Tasha's Cauldron and Freeport, Part 1: Character Options

For my past columns about using D&D Fifth Edition sourcebooks with Freeport: The City of Adventure, see the Freeport 5E Index.

Tasha's Cauldron of  Everything introduces a slew of new character options, from subclasses to spells to feats, as well as a number of new magic items and several tools for the GM. Much like Xanathar's Book of Everything, a significant fraction of the content of this book appeared in playtest form in Unearthed Arcana, and thus I have commented on those earlier iterations in past installments of this blog. I'll be compiling and revisiting those comments here, as well as reviewing brand-new additions. And as with Xanathar's, I'll be splitting my review into two parts, with this first part devoted to just Chapter 1: Character Options.

As the book's introduction points out, everything in this book is optional. Use as much or as little of it as you see fit for your campaigns.

Customizing Your Origin 

These rules allow you to customize the ability score increases, languages, and proficiencies you receive from your race or subrace. This option allows for a greater diversity among the members of each race, and makes it easier to represent an upbringing that might be radically different from the stereotypical standard. A sidebar gives simple rules for playing a custom lineage instead of one of the game's races.  

The Freeport setting frequently plays up the typical racial stereotypes built into the game (dwarves are known for craftsmanship and warfare, elves for magic and stealth, half-orcs and orcs for rage and bloodlust). However, the City of Adventure is also home to many NPCs who very much play against expectations about their ancestry (such as a half-orc noble, a half-orc lawyer, and a goblin wizard) and is something of a melting pot as well, despite all its racial tensions. A party of adventurers could easily include PCs built with the standard race packages as well as PCs with customized origins.

(While strictly optional, the customized origin rules have become the default assumption for all new lineages presented in Unearthed Arcana.)

Artificer

Artificers are master crafters who use their tools to imbue objects with magical power. They may create magical elixirs, enchant armors or weapons, or build mechanical servants. Even their spells manifest as wondrous effects produced by their inventions, rather than traditional spellcasting.

This class has four kinds of specialists (subclasses): Alchemists create elixirs and enhance their spells using their alchemist's supplies. The Armorer creates a powerful bond with their armor, turning it into fully enclosed power armor. The Artillerist is accompanied by an eldritch cannon, and gain potent battle magic. The Battle Smith focuses on protective enchantments and crafts a defensive construct companion.

Artificers work very well with Freeport's unusual mix of eldritch magic and experimental technology. The Armorer seems especially appropriate for experimenters who blur the lines between man and machine, such as the Manikins (Hell in Freeport) or Ironjack (The Ironjack Legacy). 

Optional Class Features: Each of the next 12 sections begins with a selection of Optional Class Features for that class. Some replace a standard class feature, while others are available at the discretion of the GM. This might mean they're given for free, after a quest, or in place of a standard class feature, but no real guidance is given for determining that. The Unearthed Arcana article in which they originally appeared did provide more explicit instructions (typically, the character gave up a class feature of the listed level in order to gain the new feature), but much of that language was cut from the final print version. Players can be a greedy, pushy lot at times, so more explicit guidelines would have been welcome here.

Each spellcasting class is given an expanded spell list, which includes spells from the Player's Handbook as well as new spells from Chapter 3 of this book. Other options include:

• Replaced class features: The character trades away one class feature for a new one.
• Enhanced class features: The existing class feature is expanded to do a little more than before. (The following two items are specific kinds of enhancement.)
• Expanded options: Class features that require a choice from several options (fighting styles, metamagic, invocations, etc.) get new options.
• Retraining: The character can change one of their cantrips, maneuvers, or other class features more easily.

Barbarian

The Path of the Beast barbarian is a partial shapechanger who can grow natural weapons in combat. As they advance, they can adapt to new movement modes, and spread their rage to allies and enemies. This archetype is suitable for characters with a connection to lycanthropes, druids, or fey or animal spirits--of which there are many examples in Rolland and in the more exotic lands of the World of Freeport.

The Path of Wild Magic is a barbarian who is saturated with powerful magic, over which they have little control until later levels. It's very much a martial sibling to the Wild Magic sorcerer. (I'm not sure whether multiclassing between the two would be awesome or obnoxious--or both.)

Bard

Bards who join the College of Creation learn to use the esoteric power of music to manipulate the world around them, from summoning lingering notes that bolster inspiration, to animating a dancing item, to literally creating nonmagical objects out of nothing. The theme of this archetype reminds me of the Finnish creation myth in which the world itself emerges from a bard's song; DMs may wish to take that a step further and tie this tradition to the doomed world from which Lowyatar is the sole survivor (see Cults of Freeport).

The College of Eloquence gives a bard increased powers of persuasion, communication, and inspiration. The effects are less flashy than many other subclasses, but very well-suited to a silver-tongued bard.

Cleric

The Order Domain is designed for gods of law, civilization, and leadership. If you are using The Book of the Righteous with Freeport, then this domain is most appropriate for Maal (LN god of justice) and Asmodeus (LE god of tyranny). However, those two gods already have the Balance and Tyranny domains, respectively, which embody their own takes on law and order. 

The Peace Domain [renamed from the Unity Domain] emphasizes teamwork and emotional bonds. This domain would be an excellent way to translate the Community domain from Third Edition. (That is one gap that The Book of the Righteous did not fill.)

The Twilight Domain is a natural fit for heroes who brave the darkness to combat the dangers that it hides. Two examples in Freeport canon include Tagmata's dualistic light-based faith of Astrape, and the cult of Nut in Hamunaptra.

Druid

The Circle of Spores druid is attuned to mold and decay, gaining poison attacks and eventually the ability to temporarily raise its victims as zombies. These druids might operate in the jungle of A'Val or in the sewers below Freeport. 

The Circle of Stars for druids involves studying the night sky and channeling the power of starlight. Some of the features gained are tied to astrological foretelling, while others alter wild shape to take on a starry form tied to a constellation's power. The powers of this subclass are thematically appropriate for both the Order of Starry Wisdom and the Wanderer, though druids are not obvious candidates for either cult.

The Circle of Wildfire embraces both the destructive side of fire and the new growth that it makes possible. It's imminently suited for druids who live near volcanoes like the one on A'Val--but such a character is likely to inspire a great deal of terror in Freeporters due to painful memories of the Great Green Fire that ravaged the island a few years ago.

Fighter

The Psi Warrior [formerly Psychic Warrior] uses psionic energy to augment attacks and defenses that improve with level. In the World of Freeport, psionics are most common in Naranjan, the land of the Mindshadows setting. 

Rune Knights learn how to imbue their possessions with the power of giantish rune magic. In the World of Freeport, this archetype would be most common among the northern barbarian tribes of Druzhdin. or possibly the dwarves of Vorizar.

In addition to presenting new fighting styles and maneuvers, this class's section ends in a list of Battle Master builds, with suggested fighting styles, maneuvers, and feats for different types of warriors, such as archers, lancers, and pugilists.

Monk

Monks who follow the Way of Mercy tradition are both skilled healers as well as bringers of swift death to the evil and the ailing. Many wear masks to shroud their identities in mystery. These monks would be appropriate for followers of a god of medicine, or one who holds power over life and death.

The Way of the Astral Self provides a way for a monk to manifest their true form using their ki. This astral form is mastered a piece at a time, starting with extra arms that deal radiant or necrotic damage, then later a mask (visage) that enhances their senses. Later levels enhance both the offensive and defensive benefits of this astral self. This subclass seems best suited for an exotic, possibly psionic-flavored, monastic order, perhaps one started by a planar-traveling race such as the githyanki or githzerai.

Paladin

The Oath of Glory [formerly Heroism] is for paladins who are destined for legendary greatness, enhancing their own powers in a way that eventually can be used to inspire allies and frighten enemies.

Paladins who swear the Oath of the Watchers are guardians against extraplanar threats. This manifests as heightened vigilance and methods to punish unworldly foes. This archetype is very well suited to servants of the Inquisition and other champions who hunt the devils and demons who plague Freeport from time to time. 

Most Sacred Oaths suggest one or more alignments common to their members, but these two do not. In Freeport, that might mean these oaths are equally valid for both idealistic crusaders and their more jaded, corrupt associates. The Oath of Glory in particular seems more concerned with personal glory than the greater good, and that kind of egotism does fit Freeport just fine.

Ranger

The Fey Wanderer ranger archetype is a guardian of the borders between the Feywild and the material plane. They are imbued with fey magic that allows them to better negotiate with beings from both worlds, to resist some of the snares of the fey, and to bend the minds of others. This subclass is probably most common in the elven kingdom of Rolland, but might also be appropriate for rangers (human and otherwise) who have learned something about the strange, rare fey peculiar to the Serpent's Teeth.

The Swarmkeeper ranger archetype has a connection to a fey nature spirit that manifests as a swarm of tiny beasts sharing their space. As the ranger advances in level, this swarm can increase their weapon damage and enhance their movement. This subclass is rather bizarre and potentially offputting in social encounters, but could be appropriate to a wide variety of characters, from fey-bonded wood elves from Rolland, to worshipers of insect or plague gods from Hamunaptra, to weird outcasts who dwell in the sewers beneath Freeport.

This class's optional class features include an alternative to the Beast Master's animal companion. That original take has been much criticized for its poor action economy, and Primal Companions help improve that somewhat. (They also don't require the level of familiarity with the Monster Manual that picking a companion can sometimes entail.)

Rogue

The Phantom is a killer with a mystical connection to the dead. That connection gives them a bonus proficiency (which can be changed after a rest), and at later levels it can give them a little bit of the luck or knowledge of those who have died near them. When they sneak attack a foe, they can cause ghostly wails to damage a second target. This subclass would be ideal for the assassins of a death cult, or a haunted loner. It fits in admirably with the horror elements of the Freeport setting.

A Soulknife can create a blade of pure psychic energy, and at very high level, can target an enemy's mind directly. As with the Psi Warrior, Soulknives would be most common in Naranjan.

Sorcerer

The Aberrant Mind sorcerer has had an alien experience that warped their mind and body. This subclass gives them limited telepathy, psionic-flavored additional spells known, and (at higher levels) resistance to psychic damage. Higher levels also give the ability to transform into an aberrant form, and a destructive teleport ability. In Freeport, an Aberrant Mind might have acquired her powers through an encounter with servitors of the Yellow Sign or other eldritch horrors.

The Clockwork Soul is a sorcerous origin tied to Mechanus, the plane of ultimate order. The archetype's powers focus on warding magic and reducing the extremes of random chance (usually by denying advantage or disadvantage). The World of Freeport includes enough constructs (particularly in adventures such as Hell in Freeport and The Ironjack Legacy) that this subclass has a solid place there.

Warlock

The Fathomless is a powerful entity of the deep ocean, or the Elemental Plane of Water. In addition to an expanded spell list with water and weather-themed spells, this patron grants the ability to create spectral tentacles to attack your enemies. At higher levels, these appendages can help defend the warlock, and she can conjure more deadly manifestations of her patron's power. The warlock eventually gains some class features that make it easier to move through and survive in her master's watery domain. The Fathomless is perfectly suited to Yarash and Dagon's cults.

The Genie is an otherworldly patron from among the nobles of geniekind. Warlocks of this subclass actually take on some of the properties of their genie masters: they start with a genie's vessel, in which they can retreat from the outer world to rest. At later levels, they gain resistance based on their master's element, can take others into their vessel, and eventually gain some limited wish magic. Genie-binders are an established part of Freeport history, both in the construction of the Wizards Guild, and among the efreeti-blooded azhar, and this subclass offers an interesting inversion of that master-servant relationship.

Wizard

The Bladesinging tradition melds magic with martial prowess to gain enhanced AC, mobility, and concentration saves. At higher levels, they gain Extra Attack, and can sacrifice spell slots to absorb damage. This subclass originally appeared in the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, where it was restricted to elves and half-elves. That limit has been omitted here, but in the World of Freeport, most Bladesingers would come from those races. One prestigious school for Bladesinging is the Arcane Blade Academy at Dragonmont, in Rolland (mentioned in True20 Freeport: The Lost Island).

A wizard of the Order of Scribes can create a magical quill at will, and instills some limited sentience in his own spellbook. At higher levels, they become expert spell scroll makers, and their spellbook gains new abilities. This subclass seems ideal for a lorekeeper at the Wizard's Guild or an archivist at the Temple of the God of Knowledge.

Feats

This section presents 15 new feats. Some grant a small taste of another class's abilities (Artificer Initiate, Eldritch Adept, Fighting Initiate, Metamagic Adept). Others enhance the use of a skill (Chef, Poisoner, Skill Expert). Two represent the influence of another plane (Fey Touched, Shadow Touched). Two give some cantrip-level psionic abilities (Telekinetic, Telepathic). The rest give advantages in combat, usually enhancing attacks (Crusher, Gunner, Piercer, Slasher). All of these feats are appropriate for Freeport, though GMs who don't want to use artificers or firearms in their game will need to restrict access to Artificer Initiate and Gunner, respectively.

Next up: Everything Else! (Chapters 2-4.)