D&D (2024) 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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[Whizbang Dustyboots]

It amazes me that Druidic survives as other sacred cows fall. Why do druids get their own secret language? What on Earth are they talking about that they need a secret language? Is Druidic just impenetrable biochem class discussion?

 

[Minigiant]

Ok. That is a very strange take... but probably a playtest is to get in tune with the players. If they would not try things out, it would be no playtest would it?

That's kinda the point of it.

To filter out the old school ideas and mentalities that aren't popular anymore through the community.

 

[James Gasik]

It amazes me that Druidic survives as other sacred cows fall. Why do druids get their own secret language? What on Earth are they talking about that they need a secret language? Is Druidic just impenetrable biochem class discussion?

It is an odd duck, isn't it? We got rid of alignment languages, even Thieves' Cant (explicitly based on real things in our world) vanished for awhile. But Druids being a secret society of "Woodsy Illuminati" persists!

 

[tetrasodium]

Ok. That is a very strange take... but probably a playtest is to get in tune with the players. If they would not try things out, it would be no playtest would it?

I think it comes down to something crawford mentioned in one of the three videos put out in the last couple days. I don't remember which video it was but he mentioned how some of the things in the last survey scored high but once you look at the comments with those scores they found that a lot of people weren't too keen on the specific thing they "could live with" and were more jazzed in the fact that something was done about that thing. A lot of things in 5e probably erred too much on the scores alone & either didn't ask or didn't consider the written responses with enough weight.

 

[Minigiant]

It amazes me that Druidic survives as other sacred cows fall. Why do druids get their own secret language? What on Earth are they talking about that they need a secret language? Is Druidic just impenetrable biochem class discussion?

Old school mentality.

It's a nostagia feature. But It's also minor and pointless enough to not matter enough to get get attention and a low score. So it wont get cut.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Love the buff to the other Smite spells, hate that this packet doesn't come with the crit change that only modifies weapon damage.

The wording of smite seems, to me, to preclude increasing smite damage on a crit. You aren’t adding a damage bonus to your damage roll, you are dealing 2d8 damage immediately after hitting with a melee weapon attack.

I like the generic wild shape stats. I didn't think I would at first and looked at it side eyed. My 10 yr old daughter is playing a druid and I think the new generic stat block would be more fun for her. I can see how some don't like it though but I think it's a good move for faster game play.

I would like it, if it was more customizable, without the silly limitations.

In theory it’s a good model, the stat-blocks just suck.

 

[Minigiant]

I think it comes down to something crawford mentioned in one of the three videos put out in the last couple days. I don't remember which video it was but he mentioned how some of the things in the last survey scored high but once you look at the comments with those scores they found that a lot of people weren't too keen on the specific thing they "could live with" and were more jazzed in the fact that something was done about that thing. A lot of things in 5e probably erred too much on the scores alone & either didn't ask or didn't consider.

It's likely worse. People likely didn't care enough about noglstia ribbons to leave comments as they mechanically don't do much in play.

 

[Bill Zebub]

Yea, I'm not a fan of the new wild shape. A standardized stat block makes it easier for the DM, but limits different tactical options you get with different beasts.

Except that everybody ended up choosing the same beasts for tactical reasons, which forced a choice between storytelling and mechanical superiority

Same with find familiar.

Good changes.

 

[Bill Zebub]

Agreed. I don't object to the change in a vacuum, but I'd rather see them take the opportunity to remove wildshape as a core feature of the class, and move it into specific subclasses. They're already part of the way there by generalizing "wildshape uses" as "Channel Nature", and most of the druid subclasses post-PHB ended up using wildshape to power their subclass defining ability anyway.

That would have been my preference, but with this design change it means that subclasses can have additional ways, maybe even iconic ways, to spend Channel Nature.

 

[Justice and Rule]

Except that everybody ended up choosing the same beasts for tactical reasons, which forced a choice between storytelling and mechanical superiority

Same with find familiar.

Good changes.

It also saves a whole bunch of homework for DMs and players. The druid no longer has to figure out which animal forms are the "right" ones.

I think the forms could definitely be improved and widened to have more distinctiveness to them (PF2 has a similar system and has different lenses to represent different animals while maintaining the same frame), but overall going with this concept is probably the smart way to go.