D&D (2024) First playtest thread! One D&D Character Origins.

[cbwjm]

I find the rock gnome to be a little uninspiring. I never liked how the ability to create little clockwork devices was a racial ability and now all they've done is change it to an effect of prestidigitation. That's the sort if thing that I feel anyone could learn, if there was a player of an elf wizard who wanted to do that with prestidigitation, I would not say no. I think real problem with rock gnomes is that they are trying to emulate tinker gnomes, but in so doing they make them magical. Better to have a tinker class than to make these abilities racial abilities. In this respect, I think it is much like the complaints people have with dwarves around how their natural craftsmanship is god-given. It's like they don't want races to grant learned proficiencies, but also, they do want races to grant learned proficiencies so came up with an excuse for it. I think they could probably come up with something better.

 

[cbwjm]

"Can I try a Tabaxi out with the new backgrounds!?!?"

I expect the answer to that would be "Yes, but you already have the ability scores from your race so you won't gain the ASIs, only the other features."

 

[Amrûnril]

I want 2024 to be the edition that stops referring to "spell level", in contrast to "class level".

Spell level really is confusing for people. Even when I am familiar with it, I find my sentences becoming unnecessarily convoluted when I happen to be talking about class level and spell level at the same time, plus spell slots.

This has to stop!

I would be fine with refer to all spells by "spell points". So, Fireball is a 3-point spell. Wall of Force is a 5-point spell.

It doesnt have to be called "points". At this point, anything is better than "levels".

Similarly, I'd expect a lot of confusion about "Inspiration" and "Bardic Inspiration", now that the former is becoming a more prominent mechanic.

 

[Cadence]

I expect the answer to that would be "Yes, but you already have the ability scores from your race so you won't gain the ASIs, only the other features."

Right. I was giving it as an example of why they would have put that box in the playtest.

 

[cbwjm]

I'm gonna remove the use limit on the orc's adrenaline rush. The designers seem to be focusing a little too much on PB/long rest abilities for my liking (in general that is, not necessarily this playtest content)

I like that tieflings have some non-infernal lineages, but they also suffer a bit, similar to the elves, in being a little bit same. The Ardling also suffers from this issue.

 

[cbwjm]

Right. I was giving it as an example of why they would have put that box in the playtest.

I figured something like that might be the case and that you were maybe quoting someone which would have provided context, but since I could see what was quoted figured I'd just shoot out a response.

 

[Parmandur]

I haven't allowed any of the new backgrounds because of the feat involved. It's patently unfair to any player using an old background. The back and forth is not doable, because there is significant disparity between old backgrounds and new ones. And the "fix" is to make the old backgrounds into the new ones, which means that there is no backwards compatibility at all.

But again, simply "pick a first Level Feat" which the prior Background-Feat UA have said to do brings everything in line.

Game mechanics are not the only way to gain advantage in the game. And really, by arguing that the features are not an advantage due to not being mechanics is just heightening the power disparity between the new and old backgrounds.

The only difference is one Feat.

Thanks!

But now this from the playtest is very confusing. Why even put it in?

"ABILITY SCORE INCREASES FROM ELSEWHERE
Since 2014, characters have received ability score increases from several sources, either from a Race that has the Ability Score Increase trait or from the ability score rules in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, Monsters of the Multiverse, and other books. If you make a character using one of those older sources and get ability score increases from it, the character doesn’t also get ability score increases from Background, unless you forgo the older ability score increases to gain the increases from the Background rules here."

Because WotC wants people to actively mix and match new and old, both for the plsytest and the final revision.

 

[Parmandur]

Apologies. This thread is huge. I’ve been out.

Has the order of char gen been discussed? In the phb(2014) it’s race first. In the origins test it’s class first.

That is an interesting shift, but it makes sense for the game since Class is the biggest factor in what a character can do.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Saying "take a 1st Level Feat" is a minor fix, though. And other than the Feat replacing the roleplay feature, and the movement of the ASI from race, those are exactly equivalent using the Background rules in the 2014 PHB (although now it is strictly one tool and one language, rather than two of either).

yes you can take the 2014 character and modify it to be the 2024 version...

you can also take a 1e or 2e character and make an equivalent in 3e, 4e, or 5e that doesn't mean they are all compatible... it means you can change 1 into the other

 

[GMforPowergamers]

For what it's worth, the FAQ on Beyond attempts to clarify what they mean by backwards compatible and does seem to emphasise published adventures but I appreciate the phrase "make it even better" isn't going to sit well with a lot of people.

View attachment 258538

yeah it seems more and more it's DM side compatable not PC

does seem to emphasise published adventuresv