New 2024 PHB Reveals! Fighter, Paladin, and Barbarian | The Dungeoncast Ep. 397

William and Brian are talking about a ton of new information about the upcoming releases for Dungeons & Dragons. This expansion of 5th Edition D&D contains reworks for all the major elements of the game, including class and subclass information. Find out everything we know so far this week on The Dungeoncast!
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The Dungeoncast is a D&D podcast where co-hosts Will and Brian talk about everything Dungeons & Dragons. Everything is up for discussion from Gods and Demon Lords to being a dungeon master and even building characters while keeping the conversational atmosphere lighthearted and friendly. Tune in as they explore the Dragon's Hoard of topics available from #5E, 4E, and all other editions of the world's most popular #ttrpg! Thanks for watching! #dungeonsanddragons

[@davidrobertson5996]

2 hour+ Dungeoncast episode! Wooooooooooot!

[@dakotasir9849]

You guys are my longest lasting, most treasured d&d related following, keep at it Will and Brian!

[@Xephosus]

Hi guys, loved the vid! One thing I will say that I don't like about the Paladin smite is that they made it a bonus action, instead of just saying you can only cast smite once per turn, because a lot of the new features require bonus actions now. This also means that feats like Poleam Master and Greatweapon Master a useless now and would hinder your gameplay. Since they also made Divine Smites spells now, a wizard or monster you are fighting can counterspell your smite, also paladins cant really do anything against monsters like the Rakshasa, which are immune to any spell 6 level or lower. I am thinking that because they made most of the classes (so far) much stronger, they have said that they are also making all of the monsters much stronger aswell.

[@EpicRandomness555]

The thing is is that no spell has a casting time of “Once Per Turn” the shortest options are Bonus Action and Reaction. And GWM and PAM have been changed and are no longer must take feats. Which is good. It was unhealthy

[@GhostlyGrimace]

Turning it into a spell now also completely destroys any potential for Barbarian multiclass or Wild Shape Smiting. Super disappointing.

[@justinmichael9043]

@@EpicRandomness555They didn’t need to turn it into a spell. They could have just limited it to a once per turn class ability.

[@EpicRandomness555]

@@justinmichael9043 That’s technically true. But now there’s more incentive to use the other Smite spells and you might be able to use Meta Magic and stuff with Smite

[@Mordalon]

@@GhostlyGrimace How does it completely destroy those?

[@EpicRandomness555]

1:01:25 Rage does not continue if you take damage now. They removed it because they don’t want players to rely on an outside force to keep a feature like that going.

[@jpmoon86]

The Initial topic of Backgrounds and "I want to be a Fighter Acolyte, but it is suboptimal"... So before, being a Gnome or Tiefling Fighter would have been suboptimal by the same argument. I think the argument of "I spent most of my time in Study and Contemplation, and I'm not as optimized for physical efforts" makes more sense personally

[@dakotasir9849]

I'll say that I think both are relevant and fun fantasy aspects. A halfling probably isn't gonna be as good as a Goliath at being a barbarian, but a halfling that has a matching background to barbarian might outmatch a human barbarian who has acolyte. I think having both matter is cool, and also the fact that we can always just customize if we really want

[@zipperbitten5184]

You two are my all-time favorites! I have every single episode of your podcast. Pure DM inspiration

[@EpicRandomness555]

38:05 Treantmonk said that there’s one thing in Psi Warrior that will make players “want to to stick with Fighter for longer”

[@EpicRandomness555]

1:26:23 A large majority of the last UA Playtest versions that came out for the classes and subclasses are pretty much what is going into the book. With some changes

[@KhanConComedy]

I think the bonus action Smite kneecaps the Paladin way more than most people think. It's not just once per turn. It's once per round. Which I find really strange since the Rogue's Sneak Attack is famously once per turn, and they don't need to expend any resources to do so. Also, my girlfriend plays a Paladin, and really enjoys how much support and utility she can do with her bonus action. I think it's easy to forget since Paladin is a crazy nova class, but they get some really nice Cleric spells. So now the Paladin has to choose between being able to dish out damage and being able to support. Which makes play as a Paladin way more clunky, whereas WotC has made an effort to streamline other classes and made it easier to free up bonus actions. Literally put the line "you can only cast this spell once per turn on a hit" on the smite spell, and you're good. Hell, even making it a reaction spell when you hit a target would make it once per round and not kneecap the versatility of the Paladin.

[@TheLibGamer]

The details of the world tree (and most of the changes) are in the various UA playtest documents.

[@mstjean9180able]

When you mentioned Goliath growth size and the Barbarian getting huge...I immediately imagined Kiba Daioh's Steel Form from Fist Of The North Star...

[@darkwatershadow]

Do people really complain about the martial/magic power gap that much? I mostly play martial classes and it felt kinda fair to me that mages got stronger as the game went on. Martial classes have way better damage and durability at low levels and most games I've been in don't really last long enough for the mages to get the really busted stuff. I've never felt outclassed by spellcasters or that I didn't contribute to a campaign in or out of combat if I was playing a character with no magic. But maybe I'm weird. It's fun to get more toys to play with I guess I just didn't see it as a problem that needed fixing.

[@EpicRandomness555]

39:51 Oh, the wings are spectral elemental energy

[@EpicRandomness555]

18:06 No I don’t think you can make another attack with a bonus action. Nick replaces that when you use it

[@Thedungeoncast]

I thought Jeremy Crawford said differently, but noted.

[@michaelbalcom5233]

They did specifically mention 3 knife attacks

[@EpicRandomness555]

5:11 It’s very easy to swap out the Ability Scores, Skill Proficiencies, Languages or Origin Feats. They made it very modular so swapping things around is very easy

[@shadomain7918]

FWIW in 2014 inspiration RAW, you can only use it to get advantage on a d20 roll and the player is supposed to declare they're using it before they roll. Honestly that sucks and I don't know any DMs (that use inspiration) who play it this way, everyone I know always allow a reroll for inspiration.

[@matthewgayford252]

Loved finding out that William is a history nerd (though context showed it before) and has no time for social media! Between that and the obvious love for OLS and other 90s anime in Superquest Saga this only cements you guys as my favourite D&D podcast. My only question is, now that I find out that William loves tactical RPGs (another favourite of mine!), have you played Triangle Strategy yet? And what do you think of it?

[@Thedungeoncast]

Been meaning to play triangle strategy for some time. Got to pick it up soon so I can give some feedback on it! Most of my gaming time this past year has been shared between Baldur's Gate 3 and Elden ring.

[@matthewgayford252]

@@Thedungeoncast It's worth it if you're into 90s JRPGs and TJRPGs. People complain about it being mellowdramatic, but that's part of JRPG's charm. Do yourself a favour though and change the audio to Japanese if you get it. They did not spend money on the English dub...

[@peteraguilar7600]

Having the Dungeoncast give their first take opinions about the upcoming DnD 5.5E player options is solid gold awesomeness! Keep up the good work!!!

[@TheWizaard]

Not into the visualisation aspects of D&D as I've always been a theatre of the mind kind of guy, but I get that that's by and large where players are going (like everywhere else in life). I tend to avoid online play because meatspace is important to me, and I think D&D does its best work when you're at table with real people and can make eye contact and laugh together. I get that's not easy for everyone, but I do think it's good to push yourself on that front.

[@shannonhoenig873]

Not a fan of not having a species/race ability score and it’s just a flavor thing now but I do like the feats part of a background to me that always should have been a thing I want them to make the next add on book to be subclass and sub race/species along monclassing and multi classing

[@EpicRandomness555]

11:31 It should be pretty much the same as Fizban I think. In the Playtest I believe it was similar to that one and the wings are level 5

[@jordanharrison249]

Yo, what is with the KZbin algorithm? The number one recommended video for this 2 hour long 5.5 breakdown is a 4 hour long full history of Yu-Gi-Oh!

[@adampetra7865]

For those of us that weren't able to support the Kickstarter, when do you think they might be available for purchase? The same time the physical books ship?

[@Thedungeoncast]

Difficult for me to speak on, but the digital version will be made available for purchase as soon after it gets to the backers as soon as I can get it set-up. Physical copies is an entirely other issue. I will put up for sale any remaining copies of the first printing after the all the backers copies are ahipped. I do not know if I will be selling any physical copies after the first print is sold though. It's possible but I simply don't know for sure.

[@adampetra7865]

@@Thedungeoncast I was originally curious about when digital copies for sale. If there's a minor chance I could buy a physical book that didn't get sold; I'll have to keep an ear close to the ground and try to be on it if that opportunity happens.

[@Dylan-od9eu]

Y'all have mentioned that 5E mixes lore and mechanics together in books, to encourage buying everything. As someone who skipped 4E and 5E, the much increased compilation of resources (hopefully) in the new core books sounds like a great way to catch up and get back into the hobby. It also means, whatever shenanigans they try to pull with the VTT and micro-transactions, at least there's a solid foundation for homebrew campaigns and adventures. But if the new books are mostly just what you have already bought before, I could see that being a bummer for existing players who want new material but don't want to engage with whatever new business model Hasbro/WotC is cooking up. I'm on the fence, as these would be mostly reading material anyway.

[@TomMacKay-i7p]

Paladins: so to Divine Smite you now need to use your attack action, hit, burn a spell slot AND use your bonus action; is there any other damage add in D&D that requires all that? Also, it can now be countered, silenced, nonmagic auraed, stolen, copied, will not work at all against some creatures (level 20 paladin cannot now smite a rakshasa for example) and can't be used on an opportunity attack. This is going way overboard when all that was necessary to stop the nova burst was to limit paladins to one smite a turn (whichever smite they chose) similar to Rogue sneak attack.

[@mstjean9180able]

Happy Gilmore was able to maintain Rage without action just thinking about that clown from the mini putt.

[@Thedungeoncast]

😆 "You're gonna die clown!" Lmao

[@jordanharrison249]

*5.5 nerfs smite* Just got a text from my dad, “why are you crying so loud?”

[@andrewdenne5459]

Shout out Demogorgon! Shout out Dungeoncast! You guys break things down so that a normal Demogorgon cultists such as myself can understand, shout out Demogorgon. I've only been playing for a short while, but listening to you guys have helped me have a lot of fun. Shout out Demogorgon!

[@BryantVonMiller]

I love this episode already, William and Brian smiling alot and lots of laughs, its so great to see my guys having a good time! Helps put a smile on my lips. As for character creation! If and when you two do it, I'll go along with ya! And put it in the comments, hopefully other viewers would do the same to see what we all come up with

[@EpicRandomness555]

16:15 Weapons only get one Property.

[@MD-zi9if]

Leveled feats are official. They don't want level 1 players getting the most OP feats.

[@ShurikenSean]

While I agree that paladins being able to smite only once a turn is good i think making it a bonus action is too far a nerf and clogs up paladin's bonus action. You didn’t mention that lay on hands is now a bonus action, which is nice as many didn’t use it as an action as they didn't want to give up their attacks. But now that smite is also a bonus action it just goes back to how it was before where people wont use lay on hands because they want to use their one smite a turn I think they should have just limited smites to once a turn like sneak attack.

[@aimeemorgado8715]

For those of us who have challenges with how our attacks work- is there a flow chart- ? Would you be interested in helping create them. Dyslexia really goofs me up, and creating the flow chart on my own becomes overwhelming and I don’t want to even try new classes.

[@EpicRandomness555]

1:18:23 We haven’t heard about the VTT in months

[@darkness32185]

A great vid and I love your content. Also I was wondering if you are participating in kraken week?

[@jordanharrison249]

*me, getting ready to clean the apartment* *Br(I/Y)an and William drop this special sound pizza for my ear taste buds*

[@BryantVonMiller]

27:51 I love this change to the fighter for so many reasons. 1: IRL reanactments show that sometimes in combat, if you have the luxury of another weapon, you'll swap to it. Knights of Europe often had a few with them at a time. A mace or hammer was light weight and could really make a difference in fighting another knight or heavy armoured foe. Swapping to a dagger. Swapping off your two handed weapon for a shield and side arm. Or using a spear with a shield. As unrealistic as it is, theres historical precedense for this. And.. Its fantasy. Why not let folks have fun 2) The idea of having multiple choices to deal with tactical situations. So you aren't always stuck with a sword n shield, you can swap to an axe or mace to fight undead or something. A spear to reach a flying foe, a two handed weapon for dps on a boss once the minions are dead. Or you lose your main melee weapon and now you have back ups. Rather them being screwed for the rest of the fight. Making fighting foes like black oozes and stuff more teneable. 3: The idea of seeing a heavily armed person with polearms sticking out of their backside, with a giant sword, axe n hammer. And one handed weapons all around their waste. Is so cool sounding and mad intimidating. 4: Story telling. Being a level 9 fighter and being able to use authentic battle styles is so cool. In a 1v1 in modern melee fights, pushing and shoves are very common, as well as using your weight or other ways to knock your opponent over. Using your weapon and yourself in ways that other ways not just typical. Like using a sword as a polearm, to brace it. Or an axe as an hammer. Etc etc. 5: It also means if you find a magical weapon you don't have prof in.. Doesnt hurt as much. But also means you can knock off an enemies weapon and scoop that puppy up and beat the enemy to death with their own weapon 😂😂😂

[@wesleybutcher3389]

great as always, gents. some nice additions and balancing with the new addition. can't wait to see what's broken in the new version!

[@toaster_prime4798]

I will point out that epic boons as presented are identical to the optional rules for them in the DMG pg232, so not really new or changed just put into a place where people will actually read them

[@EpicRandomness555]

But plenty of the Boons have actually been improved

[@marcuscaesar3538]

Every time I hear will says indeed, it reminds me of Teal’c from Stargate SG-1 😂

[@Slater6377]

Even playing in person we have not used paper sheets in years. We all use a digital character sheet and use a battle map. Playing with paper becoming more difficult has little impact on us and most players I know.

[@EpicRandomness555]

1:09:18 The resistances have been nerfed, which is good

[@EpicRandomness555]

Yes! New rules Dungeoncast episode!

[@Mordalon]

While both Magic the Gathering and Dungeons and Dragons changing names of things for cultural sensitivity makes sense, I do find it kind of funny how both games have recently replaced the word Totem in game mechanics (Magic had a mechanic called Totem Armor that was replaced by Umbra Armor in the most recent set release)

[@MatthewLickers]

I’m still watching the episode but the post level 20+ stuff was in 5e already! Not mad at you guys, but I am upset that WotC is trying to pass off a lot of this stuff as something new when really they’re just bringing it to the attention of the public

[@majik725]

51:34 Proc = procedural random occurrence?

[@majik725]

1:33:41 Never mind! That's why they pay you so much Brian!

[@rjbramirez]

This is the Startalk version of TRRPGs

[@Jay_SGE]

“Creativity flourishes in a box” it’s so surreal you say this because the host of one of the only other podcasts I consistently listen to religiously (Back issues on Comicpop, which oddly enough I think you guys would love.) always says “Adversity breeds creativity.” Especially referring to comics. How strange 😂

[@Thedungeoncast]

Believe it or not back issues is one of the biggest inspirations for me and Brian to start the dungeoncast. Love Sal, Ben, Tiff, and Ethan. I really vibe with Sal's analysis on storytelling.

[@Jay_SGE]

@@Thedungeoncast Small world. I wholeheartedly believe it! You guys are great at what you do! The Vibe here is just as immaculate! You guys make DnD so digestible! I’ve literally never played DND but I’m here every week for you guys 😂 love them and love you guys too 🤝🏾

[@WhatMyr]

I wish they’d be a little more. Clear. About what ‘backwards compatible’ means

[@Dovekeeper]

Nice

[@luisaguillon7201]

Loves the video and hope they fixed the monk, stay angry my friends

[@Silvertrif0rce]

Kachigga, My ,compadres 🎉

[@anthonyhorton7839]

Gentlemen, you're wrong. Hasbro didn't create Barbie. Matter did.

[@Thedungeoncast]

Then no points for Hasbro after all

[@michaelschurick9927]

You mean mattel

[@Thedungeoncast]

We both meant Mattel

[@anthonyhorton7839]

@michaelschurick9927 yes.

[@Valoruchiha]

I love you guys

[@quillogist2875]

If you want a simple way to play 5e withou the complicated feel,, use maps and encounters on ddb.

[@loneeagle85]

i'. 50/50 on the smite for paladin in a ways the nerf is good but also sucks LOl, but on races from what o understand they got rid of half elf( my fav race to play combined with paladin) as well half orc and why we got no warforge race warforge paladin be cool or a platinum dragonborn paladin

[@SpookyGhostGoku]

They got rid of races, but instead implemented a system for combining races, so Half-Elf is still _technically_ in the PHB - just in a different form.

[@gustaafargoan]

Play one anyway. Those kooks at wizards can't stop you

[@Mordalon]

@@gustaafargoan They aren't trying to, you just have to read deeper.

[@SerifSansSerif]

I also agree about the movement and distances getting more attention tonpush towards VTT and i absolutely hate it

[@EpicRandomness555]

31:23 You could see Fighter Level and total levels. Which… doesn’t really work for… anything

[@roninanwar]

The comments on "unearthed arcana bullshit" were really harsh. I follow quite a few game designers and they talk about design philosophies and the process required to find the sweet spot in creating a game. I realize the playtest came out during the ogl debacle so Bryan and will decided to ignore the changes, but calling unearthed arcana bullshit for click bait is a really cynical and toxic view. Please understand that game designers are not marketing people trying yo generate buzz. They are game designers first and foremost. Their goal is to create something fun that works in the confines of their game. The initial step to that is to not limit ideas too much and throw spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks. These ideas canbe outlandish because through playtesting people can see what's broken, what works, and what is fun. Then they can reign it in for the final. That's the creative process in a nutshell. Not "unearthed arcana bullshit" used to drum up clicks. Personally I'm sorry the ogl thing happened and affected you. What they did sucks, but the cynicism bleeding into this podcast is a bummer.

[@derekmason9411]

"I'm about to flood you with some stuff." Oh my -- HAPPY PRIDE FOR THE GAYS

[@bernardorodriguez4285]

Species is fixing a non existent problem. Race isn't a bad word in and of itself. What about all the violence?

[@badmojo0777]

i love D&Ds kitchen sink rule set, races, classes, spells, etc.. i DONOT like how newer gamers assume EVEYRHTIGN in the book is fair game no matter hwat setting is being provided by the DM.

[@adampetra7865]

It seems kinda really wrong to me that a Paladin's Smite can be shut down with Magic resistance now, also can't effect Rakshasha's. Freakin lame

[@SpookyGhostGoku]

I mean, why would paladin magic be able to work on them but cleric magic not? Seems more consistent now, to me at least.

[@Mordalon]

You mean it has actual downsides now? Game balance sure is "lame".

[@adampetra7865]

@@SpookyGhostGoku In theory, the Paladin is the wrath of their god. If their god is so easily cast aside from Magic Resistance, are they really a god?

[@adampetra7865]

@@Mordalon Yes, I certainly feel that a Paladin smiting a Rakshasha for no damage it lame as heck. It can't kill it, it needs a Cleric with and enchanted bolt to do that. No damage however is silly.

[@Mordalon]

@@adampetra7865 You seem to be basing this assumption off of the current rules, when this whole discussion is about a major update which we still know only a little bit about. You are assuming Paladins will have no way of dealing with Rakshasa, when it's just that their default Smite will be nerfed. It's more than likely Paladins will have plenty of other ways of dealing with enemies like that at those high levels.

[@ryannelson7719]

42

[@Hugeandhandsomeman]

Invest in time stamps

[@SerifSansSerif]

The rogue's cunning strikes are useless. The masteries are a pain. The backgrounds I hate because I don't like being forced into the street urchin rogue archetype. (And custom means needing DM approval). It creates a caste system and is just as problematic as having species define your character. Bastions are garbage. Edit: and backgrounds aren't education. They're literally saying your past/job defines you. They could have just left it alone with Tasha's ruling.

[@surewhynot2156]

Generic comment

[@UltraDonny5000]

Nearly all the changes you are bragging about are taking the game further in a direction that I don't like.

[@BryantVonMiller]

23:35 Wwwwoooooooooooo! Im a big fan of fighters I can't wait to see how I can build my fav class!

[@matthewgayford252]

Agreed. I started playing them as a DM running a game with a small party to help them at lower levels and keep it easy for myself, but found I loved the class!

[@martingoldschmid]

Thank you guys, I don't get tired of your quality podcast

[@bossbullyboy195]

Sooo ...there's no Half Elves...which makes sense because different "Species" can NOT interbreed. (Seems racist to me)

[@rhysjonsmusic]

Also wotc reworking the lore for Orcs cause they thought it drew too many parallels to black people (and now they are just Mexican stereotypes)

[@Mordalon]

Different species can interbreed (Donkeys and Horses make Mules, for example). So yes, Half-Elves are still possible within this new naming scheme.

[@Mordalon]

@@rhysjonsmusic How are they like Mexicans now?

[@hobojoe9717]

That doesn’t really make sense though. There are examples of inter-species breeding in real life. If a lion and a tiger can bang and make a liger, then I should be able to be a half elf if I want to lol

[@SpookyGhostGoku]

There is now a system for hybridizing species, so you can make a human/elf, human/orc, dragonborn/elf, orc/dwarf, etc. Half-Elf’s and Half-Orcs are still a thing, you just create them differently.