D&D (2024) One D&D Expert Classes Playtest Document Is Live

The One D&D Expert Class playest document is now available to download. You can access it by signing into your D&D Beyond account at the link below. It contains three classes -- bard, rogue, and ranger, along with three associated subclasses (College of Lore, Thief, and Hunter), plus a number of feats.

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[Haplo781]

I get the feeling that there are going to be a lot of little things that slip through and no one pays attention to until the 2024 books are in print and suddenly a lot of people are going to be surprised by these changes.

#

One of the stand outs for me is how tragically terrible some of the "epic boons" are. At 20th level...after a month or two or serious adventuring...you gain an epic boon. On that list you can pick Unfettered, which lets you disengage as a bonus action that also ends grappled and restrained...or you can pick Recovery, which lets you spend a bonus action to regain 1/2 of your max hit points once per long rest...oh and means you only fail death saves on a natural 1. Yeah...those are perfectly balanced.

Also the EBs don't increase your ability scores. Most likely because the ones you care about are at 20+ by now, but given it's your literal capstone it wouldn't break anything to give a +2 to a max of 30.

Unfettered could make you immune to slowed or something, maybe advantage on saves to end immobilized, paralyzed, or restrained.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

I hate to bring it up, but Aragorn never shouted magic words and then danced around for a magical bum-wiggle dance, he just made a poultice or some plant stuff like that.

Also AD&D Rangers had access to Magic-User spells?

 

[robconley]

Also, you know, all these arguments about who the true archetype of the ranger is only reinforce my position that there isn't one!

Maybe it's just an empty signifier.

I suggest reading the Strategic Review article where the Ranger was introduced. It is not mysterious.

 

[robconley]

I hate to bring it up, but Aragorn never shouted magic words and then danced around for a magical bum-wiggle dance, he just made a poultice or some plant stuff like that.

The author did what he could with the OD&D tools he had.

 

[Bill Zebub]

I thought it was Legolas.

Which version? Book/WotC or Movie/@Garthanos?

 

[darjr]

There is also the Ranger as a D&D trope all on its own like the first TSR published version of it and forwards. People playing it regardless of Aragorn etc and expecting a “D&D Ranger”.

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

Considering how many people seemed to hate Exhaustion because it "hurt their character's chance of success too much", I would say the new version is essentially a form of power creep.

How? You only ever use one version or the other of the rule. It is the same for everyone in the group. This is a very bizarre way of defining power creep IMO.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

So much for folks' contention that WotC isn't listening to feedback or that 1D&D is already set in stone, given how many things in this test are already different than the last one. (The video does a good job of laying out all the things they're experimenting with in this UA.)

 

[Bill Zebub]

Plus, now you can go "full Gandalf" two weapon fighting style with the Staff/Sword now.

In all seriousness, I would love to see a reason for wizards to carry staves. Non-magical ones, that is.

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

Has anyone made the comment that the video specifically points out that this playtest is not the result from any feedback from the survey. They haven’t even looked at the survey results yet. Or at least at the time of this playtest document.