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.

 

[Charlaquin]

Which is fine except it completely runs aground once poisoned weapons enter the picture.

My character could be at fully healthy at 85 h.p. and take 1 point damage from a snake bite...but if that snake is venomous I gotta save against that venom, which means that snake had to physically injure me in order to inject the venom and thus force that save.

Ok, then the snake injured you. The cool thing about abstract hit points is the narrative can bend whenever it needs to.

 

[Bluenose]

Oh, I don’t think people aren’t familiar with legendary heroes leveling mountains with a sword stroke. It’s just that’s not necessarily the fantasy we want to play for our D&D. It’s a bit more satisfying playing the Aragorns, Boromirs, Gimlis, and Odysseuss than Hercules. It’s why everyone roots for Batman when he fights with Superman. He’s cooler, far more skilled (to the point of modestly superhuman), but he’s WAY more relatable than someone born extremely superior because his old man is a god or he‘s basically got the power of one himself.

So where are the complaints about mages with immortal ancestry and their superpowers that should be made more relatable? Aragorn may be a mid-level warrior, Hercules a high-level one; the whole refusal to tolerate any martial becoming more powerful than Aragorn is by far the largest reason these threads about Martial/Caster Disparity recur again and again. Perhaps if we restricted casters to being no stronger than Merlin it would be acceptable, but I have absolutely no doubt how that would be received. So make use of the existing rules, specifically levels, and let the high-level martials get their high-level abilties.

 

[billd91]

One of the core issues with D&D is that the community disagrees on what tier 3and 4 looks like and the designers are too scared to make a decision.

No, I think it's more like they don't make the decision you want, so you have to slag it off as cowardice or some other moral failing.

 

[Aldarc]

I never liked DOAM with weapons. I can see this is going to be a touchy subject. Hopefully it gets substituted with something everyone can agree on.

Get rid of DOAM with spells and then we can talk.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I never liked DOAM with weapons. I can see this is going to be a touchy subject. Hopefully it gets substituted with something everyone can agree on.

I hope not. I like that mechanic. But if you show me something everyone can actually agree on, then I might change my position.

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

I hope not. I like that mechanic. But if you show me something everyone can actually agree on, then I might change my position.

"Damage-on-a-hit" seems to be fairly uncontroversial.

 

[Remathilis]

Get rid of DOAM with spells and then we can talk.

I agree. But allow spells to crit on a failed save of one. The current trade off is that attack rolls are all or nothing, but have a 5% chance to crit. Saves can't crit, but has reliable damage due to saves for half. This gives all attacks either hit, miss, or crit.

 

[Remathilis]

"Damage-on-a-hit" seems to be fairly uncontroversial.

I mean, until damage immunity enters the chat.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

A +1 to damage is very close to meaningless unless you are attacking like a dozen times every round. More is always better, but the chances of a +1 taking an enemy out one attack sooner is pretty slim.

Gotta look at the build. Duelist style, shield, d10 weapon. It’s as good as you can get with a shield.

I am really weirdly happy that the different pole arms are given a reason to exist...but befuddled that Longswords, Battleaxes and Warhammers continue to serve no real purpose in being different. Battleaxes and Warhammers should offer a different Mastery trait.

Yeah tbh it’s bunk that warhammers aren’t doing something interesting.

It’s why everyone roots for Batman when he fights with Superman. He’s cooler, far more skilled (to the point of modestly superhuman), but he’s WAY more relatable than someone born extremely superior because his old man is a god or he‘s basically got the power of one himself.

(This is a rant, feel free to ignore)
I’ve never understood why anyone roots for Batman over Superman.

Batman is a lowkey totalitarian that likes to beat up individual criminals to make himself feel better. Superman is motivated by a genuine desire to help.

Outside of the Injustice comics and games, Superman is pretty much always the one in the right when they fight, too.

I find the farmboy who works for a living much more relatable than the billionaire, anyway. In reality, they’re both human. There is no psychological difference between kryptonians and humans. The idea of one being more relatable because he’s less or more powerful is bonkers, to me.

 

[Gladius Legis]

Also an armor bonus over any two-handed sword user. It's both, at once. That adds up.

But still only 1 extra point of damage on average over any other sword-and-board wielder. That is just inadequate compared to push or slow every round.