D&D (2024) New One D&D Playtest Includes 5 Classes & New Weapon Mastery System

The latest playtest packet for One D&D has just landed, and features five classes (Barbarian, Fighter, Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard) and the new Weapon Mastery system.

In this new Unearthed Arcana document for the 2024 Core Rulebooks, we explore material designed for the next version of the Player’s Handbook. This playtest document presents the rules on the Weapon Mastery property, updates to weapons, new and revised spells, several new feats, and five classes: Barbarian, Fighter, Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard. You will also find an updated rules glossary that supercedes the glossary of any previous playtest documents.

Claim Unearthed Arcana now! - D&D Beyond

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[Mirrorrorrim]

“Pursued by multiple patrons” still sounds dumb AF. You submitting resumes to various High Powers?

I rattled off one way it can go. Read the class descriptions. I'm not going to copy/paste them. You may not like those new class descriptions because they don't match exactly what you want for your own Warlocks, but I assure you that your narrative preference is not removed.

At 1st level, your Warlock can still have the narrative where they reached out to seek power offered by a Fiend, and connect with an imp/quasit/lesser entity (or even the Archfiend itself if you want) to start the process. But they don't get the full direct pact at level 1, rather they have to earn every level of power by proving themselves, and once they do, they get the big pact at 3rd level.

But now other warlocks can more lean into the other narrative where they are seeking power wherever they can get it, becoming free agents pulling power from a variety of sources (or not even know where they are getting it.) The player gets to make some fun choices that their character may not know.

Both playstyles are supported now. And you don't need the big pact boon at level 1, either way.

 

[Gladius Legis]

Weapon Mastery comes close to hitting the mark ... and then whizzes on past the target by another 400 yards.

The optimal way to play any Fighter before level 7, and any other non-Fighter martial ever, will be to carry a golf bag of weapons and switch weapons with each attack for their different mastery properties. Which is maybe hilarious depending on your sense of humor and most definitely clunky.

These Weapon Masteries really just need to be a base set of techniques that martial characters can pick and apply their effects to all their attacks. These techniques can still have their prerequisites to limit which weapons can be used with them, to still give weapons some uniqueness about them, but as they are right now, they're just way too restrictive, while again allowing an avenue to circumvent the restriction that is just ridiculous and clunky.

Or alternatively, give each weapon 2 or 3 mastery properties that they start with, to make switching weapons out of the golf bag less of a necessity for optimal play. With that alternative, Fighters at level 7 or higher can still apply properties to weapons that don't normally have them.

 

[Mirrorrorrim]

I think it stinks that Sorcerer's don't get Bloodlines anymore. I wonder if they did that cuz Bloodlines are also Paizo sorcerers as well.
Could also be the fact they are making everything less "sexy" now.

It can be a bloodline if that is your choice. But it no longer is the baseline. Your way is not going away.

 

[Veltharis ap Rylix]

I think it stinks that Sorcerer's don't get Bloodlines anymore. I wonder if they did that cuz Bloodlines are also Paizo sorcerers as well.
Could also be the fact they are making everything less "sexy" now.

Probably more that they just don't want sorcerous powers to be hard-coded as a matter of bloodline.

Gives players the option to describe where their powers come from in many different ways, bloodline just being one of the possibilities rather than the default assumption.

 

[Gladius Legis]

Welcome back Level 1 4e fighter with two At Will attacks. It only took ten years and 13 levels...

You can do it from level 1 with the Golf Bag of Weapons (TM).

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

The only new players I interacted with was a few years ago and they both went for the warlock.

I have brought in a lot of new gamers over the years (about 10, without sitting down and racking my brain) and they all looked at the warlock and their eyes crossed.

It's OK to have more complex classes. But warlocks are definitely among the least-friendly to new players.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Book of Shadows is a really fun spell, especially given how boring most cantrips are. Big thumbs up.

 

[Nightfly]

I like the weapon abilities a lot. Some bits I'm wary of -- for example, Vex seems incredibly strong -- but overall this is a nice buff to martials, both in power and flavor. Big thumbs up.

I especially love the fact that fighters get sort of super-mastery. Makes fighters even more distinct from other martials, and again is great for both power and flavor. Huge thumbs up.

Sorcerers are a bit more different than wizards now, which is good, although I still want them to be even more distinct. Right now you could fold both those classes into one and not lose that much. At least they're moving in the right direction.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I haven't spent much time in the extremely detailed weapon masteries thread, but it looks like all the rogue-intended weapons all have Vex on them, which is fine, but I'm still not seeing a reason for rogues to do anything other than use a rapier and a ranged weapon of their choice.

I love me some swashbucklers, but that feels very, very boring.

 

[Weiley31]

I like the weapon abilities a lot. Some bits I'm wary of -- for example, Vex seems incredibly strong

I haven't spent much time in the extremely detailed weapon masteries thread, but it looks like all the rogue-intended weapons all have Vex on them, which is fine, but I'm still not seeing a reason for rogues to do anything other than use a rapier and a ranged weapon of their choice.

I love me some swashbucklers, but that feels very, very boring.

Vex+Elven Accuracy.