The One D&D digital toolset being updated with playtesting material for a major rules update. One D&D has an Unearthed Arcana article called "Character Options", which paints a picture of what the rules will look like in the future. This raises the question of how the One D&D rules will work with the existing D&D 5e rules that have been in print for nearly a decade?
D&D 5e has helped propel the game to mainstream levels of fame. This is likely the reason why Wizards of the Coast hasn't even breathed a mention of D&D 6e, as the current version of the game is selling incredibly well and is often praised for being the easiest edition of the game for new players to learn. It makes more sense to D&D 5e and gradually upgrade the rules over time, than to risk losing the current audience on a brand new edition that might not be received well by the fanbase.
Wizards of the Coast announced that the D&D 5e rules will be updated in 2024, with new versions of the three core rulebooks being released to mark the 50th anniversary of the game. There have already been player surveys released that have asked fans for their opinions about the game, but the new Unearthed Arcana articles on D&D Beyond feature rules changes that are being considered for the next version of the game. Does this mean that the existing D&D 5e books will become irrelevant in the future?
One D&D (& The D&D 5.5) Will Be Compatible With D&D 5e
One thing that Wizards of the Coast has established since first announcing the D&D 5.5 rules update back in 2021 is that it will be fully compatible with all of the D&D 5e books that are on the market. This will include all of the D&D books that are coming out in 2023, including Keys from the Golden Vault, Phandelver and the return of the Planescape campaign setting. The D&D books that were released in 2014 will still be usable with the new versions of the books... sort of. The "Character Options" Unearthed Arcana article does contain some new rules and if they're printed in the new Player's Handbook, then there will technically be two classifications of rules, and it will be up to each group to decide what ones they're using. With that being said, there's nothing in "Character Options" that stops any of the content from the Player's Handbook from being used, and the same is expected to be true of future One D&D content updates.
Adapting One D&D Rules - Tasha's Stat Rules & New Feats Are Linked To Overhauled Backgrounds
The players who wish to adapt their existing characters to the One D&D rules can do so with a little work. The stat bonuses provided by the player's choice of race from the Player's Handbook or chosen by the player if using the Tasha's Cauldron of Everything rules can stay where they are, as they're now rolled into the character's choice of Background. The player will also be able to choose a Feat from a list of designated level 1st-level Feats.
One change that has yet to be fully clarified is Background abilities. The Backgrounds presented in the Player's Handbook had unique abilities that tended to be highly situational, to the point where they could be useless in some campaigns. The later books tried to change this, with the Spelljammer character Background options from Spelljammer: Adventures in Space and the five Strixhaven student Backgrounds from Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos being notably better than anything that had came before them. The old Background abilities can easily stay without disrupting the game, but DMs should probably force players to keep the special abilities of the later Backgrounds instead of taking an additional Feat, which is a much more balanced option.
Some One D&D Races Have Changed (But Are Easy To Adapt)
The playable races in "Character Options" have been changed, along with some being removed, and others being added. They're all fairly easy to adapt to the existing rules. The half-orcs and half-elves might be gone, but they are easy to grandfather in with their existing abilities. The humans have changed the most, as the former variant human is now considered the default choice, with its bonus 1st-level Feat, and they now generate Inspiration Points upon a long rest. The rest of the changes to the playable races are include dragonborn breath weapon damage scaling with level, dwarves gaining tremorsense as an action, and tieflings now having different variations. The tiefling from the D&D Player's Handbook is now considered to be an infernal tiefling in One D&D. All in all, the playable races are easy to adapt to the new rules, while their old versions still work as they are, even if they might feel a little underpowered.
One D&D Has Changed Some Basic D&D 5e Rules (Critical Hits, D20 Tests, & Inspiration Points)
The biggest changes in One D&D include some fundamental differences in how the rules work. "Character Options" has changed how critical hits work, unarmed strikes, and the Grappled condition, as well as making Inspiration Points a mandatory part of the game, which is tied to certain Feats and how the human playable race functions. Critical hits are a lot weaker and cannot be done monsters, NPCs, or spells. One D&D has made a homebrew rule canon, with all contested d20 rolls now auto-failing on a 1 or auto-succeeding on 20, whereas this was only the case with attack rolls and death saves in the base version of the rules. These are some pretty big changes, but there's nothing here that would prevent players from using the 5e rules as written. D&D's Inspiration Points rules are already an optional part of the game, most people already use the new d20 test rule, and the changes to Grappled and critical hit are easy enough to implement.
"Character Options" is the first in a series of Unearthed Arcana articles that will outline the new D&D rules, but the old books can still be used. There is a definite power creep happening with the new rules, as well as a lot of balancing of different mechanics, but the game is still recognizable as D&D 5e. All of the content in "Character Options" is also playtesting material, so it's unclear how its content will look when it's printed in an actual Dungeons & Dragons book.
Source: D&D Beyond
