Summary
The 2024 revision ofDungeons and Dragonshas its work cut out for itself; while the fifth edition of the TTRPG is a great game, there’s a lot that a rules update could improve on. In fact, there’s one mechanic in particular that could do with a fix—one already proposed byDungeons and Dragons' UA.
UA (Unearthed Arcana) is the name given to Wizards of the Coast’s playtest releases, small content packages that the company releases for fans to test and give feedback on. Much ofwhat is currently expected fromD&D2024derives from the OneD&D series of UA, with the mechanics that have stood up to fan scrutiny as the most likely to arrive in print. Weapon masteries, restructured classes, and revised spells have withstood repeated waves of fan perusal, so the final version of the core rules will likely stick close to how they have been presented thus far.
Dungeons And Dragons 2024 Needs To Include The Bastion System
Nestled within a constant cycle of class revisions isD&D’s ‘Bastions and Cantrips’ UA. This playtest packet takes a partial break from character options to show off a system for players to buy and operate structures, recapturing the stronghold construction of older editions. This new system has its highs and lows, but it’s certainly more developed than the one found in the 2014Dungeon Master’s Guide. If given more time in the oven, the bastion system could be a huge asset toD&D 2024.
D&D 5e’s Structures Need Work
Players love having a home base, whether it be an establishment they bought in town, a castle built from the ground up, or an underground complex freshly cleared of monsters. Unfortunately,D&D 5edoesn’t give DMs much supportin this area.
Pages 127–129 of the book have rules for building and maintaining structures, albeit in small sections spaced out between other downtime activities. Costs are provided for maintaining one of these structures or running a business, as well as for building different types of structures.
Unfortunately, that’s where the rules end for the most part. While there’s a system for players to make profit in a business, there’s little guidance on what else a player can do with a structure.
Luckily, bastions have an elegant solution in the form of bastion points. While a player owns a bastion (which here is a catch-all term for any type of structure), a bastion will generate points every 7 in-game days through bastion turns. These points can be spent on the facilities found in a bastion, with special facilities able to turn bastion points into magic items or carry out certain orders.
These special facilities are treated like spells, with unique abilities and hireling quotas. Reading through all these options will get any player excited about building their own bastion inDungeons and Dragons 2024.
Bastions Still Need A Bit More Polish
While bastions are far more exciting than their 2014 equivalent,D&D 2024’s final versioncould iron out some things. Most notably, bastions are tied to a player level. Gold is still a factor, with some orders and processes requiring it, but automatically giving a player a bastion at level 5 removes some of the fun. It’s great fun for a DM to see players want to add to their world through their own initiative, and the initial gold investment is a great way to get players to use their loot.
In this regard, DMs should look to third-party creatorsthat makeD&D-compatible content. The chief source for this would be MCDM’sStrongholds and Followers; not only does this book answer the cravings of veteran fans, it was good enough to kickstart the company’s popularity. One featureD&D 2024should definitely take from this book is the different follower charts, which allow unique factions, advisors, artisans, and infantry to join a stronghold’s service.
Dungeons and Dragons
Created by Gary Gygax, Dungeons & Dragons is a tabletop game in which players craft their own worlds and band together to take on adventures through mysterious realms outlined in companion materials. One of the best role-playing games ever made, it has been adapted into a variety of video games and other media.
