Arcana skill used with Detect Magic (HOMEBREW)

 Detect Magic senses the presence of magic within 30 feet. You can use your action to see a faint aura around any visible creature or object in the area that bears magic, and you learn its school of magic, if any.

You can make one Arcana skill check with each casting of Detect Magic.  The DCs are as follows:

Very easy - 5 (Identify single, main function of magic)

Easy - 10 (Identify one additional function of magic)

Medium - 15 (Identify all functions of magic)

Hard - 20 (Identify presence of curse)

Very hard - 25 (Identify all details of curse)

Nearly impossible - 30

This check cannot be made without proficiency in the Arcana skill.

Abilities that recharge on a short rest

 In order to ensure fairness to classes with abilities that recharge on a short rest, the recharge should be changed to “Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again until you roll initiative at the start of combat or until you finish a short or long rest.”

Vicious Mockery fix

 . . . have disadvantage on the next attack roll it makes before the end of its attack rolls until the beginning of your next turn.

This fix would enable Vicious Mockery to scale well.

Staff of the Woodlands (modified)

I am quite fond of this staff, however, I would prefer the following changes:

REMOVE
(i) Wall of Thorns (6 charges) and

(ii) Tree Form

ADD
(i) Shillelagh;
(ii) Mending

(iii) Goodberry (1 charge); and
(iv) Plant Growth (3 charges)

Note, I interpret Mending as capable of healing plants (not plant creatures).

Winter Domain (*work in progress)

Bonus Cantrip
When you choose this domain at 1st level, you gain the Frostbite (PotA) cantrip.

Child of Winter
Also at 1st level, you gain resistance to cold damage.  Additionally, you can tolerate temperatures as low as -50 degrees Fahrenheit without additional protection.  If you wear heavy clothes, you can tolerate temperatures as low as -100 degrees Fahernheit.

Channel Divinity:  Nip in the Air
Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to radiate the numbing chill of winter, dealing cold damage to your foes and hindering their movements.
As an action, you present your holy symbol, and each hostile creature within 30 feet of you must make a Constitution saving throw.  On a failed save, a creature takes cold damage equal to 2d10 + your cleric level and its speed is reduced by 10 feet until the start of your next turn. On a successful save, the creature takes half damage, but suffers no other effect.

Winter Domain Spells
Cleric Level Spells
1st - Armor of Agathys, Ice Knife (PotA)
3rd - Slow, Snilloc's Snowball Swarm (PotA)
5th - Feign Death, Sleet Storm
7th - Blight, Ice Storm
9th - Antilife Shell, Cone of Cold

Frosty
???/snow-covered enemies (debuff)/snow coating of self (buff)/conjure snowman (utility)

Potent Spellcasting
Starting at 8th level, you add your Wisdom modifier to the damage you deal with any cleric cantrip.

Frigid Body
Each hostile creature within 10 feet of you cannot take reactions.

Tempest Domain (HOMEBREW)

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Level 1 - (Tempest domain) Bonus Proficiencies - gain proficiency with martial weapons and heavy armor.

Level 1 - (Tempest domain) Bonus Cantrip - Shocking Grasp cantrip.

Level 1 - (Tempest domain) Wrath of the Storm.

Level 1 - Tempest Domain Spells

Cleric Level Spells

1st - Fog Cloud, Thunderwave

3rd - Gust of Wind, Shatter

5th - Call Lightning, Sleet Storm, Thunder Step (Xanathar's)

7th - Conjure Minor Elementals (Air-based or Water-based only), Control Water, Ice Storm, Storm Sphere (Xanathar's)

9th - Destructive Wave, Insect Plague, Maelstrom (Xanathar's)

Level 2 - (Cleric) Channel Divinity:  Turn Undead.

Level 2 - (Tempest domain) Channel Divinity: Destructive Wrath - deal maximum damage to lightning or thunder damage.

Level 4 - (Cleric) Ability score improvement (WIS 18, +4).

Level 5 - 2 dice of damage for cantrips

Level 5 - (Cleric) Destroy Undead - Turn Undead destroys undead of CR 1/2 or lower.

Level 6 - (Tempest Domain) Thunderbolt Strike - when you deal lightning damage to a Large or smaller creature, you can also push it up to 10 feet away from you.

Level 6 - (Cleric) Channel Divinity - 2x between rests.

Level 8 - (Cleric) Ability score improvement (WIS 20, +5).

Level 8 - (Tempest domain) Divine Strike.

Level 8 - (Tempest domain) Potent Spellcasting.

Level 8 - (Cleric) Destroy Undead - Turn Undead destroys undead of CR 1 or lower.

Level 10 - (Cleric) Divine Intervention.

Level 11 - 3 dice of damage for cantrips

Level 11 - (Cleric) Destroy Undead - Turn Undead destroys undead of CR 2 or lower.

Level 12 - (Cleric) Ability score improvement.

Level 14 - (Cleric) Destroy Undead - Turn Undead destroys undead of CR 3 or lower.

Level 16 - (Cleric) Ability score improvement.

Level 17 (Tempest domain) Stormborn - At 17th level, you have a flying speed equal to your current walking speed whenever you are not underground or indoors.

Level 17 - 4 dice of damage for cantrips

Level 14 - (Cleric) Destroy Undead - Turn Undead destroys undead of CR 4 or lower.

Level 18 - (Cleric) Channel Divinity - 3x between rests.

Level 19 - (Cleric) Ability score improvement.

Level 20 - (Cleric) Divine Intervention - succeeds automatically.

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Beast Speech (Druid)

Beast Speech (see Circle of the Shepherd) should be a 3rd level class feature for all druids.  It reads as follows:

Beast Speech

At 2nd 3rd level, you gain the ability to converse with beasts. Beasts can understand your speech, and you gain the ability to decipher their noises and motions into recognizable words and phrases. Most beasts lack the intelligence to convey or understand sophisticated concepts, but a friendly beast could relay what it has seen or heard in the recent past.

This ability does not grant you any special friendship with beasts, though you can combine this ability with gifts and other favors to curry favor with them as you would any other nonplayer character.

Hexblade / Pact of the Blade / Pact Weapon as Arcane Focus

In light of the Unearthed Arcana Hexblade,  I believe that, for a Hexblade with Pact of the Blade, the pact weapon should also function as an arcane focus.

Carrion Crawler should have Light Sensitivity

Light Sensitivity would offer a natural explanation for carrion crawlers not living above ground.

Ghast Priest of Orcus

As worshipers of Orcus, orcs have an affinity for demons and undeath.  Perhaps, because of their cannibalistic practices, Orcus has blessed orcs with the ability to ritualistically transform their infirmed and aged into ghouls and ghasts, the latter commonly occupying the role of priest of Orcus.  Because of this special relationship, orc ghouls and ghasts do not attack orcs as they would other creatures.

GHAST PRIEST OF ORCUS
Medium undead, chaotic evil
Armor Class 13 14 (ring mail)
Hit Points 36 (8d8) 45 (6d8 + 18)
Speed 30ft.
STR 16 (+3)
DEX 17 (+3) 10 (+0)
CON 10 (+0) 16 (+3)
INT 11 (+0) 10 (+0)
WIS 10 (+0) 13 (+1)
CHA 8 (-1) 12 (+1)
Damage Resistances necrotic
Damage Immunities poison
Skills Intimidation +3, Religion +1
Senses darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 10
Languages Common, Abyssal
Challenge 2 (450 XP)

Spellcasting. The ghast is a 3rd-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 11, +3 to hit with spell attacks). The ghast has the following cleric spells prepared:

Cantrips (at-will): chill touch, guidance (c), thaumaturgy
1st level (4 slots): bane (c), command
2nd level (2 slots): augury, blindness/deafness

Stench. Any creature that starts its turn within 5 feet of the ghast must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the start of its next turn. On a successful saving throw, the creature is immune to the ghast's Stench for 24 hours.

Turning Defiance. The ghast and any ghouls within 30 feet of it have advantage on saving throws against effects that turn undead.

ACTIONS
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature.
Hit: 12 (2d8 + 3) piercing damage.

Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.

Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) s lashing damage. If the target is a creature other than an undead, it must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Hag Coven Spell List

1st level (4 slots): identify, speak with animals
2nd level (3 slots): gentle repose, detect thoughts, hold person
3rd level (3 slots): animate dead, speak with dead
4th level (3 slots): divination (ritual), polymorph
5th level (2 slots): geas, raise dead
6th level (1 slot): circle of death

Note that hag coven spells can only be cast when all three members of the hag coven are within 30 feet of one another.  This guided my spell selection.  Most likely, the hags would be encountered together in their lair.  The lair intentionally is 30 feet in diameter; cramped, but for a very good purpose.

The spell list includes three offensive spells:  hold person, polymorph, and circle of death.  Potentially, each hag could cast one of these offensive spells during the first round of combat.

The speak with animals spell would be used on ravens that are trained to scout and spy.

The gentle repose spell would be used on a dead person brought to the hags by someone wanting the hags to restore the dead person to life.  The hags would demand a service in return, giving the person up to 10 days (the duration of the gentle repose spell) to complete.  Upon completion, the hags would fulfill their bargain by casting raise dead on the dead person.  If the person fails to fulfill the service, the hags animate the dead person's corpse, commanding the zombie to return to the village as a warning to others.

In furtherance of this sort of leverage, hags endeavor to remove--or have removed--from the local village(s) any person capable of restoring life.

When negotiating, one hag casts detect thoughts on the person negotiating with the hags.

The target of the geas spell could willingly fail its saving throw.  Hags usually will coerce the target into agreeing to fail this saving throw.

The circle of death spell is very effective against the stereotypical village mob brandishing torches and pitchforks.

As known purveyors of information, hags will use the divination, speak with dead and/or identify spells when they are approached by people seeking answers.

Lolth's Spider Domain (available only to Drow females)

Lolth's Spider Domain (available only to Drow females)

Lolth's Spider Domain Spells
Cleric level 1: Find Familiar (spider only), Jump
Cleric level 3: Spider Climb, Web
Cleric level 5: Blink, Conjure Animals (spiders only)
Cleric level 7: Guardian of Faith (spider form), Freedom of Movement
Cleric level 9: Conjure Arachnoloth, Hold Monster

Bonus Cantrip
When you choose this domain at 1st level, you learn the Poison Spray cantrip.

Bonus Proficiency
Also at 1st level, you gain proficiency with the Stealth skill.

Channel Divinity:  Spider Swarm
Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to call for the aid of a host of spiders.  As an action, you present your holy symbol and conjure a swarm of spiders within 30 feet of you.  As long as you maintain concentration on the conjured swarm (as if concentrating on a spell), the swarm obeys your verbal commands (no action required by you), and in combat, it acts on your turn each round. If you don’t issue any commands to it, the swarm defends itself from hostile creatures, but otherwise takes no actions.  The swarm disappears when it drops to 0 hit points, when your concentration is broken, when you use an action to dismiss it, or after 1 minute.  For every two cleric levels you have above 2nd level, you can conjure an additional swarm of spiders.

Poison Takes Its Toll
Starting at 6th level, when you deal poison damage--via weapon or spell--to a creature, that creature is subject to the poisoned condition until the end of your next turn.

Divine Strike
At 8th level, you gain the ability to infuse your weapon strikes with poison. Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can cause the attack to deal an extra 1d8 poison damage to the target. When you reach 14th level, the extra damage increases to 2d8.

Drider
At 17th level, Lolth grants you the blessing normally reserved for matron mothers.  You are transformed into a drider.  As such, you retain your drow traits and class features, but also acquire the following drider racial traits:

Strength.  You gain a Strength of 16 if your score isn't already higher.
Constitution. You gain a Constitution of 18 if your score isn't already higher.
Size.  Your size becomes large.
Armor Class.  You gain natural armor of 16 (plus any Dexterity modifier).
Speed.  You gain a climb speed of 30 ft.

Spider Climb. The drider can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.

Web Sense. While in contact with a web, the drider knows the exact location of any other creature in contact with the same web.

Web Walker. The drider ignores movement restrictions caused by webbing.

Shapechanger. You can can use an action to polymorph into your drow form for up to one hour. Other than your strength and constitution scores, you lose your drider racial traits when you are in your drow form.  Any equipment you are wearing or carrying isn't transformed.  You can use a bonus action to revert back to your true drider form.  If you die in drow form, you revert to your true drider form.  Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

ACTIONS

Claw.  You can use your claw to make a melee weapon attack.  You can use either your Strength or your Dexterity for its attack roll and damage bonus, and this attack deals 1d8 piercing damage.

Extra Attack. When you use your Claw attack, you can attack twice instead of once.

Web.  You shoot sticky strands of webbing from your abdomen.  Make a ranged weapon attack roll against one creature.  On a hit, the target is restrained by the webbing. As an action, the restrained target can make a DC 17 Strength check, bursting the webbing on a success. The webbing can also be attacked and destroyed (AC 15; hp 10; vulnerability to fire damage; immunity to bludgeoning, poison, and psychic damage).  Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Staff of Flying

Simply put, I would reskin the Broom of Flying into a Staff of Flying.  The staff would serve both as an arcane focus and as a quarterstaff.

Primeval Awareness (new, not old)

I am quite fond of the new Ranger class, introduced in Unearthed Arcana: The Ranger, Revised (2016 September).  A portion of one class feature in particular, Primeval Awareness, seems well suited for the Druid class, and I would add it to the Druid class as follows:

Primeval Fauna Awareness
Beginning at 3rd level, your mastery of ranger druid lore allows you to establish a powerful link to beasts and to the land around you.
You have an innate ability to communicate with beasts, and they recognize you as a kindred spirit. Through sounds and gestures, you can communicate simple ideas to a beast as an action, and can read its basic mood and intent. You learn its emotional state, whether it is affected by magic of any sort, its short-term needs (such as food or safety), and actions you can take (if any) to persuade it to not attack.
You cannot use this ability against a creature that you have attacked within the past 10 minutes.

Treant and Treant Druid

Here are some modifications I have made to treants that I think are appropriate:

Senses darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 13

Speak with Plants. The treant can communicate with plants as if they shared a language.

Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 10 ft., one target.
Hit: 16 (3d6 + 6) bludgeoning damage.

Note: an awakened tree (CR 2) has a Slam attack with a reach of 10 feet.
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Treant Druid (Circle of the Land)

Use the treant template with the following modifications:

WIS 16 (+3) 18 (+4)

Challenge 9 (5 ,000 XP) 10 (5,900 XP)

Wild Shape:  max CR of 1/2; includes beasts with a swimming speed; can stay in beast shape for up to 3 hours per Wild Shape use.

Land’s Stride: Moving through nonmagical difficult terrain costs the treant druid no extra movement. The treant druid can also pass through nonmagical plants without being slowed by them and without taking damage from them if they have thorns, spines, or a similar hazard.  In addition, the treant druid has advantage on saving throws against plants that are magically created or manipulated to impede movement, such as those created by the entangle spell.

Spellcasting. The treant druid is a 6th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 16, +8 to hit with spell attacks). It has the following druid spells prepared:

Cantrips (at will): control flames (see Player's Companion - Elemental Evil), druidcraft, mending (applicable to plants, but not plant creatures), guidance
1st level (4 slots): create or destroy water, cure wounds, entangle, speak with animals
2nd level (3 slots): barkskin, locate animals and plants, pass without trace, spider climb, spike growth
3rd level (3 slots): call lightning, conjure animals, erupting earth (see Player's Companion - Elemental Evil), plant growth, protection from energy

Ogre

The ogre has a challenge rating of 2.  I think that an ogre should provide a greater challenge, so I raised its challenge rating to 3.

Challenge 2 3 (450 700 XP)

Hit Points 59 (7d10 + 21) 68 (8d10 + 24)

Languages Common, Giant

Eldritch Knight cantrips

Once an Eldritch Knights achieves War Magic at level 7, I think that True Strike (as revised below) and Blade Ward become good choices for cantrips.  Here are my reasons why:

By level 5, an Eldritch Knight can attack twice with his attack action.  That means 2 attack rolls and 2 damage rolls in 1 round of combat; and consequently, 4 attack rolls and 4 damage rolls in 2 rounds of combat.  I will continue to discuss my reasoning within the context of two rounds of combat.

By virtue of War Magic, an Eldritch Knight can use Blade Ward with the following effect:  3 attack rolls and 3 damage rolls in 2 rounds of combat, plus resistance against bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage for those two rounds.

Here is how I would revise the True Strike cantrip:

True Strike
On Until the end of your next turn, you gain advantage on your first attack rolls against the target, provided that this spell hasn’t ended.

I believe that this revision would not provide an added benefit to most wizards; however, an Eldritch Knight, by virtue of War Magic, would benefit from this revision as follows: 6 attack rolls and 3 damage rolls in 2 rounds of combat.

Thus, an Eldritch Knight with both True Strike (as revised below) and Blade Ward would have 3 meaningfully different combat options:

i) Normal Attack Option: 4 attack rolls and 4 damage rolls in 2 rounds of combat;

ii) Defensive Attack Option: 3 attack rolls and 3 damage rolls in 2 rounds of combat, plus resistance against bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage for those two rounds; and

iii) Precise Attack Option: 6 attack rolls and 3 damage rolls in 2 rounds of combat.

Drow and Scout modifications

Drow

Challenge 1/4 1/2 (50 100 XP)

Hit Points 13 16 (3d8 + 3)

CON 10 12 (+0 1)

ACTIONS
Multiattack. The drow makes two shortsword attacks.

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Scout

Shortsword Scimitar. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing slashing damage.

Drider redux

Lolth eventually summons a drow house's matron mother to the Hadesweb for a test of faith and strength.  Those matron mothers that pass the test rise higher in the Spider Queen's favor:  they are transformed by Lolth into driders, the blessed image of Lolth. Those matron mothers that fail the test prove that they are unworthy to lead a drow house to Lolth's satisfaction.  They are stripped of their role as matron mothers and remain in the Hadesweb to spend an eternity serving Lolth, rather than leading her drow.  In this way, Lolth surrounds herself with powerful drow.

As the favored of Lolth, all driders enjoy considerable power and authority in drow society.  The drow believe that a drow house that does not have a drider for a matron mother is experiencing the displeasure of Lolth. Such houses face stigma and disdain from the greater drow community.

DRIDER
Large monstrosity, chaotic neutral evil
Armor Class 19 (natural armor)
Hit Points 123 (13d10 +52)
Speed 30ft., climb 30ft.
STR 16 (+3)
DEX 16 (+3)
CON 18 (+4)
INT 13 (+1) 14 (+2)
WIS 14 (+2) 17 (+3)
CHA 12 (+1) 18 (+4)
Saving Throws Con +7, Wis +6, Cha +7
Skills Insight +6, Perception +5+6, Religion +4, Stealth +9
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses darkvision 120ft., passive Perception 15 16
Languages Abyssal, Infernal, Elvish Sylvan [Elvish does not exist in my world], Undercommon.
Challenge 6 (2,300 XP) 10 (5,900 XP)

Fey Ancestry. The drider has advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can't put the drider to sleep.

Leap.  The drider can expend all its movement on its turn to jump up to 90 feet vertically or horizontally, provided that its speed is as least 30 feet.

Spider Climb. The drider can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.

Spider Affinity.  Driders have a special kinship with spiders.  Even untrained spiders recognize arachnoloths as allies and don't prey on them.

Spider Telepathy.  Driders can magically command any spider of CR2 or less that is within 120 feet of it, using a limited telepathy.

Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the drider has disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom
(Perception) checks that rely on sight.

Innate Spellcasting. The drider's spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 13 15). The drider can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
At will: dancing lights
1/day each: darkness, faerie fire, spider climb, web

Spellcasting. The drider is a l2th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Wisdom (save DC 14, +6 to hit with spell attacks). The drider has the following cleric spells prepared:
Cantrips (at will) : guidance, poison spray, resistance, spare the dying, thaumaturgy
lst level (4 slots): animal friendship, cure wounds, detect poison and disease, ray of sickness
2nd level (3 slots): lesser restoratlon, protection from poison, web
3rd level (3 slots): conjure animals (2 giant spiders), dispel magic
4th level (3 slots): divination, freedom of movement
5th level (2 slots): conjure arachnoloth, raise dead
6th level (1 slot): word of recall

Web Sense. While in contact with a web, the drider knows the exact location of any other creature in contact with the same web.

Web Walker. The drider ignores movement restrictions caused by webbing.

Magic Weapons. The arachnoloth's weapon attacks are magical.

ACTIONS
Multiattack. The drider makes three claw attacks, either with its longsword or its longbow. It can replace one of those attacks with a bite attack.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature.  Hit: 2 (1d4) piercing damage plus 9 (2d8) poison damage.

Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) slashing damage, or 8 (1dl0 + 3) slashing damage if used with two hands.

Longbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 120/600 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage plus 4 (1d8) poison damage.

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.  Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage.

Web (Recharge 5-6}. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 30/60 ft., one creature. Hit: The target is restrained by webbing. As an action, the restrained target can make a DC 17 Strength check, bursting the webbing on a success. The webbing can also be attacked and destroyed (AC 10; hp 10; vulnerability to fire damage; immunity to bludgeoning, poison, and psychic damage).

Ettercap redux

Spider Affinity.  Ettercap have a special kinship with spiders, which they shepherd on behalf of the drow. Even untrained spiders recognize ettercap as allies and don't prey on them.

Spider Telepathy.  Ettercap can magically command any spider of CR2 or less that is within 120 feet of it, using a limited telepathy.