D&D (2024) New One D&D Weapons Table Shows 'Mastery' Traits

The weapons table from the upcoming Unearthed Arcana playtest for One D&D has made its way onto the internet via Indestructoboy on Twitter, and reveals some new mechanics. The mastery traits include Nick, Slow, Puncture, Flex, Cleave, Topple, Graze, and Push. These traits are accessible by the warrior classes.

 

[Lanefan]

Why do you have to spell out that effects that need you to hit a target don't work.
To trigger grace you need to miss... that is actually the opposite of hitting...

Because within minutes there'll be people (an I'd likely be one of 'em) saying that because damage was done it counts as a hit. Far better to clarify up front and head off those arguments.

 

[Lanefan]

Take the logic your brain uses for Fireball (Some people get hit fully, some are only grazed, and others are completely unharmed) and make it work for getting hit by a hammer.

Sure. Let's say hammer does d8 damage. If I hit and roll '8' on the die, I did full damage. If I hit and roll less then '8' I did partial damage (grazed). If I miss I did no damage and the target is unharmed by that blow.

 

[Charlaquin]

Personally, no, I can't.

I mean, I figured you couldn’t. You have very strong preferences which are very far afield of modern D&D’s design - which to be clear, there’s nothing wrong with! You know what you like, and you aren’t afraid to run the game according to those preferences, and that’s great. But, I’m kinda addressing folks who actually want to be playing the kind of game D&D 5e is.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Personally, no, I can't.

I mean sure, specific situations will arise now and then where one could rule this would be the case, usually involving set-ups where the target simply doesn't have room to dodge or is somehow otherwise partially restrained. But for general use, two things get in the way for me:

1. In most cases there's room to dodge an incoming blow or shot* completely and that has to be accounted for.
2. The way I want to see it, nobody is ever perfectly competent and even the highest-level of characters will still miss (or fumble) on occasion due to sheer bad luck, in balance with the notion that even somebody who hasn't a clue what they're doing will sometimes get in a lucky shot or strike. against something way above their pay grade (one of 5e's better design qualities is that it flattened the power curve such that these very things can happen, as opposed to 3e where they cannot).

* - point-blank shots e.g. taken from within 10 feet or so IMO need their own discrete sub-system involving potential insta-kill and much higher damage possibilities, but that's a separate issue.

Would it work for you if the property didn't allow for the (what will very likely be ability modifier) damage to be done on a one? "You miss, but do not roll a 1 on the d20." - type language?

 

[GMforPowergamers]

I swear if damage on a miss loses out to this 80% thing or 70^ thing I am going to flip

 

[Lanefan]

But D&D has never taken that attitude.

This is most notably demonstrated with spells, many of which simply cannot fail.

I agree about spells but would far rather see them add in some failure mechanisms and risks* for casters rather than remove them for martials.

* e.g. rolls to aim AoE spells, longer-than-zero casting times during which the spell can be interrupted, possibility of wild magic if something goes wrong, etc.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Sure. Let's say hammer does d8 damage. If I hit and roll '8' on the die, I did full damage. If I hit and roll less then '8' I did partial damage (grazed). If I miss I did no damage and the target is unharmed by that blow.

IF it's 1d8+STR MOD, and you just deal STR MOD, you've grazed even lighter than a 1 on the die. Even closer to a miss!

 

[Lanefan]

I mean, I figured you couldn’t. You have very strong preferences which are very far afield of modern D&D’s design - which to be clear, there’s nothing wrong with! You know what you like, and you aren’t afraid to run the game according to those preferences, and that’s great. But, I’m kinda addressing folks who actually want to be playing the kind of game D&D 5e is.

Where I'm trying to do my bit to change the kind of game 5e is.

 

[Charlaquin]

Where I'm trying to do my bit to change the kind of game 5e is.

Why though? You already play a highly customized system that perfectly suits your preferences and those of your group. What does it matter to you if D&D 5e is something else that suits other group’s’ preferences?

 

[Incenjucar]

Interestingly there's a mini-series on a YouTube channel going on right now where they're building oversized anime-style weapons and applying Ren Faire combat skills to them, and one of the big findings is that it was borderline impossible to avoid getting hit by the weapons even with a shield.