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.

 

[SkidAce]

Maybe. But it’s a matter of fact that the majority of people who play D&D are casual players who have only ever played D&D and likely can’t name any of D&D’s competitors. They literally don’t know any alternatives. (...)

 

[Kalmi]

That is an example of the same general problem for sure.

I would say Attack action/attack is an even worse problem, because at least when Magic is used as a verb you can determine its meaning by its context. With Attack action, all you have to go on is capitalization, and the writers clearly feel that isn't sufficient, resulting in that awful "when you use the Attack action" construct every single time. So much for natural language.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I would say Attack action/attack is an even worse problem, because at least when Magic is used as a verb you can determine its meaning by its context. With Attack action, all you have to go on is capitalization, and the writers clearly feel that isn't sufficient, resulting in that awful "when you use the Attack action" construct every single time. So much for natural language.

People make way too much of “natural language” without giving it much thought.

It doesn’t mean the books are 100% plain speech, with no jargon. It just means that it leans toward language that doesn’t require any expertise in the type of writing beings used.

“When you attack” and “when you use the attack action” are very clean in what they mean. A reaction attack isn’t the attack action, using you action on your turn to take the Attack Action…is. Stuff that modifies the Attack Action, doesn’t modify all attacks, only those made when you take The Attack Action, and that is painfully obvious because the rules reference the attack action. Capitalization is just gravy.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

At this point I don't see any major changes to Warlock, Fighter, Wizard, Sorcerer, and Barbarians, that this point, are there any major complaints left for any of these classes?

Some tweaks to a couple of metamagic and innate Magic to make it more relevant late game (personally I'd have Innate Magic absord Heighten Spell, I'd have Twinned Spell be usable on any spell and become the new Heighten Spell, and make another try at Twin Spell. I'd drop the level prequestse for Pact of the Chain. Maybe bring back the option to choose a casing stat.

Oh and replace Clockwork with Divine Soul, and add spell lists to Dragon Magic and Wild Magic Sorcerers.

The rest seems fine honestly.

I do think the classes from Packet 6 need one more shot because the Bard was hugely effected by the Return of Class spell lists, the Monk still needs alot of work, I'm not sure what Paladin, Druid, and Ranger might need I think I'll have to refresh my memory and I think Rogue is largely finished.

 

[Laurefindel]

Oh and replace Clockwork with Divine Soul, and add spell lists to Dragon Magic and Wild Magic Sorcerers.

I wonder how strongly they are holding to the « Sorcerer = law/chaos axis and Warlock = good/evil axis » concept they are going for.

 

[Parmandur]

I wonder how strongly they are holding to the « Sorcerer = law/chaos axis and Warlock = good/evil axis » concept they are going for.

Probsvly not terribly, beyond this balancing of options in the PHB. Might twist that around in the next Everything book, with some Chaos/Law Warlocks and Good/Evil Sorcerers.

 

[Scribe]

I wonder how strongly they are holding to the « Sorcerer = law/chaos axis and Warlock = good/evil axis » concept they are going for.

I dont think too strongly?

The subclasses seem to run through most of the alignments/planes without much focus, at least at a glance.

 

[Mistwell]

At this point I don't see any major changes to Warlock, Fighter, Wizard, Sorcerer, and Barbarians, that this point, are there any major complaints left for any of these classes?

Wow. Yes! Bladelock is incredibly broken, for example.

I really think people need to playtest this stuff. I suspect fatigue is setting in if people are not seeing what can be done with that version of the Warlock.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Wow. Yes! Bladelock is incredibly broken, for example.

I really think people need to playtest this stuff. I suspect fatigue is setting in if people are not seeing what can be done with that version of the Warlock.

You’re gonna need to clarify in order to be taken seriously on that one. I can’t figure a level where the Bladelock is better off than a Tomelock using EB, much less “broken”.

Is there a weapon mastery you’re worried about? Maybe you’re valuing Cha to attack and damage really highly? You shouldn’t, because it’s just keeping up with a cantrip focused warlock, not getting anything additional. I mean you’ll do a little more damage if you go greatsword, but at level 5 EB gets another attack without spending an invocation, and Tome has a bonus level 1 spell slot.

What are you seeing that you think everyone else is missing?

 

[Kurotowa]

What are you seeing that you think everyone else is missing?

It's Treantmonk's hot take, repeated as gospel. I wouldn't give it much consideration.