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.

 

[mamba]

Because no-one wants to roll a d4! They don't even roll!

roll a d8, divide by 2

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Because no-one wants to roll a d4! They don't even roll!

Hey now some of us love rolling caltrops! There’s a trick to making them sort of bounce multiple times in a direction and then bounce off something. Very satisfying. And oddly violent. I suppose those might be connected…

 

[Shardstone]

@Mistwell and @Shardstone remember that one time you both berated me for not agreeing with you that short rests to recover primary resources was off the table for 2024?

No, I don't. Can you link the post for me?

 

[Parmandur]

Yeah, you keep repeating that. I don't think you understand how flex works.

If you are already sword and board, you don't get any AC bonus. You get a weapon die increase. Of 1 point.

If you are already using a versatile weapon with two hands (e.g. monks), you get nothing.

That is all you get - a slight DPR increase, or nothing. Those are the only two options from flex.

I guess there is a third option: if you were previously using a longsword with two hands for no particular reason, you could now add a shield and not have your DPR go down. Are there any players who were doing this, instead of using, I dunno, a great sword? Anyone? Bueller?

You get to have your cake and eat it, too. And frankly, it is doesn't seem any better or worse than the other weapon Mastery abilities, which can be situational. Theyball seems to be worth about....+1 damage on every hit. On balance.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Who’s we? As far as I can tell, it’s just @Remathilis who’s assuming that, because they were so disappointed about the loss of unified subclass progression that they’re now assuming no changes are going to stick.

Look on reddit, Remathilis is far, far from alone on this, this is actually the angriest I've seen fans in this whole process. I think WotC miscalculated here.

 

[Azzy]

Look on reddit, Remathilis is far, far from alone on this, this is actually the angriest I've seen fans in this whole process. I think WotC miscalculated here.

Guess those Reddit fans either didn't participate in the survey or they did and were just in the minority. ¯\(ツ)/¯

 

[mellored]

Look on reddit, Remathilis is far, far from alone on this, this is actually the angriest I've seen fans in this whole process. I think WotC miscalculated here.

Angry people post more often than non-angry people.

 

[darjr]

The Reddit D&D just seem like a hive of angry bees. I posted a simple ranking of adventures on Amazon there and several people got deeply angry. I stopped posting there after that.

 

[Kobold Stew]

Angry people post more often than non-angry people.

Looks at the present thread. Raises eyebrow.

 

[Charlaquin]

No, I don't. Can you link the post for me?

Sure

He says it's a problem, he says surveys say its a problem, he says some tables dont get short rests, he says its resulted observably in playtesting in effectively zero spell slots as the entire ability goes unused, they mock begging DMs for a short rest, and then they propose multiple playtests which remove dependence on short rests for refresh of primary resources. And from all this, you conclude they will still use short rests as a refresh for primary resources, after first denying they even mentioned short rests?

Come on. Take the L and just move on to discussing ideas for how to keep the essence of the Warlock that you value while ditching short rests as the refresh mechanic. That's where productive conversation is at.

This is pretty obtuse for someone as intelligent as you, and I'm not saying this sarcastically. If no class uses short rests as a primary resource refresh anymore, then they are saying that short rests shouldn't be used for that. C'mon man. None of that hyper-pointed semantics silliness, its pretty dang obvious what Crawford is saying here.