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]

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

Lol of course.

I almost always find his takes to be complete nonsense.

But seriously, my feedback will be that the blade pact still doesn’t actually get anything additional, other than not spending an invocation on adding Cha to damage with you Action Damage Attack Thing, which is nowhere near what Tome or Chain get.

They need to face the fact that Cha to attack and damage is just making a warlock cantrip that is melee with a variable damage die, small damage boost early on but requires invocation to keep up later, and can do a mastery effect.

Not a bad cantrip, but nothing to write home about. You’re barely ahead of a warlock with no Pact invocation that just uses a warlock cantrip.

 

[Kurotowa]

But seriously, my feedback will be that the blade pact still doesn’t actually get anything additional, other than not spending an invocation on adding Cha to damage with you Action Damage Attack Thing, which is nowhere near what Tome or Chain get.

For Chain, at least, it's good that it's now pitched as a supplementary path to Tome or Blade rather than something intended to stand on its own. Which is just better in every way, as far as I'm concerned.

As for if Blade Pact is worth all the extra invocations you have to devote to it over the basic Eldritch Blast package, the view I've come to is that it very much depends on the DM. The big advantage of using weapons is that you're using a weapon, and in theory there are some really sweet weapons out there that blow Rod of the Pact Keeper out of the water. But the problem is that some DMs are altogether allergic to giving out sweet weapons. If all you've got is a +1 Longsword or a Sword of Sharpness, then all that investment looks a lot less worthwhile.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

For Chain, at least, it's good that it's now pitched as a supplementary path to Tome or Blade rather than something intended to stand on its own. Which is just better in every way, as far as I'm concerned.

Interesting. Can you explain why?

As for if Blade Pact is worth all the extra invocations you have to devote to it over the basic Eldritch Blast package, the view I've come to is that it very much depends on the DM. The big advantage of using weapons is that you're using a weapon, and in theory there are some really sweet weapons out there that blow Rod of the Pact Keeper out of the water. But the problem is that some DMs are altogether allergic to giving out sweet weapons. If all you've got is a +1 Longsword or a Sword of Sharpness, then all that investment looks a lot less worthwhile.

That tracks.

Without anything special there, well at least it only really needs Thirsting Blade now, and the other one is an actual bonus…but good lord just let them have extra attack from the pact boon!?
Like it literally just means they can keep up with other warlocks.

 

[Mistwell]

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?

I didn't see it. Treatmonk covered it, in a lot of detail, and woah. They are out damaging every other class in melee, and their bow use outclasses EB (simultaneously). There is so much which feeds into what they do synergistically.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I didn't see it. Treatmonk covered it, in a lot of detail, and woah. They are out damaging every other class in melee, and their bow use outclasses EB (simultaneously). There is so much which feeds into what they do synergistically.

Liiiiike what?

 

[Kurotowa]

Interesting. Can you explain why?

Chain Pact never really stood well on its own. The familiar had utility as a scout, and maybe it could apply a combat debuff with the right additional invocation, but it always felt a tier down from Tome and Blade. It wasn't a full combat pet for the Pokemon Master character fantasy, but Chain Pact had little meaningful to offer besides the pet. And since Tome Pact could pick up Find Familiar trivially, giving up Tome for Chain always felt like a bad trade.

By making it official that Chain Pact is a tier down from Tome and Blade, it doesn't have to over extend itself trying to keep up with the big boys. It can focus on being a supplementary choice rather than trying and failing to be a foundational Pact. Which is just a better place for it to be. And meanwhile both Tome and Blade get the option of a Chain familiar if they want one, which is a great thing for both character theme and build variety. Tome + Chain is the best of both of the prior versions, and Blade + Chain is entirely new ground to work with.

The special familiars are very attractive from a class theme standpoint, IMO, and it was always a shame you had to give up so much to get them. Now that's not a sacrifice you have to make, and that's a vast improvement.

 

[Remathilis]

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.

"They can trust their gut."

 

[Parmandur]

"They can trust their gut."

The UA test is not for balancing or stress testing: that is handled in the private playtest network.

 

[Remathilis]

The UA test is not for balancing or stress testing: that is handled in the private playtest network.

So the pact of the blade is horrifically busted and we're supposed to do what exactly?

 

[Parmandur]

So the pact of the blade is horrifically busted and we're supposed to do what exactly?

I am skeptical that it is, but explain why in the qualitative comments section.