D&D (2024) Jeremy Crawford Gives an Overview of the New Unearthed Arcana

The upcoming Unearthed Arcana playtest packet for One D&D gets a preview from WotC's Jeremy Crawford. This is apparently the largest of these playtest packets so far, and the biggest Unearthed Arcana they have ever done, at 50 pages long.

It contains 5 classes, new spells, new feats, a revised rules glossary, and the new weapon mastery system.

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[I'm A Banana]

Interesting that they say “this is the most fun I ever had as a fighter” and “this gives the fighter round by round interesting things to do” like they are admitting the problem.

2014 made deliberate efforts to keep a very simple fighter in, and I think that's great. I do think this revision leans into more complexity than the 2014 version did (feats are no longer optional, for instance). I'm a little iffy on my own judgement on if that's a good move or not, but I suspect that "martial cantrips" aren't going to break much of a complexity bank. You can always not use them, or use the super simple ones (shades of 4e essentials and the encounter "I just do some damage" powers).

It is a complexity increase. I also think it's a complexity increase that there is clearly a demand for.

And maybe it needs to be said really clearly, but I don't think this is really increasing the power of martial classes. It's increasing their flexibility. A martial weapon attack is still roughly the equivalent of a cantrip (ie: longbow and eldritch blast are mostly different in their aesthetics, not their effects), this just lets martials in on some of the effects that casters have been hoggin'.

Which means our battle master might be freed up to be a little more...warlord-y....

Yea, maybe.
If the idea is to give martial more toys why also give them to spell casters? Which presumably have more already.

But honestly I liked the style of the 2014 martials with the idea of extemporaneous play vs relying on what the rules letter is.

Maybe either way this isn’t for me.

Personally, I like that fighters can pick up an evocation cantrip and that wizards can pick up a dagger cantrip. I like classes as archetypes, but archetypes are genres - the boundaries are always gonna be blurry.

 

[Vaalingrade]

they are not part of the rules, just like monsters are not

Like the wheels aren't part of a car!

Or the nervous system isn't part of a person.

It is important to dodge the backward compatibility concept because they can't admit to the fanbase that it's not worth being actually backward compatible.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I think it was a kite flying exercise to get people used to the idea of a druid with wild shape based off of skinable templates. I think they are pretty committed to templates for wildshape and summons as it makes solving issues line encounter balance easier. So give a first draft of the druid that is undercooked. It is easier to buff something that is perceived as underperforming than to take away toys that have been given.

Of course the 2024 druid is the epitome of taking away toys that have been given.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Of course the 2024 druid is the epitome of taking away toys that have been given.

Have you seen the 2024 Druid? Because I haven't. I saw a not-ready-for-prime-time UA playtest Druid that they've already said that they've scrapped.

But, I get your main point: It's really, REALLY hard to backtrack on a feature that everyone loves that's broken (in particular when they love it because it's broken). That's why I advocate for making the actual 2024 Druid unbalanced. Just less unbalanced than the current one.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Have you seen the 2024 Druid? Because I haven't. I saw a not-ready-for-prime-time UA playtest Druid that they've already said that they've scrapped.

But, I get your main point: It's really, REALLY hard to backtrack on a feature that everyone loves that's broken (in particular when they love it because it's broken). That's why I advocate for making the actual 2024 Druid unbalanced. Just less unbalanced than the current one.

I still think they should rename all the 2024 classes, and release the new PH as an expansive supplement instead of a replacement (if they insist on committed to this "not a new edition" idea. It will encourage current 5e players to buy the new books because they represent new content, not replacement content.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

About time. General claims of backwards compatibility always seemed dubious.

They are not. They just said that come final release, they will iron things down for it.

 

[LvHollow]

A literally weaker version of the Dueling Fighting Style is amazing?

Wajajajajajajajajajaja, true

Which is a terrible idea, unless they include the “pick a weapon to specialize in that isn’t normally a monk weapon” feature from Tasha’s and make it so you also “master” that weapon.



It makes sword and board more viable and less of a trade off.

It’s a class that has always used weapons, alongside unarmed attacks. In some editions you could entirely avoid unarmed attacks and specialized in using a staff or whatever.

Nah, monks being good with certain weapons has been there since the PHB.

You’re joking right?

They said something about it not being needed because of other changes, so we shall see.

It stacks with Dueling, and makes using a shield not a significant drop in damage.

Then go back and watch the very first announcement video. It is stated explicitly.

no i wasn't joking

 

[Gladius Legis]

In an action surge round, that is potentially 6d8 vs. 6d10. It adds up. Heck, they might also be able to attack as a reaction (like an opportunity attack).

That's a difference that round of ... 6 points of damage. With Action Surge.

You're really not selling me the value of the Flex property here compared to free pushes, free slows, damage on miss, damage vs. second enemy, etc.

 

[mamba]

Like the wheels aren't part of a car!

yes, it drives the same with different (compatible) tires

or the nervous system isn't part of a person.

no, like the the clothes are not part of a person, you can wear different ones without any issues

You get the idea

 

[UngeheuerLich]

That's a difference that round of ... 6 points of damage.

You're really not selling me the value of the Flex property here compared to free pushes, damage on miss, damage vs. second enemy, etc.

I have seen people never use the greataxe in favour of the greatsword bevause of 0.5 points of average damage or maybe 1.2 or so with great weapon fighting style.

It is very interesting that 1 point of damage on average is sometimes nothing and sometimes the most important thing in the world...