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Wizards of the Coast
Interested in some of the specifics regarding the varient rules to be found in WotC's upcoming Unearthed Arcana? Well, several people in Germany already have the book and were kind enough to provide some snippets of information. Thanks to Omega Minus and Tarril Wolfeye. Page 2 of UA it tells you what's Open Game Content (basically everything except PI and githyanki/githzerai, slaad and yuan-ti bloodlines). Here are the tidbits in no particular order:

Variant Paladins -- The standard paladin is designated as paladin of honor (LG), the new variants are paladin of freedom (CG), paladin of slaughter (CE), and paladin of tyranny (LE).
Players Roll All The Dice -- Each time an enemy attacks a PC, the player rolls a defense check (1d20+character's AC modifiers) against the opponent's attack score (11+enemy's attack bonus). Any time a player casts a spell or uses a special attack that forces the enemy to make a saving throw, he rolls a magic check (1d20+ spell level + ability modifier + other modifiers) against the enemy's fortidude/reflex/will score (11 + enemy's save modifier).

Level Independent XP Awards -- An alternative experience point progression with fixed experience awards for monsters irrespective of character or party level.
Spontaneous Divine Casting -- A variant system for the cleric and the druid. The character's daily spell allotment is the same as a normal cleric's number (not including the domain spells), plus one spell per day of each spell level he can cast. The caster's selection of spells is limited just like a sorcerer's, but a cleric may additionally add his domain spells to the list of spells known, while a druid may additionally add the appropriate summon nature's ally spells. The spontaneous divine casters may choose the same number of spells as the sorcerer. But the spontaneous casting cleric has TWO more spells known per spell level, because he automatically adds his domain spells to his list of spells know, and the spontaneous casting druid has ONE more spell known per spell level, because he automatically adds the appropriate summon nature's ally spell to his list of spells known. Both cleric and druid lose the ability to spontaneously cast cure, inflict, or summon nature's ally in place of other spells.
Racial Paragon Classes -- Racial classes, "how to be more dwarf than any other dwarf". There are drow, dwarf, elf, gnome, half-dragon, half-elf, half-orc, halfling, human, orc, and tiefling paragons. No aasimar though. You may freely multiclass paragon and standard/prestige classes.

Cloistered Cleric -- The non-combat cleric: d6 HD, poor Base Attack, only light armor, more class skills, more skill points, knowledge as bonus domain, bardic knowledge, some more spells from other spell lists.
Thug -- Fighter variant, more skills, only light armor.
Wilderness Rogue -- Some other skills, some other class abilities.
Magic Rating -- Taken instead of caster level, add together. Magic Rating basically allow caster levels to stack for determining spell effects and SR penetration, even non-spellcasters have it.

Recharge Magic - Your spell slots recharge over time and you can then use the same spell again.
Reducing Level Adjustments -- Per three class levels you attain you may buy a reduction to your LA with XP. As you will lose a level you get more XP and in effect will get to higher levels with less XP in total.

Bloodlines -- Ancestors available: Celestial, Demon, Devil, Doppelganger, Black Dragon, Blue Dragon, Brass Dragon, Bronze Dragon, Copper Dragon, Gold Dragon, Green Dragon, Red Dragon, Silver Dragon, White Dragon, Air Elemental, Earth Elemental, Fire Elemental, Water Elemental, Fey, Djinni, Efreeti, Janni, Cloud Giant, Fire Giant, Frost Giant, Hill Giant, Stone Giant, Storm Giant, Githyanki, Githzerai, Hag, Lycanthrope, Minotaur, Ogre, Slaad, Titan, Troll, Vampire, Yuan-ti. There are three bloodline strength - minor, intermediate, and major, giving 5, 10, or 20 special abilities. All of that uses up 13 pages.

Gestalt Characters -- Effectively taking two classes at once: just use all class features and the better of all variable features (for example Base Attack, Base Saves, # of skill points...) You don't use standard classes anymore when using gestalt. There's even 1 full page about adjusting CR of monsters and balancing gestalt characters. It's a totally different world - everyone takes two classes at once. There is a number of especially powerful combos recommended.

Level Check Turning -- Allows you to affect Undead with more HD. It's basically a level check + Charisma modifier vs. 10 + HD + turn resistance + Charisma modifier. There's a maximum number of HD you can turn with a check and the effects are not exactly the same.

Generic Classes - Just three: the Expert, the Spellcaster, and the Warrior. (Expert and Warrior are NOT the NPC classes from DMG). When choosing a class you may choose which saves are good and which are poor. The # of good/poor saves is stated by the class. You may also choose your class skills. All classes get bonus feats, you may choose some class features of the standard classes as bonus feats. Expert: d6; medium base attack; two good saves, one poor save; class skills: any twelve plus Craft and Profession; skill points: 6+Int mod; All simple weapons, one martial weapon, light armor; bonus feats: Lvl 1,2,4,8,12,16,20. Spellcaster: d4; poor base attack; one good save, two poor saves; class skills: any four plus Craft, Knowledge (all), and Profession; skill points: 2+Int mod; One simple weapon, no armor; bonus feats: Lvl 1,5,10,15,20; spellcasting as Sorcerer, fewer spells per day, select spells from cleric, druid, and sor/wiz lists; choose if you are arcane or divine spellcaster - arcane uses Int or Cha, divine uses Wis; you may multiclass between arcane spellcaster and divine spellcaster. The generic spellcaster can choose spells from the cleric, druid, and sorcerer/wizard spell lists. It doesn't matter if he's arcane or divine. You can even choose a Wizard spell as a divine spellcaster or a cleric spell as an arcane spellcaster. Warrior: d10, good base attack; one good save, two poor saves; class skills: any six plus Craft; skill points: 2+Int mod; All simple and martial weapons, light and medium armor, shields (not tower shield); bonus feats: Lvl 1,2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16,18,20. Multiclassing is encouraged and not penalised.

Injury System -- No hp, just 6 conditions: hit, disabled, dying, nonlethal hit, staggered, unconscious.
Vitality Points -- Just like Star Wars d20.
Bell Curve Rolls -- 3d6 instead of 1d20 and what it entails.
Armor Damage Conversion -- Each time you're struck, convert lethal damage equal to your armor bonus to nonlethal damage. You also get Damage reduction against nonlethal attacks equal to your armor bonus. That means in a tavern brawl fists will not really hurt you and against most armored opponents you probably will not kill but just put someone unconscious.
Alternative Skill Systems -- Maximum Ranks, Limited Choices - you choose a number of skills equal to the number of skill points you would get each level. You're assumed to have max ranks (multiclassing is complicated). Level-based Skills - all your class skills: 1d20 + character level + modifiers; all your cross-class skills; 1d20 + modifiers. Both of these systems simplify skills.
Complex Skill Checks -- You need more than one successful skill check to get some things done.
Craft Points -- A way to craft something when there's no campaign downtime. You just spend craft points and money (and XP when crafting magic items) and it's all done in the next morning. you may combine time and craft points. You get new craft points each level and with each item creation feat. There are even some non-magical masterwork item creation feats.
Human Paragon -- 3 level-class, med base attack, good will save, d8 hp, any ten class skills, skill points: 4+Int mod, simple weapons, one martial weapon, light armor, spells/day +1 in lvl 2+3, lvl1: Adaptive Learning - choose one skill to be permanent class skill, lvl2:bonus feat, lvl3:Boost one ability by 2 points.
Item Familiars -- A permanent magic item, that becomes bonded to you, and gains in power, almost like a familiar, it even becomes intelligent eventually.
Sanity -- starts at Wis x5, sometimes you make a sanity check - d% equal or less than your current sanity - on success you don't lose sanity or only a minimal amount, when losing some chunk of your sanity you may go temporary insane or indefinite insane, if you reach -10 you become permanently insane (0 Sanity lets you lose 1 point every round, the Heal skill can stabilize you), there's lot of info about when to make checks and how much you lose, how to get sanity back, and kinds of insanity. All in all it's 16 pages.
Summon Monster Variants -- Themed summoning lists, individualize summoning lists.
Armor Damage Reduction -- Armor gives you damage reduction from 1/- upto 4/-, this stacks with the same DR from other sources (Bbn for example).
Planar Banishment -- Banish Outsider instead of Turning Undead.
Spelltouched Feats -- Feats that a simulate a spell you were exposed to or give you some protection against that spell.
Action Points -- just like d20 Modern, you get APs each level and you may spend them to add 1d6 to a d20 roll, this variant includes some special actions you can get with APs and some effects you can achieve with Feats.
Test-Based Prerequisites -- Instead of needing standard prerequisites for prestige classes and feats you take a test.
Legendary Weapons -- Special weapons that get better if you enter a specific prestige class: depending on the weapon - Battle Scion, Faith Scion, Spell Scion, and Swift Scion. The level you attain in this Scion class determines which abilities of your legendary weapon are active - each level gets you another special ability.

Prestige Bard & Ranger -- Just like the Prestige Paladin, they get 15 levels and +1 spellcasting in 11, or 7 of their levels. All of this means: get your class abilities later, but get better spellcasting than the base class.
Contacts -- Your character has some unnamed contacts, that you may define at any time in the game, giving you access to a friendly NPC. Three types of contact: Information, Influence and Skill contacts. Characters get contacts by class (e.g. Bard every 2nd level); when you get a contact from your class you must select the type of contact, but you don't need to define it further until it's needed. They are an optional rule that everyone gets. They're not overly powerful. They are assumed to come from your characters backstory. This variant doesn't do anything for NPCs you meet in roleplay, they are in addition to contacts.

Domain Wizards -- The domains are: Abjuration, Antimagic, Battle, Cold, Conjuration, Divination, Enchantment, Evocation, Fire, Illusion, Necromancy, Storm, and Transmutation.

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From the Game Mechanics:

"Not only do TGM authors contribute to official Wizards of the Coast products, but Wizards is also using TGM material in Unearthed Arcana. First, Swords of Our Fathers is cited in the OGL page for Unearthed Arcana

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Originally posted by Rad

No mention of a section on Cantrips then?

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Originally posted by Bookwyrm

Of course, my method requires both character and stats to reflect each other in a manner that makes sense, so I ought to look into some of this. But mostly I think things can be safely ignored.

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Originally posted by The Sage

And, I'm assuming by 'RPG items until March' would mean the Player's Guide to Faerun...?

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Originally posted by SiriusBlack

...I see we also have another elf subrace. How many does that make now? ...

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Originally posted by The Sage
The 'Desert Elf' subrace has been around for a while...if that is what you're talking about...Otherwise, are you just limited that question to the Realms only...?

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Originally posted by The Sage

And, I'm assuming by 'RPG items until March' [...]

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Otherwise, I don't see me purchasing any RPG items until March.

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Originally posted by SiriusBlack

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Originally posted by The Sage
The 'Desert Elf' subrace has been around for a while...if that is what you're talking about...Otherwise, are you just limited that question to the Realms only...?

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What product first featured the Desert Elves? I know they aren't featured in any Realms product so no wonder I missed their initial publication.

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Originally posted by The Sage
As far as I remember Desert elves were a rather small branch or offshoot from the standard elven race on Athas...I believe they are detailed in one of the earlier adventures from the 'Pentad' series.

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Originally posted by The Sage

Athas is the world of Dark Sun yes...As for borrowing the idea, I've simply put it down to the fact that since both 'Dragon' and 'Dungeon' magazines are about to bring us Dark Sun 3.5e, it would only be a short hop to also bring us some of the races from the setting - detailed in a future number of WotC D&D accessories.

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Originally posted by The Sage

Since there seems to be a slight delay in the delivery of my copy of Unearthed Arcana I was just curious as to whether any of the assembled scribes here at Candlekeep had received their copy yet...?

Let's hear your thoughts on this new accessory...

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