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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[TwoSix]

That's disappointing, actually. Exhaustion was an excellent mechanic that supported the exploration pillar and made it important. Now it's not really a big deal at all.

Well, let's see how they cost in the exploration pillar (assuming they have procedures for the exploration pillar). If things regularly cause 2-3 levels of exhaustion, it gets painful pretty quick.

I'm assuming they lightened the cost so they can use exhaustion as a currency for non-magical abilities.

 

[Weiley31]

Also: Rangers get Cantrips? Nice!

 

[Burnside]

RANGER:

All rangers now have cantrips

Expertise in 2 skills at level 1

Concentration-free Hunter's Mark as a bonus spell at level 1

They draw from the Primal spell list, except that they don't get spells from the Evocation school.

This gives them a much bigger spell list.

They also now have prepared spells they can switch out on a Long Rest a la Clerics, Druids, Paladins, etc. They should always have had this.

Fighting Style at level 2.

They have some pretty craptacular higher level abilities

We're given the Hunter subclass. It's...kinda worse than the PHB Hunter subclass?

I predict people will be unhappy with this ranger. It does "fix" some of the nebulous abilities of the 2014 PHB ranger, but not in particularly exciting ways. I don't think "more magic" is actually what people want from the ranger. I could be wrong.

 

[Bill Zebub]

Omg, Charger is actually alright for a melee pick and Grappler is actually good for a grappler!

Agreed!

Mage Slayer is somehow worse, for such a specialized feat...

Well, except for the ASI

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Mage Slayer is somehow worse, for such a specialized feat.

Yeah I was impressed that they managed to make that significantly worse. That must have taken some serious effort.

 

[delericho]

I'm having a hard time understanding how. I'm not calling you a liar or anything lol, but if the environment enables PCs to hunker down to avoid being interrupted for an hour, then it's long rest. If it doesn't, that's not in the PC's control, so how could they hunker down more? For example, if what's preventing a long rest is frequent interruptions by monsters, what could the PCs do that they wouldn't normally do that would keep that from happening?

As I said, it was an increasingly elaborate set of precautions - barriers, and watches, and... I don't recall it all.

Are you talking about just arguing with the DM until they give in?

Essentially, that's what it amounted to - they made it clear that they weren't going to proceed until they'd completed the rest, so that was that.

 

[Kinematics]

I like the change to the Durable feat. Instead of a guaranteed minimum on hit die rolls, you can use a hit die to recover HP as a bonus action. Also, advantage on death saves.

Polearm Master changed the weapon requirements. The weapon must now have both the Heavy and Reach traits, rather than be part of an enumerated list. No more weird confusion over spears and quarterstaff+shield combos.

Sentinel was rewritten with a bit of streamlining. Same overall effect, but less clunky wording.

No bonus damage from Sharpshooter. Great Weapon Master was also nerfed in damage. Makes them more reasonable options.

Shield Master no longer uses a bonus action to knock an enemy prone, so the entire argument around it is eliminated.

The increased range from Spell Sniper makes more sense now. The spell has to have a minimum range of 10' (so no Booming Blade shenanigans), and it just adds 60' instead of doubling it.


Overall, the rewritten feats seem to be nice improvements.

 

[ScuroNotte]

They should just Rez the UA Revised Ranger and just get it over already.

They don't want to as it will confirm they got the entire class wrong. They have a huge ego, especially Crawford

 

[Sacrosanct]

Essentially, that's what it amounted to - they made it clear that they weren't going to proceed until they'd completed the rest, so that was that.

That's a player issue, not a game design issue. And something a DM shouldn't have to give up on.

 

[Sacrosanct]

They don't want to as it will confirm they got the entire class wrong. They have a huge ego, especially Crawford

Can you not make unfounded personal attacks on people please? Do you know him? Have you talked with him at length?