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.

 

[tetrasodium]

Won't work for two reasons: Magic Initiate*.

Magic Initiate only allowed poaching of spells on the Arcane/Divine/Primal list. That meant that you couldn't poach Eldritch Blast or Hunter's Mark because they weren't ADP spells. Now, MI will have to make you pick a class (warlock, sorcerer, wizard, bard, etc) and that will mean those spells are fair game again. So they will have to be rebalanced against the other choices. Otherwise, poaching EB, VM, Divine Smite, and other "good only because its supposed to be for this one class" problems remain.

* and while I single out Magic Initiate, other "pick a spell off X list" feats or Bardic Magical Secets apply too. Unless they create some some additional work-around, like making the class features and not part of the regular spell list.

EB was pegged to warlock level... It's no big deal if someone takes EB as long as it remains pegged to warlock level since they would never get past one blast.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Mostly what people hate is the wizard’s outsized impact on the design of the game as a whole. This UA is a perfect example; we’ve had 6 packets of unified spell lists, and now, because the Wizard only got a passing score instead of a glowing one, they’re reversing course on that design choice. Whether you think the unified spell lists were a good design direction or a bad one, you should be able to recognize that its removal will have a huge impact on every single casting class, especially the bard. One doesn’t have to hate the wizard to recognize that a huge amount of the game’s design literally revolves around that one class, and maybe that’s not the healthiest thing for the game.

Exactly.

 

[mellored]

Versatile weapons desperately need to provide options worth giving up AC for a turn for.

This is the main issue IMO. Nothing wrong with a +1 damage die size, if nothing exciting either.

It is versatile that is bad.

 

[MockingBird]

Definitely happy class spell list will be back. Still not sure about weapon masteries, I guess damage on a miss will creep into D&D24 martials...

The more this playtest goes on the better I feel about it. It's looking like a high possibility I will pick up the new core books.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

Versatile is for small PCs to get two-hander options. It's for halfling fighters who can't use a greatsword to get a bit of a boost from using a longsword in both hands.

Exactly this.

Of course, right now we have BG3 showing us that there also is nothing wrong with Small races getting to swing Heavy weapons without a penalty, so why not just do that...

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

There is never a reason to drop your shield and 2-hand your versatile weapon.

...because dropping your shield takes a whole action!

 

[Scribe]

Of course, right now we have BG3 showing us that there also is nothing wrong with Small races getting to swing Heavy weapons without a penalty, so why not just do that...

Even if BG3 turned out well, thats still wrong.

 

[TwoSix]

I'm happy about these lack of changes. The less the core changes, the less time that third party designers need to spend revising their stuff to fit the new core and the more time they spend actually pushing 5e design forward, since they're better at evolving 5e than WotC is.

 

[Neonchameleon]

I don't get the Wizard hate. I am starting to believe it is a holdover grudge from back in the day because they used to be broken. They aren't today. Not compared to the other full caster classes like the Sorcerer who not only get full spellcasting, but relevant class abilities that are impactful in combat.

I assume you have never played a pre-Tasha's sorcerer. Before Tasha's the sorcerer was far worse than the wizard for a very simple reason. They didn't get enough spells. Two spells per spell level when there are three pillars and offence and defence are different just aren't enough, especially on a spells known caster. And the sorcerer had a spell list that was basically a subset of the wizard.

This is different for Aberrant Minds and Clockwork Souls who get four spells per spell level (rangers needed the same tweak) - and who get expanded spell lists that aren't just "wizard but worse".

The thing is that Wizards don't really get Class abilities. If they are boring it is because they really only get spells. Compared to a Sorcerer's Metamagic, what do they get?

All a sorcerer's metamagic is is variant spells. But without getting enough base spells that actually do different things to have the flexibility outside combat. The wizard gets to know fireball and hypnotic pattern, while the sorcerer gets variant fireballs. And you forgot ritual casting which wizards can make better use of than any other class because the wizard doesn't need to have them prepared to use them as rituals.

Wizards' power is about their broad customizability with arcane magic.

Indeed. Which is something they already uniquely have. They are already probably the most powerful class outside tier 1 - which is why the subclasses need to be relatively low impact.

And I'm only slightly joking when I say that the biggest problem with the wizard is that they should be a sorcerer subclass whose big thing is that they are prepared scholars. The subclasses just aren't interesting and their big power is really an arcane magic subclass thing, both opening their list and preparing spells daily rather than on level up. They do not need subclasses at all.

 

[Neonchameleon]

Versatile weapons desperately need to provide options worth giving up AC for a turn for.

I don't think it's AC - I think it's more uses of the off-hand. I've mentioned versatile weapons on the brawler fighter fairly frequently. I'm sure there could also be something done with some spells so they fight one handed while casting spells with somatic components.