D&D (2024) New One D&D Weapons Table Shows 'Mastery' Traits

The weapons table from the upcoming Unearthed Arcana playtest for One D&D has made its way onto the internet via Indestructoboy on Twitter, and reveals some new mechanics. The mastery traits include Nick, Slow, Puncture, Flex, Cleave, Topple, Graze, and Push. These traits are accessible by the warrior classes.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

IIRC, they really said nothing about the warlord prerelease, so it was a surprise when I got the book and read over the warlord and was like 'oh cool, it's like the charismatic warrior dude I normally need a bard to make' and grokked that the heals were morale boosting. Because that's how HP works and has always worked.

I don't remember havign pre relase info, but we were not playing D&D anymore when 4e came out, and I preordered the books hopeing to get us back into it... and it did we all got mazzive numbers of ideas we always wanted to play.

 

[Yaarel]

Maybe for the greatsword, Mastery would grant both Reach and Cleave. To me, this might make more sense conceptually for a two-hander sword.

Regarding Graze, perhaps this works better as a class feature that comes when gaining extra attack. It represents a kind of rapid onslaught with any weapon?

 

[FitzTheRuke]

IIRC, they really said nothing about the warlord prerelease, so it was a surprise when I got the book and read over the warlord and was like 'oh cool, it's like the charismatic warrior dude I normally need a bard to make' and grokked that the heals were morale boosting. Because that's how HP works and has always worked.

I was onboard right away with the healing part. It was the recovery from dying part that surprised me. Again, it was because I was too hung up on the word "dying" meaning only the most dying idea of dying, if you know what I mean.

Turns out, even in real life, there are a lot of degrees of "knocked on the ground having trouble staying awake or getting up" (which is what 0 HP really represents) that don't necessarily equal actual dying.

4e actually opened my mind quite a bit when it came to understanding that the words used for things are only an example of what can be imagined in the fiction.

 

[Vaalingrade]

I was onboard right away with the healing part. It was the recovery from dying part that surprised me. Again, it was because I was too hung up on the word "dying" meaning only the most dying idea of dying, if you know what I mean.

Turns out, even in real life, there are a lot of degrees of "knocked on the ground having trouble staying awake or getting up" (which is what 0 HP really represents) that don't necessarily equal actual dying.

4e actually opened my mind quite a bit when it came to understanding that the words used for things are only an example of what can be imagined in the fiction.

One thing that stuck out to me was the removal of subdual damage. Instead, once the target was at 0, the person who did it decided if they were knocked out or killed.

So clearly, 'dying' wasn't 'about to unalive' or even unconscious. And that was the key to a lot of design space for me.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I was onboard right away with the healing part. It was the recovery from dying part that surprised me. Again, it was because I was too hung up on the word "dying" meaning only the most dying idea of dying, if you know what I mean.

Turns out, even in real life, there are a lot of degrees of "knocked on the ground having trouble staying awake or getting up" (which is what 0 HP really represents) that don't necessarily equal actual dying.

4e actually opened my mind quite a bit when it came to understanding that the words used for things are only an example of what can be imagined in the fiction.

If it were for me, I'd remove the dying condition.

I'd rather have: downed or knocked down or defenseless. I'd also would not automatically start with death saving throws. I might start only of someone hits after downing someone or deals massive damage when downing someone.

So in most cases, unconsciousness with no lethal risk is the default.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

If it were for me, I'd remove the dying condition.

I'd rather have: downed or knocked down or defenseless. I'd also would not automatically start with death saving throws. I might start only of someone hits after downing someone or deals massive damage when downing someone.

So in most cases, unconsciousness with no lethal risk is the default.

I also prefer "incapacitated" to "unconscious" - I like there to be a situation where another PC can be lying on the ground (possibly dying even!) but where they can weakly call for help, or deliver one last speech.

 

[billd91]

Hit points include nonphysical componemnts, including fatigue, not paying attention, and so on.

They do, and that is some of what a successful attack roll ablates away already. But with a graze/DoaM mechanic, we remove the alternative state - a failed attack roll - and replace it with a lesser degree of success... when no other weapon attacks behave this way.

What I find less easy to make sense of is, why does a greatsword deal miss damage, but not other weapons?

In other words, other than providing a controversial mechanical benefit that enables the character to do more damage with their attack actions, what's the character POV element to a greatsword having this property instead of any other property or anything else sharing the property? Or is this just to provide a particular mechanical element to the greatsword?

If it just adds an mechanical element, does the greatsword need it to be an appropriately competitive choice for players to pick for their characters - a choice that is neither dominated by nor dominates other choices? Was the greatsword lacking something without the property?

Or if it's meant to mean something in-character, what is it supposed to mean that should apply to just the greatsword (or any other weapons that eventually might pick up the property)?

 

[Horwath]

maybe Graze could be a feat?

+1 ASI
when you miss your attack roll and attack misses by 5 or less, you deal minimum damage.
you cannot trigger any effect that relies on you hitting the target, as in Smite, sneak attack, battlemaster maneuvers, cleave, etc...

 

[Zaukrie]

maybe Graze could be a feat?

+1 ASI
when you miss your attack roll and attack misses by 5 or less, you deal minimum damage.
you cannot trigger any effect that relies on you hitting the target, as in Smite, sneak attack, battlemaster maneuvers, cleave, etc...

What high level character would use a feat on that? Graze is nearly meaningless past level five. The other options are so much better, let alone what other feats will give.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

I also prefer "incapacitated" to "unconscious" - I like there to be a situation where another PC can be lying on the ground (possibly dying even!) but where they can weakly call for help, or deliver one last speech.

I would also prefer incapacitated.
I want to add an anecdote of my own to reinforce the point. I spend many years a farmer and one day a cow decided that she did not want to go the way I wanted her to go. She went out through me, now she did not want to kill me so she hit me with her shoulder and I bounced off the wall, got rolled along the wall by her flank and fell over on the floor. I was at zero hit points. For about the next minute a 2 year could have walked up and slit my throat and I could have done nothing about it.
I got up after a minute and after about 5 minutes the pain went away and I was fine. Nothing broken or sprained, I was not even bruised, no lingering pain. I was completely recovered.
My first though at that point was that I had hit zero hit points.
I was incapacitated and I am not sure I could have even called for help, everything hurt. I was, however, in no actual danger and once recovered completely fine. It was a different experience to being winded or concussed.