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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[CapnZapp]

For those that weren't around last time:

In 2003, WotC released edition 3.5, promising to "fix" the problem of 3rd Edition.

Of course, what they ended up doing was to... not fix any of the fundamental flaws of that edition*, while changing around a thousand little things, mostly with no great effect once minmaxers learned how to adapt. For most people, the biggest impact was having to remember exactly how the old and the new spell or effect was different.

*) compare how 5E genuinely improved upon the two main flaws of 3E: creating NPCs was exceptionally fiddly and time-consuming; quadratic wizards vs linear fighters. In this the most crucial regard 5E was a true and thorough upgrade.

Is this what we're getting in 2024 as well?

A lot of talk which in the end amounts to... not any real improvement at all? Basically just more of the same 5E, only with a lot of annoying switching around of the details to obscure the fact nothing has really changed?

 

[Zardnaar]

For those that weren't around last time:

In 2003, WotC released edition 3.5, promising to "fix" the problem of 3rd Edition.

Of course, what they ended up doing was to... not fix any of the fundamental flaws of that edition*, while changing around a thousand little things, mostly with no great effect once minmaxers learned how to adapt. For most people, the biggest impact was having to remember exactly how the old and the new spell or effect was different.

*) compare how 5E genuinely improved upon the two main flaws of 3E: creating NPCs was exceptionally fiddly and time-consuming; quadratic wizards vs linear fighters. In this the most crucial regard 5E was a true and thorough upgrade.

Is this what we're getting in 2024 as well?

A lot of talk which in the end amounts to... not any real improvement at all? Basically just more of the same 5E, only with a lot of annoying switching around of the details to obscure the fact nothing has really changed?

You pay us for errata da?

 

[mamba]

In 2003, WotC released edition 3.5, promising to "fix" the problem of 3rd Edition.

Of course, what they ended up doing was to... not fix any of the fundamental flaws of that edition*, while changing around a thousand little things, mostly with no great effect once minmaxers learned how to adapt. For most people, the biggest impact was having to remember exactly how the old and the new spell or effect was different.

*) compare how 5E genuinely improved upon the two main flaws of 3E: creating NPCs was exceptionally fiddly and time-consuming; quadratic wizards vs linear fighters. In this the most crucial regard 5E was a true and thorough upgrade.

Is this what we're getting in 2024 as well?

yes, looks like it, a lot of small moving pieces. We are certainly not getting the equivalent of the jump from 3e to 5e, that was clear from the very start

 

[Zardnaar]

yes, looks like it, a lot of small moving pieces. We are certainly not getting the equivalent of the jump from 3e to 5e, that was clear from the very start

Have to wait and see. More of a 1E to 2E or 3E to 3.5.

 

[DEFCON 1]

For those that weren't around last time:

In 2003, WotC released edition 3.5, promising to "fix" the problem of 3rd Edition.

Of course, what they ended up doing was to... not fix any of the fundamental flaws of that edition*, while changing around a thousand little things, mostly with no great effect once minmaxers learned how to adapt. For most people, the biggest impact was having to remember exactly how the old and the new spell or effect was different.

*) compare how 5E genuinely improved upon the two main flaws of 3E: creating NPCs was exceptionally fiddly and time-consuming; quadratic wizards vs linear fighters. In this the most crucial regard 5E was a true and thorough upgrade.

Is this what we're getting in 2024 as well?

A lot of talk which in the end amounts to... not any real improvement at all? Basically just more of the same 5E, only with a lot of annoying switching around of the details to obscure the fact nothing has really changed?

If I'm remembering correctly... your biggest complaint back in like '15 and '16 was that Great Weapon Mastery was such an overpowered feat choice that almost all of your players took it and you got so tired of seeing it. And you and I argued incessantly over whether WotC needed to errata the feat immediately back in the day.

So if WotC indeed goes through with if nothing else actually keeping their de-powered and errata'd Great Weapon Master feat they gave us in the earlier UA... I think you should be jumping for joy and considering the new book a success!

 

[Ruin Explorer]

But unless I've missed a file

You seem to have missed all the files? I literally have no idea what you are even talking about on the very most basic level. You might as well be speaking Vulcan.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Dude dude dude doodie dude duuuuuuuuude.

You're accusing other people of edition-warring while starting up an edition war.

It doesn't matter whether you, me, or anyone here thinks it IS or ISN'T a new edition or not. The very term edition is a big ol' mess in D&D and ALWAYS HAS BEEN. Anything WotC calls it (anything AT ALL) is not going to be 100% accurate. So it doesn't bloody matter what any of US chose to call it.

LET IT GO.

The hypocrisy and special pleading angle on that post is incredible, given it's directed at me, when we've got people here making a dedicated effort to kick up an edition war.

 

[CapnZapp]

If I'm remembering correctly... your biggest complaint back in like '15 and '16 was that Great Weapon Mastery was such an overpowered feat choice that almost all of your players took it and you got so tired of seeing it. And you and I argued incessantly over whether WotC needed to errata the feat immediately back in the day.

So if WotC indeed goes through with if nothing else actually keeping their de-powered and errata'd Great Weapon Master feat they gave us in the earlier UA... I think you should be jumping for joy and considering the new book a success!

If you truly believe something like that should be fixed by printing an entire new edition, rather than in some online errata document (and incorporated free of charge in further print runs), then I guess I have nothing to tell you

 

[DEFCON 1]

If you truly believe something like that should be fixed by printing an entire new edition, rather than in some online errata document (and incorporated free of charge in further print runs), then I guess I have nothing to tell you

Naw... they're gonna fix about 11 or 12 things that people have been complaining about for the past nine years and put them in a new book. And that'll be more than enough changes to make a lot of folks drop the 40 bucks for it.

 

[CapnZapp]

yes, looks like it, a lot of small moving pieces. We are certainly not getting the equivalent of the jump from 3e to 5e, that was clear from the very start

Yes, but this phrasing" that was clear from the very start", makes it seem reasonable to make a 3.5 and unreasonable to do something more.

The problem with this is that for the most part 3.5E didn't actually change the needle in any meaningful way. 3rd edition continued to be a train-wreck balance-wise and impossible to games-master. And for all the gamers that really didn't see the most egregious power plays, it must have come across as a death by thousand cuts. So... many... details... to re-remember...

It's a bad role model, is what I'm trying to say.