The Rise of Dungeons & Dragons
Since the 1970s, Dungeons & Dragons has united nerds and geeks over its wildly popular table-top roleplaying system. The game allows players to create fantastical characters, each with unique rules and abilities, immersing them in a world of their own design. With the release of the 2024 updates to the fifth edition, major changes will alter gameplay for good.
Understanding the Basics
For newcomers, Dungeons & Dragons may seem complex, but it can be broken down into key components. There are two main roles: the players and the Dungeon Master (DM). The DM crafts the story and decides what happens, while the players take on the roles of characters, navigating through the DM’s world.
Building Characters
Each character has three main elements: background, species, and class. The background defines the character’s backstory, while the species (formerly called race) provides a range of options, including elves, orcs, and dwarves. Lastly, the class determines the character’s role and abilities, such as spellcasters like wizards or martial fighters like barbarians.
2024 updates bring some exciting changes. Players now gain a special skill called a feat, aligned with their character’s origin, adding more customization.
Species and Class Updates
The new rules have also tweaked species. Orcs can now dash as a bonus action, dragonborns can fly, and halflings can reroll a natural one. Aasimars can alter their celestial revelation when they transform, and elves gain access to spells without using a spell slot. However, the removal of half-orcs and half-elves is a significant shift in the game’s history.
Weaponry has seen a major update as well. Weapon mastery is a new feature, granting characters extra abilities with weapons if they possess mastery over them. Characters can now learn a set number of weapon masteries, tied to their proficient weapons.
Class Buffs and Changes
Many classes received buffs and edits in the 2024 update. Each class now has a new subclass. Bards, for example, gained the College of Dance, which gives them monk-like abilities such as unarmored defense. Rogues saw a tweak to their sneak attack, which can now only be used once per turn instead of every time they attack with advantage.
Paladin and Monk Reworks
Paladins experienced significant changes to their beloved smite feature. While smite can now be used once per long rest for free, subsequent uses require a spell slot, and its damage has increased. However, the ability to smite multiple times per turn has been limited to just once, marking a drastic reduction in its damage potential.
Monks, on the other hand, received a much-needed overhaul, making them stronger and more competitive in combat. However, Rangers didn’t receive the same level of attention. Many of their unique abilities were stripped, replaced with generic spells or ability score increases, diluting the class’s original flavor and utility.
The Future of D&D
As players adapt to these changes, the 2024 updates promise to reshape the way Dungeons & Dragons is played. While some tweaks may spark debate, the updates aim to make the game more balanced and engaging for both newcomers and veterans alike.
