Summary
The release ofDungeons & Dragons’next Player’s Handbookis close on the horizon, and recently, Wizards of the Coast released some of the content that will be included in the new version of the iconic tabletop game – previously known as One D&D and sometimes referred to colloquially as 5.5e. This sneak peek at the updated content primarily concerned the game’s new classes. One question the player base has been waiting for an answer to is how the new rulebooks will improve the martial characters of the fifth edition.
InDnD5e,martial classes are notoriously underpowered in comparison to spellcasters. The higher-level abilities they get, attacking multiple times and greater weapon damage simply don’t stack up to the massive power of mid- and high-level spells likepolymorph,wall of force, orwish. While still viable options for players to choose from, a change in the abilities of martial classes has always been a priority when it comes to updatingDungeons & Dragons.
How One D&D Is Different From D&D 5e
With the upcoming release of One D&D, there is some confusion about what it is and how the new version will be different from fifth edition.
D&D’s Martial Classes Need An Extensive Makeover
Spells Are Much More Powerful
While the official player’s handbook and other guide books are not yet released, Wizards of the Coast has provided a look at the abilities of several of the classic martial classes. InDnD, martial classes include fighters, barbarians, rogues, monks, and, to some extent, rangers and paladins. Looking at their new statistics and what they can do, it is safe to say that at least some of the power indifference has been solved.
Every D&D Book Releasing In 2024
Dungeons & Dragons has multiple new books to look forward to in 2024 as it celebrates its 50th anniversary, including new adventures and core updates.
Butnot nearly enough has been done to put them on the same level as a character with ninth-level spellsliketime stop. It must be remembered that the released content is possibly still subject to change and that the community suggestions inUnearthed Arcanahave often been considered when it comes to rule revisions. At this point, though, the criticism of some of thenewDnDmechanicshas already made it clear that changes must be made.
Weapon Mastery Is Now Given To Most Martial Classes
Certain Weapons Gaining Special Abilities Is Cool, But Not Groundbreaking
Many of the martial classes now have access to special skills with an ability called Weapon Mastery. Essentially,this provides each weapon in the game with some sort of unique attackor way of dealing damage. Some of the release masteries include Graze, which deals damage to a creature even if the attack misses, and Vex, which allows players to gain an advantage on a creature they have just dealt damage to.
The idea of Weapon Mastery is admittedly cool and does provide some versatility for martial characters while simultaneouslyimprovingDnD’s weapons. Instead of just making the same attacks each round, they now have some options to mix up combat and even have more reasons to experiment with different weapon types. ButWeapon Mastery abilities don’t scale particularly well, and will be much less useful as a character gains levels. All in all, while this ability gives martial characters more options, it is underwhelming in the long run.
The Game’s Weakest Class Is Now A Lot Better
Monks Are No Longer The Game’s Punching Bag
Monks in 5e are notoriously weak. With poor damage and low health in comparison to other martials, they have long been seen as nonviable in high-level and difficult campaigns. In thisupdate, however, they seem to be benefiting from a great deal of work done on their abilities, more so than other characters.
Everything aboutthe new monk is improved, with higher-damage martial arts, more powerful options through the use of their Focus Points, and even a capstone ability that boosts their Dexterity and Wisdom by four points each. The difference between a5e monk and this new version is night and day, and this will no doubt redeem the class in many players' eyes. However, it’s worth noting that even with all of this rework,the monk still faces issues with its health and a lack of ranged options. Still, out of all the martial classes, the monk has certainly received the biggest improvements.
Rangers & Paladins Are Now More Like Spellcasters Than Before
These Hybrid Classes Are Leaning Away From Their Martial Roots
Contrary to the monk,the ranger and paladin have probably seen the biggest downgradesin this update. And oddly enough, this comes along with them becoming more like spellcasters, which are thought of as inherently more powerful than martials. The main reason for these two classes seeming worse now has to do with each of their main magic abilities: Divine Smite and Hunter’s Mark.
Divine Smite is a 5epaladin’s bread and butter. It expends a spell slot to deal bonus radiant damage with a weapon attack. It makes paladins good damage dealers, especially since they can do it multiple times per turn and since it is exclusive to them. Neither of those things is true anymore.
Divine Smite is now a spell that can be cast as a bonus action. It is on the paladin spell list, and since they now get spells at level one, they have access to the ability earlier. However,since casting it costs a bonus action, they can only use it once per turn, even at higher levels. Furthermore, other classes may be able to gain access to the spell with feats like Magic Initiate, meaning players wouldn’t have to be paladins to get this ability.
Rangers Got Worse Debuffs In The Dungeons & Dragons Update
Hunters Mark Is More Important Than Ever
The situation with Hunter’s Mark for the ranger is far worse. The spell was already a bonus action and in the ranger list, so no changes were made there. However,many of the new ranger class abilities revolve around casting the spell. Even their capstone ability is specifically about Hunter’s Mark, giving rangers a simple damage increase.
The fact that many of the ranger’s class abilities now only apply when they are casting and concentrating on Hunter’s Mark limits them in what spells they can cast and what actions they can take.Any other bonus action ability will be competing for space in combat, and any other concentration spell will be unavailable unless rangers are willing to give up some of their core powers. Rangers are getting some other perks they didn’t before, like Expertise and Blindsight, but this does not make up for their new reliance on a first-level spell.
Certain Subclasses Are Virtually Untouched In The New Player’s Handbook
Tasha’s Cauldron & Its Contents Are Here To Stay
All the martial classes have new versions of previous subclasses available to them. Some of them, like the Champion fighter, have seen extensive improvements. Others, like the Gloomstalker ranger, are now weaker than they were. But each class has at least one subclass from a certain 5ehandbook that is practically the same as it was.
Tasha’s Cauldron of Everythingbrought a ton of new content to 5e back in 2020, andthe subclasses introduced there are often regarded as some of the most powerful. From the Mercy monk to the Beast barbarian, these subclasses were far and beyond their peers power-wise. It seems Wizards of the Coast recognized this and decided to keep most of them in the game with little change.
The other subclasses have mostly been brought up to the same levels, and to some extent, this has improved the power level of the martial characters. But it’s important to consider thatspellcasters will also get similar power bumps in their subclasses. This may result in a similar power imbalance between martial classes and casters in this version of the game that existed in 5e,with just a few revisions.
Ultimately, it would be unfair to say that the martials did not receive a good number of improvements to their abilities in the new material forDungeons & Dragons. Much of what has been changed is changed for the better, and some of the new abilities these classes have are truly great. But it simply won’t be enough to even out the imbalance between these classes and the absolutely monstrous power of high-level spellcasters.
Dungeons and Dragons
Dungeons and Dragons is a popular tabletop game originally invented in 1974 by Ernest Gary Gygax and David Arneson. The fantasy role-playing game brings together players for a campaign with various components, including abilities, races, character classes, monsters, and treasures. The game has drastically expanded since the ’70s, with numerous updated box sets and expansions.
