This contains 9 new class options for 5e D&D, some are good and others not so, but at this price it's hard to complain and it's fairly subjective whether you like something or not. For example, I'm not keen on the chronomancer, if I wanted to mess about with time I'd play Doctor Who, other people might think it's great.

I especially liked that this came in 2 versions, I nice printer friendly version for thos classes you choose to use and the deluxe version.

I'm hesitant to give 5 stars only because I haven't seen any of these archetypes tested. Personally, I would still recommend this just because the archetypes are so conceptually/thematically cool. I've never seen a time-based class that was so accessible. A lot of these archetypes--the bard college of the muse, the trapper ranger, the alpha barbarian, etc--read like something that should have been in the PHB. These archetypes scratch an itch.

A selection of balanced archetypes in terms of mechanics, although some will be of greater interest than others.

Some of these open up cans of worms you might not want in your campaign (like chronomancy).

I really liked all of the archtypes that were given in the pdf. The best part is they are all inline with the other archtypes for power and usefulness. I have used a lot of Dan Coleman produtes now and I love that you can trust it to be fair and well made. He makes stuff better than the first modules by wizards of the coast for 5e. And as far as 3rd party stuff, hands down the best I have ever seen. Again by best I mean fair and "by the book". So if you are looking for an archtype that is just that much better then all the rest go to unearthed arcana. If you want something balanced see Dan Coleman.

This is book is really a book of Archetypes. It features a good variety and balance of ideas, with at least one for most of the major classes.

Often, when reviewing Archetypes, I find that independent designers go over the top. Dan Coleman does a really fair job of balancing out these options. It most cases these are "borrowed" abilities that are very similar to other things in official material. Most Archetypes simply won't make it into my game, but this book is filled with Archetypes that I would be happy to allow.

Please throw a few bucks the author's way, this supplement is well worth it!

Making additional Class Archetypes is not an easy job, but many seem to want it. You need to be able to identify an iconic niche, a new functional mechanical role, and a simple way of describing it all. I can't speak for all the classes, but I will talk to the one's I've played so far. I am not evaluating them on a power-gaming max damage per round, but instead if they expand the options and flavor of the class in a way that is roughly balanced with the other options the class has. If a player in my game wanted any of these classes, I would not have a problem allowing it.

Bard : College of the Muse : In short, it is a bard that gives a more powerful Bardic Inspiration that can be used on his or herself, multiple allies, and even helps to ensure that the minimum bonus is still useful. The tradeoff is that he does not have the wide applications of the Bardic Inspiration that the other Colleges have. A solid option that can feel slightly underpowered if the players don't make great use of the Bardic Inspiration. His greatness lies in the fact that he prevents bad things from happening.

Ranger : Trapsman : After reading this, it just seems like an obvious role that had been missed by the original PHB. This fits a good role of adding some level of battlefield control and utility to the ranger. The traps are balanced and different, requiring the player to understand the battle and where it might go next. Great work and fun to play. The Needle Barrage feels under powered though due to the low damage and rolling against a Con save.

Sorcerer : Blood Magic. That's a creative subclass. I like the mechanics and the play isn't out of balance. It is a high risk high reward play style that sacrifices future health for present damage. It is a great class for short encounters, but by the end of the day the Blood Mage really shows the costs. Very fun to play in campaigns where you rely on Hit Die to provide a good source of your healing. I would put a limitation on Scarification that the spells must be of 5th level or lower.

Wizard : Chronomancy : Different mechanics that end up letting the Wizard have specific but flavorful spells prepared. It might sound dumb, but it ends up being very thematic and useful without being overpowered. A good addition.

Some really good archetypes, some...not so good, but all interesting! A fuller review on my website: http://themurdernerds.com/2015/10/14/review-classes-of-distinction/