D&D (2024) Bonus Unearthed Arcana Reveals The Bastion System

A 'bonus' Unearthed Arcana playtest document has appeared, and it shows off D&D's upcoming Bastion System.

This October, we’re bringing you a special treat. While we’re continuing to develop and revise public playtesting material for the 2024 Player’s Handbook, we’d thought you’d enjoy an early look at what we’re cooking up for the 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide.

The coming Dungeon Master’s Guide will be the biggest of its kind in decades and contain an assortment of new tools for DMs and their tables. In Bastions and Cantrips, we’re showcasing one of these tools, the Bastions subsystem. Dungeon Masters and their parties can use this subsystem to build a home, base of operations, or other significant structure for their characters.

And if you’re raring to test out more character options, we’re also including revisions for 10 cantrips in this playtest packet.

Claim Unearthed Arcana now! - D&D Beyond

www.dndbeyond.com

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[Neonchameleon]

Druids don't get extra attack, so Shillelagh is obviously useless to them.

Every time the new Shillelagh scales up for +1 avg dmg, Primal Savagery scales up by +5.5 avg dmg.

And Primal Savagery starts way behind and doesn't combo so well with a magic staff if you have one. Levels 5-10 they are pretty close and L11-16 it's about even if you have a +2 staff (no attunement required)

 

[Zaukrie]

Of the 3 Druids I've DMed for over the last 10 years, all three took and used Shillegah up to Tier III. I'm sure they'd all agree the new version would keep it relevant past that. So a vote for

thanks!

 

[Micah Sweet]

Do you believe I don't also find those incoherent just because I didn't mention them?

And besides all that, there's a far more evocative wealth of adventuring tropes to tap for flavoring these mechanical benefits that would both be more coherent and lead to the potential of more interesting content.

Throwing some random mechanical benefits in and flavoring them with also random, mundane and vaguely medieval building types is just lazy.

ACKS, its creator aside, had the right idea as far as this goes in making the Strongholds more class specific and thematic. Though its execution wasn't ideal either as it buries its evocarive ideas in a great mass of wanky worldbuilding minutia.

I really like worldbuilding minutia though, so ACKS really works for me.

 

[Yaarel]

The rules for expanding a Bastion, I would simplify them:

• When you first gain a Bastion, it starts off with a floorplan of 20 squares, which you can configure as you like.
• Afterward, each addition of two squares of housing space takes 1 week to complete and costs 100 gp.
• Old walls can be torn down or new walls built up as part of this construction work.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

yay - finally something to spend my gold on

Also, wotc must have noticed that colville had 2 $1M+ kickstarters specifically around "bastion"-esque play
I do like the build out of specific rooms in the bastion - this way you can put a "BP" value around a keep or other bastion the players take over in the course of play (the most common way players will come into possession of a bastion, at least in my campaigns...)

 

[Kobold Avenger]

Bastions are a good start, but I think it needs a bunch of work.
-Like 13th level to have pub?
-Producing a work of art is worthless (ok that's probably accurate in real life, but isn't this fantasy?).
-Some rooms could be larger than 36 squares.
-Can they provide some more fantastical things as examples, like shouldn't having a stable and menagerie allow one to have something like Griffin or Wyvern mounts.
-What bastions actions are one allowed to take with spells like Sending, or just something mundane like using couriers?
-Could they at least try to have magic item crafting beyond potions, scrolls and +1 weapons.

As for cantrips:
-True Strike is actually better for Bards (except for Dancers), Eldritch Knights and Pact of the Blade Warlocks now, still something I wouldn't see most Wizards or Sorcerers using.
-Poison Spray, with an attack roll it'll get used more often. Now Yuan-Ti PCs won't have to get that close to spit at someone.
-Friends to me has always been a must have for Bards, at least now the Bard might not get assaulted after using Friends, and they aren't going to have the formerly charmed bouncer go after them.
-Acid Splash is finally useful.

 

[Yaarel]

It would be cool, to make a Mordenkainens Magnificent Mansion be ones permanent Bastion.

 

[Nightfly]

With Shocking Grasp nerfed and so many other cantrips buffed, is it fair to say that the new Shocking Grasp is the worst cantrip in the game? I can't think of a single reason to take it.

Shocking Grasp was never very good, because its disengage feature isn't reliable. But it at least had advantage against enemies wearing metal, which gave it a special something which made it a good spell in certain situations. Admittedly not common situations -- you had to be a spellcaster who wanted to be right next to heavily armored humanoid enemies, which isn't typical. But now the spell doesn't even have that. Poor damage, no range, a good effect that doesn't land half the time... again, is there any reason at all to take this now?

 

[Jeremy E Grenemyer]

Color me interested in the Bastion rules.

These rules seem like they're a couple of steps away from full-on mercantile-based gaming...rules the Realms have needed for years now.

The Pub should be a Level 9 Bastion Facility. Level 13 is too high.

 

[Parmandur]

Like 13th level to have pub?

13th Level to have a major Mafia hub that you run. There are some clear career paths here, for Wizards, Clerics, Warriors, and Rogues.