For context, Cavalier is a Fighter subclass added in Xanathar's designed for defenders and mounted combat. Its 7th-level feature gives you the following benefit:

Level 7: Warding Maneuver

If you or a creature you can see within 5 feet of you is hit by an attack, you can roll 1d8 as a reaction if you are wielding a melee weapon or a shield. Roll the die, and add the number rolled to the target's AC against that attack. If the attack still hits, the target has resistance against the attack's damage.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses of it when you finish a long rest.

According to the latest news about the WoW book, this feature is now a maneuver for the Battle Master subclass: you can expend a Superiority Die for these benefits (using the Superiority Die rather than 1d8), and you're not limited by CON mod per LR (since you're limited to your Superiority Dice pool).

This is actually identical to how the feature originally worked in the 2017 Cavalier UA, in which the subclass used Superiority Dice and had its own list of maneuvers (including Warding Maneuver, hence the name). The difference here, of course, is that this maneuver is now part of the Battle Master subclass.

Seems like the Cavalier subclass, if it ever gets revisited (such as the 5.5e version it got a UA for not too long ago, which was pretty bad lol), will need a completely new feature. Or maybe Cavalier is being scrapped altogether, and Fighters no longer have a defender subclass.

(This also appears to be the only soft-tanking feature that Fighters get from the book based on a game famous for letting Warriors be hard tanks...)

What do we think about this?

I am starting a campaign in the next weeks and I am thinkering a bit with the Sorrow Knight since he seems interesting.

My main idea is a figther that has been cursed by the god they worship, which is how he gets access to the powers of the Sorrow Knight. The way he is cursed makes him kind of go mad, as all of his weapons are cursed to make him insane, and in exchange make others go insane too (the debuffs).

I don't know what to pick for the race, since there are a lot of incredible options. I asked my DM if there was anything specific for the campaign that he would like if I played, but he told me anything is fine, so now I am kind of in an empass.

Which races do you recommend I should play? I am still deciding on the specifics of the build, so any recommendation for that would help aswell (I, along with another guy are kind of beginners to Dnd, I played one small xampaign before and he had never played, so the campaign won't be as hard. I value roleplaying as much as actually doing stuff, so I don't mind choosing a race that is less optimal).

P.S. Even though I played one game, I am still pretty new, so any help or extra tip would be appreciated since I kind of still don't really know what I'm doing😅

A caster can feasible make scrolls to use in downtime; meanwhile, say a figther can't craft a stored use of Action Surge. They can potentially craft our extract poison, but that just isn't the same.

Say that we wanted to implement something of the sort, how would you flavor it? A potion of action surge? Doesn't that sound like something a caster would make anyway, rather than a weapon specialist?

It replaces Primal Knowledge as a 3rd level feature, but I think it's stronger. Finally martials get to have something nice and strong :,D

You can plant a Totem (small object, 1HP, 10AC) within 10ft of yourself as a Bonus Action. It lasts 1 minute or until you plant a new Totem. Unless otherwise stated, you have unlimited uses of this feature.

There are 4 types of totems, each of which emits a 30ft radius emanation with different effects on creatures inside:

• Earthbind: Slows enemies by 10ft without a save
• Wind Rush: Allies speed increase by 10ft
• Tremor: Allies are immune to Fear and Charm
• Primal Knowledge (1/LR, can expend Rage for additional uses): Allies get the Primal Knowledge feature

Earthbind and Tremor are the standout ones here IMO. Totems do cost a BA to place down, but they're largely an unlimited resource (like Echo Knight echoes) that you can use repeatedly.

I think it's pretty decent and fun with the new spells, even if it’s not exceptionally strong.

The WoW book gives us two nice feats that care about damage types (source: Pack Tactics video):

• Hot Streak: When a spell you cast deals Fire damage to a creature, the target starts burning. When you deal Fire damage to a creature that is already burning, the flames become more severe, increasing the burning damage by 1d4.
• Fingers of Frost: When you deal Cold damage to a creature that has the Restrained condition, the creature takes extra Cold damage. To determine the extra damage, roll a number of d4s equal to your Proficiency Bonus and add them together.

A Scribes Wizard can change the damage type of Magic Missile to Fire or Cold, to trigger Hot Streak or Fingers of Frost three times, respectively. That’s a lot of guaranteed damage with a 1st-level spell.

Not sure which feat is better. Fingers of Frost deals far more damage but requires setup. Luckily, Wizards already want to cast Web to restrain their targets. Hot Streak could be amazing in long boss fights.

Note: As mentioned in the video, Fingers of Frost could be insane on an Elements Monk. Have your Wizard friend restrain enemies with Web, then unleash a flurry of blows d4s.

Hi All! I need some advice on how to build out a SoulKnife Rogue.

My rolled stats are 17, 16, 16, 13, 11, 8.

We will be starting at level 3 and I want to go for SoulKnife, I'm currently thinking about getting my Dex up to 19 with the +2 from Charlatan and grabbing a bunch of proficiencies to use with my class features. DM says I can use feats like Elven accuracy if I go elf and has said the updated Sharpshooter is fine to use if I want.

Does anyone have any experience playing the class that could advise on how the damage is and if I should look to multiclass for extra attack etc? (DM allows using the Blades with extra attack.)

Also, is getting my Dex up to 19 a bad idea if there's potential I go for half feats that boost Dex?

IIRC, you can use boon of magic school mastery to get spells from other classes spell lists. Does this mean that for basically all casters at level 19 they effectively become completely immune to damage at all times by taking Boon of Magic School Mastery to get Divine Shield? If so, it seems kinda dumb given that wizards seems to have been publishing more high level adventures recently.

Starting another campaign soon. I’ve been tinkering with two builds that I think I’d enjoy playing but wanted to hear from folks who’ve been there done that. We’re starting at level 1 expecting to go 10+

Human Trickery Cleric: A renegade, gambler type who tried to cheat a god and got a dagger through his hand and blessed for his hubris.

I want to lean into the illusion/deception/controller route with this character.

Eladrin (Spring prob) Archfey Warlock: basically a nightcrawler character, but charming and a flirt. Really want to spam the bamf, teleport around and blast folks. Also like the idea of telekinetic/thorn whip/repelling blast for some forced movement

I don’t plan of using a weapon for either. Any and all feedback would be helpful and appreciated, homies

EDIT: clarified only focused on illusion with trickery build

I'm a new DM and new to DnD and TTRPGS altogether and I've been thinking about how cool it is that there's just a smorgasbord of well-designed adventures over the course of several decades but how do I tap into them if they're from previous editions?

Apparently, there is this new Eldritch Invocation in the 5e World of Warcraft book:

Curse of Corruption

Prerequisite: Level 2+ Warlock

When an enemy starts its turn cursed by a Warlock spell you cast (such as Hex), it must succeed on a Charisma saving throw or take Necrotic damage equal to your Charisma modifier.

Okay, well, Hex lasts for hours and offers no initial saving throw. Instead of having the party fight some big bad boss, the warlock instructs the party to just... leave. Then the warlock tags the major enemy with Hex and runs away, maybe with a Dimension Door if the warlock is level 7+.

As far as I can tell, this works on the CR 30 tarrasque (the usual punching bag), and even more mystically inclined enemies are out of luck if they lack Dispel Magic or Remove Curse, as is the case with the spellcasting CR 24 dragons in the 2025 Monster Manual.

A warlock 2/sorcerer 2 can Subtle Spell this to surreptitiously assassinate people in a town or a city, too.

A lot of spell for Paladin (Death Knight), Ranger (Hunter), Druid and Sorcerer

I especially like that Sorcerer get healing spell and unique spell. I still hope that the new Draconic Sorcery variation for Devastation/Preservation/Augmentation will make those spell shine a little more.

Metamorphosis and Demon Spikes seem very good for ranger.

Fairly related to 5e because it really explains why they made 5e the way it is.

But it's also a very interesting reminder that the discussions we have here and the complaints here are very much NOT reflective of the majority. And just because we care about something in the game it may not be the norm.

Combo Strikes. When you deal damage to a creature with an Unarmed Strike, you gain a +1 bonus to the damage roll for each time you previously hit that creature with a melee attack roll in the same turn.

I wonder do this +1 bonus stack? Is it like +0+1+2+3 or +0+1+1+1?

for who hasn't seen the new content drop from the WOW book from influencers, in the new book there is a lvl 4 spell from the paladin list called divine shield, that lets you be immune to all damage and to all movement effects as a reaction until the start of your next round.

this has a lot of implications that i feel are not healthy for the game:

an enspelled item with this spell, lets everybody basically have 6 rounds a day of free damaging an enemy with little to no risks.

with boon of spell mastery, any spell caster can get access to the spell and cast it with plenty of spellslots, making high level play even harder than it is today.

while the pala gets access to this spell later in his carrer, its still too early (lvl 13) compared to the power of basicly hitting for a full round against any enemy with no ripercussions.

what do you think?

I am writing a One Shot with a folk horror theme set in an ancient and foreboding forest where a village sits on a lake surrounded by mists. The villagers are cultists that worship the “Elder” a mysterious entity that they believe protects them and the forest. They wear strange clothing resembling him, they have totems built throughout the forest in its image that are actually scarecrows that watch for intruders. I have several monster ideas for the Elder such as a Froghemoth, Baelezu, Jabberwock but they don’t quite fit my theme. Do you have any ideas on what to use?

Spell Focus and Spell Components

Hi everyone, sorry if these questions have come up multiple times already. I’m a new DM and looking for help. We’re playing D&D 5.5.

At my table, we have a paladin and a druid. The paladin uses an amulet as a spellfocus, and the druid uses a quarterstaff. According to the rules, both can cast spells with material components as long as they use their spellfocus. That’s no problem for the druid—he has the staff equipped. But what about the paladin? Does he have to sheathe his weapon so he can touch his amulet, or can he just cast it as is (he’s carrying a shield and a sword)? And what if the spell requires ONLY somatic components? In this case, it’s clear—the paladin must sheathe his sword. But what about the druid? Does he have to sheathe his quarterstaff as well? And finally, what if a spell requires BOTH material and somatic components? How should the paladin hold the amulet and the druid hold the quarterstaff so they can cast the spell?

I’d really appreciate answers on how this is handled according to the core rules, as well as how you, as experienced DMs, handle it. I want it to be fair and consistent.

Thanks a lot in advance!

I'm starting campaign that surround lots of magic. There are 6 of us, 3 are full spellcasters, 1 Paladin and 1 ranger. I was working on a Wizard build myself when I realized there are too many control characters and that wanted to mix it up and be more frontliner. Yes I considered full barbarian but I have some great rolls and now re-thinking my build. My rolls were 17,16, 16, 13,14,12. (We did get to re-roll the 1's as I'm not usually that lucky,)

Back to my question. Have you played either of these builds? I am fully aware of the limitations regarding spellcasting in rage. What attracts me is the frontline ability in rage with the amour of agathsys. Then I watched a you tube video regarding the Barb-monk-lock which took the play style in a different direction but once again seemed fun to play.

What house rules did people adopt or abandon for enhance gameplay?

Hey all, I'm planning to make a bladelock that starts with a dip in fighter for a fighting style and con saves, along with weapon masteries. My ability scores are: 13 STR (increases to 14 with great weapon master), 14 DEX, 17 CON (+1 from background), 10 INT, 12 WIS, and 17 CHA (+2 from background). We start at lvl 4. Trying to do Fighter 1 / Warlock X

My background is either going to be Flaming Fist Mercenary for tough or Inquisitive for Alert, still not sure which to take. I've never built a bladelock before and I'm kinda stuck between the fiend for basically unlimited temp HP or the new Vestige patron which looks very fun as well. Also which cleric subclass spells should I take?

I'm just kinda lost and I'm looking for some advice from folks who know more than I do. Thanks! (Also please leave a comment if you need more information at all)

With access to the new Divine Shield, Tranquility, Apotheosis and Conjure Celestials i think Bards are without a doubt the best healers, especially with Simulacrum and Contingency too. Ofc you cant take all of them, but haveing 4 of these spells makes you and insane Heal bot.

I’m looking to make a gunslinger character and I’m torn between taking the gunslinger class and the white hat subclass that eventually gets a couple battle master levels, or a updated gunslinger fighter that has been allowed to have a few revisions made to the subclass in terms of reloading and how to address jams.

So I'm looking for different and unique ideas for the form a Vestige Companion could take (Warlock Vestige Patron, Arcana Unleashed). Some of the suggestions from the book are an oversize floating skull etched with sigils, a circle of glowing runes, or a constantly shifting abstract shape.

I made one (Celestial) with the form of one interpretation of biblical angels, wheels covered in countless eyes (which totally doesn't fit with their 11 Passive Perception).

But looking for other creative ideas.

Thanks in advance for positive suggestions.

I've got a Halloween adventure coming soon and one player wants to play the new necromancer. Does anyone have minion management tips?

I want them to enjoy their "undead horde" fantasy without grinding combat to a halt.

We play pen and paper mostly, but not opposed to digital tools either to keep things moving.

Thanks in advance for any help!