Dungeons & Dragons shares Underdark playtest with 3 subclasses and 5 species

• The update has an Underdark theme and includes three subclasses and five species.
• Named options include Freedom Domain for Cleric, Circle of Spores for Druid, Faerzress Sorcery for Sorcerer, plus Deep Imaskari, Drider, Illithidkin, Kuo-toa and Myconid.

What happened

Wizards of the Coast has shared a new Unearthed Arcana update for Dungeons & Dragons. The playtest focuses on options inspired by the Underdark, the subterranean part of the game world. According to the source information provided, this is test material rather than a final release. Unearthed Arcana is the channel Wizards of the Coast uses to test new rules, subclasses and species in a provisional form first.

The update adds three subclasses. For Cleric, Freedom Domain is mentioned; for Druid, Circle of Spores; and for Sorcerer, Faerzress Sorcery. The playtest also includes five new species: Deep Imaskari, Drider, Illithidkin, Kuo-toa and Myconid. The source information names these explicitly, but does not fully spell out the complete mechanical details.

A few concrete traits are mentioned in the available fragments. Freedom Domain for Cleric is said to include a Channel Divinity similar to the Freedom of Movement spell, along with a form of freedom from wearing armor. For Circle of Spores, the subclass is described as being tied to bringing bodies back through spores. Because the source text is cut off at this point, the exact rules and limitations for these options remain incomplete in the information provided.

The update fits into the broader Dungeons & Dragons rules cycle, in which Wizards of the Coast regularly publishes playtests before options may eventually be released officially. The available information only confirms that this packet has now appeared as Unearthed Arcana and that its contents are still provisional.

Background

Unearthed Arcana is used by Wizards of the Coast to test new rules, subclasses and species. That means the content is not automatically final and may still change before an official release. It is therefore best viewed as a step in the Dungeons & Dragons development process.

The source information links the update to the Underdark, a well-known area in Dungeons & Dragons lore often associated with dark, underground and otherworldly themes. The named species fit that setting: Drider and Illithidkin refer to familiar Underdark-style monster and people types, while Kuo-toa and Myconid have long been part of the wider D&D world. Deep Imaskari also fits a fantasy background established in the game’s lore.

The fact report also notes that the 2024 revision of the Player’s Handbook and the total of 12 classes with 4 subclasses per class can serve as background context, but that does not confirm this specific packet as final. For this update, the only certainty is that it is Unearthed Arcana content and that the mechanical implementation has not yet been fully locked in by the source.

The available source information also says the full traits of the five species and the full mechanics of the three subclasses have not yet been worked out in the text provided here. As a result, details such as exact level-up benefits, restrictions, spell interactions and any balance changes remain out of view. That is normal for Unearthed Arcana, since Wizards of the Coast often publishes such options in test form first to gather feedback.