D&D (2024) One D&D Cleric & Revised Species Playtest Includes Goliath

"In this new Unearthed Arcana for the One D&D rules system, we explore material designed for the next version of the Player’s Handbook. This playtest document presents the rules on the Cleric class, it's Life Domain subclass, as well as revised Species rules for the Ardling, the Dragonborn, and the Goliath. You will also find a current glossary of new or revised meanings for game terms."

Claim Unearthed Arcana now! - D&D Beyond

www.dndbeyond.com

WotC's Jeremey Crawford discusses the playtest document in the video below.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Also, I would argue that 2e's metaplot was more for reading than playing, and I liked it that way.

You might have liked it, but that doesn't mean that it's good for the game. Again, you're having a hard time separating "things I like" and "things that are good for the game". There may be a Venn Diagram between those two categories with a pretty substantial area of overlap, but there is a huge difference between "things I liked" and "things that are good for the game/should stay a part of it".

You need to see the difference. Liking metaplots is fine, and the enjoyment you got from them is valid, but wanting them to be a part of the game when they're overall bad for the hobby isn't.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

You might have liked it, but that doesn't mean that it's good for the game. Again, you're having a hard time separating "things I like" and "things that are good for the game". There may be a Venn Diagram between those two categories with a pretty substantial area of overlap, but there is a huge difference between "things I liked" and "things that are good for the game/should stay a part of it".

You need to see the difference. Liking metaplots is fine, and the enjoyment you got from them is valid, but wanting them to be a part of the game when they're overall bad for the hobby isn't.

Certain settings aren't just for TTRPG gameplay exclusively, the prime example of this being the Forgotten Realms, very likely more novel then TTRPG fans for,FR, not counting video game fans abd upcoming movie fans.

So in terms of settings, you have to look at them in a transmedium terms, not just is this good for the game terms.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Certain settings aren't just for TTRPG gameplay exclusively, the prime example of this being the Forgotten Realms, very likely more novel then TTRPG fans for,FR, not counting video game fans abd upcoming movie fans.

So in terms of settings, you have to look at them in a transmedium terms, not just is this good for the game terms.

You can have a setting be used in multiple different forms of media without a metaplot. There are novels and video games that take place in Eberron, but it doesn't have a metaplot. There could be movies that take place in Eberron that don't advance the metaplot.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

While I don't like the Spellplague or Sundering, there are those that did. "Ruining" a setting 1) is subjective and not objective, and 2) didn't require a new setting to "fix." They could have just reprinted the old Realms, and Greyhawk and some others have never been updated.

1) Metaplots change the setting without input from the players. This is bad because it takes agency away from them whenever the metaplot updates.

2) No. The "fix" to metaplots is to rewind the clock to when the setting first started. However, Eberron points out that metaplots aren't good or necessary by not having them and still having all the benefits other settings gain from their metaplots.

Solutions should fix problems. Solutions in search of problems that don't exist should be avoided. If the "problem" requires a DM to go out of his way to create it, it doesn't need to be "fixed." Especially by a new setting. That's just overkill when a paragraph explaining to DMs how to run those NPCs would be sufficient.

Eberron cannot fix problems with other settings, because it is not those other settings. At best, it can shine light on the problems with other settings and offer solutions to fix them.

How do you not see that removing a potential problem that other settings have is a problem? New DMs exist and often make mistakes like including DMPCs. The setting not including any potential non-PC heroes lowers the potential of the happening. That's a solution to a problem other worlds have.

Eberron doesn't have a huge problem with metaplot every edition because it doesn't have a metaplot. That's better than the alternative.

Eberron does not fix anything from any other settings. It was not(unless you can supply citations) created to do so. Eberron was just a nifty new setting that does things differently.

No. Eberron's takes on canon, non-PC heroes, and some other aspects of the world are just objectively better for game settings than they are in other worlds. A lot of the time Eberron is just "different" because it supports different playstyles and preferences. Other times, it's just better.

 

[Hussar]

I don't want things removed unless its absolutely necessary (inclusion-related mostly). Adding stuff is fine.

And that's fine. But, the understanding has to be that just because stuff is removed, doesn't mean it's an attack on anything. Stuff that came before is not in any way better or worse than what comes later and should receive absolutely no protection. You still HAVE all the stuff that came before. Nothing can take that away from you. So, when a new take on an older product comes along (like Curse of Strahd or whatever) that in no way is a reflection on the things you like. You now have two options where before you had only one.

More options is a good thing.

Insisting (and let's be honest here, it's more than insisting in a lot of cases - it's downright demanding) that things must never be changed or removed is only great if you happen to like what came before. It's gate-keeping. You're demanding that the game must only cater to you, and what you like, regardless of anyone else.

I've never really understood it to be honest. How is it a bad thing to have fifteen different versions of something? Pick the version you like and go forward. WotC gave us fey-Kender. Now, they aren't canon and they won't feature in the new Dragonlance book, but, y'know what? I don't care. If I ever run a Dragonlance campaign? I'm certainly going to push the fey kender narrative and see if I can't get my players to go along with it. Might not work - the players might want standard Kender. And that's fine. I'll live with it. But, I now have the option of having two different origin stories for Kender where before I only had one.

Fantastic.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

You can have a setting be used in multiple different forms of media without a metaplot. There are novels and video games that take place in Eberron, but it doesn't have a metaplot. There could be movies that take place in Eberron that don't advance the metaplot.

Eberron is a horrible comparison because it's been explicit from day one that the novels weren't canon, it's one of the reasons the novel line failed.

The opposite has been true of FR and Dragonlance, the novels have always been canon, it's a core part of those settings and part of why those novel lines succeeded, they actually meant something.

 

[Scribe]

Eberron is a horrible comparison because it's been explicit from day one that the novels weren't canon, it's one of the reasons the novel line failed.

The opposite has been true of FR and Dragonlance, the novels have always been canon, it's a core part of those settings and part of why those novel lines succeeded, they actually meant something.

Interesting statement. I can say that I may read A (singular) novel in such a case to see how the setting functions as a novel, but yeah if its not canon, I am not sure I would be invested.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Eberron is a horrible comparison because it's been explicit from day one that the novels weren't canon, it's one of the reasons the novel line failed.

Got any evidence for that unfounded statement?

The opposite has been true of FR and Dragonlance, the novels have always been canon, it's a core part of those settings and part of why those novel lines succeeded, they actually meant something.

No. The claim that "the novels succeeded because of metaplot" is stupid. There have been tons of novels from settings that have metaplot that have failed. Often because the writing quality was bad, they didn't have interesting characters, or there was just inherently less interest in the setting (Spelljammer).

People would buy Drizzt novels even if they weren't canon and didn't advance the metaplot of the Forgotten Realms. People buy the Drizzt novels because they like its characters. Not because they want to see what world-shaking event happens in the Forgotten Realms this week.

 

[Hussar]

Certain settings aren't just for TTRPG gameplay exclusively, the prime example of this being the Forgotten Realms, very likely more novel then TTRPG fans for,FR, not counting video game fans abd upcoming movie fans.

So in terms of settings, you have to look at them in a transmedium terms, not just is this good for the game terms.

But, the thing is, those groups don't necessarily overlap. Fans of the movies, fans of the novels and fans of the game aren't necessarily the same people. I like playing in Forgotten Realms (now) but I've never read a single FR novel. And I'm certain there are fans of the novels who've never played the game.

So, there is no real need for there to be a single meta-plot that spans all three. After all, look at Marvel. The movies meta-plot and the comic books are completely unrelated. Mostly because the movies are drawn from stories that were told decades ago. The events of current comic books are not based on the Marvel movies.

And, frankly, most of the meta-plot stuff we're talking about is thirty years old. Most people don't have the first clue about most of it. And 5e has proven that Forgotten Realms can be incredibly popular, all without a single hint of a meta-plot. The various adventure paths are all self-contained (other than easter eggs) and don't have any real impact on each other.

Never minding that D&D IP novels aren't a thing anymore. There hasn't been an Eberron novel in ten years. Darksun is about as long. Ravenloft, other than a couple of bits and bobs, hasn't seen a new novel since the 90's.

Claiming that meta-plot and trans medium reasons are important kinda ignores the fact that there really isn't any media at all.

 

[Bill Zebub]

I dont know, but to me the damage could still be 'cool' assuming its balanced (scaled) well enough, OR they need to give an ability as well as have the damage bonus.

Fire/Frost able to add a damage rider to their attack is still awesome to me thematically, it just needs to be potent.

I don't think it can be potent, without it becoming a trap option.