D&D (2024) So Will 'OneD&D' (6E) Actually Be Backwards Compatible?

[Ruin Explorer]

If the 5e cleric has to use the nerfed spiritual hammer and other nerfed cleric spells, then they are going to be weaker than the 5.5e cleric in the group.

Are they, though? Really?

Because I think the only 5E Clerics people will make once 1D&D is out are Clerics with the more "OP" subclasses (Forge, Light, Life, Order, Twilight, etc.), which will likely have been nerfed in 1D&D (Life has been, for example). So I don't think they'll need older versions of spells. If they do, the DM can allow it on a case-by-case basis.

 

[Umbran]

Agreed. To my mind, backwards compatibility would be more along the lines of "Ok, everyone make a Perception check" and the 2024 characters say "We don't have Perception as a skill, they got rid of it, noticing stuff is an Intelligence save now."

Exactly. If there's a bit of power disparity, that can be managed. If the 5e Fighter and the One Fighter have different abilities to use Expertise dice on, and one is a bit better than the other, that's not compatibility breaking.

If 5e has short rests, and One D&D doesn't, that's a problem.

 

[Umbran]

Are they, though? Really?

Because I think the only 5E Clerics people will make once 1D&D is out are Clerics with the more "OP" subclasses (Forge, Light, Life, Order, Twilight, etc.), which will likely have been nerfed in 1D&D (Life has been, for example). So I don't think they'll need older versions of spells. If they do, the DM can allow it on a case-by-case basis.

And note that on D&D Beyond, this should be simple - if you use a Legacy class, it gets Legacy spells and Legacy subclasses by default, Use a One class, you use One spells, etc..

 

[Yaarel]

But we're still well within tolerances for 1E to 2E.

You convinced me.

The shift from 1e to 2e is probably the best analogy for the shift from 5e to 2024e.


There will be important changes, especially organizationally.

At the same time, it will be normal to use 5e content for 2024e games.

 

[Loren the GM]

And note that on D&D Beyond, this should be simple - if you use a Legacy class, it gets Legacy spells and Legacy subclasses by default, Use a One class, you use One spells, etc..

Or, as I mentioned above, patch 5e with an end-of-edition errata to bring things like spells and feats in-line with 1DND. Then it really is just legacy builds vs 1DND builds, but there aren't two different versions of feats, spells, weapons, etc. in play at the table.

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

Off the shelf I don't have to put in work to make the classes work together. With 5.5e I'm going to have to make sure that 2014 PCs have feats to pick from. I'm going to have to go through and pick which elf is being used, which cleric is being used, and so on. Having two of everything in the same game doesn't work. Two of everything means you are playing two different games simultaneously.

Plus, what am I supposed to do if the 2024 cleric wants 2014 spells to cast? What if someone wants the 2024 class, but the 2014 feats? If the game is backwards compatible, he can do that.

That all seems trivial to me in 5e where these don’t matter that much. But I assume you don’t feel same. We have no issue mixing and matching official and 3PP right now so I don’t think it will much if any different. I guess it is a problem for you - but it all works and is compatible to us

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

I'm not saying(yet) that it will be a lot of work. I'm saying that if I have to work to make the game function, there's not compatibility.

While I agree, what is a “lot of work” and what “functions” is personal to you. Different people have different ideas of what those are.

 

[Agamon]

I play exclusively in FG these days, so I'm guessing it won't be compatible enough for me. Which is fine. The D&DOne announcement was the first D&D new edition announcement that I really didn't care about (and, yeah, I've been around for almost all of them; just missed the intro of 1E)

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

They don't want to call it a new edition but, compatible or not, that's what they're making as far as I'm concerned.

I disagree. Hopefully we can just agree to disagree. No need to keep going down that road.

 

[Umbran]

Or, as I mentioned above, patch 5e with an end-of-edition errata to bring things like spells and feats in-line with 1DND. Then it really is just legacy builds vs 1DND builds, but there aren't two different versions of feats, spells, weapons, etc. in play at the table.

You could do that, I guess. But I don't know that I find it necessary. If John wants to sit at the table with his 5e PHB, and Sally with her One PHB, I don't know that I have an issue with that, especially because, to be honest, I expect that to be a rare occurrence. It would be a little worse if the player needed both PHB's to play.

I'm not big on depending on errata to create compatibility. If John hasn't made errata corrections in his PHB, I really want his character to mostly just work anyway. If he's at slightly lower or higher power, maybe errata fixes it, but I can also use encounter design and such to manage the disparity.

Most of the issue of compatibility I would expect to see is more among the adventures and supplements. Say my group moves to OneD&D - can I still use the Spelljammer set I bought but haven't run yet, without all that much more work than I'd need to do anyway?