or another Feat of your choice for which you qualify.

20TH LEVEL: EPIC BOON

You gain the Epic Boon of Fate or another Epic Boon Feat of your choice.

PREPARED CLERIC SPELLS

This section provides recommended Spells that you prepare at each Cleric level. Look for your Cleric level, and you prepare the spells for that level and all lower Cleric levels. Whenever you finish a Long Rest, you can change these Spells, as explained in this Class’s Spellcasting feature.

1ST-LEVEL CLERIC

0-Level Spells: Sacred Flame, Spare the Dying, Thaumaturgy

1st-Level Spells: Cure Wounds, Shield of Faith

2ND-LEVEL CLERIC

1st-Level Spells: Bless

3RD-LEVEL CLERIC

1st-Level Spells: Guiding Bolt

2nd-Level Spells: Hold Person, Spiritual Weapon

4TH-LEVEL CLERIC

0-Level Spells: Guidance

2nd-Level Spells: Aid

5TH-LEVEL CLERIC

3rd-Level Spells: Beacon of Hope, Spirit Guardians

6TH-LEVEL CLERIC

3rd-Level Spells: Dispel Magic

7TH-LEVEL CLERIC

4th-Level Spells: Guardian of Faith

8TH-LEVEL CLERIC

4th-Level Spells: Banishment

9TH-LEVEL CLERIC

4th-Level Spells: Death Ward

5th-Level Spells: Flame Strike

10TH-LEVEL CLERIC

0-Level Spells: Resistance

5th-Level Spells: Circle of Power

11TH– AND 12TH-LEVEL CLERIC

6th-Level Spells: Heal

13TH– AND 14TH-LEVEL CLERIC

7th-Level Spells: Divine Word

15TH– AND 16TH-LEVEL CLERIC

8th-Level Spells: Holy Aura

17TH-LEVEL CLERIC

9th-Level Spells: Mass Heal

18TH-LEVEL CLERIC

5th-Level Spells: Raise Dead

19TH-LEVEL CLERIC

6th-Level Spells: Word of Recall

20TH-LEVEL CLERIC

7th-Level Spells: Regenerate

CLERIC SUBCLASSES

A Cleric Subclass is a specialization that grants you special abilities at certain Cleric levels, as specified in the Subclass. This section presents one Subclass: the Life Domain.

Each Cleric Subclass is named after a domain of existence that is favored by a god, a pantheon, or a religious order. When you choose a Subclass, you decide why your Cleric chose that domain.

LIFE DOMAIN                                                    

The Life Domain focuses on the vibrant positive energy—one of the fundamental forces of the universe—that sustains all life. The Clerics who tap into this domain are masters of healing, using that force of life to cure many hurts.

Existence itself relies on the positive energy associated with this domain, so a Cleric of any religious tradition might choose it. This domain is associated with agricultural deities, sun gods, gods of healing or endurance, and gods of home and community. Religious orders of healing also seek the powers of this domain.

3RD LEVEL: DOMAIN SPELLS

Your connection to this divine domain ensures you always have certain Spells ready. When you reach a Cleric level specified in the Life Domain

Spells table, you thereafter always have the listed Spells prepared. These Spells don’t count against the number of Spells you can prepare, and they follow the rules of this Class’s Spellcasting feature.

LIFE DOMAIN SPELLS

Cleric Level      Prepared Spells

9th             Greater Restoration, Mass Cure Wounds

3RD LEVEL: DISCIPLE OF LIFE

Your healing Spells are empowered by life itself. When a Spell you cast with a Spell Slot restores Hit Points to a creature, that creature regains additional Hit Points on the turn you cast the Spell. The additional Hit Points equal 2 plus the Spell’s level.

6TH LEVEL: PRESERVE LIFE

You can use your Channel Divinity to heal a group of the critically injured. As an Action, you expend one use of your Channel Divinity and present your Holy Symbol, restoring a number of Hit Points equal to 5 times your Cleric level.

Choose any creatures within 30 feet of yourself (you can choose yourself), and divide those Hit Points among the chosen creatures. This feature can bring a creature’s current Hit Points to no more than half its Hit Point Maximum.

10TH LEVEL: BLESSED HEALER

The healing spells you cast on others heal you as well. When you cast a spell with a Spell Slot on another creature that restores Hit Points to it, you regain Hit Points equal to 2 plus the Spell’s level on the turn you cast the Spell.

14TH LEVEL: SUPREME HEALING

When you would normally roll one or more dice to restore Hit Points to a creature with a Spell that you cast with a Spell Slot, don’t roll those dice for the healing; instead use the highest number possible for each die. For example, instead of restoring 2d6 Hit Points to a creature with a Spell, you restore 12.

CHARACTER SPECIES

When you choose your character’s Species, you determine whether your character is a Human or a member of a fantastical Species, such as Dragonborn or Gnome. This document provides new versions of the following Species: Ardling, Dragonborn, and Goliath.

The peoples of the D&D multiverse hail from many worlds and are members of many different sapient life forms. A player character’s Species is the set of game traits that an adventurer gains from being one of those life-forms. A character’s upbringing and training are represented in the rules by Class and Background.

Some Species can trace their origin to a single world, plane of existence, or god, while other Species first appeared in multiple realms at once. Whatever a Species’ origin story, its members have spread across the multiverse and contribute to various cultures. To learn more about cultures on D&D worlds, consult descriptions of the game’s settings, such as the Forgotten Realms in Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide and Eberron in Eberron: Rising from the Last War.

ARDLING

Celestial animals roam the Beastlands, a plane of untamed beauty and wild nature. Many of those otherworldly animals serve the Beast Lords, and in the early days of the multiverse, some of the animals evolved into bipedal forms. Among their number are Ardlings, people with beastlike heads, keen senses, and an innate connection to divine magic. Long ago, the ancestors of Ardlings migrated to the Material Plane, and Ardlings can now be found on many worlds.

An Ardling has a head resembling that of an animal. Depending on the animal, the Ardling might also have fur, feathers, or scales. Some little and others hulking, Ardlings are as varied as the animals they resemble.

ARDLING ADVENTURER TRAITS

Creature Type: Humanoid

Size: Medium (about 4–7 feet tall) or Small (about 3–4 feet tall), chosen when you select this Species

Speed: 30 feet

Life Span: 200 years on average

As an Ardling adventurer, you have the following special traits.

Animal Ancestry. You are descended from a Celestial animal. Choose one of the ancestry types below, then choose one of the example animals listed for that ancestry (or a similar animal); you gain the benefits of that ancestry, and your head resembles the head of the chosen animal:

Climber (Bear, Cat, Lizard, Squirrel). You have hooked claws, sharp nails, or a serpentine tail. As a result, you have a Climb Speed equal to your Speed, and once per turn when you deal damage with your Unarmed Strike to a target, you can increase the damage to that target by an amount equal to your Proficiency Bonus.

Flyer (Bat, Eagle, Owl, Raven). You have vestigial wings. As a result, when you fall at least 10 feet, you can use your Reaction to safely glide downward, taking no damage from the fall. In addition, when you take the Jump Action, you can flap your wings to gain Advantage on that Action’s Ability Check.

Racer (Deer, Dog, Horse, Triceratops). When you take the Dash Action, your Speed increases for that Action. The increase equals ten times your Proficiency Bonus.

Swimmer (Crocodile, Dolphin, Frog, Shark). You can hold your breath for up to an hour at a time, and you have a Swim Speed equal to your Speed. In addition, you have Resistance to Cold Damage.

Divine Magic. You can innately channel minor divine magic; you know the Thaumaturgy Spell. Whenever you finish a Long Rest, you can replace that Spell with a different 0-level Spell from the Divine Spell list.

Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for any Spell you cast with this trait (choose the ability when you select the Species).

Keen Senses. You have Proficiency in the Perception Skill.

DRAGONBORN                                                  

The ancestors of Dragonborn hatched from the eggs of chromatic and metallic dragons. One story holds that these eggs were blessed by the dragon gods Bahamut and Tiamat, who wanted to populate the worlds of the multiverse with people created in their image. Another story

holds that dragons created the Dragonborns’ progenitors without the gods’ blessings.

Whatever their origin, Dragonborn have made homes for themselves on the worlds of the Material Plane.

Dragonborn look like wingless, bipedal dragons—scaly, bright-eyed, and thick-boned, with horns on their heads. Dragonborn of chromatic ancestry have scales that are black, blue, green, red, or white, whereas Dragonborn of metallic ancestry have scales that are the color of brass, bronze, copper, gold, or silver.

Like their draconic ancestors, Dragonborn can exhale acid, cold, fire, lightning, or poison. One can tell the type of energy a Dragonborn breathes by the color of the Dragonborn’s scales.

DRAGONBORN ADVENTURER TRAITS

Creature Type: Humanoid

Size: Medium (about 5–7 feet tall)

Speed: 30 feet

Life Span: 80 years on average

As a Dragonborn adventurer, you have the following special traits.

Draconic Ancestry. Your lineage stems from a dragon progenitor. Choose the kind of dragon from the Draconic Ancestor table. Your choice affects your Breath Weapon and Damage Resistance traits, as well as the look of your Draconic Flight. The chosen dragon also affects your appearance, with you displaying coloration and other features reminiscent of that dragon.

DRACONIC ANCESTOR

Dragon                               Damage Type

Bronze                                 Lightning

Gold                                     Fire

White                                   Cold

Breath Weapon. When you take the Attack Action on your turn, you can replace one of your attacks with an exhalation of magical energy in either a 15-foot cone or a 30-foot line that is 5 feet wide. Each creature in that area must make a Dexterity Saving Throw against a DC equal to 8

+ your Constitution modifier + your Proficiency

Bonus. On a failed save, a creature takes 1d10 damage of the type determined by your Draconic Ancestry trait. On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage. This damage increases by 1d10 when you reach the following character levels: 5th level (2d10), 11th level (3d10), and 17th level (4d10).

You can use this Breath Weapon a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.

Damage Resistance. You have Resistance to the damage type determined by your Draconic Ancestry trait.

Darkvision. You have Darkvision with a range of 60 feet.

Draconic Flight. When you reach 5th level, you learn how to channel the magical energy of your Draconic Ancestry to give yourself temporary flight. As a Bonus Action, you sprout spectral wings on your back that last for 10 minutes or until you are Incapacitated or you retract the wings as a Bonus Action. During that time, you have a Fly Speed equal to your Speed. Your wings appear to be made of the energy used by your Breath Weapon. Once you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a Long Rest.

GOLIATH                                                            

Towering over most folk, Goliaths are distant descendants of giants. Each Goliath bears the blessings of the first giants—blessings that manifest in various supernatural boons, including the ability to quickly grow and temporarily approach the height of the Goliaths’ gigantic kin.

Goliaths have physical characteristics that are reminiscent of the giants in their family lines.

For example, some Goliaths look like stone giants, while others resemble fire giants.

Whatever giants they count as kin, Goliaths have forged their own path in the multiverse— unencumbered by the internecine conflicts that have ravaged giant-kind for ages—and seek heights above those reached by their ancestors.

GOLIATH ADVENTURER TRAITS

Creature Type: Humanoid

Size: Medium (about 7–8 feet tall)

Speed: 35 feet

Life Span: 80 years on average

As a Goliath adventurer, you have the following special traits.

Giant Ancestry. You are descended from Giants. Choose one of the following benefits—a supernatural boon from your ancestry; you can use the chosen benefit a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest:

Cloud’s Jaunt (Cloud Giant). As a Bonus Action, you magically Teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space you can see.

Fire’s Burn (Fire Giant). When you hit a target with an Attack Roll and deal damage to it, you can also deal 1d10 Fire Damage to that target.

Frost’s Chill (Frost Giant). When you hit a target with an Attack Roll and deal damage to it, you can also deal 1d6 Cold Damage to that target and reduce its Speed by 10 feet until the start of your next turn.

Hill’s Tumble (Hill Giant). When you hit a Large or smaller creature with an Attack Roll and deal damage to it, you can knock that target Prone.

Stone’s Endurance (Stone Giant). When you take damage, you can use your Reaction to roll a d12. Add your Constitution modifier to the number rolled and reduce the damage by that total.

Storm’s Thunder (Storm Giant). When you take damage from a creature within 60 feet of you, you can use your Reaction to deal 1d8 Thunder Damage to that creature.

Large Form. Starting at 5th level, you gain the ability to supernaturally grow. As a Bonus Action, you change your Size to Large, provided you’re in a big enough space. This transformation lasts for 10 minutes or until you end it as a Bonus Action. During that duration, you have Advantage on Strength Checks, and your Speed increases by 10 feet. Once you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a Long Rest.

Powerful Build. You have Advantage on any Saving Throw you make to end the Grappled condition on yourself. You also count as one Size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.

FEATS

This section offers a collection of Feats, which are special features not tied to a single Class.

PARTS OF A FEAT

The description of a Feat contains the following parts, which are presented after the Feat’s name:

Prerequisite. You must meet any prerequisite specified in a Feat to take that Feat, unless a special feature allows you to take the Feat without the prerequisite. If a prerequisite is a level, your character level must meet or exceed that level. If a prerequisite is a Class or a Class Group, you must have at least 1 level in an eligible Class to qualify for the Feat.

Benefit. The benefit of the Feat is then detailed. If you have a Feat, you gain its benefit.

Repeatable. A Feat can be taken only once, unless it contains a section allowing it to be taken more than once.

FEAT DESCRIPTIONS                                       

Here are descriptions of some Feats that are available to characters using this playtest article. Playtest characters can also select Feats from the previous installments of Unearthed Arcana, “Character Origins” and “Expert Classes.”

The Feats are presented in alphabetical order.

ABILITY SCORE IMPROVEMENT

Prerequisite: 4th+ Level

You increase one Ability Score of your choice by 2, or you increase two Ability Scores of your choice by 1. You can’t increase an Ability Score above 20 using this Feat.

Repeatable. You can take this Feat more than once.

EPIC BOON OF FATE

Prerequisite: 20th Level, Mage or Priest Group

When another creature that you can see within 60 feet of you makes a d20 Test, you can roll a d10 and apply the number rolled as a bonus or a penalty to the d20 roll. Once you use this benefit, you can’t use it again until you roll Initiative or finish a Short Rest or a Long Rest.

EPIC BOON OF SPELL RECALL

Prerequisite: 20th Level, Mage or Priest Group

You can cast any spell you have prepared without expending a spell slot, provided the spell is 5th level or lower. Once you do so, you can’t use this benefit again until you finish a Long Rest.

EPIC BOON OF TRUESIGHT

Prerequisite: 20th Level, Priest Group

You have Truesight out to a range of 60 feet.

RULES GLOSSARY

This glossary includes game terms that have new or revised meaning in this playtest document, as well as terms, such as Creature Type, that aren’t defined in the 2014 Player’s Handbook. The terms are organized alphabetically.

ABILITY CHECK

The Ability Check is one of three types of d20 Tests. The rules often call for an Ability Check, and the DM can also call for an Ability Check, determining which ability to use when a creature attempts something (other than an Attack Roll or a Saving Throw) that has a chance of meaningful failure. When the outcome is uncertain and narratively interesting, the dice determine the results.

The Ability Check has the following special rules.

SKILLS

When you make an Ability Check, the rules or the DM determines whether a Skill Proficiency is relevant to the check. If you have a relevant Skill Proficiency, you can add your Proficiency Bonus to the roll. For example, if a rule refers to a Strength Check (Acrobatics or Athletics), you can add your Proficiency Bonus to the check if you have Acrobatics or Athletics Proficiency.

ACTION REQUIRED

Making an Ability Check requires you to take an Action unless a rule says otherwise. Several of the named Actions—such as Hide and Influence—include Ability Checks.

The DM may override this requirement and allow a particular Ability Check to be made as part of a Bonus Action or as no Action at all.

DIFFICULTY CLASS

The DM determines the Difficulty Class of an Ability Check and can override a DC specified in the rules. The Typical Difficulty Class table shows the most common DCs.

The default DC for a check is 15, and it is rarely worth calling for an Ability Check if the DC is as low as 5, unless the potential failure is narratively interesting.

TYPICAL DIFFICULTY CLASS

Nearly Impossible         30

AID [SPELL]

Here’s a new version of the Aid Spell.

AID

2nd-Level Abjuration Spell (Divine)

Casting Time: Action

Range: 30 feet

Components: V, S, M (a tiny strip of white cloth)

Duration: Instantaneous

Your spell bolsters creatures, filling them with resolve. Choose up to six creatures within range. Each target gains 5 Temporary Hit Points.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, the number of Temporary Hit Points increases by 5 for each slot level above 2nd.

ARCANE SPELL

An Arcane Spell draws on the ambient magic of the multiverse. Bards, Sorcerers, Warlocks, and Wizards harness this magic, as do Artificers.

The Arcane Spells table is a partial list of Arcane Spells. The table provides a Spell’s level, name, and School of Magic. The list also indicates whether a Spell has the Ritual tag.

If a Spell’s School of Magic is different from what appears in the 2014 Player’s Handbook, an asterisk (*) appears after the school.

Lvl Spell School Ritual 0 Acid Splash Conjuration No 0 Blade Ward Abjuration No 0 Chill Touch Necromancy No 0 Dancing Lights Illusion* No 0 Fire Bolt Evocation No 0 Friends Enchantment No 0 Light Evocation No 0 Mage Hand Conjuration No 0 Mending Transmut. No 0 Message Transmut. No 0 Minor Illusion Illusion No 0 Poison Spray Conjuration No 0 Prestidigitation Transmut. No 0 Ray of Frost Evocation No 0 Shocking Grasp Evocation No 0 True Strike Divination No 0 Vicious Mockery Enchantment No 1 Alarm Abjuration Yes

ARCANE SPELLS