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.

 

[Vaalingrade]

It’s true that you explicitly can’t speak when it’s not your turn.

I'm impressed that they unsolved a problem that's been solved for decades.

 

[Vaalingrade]

b) D&D 5E is bound to stagnate and as we all know, stagnation equals death in the long run

That was the original stated goal way back when 5e came out. It was meant to be an 'evergreen' edition that sat on shelves, put out a tiny trickle of books, and occupied the IP so they could make movies and toys. Then the conditions became just right (streaming, Covid, the nostalgia window) and people actually started playing the game, forcing them to actually support the damn thing.

I'm not sure they've fully recovered from the shock.

 

[TrippyHippy]

I just hope, for the Warlock, that they maintain having a choice of Intelligence, Wisdom or Charisma as the spell casting Ability. That was something they got right.

 

[tetrasodium]

It's not a "loophole". You literally cannot speak outside your turn according to the rules but you think it's a loophole to grab an object outside your turn?


You need a free hand to cast a spell unless it has only a verbal component or there is some other exception in the rules allowing you to do it, like a cleric with a holy symbol on their shield, or a feat like War Caster, etc.. Heck Treantmonk has done entire videos on this topic. But I agree all of that is off topic. But hey thank you for accepting that I "am right" about all those tweets specifically being stuff done on your turn, which is what I had been saying all along.

the loophole is failure to properly lock down the difference between wielding a weapon with 2h & merely holding it or dropping a 1h weapon in phb pg190 interacting with objects -AND- building other mechanics like the somatic component/focus item requirement in spellcasting as if it was locked down.

5e wants to have it both ways in areas like this and it sets the stage to slap the GM if they ever dare tell a player "no that's not gonna work". You keep defending the looseness for fun reasons and kicking the problem linked to it off to the side as if the two had nothing to do with each other when one is only a problem because it expects the other to be locked down & presents a trap as if it should.

 

[RoughCoronet0]

I hope they stick to their guns and require a 70% rating when they revert the warlock back to pact slots. They may never get the class fixed.

I have stated on this forum and in previous surveys that I do not like the way the 2014 Pact Magic works and think the Warlock suffers for it because it is too DM/Rest of the Party reliant with regards to short rests.

However, if they can propose a limited means for us to regain some spell slots back through a means under our own control (like Arcane recovery), then I’d be ok with the compromise and maybe others would too.

 

[Leatherhead]

These UA results where things don't hit the mark and then get backtracked are inspiring anti-hype in me. Why do I want new books if the are going to be mostly the same as old books, save for like a few pages?

 

[Charlaquin]

I just hope, for the Warlock, that they maintain having a choice of Intelligence, Wisdom or Charisma as the spell casting Ability. That was something they got right.

Sadly, that’s confirmed not to be making it in.

 

[Charlaquin]

These UA results where things don't hit the mark and then get backtracked are inspiring anti-hype in me. Why do I want new books if the are going to be mostly the same as old books, save for like a few pages?

Remember when people were insisting it was clearly not backwards compatible, and WotC was just, like, lying when they said it wasn’t going to be a new edition?

Yeah, turns out they weren’t lying.

 

[mamba]

Remember when people were insisting it was clearly not backwards compatible, and WotC was just, like, lying when they said it wasn’t going to be a new edition?

Yeah, turns out they weren’t lying.

but they were lying about it being a new version

 

[Charlaquin]

but they were lying about it being a new version

It’s literally a new version of the books though.