Expert Classes UA: One D&D's Second Playtest Document

(UPDATE: The UA doesn't come out until tomorrow, the 29th)

 So, caveat to begin with: as of 10:30 AM on the west coast, we don't actually have the new UA yet, but we do have the interview between Todd Kenreck and Jeremy Crawford, which has given us some details about what to expect (for readers of this blog, expect a lot of posts today).

This UA is going to focus on the three PHB "Expert" classes, which is a new category that will be used to group classes similar to the three new spell categories from the previous UA. We don't have a full list, but Bards, Rangers, and Rogues (and Artificers - though sadly they've just been confirmed as not coming in the PHB) will be considered "Experts." While this won't dictate that their gameplay features be too similar, it does mean they're all going to get the Expertise feature, and are meant to play a group role where they can reliably perform their given tasks.

The only other role I head mentioned in the interview was the "Warrior," which I imagine includes Fighters, Paladins, Barbarians, and possibly Monks. (I'd assume we'll also get Mages for Sorcerers, Warlocks and Wizards, and then maybe Mystics for Clerics and Druids, but I'm just making those latter terms up).

Class roles will serve as, for example, prerequisites for feats, or even magic items.

The UA will include a new Rules Glossary, with experiments to how certain things will work. One notable thing here is that the Critical Hit changes from the Character Origins UA have been reverted, but there will, of course, be some new things to look at as well.

Another change we're seeing is that Ritual Spells, in this UA, no longer require a class to have some special talent to cast Ritual Spells - all classes that can cast those spells can now do so ritually.

Going back to the Class Categories:

Philosophically, I think we're seeing a shift toward "future-proofing" One D&D. I've made it pretty clear on this blog that I adore the Artificer. But you'll note that a lot of older elements of the game, such as the older version of Magic Initiate, don't really interface well with the class.

By creating these broader categories like the Arcane/Divine/Primal spell lists or these class categories (to one of which the Artificer explicitly belongs) WotC is making it easier to handle the complexities of adding new classes to the game.

Anyway, once we have the document itself, you can be sure I'm going to go over it with a fine-tooth comb.