Neonchameleon
Legend
First, to anyone who's seen this mentioned but doesn't want to watch an hour long video, you get the new D&D playtest packets on D&D beyond here. (Yes, I know, old news - but the direct link is surprisingly hard to find). I've been through it making notes, in part so no one actually needs to dive into the currently 27 page thread.
Jumping straight to the meat this is an unearthed arcana that works with races and backgrounds and there are simultaneously some very big and minor changes.
Feats are all explicitly first level. This has a lot of implications including hopefully some really powerful L16 feats.
My take is that I really dislike the Dragonborn being nerfed almost all the way back to 2014. There's a bit of polishing I'd suggest in other places (notably 20% reductions from the Crafter feat). Vumans being nerfed is irritating but very much for the best. It's a hefty polish/errata but I don't actually see fundamental changes.
Jumping straight to the meat this is an unearthed arcana that works with races and backgrounds and there are simultaneously some very big and minor changes.
- Ability score bonuses are now a feature of your background not your race. This of course means that new style and old style characters are effectively even but the politics is less of an issue. It's also explicit that if you get ability scores from your race you don't get them from your background so you can mix and match.
- Long Rests are defined and any combat interrupts them. Short rests are mentioned only for this interruption.
- All natural 20s are successes - and grant Inspiration as their kicker bonus.
- Critical hits only affect weapon damage (alas, poor rogues unless it's a class feature). And are only for PCs
- There's a new condition in Slowed.
- Backgrounds, instead of a cute special ability all get a feat from the first level feats list. Feats come with explicit levels now - and feats are by default part of the game.
- Backgrounds are by default Custom Background (+2 to one ability, +1 to another or +1 to three abilities, two skills, a tool, a language, a first level feat, and 50gp of gear). The listed backgrounds are now just suggestions.
- Half-races other than Halflings are gone.
- Two new default races
- Aardlings (Aasimar mixed with animals)
- Orcs
- Races are tweaked and things like multiple subtypes of dwarf and halfling have been dropped (halflings are now all lightfoot and get stealth proficiency rather than hiding behind other people. All weapon and armour proficiencies have been dropped
- Humans are all vumans now - but have the same stat bonuses as anyone else. They've gained Inspiration every long rest - but can explicitly only take first level feats. So no Great Weapon Master, Polearm Master, or +1 to a stat.
- Dragonborn are nerfed back to their PHB level of use of breath weapons (i.e. full action, 15ft cone) but at least now have darkvision. It's still a horrible nerf that needs playtesters to tell them to stop the nerf
- People who get free non-cantrip spells get a free cantrip at L1, a first level at L3, and a second level at L5 - in line with Monsters of the Multiverse
- Tieflings now have access to Abyssal, Cthonic, and Infernal bloodlines by default. They all get thaumaturgy - and an attack cantrip by default.
- There are by default Arcane, Divine, and Primal spell lists. It's implied that e.g. all arcane casters have access to the entire Arcane list plus additional class spells based on what they are.
Feats are all explicitly first level. This has a lot of implications including hopefully some really powerful L16 feats.
- There are no feats that gain +1 to a stat - at least not that first level characters can take.
- There are almost no "power feats" like Great Weapon Master or War Caster. There are a couple that have been nerfed.
- Lucky only gives advantage (post-rolling) rather than super-advantage if you already had either advantage or (worse) disadvantage, and works proficiency times per long rest. There's no roll disadvantage, get a 20 and a 3, and then use lucky to take the 20.
- Alert is only proficiency bonus to initiative - and instead of the other effects you can swap initiative
- Healer's been reworked - it now helps magical healing (reroll 1s) and when you use it for battle medic it lets a creature spend a hit dice then you add prof bonus to the hit points recovered
- Magic Initiate only allows access to the core Arcane/Divine/Primal lists but allows any mental stat. To me the power pick is Primal for Shillelagh and Healing Word - although Arcane for a couple of utility cantrips and Shield looks awesome for a cleric. And a lot of people will take Magic Initiate for a pair of cantrips and Find Familiar. Or Hex. (As a DM the only one that worries me is the cleric with heavy armour, a shield, and Shield)
- Craftsman and Musician are excellent new additions; both of them fluffy but with a kicker. And some interesting consequences
- RAW all musical instruments are 20GP. This includes grand pianos, pipe organs, penny whistles and your own voice
- Gaming Sets are tool proficiencies meaning that the relevant feat for a gambler is Craftsman. This says interesting things about crafters - and possibly justifies the Crafter's discount
- Tavern Brawler gives a shove not a grapple. It also no longer gives +1 to a stat - but its rivals as combat feats are Tough and Savage Attacker. And Monks now have a good reason to take for the free shoves and rerolling 1s on the damage dice.
My take is that I really dislike the Dragonborn being nerfed almost all the way back to 2014. There's a bit of polishing I'd suggest in other places (notably 20% reductions from the Crafter feat). Vumans being nerfed is irritating but very much for the best. It's a hefty polish/errata but I don't actually see fundamental changes.
