D&D (2024) OneDnD, playtesting and DnDBeyond

[MonsterEnvy]

I do wonder how long it'll take to implement 2024 in dndbeyond. If they'll wait for it before the books are printed. Or if they'll curtail dndbeyond things because of 2024 or curtail 2024 things because of dndbeyond limitations?

I agree it's frustrating. I'm no longer using it by default for games anymore. If folks want to use it fine but I assume they don't and now also will look at character sheets for any constraints on the campaign. Note I usually don't limit campaigns, but I am this time around.

I assume once the relevant book is out.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

I don’t use DNDB myself but why would they code in temporary playtest material? That’s not what the playtest documents are for.

The issue is not that unfinished playtest material isn't available, wanting that would be unreasonable. And choosing to misrepresent the topic as such is certainly an approach.

This is venting about how even the official customization tools (create a race, subclass, feat, item, spell) cannot be used to actually do a playtest in their official environment at all, because the tools remain unfinished and inconsistent. Which is certainly a look, when their next big push is their VTT, an official tool as well.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

I'm kind of hoping that they'll give the whole thing a big overhaul for 2024. Maybe that's why it's seemed to stagnate a bit lately.

If there is a big update, I kind of expect them to fade out the homebrew parts.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

Anyway, I'm making a lot of judgement calls on what to include.

• playtest races are fine (well, Gnomes and Tieflings basically didn't change, so they're not needed)
• class changes cannot be done
• subclasses could be done but them and classes are not finished so for running an actual campaign that may be still running when the DnD2024 comes out a year from now, it's easier to just use classes as they are (except push the subclasses to lv3 for all, and implement Eldritch Knight War Magic fix and Wild Magic Sorcerer fix)
• weapon mastery: I could include these in the description of individual weapons, but as you cannot add Actions (or even notes that'd be visible on the main page!) to weapons, I'm just going to have the players cross-reference a pinned note on Discord
• starting feats! This makes me pause, because I fear the playtest ones' power leads to obvious picks (okay, we want an armored wizard, someone with Alert to make the Wizard go early, and someone with Musician to make the Human with free inspiration feel bad). I wish they were more flavor picks, but if I replace them with the bad feats that normally don't get picked, then Human racial extra feat becomes a lot worse... and we're here to playtest, so let's find out what happens (except for Lightly Armored - let's put in you get the shield if you have light armor prof already, otherwise you don't)
• later feats! we don't have all the feats (at least one would hope so), and Drakkenheim gives people extra feat picks (for finishing personal quest, allying with a faction), so I'll just go with mostly standard feats (leave the good ones like Polearm Master or Warcaster as is, give the worse feats the +1 to stat, see if that changes anything)
• ban obvious stuff (Elven Accuracy with so much inspiration and Vex around, Hexblade) - to my surprise I'm going to leave Guidance in, as the 1/long rest version, only because we're here to test stuff

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

Well, turns out, I cannot actually adjust Lightly Armored like that, because putting Options under a feat only leaves you with an Action you can add, rather than a Modifier (for adding Proficiency). No reason to it, that's just how it goes, when nothing is modular. Guess it's time to create separate feats for both.

That did it. Prerequisite Sorcerer + Prerequisite Wizard does act as an either/or for who to show the feat to. Modifier: Proficiency Medium Armor doesn't of course do anything, but baby steps. Edit: aaand actually nothing adds Medium Armor proficiency. So I guess I couldn't have the playtest Lightly Armored in my game even if I wanted to.

 

[mellored]

I just cannot understand the lack of development on it.

You don't spend time to develop something that is rapidly changing.

Just imagine if you spent 2 months coding the druid wild shape templates in, and then it got tossed the next playtest. It would be a waste of time.

Though now that most classes are finished, they might start behind the scenes. So they will have it available when the book drops.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

You don't spend time to develop something that is rapidly changing.

Years later, still not being able to add an Action for an item to give is not rapidly changing, it is basic functionality that works for Race/Subclass features, but doesn't work elsewhere. This isn't about something in the playtest getting +1 or -1, this is about the tools (and expectations of development thereof, like the upcoming VTT).

 

[Clint_L]

I feel ya. I'm playtesting, and I had to tell my players NOT to make their characters with Beyond, and I make them myself on Word documents that take me about 5 hours or so to make, EACH. It's a lot of work.

We found it pretty straightforward to use DDB and just have a list of the changes handy.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

We found it pretty straightforward to use DDB and just have a list of the changes handy.

Yeah, I could have done that, but I'm a sucker for punishment. My characters are gorgeous, though! They better be after the work that I put into them!

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

It's going to be a split between...
'I added new versions of some feats to Beyond, but the old versions are also visible'
'check the Discord for notes on overall system changes'
'oh yeah, there's also a short list of specific playtest subclass changes we'll be using'
'I expect you to remember small changes like that Guidance is just once per character now'
'weapon mastery list is on Discord too, let's just apply masteries to the first two weapons you use that day'

Ah well, part of this experience is observing how people choose to approach character building in a haphazard environment, because technically all old options will remain viable come 2024, so it's going to be a mess anyway.