The new Dungeons and Dragons book, Heroes of Faerûn, introduced eight new subclasses from previous Unearthed Arcana playtesting, but the changes made to these archetypes are extensive. In fact, the introduction and re-introduction of many of these subclasses provide far more character options. With the long history of some subclasses from the original 5th Edition content being overpowered, these changes open up player creativity in exciting ways.

Before the 2024 rules for D&D were released, certain classes in 5e had subclasses that were undisputed “meta” picks to create the strongest characters possible. This made some builds less impactful during games, with features that were rarely used or only good under specific circumstances. While not every D&D player aims to have the most powerful character, having more variety allows for more expressive creativity.

Heroes Of Faerun Adds Several New 2024 Subclasses From Previous Unearthed Arcana

Reworked Archetypes Provide New And Old Character Options

Eight new subclasses were added into the Heroes of Faerûn book, including some never-before-seen archetypes alongside old favorites from previous iterations of 5e content. However, all of these subclasses were released earlier through Unearthed Arcana documents, a playtesting source shared by D&D‘s developers. The subclasses included in the new book are:

• Bard — College of the Moon
• Cleric — Knowledge Domain
• Fighter — Banneret
• Paladin — Oath of the Noble Genies
• Ranger — Winter Walker
• Rogue — Scion of the Dead Three
• Sorcerer — Spellfire
• Wizard — Bladesinger

With every new subclass available, players can discover reworks to the previously seen UA, reflecting the refinements done after playtesting data. For example, the College of the Moon Bard’s Level 3 feature, named in the UA as “Moonshae Folktales,” is now called “Moon’s Inspiration,” making it slightly easier to understand what the ability does.

Some subclasses have undergone drastic adjustments, with some features being removed or replaced entirely. The biggest subclasses modified from their UA counterparts are the Fighter, Bard, and Rogue archetypes, improving upon many of the ideas they created. At the same time, many significant Paladin, Sorcerer, and Ranger features also gained new qualities that make them worth exploring even more than in the UA.

Several Changes To UA Mold Fascinating New Archetypes

Abilities And Features Feel More Fun To Play Than Ever

To go into more detail about the subclass changes, some adjustments offer completely fresh features for players to enjoy. For the College of the Moon Bard, they can now choose between different benefits for allies when picking the subclass at Level 3, adding more variety to their supportive playstyle. The versatility of this subclass continues into later Levels, with even more diverse abilities at you reach the archetype’s apex at Level 14.

Other subclasses dive deeper into their concepts, like the Banneret Fighter. This subclass now fully adheres to the “knightly” ideals it seems inspired by, giving players new tactical options to share with their party. For groups traveling into new adventures from Adventures in Faerûn, the, the Banneret can now restore Hit Points to nearby allies, give them advantage on d20 checks, share their Indomitable feature, and even grant immunities to conditions at later Levels.

Oath of Noble Genies Paladin gains refined benefits to their defensive and elemental skills, reflecting themselves as warriors of primordial beings. Meanwhile, the Winter Walker Ranger gains higher damage value, with their attacks ignoring cold damage at Level 3. With better spells at their disposal, this subclass for the Ranger might be a go-to for players that enjoy the often overlooked class.

While the Scion of the Dead Three Rogue still has many deadly abilities from its UA, it has been more streamlined in Heroes of Faerûn. Its “Bloodthirst” ability has a wider range of usage, while other abilities like “Strike Fear” and “Aura of Malevolence” have gained far simpler benefits than the UA created. This makes the subclass less confusing to play, especially as it regains more unique resources exclusive to it through additional changes.

Flexible Options Allow Players To Go Down Different Paths

For many years, some archetypes in 5e D&D were always considered the “best” due to how many options they provided compared to other subclasses. However, with this new group of subclasses, more paths provide players with greater character versatility, mainly through the abundance of benefits certain features offer. Nearly every one of the subclasses in Heroes of Faerûn has features that can be used often, flexibly, or in creative ways with other allies.

This is shown strongly in the comparisons made between the Battle Master Fighter of old 5e and the Banneret subclass shown in the new book. When you factor in Weapon Masteries granted to the Fighter in 2024 rules, the Banneret rivals the Battle Master of old with the sheer number of abilities it has at its disposal. No longer is the Battle Master the only Fighter with a ton of different combat tactics, as the Banneret has unique options that give it just as much variety.

Similarly, the Scion of the Dead Three Rogue may not give players as much damage as the powerful Assassin from older D&D 5e, but it gives characters the same lethality on a broader scale. The flavor between inflicting fear or dealing damage stealthily gives you two paths now, rather than one clearer option over another.

The same concept applies to the College of Moon Bard, whose supportive abilities rival other Bard archetypes that have long dominated many parties. By reworking the Unearthed Arcana subclasses into powerful options for players, Dungeons and Dragons may have finally created strong contenders to established picks, letting groups diversify their characters for great synergy and cool in-game moments.

Original Release Date

1974

Publisher

TSR Inc., Wizards of the Coast

Designer

E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson

Player Count

2-7 Players