D&D (2024) PHB 2024 Is Hilariously Broken. Most OP of All Time?

[Oofta]

a few more I've seen:

The thief with a 1 level wizard dip, using fast hand to cast true strike and attack as a bonus action, then holding their action to attack as a reaction, granting easy double sneak attack/round.

Another one I wouldn't allow. I'm not going to argue about it again.

Agathys Forever: I invented that one, although it is very possible that someone else also came up with it before me.

Basically, changes in the wording of the spell mean that you can now "recharge" Armor of Agathys, allowing you to inflict the cold damage far more often. At mid level, have the warlock cast it (as a level 4 slot) and then have the wizard change the warlock into a giant ape... you still inflict 20 cold damage to anyone who hits you, but you have 157 temp HP of good times until it expires. There are also a lot of other sources of temp HP that could be used.

I'm also rather... alarmed by the nick weapon mastery and how it's being interpreted. I thought that using a nick weapon meant that your bonus action didn't have to be used for the off-hand attack, meaning you could attack twice at low level and still have other things to do with your bonus action. Feels like it makes the fighting style finally balanced!
Instead, you can get two extra attacks if you do use your bonus action. That seems... not right.

I'd rule that you can't attack a second time with your off-hand weapon as a bonus action.

These kind of exploits have been brought up in every edition of the game. It's up the the DM and group to decide if they want to allow them. If you do, it just means as a DM I have to turn up the difficulty dial a bit. You can't "win" D&D through exploits, the DM can always counterbalance.

 

[grimmgoose]

Look, I'm not the biggest fan of 5E, but 90% of the time the answer to "broken" builds is: add more encounters.

Now, I hate that concept, because I think a game purposefully adding trash fights for balance is boring design, BUT it works if you use it.

By the time your party is level 5, you should be looking at two fights minimum. By 10, three. After 10 all bets are off and good luck to you.

 

[DEFCON 1]

I am unworried about the state of the game as it stands.

 

[Ashrym]

1. Doesn't seem OP to me.
2. This was already a thing.
3. Might see errata here.
4. It's essential 1 extra attack. That doesn't seem really OP to me, but it is good.
5. Not sure about this yet.
6. I expect the ability will require the full casting time of the spell replicated.

 

[Sacrosanct]

a few more I've seen:

The thief with a 1 level wizard dip, using fast hand to cast true strike and attack as a bonus action, then holding their action to attack as a reaction, granting easy double sneak attack/round.

Legacy true strike gives advantage. 2024 does not, it changes to radiant. Also, fast hands is a magic action with an object, not a spell.

Use an Object. Take the Utilize action, or take the Magic action to use a magic item that requires that action.

 

[Ancalagon]

Legacy true strike gives advantage. 2024 does not, it changes to radiant. Also, fast hands is a magic action with an object, not a spell.

Use an Object. Take the Utilize action, or take the Magic action to use a magic item that requires that action.

Hello

I'm well aware that true strike doesn't give advantage in 2024. That's not the combo. The idea is not to use true strike to give you advantage to "trigger" a sneak attack. You have to make that happen some other way (... there are so many ways).

The combo is the thief's ability to use magic items as a bonus action. It's a debatable reading (I hope the DMG will clear it up), but you could use this feature to read a scroll as a bonus action. True strike generates an attack as part of the casting. Use this attack to get a sneak attack as a bonus action. You can then use your action to ready an attack, and then get a 2nd attack not on your turn, thus getting 2 sneak attacks/round fairly reliably for a small cost.

 

[pukunui]

The thief with a 1 level wizard dip, using fast hand to cast true strike and attack as a bonus action, then holding their action to attack as a reaction, granting easy double sneak attack/round.

This requires the thief to have scrolls containing the true strike spell on them, thus it is highly dependent on the DM being willing to allow it, the party being able to afford to buy/craft said scrolls, etc.

Agathys Forever: I invented that one, although it is very possible that someone else also came up with it before me.

Basically, changes in the wording of the spell mean that you can now "recharge" Armor of Agathys, allowing you to inflict the cold damage far more often. At mid level, have the warlock cast it (as a level 4 slot) and then have the wizard change the warlock into a giant ape... you still inflict 20 cold damage to anyone who hits you, but you have 157 temp HP of good times until it expires. There are also a lot of other sources of temp HP that could be used.

I'm not convinced this works the way some people think it does. Until such time as this is officially addressed, I'd be inclined to rule that as soon as you override the Agathys THP with THP from another source, you've lost the Agathys THP and thus the spell no longer functions.

I'm also rather... alarmed by the nick weapon mastery and how it's being interpreted. I thought that using a nick weapon meant that your bonus action didn't have to be used for the off-hand attack, meaning you could attack twice at low level and still have other things to do with your bonus action. Feels like it makes the fighting style finally balanced!
Instead, you can get two extra attacks if you do use your bonus action. That seems... not right.

This requires the Dual Wielding feat to pull off. Without it, Nick just lets you make the off-hand weapon attack for free rather than as a bonus action. It states that you can only make that attack once per turn, so no using it twice. This was clarified in a preview article on DDB.

EDIT: here's the link to the article: https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1742-your-guide-to-weapon-mastery-in-the-2024-players

Under the description of the Nick weapon mastery, there is this bit: "Keep in mind that this doesn’t mean you can make a third attack as a Bonus Action, as the Light property specifies you only get one extra attack. But, while it may not pump your damage, this frees up your Bonus Action to use class/species abilities, such as the Rogue’s Cunning Action, while still getting an additional attack in." [my emphasis]

 

[Charlaquin]

I'm also rather... alarmed by the nick weapon mastery and how it's being interpreted. I thought that using a nick weapon meant that your bonus action didn't have to be used for the off-hand attack, meaning you could attack twice at low level and still have other things to do with your bonus action. Feels like it makes the fighting style finally balanced!
Instead, you can get two extra attacks if you do use your bonus action. That seems... not right.

That one definitely isn’t right, and also isn’t allowed by RAW as far as I can tell

 

[Ancalagon]

This requires the thief to have scrolls containing the true strike spell on them, thus it is highly dependent on the DM being willing to allow it, the party being able to afford to buy/craft said scrolls, etc.

It's 15 gp to make one, and the rules to do so are in the PHB. It's possible the GM will say no, but the basic rules allow it.

I'm not convinced this works the way some people think it does. Until such time as this is officially addressed, I'd be inclined to rule that as soon as you override the Agathys THP with THP from another source, you've lost the Agathys THP and thus the spell no longer functions.

If you want to rule it this way sure, but I think the change in writing is convincing IMO. The old wording stated that the spell ended when you ran out of these temp hp. The one one simply states that the spell ends when you run out of temp hp. Why change the wording?

 

[Charlaquin]

Hello

I'm well aware that true strike doesn't give advantage in 2024. That's not the combo. The idea is not to use true strike to give you advantage to "trigger" a sneak attack. You have to make that happen some other way (... there are so many ways).

The combo is the thief's ability to use magic items as a bonus action. It's a debatable reading (I hope the DMG will clear it up), but you could use this feature to read a scroll as a bonus action. True strike generates an attack as part of the casting. Use this attack to get a sneak attack as a bonus action. You can then use your action to ready an attack, and then get a 2nd attack not on your turn, thus getting 2 sneak attacks/round fairly reliably for a small cost.

Are you saying cast true strike from a scroll? If so, you’re going to need a lot of scrolls to be doing this every round. How much time and money do you intend to spend crafting?