Dungeons and Dragons is at it again with the new subclasses, dropping a fresh playtest on August 21. The theme is 'apocalyptic', and the gritty nature of these subclasses has everyone speculating that a Dark Sun remaster is on the horizon. If it is, these initial subclasses look very promising. The new D&D playtest features some of the most exciting design choices we've seen from Wizards of the Coast all year.
Dark Sun debuted in D&D's second edition, and it introduced a grimdark post-apocalyptic spin on the game's heroic fantasy stories. Genocide and environmental destruction have rendered most of the world of Athas a barren wasteland. Sorcerer Kings rule city states where slavery is abundant.
These casual depictions of slavery, combined with plenty of racial stereotypes, make Dark Sun a setting that D&D has been reluctant to return to. Back in 2023, former executive producer Kyle Brink said that "the Dark Sun setting is problematic in a lot of ways, and that's the main reason we haven't come back to it".
Two years have now passed, and Brink is no longer working for Wizards of the Coast. Perhaps, then, we're finally going to see Dark Sun return? The naming conventions in this latest playtest certainly seem to say it's so.
Circle of Preservation
First, there's the Circle of Preservation Druid 5e, who "work tirelessly to conserve natural resources and restore places once ruined by greed and exploitation". Their signature feature is a bonus action that lets them create a 15-foot cube that can be moved around the field on future turns, a bit like Moonbeam.
At first, this spotlight of vitality offers creatures that end their turn inside it one of two benefits. They gain temporary HP equal to 1d4 plus your Druid level, or they can cure a case of being frightened or poisoned. Those temporary hit points scale very nicely, especially considering that there's no cost to use this feature - or limit on how often you can use it.
Things get even better at level six. Your spot of Preserved Land now gives everyone inside a bonus to Constitution saves equal to your Wisdom modifier. Alternatively, you can go full Moonbeam and force hostiles who enter to make a Wisdom save or take radiant damage.
The Preserved Land gets bigger at even higher levels, and this Druid gets free castings of essential spells like Lesser Restoration and Greater Restoration. This is an elegantly simple subclass with very few restrictions on its powers.
Gladiator
Gladiators are a type of Fighter 5e that specializes in bloodthirsty arena fighting. This manifests as the Brutality feature, which allows you to use additional weapon masteries when making attacks. Its three options also offer extra benefits, such as limiting the target's actions on future turns or giving you advantage on saving throws. Crucially, this feature is powered by your Fighter's Charisma score, meaning you'll need to sacrifice some feats for your new MAD build.
The trade-off seems worth it, though, as your Gladiator gets even more ways to use Brutality as they level up. Eventually, you'll have six extra weapon masteries to choose from, as well as features that replenish your uses of Brutality much faster. There's plenty of interesting tactics to play with here.
It helps that the Gladiator also gains features that make them an even more fearsome attacker. They can use a reaction to increase their armor class using their Charisma modifier, and they can even attack afterwards if they force the initial attack to miss. At the highest levels, these Fighters can inflict serious debuffs with each strike - ones that are tough to shake off.
Defiled Sorcery
Dark Sun's environmental problems are partly down to magic users who drain vitality from their surroundings. Bear that in mind when you read this description of the Defiled Sorcerer 5e: "Your innate power siphons life essence from the surrounding world. You draw power from the corruption of life itself, draining vitality to fuel destructive magic."
That's a badass introduction, but we actually think this subclass is the weakest of the bunch. Its features are overcomplicated, and they are far too resource-hungry to be exciting.
The level-three Defile and Empower feature allows you to spend Hit Dice to improve the damage of your spells. Alternatively, you can try and get a nearby creature to fail a Constitution saving throw, replacing your Hit Dice with theirs. It's a fiddly, deeply inconsistent feature that can't even guarantee a base level of damage.
At higher levels, these Sorcerers can gain temporary hit points when they transform Sorcery Points into spell slots, and they can deal small doses of damage or reduce incoming damage when hit by attacks. At level 14, enemies that die nearby can restore your Sorcery points, but this requires you to stay in range of hostiles - at least until level 18 when the range of this feature improves.
Sorcerer-King Patron
This Warlock 5e subclass is the most obvious hint that Dark Sun is coming back. Why else would you be able to pledge yourself to a literal Sorcerer-King?
These spellcasters act as battlefield commanders. We mean that literally, as they start out with expertise in intimidation and the power to cast Command as a bonus action without a spell slot. Later, they can create emanations that give allies advantage on attacks and frighten enemies.
At higher levels, Sorcerer-King Warlocks can use a reaction to reroll an enemy's successful attack, and they'll deal psychic damage if it becomes a miss. Lastly, they can target extra creatures with Command, and any creature that's frightened of them automatically fails their saving throw. These Warlocks are fearsome and manipulative, and we can see some delightful opportunities for control and mischief during combat.
You can learn more about these subclasses in the full playtest document. We'd also love to hear your opinions on them in the Wargamer Discord. If you're after more character options, here's all you need to know about DnD classes and DnD races.