Dungeons & Dragons Playtesting New Barbarian, Monk Subclasses

Dungeons & Dragons has released two new subclasses for public playtesting. Earlier today, Dungeons & Dragons released its latest installment of Unearthed Arcana, a periodic playtest feature that allows fans to test out potential new additions to the game. This month's playtest adds two new subclasses, one for Barbarians and one for Monks. The new Barbarian subclass is the Path of the Wild Soul, for barbarians exposed to the magic of the Feywild. Wild Soul Barbarians gain a Wild Magic Surge when they enter their rage and can channel magic to replenish an ally's spell slots. The new Monk Monastic Tradition is the Way of the Astral Self, which allows a monk to channel their ki into an astral form that gives them additional benefits.

The Wild Soul Barbarian is interesting, mainly as it provides Barbarians with a limited number of magic effects. When entering into a rage, Barbarians can do everything from randomly teleport to summon Spiritual Guardian-like creatures to read the thoughts of enemies, causing them to have disadvantage on attack rolls made against you. While the Wild Soul is too chaotic to structure a set build on, it provides a host of interesting (and random) options that can spice up combat. Plus, it's about time players have had an option to build a Magic-Based Barbarian, so there's a ton of interesting story and roleplaying options to explore there.

The Astral Self Monk is a fantastic option for players who want to do more damage as a monk, as the Astral Self can create astral arms that make additional attacks. An Astral Self Monk can make up to six attacks per turn once they reach Level 17, and that's without expending a ki point to make a Flurry of Blows. The Astral Self Monk is a powerhouse, and players are already comparing the class's features to Stands in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.

You can check out the full subclasses on the D&D website. Players can comment on the subclass when D&D releases a survey on the new content later this month.

What do you think of the new Dungeons & Dragons subclasses? Let us know in the comment sections or find me on Twitter at @CHofferCBus to chat all things D&D!