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]

4. Where are the special weapons? Is the net gone? It would be terrible to finally fix the trident, and leave the poor retiarius without a net.

Im a few pages behind but saw this and thought I’d address it: the net has always been an odd fit as a weapon. It doesn’t do the things a weapon normally does, and as a result it creates weird edge cases when interacting with various features that apply to weapon attacks (sharpshooter being the classic example). You could accomplish everything a net currently does better by making it adventuring gear instead of a weapon, and avoid those edge cases. I suspect that’s exactly what WotC is doing here.

 

[Incenjucar]

You can only Flex if you have that weapon mastery, so most classes won't get this ability and have to choose between 1H and 2H.

Yes. To master the Flex weapon is to turn it into a slightly stronger-than-average one-handed weapon.

 

[Remathilis]

Guess I'm here for a little while longer.


If "missing" (not dealing any damage) isn't an option, you're just assigning different amounts of damage...and that's what the damage roll does. This seems pretty straightforward to me, but it's well-established that I'm a weirdo. I also don't know why fireball keeps coming up when I'm describing magic missile.


I would love to see a Lunge mastery, something that extends your reach with the weapon (especially the spear and quarterstaff). That would be amazing for skirmishers. We've tried to house-rule that in the past with the Bonus Action, but 5E's action economy makes it too expensive for monks and fighters.

I'd also like to see a Block or Deflect mastery for greataxes, using the broad blade of a greataxe as a rudimentary shield to boost your AC for a short time. Without seeing how Mastery is deployed in the game, though, this could cause problems.

"More damage" is probably the least creative way to improve weapons, IMO.

The thing is that most of those kinds of effects are situational, and situational attacks are more or less maneuvers (currently gated in the battlemaster). These effects feel closer to the riders on cantrips (something extra added to every attack) rather than some tactical option. I think it's probably better to think of these as "martial cantrips" .

 

[EthanSental]

Deleted…Clever said pretty much the same about the marginal, middle, Crit damage rolls, no need to beat a zombie horse after i saw his post.

 

[Minigiant]

Yeah man let's do this.

Shoot tequila

Weapon	Mastery	Grandmastery
Battleaxe
Flail	Spin
Glaive
Greataxe
Greatsword
Halberd	Lunge
Lance
Longsword
Maul
Morningstar
Pike	Lunge
Rapier
Scimitar
Swordsword
Trident	Catch	Lunge
War Pick
Warhammer
Whip

Catch
This weapon allows you to grapple a creature you hit with this weapon or misses an attack against you while wielding this weapon as a reaction.

Lunge
This mastery adds 5 feet to your reach when you attack with the weapon, as well as when determining your reach for opportunity attacks with it.

Spin
This mastery lets you replace an attack with spinning the weapon vigorously to add a bonus to attack and damage rolls equal to your proficiency modifier to your next attack with the weapon

 

[CleverNickName]

Looks like fun!


For whip, add:

Disarm (mastery)
On a successful hit with this weapon, you may choose to cause your opponent to drop one hand-held object instead of taking damage.

Snare (grand)
On a successful hit with this weapon, your opponent's speed also becomes 0 until the end of their next turn.

 

[CleverNickName]

A couple more....not sure where to put them, though. Stagger seems an obvious choice for blunt force, and Bleed for slashing weapons...

Stagger
A creature struck by this weapon takes damage as normal, and cannot take Reactions until the end of their next turn.

Bleed
A creature struck by this weapon takes damage as normal, and cannot recover hit points until the end of their next turn.

Cleave
Make a melee attack with this weapon. On a hit, the target takes damage as normal and one other target of your choice within reach feet takes damage equal to your Proficiency bonus modifier.

 

[Incenjucar]

Disarm is generally going to be absurdly powerful OR useless. Pull is a lot more game friendly.

 

[CleverNickName]

Disarm is generally going to be absurdly powerful OR useless. Pull is a lot more game friendly.

Yeah, that's true...depending on how it's applied to the game, anyway. If Mastery requires you to use your Reaction, it's a little more balanced. Or if targets can do something to avoid it, like make an opposed roll or save, or spend their Reaction...

How about this instead?

Pull
A creature struck by this weapon takes damage as normal and if the creature is Large size or smaller, you pull the creature up to 10 feet closer to you.

Mostly I'm kicking around ideas that aren't just "moar dmamge lol"

 

[CleverNickName]

Also, what do you think Unarmed Strike mastery would (could? should?) look like?