I whipped up a few premade characters for an event this weekend. Until I did, it hasn't sunk in how much PCs are being buffed. All the changes in the playtest packets have been relatively small, but they really add up.
Races are stronger. Backgrounds are stronger. Classes are stronger. Subclasses are stronger. Spells are stronger. And weapons for martial characters are a lot stronger. (I don't think I fully realized that weapon masteries kind of sort of make any martial character into a battlemaster fighter, except with infinite superiority dice).
You put all that together, and 5.5e characters are strong like Diddy Kong. Perhaps especially at lower levels. Honestly, unless 5.5e monsters get buffed, we'll have to rethink what balanced encounters are.
Races are stronger. Backgrounds are stronger. Classes are stronger. Subclasses are stronger. Spells are stronger. And weapons for martial characters are a lot stronger. (I don't think I fully realized that weapon masteries kind of sort of make any martial character into a battlemaster fighter, except with infinite superiority dice).
You put all that together, and 5.5e characters are strong like Diddy Kong. Perhaps especially at lower levels. Honestly, unless 5.5e monsters get buffed, we'll have to rethink what balanced encounters are.