Dungeons & Destiny v2.0 Playtesting Begins (Patreon)

In October—yes, this upcoming month of October—patrons will get to sign up for D&Destiny v2.0 playtesting sessions, and we're hitting the ground running with the stasis classes (revenant, behemoth, and shadebinder) being the very first items we playtest.

However, we must take the time to warn folks not to expect too much right away. Playtesting is a process. The stasis classes won't even have all of their subclasses to start, because our current goal is to make sure the core gameplay of the classes is fun and functional. If the classes test well, the next step is to add in the subclasses and playtest those. If the classes don't go over so well, we'll be spending time fixing the core of the class before moving on to playtesting the subclasses.

The 2.0 Content List

The stasis classes aren't the only items being added to D&Destiny v2.0. Commonly requested mechanics such as feats and multiclassing are on the playtesting docket as well, though they may not work exactly the same as feats and multiclassing in vanilla 5e. For instance, we already have plans to experiment with a class design that allows for far more customization of features. If that design works out well enough for us to move forward with it as the core design of D&Destiny 2.0, feats won't exist—because they will simply be a part of the core class design.

You can also expect new monsters and new exotic equipment to appear in playtesting sessions, from brutal Scorn, to Spider's Crew, to Cryosthesia 77K. All of the Light classes will be re-worked to incorporate their Light 3.0 mechanics from the video game, too. 

But again, I must temper your expectations at this stage. It's easy to dream big dreams and imagine a wildly awesome final version of 2.0, but there is a long way to go. A lot can change in even a week's time, let alone the couple of years we expect it'll take to fully playtest and refine everything we want for v2.0. Maybe an idea that we think is really cool won't play so well in actual games, or maybe a single typo will have us re-imagining a whole class. The final version of D&Destiny 2.0 can end up being very different from what we're talking about here, so try not to let yourself get too attached to anything just yet.

Stasis Class Preview

Even though October playtesting is only 12 days away, we imagine there might be a few of you who are eager to read the beta stasis classes right away. No worries! Here's a tiny little preview of the core mechanics for stasis:

All classes utilize a resource called stasis shards, which, unlike the video game, are not physical items you need to run around and pick up. Instead, when a stasis class damages a creature with their stasis abilities, they gain one stasis shard, which forms on their body like a patch of frost or a small growth of crystal. They can then spend these stasis shards in order to make melee ability recharge rolls. A stasis class can have a maximum number of shards equal to 1 + their Power level (aka Light level, but re-written to accommodate both Light and Dark classes).

But that's not all. Each one has its own unique way of interacting with the stasis shards.

Let's start with the revenant, the beast in the storm. Playing as a revenant means you subsist on the hunt, and we mean that literally. Revenants have weaponized their health and shield points, spending them to grant huge buffs and bonuses to themselves. Like all stasis classes, they earn stasis shards by damaging creatures with their stasis abilities. Unlike other stasis classes, they can spend shards to gain overshields, allowing them to stay alive even if they have no health or shield points left.

Then there's the behemoth, a monster that cannot be bound. There is no maximum to the amount of stasis shards a behemoth can have. Furthermore, whenever the behemoth does stasis damage to a target, they can spend stasis shards to increase the amount of damage they deal. But there is a cost: every time they end their turn with excessive stasis shards, the behemoth will take damage from each excessive shard. How high are you willing to let your shards pile up?

Last but not least is the shadebinder, an adept of stasis that uses their shards to increase the potency of their abilities. Whenever the shadebinder causes a creature to make a saving throw against their stasis abilities, or when a creature attempts to end the duration of a stasis condition the shadebinder applied to it, the shadebinder can increase the DC of the saving throw by an amount equal to the number of stasis shards they have. The shadebinder doesn't spend their shards to do this; it's a passive buff. But the shadebinder's speeds are all reduced by 5 feet per shard they have. Shadebinders become the epicenter of a massive storm that aims to keep everything frozen around them.

That's a quick preview of the core concepts we'll be playtesting this October. Hope to see you there!