Dungeons & Dragonshas unveiled eight new subclasses, which will appear in a new Forgotten Realms-themed rulebook later this year. Wizards of the Coast has big plans forDungeons & Dragonsthis year. In addition totheMonster Manual, which will be released in February, Wizards will also release several campaign books. In addition to the just announcedEberron: Forge of the Artificer, Wizards of the Coast will also release two Forgotten Realms-themed campaign books: theForgotten Realms Player’s Guideand theForgotten Realms Adventure Guide.
Today, Wizards of the Coast revealedthe eight new subclassesthat will appear in the newForgotten Realms Player’s Guide. The subclasses were released via a new Unearthed Arcana playtest, which is now open and available for playtesting.The eight subclasses include several returning favorites from the 2014 Fifth Edition ruleset,including the Bladesinger Wizard subclass, as well as a handful of new classes with direct links to the Forgotten Realms. The new subclasses will be officially released in November.
What Are Dungeons & Dragons' New Subclasses
Many Of D&D’s New Subclasses Are Tied To Forgotten Realms' Areas
In keeping with theForgotten Realms’theming of the new rulebook,several of the subclasses are directly tied to Forgotten Realms regions that will be explored in theForgotten Realms Adventure Guiderulebook. The College of the Moon bard subclass is tied to the Moonshae Isles, while the Winter Walker ranger subclass is linked to Icewind Dale. The Oath of the Noble Genies paladin subclass, meanwhile, has ties to Calimsham, a region not previously seen in any Fifth Edition material.
Dungeons & Dragons has revealed a brand new look for a classic monster, the aboleth, which dates back to the earliest days of the popular TTRPG.
Also returning is Spellfire, a type of magic specific to the Forgotten Realms. In previous editions,Spellfire could be used to either damage foes or heal allies. Technically, spellfire has already appeared in the Fifth Edition, as it was used by Laeral Silverhand in theWaterdeep: Dragon Heistadventure.Bladesinging, another subclass specific to Forgotten Realms lore, will also be returning within the new Player’s Guide. Baldur’s Gate 3 is also set to add the Bladesinger subclass in its next patch.
Our Take: D&D Is Drawing Inspiration From Its Lore
Leaning Into D&D’s Settings Adds New Flavor To Subclasses
While most of Fifth Edition’s rulebooks featured setting-agnostic subclasses,theForgotten Realms Player’s Guidecontinues a relatively recent trend of utilizingD&D’slore to create thematically correct subclasses.Those who would like to join in on the playtest can do sohere.
While players can certainly use the Winter Walker ranger or Spellfire Sorcery in campaigns not set in the Forgotten Realms, these subclasses could help spark more interest in one ofDungeons & Dragons' most iconic settings. I’m excited to see the final form of these subclasses when theForgotten Realms' Player’s Guidecomes out in November.
