D&D 5E Playtest 8 finally nerfs game’s most broken spell

After years of relying on errata, D&D 5E’s Playtest 8 document has nerfed the game’s most overpowered spell.

Dungeons & Dragons 5E has a great track record for balanced rules, with far fewer exploits than previous game editions. This is helped by the developers being able to release live rules updates on social media, which are quickly spread among the fanbase.

One of the most notable exceptions to this is Conjure Woodland Beings, a level 4 spell that lets players summon eight Pixies. The problem is that the Pixies could each cast Polymorph once per day, essentially giving the player access to eight castings of a level 4 spell through one spell of the same level.

The new Playtest 8 document for D&D 5E has introduced changes to several classes and spells. The most important involves Conjure Woodland Beings, which has seen a total overhaul of its design, turning it into more of a defensive spell rather than one used to summon creatures to the field.

Conjure Woodland Beings has been nerfed by turning it into a totally different spell

The Playtest 8 document on D&D Beyond has revealed the new version of Conjure Woodland Beings, which is now a level 5 spell for Druids and Rangers and functions completely differently.

The new iteration of Conjure Woodland Beings creates a barrier of fey creatures that damages creatures approaching the caster while allowing them to use Disengage as a Bonus Action. This new Conjure Woodland Beings spell is basically the natural version of the Cleric’s Spirit Guardians spell.

While the new version of Conjure Woodland Beings is still powerful, it’s nowhere near as game-breaking as the original iteration from the D&D 5E Player’s Handbook, which needed developer notes from X to balance it out.

Increasing the level of Conjure Woodland Beings also means it’s less likely to fall into player hands, as most campaigns, unfortunately, fizzle out before hitting that level of play.

While the content in Playtest 8 isn’t guaranteed to appear in the 2024 Player’s Handbook, Conjure Woodland Beings will likely be changed somehow. The spell had the potential to be game-breaking, and it’s one of the things that needed to change in the new rulebooks.