Master Changelog from 5e (5.5)

by SovereignLeaderLore

Search GM Binder Visit User Profile

Master Changelog from 5th Edition

Player's Handbook

Ancestries
  • General
    • Ancestries and Heritages replaced the terms Race and Subrace.
    • Flavor explaining the ages and sizes were readded to all ancestries.
    • The Alignment feature was readded to all ancestries.
    • All ancestries apart from Human have a standardized Ability Score Improvement feature (2 to one, 1 to another).
    • Readded Creature Type to all heritages.
      • Some heritages received a secondary creature type, such as Elf, which counts as both Humanoid and Fey.
    • Broadly, the Sunlight Sensitivity feature was changed to simply be a -1 instead of disadvantage.
  • Aasimar
    • The Light Bearer feature was removed.
    • The original heritages were readded, as well as the Hollow heritage.
    • The Celestial Resistance feature was split across the different heritages.
  • Dragonborn
    • Base rules reverted to Player's Handbook standard.
    • Added a Damage Resistance feature based on Draconic Ancestry.
    • Breath Weapon can be used a number of times per day equal to Prof. Bonus.
    • Added heritages: Elemental Scales, Armored Hide, and Feathered Drake.
    • You can now have a purple dragon as an ancestor.
  • Dhampir
    • Dhampir Hungers was renamed to Dhampir Cravings, which was then integrated into the ancestry's features.
    • Removed Ancestral Legacy.
    • Changed to a Prestige Ancestry.
  • Dwarf
    • Removed Stonecunning.
    • Names were changed to separate Dwarves from Faerun.
  • Eladrin
    • The different seasons for Eladrin were split up into heritages.
    • Each season gains its own separate skill proficiency, instead of Eladrin all having proficiency in Perception.
  • Elf
    • Added heritages: Arctic, Cosmic, Desert, and Sea.
    • Drow were partially renamed to Cavern Elves, with Drow being their nickname.
    • The lore for Drow and High Elves was changed to reflect the biome themeing of Elves in 5.5.
    • Features of Triton and Sea Elf were combined into the new Sea Elf.
  • Firbolg
    • Hidden Step and Firbolg Magic were replaced with Fade Away, an ability that turns you invisibile.
  • Genasi
    • Absorb Elements was changed from a spell to the Genasi's base ancestry feature.
    • Heritage features for Genasi were simplified.
  • Gith
    • All Gith now have advantage on saving throws against mental effects.
    • Gith can now cast the Jump spell at 3rd level instead of the Shield spell.
    • Removed Decadent Mastery and Psionic Resilience from Githyanki.
    • Githzerai now have an innate psionic attack.
  • Gnome
    • Lore was changed to differentiate Gnomes from Halflings. Credit and thanks to Paizo for this lore.
    • removed all original heritages, replacing them with Vivacious, Sensate, and Tinker.
  • Goliath
    • Added heritages: Frostwind and Fireheart.
    • Moved Cold Resistance to Frostwind heritage.
  • Grung
    • Poison Immunity was changed to Poison Resistance.
    • Poisonous Skin can no longer be added to weapons.
  • Harengon
    • Hare-Trigger was changed to be 1/day, and now adds 1d4 instead of Prof. Bonus.
    • Rabbit Hop was simplified to double jump distance and ignore running start for jumping.
    • Lucky Footwork and Leoprine Senses were combined into an Athletics proficiency.
    • Harengon speak Sylvan as their second language.
  • Hexblood
    • Removed Ancestral Legacy.
    • Changed to a Prestige Ancestry.
  • Hobgoblin
    • Fey Gift was replaced with Gift of Reciprocity.
  • Human
    • Removed Variant Human.
    • Added Human Versatility.
  • Orc
    • Added heritages: Astral, Badlands, City, Frost, Deep, Tangle, and Wave
    • Features of the original Half Orc and Orc were combined into the new Orc.
    • Removed Savage Attacks.
  • Plasmoid
    • Removed Natural Resilience.
  • Reborn
    • Split Grave Resistance from Deathless to make it in line with Dhampir's Deathless feature
    • Reworked Knowledge from a Past Life, renamed here to Faded Memories.
  • Satyr
    • Removed Magic Resistance
    • Mirthful Leaps was changed to simply allow you to ignore the running start for jumps.
  • Shifter
    • Ancestry was completely reworked into a full Lycanthropy ancestry.
    • Added heritages: Werebear, Werehornet, Wererat, Wereraven, Weretiger, Werewolf.
    • Added a section detailing how Shifter's rules can be used as a Prestige ancestry.
  • Tabaxi
    • Features of Tabaxi and Leonin were combined into the new Tabaxi, which now has heritages for those original races.
    • Slightly nerfed Feline Agility.
  • Tiefling
    • Added heritages: Hoofling, Firespawn, Iceborn.
  • Thri-Kreen
    • Changed Chameleon Carapace, renamed here to Armored Carapace, to only grant AC.
    • Removed Sleepless.
Classes
  • General
    • Most classes gained additional subclass features.
    • All classes gain Ability Score Improvements at the same levels: 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th.
    • Most class' progression was changed to be somewhat standardized, generally getting abilities around 1st, 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th levels.
    • The Known Spells mechanic was replaced with Semi-Preparation spellcasting, which allows a character to replace one spell per long rest.
  • Artificer
    • Added Silent Magic.
    • Remade Magical Tinkering into Magic Enthusiast.
    • Removed Replicate Magic Item tables, now requiring DM's discretion.
      • Popular options from these tables were converted to regular Infusions
    • Alchemist got general buffs across the board
    • The best features of Battle Smith and Artillerist were combined.
  • Barbarian
    • Base class grants proficiency in Improvised Weapons.
    • You gain 7 uses of Rage at 20th level instead of unlimited.
    • Reworked Totem Warrior, renamed here to Wildheart
    • Partly reworked Wild Magic
    • Added the Envoy support subclass.
    • Zealot's Warrior of the Gods now grants Religion proficiency.
  • Bard
    • Song of Rest was reworked to speed up short rests, and its original effect was added in the form of Song of Angelic Reprieve.
    • Countercharm's duration was changed to be easier to use.
    • Magical Secrets was renamed to Spell Songs
    • All Bard subclasses now receive an additional feature at 18th level.
    • All Bard subclasses were changed. The new subclasses are Bladesinging, Eloquence, Glamour, Portraiture, Satire, and Valor.
      • Bladesinging was slightly reflavored to fit Bard.
      • Bladesong is now activated with one use of Bardic Inspiration. It also doubles your jump distance while active.
      • Silver tongue was moved to 18th level, and was replaced with Lore Bard's proficiencies feature and Cutting Words.
      • Valor and Spirits Bard were combined.
  • Cleric
    • Turn Undead was moved to Grave Cleric, and was replaced with Blessed Food and Drink
    • Replaced Divine Strike with Blessed Strikes, which bypasses resistances to nonmagical damage.
    • Divine Intervention was changed to have powerful static abilities instead of an open-ended one. Subclasses now grant additional variants.
    • Added Holy Warding and Immortal Soul.
    • Knowledge, Nature, and Trickery domains were reworked.
    • Tempest and War domains were combined into the Wrath domain.
  • Druid
    • Wildshape was decoupled from CR . It now uses static options.
    • Added the Druidic Vitality feature.
    • Subclasses were changed to be themed around biomes. The Shepherd, Spores, Stars, and Wildfire subclasses had their themeing changed.
    • Land and Moon druid features were spread across all subclasses.
    • Added the Arctic Frost, Mountain Stone, Shifting Seas, and Underdark Shadow subclasses.
    • Lively Forest (previously Shepherd)'s subclass features were changed. Land's Stride is its new 6th level ability, and Shepherd of Nature is its new 14th level ability.
  • Fighter
    • Battle Master was changed to be part of the base class.
    • Added many new maneuvers, some with level prerequisites.
    • Champion was slightly reworked to fit the new base class.
    • Eldritch Knight and Echo Knight were combined into the new Eldritch Knight.
    • Added the Advocate subclass.
    • UA Brute and Samurai were combined.
    • Cavalier's Warding Maneuver was changed to a sublcass Maneuver, and was replaced with a new feature.
    • Psi Warrior's abilities were changed to function off of Superiority dice.
  • Monk
    • Ki was renamed to Focus, and other features with "Ki" in the name were also renamed.
    • Deflect Missile was reworked to Deflect Attacks, and is buffed later by Deflect Energy.
    • Stunning Strike was changed to Disruptive Strikes, and now inflicts Dazed.
    • Added Focused Survivor, Focused Body, and Deathless.
    • Wordings in the Open Hand Monk Order were simplified.
    • The Four Elements Monk Order was completely reworked.
    • The Drunkard's Luck feature of Drunken Master gained an additional benefit; you can spend focus points to reroll 1s on damage dice.
    • The Order of Mercy's Physician's Touch now requires a saving throw against its Poisoned condition. As a result, it now lasts 1 minute.
    • The Order of Mercy's Physician's Touch was reworded to fit the new way Diseases function.
  • Mystic
    • Completely reworked the entire class.
    • All subclasses were renamed.
  • Paladin
    • Sacred Oath was moved to 1st level.
    • Divine Health was moved to 9th level.
    • The Paladin's Channel Divinity was renamed to Channel Oath to differentiate it from Cleric and to separate paladins from divine themes.
    • The improved radius of all Paladin auras was reduced by 10ft.
    • Added the Oathbreaker subclass.
    • The Paladin's Lay on Hands was reworded to fit the new way Diseases function.
  • Ranger
    • Removed Spellcasting.
    • Readded Favored Enemy and Favored Terrain, whose options can now be changed after a short/long rest and after a level up respectively, and now offer additional benefits.
    • Hunter's Mark was changed from spell to class feature.
    • Added many ranged weapon fighting styles to give Ranger more of an archer feel.
    • Added Antivenom, Venomous Strikes, and Superior Venom.
    • In Plain Sight and Primeval Awareness were reworked.
    • Foe Slayer was simplified.
    • Added Beast Master, Arcane Archer, and Hunter subclasses, which were heavily reworked.
  • Rogue
    • Cunning Action now includes the Help and Use an Object actions
    • Added Dirty Tricks and Fancy Footwork
    • Reliable Talent now gives mutliple uses of Weapon Actions instead of guaranteed 10s on ability checks.
    • Thief and Assassin were heavily reworked.
    • Mastermind and Inquisitive were combined.
    • Swashbuckler's fancy footwork feature was replaced with Weapon Dancer
    • Soulknife can no longer choose to regain a Psionic Power die once per long rest. Instead, it's now one of their Dirty Trick options.
  • Sorcerer
    • Metamagic was moved to 2nd level, and has a few more options.
    • Added Sorcerous Versatility, Renewing Rite, Arcane Guidance, Flood of Power, and Metamagic Mastery.
    • The Wild Magic Table was completely remade and moved to the Rules of Magic section.
    • The Draconic Bloodline now grants extra spells with its Draconic Ancestry.
    • You can now have a purple dragon as an ancestor for Draconic Bloodline.
    • Removed the bit from Psionic Spells that lets you repick your spells for redundancy.
    • The Aberrant Mind's spell list was changed. Summon Aberration was swapped for Phantasmal Killer, and Mind Sliver was removed.
  • Warlock
    • Pact Boons were changed into Eldritch Invocations, including the Star Chain, which now funcitons off of the Otherworldly Talisman.
    • Many Eldritch Invocations were reworded or reworked to be easier to understand or use.
    • Added Contact Patron and Patron's Favor.
    • Added the Hoarded Subclass.
    • Great Old One's Awakened Mind and Create Thrall was replaced with Mortal Reminder and Draining Touch
    • Reworked the Fathomless and Undying subclasses.
  • Wizard
    • Arcane Tradition was moved to 3rd level.
    • Added Spellcaster's Quirk, Magical Specialty, Spell Proficiency, and Arcane Replication.
    • Combined Order of Scribes and Divination Wizard into the new Scribe Arcane Tradition.
    • Combined War Mage and Evocation Wizard into the new Battle Mage Arcane Tradition.
    • Added the Conjurer Arcane Tradition.
  • Multiclass
    • Multiclassing was changed to a Prestige Class option.
    • Multiclassing ability score prerequisites were all increased to 15.
    • Added a clarification that spell slots gained from Pact Magic can't be turned into sorcery points, and vice versa.
Equipment
  • Armor
    • Added new Shield types.
    • Added the Bulwark, Comfortable, Noisy, Heavy, and Hindering properties for armor.
  • Weapons
    • Added Weapon Actions, special actions that can be performed by those proficient with certain weapons.
    • Silvered Weapons got a slight buff.
    • Added the Exotic Weapons category for weapons from the cosmos, and the Smokepowder weapons category for basic firearms.
  • Tools, Kits, and Packs
    • Each tool, kit, and instrument has an associated skill for checks using that tool.
    • All artisans tools, kits, and packs have their contents listed.
Character Customization
  • Feats
    • Crusher now allows you to knock creatures back and Prone.
    • Durable now grants much higher hit points after a short rest.
    • Great Weapon Master was slightly reworded for clarity.
    • Healer gives a little more hit points.
    • Inspiring Leader was changed to be part of a short rest, and its wording was slightly changed.
    • Added a reworked Performer.
    • Polearm Master was slightly reworked to fit the new weapon actions system.
    • Ritual Caster now simply grants you ritual spells when taken, and lets you learn ritual spells from any spell list when you find them.
    • Skill Expert and Skilled were combined.
    • Cartomancer gives you 3 wizard cantrips (one of which is Prestidigitation) instead of a free BA casting of any spell you can cast.
Rules of Magic
  • Wish and Hunter's Mark were removed for balancing reasons.
  • Banishment no longer lets you permanently send creatures to another plane, and no longer makes the target Incapacitated.
  • Chain Lightning now deals slightly less damage.
  • Counterspell and Dispel Magic now use a different calculation.
  • Color Spray and Sleep are no longer strange and now use Saving Throws.
  • Conjure Elementals is now a 6th level spell, and summons Myrmidons instead of a CR 5 or lower elemental.
  • Clone now has a chance of failure.
  • Crown of Madness was simplified.
  • Cure Wounds, Healing Word, and Mass Healing Word each gained an additional die of healing.
  • The radius of Fireball was reduced to 15ft.
  • Gate now lasts until dispelled or dismissed to differentiate it from Plane Shift.
  • Grease is now flammable.
  • Infernal Calling and Summon Demon now have static options for summoning.
  • The ending damage of Mental Prison was slightly reduced.
  • The damage of Meteor Swarm was reduced.
  • Power Word Kill now requires a saving throw, and deals damage on a successful save instead of instantly killing you.
  • Power Word Heal has the same range as Power Word Kill, requires line of sight, and is now an option for all Clerics.
  • True Strike now gives you advantage on all attacks made on your next turn.
  • Wall of Force has an AC and HP, and can be dispelled with Dispel Magic.
  • Wind Walk now has extra means of ending, and makes it so gaseous form creatures don't need to breathe.
  • The Contagion, Lesser Restoration, Heal, and Mass Heal spells were reworded to fit the new way Diseases function.

Dungeon Master's Guide

Combat
  • Movement and Chasing
    • Added simplified rules for Chasing.
    • Ruling unequal movement is now based on ratio rather than subtraction.
    • Added new simplified Jumping mechanics.
    • Added a dedicated space for Difficult Terrain
    • Added a description of Forced Movement.
  • Conditions
    • Added rules for Stacking and Evolving conditions
    • Added Bleeding, Dazed, Gaping Wounds, Lethargic, Mindbroken, and Slowed.
    • Added proper standardized rules for Grappling, which now inflicts Restrained intead of a dedicated condition.
  • Diseases
    • Standardized disease mechanics.
    • Diseases now have a Severity system.
  • Environmental Hazards
    • The rules for Suffocation were changed to static damage over time instead of instant death. It's still just as deadly, but more intense.
    • The maximum Falling damage possible was increased in 30d8.
    • Lava damage was simplified.
Roleplay
  • Roleplay and Influence
    • Added a dedicated space for a description of Roleplay.
    • Added mechanics for NPC / Organization approval: Influence
  • Languages
    • Most languages were given their own script.
    • All languages were given a dedicated description of what they sound and look like.
Between Adventures
  • Hexploration and Weather
    • Added proper, extensive rules for the Hex Crawl Exploration
Magical Curiosities
  • Magic Items
    • "Wonderous" is now a prefix for all magic items. (Wonderous Weapon, Wonderous Potion, etc). "Wonderous Item" specifically refers to the original term.
    • Effects such as the Identify spell reveal whether an item is cursed, but not the curse's effects, instead of it not working at all.
    • Magic items can't be destroyed by normal means unless specified otherwise, or by reasonably overwhelming force.
    • Removed Apparatus of Kwalish, Cube of Force, and the Deck of Many Things.
    • References to "1d3" were changed to "1d4-1."
    • Added Band of Cowardice, Book of Spells, Boots of Quickness, Caustic Pendant, Colossal Onslaught, Critical Rejuvenator, Deathstalker Cloak, Dragonmouth Shield, Elixir of Luck, Elixir of Arcane Cultivation, Elixir of Bloodlust, Falcon Paper, Flame Conductor Rapier, Heels of the Charlatan, Heels of Health Conduit, Helm of Invisibility, Illusory Quill, Lightning Arrow, Necklace of Binding, Never-Blunt Blade, Phase Arrow, Potion of Angelic Reprieve, Potion of Angelic Slumber, Potion of Bleed Resistance, Potion of Blur, Potion of Sunlight, Potion of Returning Dreams, Ring of Awakening, Ring of Seeing, Ring of Swords, Resonant Crystal Necklace, Ring of the Viper, Ring of Wrath, Scroll of Revival, Shadow Scale Mail, Shield of the Fathomless, Shroud of Flames, Singing Sword, Skeleton Key, Spectre Bow, Staff of Soothing Waves, Stasis Cube, Sword of Minor Warning, Thorn Bulb, Thunderstrike Glaive, Titan of Vitality, Till Death Do Us Part, Wand of Fate, Wand of Luck.
    • The weight of all items is now listed on the item cards.
    • Adamantine armor now also reduces all damage taken by 2.
    • Amulet of Proof against Detection and Location was renamed to Amulet of Nondetection.
    • Bag of Holding now has all 4 of its variants listed.
    • Broom of Flying's rarity was increased to Rare.
    • Daern's Instant Fortress' rarity was increased to Very Rare
    • Deck of Illusion's rarity was increased to Rare
    • The Dragon Slayer was changed to a Lance, instead of any sword.
    • The Identify spell now reveals the identity of the Bag of Devouring and Dust of Sneezing and Coughing.
    • The Elemental Gem now uses the Conjure Minor Elementals spell instead of the Conjure Elementals spell.
    • The Holy Avenger now requires attunement by a good-aligned paladin.
  • Magic Items Cont.
    • The Immovable Rod's rarity was increased to Rare.
    • The Javelin of Lightning's rarity was increased to Rare.
    • The Potion of Speed was nerfed, and its rarity was decreased to Rare.
    • Reworded the Rod of Absorption for clarity.
    • The Wand of Magic Missiles' rarity was increased to Rare.
    • An extra rarity was added to the Spell Scroll: Artifact, which includes spells of 10th level or higher.
    • The Orb of Time was renamed to Orb of Timekeeping, and its wording was changed for clarity.
  • Secret Spells (Graviturgy)
    • Added the Floating Terrain, Magic Slingshot, Repelling Field, and Stasis Cube spells.
    • The damage or Dark Star was increased by 2d8, and it was changed to a 9th level spell.
    • Gravity Fissure now accounts for nearby creatures not being able to be moved into the spell's area.
    • Immovable Object was nerfed. The cost of its material component was increased to 50gp, it can't target objects being worn or carried, and the amount of weight the object can hold was reduced to 2,000 lbs.
    • Pulse Wave was renamed to Pressure Wave, and it was reworded to fit the new standard.
    • Ravenous Void was removed, but is planned to be buffed and readded with the Epic Spell List.
    • Sapping Sting was renamed to Shift, and its damage type was changed to Force damage.
    • Wristpocket was renamed to Void Bag, and was changed to a cantrip.

WWW.GMBINDER.COM

 

This document was lovingly created using GM Binder.


If you would like to support the GM Binder developers, consider joining our Patreon community.