New One D&D Playtest Shows Us The New Druid & Paladin

WotC has released the fourth One D&D playtest document. This 29-page PDF includes the druid and the paladin with Circle of the Moon and Oath of Devotion subclasses.

Druid. The Druid class and Circle of the Moon subclass are ready for playtesting here.

Paladin. The Paladin class and Oath of Devotion subclass are ready for playtesting here.

Feats. Several revised feats appear here for your feedback, with more revised feats coming in future articles.

Spells. More spells are ready for playtesting, with a focus on smite spells, Find Familiar, and Find Steed.

Rules Glossary. The rules glossary has been updated again and supersedes the glossary in previous Unearthed Arcana articles. In this document, any underlined term in the body text appears in that glossary, which defines game terms that have been clarified or redefined for this playtest or that don’t appear in the 2014 Player’s Handbook.

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[DEFCON 1]

To be fair, the 2024 books are not intended as supplements, like Xanathar's and even Tasha's were. They are clearly replacements.

That you can easily treat as supplements if you choose to.

Find you like the change to the Exhaustion rules in the 2024E book? Port them over to your 2014E game.

Find you like the Holy Orders for Cleric that allow you to be either a melee character or ranged character regardless of the domain you have? Port the feature over to your 2014E Cleric with a slight edit.

Find you prefer the 2024E versions of the Great Weapon Master and Sharpshooter feats? Port them over to your 2014E game.

Mostly any of the rules that will appear in the 2024E book will be able to be ported in some form or fashion for use in a 2014E game. This is part of the talk about backwards compatibility-- feats are feats, for example... so you can use a 2014E feat in a 2024E game, or vice versa. And thus if anyone finds the totality of changes in the 2024E book to be too much and they don't want to do a full switch... they can just use it like it was a Xanathar's or Tasha's and incorporate just some bits as supplemental additions to add to their 2014E game.

Or heck... port some 2024E rules into their Level Up game if they find they like them.

 

[HammerMan]

It’s 5e D&D 2nd edition.

Maybe we need version numbers after the edition like 3.5 was

 

[Vael]

Edited: Moved to wildshape thread.

 

[clearstream]

Did I miss it or did they overlook a druid reverting back with his prior hit points when he dies in wild shape?

"Wild Shape. As a Magic action, you transform into a form that you have learned for this feature. You start knowing one form, Animal of the Land, which is detailed in the “Wild Shapes” section later in this class’s description. You stay in that form for a number of hours equal to half your Druid level or until you use Wild Shape again, have the Incapacitated condition, or die. You can also end Wild Shape early as a Bonus Action."

They way that reads you would revert back but still be dead.

Druid continues to use their own hit points. Simple and far better balanced.

 

[ehren37]

Druid continues to use their own hit points. Simple and far better balanced.

Moreover, you aren't going to be knocked out of sparrow or mouse form by a couple points of damage.

 

[Vael]

And the disintegration issue is gone.

 

[Micah Sweet]

That you can easily treat as supplements if you choose to.

Find you like the change to the Exhaustion rules in the 2024E book? Port them over to your 2014E game.

Find you like the Holy Orders for Cleric that allow you to be either a melee character or ranged character regardless of the domain you have? Port the feature over to your 2014E Cleric with a slight edit.

Find you prefer the 2024E versions of the Great Weapon Master and Sharpshooter feats? Port them over to your 2014E game.

Mostly any of the rules that will appear in the 2024E book will be able to be ported in some form or fashion for use in a 2014E game. This is part of the talk about backwards compatibility-- feats are feats, for example... so you can use a 2014E feat in a 2024E game, or vice versa. And thus if anyone finds the totality of changes in the 2024E book to be too much and they don't want to do a full switch... they can just use it like it was a Xanathar's or Tasha's and incorporate just some bits as supplemental additions to add to their 2014E game.

Or heck... port some 2024E rules into their Level Up game if they find they like them.

That last bit is the only reason I'm paying attention to the playtest at all. So far, not seeing anything worth porting over though.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Druid continues to use their own hit points. Simple and far better balanced.

But far less fun, IMO.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Spells are a daily resource, wild shape isn't. Druids get spells too. I think a good solution is to have specific spells to enhance wild shape.

Tiny is incredibly useful. A mouse can may as well be gaseous form given the tiny areas they can squeeze through. I do agree level 11 is kind of absurdly late (same with aquatic form).

I’ve DMed for enough Druids to not be worried about mice.

Besides they can just summon a familiar as a mouse.

And wildshape is a daily resource. You get 1 back with a short rest, which just means that in reality you have 4 at level 1, rather than 2.

If they want wildshape to be central, they need to not nerf it.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Maybe we need version numbers after the edition like 3.5 was

Eh I’d call it D&D Revised Core Rules.

 

[Stalker0]

So one typo that is pretty funny. While a 1st level druid can wildshape, they in fact can't wildshape.

Wildshape lasts for up to half your level in hours. So at first least it lasts for 0 hours. Whoops!

 

[Vael]

So one typo that is pretty funny. While a 1st level druid can wildshape, they in fact can't wildshape.

Wildshape lasts for up to half your level in hours. So at first least it lasts for 0 hours. Whoops!

Never said to round the answer ... so it's 30 minutes per level ;-) .

 

[BookTenTiger]

Never said to round the answer ... so it's 30 minutes per level ;-) .

It should increase as you get closer to the next level.

"I just wildshaped for 45 minutes, that means we're half-way to 2nd Level!"

 

[mellored]

But far less fun, IMO.

How is keeping track of 1 HP pool less fun than keeping track for 2 pools?

Or is it just the reduction of tanking that is less fun?

 

[Clint_L]

Moreover, you aren't going to be knocked out of sparrow or mouse form by a couple points of damage.

And you can no longer tank. Sorry moon druids (i.e. most druids), your preferred way to play is now gone. Time to re-roll a barbarian.

 

[ehren37]

I’ve DMed for enough Druids to not be worried about mice.

Besides they can just summon a familiar as a mouse.

And wildshape is a daily resource. You get 1 back with a short rest, which just means that in reality you have 4 at level 1, rather than 2.

If they want wildshape to be central, they need to not nerf it.

The familiar doesn't get you INSIDE a location, or let you escape super easily.

Wild Shape shouldn't really be more central than Turn Undead. It's something you get on top of being a 9 level caster. A half caster or non-caster is a good spot to explore wild shape as a major feature.

 

[Faolyn]

How does all this not constitute a new edition, I ask you?

It looks to be at least a new half-edition.

Having not downloaded the playtest myself, I'd be interested in knowing exactly how backwards compatible it actually turns out to be.

 

[ehren37]

And you can no longer tank. Sorry moon druids (i.e. most druids), your preferred way to play is now gone. Time to re-roll a barbarian.

Cue the world's smallest violin for the 9 level caster who can no longer swap from tank to scout to infiltrator more or less on a whim. Feats are a good way to expand on wildshape's current capabilities, as they represent real investment.

 

[OB1]

The familiar doesn't get you INSIDE a location, or let you escape super easily.

Wild Shape shouldn't really be more central than Turn Undead. It's something you get on top of being a 9 level caster. A half caster or non-caster is a good spot to explore wild shape as a major feature.

Given the Druids spell list, it should be at least as central as Eldritch Invocations, Sorcery points or Bardic Inspiration. Those full casters need a major feature to make up for a spell list that isn't as good as the Cleric or the Wizard.

 

[ehren37]

Given the Druids spell list, it should be at least as central as Eldritch Invocations, Sorcery points or Bardic Inspiration. Those full casters need a major feature to make up for a spell list that isn't as good as the Cleric or the Wizard.

Citation needed it isn't as good as the cleric. They also have more HP and AC than a wizard, not to mention other features beyond wildshape, which isnt even the only use for Channel Nature (or whatever it's called).

Invocations are on a class that isn't a full caster, given their limited slots/spells known, and we havent seen what they are doing to warlocks this edition. I'd argue that wildshape is roughly on par with Bardic Inspiration in this packet. They are clearly taking casters down a peg with these changes.