D&D (2024) One D&D Survey Feedback: Weapon Mastery Spectacular; Warlock and Wizard Mixed Reactions

Jeremy Crawford discusses the results of the Packet 5 Survey:

• Weapon Mastery at 80% approval, and all options except for Flex scored similarly. Crawford says that Flex is mathematically one of the most powerful properties, but will need some attention because people didn't feel like it was. This feature is in the 2024 PHB for 6 Classes, guaranteed at this point.
• Barbarian scored well, particularly the individual features, average satisfaction of 80% for each feature. Beserker got 84% satisfaction, while the 2014 Beserker in the 2020 Big Class Survey got 29% satisfaction.
• Fighter received well, overall 75% satisfaction. Champion scored 54% in the Big Class Survey, but this new one got 74%.
• Sorcerer in the Big Class Survey got 60%, this UA Sorcerer got 72%. Lots of enthusiasm for the Metamagic revisions. Careful Spell got 92% satisfaction. Twin Spell was the exception, at 60%. Draconic Sorcerer got 73%, new Dragon Wings feature was not well received but will be fixed back to being on all the time by the return to 2014 Aubclass progression.
• Class specific Spell lists are back in UA 7 coming soon, the unified Spell lists are out.
• Warlock feedback reflected mixed feelings in the player base. Pact magic is coming back in next iteration. Next Warlock will be more like 2014, Mystic Arcanum will be a core feature, but will still see some adjustments based on feedback to allow for more frequent use of Spells. Eldritch Invocations were well received. Crawford felt it was a good test, because they learned what players felt. They found the idiosyncracy of the Warlock is exactly what people like about it, so theybare keeping it distinct. Next version will get even more Eldritch Invocation options.
• Wizard got a mixed reception. Biggest problem people had was wanting a Wizard specific Spell list, not a shared Arcane list that made the Wizard less distinct. Evoker well received.

 

[tetrasodium]

If you were engaged in adventuring activity during the day, there was something applicable your spell slots could have been applied to, even if it was just dealing more damage in a previous combat. That might have ended the combat sooner and left your party able to tackle more adventuring that day before needing to rest.

Are you suggesting that the spellcaster fabricate some encounters in order to burn off spell slots when the player determines they they don't ”have something applicable to which the spell slot can be applied" or just casting spells not applicable to the situation simply because they could?

 

[doctorbadwolf]

No, but it should generally be possible to get a sense of how the rest of the party is doing with regard to their limited resource use. Once others are starting to run low on HP, HD, spell slots, etc. you can bet they’re gonna want to rest soon, so it’s a good time to use up whatever you’ve got left.

The fact that they automatically replenish after a sleep is exactly why it’s a waste not to use them all before sleeping. If they didn’t come back after you slept, it would be best to hold onto them as long as you can. Since they do though, sleeping while you still have unspent spell slots means you’re effectively recovering fewer spent slots than you could have done.

Obviously this doesn’t apply if you’re in a situation where you aren’t being pressured enough to need to use your spells regularly. But, again, I’d say such situations are kind of by definition not adventuring days.

This entire mindset is confusing to me. If I have more slots unused when I rest, I haven’t lost anything.

 

[Charlaquin]

Are you suggesting that the spellcaster fabricate some encounters in order to burn off spell slots when the player determines they they don't ”have something applicable to which the spell slot can be applied" or just casting spells not applicable to the situation simply because they could?

I’m suggesting that the spellcaster not be stingy with their spell slots, because to finish an adventuring day with unspent slots is inefficient use of resources.

 

[Mistwell]

If I CAN have some unused spell slots left when I start a long rest, I try to have a few left (though that's not possible sometimes). Because our DM likes to find ways to interrupt our rest and it would be better to not have only cantrips to defend with.

And yes, even a Tiny Hut is vulnerable. It can be dispelled.

 

[Charlaquin]

This entire mindset is confusing to me. If I have more slots unused when I rest, I haven’t lost anything.

Sure you have. Those unused slots are slots that could have been used during the adventuring day to make it easier and safer. And now you’re regaining fewer used slots than you would have done had you used them.

 

[tetrasodium]

I’m suggesting that the spellcaster not be stingy with their spell slots, because to finish an adventuring day with unspent slots is inefficient use of resources.

You failed to answer the question posed by multiple posters so stunningly that it looks like you noticed the problem & are just unwilling to expose/admit it. Please explain in detail how a spellcaster does that if they look at the situation(s) through the adventuring day & cast spells which they feel are "something applicable to which the spell slot can be applied" but end off the adventuring day with unused slots they feel they are not prepared with something applicable to which the spell slot can be applied"

 

[Charlaquin]

If I CAN have some unused spell slots left when I start a long rest, I try to have a few left (though that's not possible sometimes). Because our DM likes to find ways to interrupt our rest and it would be better to not have only cantrips to defend with.

Saving a few to use in case of an interruption to the rest is a safe use of resources, but not maximally efficient use. Of course, that might be a worthwhile tradeoff, depending on how likely such an interruption is to occur (and it sounds like in your case, it’s reasonably likely). The tension between safety and efficiency is the core challenge of resource management gameplay.

 

[Charlaquin]

You failed to answer the question posed by multiple posters so stunningly that it looks like you noticed the problem & are just unwilling to expose/admit it. Please explain in detail how a spellcaster does that if they look at the situation(s) through the adventuring day & cast spells which they feel are "something applicable to which the spell slot can be applied" but end off the adventuring day with unused slots they feel they are not prepared with something applicable to which the spell slot can be applied"

Obviously if you reach the end of the day with unused spell slots and nothing applicable to spend them on, there’s no point spending them for no reason. My argument is that if you get to that point, you have been too conservative with your spell slots. Of course by then it’s too late, you can’t go back in time to spend them in earlier encounters. But you should take note that you could have gotten away with using your spell slots more liberally that day, and try to apply that moving forward. If you’re often finding yourself with leftover slots at the end of the day, you should probably be using your slots more freely in general.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

If you were engaged in adventuring activity during the day, there was something applicable your spell slots could have been applied to, even if it was just dealing more damage in a previous combat. That might have ended the combat sooner and left your party able to tackle more adventuring that day before needing to rest.

It also may have done no good whatsoever and left your party less able to tackle the rest of the day, draining other PCs resources because the wizard player is obsessed with spell slot use FOMO.

 

[Charlaquin]

It also may have done no good whatsoever and left your party less able to tackle the rest of the day,

Obviously not, because here you are, at the end of the adventuring day, with those slots still unspent. If you survived without using them, you’d be in even better shape now had you used them. Maybe you wouldn’t even need to be resting yet.

draining other PCs resources because the wizard player is obsessed with spell slot use FOMO.

Is the whole party ending the day with unused resources? Why? If they’ve all still got gas in the tank, they should keep going. On the other hand, if everyone but the wizard is spent, it’s their stinginess that’s costing the other party members their resources.