The One D&D Expert Classes UA dropped, and oh boy we’ve got a lot of new content to sift through.

It’s taken me some time, but I finally have some thoughts on the Epic Boons to share. This is more of a laid back, opinion led post, but please feel free to join the discussion.

What Are Epic Boons?

Simply put, Epic Boons are a special power available only at 20th level. We’ve had this mechanic in D&D 5e in the DMG (page 227).

It’s a special gift, giving you that obviously implied epic feeling at 20th level. It’s the icing on top of the cake for getting this far in the game, if your DM allows it.

How Has It Changed?

Well, originally it was an add-on to your 20th level ability. Now, classes do not have an entirely unique 20th level ability, but instead you get to pick from a list of Epic Boons

You can only take certain boons if your fit a pre-requisite, usually pertaining to your class group. Only Expert or Mage classes can take the Epic Boon of Energy Resistance for example.

The Boons are fairly balanced, and are very similar to the already presented ones in D&D 5e, with minor changes to adhere to the balance shift One D&D has established.

What Do I Think?

I think this is a welcome change. D&D 5e is great, and the idea of unique class 20th level features appealed to people on release.

The thing is, it’s very unlikely a player is going to get there. Most games don’t even go past level 10. With the current change in features, this could be a well needed change to boost incentive to play games for longer.

It’s also giving a lot of customisation to higher levels. Achieving a feat like this should be celebratory, and getting the ability to choose your preferred upgrade to help out your character build is great for this reason.

I also think it “fixes” a big problem with the original issue 5e had with this feature. It doesn’t make a class stronger or weaker than the other than 20th level. It feels like you can make your character how you want, and aren’t stuck with an ability that doesn’t fit your vibe.

Final Thoughts

Epic Boons was an addition I was not expecting, but I was pleasantly surprised to see it. Hopefully we can get more options in future UA releases, but this seems to be the correct direction for WoTC to take at the moment.