D&D 5E New D&D Next Playtest Packet Is Here!

[Morrus]

The new D&D Next playtest package is now available on the official website! It includes character creation (levels 1 – 5), rules of play, DM guidelines, pre-generated characters, and an updated bestiary.

New Playtesting Packet Available!
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Please Note: We have implemented a new playtest delivery system which we believe will better enable you to access future playtest documents. Because this is a new system, you will need to do the following in order to download your playtest packet (even if you have done so previously):

• Agree to terms set forth in the Online Playtest Agreement (OPTA).
• Agree to be contacted by Wizards of the Coast to receive D&D Next playtesting information materials and surveys provided through a third-party.
• Enter an email address (this can be the same email address used before, if you wish).
• Create a password.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE PLAYTEST PACKET​

The sign-up account you are creating here is new and only connected to the playtest materials download. When you return to download future packets, you will only be asked to enter your email and password.

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[GX.Sigma]

New Packet Is Up!

Quick! Get it now before the site explodes!

Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page - Playtest

It has character creation AND adventure creation rules!

 

[The Shadow]

Thank you! Got it and am proceeding to devour!

 

[BobTheNob]

Yay!!

It downloaded this time!

 

[Ichneumon]

Now that was painless.

Time to make use of my project's lengthy compilation time ...

 

[GX.Sigma]

I notice it's missing one rather important thing: An adventure? We can't even use Caves of Chaos from packet 1 because the monsters are different.

 

[Kelvor Ravenstar]

Disappointment at only having the four classes, but from the discussion in the PA podcasts, the other classes are still in very early development.

Very happy to see Opportunity Attacks return in this version, not sure how I feel about it being a Reaction though, makes defending hard. The Combat Superiority Dice for the Fighter have enough options for me.
I like the changes to the Rogue, more ways to get Sneak Attack and the increas in SA damage is very good.

 

[IronWolf]

Definitely a smoother download process this time. No issues with that. I will be back later to contribute to discussion once I have had a chance to, you know, actually read the new stuff!

 

[bogmad]

I'll withhold judgment for now, but after browsing backgrounds I'm not sure how I feel about divorcing skill from ability scores again. They make a point to say what abilities are associated with a skill, but I don't see any mechanical relation when a skill modifier simply replaces an ability modifier for a check.

 

[MoonSong]

Well I'm just browsing it but it seems "theme" has been renamed to "specialty".

 

[ForeverSlayer]

Anyone else notice that the Cleric and Wizard show 10th level spells on the spell chart?

 

[Mercutio01]

Much, much, MUCH less painful a process to download.
Quick read/first impressions: I like the dial options for healing. It hits my needs exactly. The re-implementation of Opportunity Attacks is nice. The monster stat blocks are better. Character creation rules are nice to have. Skills are okay. I could have lived with the more abstract versions, but it is what it is. All-in-all, I think this shows that they've listened pretty well to our feedback.

 

[Argyle King]

Still reading, but a few things stick out to me during a brief scan. (Note: There are things I like too. However, I'm only currently pointing out some of the potential negatives so as to help refine the game -the point of the playtesting.)

The wording of Low-Light Vision is somewhat clumsy. If there's no light within the distance given, how could I treat shadows as normal light? I'd be in complete darkness, right? I believe I know what they mean here, but I'm not entirely sure.

I'll have to wait and see how it works in actual play, but the Hill Dwarf traits seem overall far more useful than those of the Mountain Dwarf.

Two person gripes which I do not expect others to share (and don't really impact play much either): 1) Something about the look of the new character sheet bugs me. I have no idea what it is, and I'm sure it is functional, but something I can't quite put my finger on bugs me. 2) I still wish there would be a way to do initiative without attaching Dexterity to it so heavily.

 

[FireLance]

First reaction: the feat formerly known as Reaper is now a combat maneuver that requires the fighter to expend expertise dice and to have missed on a roll of 10+.

This might go some way to address the concerns that some players had on automatic damage.

However, I'm not too sure how the mathematics will work out. If the fighter will hit most opponents on a roll of 10+ anyway, this ability will seldom come into play. It might be better to have it trigger when the fighter misses by 4 or less, or for simplicity, on an attack roll of 5+.

Case in point: The sample dwarf fighter has an attack bonus of +6. Most of the enemies in the bestiary have ACs of 16 or less. I can find only one (Dark Priest, AC 17) that the dwarf fighter would miss on a 10 (exactly), and only from levels 1 to 3.

 

[GX.Sigma]

I'll withhold judgment for now, but after browsing backgrounds I'm not sure how I feel about divorcing skill from ability scores again. They make a point to say what abilities are associated with a skill, but I don't see any mechanical relation when a skill modifier simply replaces an ability modifier for a check.

Your skill modifier is [3 + ability modifier], and that quantity replaces [ability modifier] for a skill check.

It's a needlessly awkward way to say it, but that's what it means.

 

[Ashilyn]

I still like what I'm seeing so far, particularly with the backgrounds and specialties and what they add to a character. I also like that they brought back Opportunity Attacks, and a move action dedicated to being able to move while still getting away from them (and combat) better than a 5ft step.

The two weapon fighting rule sticks out to me as weird, though. I get what it's supposed to do - if you're wielding two of the same weapon, it's the same max damage but higher min damage, and it's a nice thought and I love the spirit of the idea. But at the same time it's a little baffling

 

[LostSoul]

Is engaging in a Contest an Action, even if it's not your turn?

In other words, if you gain Surprise, can you Restrain someone with a Strength Contest with no chance of failure?

If it's not an Action, then why isn't it a Saving Throw?

Why do you get Disadvantage on Saving Throws vs. Charm Person if you're wearing armour that you're not proficient in? (Should it say "Strength or Dexterity Saving Throws"?)

The "Here's another secret" under Using These DCs seems strange to me. Why set DCs if you can just use the player's gut feelings?

 

[IronWolf]

I notice it's missing one rather important thing: An adventure? We can't even use Caves of Chaos from packet 1 because the monsters are different.

On Twitter they said an adventure would be coming next week.

 

[WotC_Trevor]

As some have pointed out, we don't have an adventure in this playtest packet. However, we will release one next week. Until then, we have some encounter creation rules in the DM Guidelines section of the packet and we would love to see what people come up with and get their feedback on adventure creation.

 

[Ebon Shar]

I'm still at work, so I can't look at the files, but has Multi-classing been addressed? If so, is it more like 1E or 3E? Thanks.