D&D: Playtest 5 – Fighters and Wizards and Weapons, Oh My!
The same company that sent the Pinkertons after one of their fans has released a swath of new updates in Playtest 5 for the PHB.
While the various departments at WotC compete to see who can win the “worst corporate decision of the year” award—right now Magic seems to be up, with their piece titled: “send armed thugs after a YouTuber because of an unboxing video“—the release schedule speeds ahead just the same. And today, a new playtest packet has dropped. Playtest 5 for the PHB contains new rules for Fighters, Barbarians, Sorcerers, Warlocks, and Wizards, along with a swath of new spells, feats, and core rules.
You can check out the new D&D Playtest 5 for yourself right here, right now.
But, here’s a quick look at some of the highlights.
D&D Playtest 5 – An Overview
In this Playtest, the Warrior and Mage classes are at the heart of it all. Fighters and Barbarians get some interesting updates, but as usual, Wizards, Warlocks, and Sorcerers get the most love in this playtest. If you were hoping for not-5.5E to fix the Magic vs. Martial disparity, just remember, the company that has probably hired the Pinkertons more than once isn’t called Fighters of the Coast.
That said, Fighters do get more than a bone thrown at them in Playtest 5.
Chief at hand are the weapon masteries, which Fighters get to play around with more than any other. Between that and Extra Attacks, Fighters will roll d20s and apply an effect or two, depending on what you pick. Included along with the core Fighter class, is the Champion Fighter. Once again, the Champion remains the simplest Fighter option. It’s largely the same, though you do get to swap proficiencies and give yourself Heroic Advantage once a fight once you hit 6th level.
Barbarians have some slight reworks to rage and higher level features, but mostly it’s just rearranging when you get certain features.
Wizards, Warlocks, and Sorcerers get reworks to their major class features as well as a whole slew of new spells. Including Warlock, Sorcerer, and Wizard exclusive spells to help them stand out from the other Arcane Accessers.
All this and more awaits in Player’s Handbook 2024, Playtest 5
