D&D (2024) Survey is Live for Unearthed Arcana PHB Playtest 8

[fluffybunbunkittens]

What is the great thing this new version brought?

It made all beast forms have the same AC so there's even less difference between them..?

wait that's not great

 

[UngeheuerLich]

You can't sell people on a nerf unless you come with something great to make up for it. What is the great thing this new version brought?

Easy: not having the annyoing mechanic of replacing hp which causes all kinds of headaches and makes the game unfun for me as DM.

Sometimes nerfs are necessary to make the game better.
If you buff everything else, people call that power creep, which is worse than a single nerf.

 

[Horwath]

Easy: not having the annyoing mechanic of replacing hp which causes all kinds of headaches and makes the game unfun for me as DM.

Sometimes nerfs are necessary to make the game better.
If you buff everything else, people call that power creep, which is worse than a single nerf.

true.
but, it depends on ratio of nerfs vs buffs.

people like getting things, people hate things taken away from them.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

true.
but, it depends on ratio of nerfs vs buffs.

people like getting things, people hate things taken away from them.

Especially when they were outshining everyone...

 

[DaedalusX51]

Easy: not having the annyoing mechanic of replacing hp which causes all kinds of headaches and makes the game unfun for me as DM.

Sometimes nerfs are necessary to make the game better.
If you buff everything else, people call that power creep, which is worse than a single nerf.

I find using the monster stat block except for your Int/Wis/Cha to be easier than calculating a new AC, adding temp HP, using part of a creatures stat block for your stats but not all of its abilities, some exceptions may apply. That is more confusing to me.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I find using the monster stat block except for your Int/Wis/Cha to be easier than calculating a new AC, adding temp HP, using part of a creatures stat block for your stats but not all of its abilities, some exceptions may apply. That is more confusing to me.

I agree. By all means, take everything. Except for the HP.
Just keep the druid hp. This is how shapechanging works for Monsters anyway.
I think, giving temp hp is no big deal and a good idea though.

Switching HP is just causing headaches: how do sleep, colour spray, or especially power word kill actually work? Or overwhelming damage. You go to minus max hp and you die. Or does only the wildshape die and the druid reappears healthy - excess damage?
This is totally unclear. And probably, if you read it properly, a druid that changes into a flea with one hp is just killed outright if they get 2 points of damage. But druid players will argue that they first revert due to falling to 0.
Which is understandable. But probably both interpretations are equally valid.

On top of that you never just used the beast stat block. You always kept yozr mental stats. You always kept your prof bonus for skills and savingthrows if they were higher. Always a hassle. So most is not new.

 

[Neonchameleon]

You can't sell people on a nerf unless you come with something great to make up for it. What is the great thing this new version brought?

Not sucking for the DM. As soon as the new Moon Druid is published the old one is going to be the second official subclass on my ban list alongside the Twilight Cleric (with the Chronurgy wizard being the only other thing I consider banning). If you want to play the archetype you can play the new version. If all you cared about was being OP at certain levels then no.

And yes I agree that the new version can and should be better. But the "no sell all damage thanks to the overcoat of temp hp" gimmick can die in a fire.

 

[mellored]

We kind of can't evaluate the new Druid without seeing the new monsters.

 

[WanderingMystic]

We kind of can't evaluate the new Druid without seeing the new monsters.

This has been my statement to them with every play test feedback about the druid.

The only thing we can look at is the new monsters released in the giant book. We have a cr 5 huge beast that has a respectable 24 strength so their attack bonuses is +10. Otherwise it is fairly similar to the cr 6 mammoth or the cr 5 elephant.

We are getting a decent AC of 15-18 which is higher than it has ever been. The temp HP is about 1/3 of what we used to get with the old wildshape but with an AC that is 5 points higher. To me the increase in ac makes up for the huge amount of hp. We also get +1d8 per round that grows to +2d8 per round and then an extra 1d10 per attack at level 15 so our damage output is in a good place

 

[Clint_L]

Not sucking for the DM.

Yeah, good luck selling this version with that pitch. Though also, as the DM of several moon druids: it's not hard. This new version actually creates more calculations. For a dumpster fire of a sub-class.

But if you want to ban it from your table, ban it from your table. Why wait until 2024?