D&D (2024) 2024 Player's Handbook Reveal #1: "Everything You Need To Know!"

Each day this week, Wizards of the Coast will be releasing a new live-streamed preview video based on the upcoming Player's Handbook. The first is entitled Everything You Need To Know and you can watch it live below (or, if you missed it, you should be able to watch it from the start afterwards). The video focuses on weapon mastery and character origins.

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There will be new videos on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday this week, focusing on the Fighter, the Paladin, and the Barbarian, with (presumably) more in the coming weeks.

 

[Shardstone]

I mean, it seems reasonable to accuse you of "bs", actually. Your claim that all or most or some significant proportion of new players said custom backgrounds were "too hard" and "for veteran players" seems deeply implausible on the face of things. It's a bit "oppa homeless style", vibes-wise.

I feel like it's a bit more likely that you told new players that custom backgrounds were "too hard" for them and they, being new, simply nodded and agreed.

My actual claim is that I personally think its better, and I've had my opinion bolstered by anecdotal experiences. Thus I'm obviously not attempting to make a universally true claim, but to share my opinion on why I think this is a good change. Typically at this point, people would either share their own anecdotes and give me their perspectives, or if they somehow have a study on this niche topic they could point to that.

Didn't know that trying having a discussion, not an academic debate complete with peer-reviewed sources, was something so poorly received on Enworld. For now on, I'll make sure to jump on ProQuest and cite only peer-reviewed sources published within the last 5 years before sharing my opinions and experiences online. Thanks for the reminder that trying to do anything else is naughty word and that I should never, ever, ever dare to do something so obviously anti-intellectual.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Of my multiple issues with Warlock, this is a huge one.

I really wish they would just admit that modern official D&D (at least 4e on) is just super heroes in fantasy drag. Kewl powers and four-color plots are the order of the day, unless your table works very hard to do otherwise.

 

[Cadence]

I really wish they would just admit that modern official D&D (at least 4e on) is just super heroes in fantasy drag. Kewl powers and four-color plots are the order of the day, unless your table works very hard to do otherwise.

How does A5E deal with this for the Warlock?

 

[Micah Sweet]

When you DM....you make the rules. But its my understanding that this premise hurts peoples feelings.
I would love to hear about how other people play a warlock character.
Game your own game. Enjoy.

The idea that making a pact with a godlike being for power might not be yet another path to kewl super-powers you get for free hurts people's feelings?

Seriously?

 

[KYRON45]

The idea that making a pact with a godlike being for power might not be yet another path to kewl super-powers you get for free hurts people's feelings?

Seriously?

That’s not even remotely what I said and you know it. But that’s how you interpreted it so there’s little I can do about that.

 

[Micah Sweet]

How does A5E deal with this for the Warlock?

Basically the same way as 5e. Lip service to making an exchange, but you actually don't owe anything in practice because the rules are all about the super-powers. I'm not happy about it there either.

 

[Micah Sweet]

That’s not even remotely what I said and you know it. But that’s how you interpreted it so there’s little I can do about that.

Well then explain it to me. What are you talking about?

 

[KYRON45]

Well then explain it to me. What are you talking about?

I’ll paraphrase because you’re going to disagree with me anyway…

Random guy: the rules prevent you from having the kind of warlock you might really want.

Me: ignore the rules and do what you want.

Thats it.

 

[Remathilis]

The idea that making a pact with a godlike being for power might not be yet another path to kewl super-powers you get for free hurts people's feelings?

Seriously?

So I'll explain why I dislike that. It comes from two factors: Ghostrider and Paladins.

First, I like the idea of a warlock going rogue. Challenging the entity you made your deal with. Fighting to get out of it. If the warlock's powers serve only at the whim of an entity, the warlock can never challenge his patron unless he multi classes and enjoys several dead levels.

Which leads me to part two: the DM decides what my character can do. The biggest problem with characters with otherworldly sugar daddies is that the first time the player does something the entity doesn't agree with, they are cut off from their class. That restriction would be fine if the warlock or cleric or paladin was far more powerful than the other classes (as in AD&D) but they aren't and that have to mind their manners less the DM decides to make them commoners.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I’ll paraphrase because you’re going to disagree with me anyway…

Random guy: the rules prevent you from having the kind of warlock you might really want.

Me: ignore the rules and do what you want.

Thats it.

Fair enough. My argument is that a lot of players (including almost everyone I've ever gamed with in nearly 40 years) will balk, hard, on anything added to the game that makes things more difficult for their PCs in play. Many complain about such things in the actual rules, which IMO is why official D&D has become increasingly simpler and more "power fantasy/super hero" over time. Getting your powers from a being that actually wants something in return definitely falls into that category (clerics have the same issue), and quite frankly it bugs the heck out of me.