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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[Quickleaf]

Who wants to try it? Via discord and owlbear.

I'm in! You have my keyboard.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

I love this Ranger and I think the folks hoping for a Spell free Ranger are not going to be in luck. 4e tried spell less rangers, 5e tried it in a UA, its a very loud, but also small minority that want Spell less Rangers. Don't get me wrong, as an alternate feature I'm fine with it, I just don't believe it has the general support of the public.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Aragorn and Katniss by a far margin.

Katniss is a glorified Rogue with a focus on nature skills, Aragon a fighter. They have little to nothing to do with D&D Rangers since 3rd edition when most of the class identities began to solidify for D&D.

 

[Hurin70]

This is kind of 5e (and now 'One D&D' or whatever) in a nutshell. They can't change things without changing things, and they really, really don't want to do that.

This is what I'm coming to realize. It isn't a new edition despite the new name; Wizards seems to want to have its cake and eat it too. And they are deathly afraid of making any substantive changes lest they kill the golden goose.

Just my 2 cents of course.

 

[darjr]

Katniss is a glorified Rogue with a focus on nature skills, Aragon a fighter. They have little to nothing to do with D&D Rangers since 3rd edition when most of the class identities began to solidify for D&D.

I think they are a fair better fit to an actual D&D Ranger than Drizzt.

 

[Aldarc]

I came away from reading this playtest document with a lot of mixed feelings. Overall, the mechanical changes are positive. But at the same time, it feels like there is an unneeded level of overcomplication and word bloat.

Suggested spells and skills, for example, increase the word count, page space, and feel like it overcrowds a lot of class layout. It's almost senseless repetition to list the three suggested skills and then list them again as part of the class skill list.

Skills: Athletics, Stealth, Survival (or choose three from Animal Handling, Athletics, Insight, Investigation, Nature, Perception, Stealth, and Survival)

Why not highlight the suggested skills or put them in a sample starting build?

Likewise, a number of feats have about 1-4 abilities that they grant the PC. And with the idea of level prerequisites for feats, class types (e.g., expert, priest, etc.), the game feels like it's adding a lot of extra complication. I suppose my own desire would have been for something that simplified, streamlined, and clarified a lot of the game. While some things are simplifying, it also feels like it's drifting in an opposite direction from many of the "easy to learn" aspects that many have lauded about 5e.

To be "that guy" once again, I walked away from reading this playtest document with the sentiment that I can't see how anyone can credibly say that learning another non-5e RPG is that difficult or time consuming, especially if they find it acceptable to learn all these rules and accompanying changes for One D&D. It's a head-scratcher.

This feels like a drift to a rules heavier system, and it's at a time when my tastes are drifting in the opposite direction, though not full rules light.

 

[Umbran]

It's particularly hypocritical for you to do this in this context, too.

Mod Note:
And, you ruin your chance of being considered thoughtful by taking the personal jab.

Much like the post that started this, honestly - it was also founded in taking a personal shot at someone who isn't even here to defend themselves, against a thing they haven't even done yet!

See a theme?

Stop using the UAs as excuses to insult people, folks.

 

[darjr]

I came away from reading this playtest document with a lot of mixed feelings. Overall, the mechanical changes are positive. But at the same time, it feels like there is an unneeded level of overcomplication and word bloat.

Suggested spells and skills, for example, increase the word count, page space, and feel like it overcrowds a lot of class layout. Likewise, a number of feats have about 1-4 abilities that they grant the PC. And with the idea of level prerequisites for feats, class types (e.g., expert, priest, etc.), the game feels like it's adding a lot of extra complication. I suppose my own desire would have been for something that simplified, streamlined, and clarified a lot of the game. While some things are simplifying, it also feels like it's drifting in an opposite direction from many of the "easy to learn" aspects that many have lauded about 5e.

To be "that guy" once again, I walked away from reading this playtest document with the sentiment that I can't see how anyone can credibly say that learning another non-5e RPG is that difficult or time consuming, especially if they find it acceptable to learn all these rules and accompanying changes for One D&D. It's a head-scratcher.

This feels like a drift to a rules heavier system, and it's at a time when my tastes are drifting in the opposite direction, though not full rules light.

I like how you put this.

I’d say that it isn’t so much other games are too complicated, it’s that some folks don’t want to invest the time and effort again.

I hope that the end trajectory is to simply these rules.

 

[robconley]

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

It came from how the OD&D Ranger was setup. And understand that you need to look at the OD&D spell list for Clerics and Magic Users. They were far more low key than subsequent editions. And several of them would replicate some of the abilities Aragon had. Like being able to cast a 1st level Cure Light Wounds spells. Or on the MU side we are talking Detect Magic, Read Magic, Protection from Evil and so on.
Of course with the supplements and AD&D's expanded it going to look weird but a lot of D&D history over the various editions is about evolution not revolution.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

This feels like a drift to a rules heavier system

5e was always medium crunch. The new things are still very much medium crunch. The game has always been this muddled mess.