In the present day at Wizards Presents, Wizards of the Coast introduced that the subsequent technology of Dungeons & Dragons (opens in new tab) is on its means through a large public playtest referred to as One D&D. This may embrace a revision of the core rulebooks: The Participant’s Handbook, Dungeon Grasp’s Information, and Monster Guide. This replace will come alongside an offical digital toolset and digital tabletop for D&D. (opens in new tab)
The brand new guidelines will likely be backwards appropriate with fifth Version, or 5E, the present model of the D&D guidelines. These have been round since 2014 and are most likely those you play, statistically talking. Do not panic: We knew this could come. It isn’t that drastic, and it has occurred earlier than.
Wizards of the Coast is not calling the brand new ruleset D&D sixth Version, however that is actually what it’s. If it does not decide an official identify apart from One D&D, gamers will name it 6E, or perhaps 5.5. Belief me: Wizards tried to make 5E simply “Dungeons & Dragons” for years, however all of us referred to as it fifth Version anyway… and now Wizards itself calls it that. The “One D&D” factor will not final.
“One D&D is the codename for the subsequent technology of Dungeons & Dragons that brings collectively up to date guidelines, backwards appropriate with fifth Version, D&D Past because the platform in your D&D expertise, and an early-in-development D&D digital play expertise that may supply gamers and Dungeon Masters full immersion and wealthy 3D creation instruments,” Wizards mentioned in a press launch.
“We did a sensible factor with fifth version by listening to the followers,” mentioned D&D designer Chris Perkins, “and what got here out of that course of was a system that’s secure, that’s well-loved, that includes the most effective components of earlier editions. Now that we have now that we’re now not within the place the place we consider D&D as an version. It is simply D&D.”
Wizards tried to be very clear of their presentation that their plans for adjustments to D&D weren’t about “taking something away” from D&D gamers or “altering that stuff you like.” As a D&D veteran who went from third Version D&D to its evolution D&D 3.5, then 4th Version to 4E Necessities, I can comfortably say that is going to be… partly true, most likely.
This fifth version replace has a variety of improvement time behind it, and a variety of play expertise with D&D 5E. Delicate guidelines updates have occurred within the final eight years, as has sport design philosophy. It’s going to additionally profit, no less than partly, from the information gained in these earlier sport updates.
However will the factor you want most get modified within the official printing? Possibly. Elementary core guidelines are altered within the first doc: A pure 20 is now all the time successful, whereas a pure 1 is all the time a failure. That change was made, mentioned D&D’s sport design architect Jeremy Crawford, as a result of the overwhelming majority of individuals had been taking part in the sport that means whether or not it was the official guidelines or not.
Which, for those who’ve achieved this earlier than, is definitely sort of refreshing.
The primary playtest focuses on Race and Background, giving an advanced model of earlier guidelines that is nonetheless fairly easy and acquainted. It additionally introduces, for the primary time, a celestial reverse of the Tiefling: The animal-headed Ardlings. It additionally collapses spell lists into three easy, separate Arcane, Divine, and Primal lists.
Then there are a lot bigger adjustments: Important hits are seemingly now just for participant characters, not for NPCs. That is large! Some individuals will hate it.
In brief?
In some ways, that is the pure evolution of issues. Having acquired D&D Past, Wizards of the Coast now has, for the primary time, a single widespread platform on which to distribute digital content material for D&D—together with what seems like dwelling guidelines updates over the subsequent a number of years forward of these new core rulebooks. (And it is also making an official 3D digital tabletop instrument.)
In the event you’re serious about the way forward for Dungeons & Dragons, you possibly can join the One D&D public playtests at dndbeyond.com (opens in new tab).