D&D (2024) New One D&D Playtest Includes 5 Classes & New Weapon Mastery System

The latest playtest packet for One D&D has just landed, and features five classes (Barbarian, Fighter, Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard) and the new Weapon Mastery system.

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 the rules on the Weapon Mastery property, updates to weapons, new and revised spells, several new feats, and five classes: Barbarian, Fighter, Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard. You will also find an updated rules glossary that supercedes the glossary of any previous playtest documents.

Claim Unearthed Arcana now! - D&D Beyond

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[HammerMan]

My god this is worse than I thought. I just read up to the rules glossary and am physically ill

Fighter gets a little bump every thing every caster class gets is now a spell and they killed the warlock

 

[Neonchameleon]

No, I'm saying sentiments like "warlock is half caster and has lost access to higher level spells" is ignoring that they deliberately shunted some of those features into a different place, while combining them with others. So now warlocks get standard half casting for most of their spell slots, and then a single source of higher level faux slots, rather than having a bunch of different features and invocations that replicate that same basic utility.

It's fine if you don't like the specific implementation, but just looking at the warlock table and jumping to conclusions - which is what a number of people seem to have done - isn't really telling the whole story.

The thing is that they didn't "shunt some of those features into a different place" no matter how some people jump to conclusions that they must have done so. They stripped them from the warlock then forced you to give up other fundamental features if you wanted them back. Between levels 10 and 20 the new Warlock gains four invocations which they may spend on Mystic Arcanum. The original Warlock gained three invocations - and mystic arcana for 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th level spells. If a warlock wants those higher level slots they need to give up literally all their higher level invocations.

 

[mellored]

Writing things down: now a spell.

Writing down magic, requires magic.

It's not something a fighter can simply copy.

 

[Yaarel]

"The main sources are Arcane, Divine, and Primal."

"main"

This probably means there are plans for the Psionic source for the anniversary edition, but probably not in the core books themselves.

Perhaps "Martial spells" are possible, and maybe Elemental, Shadow, or other specialty sources are in mind too.

 

[Bacon Bits]

Are they though?

Because I've never met a dungeon that's believable, just a few that are meant to be hard mode with doors that can't be barred and monsters that sense you for no reason to keep the pressure up citing 'verisimilitude' to justify itself.

I think you're pretty hard-pressed to say that you're playing a TTRPG so that you don't create a believable world. Like if that's what I wanted then I would choose Gloomhaven, Warhammer 40k, or any number of video games that do skirmish combat far, far better. It's taking the one thing that makes TTRPGs unique and throwing that part away.

You certainly can do that at your table, and if that's what your table likes that's fine. I'm just saying that's a really questionable design for a TTRPG as a whole when verisimilitude seems pretty central to how quite a lot of people engage with the RPG hobby.

Give me the bolded on. Encounter-based design FTW.

It's not a wrong way to design a game. Many TTRPGs do it.

But it's not one that I would call "compatible with 5e D&D," which is a design limitation of One D&D.

 

[Zaukrie]

For simplicity and shortening EVERY ATTACK, maybe unarmed strike could be a weapon so it isn't typed OVER AND OVER?

 

[Charlaquin]

Well, yeah, that’s exactly what they could do. And come on, if the DM says no, it’s a no. I’m not going to sit there and say “ I’m not moving for an hour unless you make me, Nyah!” That tends to lead to rocks falling…

If your DM would rather TPK the party than let your warlock function, it’s time to find a new DM.

 

[Bacon Bits]

Writing down magic, requires magic.

It's not something a fighter can simply copy.

Which has always been true. Making it a spell is fine, and it suits the narrative well.

 

[Vaalingrade]

I think you're pretty hard-pressed to say that you're playing a TTRPG so that you don't create a believable world.

Believable world and 'cheats to force attrition then calls it realistic' are two different things.

It's not a wrong way to design a game. Many TTRPGs do it.

But it's not one that I would call "compatible with 5e D&D," which is a design limitation of One D&D.

Yes. That is exactly the problem. We need to reject backward compatibility. It's an unnecessary limitation that leads to... well this.

 

[Charlaquin]

It depends where you are. In wilderness adventures there's always time for a short rest. In dungeons not so much - you might be facing an organised dungeon floor. In urban environments ... how much damage could you do in an hour?

My version would be a concentration ritual that takes five minutes to cast but is limited times per day for the warlock to recharge pact magic.

I don’t think long resting is generally a big problem, but I do agree that letting Warlocks regain their Pact Magic slots by concentrating for a few minutes and just limiting the number of times they can do so per day is probably the best compromise.