D&D (2024) New One D&D Playtest Document: 77 Pages, 7 Classes, & More!

There's a brand new playtest document for the new (version/edition/update) of Dungeons of Dragons available for download! This one is an enormous 77 pages and includes classes, spells, feats, and weapons.

Unearthed Arcana Playtest

Unearthed Arcana Playtest Materials Get Unearthed Arcana playtest content, try it out in your game, and provide feedback! Check back regularly for ...

www.dndbeyond.com

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 updated rules on seven classes: Bard, Cleric, Druid, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, and Rogue. This document also presents multiple subclasses for each of those classes, new Spells, revisions to existing Spells and Spell Lists, and several revised Feats. You will also find an updated rules glossary that supercedes the glossary of any previous playtest document.

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[Sir Brennen]

I just cant get interested by MOAR buttons!! (each with their own pool and recovery) anymore. I think I'm not in the market for a game with that much fiddly bits. I really need a more streamlined system with less things happening on the character's sheet.

Come to the dark side... we have cookies.

Nasty, blood-soaked cookies in a pile of dirt swept into the corner of the tavern a week ago.

But, cookies. << Mörk Borg >>

 

[Vincent55]

 

[tetrasodium]

Lots of interesting design in this packet...but it lost me.

I just cant get interested by MOAR buttons!! (each with their own pool and recovery) anymore. I think I'm not in the market for a game with that much fiddly bits. I really need a more streamlined system with less things happening on the character's sheet.

I'll still wait to see Cubicle 7's offering, but I thing gasp I might be done with 5e?

Likewise on recovery . I disagree about the streamlining & fiddly bits because those two terms have been so badly abused since 2014 in service of simplicity at any cost, but there's so much regain all uses on a long or short rest in this packet that combined with rules glossary changes I'm unsure if I want to invest the time going through the classses as I've done for every prior packet. There were a couple points in the rules glossary where it was only the captivity of waiting for a code inspector to show that kept me powering through it

 

[mamba]

How long before they announce a reprint/merging of Xanathar’s and Tasha’s a la Mordenkainen’s and Volo’s? They’re taking features and whole subclasses out of those books and are explicitly saying they’ll be printed in the new PHB. How much content gets poached like that before they’re merged into a new book?

they already said a while ago that what does not make it into the 2024 PHB will end up getting updated in another book further down the line. Not sure this is still true with all the backtracking they are doing though, and that is certainly more 2026 than 2024

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

Come to the dark side... we have cookies.

Nasty, blood-soaked cookies in a pile of dirt swept into the corner of the tavern a week ago.

But, cookies. << Mörk Borg >>

I'm testing right now what would the game look like if I used only the Basic Rules + no archetype + no ASI+ the following rule variants: Background/Race Skills, Ability Score skills, Spell Points and Slow Natural Recovery.

I think it would leave me enough space to go crazy on magic items and consumables, like in 2000 when I was 10 yo and played hours upon hours of BG 1-2-ToB just to gather awesome magic items.

Sweet nostalgia

 

[Sir Brennen]

I haven't seen anyone mention the roll-back of the Light Weapon property to requiring a bonus action for your off-hand attack again. I know people were really jazzed about it just being part of a regular attack action last package. EDIT: I see it's part of the Nick special weapon property, so Rogues are still getting a good boost from this.

There's also a little something jarring about some of the simulationist changes accompanied by gamist changes - in particular, Weapon Mastery. Great, we get interesting differences in weapons that someone with the proper training can take advantage of. But then they can forget that training and replace it with having training for a couple of completely different weapons each day if they want. It's a minor thing, but it kinda irks me.

 

[cbwjm]

I'm disappointed that they've gone back to the 2014 subclass leveling structure, it removes the potential of cross-class subclasses which was something that I was keen on, but apparently not enough people were. They've also seemingly got rid of epic feats, I guess it saves space on something that a lot of people probably wouldn't see but I like that level 20 was customisable.

It is interesting that the bard makes their decision for their magic at level 1 but I don't like that at level 10 they get access to all of them, I really feel like they should have kept level 10 as a subclass feature. They've made druid and cleric a little more similar with levels 1 and 7 granting a choice between casting and combat capability.

On the whole though, while I still need to read a lot of this playtest, it feels like a 2 steps backwards situation. I don't think this revision is going to be for me. I dunno, maybe I'm just getting bored with 5e. I've even cancelled my subscription to DnDBeyond because I don't feel it's currenlty worthwhile having one.

 

[Veltharis ap Rylix]

They've also seemingly got rid of epic feats, I guess it saves space on something that a lot of people probably wouldn't see but I like that level 20 was customisable.

They've said that people liked the epic boon feats, but didn't like them "replacing" their level 20 class capstones - the implication seems to be that they'll likely return in some form in a future UA once they've nailed down what form they'll be taking going forward.

I think someone here floated the idea of maybe turning epic boons into 19th level feats, which seems like a reasonable way to keep them as a part of the default 20-level package.

 

[Arilyn]

We dont let them page through the MM during play...we adopt the theory that is something they "learn" to do, so if they want a new/different shape from what they normally like they should prep a stat block ahead of time.

Granted, we are aware that this constricts "spontaneous ideas" to a certain point...we try to be flexible and use "close enough" until they get the time to do their research.

Us too. Players write the stat blocks on index cards and they're at their fingertips. No flipping through the Monster manual during the game!

 

[Gradine]

My impressions:
pls, return Mearls and hire again Monte Cook.

Both of these would be terrible, for different reasons.

Wizard: Evoker and Necromancer confirmed

This also seems terrible. Why on earth would your PHB have just half the school specialists? Why not just one specialist subclass, and take the rest of the design space for something more interesting?

Whatever schools they leave out are going to tick off somebody.