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.

 

[CleverNickName]

Have we been been saying that 2024 is an edition focused on making it simpler for new players to adopt the system?

I really wonder just how much of a motive this is for Wizards of the Coast. Just from looking at sales numbers alone, it doesn't really make sense. More people are playing D&D now than ever before, and 5th Edition is the best-selling edition to date. New players are already adopting 5E, in droves...why would they mess with that?

It's gotta be something else, but I don't know what it could be.

 

[Parmandur]

I really wonder just how much of a motive this is for Wizards of the Coast. Just from looking at sales numbers alone, it doesn't really make sense. More people are playing D&D now than ever before, and 5th Edition is the best-selling edition to date. New players are already adopting 5E, in droves...why would they mess with that?

It's gotta be something else, but I don't know what it could be.

Streamlining and pounding down proud nails after 10 years of player feedback and testing.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

After diving into both Stars Without Number and Worlds Without Number, I have become a fan of a near equivalent of “Glance” called “Shock”. I’m not a strong fan of the name, but in SWN/WWN close melee combat is assumed to be so dangerous that with a highly trained user of a weapon it is highly improbably to come away unscathed. The Shock value is something where below a certain AC the weapon will always do a minimum amount of damage. It does change the play incentives to be to avoid combat unless you have planned for an unbalanced win.

This places a nice priority on higher AC to get out of being subject to the always-minimum damage weapons could deal from their Shock value.

Now I know Glance is not on all weapons but I could see Glance maybe having a similar mechanic where above a certain AC the glance mastery could not deal its value In damage.

 

[CleverNickName]

Streamlining and pounding down proud nails after 10 years of player feedback and testing.

That's the prevailing theory, sure, but...isn't that a bit risky? I'm not a game dev or a publisher, so this is all very "outside looking in." To me, it just feels like a strange time to be tampering with the formula when all of their graphs are up and to the right. Maybe that's why they are careful to mention "backwards-compatible" every now and then?

I guess I'm more risk-adverse than a typical game publisher.

 

[darjr]

There will be features for new players, and for those players that are new DMs.

At least two things, both wiill take up a lot more real estate in the books. A “How to play” section in the PHB before anything else and the DMG will have an adventure template or chassis (I forget) with commentary on how to flesh it out and how to branch away from it.

 

[Parmandur]

That's the prevailing theory, sure, but...isn't that a bit risky? I'm not a game dev or a publisher, so this is all very "outside looking in." To me, it just feels like a strange time to be tampering with the formula when all of their graphs are up and to the right.

50th anniversary of the game, 10th of the modern rule framework. It's a perfect opportunity to market the streamlining.

 

[darjr]

That's the prevailing theory, sure, but...isn't that a bit risky? I'm not a game dev or a publisher, so this is all very "outside looking in." To me, it just feels like a strange time to be tampering with the formula when all of their graphs are up and to the right. Maybe that's why they are careful to mention "backwards-compatible" every now and then?

I guess I'm more risk-adverse than a typical game publisher.

Yea, from here it looks like a bit of a gamble.

 

[Parmandur]

There will be features for new players, and for those players that are new DMs.

Two things that will take up a lot more real estate the books is a substantial “How to play” section in the PHB before anything else. The DMG will have an adventure template or chassis (I forget) with commentary on how to flesh it out and how to branch away from it.

So far the tests have been focused on fiddley changes to PHB exception based rules options like Class or Species, bit a revamped DMG is where I think they can most improve the experience of the game. And I like the 2014 DMG!

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

Calling Hercules and Gilgamesh out as examples of Fighters is the same as calling out Michael Jordan as an example of a basketball player or Tiger Woods as an example of a golfer; in that rather than being typical of their craft they were, in their prime, the absolute pinnacle of it.

I can go shoot hoops every day but I'll still never be MJ. I can bash a ball around a golf course all I like but I'll most certainly never be Tiger Woods. Same holds true of Falstaffe the Fighter - she might be or become pretty good at combat but she'll still never be Hercules; and telling her she will is poor advertising.

I'll accept some town guard with marginally better numbers as a fighter when mages are limited to what a stage magician can pull off.

 

[CleverNickName]

Stop limiting my fantasy because you want to be a chump. You can simply not level your lame fighter up.

I don't know what to say to this. If you're letting other people (or worse, the rules) "limit your fantasy," I'm not sure there's a fix for that.