D&D (2024) One D&D Expert Classes Playtest Document Is Live

The One D&D Expert Class playest document is now available to download. You can access it by signing into your D&D Beyond account at the link below. It contains three classes -- bard, rogue, and ranger, along with three associated subclasses (College of Lore, Thief, and Hunter), plus a number of feats.

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[GMforPowergamers]

1DD: renames armor proficiency to armor training so people don't get confused over the lack of proficiency bonus doing anything with it

Also 1DD: Bardic Inspiration and Heroic Inspiration are completely different mechanics

back a few years ago I was teaching a group of 8th graders... and two of them asked why they don't add prof to AC if they are in armor they are prof in.

 

[Weiley31]

back a few years ago I was teaching a group of 8th graders... and two of them asked why they don't add prof to AC if they are in armor they are prof in.

I know the original UA Warforged USED to do this with their "Armor" since such a thing was a bit of a special circumstance with them.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

I saw that...still scratching my head over it. What do you think the reason was for this change?

Some feats have 'proficiency with a martial weapon' as a prerequisite. So simple shortswords locks Bards out of those feats, but still gives them a sword...?

 

[overgeeked]

I think there is a bit of a disconnect. Spell for ranger I think is just a mechanical way to give Rangers abilities. Kinda like they thought of making the Clerics turn undead a spell.

Exactly. The problem is it's still incredibly lazy design and some players don't want a spellcasting ranger. That the iconic D&D ranger Drizzt doesn't ever cast spells outside his drow heritage shows this for the lazy design it is. They can't be arsed to properly design features so they make them spells and now feats.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Exactly. The problem is it's still incredibly lazy design and some players don't want a spellcasting ranger. That the iconic D&D ranger Drizzt doesn't ever cast spells outside his drow heritage shows this for the lazy design it is. They can't be arsed to properly design features so they make them spells and now feats.

We do a lot of reflavoring (going so far as to have hexblades be fighters and bards be warlords). Sometimes we say "artificers aren't spell casters, they are tinkerers and everything is something you make"

but we shouldn't HAVE to reflavor so much of the game to make it work.

 

[Burnside]

Not in D&D.

If we're talking about "why can the ranger do magic", it's because Aragorn does magic.

If we're talking about "why does the ranger class exist in D&D" it's because Aragorn.

If we're talking about "which rangers would most of today's D&D players recognize", it's Aragorn, then Katniss Everdeen, then Drizz't, in that order.

 

[darjr]

I doubt they’ll change the ranger away from spells as much as some of y’all want, but if enough folks let them know they meant lean away from it more.

 

[Haplo781]

Exactly. The problem is it's still incredibly lazy design and some players don't want a spellcasting ranger. That the iconic D&D ranger Drizzt doesn't ever cast spells outside his drow heritage shows this for the lazy design it is. They can't be arsed to properly design features so they make them spells and now feats.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

The absolutely hilarious part of all of this is that WotC's own Most Important Iconic Ranger has never had this sort of spellcasting.

This techniquely not true, Drizzt cast a Ranger once because RA Salvotore got tired of folks bugging him about it. So techniquely Drizzt can cast ranger spells, he just doesn't bother most of the time.

 

[darjr]

If we're talking about "why can the ranger do magic", it's because Aragorn does magic.

If we're talking about "why does the ranger class exist in D&D" it's because Aragorn.

If we're talking about "which rangers would most of today's D&D players recognize", it's Aragorn, then Katniss Everdeen, then Drizz't, in that order.

Aragorn and Katniss by a far margin.