D&D (2024) Bonus Unearthed Arcana Reveals The Bastion System

A 'bonus' Unearthed Arcana playtest document has appeared, and it shows off D&D's upcoming Bastion System.

This October, we’re bringing you a special treat. While we’re continuing to develop and revise public playtesting material for the 2024 Player’s Handbook, we’d thought you’d enjoy an early look at what we’re cooking up for the 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide.

The coming Dungeon Master’s Guide will be the biggest of its kind in decades and contain an assortment of new tools for DMs and their tables. In Bastions and Cantrips, we’re showcasing one of these tools, the Bastions subsystem. Dungeon Masters and their parties can use this subsystem to build a home, base of operations, or other significant structure for their characters.

And if you’re raring to test out more character options, we’re also including revisions for 10 cantrips in this playtest packet.

Claim Unearthed Arcana now! - D&D Beyond

www.dndbeyond.com

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[Mirrorrorrim]

Re the option of players who share a Bastion.

The UA says: "Multiple characters can combine their Bastions to form a single large structure."

This seems an ideal. So if the co-owners are a Wizard and a Fighter, the Wizard can have library area or wing of the Bastion for magical research, while the Fighter has an area with a barracks. And so on.

New DMs Guild market: Designing UNIQUE Bastion maps, like castles, keeps, and towers, temples, caravanserais, reclaimed dungeons, sprawling caverns with multiple exits and a water source, and the like. Design them in ways that supports the Bastion system, from one Bastion for 1 PC, to much larger complexes that give 4-6 heroes their own "wings" within them.

I will buy such maps.

 

[Emberashh]

Uhh, yes, it does.
Did they revise the PDF or something? My version of Pub has potions on tap. Not normal potions either, ones that last 24 hrs. Spiderclimb, Darkvision, Enlarge/Reduce, Immunity to Fear, Resistance to Necrotic.

sooooo..., yeah, level 13 pub.

Then it isn't a pub.

 

[Zaukrie]

New DMs Guild market: Designing and UNIQUE Bastion maps, like castles, keeps, and towers, temples, caravanserais, reclaimed dungeons, sprawling caverns with multiple exits and a water source, and the like. Design them in ways that supports the Bastion system, from one Bastion for 1 PC, to much larger complexes that give 4-6 heroes their own "wings" within them.

I will buy such maps.

as in different stages (like lower level to higher) or as in tiles you can combine as you want? Because it would be hard to get them just right either way, I think....

 

[kigmatzomat]

Our group uses a mix of Tome of Heroes for downtime activities (including businesses/crafting as "bastion" tasks) with the much grittier MMS:WE estate rules for farm and "lord" income.

 

[Erdric Dragin]

We calling this 6th Edition yet or what?

 

[ersatzphil]

I'll second that motion.

@Snarf Zagyg, you have been found guilty of defaming the bard class and for punishment will be bound while a gnomish bard reads his 472 verse sonnet: "An Ode to Moss"

O' how lovely you look upon the bog,
O' how lovely you look upon the log...

 

[niklinna]

Seems decent on a brief read-through. By Level 9 this makes the PJ'S big movers and shakers (a Bard, Rogue, Ranger or Wizard can be a mov boss at Level o with their own Thieves Guild).

The cantrip stuff seems like decent adjustments.

What's a PJ'S?

 

[Remathilis]

We calling this 6th Edition yet or what?

It's barely better than Running 5e with Tasha and later supps. It's 5.1.

 

[Parmandur]

OSR game Grizzled Adventurers has both goblin and skeleton swarms, which I've used in adventures to great effect. I strongly recommend swarms for any enemy where Conan or Jon Snow might conceivably be wading through a sea of them, swinging a sword this way and that.

Kobold Press has experimented with that a bit in their Monater books, too: Barfight is a Harhantuan Swarm that allows a quick and dirty simulation of a bar fight.

 

[kigmatzomat]

Then it isn't a pub.

Hate to break it to you but an IRL Theater doesn't allow its writers/performers to get a boost to punching people and IRL Sacristies doesn't give Rings of Water Walking but the Bastion versions do.

This is a 13th level pub. Callahan's Saloon, Strangefellows in the Nightside, or McAnally's Pub.