D&D (2024) Developer Video on Druid/Paladin/Expert Feedback

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WotC has posted a video discussing initial feedback on the One D&D Druid/Paladin playtest, along with survey results from the Expert playtest. Some highlights for discussion:

Druid: The developers recognize that the template version of wild shape is contentious. If they retain this approach, they would plan to add flexibility to those templates. If they revert to monster stat blocks, they might allow Druids to choose a limited number of options, with a default selection provided.

Paladin: The new version of smite is still intended to work with critical hits. If ranged smite persists, its damage may be adjusted through the internal balance/playtesting process.

Ranger: The updated Ranger scored very well in the playtest. Some players did miss the choice of options in the Hunter subclass.

Bard: All of the Lore Bard's features scored welll, but the overall subclass rating was mediocre. They attribute this to the loss of Additional Magical Secrets, which many saw as the key attraction of this subclass.

Rogue: The change to limit sneak attack to the Rogue's own turn scored poorly. The developers generally like moving actions to a player's own turn to keep the game moving quickly, but in this case, the change doesn't seem to be worth the loss of tactical flexibility.

Feats: With the exception of epic boons, all the feats in the Expert packet scored well. The developers are still loking at written feedback for fine tuning.

Conspicuously not mentioned were the Arcane/Divine/Primal spell lists, which were the focus of a lot of discussion during the Bard playtest.

 

[Emberashh]

The line between highly skilled and magic has always been blurred. Legolas clearly uses a never ending quiver in LotR but is that really magic, dodgy editing, or a creative decision? Did the Beastmaster have a mystical bond or was he just good at training animals?

Aragorn could have been a multiclassed druid, or paladin, or a plain old fighter. The cosmic ballet goes on.

We the quiver is obviously a movie thing. LOTR is pre-John Wick so ammo never mattered back then unless drama.

And Beastmaster, as Ive noted earlier, shouldn't be a Ranger but its own thing. For one, the OG Beastmaster isn't even from fantasy but from science fiction, and the movie adaption that took the idea to sword and sorcery did have the Beastmaster as a deliberately empowered character, as Dar could communicate telepathically with animals.

If anything the Beastmaster ought to be a Psionic, if we wanted to go by its actual origins in and out of fantasy.

And the idea that anything the game doesn't tell you to do is arbitrary no matter how reasoned is.................well................ludicrous.

Arbitrary; adjective. subject to individual will or judgment without restriction; contingent solely upon one's discretion: an arbitrary decision. decided by a judge or arbiter rather than by a law or statute.

No. That's not accepted at all.

It is.

Mechanics =/= exploration.

I'll just say the word "Facepalm" and leave it at that. Anything I can say to you on these points at this point is going to beget some scary red text.

I suggest you drop it.

 

[Maxperson]

Arbitrary; adjective. subject to individual will or judgment without restriction; contingent solely upon one's discretion: an arbitrary decision. decided by a judge or arbiter rather than by a law or statute.

I figured you'd "misunderstand" and take the judicial definition. That doesn't apply here. There's no legal judgment being made. There's no arbiter involved. And even if it was, all that means is that it is reasoned out by the arbiter, so it would be a distinction without a difference. If that's the definition you are using, you are literally arguing that reasoned = reasoned.

Here's the proper definition when it comes to RPGs.

"based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system."

It is.

Prove it. Provide me with links that show tons and tons of people claiming exploration pretty much doesn't exist in 5e.

 

[Emberashh]

drop it.

 

[Incenjucar]

A psionic beastmaster would be amazing, and a great departure from psions-as-wizards.

 

[Emberashh]

A psionic beastmaster would be amazing, and a great departure from psions-as-wizards.

Indeed, and Im actually considering that. I had originally planned on doing the Hedge Mage as a psionic (coupled with shapeshifting) and the Beastmaster as a Summoner, but now I think I might swap them around.

 

[Bolares]

A psionic beastmaster would be amazing, and a great departure from psions-as-wizards.

I think the beastmaster template could work well in multiple classes (the updated one). Artificer makes good use of a robot pet, maybe a warlock could be cool too......

 

[Emberashh]

I think the beastmaster template could work well in multiple classes (the updated one). Artificer makes good use of a robot pet, maybe a warlock could be cool too......

I think the Drakewarden was what Beastmaster should have been relative to 5e. It just makes sense the way they structured it and you could easily extrapolate it for any kind of creature or beast you want.

 

[Remathilis]

Yes. It would be nice to actually be able to play those character archetypes.

When D&D becomes a classless, point-buy, skills-based system, you will get your wish.

 

[Emberashh]

When D&D becomes a classless, point-buy, skills-based system, you will get your wish.

It may be because my formative time with RPGs came with video game RPGs, who have long since abandoned the concept of character classes in most iterations, but good god am I uninterested if that becomes the case.

I want classes done better than ever. Which I suppose makes sense as to why Ive been writing my own game, seeing as very few games hit the mark consistently.

 

[niklinna]

When D&D becomes a classless, point-buy, skills-based system, you will get your wish.

Or you could play a system that grants the wish and not have to wait. (My group will soon be starting Stonetop, and I will be playing The Ranger. Gonna start as a Mighty Hunter with Wild Speech and then have a drake as my animal companion at level 2!)