Changes from the D&D Playtest: Starter Set Spells

A few pages from the Starter Set have been posted online by people who have been sent the set early, and there are a few notable changes. I’m not planning to analyse every little thing that has changed since the Interim Rules Document, but there are a few highlights that are worth noting.

In particular, the Cure Wounds spell has changed from 2d8 healing per spell slot level to 1d8 healing per spell slot level. Your spellcasting modifier adds to the healing rather than a flat +2 bonus. This will have a dramatic effect on games compared to the interim rules. The Healing Word spell is still part of the Basic rules (though not in the Starter Set); it acts at range and for 1d8 healing per level, so I’m very curious as to what the differences are now between the spells. No ability score bonus? Not that we have long to wait (I’m guessing about 10-11 hours from when I write this).

Aid now increases in effect with higher level slots, granting more hit points.

Bless now has a limit on how many creatures it affects (as how Aid works), the number goes up with higher level slots.

Blur now has a maximum duration of 1 minute, down from 10.

Charm Person and Command can affect more targets when cast as a higher level spell.

The globes created by Dancing Lights don’t illuminate as much area, and a few other range values have changed here and in other spells – generally not all that much.

The descriptions of those spells takes up two pages in the Starter Set rulebook.

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