D&D (2024) Unearthed Arcana Playtest Packet 7 Live on D&D Beyond

Wizards of the Coast posted the seventh playtest packet for the 2024 update to Dungeons & Dragons. The new playtest packet includes updated class material for the Barbarian, Fighter, Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard classes.

Highlights for each class:

Barbarian

• New Path of the World Tree subclass and updated Berserker, Wild Heart (formerly Totem Warrior), and Zealot subclasses.
• Attack recklessly for a full round rather than just one turn.
• Path of the Wild Heart (formerly Path of the Totem Warrior) has updated options.
• Brutal Critical gets damage buffs.

Fighter

• New Brawler subclass excels at using improvised weapons and unarmed strikes.
• Tactical Mind and Tactical Shift expand the use of Second Wind.
• Studied Attacks grants advantage on an attack roll against an enemy after you've missed an attack against them.
• Battle Master and its maneuvers have been updated.

Sorcerer

• Innate Sorcery empowers your spellcasting for a limited time.
• Sorcery Incarnate and Arcane Apotheosis boost your Metamagic while Innate Sorcery is active.
• Sorcerous Restoration is available at 5th level and scales with your sorcerer level.
• Wild Magic Sorcery now more reliably allows you to roll on the Wild Magic Surge table.

Warlock

• Pact Magic is back.
• Eldritch Invocations are now available at 1st level and your options have been revised.
• Pact Boons are now invocations, and Mystic Arcanum is once again a class feature.
• Patron Spells are always prepared.
• Updated Archfey Patron, Celestial Patron, Fiend Patron, Great Old One Patron subclasses.

Wizard

• Spellcasting feature now allows you to swap out a cantrip each long rest.
• Memorize Spell is now a feature. Modify Spell and Create spell have been nixed.
• Updated Abjurer, Diviner, Evoker, and Illusionist subclasses.

Universal changes include a return to class spell lists, more features from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, and update to some of the spells including arcane eruption, sorcerous burst, counterspell, and jump.

The official Dungeons & Dragons YouTube account also posted an almost 90-minute-long video doing a deep dive on the playtest packet.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Pre 5e Hexblade had a strong identity, in 3.5e it was its own class, in 4e it was a whole bunch of Warlock subclasses or something, that honestly had the most flavour of any Hexblade version, but in 5e it was a band aid for the Bladelock, and given lame lore, Hexblade was never supposed to be a Patron type, it was a pact type that could mesh with any Patron. They should rename the old Hexblade subclass Duskblade, and rename Pact of the Blade to Pact of the Hexblade.

I completely disagree about the 5e Hexblade. The sentient weapon being a power source but not the weapon you actually carry is lame, sure, but once you’re past that, it’s a curse-throwing dark knight whose curse draws life and power from the target and feeds it to the Hexblade, which works for level 3 and level 6.

 

[This Effin’ GM]

Its identity was never “mage warrior”, nor does it become “fledgling necromancer”.

Its identity is “Eldritch warrior that uses dark magic to curse and draw power from enemies to gain power themselves” Hexblades curse speaks to the same identity as the specter thing at level 6. Using magic to become capable of martial might also adds to that vibe, but I don’t think it’s accidental that Hexblade’s Curse works just as well on magical attacks as it does on weapon attacks.

We’ll just have to agree to disagree on that

 

[Remathilis]

Ive been saying for years that Tasha's was a soft rules update and seeing so many of the abilities from there become part of core seems like this was the intention the entire time.

Ok. WHY. WHYYYYYYY. WHY do Draconic and Wild Sorcs not get expanded spell lists? They acknowledge in the document to use aberrant and clockwork, so they can clearly acknowledge the design of those two classes represent the future of the sorc. Give draconic and wild the same love

WotC has been wildly inconsistent when it comes to bonus spells. Clerics, paladins and warlocks all get bonus spells, druids usually do, rangers and sorcerers are 50/50. I don't know if WotC is preserving face by not adding bonus spells to draconic, wild, hunter and beastmaster, but they are adamant that they want those subclasses to appear weaker than the other ones.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Respectfully but firmly disagree. I know exactly the language (particularly re cleaning and cooking products and so on) you mean but it is not typically used to refer to actual magic (rather metaphorical magic) and it's deployed with vastly more subtlety and fluency - words like conjure and enchant and so on would typically be used, rather than "magic" in literally the vast majority of the examples (as the examples even seemed to agree, given the parenthetical text). I don't know what the best way to put this is, so I will try to be as neutral as possible, but using "magic" as single-mindedly as described, as a verb makes one sound as if they either speaking unnaturally and affectedly on purpose (which is absolutely fine, I love Planescape slang for example but is certainly not "natural language"), or as if one doesn't know a better term so is the best term they can (again fine, but it's imho not a good or a natural use of language). YMMV of course.

All that said this isn't anywhere near the worst sin of unnatural language in 5E. It does imho help to show the natural language goal is a bit of a false economy imho.

Simply false. To magic something isn’t even especially uncommon language, much less remotely unnatural. It’s literally just the generic verb for “do a magical thing to”.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

While it may not be common, I have heard it before. Heck, I have seen it on these very forums. So your "no-one" is clearly gross hyperbole.

It also isn’t a childish usage, and “caveman” is generally just classism disguised as an adherence to “proper” English.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

While it may not be common, I have heard it before. Heck, I have seen it on these very forums. So your "no-one" is clearly gross hyperbole.

Not really. "No-one" is a simple figure of speech, meaning "relatively few people", and certainly is common, and calling it gross hyperbole is gross hyperbole.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Simply false. To magic something isn’t even especially uncommon language, much less remotely unnatural. It’s literally just the generic verb for “do a magical thing to”.

It's not, and so I say "simply false" to you. What more can we say?

 

[Stalker0]

I don't know if WotC is preserving face by not adding bonus spells to draconic, wild, hunter and beastmaster, but they are adamant that they want those subclasses to appear weaker than the other ones.

Considering Crawford has flat out admitted that certain mechanics in the game aren't working (the lastest one being....twin spell is just flat out OP as is).... I don't think there is any "face saving" involved here.

The team is committed to changes and fixing perceived issues, hell we have seen a number of beastmaster attempts at this point showing they acknowledge there are problems.

Why they aren't adding bonus spells, I have no idea, but I feel confident its not to "save face"

 

[Umbran]

Mod Note:
Folks,

You might want to consider whether continuing to pick on details of language use is really the best use of your time.

It also isn’t a childish usage, and “caveman” is generally just classism disguised as an adherence to “proper” English.

A moderator already spoke to this. Please don't continue to argue over it.

 

[Scribe]

Why they aren't adding bonus spells, I have no idea, but I feel confident its not to "save face"

I'm hoping they just have not gotten to the final polish state.