Dungeons & Dragons fans who have a D&D Beyond account can access free content. The Unearthed Arcana Playtest material is out now and the Adventure Calendar beginning this December.
With 2023 coming to a close, Wizards of the Coast is preparing for a big push for the world’s most popular tabletop roleplaying game. 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons. And while this year saw controversies like the proposed changes to the Open Gaming License (OGL 1.1) that angered both fans and third-party publishers, Dungeons & Dragons remains one of the strongest brands under WotC and parent company Hasbro.
But even before 2024 arrives, fans of Dungeons & Dragons can get free stuff via the D&D Beyond website and mobile app. The first is the recently released Unearthed Arcana.
NEW playtest material is now available!
Check out the revised classes and spells in the latest Unearthed Arcana playtest document: https://t.co/tR7PNM59Jm pic.twitter.com/YCVBhCTj0e
— Dungeons & Dragons (@Wizards_DnD) November 27, 2023
This is the eighth release of playtest material tentatively intended for the upcoming “One D&D” edition. Dungeon Masters and players can use this Unearthed Arcana playtest at their gaming tables. The rules and details are compatible with the current D&D 5th Edition.
The highlight of the new playtest material released is the update to the Barbarian, Druid, and Monk D&D character classes. After receiving feedback from the previous playtests, some changes were made, including:
- Barbarians can regain Rage uses after a short rest, gets Brutal Strike instead of Brutal Critical, and Persistent Rage restores all Rage uses after a long rest. Also, the Rage status is no longer cancelled by being incapacitated.
- Monks lose their access to Weapon Mastery, but get buffed up Monk abilities. They can now add their Martial Arts dice to both Monk Weapons and unarmed strikes. Monks can use DEX instead of STR for Grapple and Shove actions. A new capstone grants a permanent increase of 4 to the Monk’s DEX and WIS scores. And there are multiple Monk’s Discipline bonuses that do not require expenditure of Discipline points (but the effects can be enhanced if they choose to do so).
- Druids no longer retain their species traits when using Wild Shapes, but they do get more uses and forms. Plus, they get temporary hit points when they transform.
The Barbarian Path of the Worldtree, Druid Circle of the Moon, and Monk Warrior of the Hand subclasses also get significant buffs compared to the previous playtest versions.
Aside from the updated character classes, the Unearthed Arcana Playtest 8 includes gameplay material for new spells, combat options, weapon properties, gear, and environmental conditions. The playtest packet and PDF can be downloaded from D&D Beyond. And as with earlier Unearthed Arcana, feedback is encouraged and will be accepted starting December 11.
But the free D&D content does not stop there. D&D Beyond users can get daily freebies and discounts just by logging in to their account. The D&D Adventure Calendar offers 20 gifts that can be unlocked each day starting December 1.
With the massive success of Baldur’s Gate 3 helping introduce new fans to Dungeons & Dragons, giving away free TTRPG material is a good strategy. Are you looking forward to the D&D 50th anniversary in 2024? What do you think would be a good D&D-themed holiday gift for friends and family?
