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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[Remathilis]

I blame @Snarf Zagyg. Apparently he's influenced them to the point where they feel the bard is hopeless and their time is better spent elsewhere.

I'll second that motion.

@Snarf Zagyg, you have been found guilty of defaming the bard class and for punishment will be bound while a gnomish bard reads his 472 verse sonnet: "An Ode to Moss"

O' how lovely you look upon the bog,
O' how lovely you look upon the log...

 

[Henadic Theologian]

All good concerns. But the Bastion already had me at ... my own demiplane.

I am approaching the Bastion as a separate character with its own character sheet. The different options are like Bastion classes.

In your list of things, making a Spelljammer a Bastion sounds appealing. Adding to your list. A Bastion at a Fey Crossing can be cool, shifting back-and-forth between planes. An arcade with shops along it.

I also have this image of having a door that you can setup anywhere in any city. It takes up no room since it is a door. But to go thru it is to step thru a Gate to the Bastion. The Bastion can be palatial overlooking a beautiful scenic view. Then return to city thru same door.

My idea

All good concerns. But the Bastion already had me at ... my own demiplane.

I am approaching the Bastion as a separate character with its own character sheet. The different options are like Bastion classes.

In your list of things, making a Spelljammer a Bastion sounds appealing. Adding to your list. A Bastion at a Fey Crossing can be cool, shifting back-and-forth between planes. An arcade with shops along it.

I also have this image of having a door that you can setup anywhere in any city. It takes up no room since it is a door. But to go thru it is to step thru a Gate to the Bastion. The Bastion can be palatial overlooking a beautiful scenic view. Then return to city thru same door.

In my last post I think I can up with a simple way of doing Bastions, pick a location you control like a Tavern, Spelljammer, a Stronghold your building, Mighty Fortress, Temple of the Gods, Walking Castle, etc..., and your Bastion gets its own attentment slots depending upon your level that use can use to upgrade rooms and other facilities into having magical or other mechanical effects. Like want to turn your tap room at the Trolskull Tavern be able to offer magical drinks, install a magical keg, and attune it over seven days or something to the Bastion (Trolskull Tavern). Spelljamming Helms that are permenant take up 1 Bastions Attunement slot. Same with special weapon systems, magical shrine, a permanent Demiplane like Magifiscent Mansion, adding a teleportation circle to a room, a room with a Planar Ally attached, a room enchanted to allow you to cast any Ritual Spell while with in it. You could even attune magical staff instead of an attunement to a room, using an attunement slot. Like a Guardian Angel, a Golem, Magnin, Mimic, a animated garden,, an enspelled Demon, Undead, etc, each taken up an attunement, but also have a character level prequiste. Lesser creatures as a group might take only a single Attunement for example a Cranium rat swarm.
...

 

[Maxperson]

• Blade Ward is now a reaction to grant disadvantage on any one (*melee) attack, including melee spell attacks (like Chill Touch, Shocking Grasp and Thorn Whip). It's effectively "dodge" against one melee attack, but you don't have to use your Action. You can blast with an attack spell, and still be able to defend as a reaction. Between Blade Ward (for attacks) and Resistance (for save effects), wizards have their basic defensive tools for spell battles, baby!

And Counterspell to make sure they don't happen.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

That UA is actually very good.

I like the Bastion system a lot. Lile an improved downtime system that helps people connect with the world.

I like most cantrip upgrades. I think having bladeward grant resistance to bludgeoning, piercing and slashing instead of granting disadvantage and we have a deal.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Just to build on my own comment here, if they think UK D&D players are going to find it acceptable that they have to wait to level 13 (!!!!!!!!!!!) to own a pub, WotC are going to be VERY surprised lol. That is 100% the first thing most players will want to build.

Especially since there are a ton of products out there already allowing groups to do that, often as the core concept of a player group.

OTOH, not getting a pub until level 13 explains all the retired adventurers running them.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

MCDM rules are LONG and unneccearily complex

Evergreen post.

(Love you, Matt, but you've gotta know this is an issue.)

 

[Weiley31]

Shillelagh has scaling now. Look at that damage go up, one die step at a time!

.do druids really use this ever at higher levels (even with the more damage)?

If you have a magic staff or club Shillelaghs will still apply to it.

Druids basically get Magic Great Swords now, but Club Edition, once they hit the max scale on the Cantrip.

 

[Zaukrie]

Yeah I just think the odds of my comment actually being read are tiny. It could happen but there's no way they're fully reading 10000+ comments. They're either using some kind of numerical system to detect potentially "interesting" comments, or at best, having some low-paid outsourced people go through the comments flagging which ones are "worth reading" on some kind of unknown-to-us criteria.

They are totally reading the comments. They've said so. I used to do surveys for s living, and we read the comments. Others here with similar experience have said the same thing.

 

[Zaukrie]

Druids basically get Magic Great Swords now, but Club Edition, once they hit the max scale on the Cantrip.

Except there is no bonus to hit.... And the scaling is pretty slow compared to what I'd expect for magic items in most campaigns. I about there may be dumber legacy brain work here that doesn't take into account bounded accuracy.....

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

Except there is no bonus to hit.... And the scaling is pretty slow compared to what I'd expect for magic items in most campaigns.

Shillelagh is for people who can cast spells and get extra attacks (and have some use for Wisdom). So, Rangers, not Druids. You can find some kind of a magical quarterstaff/club if you want, but it basically covers you for needing a magic weapon as a warrior (in case something needs magic to hurt it).