Dungeons & Dragons have revealed its next One D&D playtest, which suggests several major changes to the three classes, as well as tweaks to existing rules and character options. The new playtest focuses on the Expert Class, which consists of the Bard, Ranger, and Rogue classes. Of the three classes, the Ranger has received some much-needed upgrades, while Bard’s signature Bardic Inspiration has been significantly scaled back. Rogue has also undergone some changes, though most of them are designed to rebalance the character’s progression. The new playtest also suggested several improved mechanics, the most notable of which is the simplified Exhaustion mechanic.
The biggest part of the playtest is focused on the Ranger, Rogue, and Bard, which were categorized as “Professional Classes”. Expert classes are not considered more difficult to use than other classes, rather “Expert” refers to a shared ability of the Expertise class that grants them special skills in certain skills.
Long derided in 5E, the Ranger has received a major overhaul with more useful class abilities. Most notably, the Warden is now a ready spellcaster, allowing players to swap out the Warden’s spell list with each long rest. This gives the Ranger more flexibility during the campaign and doesn’t force the Ranger to only use a handful of essential spells. The Ranger’s signature ability focuses on casting Hunter’s Mark, which he always has ready and can use without maintaining concentration. New Microsoft Exchange zero-days actively exploited in attacks
However, the Bard has received a significant limitation in that his Bardic Inspirations per day are now tied to Expertise instead of the Charisma modifier. This means that the bard can only use his signature ability twice per long rest until he reaches level 5. The bard’s ability to use Bardic Inspiration increases greatly once he reaches level 7 and receives his Font of Bardic Inspiration ability (which restores Bardic Inspiration to Short Rest ), but players will have severely limited abilities at low levels. However, bards are now ready casters as well, albeit from a limited spell list. Bardic Inspiration is now associated with reactions that trigger either on a failed d20 roll or when a creature takes damage.
Rogue also received a debuff of sorts, with Sneak Attacks now only triggering on an Attack action. The Thief subclass has also received some significant improvements, though the rest of Rogue’s core abilities remain mostly unchanged. Infinix Note 12 (2023) and Zero 20 Launched Starting At €218
Several rule changes were also proposed, including a rule governing exhaustion. Exhaustion levels have been adjusted – players can now gain up to 10 exhaustion levels. Instead of dealing different penalties based on exhaustion level, players now subtract their exhaustion level from any d20 roll they make. Once the player exceeds 10 levels of exhaustion, their character dies.
Heroic inspiration has also been tweaked – instead of players getting inspiration at a natural 20, they now get it at a natural 1. Several new actions have also been designed – the influence action gives players a mechanical way to affect DM-controlled monsters or creatures, while the search action works as a more general guide to finding hidden information.
One D&D Expert Class Playtest Now Live
Wizards of the Coast has released the One D&D Expert Class playtest. The tabletop publishing giant is taking feedback from players around the world on the next generation of the world’s most popular role-playing game, making slight changes to D&D 5e while ensuring all previous material is backward compatible. WOTC has already received feedback from its first wave of material that focused on core gameplay elements such as combat and character creation. This will be the second wave of playtest material, focusing on the overhaul of several character classes.
What’s in the new One D&D Expert Class playtest?
One D&D Expert Class’s new material has been released in an official post on D&D Beyond. Anyone can download this batch of UA as a PDF and see the changes themselves. First and foremost, the new playtest material split the different classes of players into different categories. Sorcerors, Warlocks, and Wizards are mages. Barbarians, warriors, and monks are classified as warriors. Clerics, druids, and paladins are called priests. Finally, Bards, Rangers, and Rogues are referred to as Experts. Similar to the reworking of magic spells into four different categories, this seems to be a case of restructuring elements of the game for the purposes of clarity and accessibility. Coin Master Free Spins & Coins: Today’s links (28 September 2022)
The first one D&D Expert class to be modified is the Bard. The first big change concerns their Bardic inspiration. Originally, the Bard can roll a die when he sees that a party member has failed a skill roll and assist him. Now in this UA, they can also spend Bardic Inspiration to heal party members. This healing ability continues with the new Songs of Restoration ability at level 2, which allows them to learn more advanced healing spells such as Healing Word, Lesser Restoration, and Greater Restoration. There are also changes to the College of Lore subclass, which includes Cunning Inspiration at level 6, which allows you to roll two Bardic Inspiration dice and choose a better result when aiding an ally.
Next up in the One D&D Expert Class Game Test is the Ranger. First, this underserved character class now gains proficiency as well as level 1 spellcasting, giving them more early game options. Additionally, Natural Explorer, Hide in Plain Sight, and Favored Terrain seem to be gone. The replacement of these highly situational feats is as follows. Level 7 is Roving, which increases the ranger’s movement speed when walking, swimming, or climbing. Level 11 gains Tireless, which allows you to gain temporary health after a rest and also allows you to heal exhaustion levels after a short rest. Finally at level 13 is Nature’s Veil where you can spend a bonus action and spell slot to become invisible until the end of your next turn. UA also tweaks the Hunter subclass, simplifying Hunter’s Prey at level 3 to just d8 extra damage when attacking an enemy, and introducing a level 10 Multiattack that lets you cast Conjure Barrage using level 1 and 2 spell slots.
Playtest One D&D Expert Class brings some changes to Rogue. This may be the least changed class in UA. The only major change to the progression is Subtle Strikes at level 13, which allow you to make attack rolls with advantage against any creature within 5 feet of an ally that isn’t incapacitated. There have been a few minor changes to the Thief subclass. The job in the second story at level 3 has been reworked so that your climb speed equals your movement speed. Using a magical device at level 10 allows you to attempt to use spell scrolls with an Arcana check. Also, Thief’s Reflexes at level 14 allows you to take a second bonus action in addition to your cunning action. WHAT IS GET READY WITH MUSIC, SPOTIFY’S NEW FEATURE?
Finally, the One D&D Expert Class playtest includes some revised features as well as some new game conditions. First up is the introduction of Epic Boons, which are reserved for characters who have reached level 20. These include the Epic Boon of Combat Prowess, which allows you to turn a missed attack into a hit once per battle, and the Epic Boon of Fortitude, which increases your maximum health o 40. In game terms, Exhaustion is referred to as Exhausted, and players can gain ten levels instead of six before dying. In addition, inspiration is now referred to as Heroic Inspiration and can be granted either at the GM’s discretion or if the player rolls a 1 on a skill test.