D&D (2024) One D&D Survey Feedback: Weapon Mastery Spectacular; Warlock and Wizard Mixed Reactions

Jeremy Crawford discusses the results of the Packet 5 Survey:

• Weapon Mastery at 80% approval, and all options except for Flex scored similarly. Crawford says that Flex is mathematically one of the most powerful properties, but will need some attention because people didn't feel like it was. This feature is in the 2024 PHB for 6 Classes, guaranteed at this point.
• Barbarian scored well, particularly the individual features, average satisfaction of 80% for each feature. Beserker got 84% satisfaction, while the 2014 Beserker in the 2020 Big Class Survey got 29% satisfaction.
• Fighter received well, overall 75% satisfaction. Champion scored 54% in the Big Class Survey, but this new one got 74%.
• Sorcerer in the Big Class Survey got 60%, this UA Sorcerer got 72%. Lots of enthusiasm for the Metamagic revisions. Careful Spell got 92% satisfaction. Twin Spell was the exception, at 60%. Draconic Sorcerer got 73%, new Dragon Wings feature was not well received but will be fixed back to being on all the time by the return to 2014 Aubclass progression.
• Class specific Spell lists are back in UA 7 coming soon, the unified Spell lists are out.
• Warlock feedback reflected mixed feelings in the player base. Pact magic is coming back in next iteration. Next Warlock will be more like 2014, Mystic Arcanum will be a core feature, but will still see some adjustments based on feedback to allow for more frequent use of Spells. Eldritch Invocations were well received. Crawford felt it was a good test, because they learned what players felt. They found the idiosyncracy of the Warlock is exactly what people like about it, so theybare keeping it distinct. Next version will get even more Eldritch Invocation options.
• Wizard got a mixed reception. Biggest problem people had was wanting a Wizard specific Spell list, not a shared Arcane list that made the Wizard less distinct. Evoker well received.

 

[the Jester]

Also, I just realized that bards picking its spell list is also going away for a bard specific list. [emoji45]

If that got high marks in the surveys, there will probably be some version of it; perhaps bards get to pick a spell from any list every now and again. Or if they keep being able to prepare spells day by day, maybe they can prepare a certain number per day or something.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Lots of things feel good in other games but are too big of a change for existing D&D players.

See: 4E

Can we give the D&D fandom a sub 70% vote?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

IMHO, if they really wanted to do something like that, they should have taken inspiration from Rolemaster and have class specific spell lists plus additional generic "realm" lists: channeling, essence and... err, I mean, arcane, divine and primal.

Yeah, there were definitely ways to do it. If they had been interested in iterating on it more in future UAs, they could have made it work, I suspect.

I would probably have had an arcane/divine/primal/psionic split and then a second layer of complications, maybe using the existing spell schools but probably adding additional ones (healing has always been a weird fit under necromancy), as tags.

So your class could get access to, say, arcane spells at level 1, but only the ones tagged "general" (oh yeah, I'm bringing that back). Then your subclass could provide you several tags that would open up other types of spells and you could pick up feats that would give you access to a single new tag at a time, assuming it fit into the overall category. (Not a lot of "healing" spells under arcane, for instance, but there might be a tiny handful, much smaller than what one would access with the "evocation" tag.)

 

[the Jester]

PEOPLE WANT A MORE EXCITING FIGHTER, WOTC! I'm tired of being gaslit on forums that the simple fighter that does nothing interactive whatsoever is what people really want. NO. They want a simple class that is still EXCITING.

I'm continually surprised that they haven't added a "Power Strike" option where you can straight up add 1d8 to your damage one or more times per encounter to the fighter; it was a late 4e thing that was pretty cool. You could have it recharge when you roll for initiative, and then it would be always available in every encounter.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I might agree with you if it wasn't for the fact that despite the extensive spell list... it seems like everyone and their mother keeps saying the Wizard has only like 3 good spells at each level and which get taken time and time and time again such that everyone keeps complaining about them.

As soon as I see 25 different load-outs of Wizards getting talked about rather than the same Fire Bolt/Shield/Tiny Hut/Fireball/Polymorph/Simulacrum Wizard all the time (because that's the overpowered spell list that all these players can't help but glom onto because game mechanics trump personality or originality for most players)... maybe I'll feel differently.

I don't DM for any of those casters, but I agree that would be boring if everyone showed up with that list.

 

[Charlaquin]

Pact Magic coming back? If they keep it as it was, that suuuucks. There was a reason why people don't like it recharging on a Short Rest.

There was also a reason people liked it that way. I’m glad they’re keeping the class intact for the people who like it, instead of changing it to appease people who don’t.

I'm curious what they mean by getting access to those spells more often. Maybe they break it away from Short Rests and turn it to a 10-minute "Commune with Patron ritual" that can only be performed X times per day?

That’d be acceptable to me.

1. Warlock going back to Charisma only.... awwwwwww. I really liked that. I hope they keep the stronger pact cantrips as they made each Warlock feel very different.

Oh, didn’t see that part in the OP’s summary, that’s really disappointing!

 

[Henadic Theologian]

If that got high marks in the surveys, there will probably be some version of it; perhaps bards get to pick a spell from any list every now and again. Or if they keep being able to prepare spells day by day, maybe they can prepare a certain number per day or something.

I heard it suggested Divine, Arcane, and Primal Spells could be tags on Spells.

 

[Neonchameleon]

I might agree with you if it wasn't for the fact that despite the extensive spell list... it seems like everyone and their mother keeps saying the Wizard has only like 3 good spells at each level and which get taken time and time and time again such that everyone keeps complaining about them.

As soon as I see 25 different load-outs of Wizards getting talked about rather than the same Fire Bolt/Shield/Tiny Hut/Fireball/Polymorph/Simulacrum Wizard all the time (because that's the overpowered spell list that all these players can't help but glom onto because game mechanics trump personality or originality for most players)... maybe I'll feel differently.

This is one of the problems with the wizard. At least the sorcerer/warlock/ranger/paladin/cleric have a different spell set for each subclass.

 

[DEFCON 1]

I don't DM for any of those casters, but I agree that would be boring if everyone showed up with that list.

It's the same players who apparently only played Great Weapon Master Fighters back in 2015 based on the complaints of how bored some DMs were seeing nothing but that same feat over and over and over again.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

Also, I just realized that bards picking its spell list is also going away for a bard specific list. [emoji45]

They could still try to do something with Magical Secrets, like have a 1st level choice. Or they could have themed spell bonus spells.