D&D (2024) One D&D Survey Feedback: Weapon Mastery Spectacular; Warlock and Wizard Mixed Reactions

Jeremy Crawford discusses the results of the Packet 5 Survey:

• Weapon Mastery at 80% approval, and all options except for Flex scored similarly. Crawford says that Flex is mathematically one of the most powerful properties, but will need some attention because people didn't feel like it was. This feature is in the 2024 PHB for 6 Classes, guaranteed at this point.
• Barbarian scored well, particularly the individual features, average satisfaction of 80% for each feature. Beserker got 84% satisfaction, while the 2014 Beserker in the 2020 Big Class Survey got 29% satisfaction.
• Fighter received well, overall 75% satisfaction. Champion scored 54% in the Big Class Survey, but this new one got 74%.
• Sorcerer in the Big Class Survey got 60%, this UA Sorcerer got 72%. Lots of enthusiasm for the Metamagic revisions. Careful Spell got 92% satisfaction. Twin Spell was the exception, at 60%. Draconic Sorcerer got 73%, new Dragon Wings feature was not well received but will be fixed back to being on all the time by the return to 2014 Aubclass progression.
• Class specific Spell lists are back in UA 7 coming soon, the unified Spell lists are out.
• Warlock feedback reflected mixed feelings in the player base. Pact magic is coming back in next iteration. Next Warlock will be more like 2014, Mystic Arcanum will be a core feature, but will still see some adjustments based on feedback to allow for more frequent use of Spells. Eldritch Invocations were well received. Crawford felt it was a good test, because they learned what players felt. They found the idiosyncracy of the Warlock is exactly what people like about it, so theybare keeping it distinct. Next version will get even more Eldritch Invocation options.
• Wizard got a mixed reception. Biggest problem people had was wanting a Wizard specific Spell list, not a shared Arcane list that made the Wizard less distinct. Evoker well received.

 

[Yaarel]

Oh, I don’t get that impression at all! Half the folks here refuse to believe the D&D Beyond data because it’s so far afield of their own experience.

And yet, there are comparisons between ENWorld forum polls and DnDBeyond data ... that tend to look like each other.

In the aggregate, ENWorld gives a decent sense of what is going on in D&D communities (including where the controversies are).

 

[Yaarel]

I’ve got D4:s in the shape of D12:s with three sides per number. They roll very well.

Edit: These to be precise. All Available

Are there any makes of 12-sided d4s whose numbering looks the same as the other D&D dice?

 

[Yaarel]

I've been kicking around the idea of making custom spell lists for everyone...but they won't be for classes. It's hard to explain.

Instead of Necromancy being a wizard subclass, it could be a spell list. It would have the usual "arcane mage" repertoire (magic missile, mage armor, shield) along with all of the Necromancy cantrips and spells. More than anything else, the Necromancy spell list would be more about the themes of necromancy--creepy shadowy stuff, seances, spirits and death and all that--it would have to be more than just a dry list of Necromancy spells.

Then, any spellcasting class could "be a necromancer" just by selecting that spell list at 1st level. Maybe you're planning on playing a Grave cleric. Maybe you're a fan of The Old Kingdom series, and you want to play a necromancer bard like Sabriel. Or maybe you want your artificer to have strong Victor Frankenstein vibes. Whatever your reason, you would have a list of spells to match that "grave magic" theme.

Other spell lists could be created for whatever your campaign needs, or for whatever character theme you're going for (Evoker? Healer? Fey magic? Shadow Magic? Spellbreaker? Forest Guardian? Spirit Guide? Blade Magic? Fortune Teller? Hedge Witch?)

By organizing the spell schools a bit better to focus on themes, it becomes easy to create a thematic character by picking the appropriate school lists.

 

[Kobold Stew]

You cant call something a presumption with no evidence it's even happening.

And yet I did! Clearly marked "in my opinion". I won't provide specific evidence, because it would mean citing individual posters, which is invidious.

Your position ("replacing them with something worse") will sometimes be true, but not universally and (I contend) not often -- that is the position I am claiming is unfair. We can look at the introduction of new threads in the first hours of any release (sometimes with posters claiming "I haven't red the thread yet" or "I'm just starting to read the packet"), in comparison with the long tail after the fact, and how little gets added.

It is a common phenomenon in any social media context. And people are stubborn and proud and anonymous and not willing to admit that their initial judgments were incorrect.

 

[Mistwell]

And yet I did! Clearly marked "in my opinion". I won't provide specific evidence, because it would mean citing individual posters, which is invidious.

Your position ("replacing them with something worse") will sometimes be true, but not universally and (I contend) not often -- that is the position I am claiming is unfair. We can look at the introduction of new threads in the first hours of any release (sometimes with posters claiming "I haven't red the thread yet" or "I'm just starting to read the packet"), in comparison with the long tail after the fact, and how little gets added.

It is a common phenomenon in any social media context. And people are stubborn and proud and anonymous and not willing to admit that their initial judgments were incorrect.

You're using ENWorld reactions to make a judgement call generalizing to all D&D fans?

 

[Kobold Stew]

Nope. Again, in the post you are responding to, I say: "My observation of responses in this forum..."

Look, I'm there when it's released too, and sometimes even start threads. But I also like to think I admit when I've made a mistake, and I know my views develop and change over time as I play and as I get exposed to new views (here's an example of me changing my mind on smites).

 

[TrippyHippy]

Sadly, that’s confirmed not to be making it in.

Oddly, that has probably persuaded me not to bother with it at all then.

 

[Kobold Stew]

Oddly, that has probably persuaded me not to bother with it at all then.

That's too bad. Let your voice be heard! Even if the next version doesnb't have it, I'd say nothing is set in stone until it's sent to the publishers. Kickback in the next feedback, with an explanation saying why, might make them reconsider.

Certainly, I'd be saying somehting if they take away the variable caster-stats base on pact (whcih is what you're talking about). I thought that was great.

 

[Azzy]

That's too bad. Let your voice be heard! Even if the next version doesnb't have it, I'd say nothing is set in stone until it's sent to the publishers. Kickback in the next feedback, with an explanation saying why, might make them reconsider.

Certainly, I'd be saying somehting if they take away the variable caster-stats base on pact (whcih is what you're talking about). I thought that was great.

As will I. I thought it was neat. My only nitpick is that Pact of the Tome should have Cha as an option for the sake of those that are converting their 5.14e characters to the 5.24e rules.

 

[TrippyHippy]

That's too bad. Let your voice be heard! Even if the next version doesnb't have it, I'd say nothing is set in stone until it's sent to the publishers. Kickback in the next feedback, with an explanation saying why, might make them reconsider.

Certainly, I'd be saying somehting if they take away the variable caster-stats base on pact (whcih is what you're talking about). I thought that was great.

I know it might seem to be a minor thing, but I am personally less particular about specific mechanics and rules in the game, and more about getting archetypes right. For me, one of the (relatively few, as it happens) criticisms I had of D&D5E was they got the Warlock Class wrong (for me). That is, I couldn’t play a Warlock like a traditional occultist or witch because I couldn’t have the spell casting Ability be Intelligence or Wisdom, respectively. You were forced to pick Charisma, which didn’t make sense to me.