5th Edition is the most popular D&D edition ever, and while there are differing opinions on why that is the case - whether it's the accessibility compared to crunchier versions of the game in the past or if it's because of pop culture exposure - the fact is that if you play D&D, there's a very strong chance you either got started with 5E (like me) or it's your default system for running fantasy TTRPGs.
And that's why, rather than coming out with a full new 6th Edition, Wizards of the Coast is marking D&D's 50th anniversary with updated, revised core rulebooks that are, in theory, compatible with all the existing 5E products that have come out since 2014.
We've gotten 9 "Unearthed Arcana" playtests (though because one of these was added beyond the planned 10, we're officially only on "Playtest 8.") There are some big ideas that have been put forward in them, but also a lot of walking back of some of the more radical ideas, like three universal spell lists or class groups (the latter of which had very little downside, but oh well).
Until we have the 2024 Player's Handbook in front of us, we can't say for certain whether any of this stuff is going to stick around, but there are elements that have received glowing reviews in testing that are almost certain to stay.
If you've been keeping up with the Unearthed Arcana articles coming out in the past year or so, this will all be pretty old news, but if you haven't, here's what to look out for:
Ability Score Bonuses Are Tied to Background, Not Species (Also, "Race" is now "Species")
In all honesty, this change has effectively been in place since Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, but officially, now, Gnomes are not inherently smarter than Orcs and Dwarves aren't inherently stronger than Elves. Your ability score bonuses will be based on the background you choose and not your ancestral lineage.
Custom Backgrounds Are Assumed:
In case you were worried, then, that to have a decent Fighter you'd have to go with the Soldier background, at least as of the last time they tested this (which was either Playtest 2 or 3,) while backgrounds like Acolyte or Charlatan are still in the book, they're presented as "sample backgrounds," while you'll be able to use, but ultimately you'll be able to swap things out as you see fit - maybe you don't really care about having a bonus to Intelligence as a Charlatan and instead want to take Constitution (you've endured getting beaten up by marks who got wise and have built up a tolerance for pain) or Wisdom (you've gotten better at reading your marks and spotting a hidden blade).
Feats are Core Rules:
Rather than the oft-forgotten background features in the 2014 version, Backgrounds will now grant every character a Feat at level 1. However, feats are also now divided into different categories. 1st level Feats grant a general benefit, while 4th level feats (which can be taken at any level you could take an ability score improvement) will grant both a benefit and a single one-point bump to an ability score. Feats are no longer an optional rule in the sense that DMs won't be able to decide not to allow them at the table (though of course they can in the sense that the DM can always disallow any character option, though I think most will allow them,) but the default option for a feat will be... Ability Score Improvement, which works just as it has since 2014, only now it's listed as a feat.
However, we should take a moment to reiterate that 4th level feats will all come with a single ability score bump. This will likely make them more attractive, as while it will be harder to cap out your primary ability, you're still making progress on it even if you pick up a bunch of things like Sharpshooter and Crossbow Expert along the way.
Hybrid Species for All, Meaning No More Half-Species:
The 2024 PHB will see the elimination of the Half-Elf and Half-Orc options. Orcs will then be added as one of the core species, along with the Goliath (which is seeing a big redesign). Characters with mixed heritages will now simply choose one of their ancestries to represent their statistics mechanically. So, a traditional Half Orc can be built as either a Human or an Orc, and a traditional Half Elf can be represented with the Elf or Human options (as an aside, this is actually what happened with Elrond and his brother Elros in Tolkien's Legendarium, both born of elf and human parents, but with Elrond choosing the way of the elves and Elros choosing the way of humanity). But this will also mean that if you want to play a half-Dwarf, quarter-Halfling, quarter-Goblin, you can simply do so and use any of those to represent them.
All Classes Get Subclasses at Level 3 Now:
Every class now begins at level 1 without a specific subclass, and that decision gets delayed until level 3. Clerics, Druids, Sorcerers, Warlocks, and Wizards now wait a little longer to choose their subclass. The other levels at which subclass features remain the same (there was a period in the testing where this had also been standardized, but that was walked back).
Inspiration is Now Heroic Advantage:
The distinction between Bardic Inspiration, a core class feature, and Inspiration, a reward for the DM to hand to players, has historically caused a lot of confusion. This should help clear that up.
Actions Are More Clearly Defined:
When you cast a spell, use a magic item, or otherwise perform a bit of magic, this uses the Magic Action. This is one of those subtle changes that will likely not affect much, but it does open up a back door for certain features. For example, the Eldritch Knight Fighter can cast first cantrips and then any spells at the cost of some of their attacks while using the Attack Action. Fighters' Action Surge now allows any action except the Magic action, but Eldritch Knights will be able to get around that because they usually won't be casting magic with the Magic action.
Weapon Mastery:
One of the bigger new systems being introduced, Weapon Mastery is a feature that is currently gained by Barbarians, Fighters, Paladins, Rangers, and Rogues (and sometimes gained from subclasses) that adds bonus effects when you attack with particular kinds of weapons. This adds a lot of new tactical options, allowing you to slow enemies, push them around knock them prone, and get various other benefits. Thus, there will now be a functional difference between a Battle Axe and a Longsword (assuming they don't have the same mastery - as of Playtest 8, they do not).
Various Class Changes:
Going into all of the various changes with the 12 PHB classes would take far longer than this already long post. Generally speaking, most of the core systems remain the same. Spellcasting is basically the same as it was, and attacking with weapons works basically the same.
Classes remain associated with their core themes - Barbarians will still typically be unarmored beefcakes going into Rages, Rogues will still be sneaky punks fighting dirty, and Wizards will still be going absolutely broke trying to copy as many spells into their spellbook as possible. But in most cases, there are some new ideas that add a little to the classes and some areas where stuff that wasn't working too well is cleaned up a bit.
If you ask my opinion, I think most classes are becoming a little more powerful, but it's hard to comment on spellcasters until we see how the various spells have been reworked.
As a note, though, each of these classes could be labeled as "Class Name" B, because officially you can still play the 2014 version of, say, the Cleric even if your fellow players are all playing the 2024 versions of their classes. That being said, I think in almost every case, you're going to probably prefer playing the new one.
I think there's going to be some power creep with these new books, but rather than nerfing more powerful classes (though we've already seen broken spells like Conjure Woodland Beings utterly redesigned) I think instead we're going to see monsters buffed as well, meaning that this extra power will be balanced against tougher foes.
Potential New Systems:
As a bit of a surprise, we got a small Unearthed Arcana post in October that detailed a "Bastion" system, which is a means by which players can have a home base - sort of player housing for D&D, with various facilities that will, over time, generate useful items and bonuses.
We haven't seen a lot beyond that, but it does suggest that there's stuff we're not seeing in the public playtest that could shake the game up. Still, this doesn't appear to be poised to take over the core gameplay systems.
And there we go. These are what I think are the biggest elements of what we can expect to see next year. It's very much a refinement rather than an overhaul, but I think when you add up all the pieces, it should feel like a welcome refresh to 5E, and I'm confident I'll be running things with the new rules when they come out.
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