D&D (2024) D&D2024 Playtest Reports

Clint_L

Legend
We had various threads relating to this on the OneD&D forum, and it would be interesting to continue those discussions here, as we gear up for the new PHB later this year.

My latest home 5e campaign had reached around level 7 when we started experimenting with incorporated the UA rules for 2024. I usually (not always) am the DM, and also play a character, a monk (I gave her low intelligence both as a dump stat and so the party doesn't look to her for decision making when I am DMing). We have had four core characters, a Battle Smith artificer, Moon druid, Ancestors barbarian, and Mercy monk. The artificer has not worried about the new rules because obviously, the druid has hated the new rules and stuck with 2014, the barbarian has been using them, and my monk has FULLY embraced the latest UA. We also have also had a fighter, rogue and bard play with us at times.

The takeaway so far is that the changes to barbarian are mostly quality of life improvements, but have been very positive. Having more out of combat utility is a big positive for a class that has always been strong but one dimensional, and weapon mastery makes combat a touch more tactical as well.

The new monk is, well, HOLY SMOKES. It is so much more fun to play, I can't even tell you. In past, playing a monk was kind of an exercise in frustration: there was fun stuff that you could do, but you were so resource limited and fragile that you had to play your character very conservatively, which undermined the class fantasy in a significant way. New monk is way tougher, with deflect attack, still has to be a bit careful with resources but not nearly to the same extent, and can do cool stuff without needing any resources, which just opens up a ton of possibilities. At level 10 now, and she is a BEAST in combat - for example, in a recent battle she picked up the barbarian, carried him 100' across a moat and up a wall to tank for her, and still got two attacks off on the enemy spell caster, including a stunning strike, while putting hand of harm on his bodyguard to leave him automatically poisoned. Yeah. New monk is really good.

We haven't run into the new spells much, though the few we have tested have made sense and improved game flow.
 

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Zaukrie

New Publisher
I really wanted to use it for this campaign, but dndbeyond no longer offers UA support.....sigh. Like, I'd like to be a monk now....
 

Clint_L

Legend
I use DnDBeyond and it's been very easy incorporating the UA. There's not that much to remember, and you can track discipline point use fine.
 

ezo

Get off my lawn!
The new monk is, well, HOLY SMOKES. It is so much more fun to play, I can't even tell you. In past, playing a monk was kind of an exercise in frustration: there was fun stuff that you could do, but you were so resource limited and fragile that you had to play your character very conservatively, which undermined the class fantasy in a significant way. New monk is way tougher, with deflect attack, still has to be a bit careful with resources but not nearly to the same extent, and can do cool stuff without needing any resources, which just opens up a ton of possibilities. At level 10 now, and she is a BEAST in combat - for example, in a recent battle she picked up the barbarian, carried him 100' across a moat and up a wall to tank for her, and still got two attacks off on the enemy spell caster, including a stunning strike, while putting hand of harm on his bodyguard to leave him automatically poisoned. Yeah. New monk is really good.
To be clear, I'm happy you are enjoying the new D&D experience so much!

But, I am not a fan of really anything I've seen about the new updated D&D. I am only citing this as an example of why. It is crazy, silly, and completely out of bounds of "fantasy gaming"--it is even beyond most super-hero level stuff. And this at level 10? Just crazy IMO.

How, in any way, is such a new monk class at all compatible or balanced with 5E material? Just seems even more OP than the junk they released in Tasha's.

I do want to express my appreciation for your post, however, because it helps me even more realize why I won't be adopting the new materials.

Once again, I'm sincerely glad it is improving your D&D experience and I hope the new rules turn out to be everything you hope for. :)
 

pukunui

Legend
Cool. My wife has just decided to play a shadow monk. I might let her use some of the UA monk's base features. I wonder what changes are in store for the shadow subclass.
 

Kurotowa

Legend
Cool. My wife has just decided to play a shadow monk. I might let her use some of the UA monk's base features. I wonder what changes are in store for the shadow subclass.
Might as well grab UA6 and use the whole new Shadow Monk. There's lots of good stuff, like the ability to see inside their own Darkness spells, and a new Improved Shadow Step at 11th level.

ETA: To be clear, the revised Monk base class that has everyone excited is in UA8, and the revised subclasses were in UA6. Only the Hand Monk got another pass in UA8. So you'll need to mix and match.
 

pukunui

Legend
Might as well grab UA6 and use the whole new Shadow Monk. There's lots of good stuff, like the ability to see inside their own Darkness spells, and a new Improved Shadow Step at 11th level.

ETA: To be clear, the revised Monk base class that has everyone excited is in UA8, and the revised subclasses were in UA6. Only the Hand Monk got another pass in UA8. So you'll need to mix and match.
Ah right. I forgot! Thanks.
 

Clint_L

Legend
To be clear, I'm happy you are enjoying the new D&D experience so much!

But, I am not a fan of really anything I've seen about the new updated D&D. I am only citing this as an example of why. It is crazy, silly, and completely out of bounds of "fantasy gaming"--it is even beyond most super-hero level stuff. And this at level 10? Just crazy IMO.

How, in any way, is such a new monk class at all compatible or balanced with 5E material? Just seems even more OP than the junk they released in Tasha's.
It's compatible in that it is now competitive with other classes. You know what fighters can do at level 11? They can attack SIX TIMES in one round of combat. By level 7, a spell caster can turn a roc into a chicken, just like that! A level 10 bear totem barbarian has something like 200 effective hit points!

Monks in 5e could already run across water and up walls at level 9. Being able to carry someone else is awesome, but it doesn't break the game.
 

Quickleaf

Legend
I ran a two-session playtest of the Oct 2022 expert classes UA in November 2022. I ran an all-dwarf of 10th level pregens (Bard loremaster, Ranger hunter, Rogue thief) through a conversion of Chris Perkins' "Dragon's Delve" in Dungeon #62. We had 4 players in the first session and down to 3 players in the second session.

So keep in mind this is older playtest material.

I put together a cheat sheet of the revised rules & custom made the character sheets to incorporate the UA and present everything in a more usable/readable/accessible format.

Bard player said:
  • "My opinion on playtest - way too easy to forget about exhaustion!"
  • "bard mechanically still feels like a wizards subclass - not unique enough for me"
  • "hiding fixed DCs - Actually I think we forgot about that and looked at creatures Passive Perception - old habits die hard! but I think it would be good"
Rogue player said:
  • "not giving rogue sneak attack on reaction felt a bit bad (as I felt like I'd "worked" for it)"
  • (paraphrasing) this player also found the Stealth rules for this UA really wonky and so did I - hopefully they've changed - see spoiler
Hide [action]: To Hide, you must be heavily obscured or behind 3/4 or total cover, and out of any visible enemy’s line of sight. Make a DC 15 Dexterity (Stealth) check; if you succeed you become Hidden (see below). Take note of your check’s total which becomes the DC for a creature to find you with a Wisdom (Perception) check.

I didn't get feedback from the Ranger player(s).

For me as GM, I really didn't grok or care for the Influence rules from this UA.

Overall, we had a great time! Wonderful group of players who had a lot of fun riffing off each other, and the adventure had a nice charm to it with an underlying mystery / aura of menace, with a satisfying climax. Overall, this UA felt like 5e to us, just slight shades of difference.
 

FitzTheRuke

Legend
Yeah, I made the most METAL character I have ever made for our Avernus Game, using the Monk mechanically but re-flavored as a bare-knuckled brawler (you'll see that his abilities have been renamed: (Yes, his Momma named him Maglubiyet, but his friends call him Mad Mags.

1708491727031.png


(I tried to edit the swearing off the sheet to make it ENWORLD-safe, but let me know if I missed any!)

I know that this probably won't make @ezo like it any better, but he also drives this:

1708491852202.png
 

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