D&D (2024) New Survey Results | Druid & Paladin | Unearthed Arcana | D&D

WotC has shared a new video going over the survey results following the drud and paladin playtests for One D&D.

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For those who don't have time to watch the video, here are some general notes.

Paladin

• Did extremely well in terms of satisfaction
• All class and subclass features scored 70% or higher - lowest was Divine Smite at 72%
• Got some pushback in written feedback on being able to smite on ranged attacks - class identity concerns, Paladin viewed as melee-centric class, ranged smites might eat into Cleric/Ranger identity too much
• Positive feedback on redesigned smite spells - may become paladin exclusive spells down the road

Druid

• Wild Shape feedback seems to be split - slight majority saying "never want this Wild Shape in print", slight minority saying "this is their favorite version of Wild Shape they've ever seen"
• People love the texture and differences in beast options in '14 Wild Shape, but are open to feature being easier to use (i.e. don't want players to have to weigh the merits of 100+ stat blocks every time they want to use Wild Shape)
• Will have another take on Wild Shape next time Druid appears in Playtest UA
• General concept of Channel Nature seems to have gone over well, but want to see more done with it
• Expected feedback for restoring elemental forms for Moon Druids, but instead found people wanted to lean more into Lunar themes
• Want Moon Druid forms to be more resilient, but still want to reign in power at high levels (frequent/unlimited uses of Wild Shape constantly refreshing HP total)

 

[Mecheon]

Just on the templates questions, my issue with it isn't the templates. My issue with it is the entire existence of Polymorph, which we haven't seen any real discussion on so far and if its staying, is still the "Scour the monster manual for ways to trap your opponents or buff your friends" it always has been.

The Wizard should not have the wider access to shapechange forms than the shapechange-dedicated druid. They especially shouldn't have exclusive T-rex access. As long as wizards have Polymorph, and as long as Polymorph is "go through the monster manual and pick out the beasts", I'll keep requesting that Shapechanging rely on similar but be overall stronger

 

[UngainlyTitan]

Just on the templates questions, my issue with it isn't the templates. My issue with it is the entire existence of Polymorph, which we haven't seen any real discussion on so far and if its staying, is still the "Scour the monster manual for ways to trap your opponents or buff your friends" it always has been.

The Wizard should not have the wider access to shapechange forms than the shapechange-dedicated druid. They especially shouldn't have exclusive T-rex access. As long as wizards have Polymorph, and as long as Polymorph is "go through the monster manual and pick out the beasts", I'll keep requesting that Shapechanging rely on similar but be overall stronger

I am kind of expecting a reworking of spells at some stage. They have previewed some spell changes and rebalancing and I hope to see more.

 

[Incenjucar]

Templates for polymorph could hypothetically lead to a robust monster creation system that promotes easy and rapid customization.

Doubt it! But it would be great.

 

[mellored]

Just out of curiosity, why is that? Arcane magic can cause people to feel fear just fine.

IMO
Divine covers the soul, and by extension emotions, such as awe and fear.

Yes. I know wizards have been able to cast fear for a while. But it's doesn't really fit in with fireball, dimention door, arcane lock, fly, cloud kill, and wall of force. Those are all physically forces, not mental ones.

I would take charm and such out too. Put the mind effects under divine.
Or bard, if it has its own list.

 

[mellored]

Just on the templates questions, my issue with it isn't the templates. My issue with it is the entire existence of Polymorph, which we haven't seen any real discussion on so far and if its staying, is still the "Scour the monster manual for ways to trap your opponents or buff your friends" it always has been.

I expect polymorph will be given the same treatment as wild shape.

But no point in trying to fix it until they know what direction to go in.

 

[Azzy]

I suspect they have data on people saying that in their comment?

The have mine. I told them that I could be sold on templates if (and only if) they provided ways to customize the stat blocks to emulate different types of animals.

 

[tetrasodium]

With people talking about polymorph... There were reasons it was polymorph self/polymorph other & PaO in 2e with 3.x having polymorph/baleful polymorph/PaO as different level appropriate spells. Splitting it back into polymorph & baleful polymorph would allow for a couple templates for each & avoid some of the problems caused by what is effectively a 4th level wis save or die in one more step* spell & allow some of those templates to draw from the target's CR/HD/abilities in interesting ways.

*bag of holding, tossed off cliff, etc

 

[Chaosmancer]

IMO, fear would fall be more of a divine effect.

Why? Fear and Cause Fear are Arcane exclusive spells. I can't even think of a spell that imparts the Frightened condition on the Divine List, other than Wrathful Smite. Except maybe Divine Word on exclusively fiends.

Though perhaps wrathful smite just gets the fear effect. And Paladin get an extra d6 on top of that.

And while I like this option a little less, bladesinger and sword bards might just get smites as bonus spells.

A spell that just causes a save against fear with a weapon attack is worse than Cause Fear. A 1st level arcane spell. Because it requires the attack to hit, and then the save to be failed.

Again, we keep running into the same problem. A proposal is put out that divine smites and arcane smites would theoritically be different if X, but then X applies to divine Smites already. Which means we can't seem to actually differentiate them.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I saw a LOT of players who wanted nothing to do with templates. I think it is wishful thinking to interpret these results as “templates, but with a few more knobs,” instead of “we like being able to shift into specific beasts and want nothing to do with templates.”

I think the core conceit of wild shape that people like is being able to shift into animals.

I think it's strange how some people equate the statblock to the animal as if no other mechanical representation could also be an animal. They use it as an argument, like you do here, by saying "but I want to turn into an animal". As if the MM statblock is somehow more "the animal" than any other statblock that is used to represent the animal.

It's simply not the case. I mean, it IS absolutely the case that some statblocks represent some animals better than others do, of course! But as most "monster" statblocks are a bag of HP and an attack-for-damage, with everything else being imagined fluff, I don't know why anyone bothers to hold too tightly to them.

 

[James Gasik]

IMO
Divine covers the soul, and by extension emotions, such as awe and fear.

Yes. I know wizards have been able to cast fear for a while. But it's doesn't really fit in with fireball, dimention door, arcane lock, fly, cloud kill, and wall of force. Those are all physically forces, not mental ones.

I would take charm and such out too. Put the mind effects under divine.
Or bard, if it has its own list.

Does that mean that Clerics should lose Flame Strike?