D&D 5E Player's Handbook Official Errata

There's a new printing of the 5E Player's Handbook a'coming. It "corrects some typos while clarifying a few rules." But for those of us who already have a 5E Player's Handbook, there's a one-page PDF of official errata now available. It contains 51 items, covering classes, equipment, feats, spells, and more.

Download it right here! The errata has already been incorporated into the free Basic Rules.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

Anything that is optional though, like feats, is unlikely to see errata for that very reason. Each table can choose which feats it uses (or doesn't use), or amend them as they wish. There is no real "need" to errata feats even if they thought it might be a good idea for a select few in hindsight.

Except that, in this very document, we have errata for several feats. Including Polearm Master and Sentinel, which are considered top-tier feats for offensive and defensive melee characters--the former being a pedantic and almost-totally-superfluous clarification (can you even USE Dex with polearms??), and the latter being a straight-up improvement (albeit an appropriate improvement).

 

[Kinneus]

Cantrips can't be written onto scrolls in the first place, as I had understood it.

On the contrary, cantrip scrolls are listed in the Dungeon Master's guide. Their rarity is Common, actually.

Since it seems germane to this conversation, I'd like to post a link to a rules question I asked a few months back regarding whether or not a monk's unarmed strikes are weapon attacks. People seemed to universally agree; yup, they are.

http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?407358-What-Exactly-is-a-Weapon-Attack

It seems (based on clarifications others have written), that unarmed attacks are still "weapon attacks," and that the rule simply means your fists aren't "weapons" that can be enchanted via Magic Weapon and similar spells. Which, um, okay, fine. That's a perfectly sensible clarification. But why did they have to write it in the most confusing way possible?

I'd think editing the text of the Magic Weapon-type spells itself would've been simpler?

 

[Delandel]

As a person who has played a Sorcerer from levels 1-7 so far, and all I want to do is be a blaster, these changes really suck.

Levels 1-4 I put up with subpar damage. I was the squishy hiding in the back while the barbarian did all the work. Sometimes I got to shine briefly with a good burning hands, that's it. My Scorching Ray was a small way I can spend an extremely limited resource to do big damage.

Level 5 I could Fireball, and that's amazing. Big groups I got to shine, when it happened. Otherwise it was the martials and their Extra Attack that left me in the back again not doing much.

Level 6, aha! +CHA to damage! Suddenly my Scorching Rays (6d6+15; 36) were pretty sweet, equal to the raging barbarian's ON DEMAND SWING (on-demand advantage; 2d12+24;35), but not as good if he manages to crit (double crit chance because of advantage) or kill (duh, minions die when you do 35 damage) = 3d12+36. But hey! When I twinned Scorching Ray, it kicked ass. I got to finally be the glass cannon blaster I wanted to be. I used my signficantly more limited resource to do big damage when needed. And Fireball+CHA! Woo!

And now comes the nerfs. No more twinned scorching ray. No more CHAx3 rays. Back to being the glass slingshot that can't keep up with the martials. There's still Fireball, which is nice, but that's it.

Ironically, my best combat strategy, even before this errata, was Polymorphing into a Giant Ape. But hey, it's polymorph, can't nerf that right? Gotta nerf the blasting spells!

This is super upsetting for me.

 

[MightyZehir]

The biggest repercussion for the Monk WRT unarmed strikes no longer being a weapon is that unarmed Monks can't use Stunning Strike anymore. Pfffffffft.

You got it wrong, you can still use it.

“Instead of using a weapon to make amelee weapon attack, you can use an unarmedstrike: a punch, kick, head-butt, orsimilar forceful blow (none of which countas weapons)."

So you can still use an unarmed strike to make a melee weapon attack, it just doesn't count as weapon.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

It seems (based on clarifications others have written), that unarmed attacks are still "weapon attacks," and that the rule simply means your fists are "weapons" that can be enchanted via Magic Weapon and similar spells. Which, um, okay, fine. That's a perfectly sensible clarification. But why did they have to write it in the most confusing way possible?

I'd think editing the text of the Magic Weapon-type spells itself would've been simpler?

That would have meant failing to employ Natural Language™. Unambiguously defined terms are jargon, which would be the equivalent of stealing forty cakes!

 

[Psikerlord#]

I thought that much should have been obvious. This edition doesn't really go for the whole "separating out your different spellcasting classes" thing. Classes control how you learn new spells, and your total effective spellcaster levels determine your spell slots, but you could always cast any spell you know in any of your slots. The feat just gives you one more spell known, and one spell slot in case you didn't otherwise have any.

I have to say I never interpreted it that way. If the spell gained via Magic Initiate can be used as a slot spell, too, that is huge!

 

[Psikerlord#]

Except that, in this very document, we have errata for several feats. Including Polearm Master and Sentinel, which are considered top-tier feats for offensive and defensive melee characters--the former being a pedantic and almost-totally-superfluous clarification (can you even USE Dex with polearms??), and the latter being a straight-up improvement (albeit an appropriate improvement).

Hahaha. Ah yes, er, there is that !

 

[Psikerlord#]

As a person who has played a Sorcerer from levels 1-7 so far, and all I want to do is be a blaster, these changes really suck.

Levels 1-4 I put up with subpar damage. I was the squishy hiding in the back while the barbarian did all the work. Sometimes I got to shine briefly with a good burning hands, that's it. My Scorching Ray was a small way I can spend an extremely limited resource to do big damage.

Level 5 I could Fireball, and that's amazing. Big groups I got to shine, when it happened. Otherwise it was the martials and their Extra Attack that left me in the back again not doing much.

Level 6, aha! +CHA to damage! Suddenly my Scorching Rays (6d6+15; 36) were pretty sweet, equal to the raging barbarian's ON DEMAND SWING (on-demand advantage; 2d12+24;35), but not as good if he manages to crit (double crit chance because of advantage) or kill (duh, minions die when you do 35 damage) = 3d12+36. But hey! When I twinned Scorching Ray, it kicked ass. I got to finally be the glass cannon blaster I wanted to be. I used my signficantly more limited resource to do big damage when needed. And Fireball+CHA! Woo!

And now comes the nerfs. No more twinned scorching ray. No more CHAx3 rays. Back to being the glass slingshot that can't keep up with the martials. There's still Fireball, which is nice, but that's it.

Ironically, my best combat strategy, even before this errata, was Polymorphing into a Giant Ape. But hey, it's polymorph, can't nerf that right? Gotta nerf the blasting spells!

This is super upsetting for me.

This is an issue with the -5/+10 mechanic, not so much spells. Take away that +10 damage and you're looking much more competitive. I recommend putting that to your group.

 

[Rune]

the former being a pedantic and almost-totally-superfluous clarification (can you even USE Dex with polearms??)

You can use Shillelagh with a quarterstaff. This errata makes it clear that doing so with Polearm Master lets you use Wis or Cha (depending on whether you're a druid or bard) with your bonus attack. That's kinda great.

 

[MightyZehir]

Another concern: re-defining unarmed strikes as specifically definitely 100% not weapon attacks might have some serious repercussions for Monks. Specifically, it messes up the dwarven Fighter/Monk character I wanted to make pretty bad.

Well, you can still make melee weapon attacks using unarmed strike , it just doesn't count as a weapon.