The Next Edition of Dungeons and Dragons Has No Dungeon Master
What Changed?
Free5e has officially renamed four iconic 5e classes and the default term for the person running the game. These changes will soon be live in the free Free5e Core Rulebook Bundle on DriveThruRPG, and they’re shaking things up…for good reason.
| Original | Free5e Name | Why It Changed |
|---|---|---|
| Barbarian | Dreadnought | Removed a colonial slur used to dehumanize |
| Druid | Wodewose | Avoided appropriation of active spiritual traditions |
| Monk | Adept | Broadened concept, ditched orientalist baggage |
| Paladin | Vanguard | Stepped away from Christian Crusader associations |
| Game Master | Game Conductor | Rejected “master” in favor of collaborative tone |
These aren’t surface-level tweaks. They reflect the soul of the project: inclusive fantasy that respects the real world while empowering imagination.
Why “Wodewose”?
“Druid” might sound like fantasy to some, but it’s a living religious identity to others. The D&D version barely resembles real-world druidry, veering more into generic nature mysticism and pop-pagan aesthetics.
After deep research and community discussion, we chose Wodewose, an Old English term meaning “wild person of the woods.” It evokes primal magic, shapeshifting, and a deep bond with nature without tying to real religions. It’s weird, evocative, and points to someone of nature, not in charge of it.
We’re also updating associated terms:
- Wild Speech replaces Druidic (language)
- Naturecraft replaces Druidcraft (cantrip)
- Elder Wose replaces Archdruid (title)
Yes, Wodewose is strange. That’s the point. Nature should feel wild, strange, mysterious, and powerful.
Why “Game Conductor”?
We wanted a term that:
- Doesn’t assume authority or mastery…of the rules or the players
- Feels collaborative, not adversarial
- Stays accessible for new players
- Still sounds cool
Game Conductor hit the right notes. Like a musical conductor, they guide the tempo and spotlight each player but don’t control the music.
Some suggested “Game Moderator,” but it felt sterile. “Lore Keeper” had style but lacked clarity. “Conductor” balanced clarity, charm, and playfulness.
We shortened it to Conductor for elegance and accessibility. Abbreviations like “GM” may be familiar, but they create barriers for new players and carry unexamined weight.
“This Feels Unnecessary”
We understand that not everyone sees these terms as a problem. But our guiding principle is this:
The words we use about people affect how we think about them. How we think about them affects how we treat them. How we treat them determines whose stories get told and how.
We’re not trying to erase the classics. We’re offering a beneficial default. You can still call it whatever you want at your table. But when we write a game meant to be accessible to everyone, we have to consider everyone.
The words we use shape the formation of the stories we tell, and those stories in turn shape us. Dehumanizing slurs encourage and empower discriminatory attitudes and public policies. Appropriation and stereotypes misrepresent and diminish the value and contributions of diverse cultures.
We’re not the first to reexamine these terms, and we’re grateful to Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition (A5E) for leading the way. Their shift to Adept, Herald, and Berserker helped move the conversation forward across the TTRPG community. Free5e builds on that momentum with additional changes tailored to our goals and scope.
“Won’t this confuse people?”
It might…for about 10 seconds. Then they’ll see the role is the same, just reframed to be more inviting. Just like how some tables or other TTRPGs say “Keeper” or “Narrator”, you still know who to look at when it’s time to roll initiative. And with the changes and variations in classes throughout the history of fantasy TTRPGs, this is nothing new.
“Everyone still says GM.”
Great! You can too. These aren’t enforced changes. They’re editorial decisions for clarity, accessibility, and inclusion in the core text. You’re welcome to house rule your vocabulary.
If we can improve our language to better reflect the values of cooperation, respect, and imagination without changing the mechanics, why wouldn’t we?
Try It Before You Trash It
These updates will appear soon in the Free5e Core Rulebook Bundle, which you can download for free.
We appreciate the thoughtful insights from our community that led to these decisions. This project isn’t just for the players — it’s by the players.
And if you have thoughts — strong, spicy, or supportive — drop them in the comments. We’re here for the conversation.
We’re not just rewriting rules. We’re reimagining respect.
👀 Get 10 Free Adventures
This all sounds very reasonable to me. I personally take a long time to change my language sometimes. I can however, change when it is the right thing to do.
Bruce the DM
And in a lot of ways, that was what it came down to — if we as a culture can change our vocabulary to avoid using hurtful slurs and insensitive terminology, we hope that the gaming culture can do the same. Even if our terminology choices don’t get adopted (like the way we’re using some A5E terms but not others), we hope that this will get people thinking and talking. And if someone comes up with something better, fantastic.
I’m on board with the changes, but “Adept” says “MAGIC” to me. The “Apprentice Adept” series, the “Magician: Adept” and “Magician: Master” books, they’re about mastering magic. Which is very different from the function of a tabletop Monk, who’s about mastering the body and possibly adding some mystical component (chi), possibly not even that if your focus is more on martial arts specifically.
And in basic English, “adept” just means “highly skilled at” something, so it’s too broad to narrow down to a single class.
I realize that “Monk” is hardly the best term to represent this either; Christian monks hid in monasteries and were ascetics who practiced calligraphy and the like, and that would be my first association if I encountered the word in a non-game context. But “Adept” doesn’t feel like the right choice either; I hope you consider other options and come up with something as neat as “Wodewose” to convey the core nature of the class.
I hear you. Shadowrun has Physical Adepts, which is their martial artist. But we’re borrowing from A5E in this case, because it’s already there.
I think the original Monk moniker appropriates from the Shaolin Monk tradition (or the old kung fu movies), and trying to find another name that’s not fraught would be incredibly challenging. In this case, unless we get a lot of feedback to the contrary, Adept seems to be our best option, especially since at least A5E players are familiar with it.
But I’m glad you like Wodewose. I’m really happy that we found that one — to me, it seems to capture the class perfectly.
Love all of the changes— except Game Conductor. I started using Game Moderator years ago— for all of the reasons you cited above. It the term we used in the RPG Social Justice curriculum we wrote and published. That way everyone can still say GM. GC… just doest have the same cache and familiarity.
Hey Craig! Moderator was our second choice, but it just felt stiff, political, corporate — not fun enough. Conductor has a lot of meanings that all seem to fit, whether movement, art, or energy.
And we’re deliberately using Conductor instead of GC, since that abbreviation has a hurtful alternative meaning. If Keeper of Arcane Secrets in Call of Cthulhu can be abbreviated to Keeper, we’re hoping Conductor is still pretty easy to say.