Dungeons and Dragons just revealed an Unearthed Arcana playtest featuring three new villainous subclasses: the Path of Lament Barbarian, the Warrior of Venom Monk, and the Primordial Patron Warlock. It is unclear which Dungeons and Dragons book these options will appear in, but they will likely show up alongside those found in the first Villainous Options Unearthed Arcana.
On April 2, Dungeons and Dragons revealed the first Villainous Options Unearthed Arcana. This playtest document included the Pestilence Cleric, Titan Druid, Hell Knight Fighter, and Demonic Sorcerer subclasses, as well as feat chains for the Death Knight and Lich. These player options were a huge hit, with some claiming it was one of the best D&D UAs in history.
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More Villainous Subclasses in New D&D Unearthed Arcana
Now, D&D has followed up its previous Villainous Options Unearthed Arcana with a sequel. Though much smaller than its predecessor, this Dungeons and Dragons playtest document includes three new subclasses for fans to choose from:
- Barbarian: Path of Lament
- Monk: Warrior of Venom
- Warlock: Primordial Patron
The Path of Lament Barbarian channels deep sorrow into their rage, granting them the powers of a Banshee. They can unleash a Banshee’s Wail along with their Rage to deal Psychic damage, Deafen nearby creatures, and later even instantly reduce creatures to 0 Hit Points. At higher levels, they can cast Speak with Dead, become immune to possession, inflict the Frightened condition on hit, and gain resistance to Cold and Necrotic damage while raging. Their level 14 capstone, Sorrow Form, turns them into an Undead creature and lets them drain Hit Points from those they strike, while granting immunity to the Frightened, Charmed, and Exhausted conditions in Dungeons and Dragons.
The Warrior of Venom Monk charges their weapons and body with debilitating poison to inflict debuffs or deal damage to targets. They become immune to Poison damage, and add bonus Poison damage to their attacks when they would otherwise take it. Later, they can deal Poison damage when melee attackers hit them, or even use Hallucinogenic Breath to cause targets to flee from them. Ironically, the Warrior of Venom can also freely change any Poison damage they deal to Acid damage, proving Poison is the worst damage type in D&D.
Lastly, the Primordial Patron Warlock, who form pacts with an Elemental Evil Dawn Titan, are masters of elemental magics. The subclass revolves around the Elemental Node, a 5-foot-radius sphere the Warlock can conjure and move around the battlefield. This not only damages foes but also provides several buffs for the Warlock while they stand within it, including increased AC, damage immunities, and even the ability to cast Planar Ally for free. The node itself gains several improvements as well, including an increased radius, a vortex effect, and a teleportation ability for the Warlock to use.
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It is currently unclear which sourcebook these subclasses will appear in. The D&D subclasses in Ravenloft: The Horrors Within and Arcana Unleashed are spoken for, leaving the unnamed third book of 2026 as a potential candidate. That said, there are also several apocalyptic subclasses and reworks to old options from Xanathar’s Guide in Unearthed Arcana limbo, so it remains to be seen which ones will appear in 2027's lineup instead.