D&D 5.5 check-in
DNDOne, Sixth Edition, DND Next, 2024, we say goodbye to these old and outdated names and we welcome the newest edition of D&D 5.5
It's been almost 2 years since the early Quick Start Rules for the new 2024 D&D 5.5 edition came out and over the past two years we've seen a number of re-released content, regurgitated books, recycling but not really up-scaling.
Back in December 2024, they announced that MagicCon would launch "Legends of Greyhawk." Back then I was hooked. Me and my friends started searching through our old AD&D and 3rd edition Greyhawk material. We were ready for the new-old setting to return. And some of us were eagerly waiting for a resolution for the second Cataclysm.
For the first time, Dungeons & Dragons will be featured at MagicCon! Learn more here.
But nothing happened. They released Heroes of the Borderland starter set as a callback to B2, one of the earliest campaign settings, originally setting agnostic, retroactively set in Yeomanry which is Greyhawk.
Last month (April 2026) they finally released Legends of Greyhawk, the long awaited new League format to rival Adventure League https://wizardsprod.a.bigcontent.io/v1/static/Legends-of-Greyhawk-Guide-April-2026
I've run one Legend of Greyhawk adventure, the first, "A village named Hommlet." And I'm finding a new energy to keep playing 5.5.
And on my two-year-journey that is 2024 to 5.5, I've lost some friends along the way. Casualties to OSR, NSR, 5E hybrids, and Pathfinder.
5.5 has a new damage type system which rewards True Strike and Shillelagh What I've learned, by limited to the 5.5 only content is that the new damage type system works. Not only is there more mixed damage types in the damage expression of more monsters, there is more character access to change your damage type to overcome resistances.
Take the Swarm of Rats CR 1/4 or Swarm of Insects CR 1/2, or even a nice Undead Specter CR 1
These are all pretty classily low level monsters that resist mundane damage types.
If you are a party of martial characters, who don't have access to energy types like elemental fire or even radiant, then even these low level monsters will be difficult to take down.
But adding True Strike to a character grants them radiant type damage and Shillelagh can produce force damage.
It's easier than ever to gain these cantrips:
As a High Elf, whenever you finish a Long Rest you can swap out your Cantrip Prestidigitation with any other Wizard Cantrip, including True Strike.
Not to mention that any Artificer, Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, or Wizard can take True Strike as one of her known cantrips.
Since Magic Initiate Wizard also gains two wizard cantrips, all Humans can take this feat as their secondary Origin Feat but also non-Humans can take the Sage background, with Con/Int/Wis, this background really only adds True Strike to Clerics and Druids who increase their Wisdom ASI as opposed to Artificers and Wizards who increase Intelligence ASI and already have access to True Strike.
But then there is Druid who has the cantrip Shillelagh and the Guide Background which gives Magic Initiate Druid and access to the Cantrip Shillelagh.
Guide Background increases Dex/Con/Wis which is really good for a lot of characters. Dexterity for Fighters, Monks, Rangers, and Rogues. Any ranged Dex characters who wants to splash in a melee weapon and increases Wisdom to the same standards or a few characters who can dump their Dex and pump Wisdom as primary casters, like a primary Wisdom caster Ranger, which isn't as bad as it seems.
Just between Shillelagh and True Strike you can see the following Builds have access:
All High Elves Any Human with bonus feat Magic Initiate Druid or Wizard
Artificer, Bard, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard
Sage Clerics
Guide Monks, Guide Rangers, Guide Rogues
It's not complete coverage, but it's pretty close.
Monsters have more skills and save proficiencies Another big change that people aren't talking about is how most 5.5 monsters have trained skills and more proficiencies in saves. Not to mention a lot of them now have access to new damage types and higher damage expressions.
Concentration is now more of a limiting factor Before 5.5, concentration was a thing. Do you run it RAW, where every time you take damage you must roll a save? Do you allow combat casters to take feats to boost their Constitution Saves or give them advantage to maintain concentration or all the other concentration support features.
This is where the new 5.5 meta really starts to take shape because there are several spells, like spiritual weapon, that now require concentration, and a few that do not.
Temp HP only expire after a long rest Previously, you gained temps with an expiration date. Now, you can keep your temps indefinitely or until your recast them.
Bonus action for drinking a potion Bonus Actions really got a overhaul. Now there are more actions that are faster than a full action and it helps with action economy. Nick Weapon Mastery, also can give you a Bonus Action back, when you are used to using your bonus for an off-hand attack.










