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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[OB1]

The lane that the Ranger is in is a warrior in a wilderness filled with both mundane and magical creatures, blending martial power with the magic of nature to ensure their own and others survival. The PHB lays out exactly what the Ranger is in D&D. The 2014 version handled the description fine, the new version does it better.

Warriors of the wilderness, rangers specialize in hunting the monsters that threaten the edges of civilization—humanoid raiders, rampaging beasts and monstrosities, terrible giants, and deadly dragons. They learn to track their quarry as a predator does, moving stealthily through the wilds and hiding themselves in brush and rubble. Rangers focus their combat training on techniques that are particularly useful against their specific favored foes.

Thanks to their familiarity with the wilds, rangers acquire the ability to cast spells that harness nature’s power, much as a druid does. Their spells, like their combat abilities, emphasize speed, stealth, and the hunt. A ranger’s talents and abilities are honed with deadly focus on the grim task of protecting the borderlands.

 

[Aurel Guthrie]

The lane that the Ranger is in is a warrior in a wilderness filled with both mundane and magical creatures, blending martial power with the magic of nature to ensure their own and others survival. The PHB lays out exactly what the Ranger is in D&D. The 2014 version handled the description fine, the new version does it better.

Thank you. So many want the ranger (Or other classes) to fit a very specific character archetype when the class is its own thing.

Ranger isn't magic-less and isn't meant to be magic-less. If people want a magic-less ranger they can flavor it that way, the way a lot of people already do for Artificer. I know I probably will, I have both character ideas for a magic-less ranger, and ranger as is.

 

[billd91]

Aragorn, as the king, had Lay on Hands. Anybody wanna explain that?

There are at least 3 different interpretations. 1) he laid on hands based on medieval ideas that true kings had divine right, 2) that was him casting a healing spell, 3) it was him using a healing skill. Considering that translating literature that wasn't intended to follow a game mechanic into game mechanics is at least party an issue of making artistic choices, any of those interpretations is perfectly reasonable.

 

[Maxperson]

That's one of those rules that sounds like a good idea, but in practice is just a pain. If the characters are taking a Long Rest, it's probably because they feel they need a LR, either because they're low on spells or hit points. Ruling that an interrupted LR has no benefit will just lead to them hunkering down, using more and more elaborate efforts to protect themselves, until such time as the DM relents and lets them finish the LR, and only then will they actually get on with the game.

I don't agree. If the DM hits them often, then yes. If it's just once in a while, it adds danger to resting while not turning into an arms race equivalent.

 

[Bill Zebub]

There are at least 3 different interpretations. 1) he laid on hands based on medieval ideas that true kings had divine right, 2) that was him casting a healing spell, 3) it was him using a healing skill. Considering that translating literature that wasn't intended to follow a game mechanic into game mechanics is at least party an issue of making artistic choices, any of those interpretations is perfectly reasonable.

Fourth interpretation: Tolkien was hazy on his knowledge of D&D rules.

Oh, wait, I meant NOT EVERY STORY MAPS TO D&D.

 

[Maxperson]

Several spells have switched spell schools; most notably, all the cure spells are now Abjuration.

I still want them to be necromancy where they belong. Well, at least I can make that change for my game.

 

[Neonchameleon]

The problem with Ranger is trope creep. Any character with some fighty skills that has a little extra "something", and that isn't an obvious sword&board fighter or knight type gets lumped into ranger.

Ranger can't be a tough mountain man, a wilderness guide, a sharpshooter, a beast wrangler, and a woodland mystic all at the same time. It can't simultaneously be used for Legolas, and Jon Snow, and Katniss Everdeen, and Geralt, and Sylvanus, and Daniel Day-Lewis in Last of the Mohicans. Even with subclasses, it's covering too much ground.

It needs to pick a lane and stay there.

This is what subclasses are for. Each subclass can be a different lane.

And agreed that Jon Snow isn't a ranger. But the rest of the people you've listed? The alternative in almost all cases is fighter. And frankly if you think that  ranger is overloaded throwing them into the same class as e.g. Brienne of Tarth and Jamie Lannister only makes the problem you outline far far worse.

 

[Maxperson]

That's disappointing, actually. Exhaustion was an excellent mechanic that supported the exploration pillar and made it important. Now it's not really a big deal at all.

I agree and won't be using this change if it happens.

 

[Maxperson]

They mentioned in the first video that they want to playtest 48 subclasses, 4 for each class

If they want to test 48 subclasses, all the classes, and everything else they mentioned AND correct errors and things people don't like, they will need to pick up the pace of UA releases considerably.

 

[Gammadoodler]

This is what subclasses are for. Each subclass can be a different lane.

And agreed that Jon Snow isn't a ranger. But the rest of the people you've listed? The alternative in almost all cases is fighter. And frankly if you think that  ranger is overloaded throwing them into the same class as e.g. Brienne of Tarth and Jamie Lannister only makes the problem you outline far far worse.

Insofar as there are lanes, to me, it's something along the lines of...

A fighter uses perfection of technique to achieve combat goals.

A rogue uses awareness of their surroundings to achieve combat goals

A ranger uses knowledge about their enemies to achieve combat goals.

That said, I don't really mind a bit of fuzz around the edges.