WotC’s Ray Winninger has hinted on Twitter that we may be seeing something of the 2024 next edition of D&D soon — “you’ll get a first look at some of the new design work soon.”.
people keep raving about that class, I'm going to have to look it up...Me here praying for a swordmage class.
Though there is probrably a higher chance of them cutting classes than adding them.
Look at a computer and how it works. There's (in the simplified version) three layers there, each enabling the layer built on top of it. The first layer is the BIOS, the basic fundamentals that lets you turn it on. The second layer is the operating system, that's how you interact with it. And the third layer is the program or app you load to do a specific thing.Classes, races, feats, spells, backgrounds, equipment, monsters, magic items, DM guidance and options.
But thats all! No big changes!
3e's complexity drove me away as a GM after a few years. (I ran warhammer 2nd ed for several years and would use it again). I'm not saying that 3e is a bad game! but it's not for everyone.I could never go back to 3E now.
I don't think they will normalize multiclassing, frankly: normalizing Backgroind Feats frankly might replace that entirely.But likeI said, 5e has a notorious reputation of being too easy and overly powercrept on the player side. So I think WOTC might be wary.
Monsters already have a base assumption of being built to face PCs without magic items. Now you ponder giving them free feats. And Feat trees. And normalizing multiclassing. And overtuned subclasses.
If WOTC gives everyone free feats, 5.55e will become truly an easy mode baby edition. I'n not even disparging 5e here. But 1 or 2 free feats is too much.
and you have the skills and powers semi-edition, the 4e essentials...I know many people who still play older editions (OD&D to 4e) and are perfectly fine with it. WoTC doesn't have direct access to your wallet to force you to buy the new edition.
Btw, you might see 14th edition much sooner than you think! 5e is actually the 10th edition (excluding Rules Cyclopedia).
- 1974 (original)
- 1977 (Basic Set 1st ver.)
- 1977 (Advanced D&D)
- 1981 (Basic Set 2nd ver.)
- 1983 (Basic Set 3rd ver.)
- 1989 (AD&D 2nd Edition)
- 2000 (3rd edition)
- 2003 (v3.5)
- 2008 (4th edition)
- 2014 (5th edition)
They're not going to make a swordmage class because a 5e class has to be able to support at least half a dozen distinct subclasses. That's why we have a lot of swordmage-ish subclasses for existing classes instead: Eldritch Knight Fighter, Hexblade Warlock, Bladesinger Wizard, Battle Smith Artificer, and several varieties of Bard. Not to mention the characters you can build when you start creatively kitbashing options together, like a melee Wildfire Druid using Shillelagh and Green-Flame Blade.Me here praying for a swordmage class.
Beautifully stated.Look at a computer and how it works. There's (in the simplified version) three layers there, each enabling the layer built on top of it. The first layer is the BIOS, the basic fundamentals that lets you turn it on. The second layer is the operating system, that's how you interact with it. And the third layer is the program or app you load to do a specific thing.
A TTRPG like D&D is the same. You've got your BIOS fundamentals that explain "What is a PC and what are all these funny dice for?", you've got your operating system details that define how you build a PC and how the dice are used in this edition of the game, and then you've got the apps layer where you look up things like what are the game stats of a specific race or class or how a monster's stats are formatted.
Many of us expect all the D&D 2024 changes to be in that third layer. They're not going to change how classes and subclasses fundamentally work, they're not going to overhaul the spellcasting and concentration rules, they're no going to completely rebalance the math on HP and damage. What they may do is revise the racial stat blocks, and retool some class features, and redo what benefits package a Background gives, and so on. Top layer stuff, stuff that sits on top of the core mechanics, stuff you can swap out on a more modular basis.
I loved 3E so much, it's the Edition I started with. But I just couldn't play it as written after 5E.3e's complexity drove me away as a GM after a few years. (I ran warhammer 2nd ed for several years and would use it again). I'm not saying that 3e is a bad game! but it's not for everyone.
I would looove a 5e ified SWSE...As a longtime player of Star Wars Saga I found it to be nothing new, even in its context, just basically further codifying and simplifying the approach to bonuses in SWSE, but it was wild to me when we started playing SWSE and instead of “+2 to [skill]” it was “reroll a [skill] check, but you must use the second result” and bigger bonuses became “reroll check use either result”.
I preferred the SWSE approach with two tiers, but I think they tried it and most people preferred just one tier.