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.

 

[Micah Sweet]

So why is the Druid the least played 5e class for years?

I said its because it has the most info to learn. Crawford said the same. Both DNDBeyond and WOTC says its least played. Less played than 5e ranger, monk, and sorcerer classes well known as weaker.

But many D&D fans say its not complicated nor complex nor is there a lot to learn. But its still the least played. Sure its only 1%. But that's still last pace. Last place behind underpowered, niche, and weakly supported classes. Whereas the Druid is a strong class with many, almost too many, tropes embedded in its core.

Why is the druid least played?

Who cares? Like you said, somebody has to be at the bottom, especially if you insist on ranking and designing everything in terms of popularity. WotC D&D is turning into Family Feud.

 

[Gorck]

I agree regarding compatibility. If only WotC was interested in making a better game and not just one more people will buy stuff for.

Well, there's the quandary. Not everyone in the community thinks the game is bad and needs to be made better. And those that do think the game needs to be made better don't agree on how WotC should go about making it better. So what is WotC supposed to do if they want to improve the game but the fanbase can't agree on what changes should be made? The solution would be to make polls and go with the results that score highest. Which is effectively what they're doing with 1DD (with the addition of putting out playtests ahead of the polls).

I wouldn't be averse to a shaman class.

There are plenty of 3PP Shaman classes available. I even made one based on the WoW Shaman, focusing on summoning Totems. I haven't had time to properly playtest it, so it probably sucks, but it does exist. My daughter and I started a campaign where we were playtesting some of my homebrew material, but it's been shelved for the time being. Hopefully we'll continue playing it again someday.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Well, there's the quandary. Not everyone in the community thinks the game is bad and needs to be made better. And those that do think the game needs to be made better don't agree on how WotC should go about making it better. So what is WotC supposed to do if they want to improve the game but the fanbase can't agree on what changes should be made? The solution would be to make polls and go with the results that score highest. Which is effectively what they're doing with 1DD (with the addition of putting out playtests ahead of the polls).

There are plenty of 3PP Shaman classes available. I even made one based on the WoW Shaman. I haven't had time to properly playtest it, so it probably sucks, but it does exist. My daughter and I started a campaign where we were playtesting some of my homebrew material, but it's been shelved for the time being. Hopefully we'll continue playing it again someday.

Oh, I know. I use 3pp all the time. My points are more about the principle and about how the over-sized clumsy behemoth of the industry influences everyone else in what I feel is a negative way.

 

[Emberashh]

Less a problem and more a design flaw.

Does the class that replaces the Druid as "least played" suddenly become a flawed design if the Druid is fixed?

 

[Vael]

Unfortunately, I don't think we have good data on this, but one way to check this would be to compare how often Druids were played in other editions and other TTRPGs. WoW data ... while good, having the computer to automate gaming functions makes it an apple/orange comparison, except for flavour and theme.

Now, my first RPG character ever was a 3.5 Druid, but that campaign didn't last long enough for me to get to Wildshape. And mostly I was using my animal companion and chucking Produce Flame orbs, so while managing the pet wasn't easy, it wasn't particularly difficult. And while I think it wasn't as well received (but then I mainly hung out on optimization forums, so that definitely coloured my view), I did want to try the PH2 Druid, that got at-will shapeshifting combined with generic statblocks.

In 4e, I loved the Druid. I liked their uniqueness, and the at-will shapeshifting was a major draw to the class.

In 5e ... Druids and Sorcerers are my two favourite classes. I haven't had a problem playing them, but I have noticed problems DMing them. I've had the "I just want to be a wolf" player that got frustrated that the various Wolf statblocks didn't keep up with the party.

So, to me, yes, shapeshifting is a core part of the Druid's identity, but having played both the "use a MM statblock" and "use a generic player aimed statblock" variants of the Druid, I think I'm team generic.

 

[Gorck]

When D&D Beyond displayed the class and subclass percentages back in 2017, druid was last.

I wouldn’t mind seeing the results from this particular poll, but my Google-fu is letting me down. A quick search resulted in numerous unofficial polls in various forum threads, as well as a 2017 poll that focused specifically on subclasses.

 

[Minigiant]

I wouldn’t mind seeing the results from this particular poll, but my Google-fu is letting me down. A quick search resulted in numerous unofficial polls in various forum threads, as well as a 2017 poll that focused specifically on subclasses.

Here's 538's Article on it on it from 2017

Then there are the DNDB slideshow images.

 

[Minigiant]

Does the class that replaces the Druid as "least played" suddenly become a flawed design if the Druid is fixed?

You mean the Ranger? The poster boy for bad class design?

Or the Sorcerer? The "I don't know what to do with this class I'm designing. so uhhhh copy the Wizard and uhhh Megamagic? I guess"

Or the Monk?

 

[Emberashh]

Here's 538's Article on it on it from 2017

Druid is played roughly half as much as the most popular class. Not seeing a cause for alarm here.

You mean the Ranger? The poster boy for bad class design?

Or the Sorcerer? The "I don't know what to do with this class I'm designing. so uhhhh copy the Wizard and uhhh Megamagic? I guess"

Or the Monk?

Ok, lets say that now those are all fixed. Is the new "least played" class suddenly a flawed design?

 

[Gorck]

Here's 538's Article on it on it from 2017

Then there are the DNDB slideshow images.

So it’s kind of like I thought it was. The Fighter leads the way at 13%, followed by the Rogue at 11%. The other 10 classes are in single digits ranging from 9% down to 6%. So, while the Druid is last as the lone 6%er, it’s not dramatically far behind the rest of the classes (considering 5 of the 12 classes are tied at 7% - just 1% ahead of the Druid).