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 ...

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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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[Charlaquin]

Your first question: it makes no sense, and the only reason I can see for it is to allow the designers to limit a Druid subclass to mostly healing magic by making Druids have few real abjurations on the primal spell list.

Very little about the schools of magic makes sense IMO. And healing is especially hard to place. You could make arguments for healing being evocation, transmutation, abjuration, necromancy, or even enchantment in a lot of cases. And all of them sort-of make sense and sort-of don’t. Because the schools of magic are just kind of a terrible categorization system.

 

[Queer Venger]

Overall, pretty cool packet after a flip through. The narrative over the past few days has bemoaning all that WotC is dialing back to the 2014 rules, but Imseeing much more glass half full here (particularly since I like the 2014 rules). Lots of cool changes, love the Monk stuff.

ditto, monk looks badass; then again this is playtest so hoping the final product is amazing as it can be

 

[Stalker0]

Funny how save-or-suck abilities are fine when spellcasters have them but overpowered when non-casters do.

So we do have to respect that there is a difference between a condition inducing effect that costs a resource, and one that doesn't.

I'm not saying rogues aren't worthy to get a toy, but your comment is an oversimplification. At-will abilities are always good, ones that provide conditions are a step above that. Is it too good, need to consider....but any at-will condition inducing ability should definately be on the watch list.

 

[Marandahir]

Very little about the schools of magic makes sense IMO. And healing is especially hard to place. You could make arguments for healing being evocation, transmutation, abjuration, necromancy, or even enchantment in a lot of cases. And all of them sort-of make sense and sort-of don’t. Because the schools of magic are just kind of a terrible categorization system.

Most non-D&D magic systems categorize their equivalents of D&D's Abjuration spells and D&D's healing spells as part of the same general category of magic, whether "White Magic" or "Restoration Magic" or "Defensive Magic" or "Charms" etc.
It never made sense to me that healing was over in conjuration or evocation when those were otherwise about destructive powers summoned into the world. But I guess it makes more sense when you think of Cure Wounds as the Positive Energy Plane equivalent of the Plane of Fire's Fireball. But I'm not a fan of the cosmological-necktwisting that arises from the positive and negative energy planes, and prefer to align these spells with whatever makes sense for the caster -- healing/withering magic drawn from faith in or pacts with beings of the outer planes, drawing on the bright beauty of the feywild, the glooming dark of the shadowfell, or just the power of the primal cycles of life and death. So I don't really need them to be conjurations or evocations, as it could be more intrinsic to reality rather than pulling from the outside (or inside, or echoing to the side). I like the idea that abjurations reduce harm either in a preventative or restorative way. Doesn't matter if it's before or after, it's buffing you against pain by increasing your defenses and saves, giving you THP, helping you utilize your HD, or healing you outright.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Very little about the schools of magic makes sense IMO. And healing is especially hard to place. You could make arguments for healing being evocation, transmutation, abjuration, necromancy, or even enchantment in a lot of cases. And all of them sort-of make sense and sort-of don’t. Because the schools of magic are just kind of a terrible categorization system.

Sure, but Abjuration!? That’s egregious, even for the spell schools.

IMO healing only makes sense as evocation or necromancy, but I could accept maybe enchantment. Abjuration has such a clean identity for the most part, though. It’s wards and meta-magic. And…restoration of living matter…I guess. Ugh.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Very little about the schools of magic makes sense IMO. And healing is especially hard to place. You could make arguments for healing being evocation, transmutation, abjuration, necromancy, or even enchantment in a lot of cases. And all of them sort-of make sense and sort-of don’t. Because the schools of magic are just kind of a terrible categorization system.

I never had any problem with categorizing it under necromancy, and changing it always struck me as being done for social reasons rather than anything sensible.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

But I guess it makes more sense when you think of Cure Wounds as the Positive Energy Plane equivalent of the Plane of Fire's Fireball.

It’s just channeling energy to directly impact the world. It’s a natural fit without any such cosmology.

Most non-D&D magic systems categorize their equivalents of D&D's Abjuration spells and D&D's healing spells as part of the same general category of magic, whether "White Magic" or "Restoration Magic" or "Defensive Magic" or "Charms" etc.

Do they? Restoration and Defensive or Warding magic are separated in all but the most simplistic systems, IME. Even in a Red/White/Black system I’d expect magic that direct impacts other magic to be in red and healing in white. Wards could go either way, but only because white doesn’t have a ton to do if it can’t protect in addition to heal.

 

[Marandahir]

Sure, but Abjuration!? That’s egregious, even for the spell schools.

IMO healing only makes sense as evocation or necromancy, but I could accept maybe enchantment. Abjuration has such a clean identity for the most part, though. It’s wards and meta-magic. And…restoration of living matter…I guess. Ugh.

Weird, because it makes more sense than any other school, in my mind. The identity is very clear: it's everything that would be in The Elder Scrolls' Restoration School of Magic, or in Final Fantasy's White Magic, etc. That INCLUDES reflect, ward, resist, shields, etc spells…

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I see where you're going with that, but, 5e combats are so short that having to alternate spell-cantrip-spell probably wouldn't come up all that often. And, of course, that also interferes with reaction spells like Shield. If you cast a 1st level spell, that means you can't use any reaction spell until the beginning of your next, next turn. Or, if you drop a reaction spell, the only thing you can cast next is a cantrip.

...

huh...

As I type this, I'm actually kinda getting on board with that idea. That's... a neat solution. Would drastically ratchet down the power of casters. Especially at higher levels, where it's needed more. At 5th level, it's not like the wizard is bombing leveled spells all day long. They just don't have the slots. But, by double digit levels...

I think I need to cogitate on this a little more. But, I could see this being a good idea. I can also see why there was ZERO chance it was going to make it into the game.

I would be glad if the routine was not fireball fireball fireball. If it was fireball, burning hands, firebolt, I would already be happy.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I did just tell my friend that the new DnD will be better than the old one, and martials will be better off... just don't even think about playing a Monk, and all the full casters are getting just as many buffs.

Don't forget that straight warriors have not seen the overhaul the rogue got.

So that advice might be a bit too early...