WotC Bard is the biggest mystery in the 5.75e PHB

[Parmandur]

My issue is that the whole tact is to get players who don't DM to buy more books. I guess what players do is dependent on their involvement and interest in the game. When I was doing 5th edition, I was a mostly player, but I was invested enough that I kept buying books out of a hoarding type behavior.

Players, in my experience, don't generally buy books, and that is what WotC has said for at least the past decade: all the books are designed for DMs, wvwm the ones with player character content. This seems to be a much more successful business model than trying to get non-book buyers to buy books.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Don’t see how that could confuse anyone

I can't see it either.

 

[SteveC]

As someone who's played a 5E bard at the table, and every computer game you can, I hope they make very few changes. Just put the Swords bard in the core book, please.

 

[Davinshe]

As someone who's played a 5E bard at the table, and every computer game you can, I hope they make very few changes. Just put the Swords bard in the core book, please.

I want the valor bard to get access to weapon mastery properties too. Any subclass that gets an extra attack option probably should get at least one weapon mastery to count as a real weapons user.

 

[James Gasik]

I want the valor bard to get access to weapon mastery properties too. Any subclass that gets an extra attack option probably should get at least one weapon mastery to count as a real weapons user.

I'd rather not give weapon mastery options to the Bladesinger, thanks.

EDIT: that was a bit unnecessarily terse. I mean, I see what you're saying, and it makes sense, but it's dubious that 9-level casters are the kinds of classes that need weapon masteries, and the Wizard is definitely not one that does. Especially when we have the Cleric, the one full caster intended to wade into melee range, who can't even get Extra Attack at all, or how half-casters like the Paladin and Ranger don't even get cantrips (I lost track of the playtest, at one point they were going to get them, but I think that was taken away?).

And if the weapon cantrips are sticking around, are you going to be able to stack weapon masteries on top of them? Will I be able to slap someone with Booming Blade and then Push them 5' so they have to take the damage in order to close with me in melee?

I like weapon masteries on paper, as a sort of "cantrip" effect that non-spellcasters can get, to give them more utility, but if it just ends up being a toy anyone can use, it doesn't become less fun, but it doesn't do anything to really balance the game (YMMV if the game even needs balancing, or if weapon masteries do anything to assist achieving balance at all).

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

No because Tasha's was too big a change to be a mere 5.25.

I don’t know how you can possibly justify that; however, if that is true, how do you justify the 2024 rules changes only bring half as important than Tasha’s

 

[Henadic Theologian]

I don’t know how you can possibly justify that; however, if that is true, how do you justify the 2024 rules changes only bring half as important than Tasha’s

Its not a precise science.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Its not a precise science.

I'd say it is no science at all. More conspiration theory.

 

[Clint_L]

I like weapon masteries on paper, as a sort of "cantrip" effect that non-spellcasters can get, to give them more utility, but if it just ends up being a toy anyone can use, it doesn't become less fun, but it doesn't do anything to really balance the game (YMMV if the game even needs balancing, or if weapon masteries do anything to assist achieving balance at all).

Weapon masteries impact the game A LOT. First off, they are a more significant DPR boost than I think is commonly understood. When you start breaking down the numbers, it is a significant increase, and it is going to the classes that are already the strongest at DPR. They are one of the main reasons that 2024 is seeing a broad DPR increase, along with specific redesigns to sub-classes such as berserker barbarian, and to the entire monk class. So that does have the potential to negatively impact balance.

On the other hand, they offer more situational opportunities to players, depending on the mastery choice. Giving players meaningful choices is generally a good thing, as long as it doesn't add too much complexity, and players can pick masteries where they don't have to make a lot of extra decisions.

The upshot is that masteries give classes more DPR (significantly) and more to do in combat. However, combat is where the classes who get mastery needed help the least, so as a design principle, I have mixed feelings about them.

I concur about not giving masteries to additional classes, especially primary spell casting classes. They already have plenty of options. We haven't play tested them, but the 2024 bard looks pretty good on paper, and the feedback from folks who have tested them is very positive. They don't need mastery.

 

[Shardstone]

Tasha's wasn't that big of a change.