# [+] The things I like about D&D One Playtest, and the things I LOVE!



## Snarf Zagyg (Aug 19, 2022)

This is NOT going to be one of my giant, 20,000 word essays about the history you never wanted to know. Instead, it's a thread started.

*PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS A "PLUS" (+) THREAD. THAT MEANS I AM REQUESTING POSITIVE CONTRIBUTIONS ABOUT THE THREAD TOPIC.*

There are approximately 394 threads right now about the D&D One Playtest materials, most of which have large numbers of people chiming in (or the same people repeatedly chiming in) with some version of, "I DUN WANNA," or "I DUN LIKIT."

Which is fine! People like what they like, and some people fear change (which makes them a bad choice to be a toll booth operator). That said, there's a lot of cool stuff out there! And since there are so many threads where people are able to discuss the things they don't like so much ... I thought I'd use this thread to _exclusively discuss things that people do like!_

*So, what do you like ... or what do you LOVE about the playtest material, or about the announced direction of D&D One?*

Since I am the thread starter, I'll start!

I really like the change and the renewed emphasis on backgrounds. Far too often, character creation was "Race, Class, Abilities." Putting a whole lot of emphasis on the background for cracter creation really allows you to tell your story- your character's _background _as part of the character creation process. Class and race are very deterministic ... very old fantasy. But backgrounds - that's a real choice!

Anyway, that's my initial impression. I'm throwing this out to the rest of you.


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## Mezuka (Aug 19, 2022)

Elf lineage being able to cast one spell at level 3 and level 5 is very cool. Feels very 'Classic D&D' (and also, of course, a nod to LOTR).


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## payn (Aug 19, 2022)

I am also encouraged by the continued work on backgrounds. Something that's been in RPG design for a long time, but has never really been fleshed out. I am hopeful that the trend will continue in the direction of making them more interesting choices for players.


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## Tales and Chronicles (Aug 19, 2022)

Love the readability, using natural language, yes, but bolding the game terms and bullet points, making it easier to follow step-by-step.

The new condition(s) are also pretty great.

All-in-all, I feel many of the element presented in the playtest will favor quicker play at the table, meaning more actual time to have fun.


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## WarDriveWorley (Aug 19, 2022)

Right now my biggest "pluses" are:

The new emphasis on backgrounds. 
Making character creation more modular.
Some of the language simplifying aspects of the rules (example: the d20 test language). 
The framework of the Ardlings.
Putting inspiration so it gets more love. 
Some of the feat changes tweak my interest as well.


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## eyeheartawk (Aug 19, 2022)

I too like the background thing. I also like the removal of Half Elves and the addition of actual Orcs. I always thought the whole Half-Orc always presented more problems than it fixed.


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## billd91 (Aug 19, 2022)

Though it is not my favorite idea for handling it, I do like putting the ASIs in a context (in this case, background) that encourages the player to synthesize why they're getting a +2 here, a +1 there other than "because it makes my prime stat higher".


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## Nikosandros (Aug 19, 2022)

Inspiration on a 20 and share it if you already have it.
Levels for feats
Arcane, divine and primal spell lists


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## TwoSix (Aug 19, 2022)

I like the use of "1dX+level" as a damage expression for Dragonborn breath weapon.  It's roughly the same damage curve as "1dX, +1dX at levels 5, 11, 17" but is significantly less bumpy.  I'm kind of wondering if cantrips will be changed to the same model in later packets.


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## GMforPowergamers (Aug 19, 2022)

The amount they appear to be willing to change


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## jmartkdr2 (Aug 19, 2022)

Ardlings are a new race with some exciting possibilities. 

I like moving a lot of character creation to the by-default-customizable backgrounds.


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## GMforPowergamers (Aug 19, 2022)

Nikosandros said:


> Levels for feats
> Arcane, divine and primal spell lists



yes to both of theses.... Although we have not seen them I hope this will allow us to have powerhouse feats in the end game... and maybe even more spell swap feats, things like a wizard picking a feat that allows for them to learn awaken.


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## Retreater (Aug 19, 2022)

Backgrounds needed a boost. Inspiration needs to be made more important and easier to get. If the direction is to give monsters cool recharge abilities or encounter powers (as has been implied), then that's a welcome change.
I'm good with Arcane/Divine/Primal spell lists - that will simplify things.
I like the feat that has Battle Medic as a way of giving 4e-style healing surges.


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## Kurotowa (Aug 19, 2022)

Dwarves are cooler, Drow lost the stupid Sunlight Sensitivity, real Orcs made it into the PHB, and I love the new Abyssal and Chthonic Tieflings. I like the new "mixed heritage" rule. Ditching the Background RP traits that almost never came up and emphasizing that you can and should assemble a custom Background is a good step. Getting a free starting feat is also good news.

All in all I'm liking a lot of what I see. What I really want to see now is what the revised classes look like, especially Warlock and Fighter.


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## Maxperson (Aug 19, 2022)

I like what they are doing with backgrounds, though I'm not sold on the ASIs being there.  I can see why they did it, though.  If the bonuses are in the background, then it diffuses a lot of the frustration with elves getting strength bonuses, etc.


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## Hatmatter (Aug 19, 2022)

Snarf Zagyg said:


> *PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS A "PLUS" (+) THREAD. THAT MEANS I AM REQUESTING POSITIVE CONTRIBUTIONS ABOUT THE THREAD TOPIC.*
> 
> There are approximately 394 threads right now about the D&D One Playtest materials, most of which have large numbers of people chiming in (or the same people repeatedly chiming in) with some version of, "I DUN WANNA," or "I DUN LIKIT."



A great idea for a three, Snarf, thanks!

I started playing D&D in 1980. I have grown exhausted of edition changes because of how it sucks up all the creativity at TSR or Wizards and assigns the authors who could be otherwise writing genuinely new material to producing not only yet another version of PHB/DMG/MM, but also, a "new edition" version of each campaign setting, of classic adventures, etc. I have commented in the past about how this slows the development of the horizons of the game in favor of developing the mechanics of the game...which sometimes feels like tinkering without truly producing a game that plays better.

I was delighted with 5th edition, I really wanted it to simply remain the version of D&D going forward. I think in these boards here I once wrote something like, we don't expect the rules of Monopoly to change every few years, why do we want that for D&D (a problematic comparison, no doubt, but I think most people would get my point)?

Anyway, I was encouraged with last year's announcement that the anniversary edition would be backwards compatible with 5th edition adventures and campaign settings. That was great. I remained open-minded.

Now, with the One D&D announcement I am delighted. I really think, especially in how the always-thoughtful Crawford discussed the revisions in his interview with Todd Kenreck, that this is a genuine effort to refine the existing D&D that has been embraced over the last 8 years.

Things I like:

I love the commitment to minor adjustments/improvements that acknowledges that 5th edition is D&D going forward.
I love that races are not being eliminated and are actually acquiring features that make them more impactful.
I love that the items that people felt uncomfortable attached to races, like ability scores and skill proficiencies (items that I did not particularly take issue with) have been moved to backgrounds. That works perfectly.
I love that backgrounds are becoming more impactful.
I love that feats will be tied to the existing level-system.
I that there is more "team sharing" elements being introduced.
I love the association of Inspiration with a natural 20 while, at the same time, enhancing the storytelling qualities of other aspects of the game. Hopefully, there is still a meaningful way for a DM to award positive storytelling choices by players, whether it continues to be Inspiration or some other element.
After years of denying that there is an arcane/divine/primal distinction in 5th edition, I love that there is a meaningful place for that distinction with the new arcane/divine/primal spell lists. I am hoping a psionic spell list is also created.
I like that there will continue to be individual spell lists for specific classes as well.
I love that Wizards does not feel the need to rethink the multiverse layout as it was changed for 4th edition (as much as I loved some of those refinements), and then changed back for 5th edition (which I also approved of).
I love the idea behind the revision/tweaking does not appear to be about taking choices away, but expanding them while trying to not make a more complex game.
I love that Perkins is going to try to craft more "how to role-play" introductory elements into the DMG. Hopefully, all the great content in the DMG will remain.


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## Mort (Aug 19, 2022)

I like the direction inspiration is going - being able to share it etc. Hope they expand it even further.

I really like the direction the backgrounds are going.


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## Lidgar (Aug 19, 2022)

Really like:

1. Critical hit = inspiration dynamic

2. Spell categories to simplify those lists (and have other potential implications for mechanics)

In general, most of it looks good.


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## rooneg (Aug 19, 2022)

The new way of doing backgrounds is far and away my favorite thing here. It's exactly what I want for so many reasons, both for what it does explicitly (for example, the default being "build your own", which gives us a lot of freedom that we only sort of had in the original 5e) and what it implies (like the fact that Feats are less optional and more a required part of the system).


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## Charlaquin (Aug 19, 2022)

*I like:*

Height and average lifespan suggestions in race entries.
Small size options for most medium races.
Humans get free Inspiration after a long rest (and can give it to someone else if they already have it).
Darkvision for dragonborn.
Temporary tremorsense for dwarves.
Critical hit changes
*I love:*

Custom backgrounds as default.
Floating ASIs from background.
Background Feats.
Power source spell lists.


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## OB1 (Aug 19, 2022)

I Like:
New Unarmed Strike rules
New Spelllist orginization
New Racial format and options
Weapon Only Crit Default (could go to love depending on how they use the design space for class/monster specific features)

I Love:
Humans waking up with inspiration (the most human thing every IMO)
Inspiration for Nat20
Passing inspiration when you already have it
New Origin creation method
New Crit Rules (after play testing in session)

I Love love love:
New Background Creation method - Giving players a mechanical way to show how their back-story made them the character they are.  Freaking brilliant.  So much versatility.


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## HaroldTheHobbit (Aug 19, 2022)

I think the rules and mech changes will be ok and playable. Background focus and inspiration mechanics sounds great.

But what I'm really curious about is the Unreal-based VTT thingy, and what the price point will be to use it.

All in all, it looks pretty good, even though I'm burned out on D&D at the moment.


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## THEMNGMNT (Aug 19, 2022)

Basically, I like everything I see. My only concern is around scaling. For example, if an infernal tiefling gets firebolt at level 1, will that firebolt still be a viable cantrip for them at higher tiers?


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## Charlaquin (Aug 19, 2022)

OB1 said:


> New Unarmed Strike rules



I keep forgetting this one. Add that to my “I like” list too.


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## Mort (Aug 19, 2022)

THEMNGMNT said:


> Basically, I like everything I see. My only concern is around scaling. For example, if an infernal tiefling gets firebolt at level 1, will that firebolt still be a viable cantrip for them at higher tiers?




Damage cantrips tend to scale pretty well and are level not class dependent.

Sure, more and more monsters get fire resistance as levels increase, but overall the cantrip should be viable even into high level

Heck, I was running a 15th level adventure (a 2 shot, basically), the wizard was casting firebolt a lot - with good effect


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## Kurotowa (Aug 19, 2022)

I want to pay an Honorable Mention to the changes around rolling a Natural 20.

Reducing the size of weapon crits and removing spell crits entirely reduces the random variance potential, but also reduces how exciting rolling a Natural 20 might be. So here we have a new rule that a Natural 20 gives you Inspiration, which introduces a minimum reward threshold and means rolling a 20 is always a good thing. Oh, and Eldritch Blast is probably a class feature and not a spell now, so there's a good chance Warlocks will get a technical exemption from the "no spell crits" rule for it.

It's a tricky balancing act where you have to consider the whole framework and not just zero in on individual design elements, but it's one that looks promising.


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## Jer (Aug 19, 2022)

The focus on Backgrounds is good - I like that they're feeling out what to put into that space.

I like the apparent rethinking of Inspiration and how to get it.  Putting the burden of remembering that Inspiration exists onto the player - and giving them tools to get it automatically - rather than it being something that gets used if the DM remembers to use it is a good idea.  Letting players who already have Inspiration pass it to another player when they get it a second time is actually kind of brilliant too.

Feats with levels - and with it viewing the Feat as a class feature that doesn't belong to a single class is an interesting idea.  I want to see how it plays out with higher level Feats before I'm 100% on board but it's definitely a tweak to an existing mechanic that has some potential.  I also quite like that they have put in a good amount of effort to make all of the 1st level Feats work for all of the classes.


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## Horwath (Aug 19, 2022)

Since this is a + thread I will not comment anything as most things I like come with "I like xxx, but..."

and everything said before "but" is horse sh##


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## Charlaquin (Aug 19, 2022)

Kurotowa said:


> Oh, and Eldritch Blast is probably a class feature and not a spell now, so there's a good chance Warlocks will get a technical exemption from the "no spell crits" rule for it.



I wouldn’t be so sure on that. It’s a possibility, but Jeremy Crawford indicates in the interview that classes will probably have more ways to grant access to spells than just the general power source spell lists. Eldritch Blast could easily still be a spell that just isn’t tied to a general power source and is only granted through a warlock feature.

I do hope you’re right though, as having it be a non-spell would make it even stronger by allowing it to circumvent anti-spell effects like counterspell and antimagic field.


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## FitzTheRuke (Aug 19, 2022)

I'm on board with a lot of what has already been mentioned here, but I'll add:

The old Background feature essentially boiled down to, "Hey, DMs! Remember to have NPCs treat these PCs as if they are who they are!"

So I like the ASIs and feats giving background more meat.

And I LOVE the idea of Dwarves getting Tremorsense. 

And some of the formatting stuff looks like it's on the right track.


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## Umbran (Aug 19, 2022)

Horwath said:


> Since this is a + thread I will not comment anything as most things I like come with "I like xxx, but..."
> 
> and everything said before "but" is horse sh##




*Mod Note:*
"How can I drop a negative note into a + thread and not get caught?"

Not this way, sirrah.  Not that it matters, but you won't be posting in this topic again.

Next time, resist the urge to threadcrap.  Just accept that not all threads are for you.


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## Voadam (Aug 19, 2022)

I like that backgrounds are default customizable and the source of ability score bonuses and tool use.


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## robus (Aug 19, 2022)

Agree with much of what’s been posted and very happy to see that combat during long rest has at last been clarified!


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## aco175 (Aug 19, 2022)

I have not delved in as much as others bit like what I saw in Alertness where you can swap your initiative with another PC.  I generally see this with Rogues and they may want to have the fighter go first and this would be great.


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## A2Z (Aug 19, 2022)

I like that the new tiefling's all have varying appearances even within legacies. It seems like a real shift back to their 2E origins. I will love it if their art going forward reflects this as well.


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## overgeeked (Aug 19, 2022)

I love that they're clearly showing they are at least in theory willing to buck tradition. Not sure they'll pull that trigger or follow through in any real way with killing tradition, but it's kinda refreshing to see.


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## Gadget (Aug 19, 2022)

I actually like the way they did the half races.  I know that many complain about it, but I can see how trying to come up with an entry for each possible combination would be difficult, not to mention hard to maintain going forward as new races are introduced.  And letting players pick and choose from each would be a min/maxing nightmare.  

I like, at least so far, how they have introduced levels to feats as a way to bring them under control and enforce some measure of balance on them.  In the past couple of Editions, feats were always out the center of min/maxing horrors, which is why they were more restrained and optional in 5e.  

I like the division of spell lists into the main three, and see it as long overdue.  Of course, there is a lot to still see here.

I like that monsters do not crit, as it simplifies them more and makes CR estimates somewhat easier.  It goes further down the 4e road of Monsters & NPCs having different mechanics from PCs, more suited to their purpose in the game.  I do hope they give more monsters "rechargeable" abilities though.  

I like the background focus, as I see "race" becoming more and more of a hot-button issue (both in and out of game) that they would want to shift more of the heavy lifting to backgrounds.  I foresee a time when race is largely a cosmetic option that is selected.


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## Tutara (Aug 19, 2022)

I think it’s moving in a very good direction. I love the increased modularity and the fact that what you did before adventuring is what forms the basis of your character. I think I’ll hold off on a full assessment before I see the other bits and pieces, but a lot of what is happening is in line with the way I have been playing and DMing for the past five years. 

I very much recognise the DNA of the way I actually play the game in the current changes!


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## Jer (Aug 19, 2022)

Gadget said:


> I actually like the way they did the half races.  I know that many complain about it, but I can see how trying to come up with an entry for each possible combination would be difficult, not to mention hard to maintain going forward as new races are introduced.  And letting players pick and choose from each would be a min/maxing nightmare.



What I like the most about it is that they've taken what I've been doing since my BECMI days and are thinking of making it "official".  These are basically the rules I've been using for "half-elves" and "half-orcs" and "half-goblins" and so on for decades.  Always nice to see someone else think your idea is a good one


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## Levistus's_Leviathan (Aug 19, 2022)

I like: 

Getting rid of subraces for the races that don't need them (Dwarves and Halflings)
A defined niche for High Elves in this ruleset beyond "Wizard Elves"
Increased scaling mechanics for races (which usually were a "one and done" mechanic from the 2014 PHB, where you would pick your race, write down its mechanics, and then never come back to it later in the campaign). 
Natural 20s giving Inspiration
Humans being useful beyond just a free feat at level 1, and being able to be small
A celestial counterpart to the Tiefling being in the PHB (though I would have preferred Aasimar)
The better scaling of the Dragonborn's Breath Weapon
Dragonborn getting Darkvision
Fey Ancestry giving advantage on saving throws made to _end_ the Charmed condition (not just to _avoid_ it), which also applies to Brave for Halflings
The expanded usage of Gnomish Cunning to all Int, Wis, and Cha-based saving throws
Thieves' Cant and Druidic being languages anyone can learn (which was a bit confusing in the 2014 PHB)
The Skilled Feat being repeatable. 
A term, "d20 Tests", that covers all "ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws", so you don't have to write that all the time as a homebrewer. 
The changes to Unarmed Strikes
Clarifications on what can interrupt a Long Rest
The Slowed Condition
I love: 

Arcane, Divine, and Primal Power Sources coming back
The removal of Half-Races as full races (due to the slippery slope that was)
Dwarves getting Tremorsense
Orcs being in the PHB
Tiefling being expanded to cover all Fiends again
Common Sign Language
All of the changes to Backgrounds. All of them. They're amazing, and I love them. 
Feats becoming the default. 
Feats being separated by the level you can take them (and the fact that Sharpshooter and Great Weapon Monster aren't included)
Making Inspiration more important and built into the system.
The extent that WotC were willing to go in this Playtest.


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## Ibrandul (Aug 19, 2022)

There's a lot here that I like, so I won't attempt anything close to an exhaustive list. I'm just here to say that I LOVE spells not critting.

I'm singling it out because something tells me it's a really iffy proposition whether this change is ultimately retained. It "takes something away from players," which WotC is incredibly hesitant to do, and when Crawford mentioned this particular change in the video he went out of his way to emphasize that it was a _playtest_ and not yet an officially adopted change—whereas, in contrast, I get the sense that quite a few of the structural changes are pretty much set in stone at this point unless feedback is overwhelmingly negative (as opposed to changes specific to particular feats, races, etc., which I would bet are all more tentative).

But I love it. It lets players of martial classes have something special that's iconic to the game, but  most spellcaster builds won't really suffer all that much from it.


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## Benjamin Olson (Aug 19, 2022)

I like that they finally just made nat 1s and nat 20s special on all rolls. That's the way most people wanted to (or thought they were supposed to) play it anyway.

I like that inspiration, a great idea never implemented in a meaningful way is getting reworked. I like that it expires on a long rest now, since my MO has always been to hoard it for a rainy day.

I love the ambition to make backgrounds fully customizable and, seemingly, make customizing them the default.


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## UngainlyTitan (Aug 19, 2022)

Overall I am positive over the changes, I have some concerns but I really like the new emphasis on backgrounds. I like the direction they are going with races. I like the direction they are going with feats even if I am a bit iffy with the individual feats as presented. Though that might go away once I see how the feats interact with the Class system. In particular the Class ASIs and how exactly one gains feats on character advancement. 
Looking at some of the changes presented I am intensely curious about how, surprise, stealth and combat are going to interact.


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## Benjamin Olson (Aug 20, 2022)

I love that (so far) it is about 99% compatible with the 5e I know and love. It feels like a promise kept, or as kept as possible without sacrificing all other change to it. If you rolled up a playtest character, other than the couple of extra playtest sources of reliable inspiration being overpowered (presumably there will be more such sources to balance it out), and a few obscure things like the Grave Cleric critical hit cancelling ability now only being useful in interfering in PvP, the rest of the 5e rules would basically still work without major issue.


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## Hussar (Aug 20, 2022)

I’m most excited about the vtt option. I’ve been looking forward to this for years.


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## dave2008 (Aug 20, 2022)

Pretty much this:


Hatmatter said:


> Now, with the One D&D announcement I am delighted. I really think, especially in how the always-thoughtful Crawford discussed the revisions in his interview with Todd Kenreck, that this is a genuine effort to refine the existing D&D that has been embraced over the last 8 years.
> 
> Things I like:
> 
> ...


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## dave2008 (Aug 20, 2022)

Charlaquin said:


> I wouldn’t be so sure on that. It’s a possibility, but Jeremy Crawford indicates in the interview that classes will probably have more ways to grant access to spells than just the general power source spell lists. Eldritch Blast could easily still be a spell that just isn’t tied to a general power source and is only granted through a warlock feature.



I believe he clarified later that magic users might have features to pull spells from another list. I don't think there will a general power source list


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## Ancalagon (Aug 20, 2022)

jmartkdr2 said:


> Ardlings are a new race with some exciting possibilities.
> 
> I like moving a lot of character creation to the by-default-customizable backgrounds.



I wasn't sold on ardlings at first.

But then I thought of having an ardling with the head of a FLY and be a warlock, and I started seeing possibilities.  Definitely some potential there.


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## Greg K (Aug 20, 2022)

I loved:

Thieves' Cant as a background language (hopefully, this means it won't be part of rogue class)
The slowed condition
I liked

Orc included as a PHB race
Tieflings expanded
Primal as a Power source


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## ART! (Aug 22, 2022)

A roll of 20 always succeeding, _and_ being a critical hit, _and_ giving you Inspiration seems like an awful lot, but it also sounds like the kind of thing that makes playing just _fun_. Love it.


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## pantsorama (Aug 26, 2022)

I like how inspiration spills out into the group. Not only does it deny luck accumulating to one lucky player, it promotes group cohesion and rewards knowledge of what the other players are doing and how they might contribute in a given situation.

I love the increased access to feats.  Feats are ribbons and I have always thought they should be less powerful, but more available as they give the player customization options that make the gameplay less rinse-repeat.  I hope they separate them from ASIs COMPLETELY.  ASIs vs Feat makes the opportunity cost WAY too high to ever take all but the most powerful feats, unless you are SAD or get extra feats as part of your class. 

I like the stated goal of separating culture and race.  I think the races as presented could use some more of that energy.  Genetics as destiny is just gross, and lets bury it.

I LOVE no crits for baddies - IF it is coupled with unique "regenerating" monster powers.  Give them other ribbons so that each monster (or even role played by that monster) gives each one a unique feel.  Again (if they do this, and I think they will) this make each combat unique and engaging - much moreso than worrying about a crit.  Unique monster abilities was one of the best things in 4e (Kobold Vermin Handlers won me over so hard). I am sad they didn't continue with this direction in 5e, but it looks like it may be back - which is fabulous!


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