One D&D Playtest Notes: Character Origins

The following is a preview of an article supported by my Patreon community. Click here to read the full article for free now! If you find value in my content please consider becoming a member for as little as $1 per month, or toss me a one-time tip by clicking here for several options. Thank you!

It’s crazy that we’re coming up on a full decade since Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition hit our shelves and game tables. It’s been my favorite version of the game since AD&D 2nd Edition, both capturing the “feel” at the table I was looking for with mechanics I intuitively understand as a Dungeon Master and game designer.

Now a new edition of D&D is on the way in 2024, currently called “One D&D” the same way 5e was branded in playtest as “D&D Next.” Wizards of the Coast is following a similar model as before with a huge, open playtest and inviting feedback from the community. They are also making it clear that the products will be backward-compatible with D&D 5e and won’t be a huge break with the previous version of the game like we saw in 2008 with Fourth Edition.

(This edition of the game divided the fanbase.)

Note: The following is a “first impressions” set of notes I made as I was reading through the material. It’s not the result of any study, deep thought, or actual playtesting. My opinions will no doubt evolve over time as I do all of the above.

Today I’m looking at the Character Origins playtest document.

The very first question I’m asking is if this “One D&D” will be analogous to D&D 3.5 — a refinement of the original 3rd edition system, or more akin to the relationship between AD&D 2nd edition to 1st. (It was very clearly a new edition of the game that streamlined, consolidated, and made changes without fundamentally changing the assumptions of mechanics of the game.) The playtest document intro tells us that this document will cover character creation material for Races, Backgrounds, Starting Languages, Feats, and a Rules Glossary. It warns us that this is unrefined playtest material and that game balance (“power level”) will likely be tweaked before final publication.

Determining Your Origin

Origin comes after picking class, but I assume the classes are in upcoming playtest documents, and encompasses Race, Background, and a language. An overview table tells us that Race is broken down into some standard traits: Creature Type, Size, Speed, Life Span, and any Special Traits. Creature Type is our first asterisk! Creature type looks pretty similar to to the list in 5e and is essentially a tag that interacts with other rules.

Another table for Background Trait offers ability score bonuses, skill proficiencies, tool proficiencies, language, feat, and equipment. We’ll see when we get to the detailed section later but it appears the importance of Background in character creation has been boosted in the new edition…

My patrons got to see this a week early, and there’s plenty more in the full article. Click here if you want to read about …

Determining Your OriginCharacter RacesBackgroundsFeatsRules GlossarySpell Lists

… and please consider supporting me on Patreon or leaving a tip!

Don’t be mad, little guy. It’s only a playtest!

The post One D&D Playtest Notes: Character Origins appeared first on Jamie Chambers.