Summary
With newDungeons & Dragonscontent being revealed in preparation for its full release later this year, returning and prospective players are paying attention to what this next installment of the classic TTRPG will mean for the community.Wizards of the Coast is adamant thatOneD&Dwill improve the game, but investigating the changes made in the newPlayer’s Handbookcan leave players with mixed feelings.
Partly, this is due to some continued confusion as to what exactly One D&Dis and possibly the continued shadow of the Open Game License debate that has captured the community’s attention over the past year.One D&Ddoesn’t appear to be a new edition of the system but rather a complete revision, promising a more streamlined processgeared toward getting players gaming as fast as possible. However, it’s unclear whether Wizards considered patching the essential flaws in 5e while continuing this path toward simplicity.One would hope that thisnew edition ofDnD’s differenceswould fix 5e’s lingering problems, but One D&Dappears only to address some issues while possibly making others much worse.
10 Biggest One D&D Changes To Get Excited For In 2024
One D&D will changes Dungeons & Dragons in big ways, and some of them actually offer exciting new possibilities or fix long-standing complaints.
Dungeons & Dragons 5e Still Has Many Flaws
Front-Loading The Early Game Causes Imbalances & Lacks Substance
DnD5eoperates precisely as intended: it heralded a new generation of players into the hobby, which is a good thing. However, returning players were met with a system that seemed more interested in acquiring players than keeping them. Many of 5e’sissues were due to Wizards' approach toward simplicity. D&D Beyond streamlined character creation,and with the help of a knowledgeable DM,players could create heroes and play within only 1–2 hours, if that. However, this comes at the cost of customization, leaving more concept-minded players to crafthomebrewDnDclassesor subclasses to get by.
Further, once characters are made, they are noticeably overpowered at lower levels in 5e.Characters can use more spells, deal more damage, and revive fallen party members earlier than ever. This, combined with fewer unique monster abilities, creates a lack of danger for players in the early game. Even worse, class and enemy mechanics fall apart at higher levels, leading toencounters where PCs either triumph quickly or are utterly destroyedwithout much in between. This points to an inclination inDnD5etoward short-lived, low-level campaigns, which is great for new players but lacks the substance veterans crave.
Wizards haven’t revealed enough of One D&Dto give any definitive answer on how it plans to address all of 5e’s flaws. Current evidence suggests a doubling-down on 5e’s overall philosophy. Part of this, of course, is due to the backward compatibility that Wizards has promised coming into the release, asOne D&Dis a revised version of 5e,rather than a new system entirely.
One D&D Is Geared Toward Simplicity, Just Like 5e Before It
Newcomers Will Have An Easier Time, But Veterens May Continue To Be Underwhelmed
The main focus of this revision seems to be a further approach toward guiding new players into the game faster than ever. ThePlayer’s HandbookandDungeon Master’s Guideare laid out so thatpractical “How to Play” sections are prioritized toward the beginningrather than spread through the book according to arbitrary sections. TheDM Guideis front-loaded, too, with common mechanics of running the game rather than lore dumping.
This is all moving the game in a positive direction, of course. However,it signals Wizards' continued interest in new players picking up the game and playing as fast as possiblerather than crafting a rich and complex system that births unique and memorable gameplay. A perfect example is the newly unveiled subclasses for One D&D.
48 subclasses have been divided, four per class, in an attempt towards balance. While this is good news for some classes, it neglects the inherent themes of spellcasters. The sorcerer, for example, can now only choose between Aberrant, Clockwork, or Draconic Sorcery, with Wild Magic thrown in for good measure (a subclass that has always prioritized zany antics rather than long-term viability).
The wizard may now only choose from an Abjurer, Diviner, Evoker, or Illusionist.These limitations bottleneck players,so much that without consulting older 5ematerial, a player wouldn’t be able to make something as classic as a Necromancer wizard. Reddit UserArdenIsTheDarkLordhad similar observations and started a lively discussion on the site, with some users noting it as a positive change.
For players wishing to play a Necromancer, this homebrew subclass by D&D Beyond userSmuaghas the highest rating.
System Bloat In One D&D Isn’t A Good Replacement For Revisions 5e Needs
One D&D May Be Reminiscent of 3.5e
However, Wizards seems to have compensated for this lack of customization by increasing its spell library. Over 400 spells are rolling out with One D&D,over half of which are either revised or completely new to the game. While this may excite, the inflation of spell options seems more likely to cause system bloat rather than satisfying character building, asspellcasters, in particular, will still be thematically bound to their subclasses.
This may not be too far a stretch for many players, but it nevertheless lessens the character-building experience. This march toward player ease will unquestionably continue to affect thepower creep of early levelsas well, especially considering that the revised backgrounds now include an additional feat at level one. Again, while this is exciting, it remains another example of Wizards funneling content into the early game rather than creating a system that encourages long-term play.
Source:ArdenIsTheDarkLord/Reddit,Smuag/D&DBeyond
Dungeons and Dragons
Dungeons and Dragons is a popular tabletop game originally invented in 1974 by Ernest Gary Gygax and David Arneson. The fantasy role-playing game brings together players for a campaign with various components, including abilities, races, character classes, monsters, and treasures. The game has drastically expanded since the ’70s, with numerous updated box sets and expansions.
