Dungeons & Dragons Proposes Big Buff to Rangers, Nerfs Bards, Adds New Mechanics

Dungeons & Dragons has unveiled its next One D&D playtest, which proposes several major changes to three classes as well as tweaks to existing rules and character options. The new playtest focuses on the Expert Class group, which comprises of the Bard, Ranger, and Rogue classes. Of the three classes, the Ranger has received some much-needed improvements, while the Bard's signature Bardic Inspiration has been notably scaled back. The Rogue has also received some changes, although most are designed to re-balance character progression. Several tweaked mechanics were also proposed in the new playtest, with the most notable being a simplified Exhaustion mechanic.

The biggest part of the playtest focuses around the Ranger, Rogue, and Bard, which have been categorized as "Expert Classes." The Expert Classes aren't considered to be more difficult to utilize than other classes, rather, the "Expert" refers to the classes' shared Expertise class ability, which grants them extra proficiencies in certain skills. 

The Ranger, a long-derided class in 5E, has received a significant overhaul with more useful class abilities. Most notably, the Ranger is now a Prepared spellcaster, which allows players to swap out a Ranger's list of spells with every long rest. This gives the Ranger more flexibility throughout the campaign and doesn't force the Ranger to only use a handful of necessary spells. The Ranger's signature ability focuses on casting Hunter's Mark, which it always has prepared and can utilize without maintaining concentration. 

However, the Bard has received a significant restriction, in that its Bardic Inspirations per day is now tied to proficiency instead of Charisma modifier. This means that a Bard can only use its signature ability twice per long rest until it reaches Level 5. A Bard's ability to use Bardic Inspiration increases significantly once it hits Level 7 and receives its Font of Bardic Inspiration ability (which restores Bardic Inspiration on a Short Rest) but players will find their abilities significantly restricted at low levels. However, Bards are also now prepared casters, albeit from a restricted list of spells. Bardic Inspiration is now tied to Reactions, with them specifically being triggered on either a failed d20 roll or when a creature has taken damage.

The Rogue has also received a debuff of sorts, with Sneak Attacks now triggered solely on an Attack action. The Thief subclass also received some significant tweaks, although the Rogue's other core abilities remain mostly unchanged. 

Several rules changes were also proposed, including a rule governing Exhaustion. Exhaustion levels have been modified – players can now receive up to 10 levels of exhaustion. Instead of applying different penalties based on the level of exhaustion, players now subtract the level of exhaustion from any d20 roll they make. Once a player exceeds 10 levels of exhaustion, their character dies. 

Heroic inspiration has also been modified – instead of players receiving inspiration on a natural 20, they now receive it on a natural 1. Several new actions have also been proposed – an Influence Action provides a mechanical way for players to influence monsters or creatures controlled by the DM, while a Search action acts as a more general guide to find hidden information. 

You can read the full playtest here.