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.

 

[Minigiant]

There is also the shifting views of houserules over the last twenty or thirty years though. Some probably due to computer games & an acceleration from wotc's own AL rules on it/"well you can do whatever you want with your own homebrew game, but officially..." type statements from wotcstaff. The GM has shifted from someone to work with over towards the meat computer that damed well better run the game strict Rules As Written except for rule zero. The tolerance for the GM making up stuff or changing rules has fallen significantly while they were relegated to "just do your job [run the game. Make sure everyone else has fun. Make sure it's the fun any given player wants... Just do [your/their] job" type pressures.

The adversarial GM is talked about all the time & simply denying a player rule zero or actually enforcing the rules when a player wants to bend them is now a good way to get accused of it for even the slightest whiff of conflict/adversarial. Adversarial players who minimize the GM's ability to insert houserules & such just get a pass though unless it's an extreme & possibly jaw dropping display. Fifth edition didn't prime the players to accept all the homebrew it expects.

I think this is a fault of video games and video game designers releasing buggy stuff.

Players today are heavily from gamer communities and are weary of things not playtested. Especially a generation of MMORPG, JRPG, RTS, TBS, and CRPG gamers who have seen things.

So the WOTC expectations are outdated as 5e gamers don't simply trust things either noy made by professionals or playtested by the masses.

The GM isn't a meat computer. Players are too knowledgeable for GMs get away with quickly made stuff. You come to a table with a new houserule and half the table knows what you just broke if the pat attention.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Observation of 5e media.

5e social media, 5e forum posts, 5e reddit posts,, 5e Youtube, and 5e Twitch all display a type of play a lot more superheroic than the base PHB and DMG. Even OS and OSR media states that 5e players play different from the core assumptions of their books

The only time youever hear or read of people playing straight 5e is with:

1. Small Children
2. New Players
3. Players who aren't bothered to learn rules.

Even the D&D movie and CR cartoon are more action heroic than that PHB examples.

I call BS on this entire claim.

I think you’ve got nothing more than your own circle and biases, and you’re trying to present it as more, but in actuality you have no more idea what people are playing than anyone else around here. Especially give that what you describe doesn’t even match what I’ve seen in the same venues you claim are entirely as you claim.

Feel free to prove it, or to not bother if it isn’t a worthwhile argument, I’m not bothered either way, but yeah, I really doubt you’ve got more than a hunch on this.

 

[CleverNickName]

If you have an adversarial DM, or an adversarial player, the rules aren't really the problem (or the solution).

 

[tetrasodium]

If you have an adversarial DM, or an adversarial player, the rules aren't really the problem (or the solution).

One of those two is largely given a pass though, that's a problem. I've literally seen a player try to bend the rules and -while- being given a rule zero exception to use a thing in a way it doesn't really cover start ruleslawyering strict RAW of the thing when being told that it would be allowed "but..." The rest of the table was silent through the whole process until I hit my limit & declared that I wouldn't allow any part of the exception when suddenly "well he's right, I looked it up & it does say that it gives x and Y, it's not fair to deny it outright now just because you got the rule wrong." I'm tired of players playing fast & loose with their own set of rules like it's all fair game if the GM doesn't catch it when it applies beneficially to them and ruleslawyering in ways that would put the peasant railgun to shame when partially checked.

 

[CleverNickName]

One of those two is largely given a pass though, that's a problem. I've literally seen a player try to bend the rules and -while- being given a rule zero exception to use a thing in a way it doesn't really cover start ruleslawyering strict RAW of the thing when being told that it would be allowed "but..." The rest of the table was silent through the whole process until I hit my limit & declared that I wouldn't allow any part of the exception when suddenly "well he's right, I looked it up & it does say that it gives x and Y, it's not fair to deny it outright now just because you got the rule wrong." I'm tired of players playing fast & loose with their own set of rules like it's all fair game if the GM doesn't catch it when it applies beneficially to them and ruleslawyering in ways that would put the peasant railgun to shame when partially checked.

Yikes, that sounds miserable. I don't know your group's dynamic or how close you guys are outside of the game, so I don't really have any useful advice.

Having clear rules can prevent a lot of arguments and help everyone start with the same set of expectations. But what I'm trying to say is, if someone at the table is committed to being adversarial--they are looking for a fight, and by Pelor they are going to find one--the rules can never be perfect enough to make them behave.

 

[Minigiant]

I call BS on this entire claim.

I think you’ve got nothing more than your own circle and biases, and you’re trying to present it as more, but in actuality you have no more idea what people are playing than anyone else around here. Especially give that what you describe doesn’t even match what I’ve seen in the same venues you claim are entirely as you claim.

Feel free to prove it, or to not bother if it isn’t a worthwhile argument, I’m not bothered either way, but yeah, I really doubt you’ve got more than a hunch on this.

My proof is all the Youtube, TikTok, forum, and Reddit posts.

There's a Reddit post on the Onednd subreddit that asks if Weapon Mastery is enough and its as of the time of my post.

Do you think the Weapon Mastery will be enough to help martials keep up with casters?​

• 59 .9% Yes. it will balance martials with casters.
• 420 49.0% Yes, but it will only help a little.
• 328 38.2% No.
• 51 5.9% Other (explain in the comments)

So over 80% of reddit 5e gamers who plan to switch don't think Mastery does enough.

I see things like this everywhere on the net. And these will be the ones who fill out the surveys.

 

[darjr]

I KNOW hp isn’t body parts. I know that the mechanic is abstract and already a compromise.
Damage on a miss is one step further too far. For me.

 

[Parmandur]

My proof is all the Youtube, TikTok, forum, and Reddit posts.

There's a Reddit post on the Onednd subreddit that asks if Weapon Mastery is enough and its as of the time of my post.

Do you think the Weapon Mastery will be enough to help martials keep up with casters?​

• 59 .9% Yes. it will balance martials with casters.
• 420 49.0% Yes, but it will only help a little.
• 328 38.2% No.
• 51 5.9% Other (explain in the comments)

So over 80% of reddit 5e gamers who plan to switch don't think Mastery does enough.

I see things like this everywhere on the net. And these will be the ones who fill out the surveys.

Yeah, a handful of people on the D&DNext Subreddit is not necessarily representative of anything.

 

[tetrasodium]

Yikes, that sounds miserable. I don't know your group's dynamic or how close you guys are outside of the game, so I don't really have any useful advice.

It was an AL game where I first saw it but I've seen it a few times since both as GM & player watching it happen

Having clear rules can prevent a lot of arguments and help everyone start with the same set of expectations. But what I'm trying to say is, if someone at the table is committed to being adversarial--they are looking for a fight, and by Pelor they are going to find one--the rules can never be perfect enough to make them behave.

There is a second factor in the 5e rules that limits the GM too. In the past there was a lot of room for the GM to provide players with cool things through houserules. The design of 5e & even the majority of the DMG /PHB optional/variant rules is one where PCs have been given & freed from so much that the only changes a GM is capable of making are ones that somehow nerf someone. The GM no longer has room for changes the players say "well x hurts a little but I get Y & Y is pretty darned cool" about.

 

[Minigiant]

Yeah, a handful of people on the D&DNext Subreddit is not necessarily representative of anything.

Well it;s several hundred. My point is I find mentally like this everywhere. A lot of the better selling and pushed kickstarters and 3PPs are more martially superheroic and high magic than base 5e.

If lower heroic, low magic, or gritty D&D is the most popular style of 5e, they are very quiet online.

Whereas the people making anime swordsmen never shut up.