D&D (2024) New One D&D Playtest Document: 77 Pages, 7 Classes, & More!

There's a brand new playtest document for the new (version/edition/update) of Dungeons of Dragons available for download! This one is an enormous 77 pages and includes classes, spells, feats, and weapons.

Unearthed Arcana Playtest

Unearthed Arcana Playtest Materials Get Unearthed Arcana playtest content, try it out in your game, and provide feedback! Check back regularly for ...

www.dndbeyond.com

In this new Unearthed Arcana document for the 2024 Core Rulebooks, we explore material designed for the next version of the Player’s Handbook. This playtest document presents updated rules on seven classes: Bard, Cleric, Druid, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, and Rogue. This document also presents multiple subclasses for each of those classes, new Spells, revisions to existing Spells and Spell Lists, and several revised Feats. You will also find an updated rules glossary that supercedes the glossary of any previous playtest document.

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[TwoSix]

Some of these changes seem pretty good--but I just got to Paladin, and now I'm seeing that they're making Channel Divinity class-siloed. Meaning, Paladins have Paladin charges for Paladin-only uses, Clerics have Cleric charges for Cleric-only uses...

Why in God's name are we continuing to call them "Channel Divinity" if they're completely unrelated features?

Well, theoretically, rules for how to handle Channel Divinity in a multiclass could end up in the multiclassing chapter, just like how Spellcasting multiclassing or Extra Attack multiclassing is spelled out in that chapter, not in the feature description.

I do think Druid should have Channel Divinity too, even if they call it Channel Nature.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

Yes, that's exactly what that means.

It took me a while to understand that it means 'your beast can take the extra action as ITS bonus action', and that's why the bonus action is listed twice.

Because that just makes the Beastmaster absolutely amazing now.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

Rogue is almost there... these Cunning Strike options are a solid boost, basically trading 1d6 for a save-or-suck (disarm or poison) every single turn. And, with the nerf to Ranger Expertise, Rogues are back to being the skill monkeys (yes, Bards are full casters so they do everything better, but Rogue gets an earlier Reliable Talent!).

And Thief gets its tools back!

So it's a shame that subclass features (and the additional Cunning Strikes there) are pushed back to lv9.

 

[Vael]

So, it looks like "magical piercing/slashing/bludgeoning" damage is going away. All the features that would normally grant it instead offer "do normal or Force (or Radiant for the Moon Druid)" damage.

 

[Mirrorrorrim]

I am amazed at how they completely missed everything with this Monk. Everyone gets weapon mastery, so Monk's unarmed not having it makes them just worse off.

The defining feature of Monks is having such terrible issues with Ki through their early levels, that they fix it... after the early levels. And all the new names for abilities are just worse! And the elemental monk can do a whopping 3d8 AoE at lv6+? Uh...

1 minute short rest is great! It's just... that's it. You're still there just to fish for Stunning Strike, only once per turn now.

I disagree about weapon mastery. Unarmed strikes aren't weapons. They shouldn't get weapon mastery as a baseline.

Instead, monks' unarmed strikes increase in damage dice as they gain levels (whereas other weapons no longer do) and they can deal Force damage starting at L6. That's fine to differentiate them from weapons. A 6th level monk can flurry 4 unarmed strikes that each deal 1d8+Dex mod force damage, all the way up to L17 which is 4 unarmed strikes at 1d12+Dex mod force damage each. That's good for monk unarmed strike design. Subclasses can add the special unarmed strike buffs when appropriate.

For instance, the Warrior of the Hand subclass does get weapon mastery-like abilities at Level 3. The Open Hand Technique gives "Addle," "Push," and "Topple," to flurry attacks without requiring a "di point" or other cost. That is fine.

Also, Element monks get something different and thematic that reflect their Elemental Attunement (elemental strikes and reach).

Shadow is subtle because the Darkness just gives them advantage against most enemies and those enemies get disadvantage against them (or makes the monk and their allies untargetable by sight-based spells)

Kensei would likely be able to use the weapon mastery of more powerful weapons they can be proficient with.

 

[Nightfly]

Paladin's Smite is an awful, awful name

I think it should be called Paladin's Smite of the Paladin Which is a Paladin Ability of the Paladin Class.

Or just Smite. One or the other of those.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I love the idea in the first level you can choose among two options, because this helps to feel your PC is different, and not a generic premade.

Doric in the action-live movie has been a strong influence in the imagination of the new generations of players in the hour to create new druid PCs.

I wonder if after the new core books we are going to see an "updated" version of Xanathar and Tasha's guides.

Will be the next playtest after the release of Planescape? Because the UA playtests are almost teaser+spoilers of future titles.

Is there space for "variant classes"? Like the archetypes of Pathfinders. You can replace some class features with others. For example the paladin changes divine spells with psionice powers and we have the ardent class, or divine spells with soulmelds and now we have the soulborn, or with martial maneuvers and then it is the crusader class.

 

[TwoSix]

So, it looks like "magical piercing/slashing/bludgeoning" damage is going away. All the features that would normally grant it instead offer "do normal or Force (or Radiant for the Moon Druid)" damage.

Nice observation! Yea, getting rid of the difference between "nonmagical b/p/s" and "magical b/p/s" seems like the kind of clean-up they would do in the new MM.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

Hah, remember when people thought they'd be revising a lot of spells. That said...

Find Steed was toned down! No longer warhorse tramples or weirdness about what is a controlled vs uncontrolled mount.
Conjure Barrage was buffed. 5d8 dmg, whatever, but you choose who it hits. And you can do it with a melee weapon in hand!
Searing Smite is still absolute trash, when the Paladin could just smite for certain damage right now.
Vicious Mockery's damage went from d4 to d6. Weird, but I'm all in favor of not having to try to roll d4s ever.

 

[Vael]

I love the idea in the first level you can choose among two options, because this helps to feel your PC is different, and not a generic premade.

Doric in the action-live movie has been a strong influence in the imagination of the new generations of players in the hour to create new druid PCs.

Well ... this new Druid has problems then. Back to MM statblocks means no Owlbear and Doric's escape from the tower uses 6 forms (fly, mouse, hawk, cat, deer and ... chocobo?). I know, the movie and RPG aren't the same things, but it's just funny that the current design doesn't take that into account.