D&D 5E Discussion

[Misconnected]

I like this picture. These guys look like they could pose a threat to low-level adventurers, and are a lot more appealing to me than Paizo's idiotic comedy goblins.

D&D greenskins have always looked like ass. Probably because their design foundations were laid by people who couldn't really paint, and couldn't take the subject seriously. Quite unlike Warhammer greenskins, who ironically are a much less serious affair, fluff-wise.

 

[Excidium]

I like the classic pig faced ones from D&D, but yeah WHFB ones are my favourites

 

[Misconnected]

I like the classic pig faced ones from D&D, [...]

Quoted For Being A Sentence I Never Thought I'd Hear.

 

[Major_Blackhart]

I prefer the WHFB Orcs vs D&D Orcs, but right now, Pathfinder is my favorite. Just don't feel like going back to D&D to be honest.

 

[Alchemist]

WotC posted some Monster stats from the Starter Set:

Main thing I don't like about the samples so far is that crinkled paper / coffee stain motif they have going in the layout, usually around the pictures. It serves no purpose and just looks awkward.

 

[Melan]

Stats are more complicated than I'd prefer, but fairly easy to parse, and compact enough to fit on business cards or something similar.

[edit]Layout is nice and clean too.

 

[Night Goat]

Exactly what D&D needs - more HP bloat! I can't wait to spend hours whittling down a 7 HD ogre at level 2!

 

[Volourn]

59hp with that ac, the ogre won't last long. Of coruse, it will kill PCs quick too. That said, if you are facing a 7HD Ogre at level 2... uhh... you are in toruble. But, it shouldn'y take hours though. L0L That fight seems quick and painful for both sides.

 

[Caribbean Druid]

Lame goblins

Woah woah woah, hang on. We're talking about a STEVE PRESCOTT artwork here. I don't want to see the word lame. Please edit your post.

 

[J1M]

I really don't understand what that "white paper behind a creature" is doing as part of the layout. Ideas?

 

[Excidium]

Lame goblins

Woah woah woah, hang on. We're talking about a STEVE PRESCOTT artwork here. I don't want to see the word lame. Please edit your post.

Those goblins look dumb m8

 

[Night Goat]

Now this is special.

Here we have a CR 1/2 creature. It has 2 hit dice, AC 18, and will do 1d8+8 damage in a typical round. Two of these guys will likely TPK a first-level party.

Also notice that none of the monsters we've seen have skills listed. Once again, PCs aren't intended to interact with them in any way except combat.

The more I see of 5E, the more I think that Mike Mearls has just been fucking around for three years and has no idea what he's doing.

 

[Major_Blackhart]

Pretty much. It's why I prefer Pathfinder.
Every fucking enemy has skills, can be interacted with in a meaningful way, and is certainly better built than these fucking things.

 

[Melan]

Aren't 5e skills basically based on ability score checks? I have not been following development that closely.

Also, players can interact with monsters just fine outside combat even if you don't list the skills of every goblin, gnoll and goat-man. People have been doing it since 1974 and all that.

 

[Alchemist]

The Nothic has skills listed. I think they are focusing on listing only relevant stats for each monster, and the design paradigm is going to be more stripped-down and old-school compared to 3E / Pathfinder / 4E. At least in the beginning, before they add the optional levels of crunch the core books will supposedly have. Remember this is still just the simplified Starter Set they're showing, aimed at beginners.

And like Melan says - meaningful interaction with monsters is up to the creativity of the players and DM, not dependent on a stat block. We did just fine without skill lists in early D&D / AD&D.

 

[Ismaul]

Also notice that none of the monsters we've seen have skills listed. Once again, PCs aren't intended to interact with them in any way except combat.

Actually, skills are now just a special case of an ability check. So when you're rolling Perception, you're actually rolling Wis + a proficiency bonus if you're skilled. So, quite the opposite than you thought really, ALL monsters can interact and be interacted with in all sorts of manners with abilities. Skills are only there to underline when a monster / NPC is particularly skilled at something beyond his abilities. Much less bloat.

 

[Volourn]

"you're actually rolling Wis + a proficiency bonus if you're skilled."

That's not new. It's how its worked since proficiencies existed. LMAO

 

[J1M]

"you're actually rolling Wis + a proficiency bonus if you're skilled."

That's not new. It's how its worked since proficiencies existed. LMAO

I think he was trying to express that the bonus will cap out at around +6 instead of +24, making the influence of ability modifiers much more important than in the past.

 

[Ebonsword]

Now this is special.

Here we have a CR 1/2 creature. It has 2 hit dice, AC 18, and will do 1d8+8 damage in a typical round. Two of these guys will likely TPK a first-level party.

How many hit points do 1st level characters have, though? In 4E, couldn't you have a 1st level character with, like, 40 HP?

 

[Spectacle]

Now this is special.

Here we have a CR 1/2 creature. It has 2 hit dice, AC 18, and will do 1d8+8 damage in a typical round. Two of these guys will likely TPK a first-level party.

How many hit points do 1st level characters have, though? In 4E, couldn't you have a 1st level character with, like, 40 HP?

5-15 or so depending on class and stats, so getting hit by those hobgoblins could really hurt. But with only +3 to hit the hobgoblins will miss more often than they hit.

2 of these vs a level 1 party should be a good fight, but the players should win unless they let the hobgobs gang up on the squishies. As always, spells and abilities that restrict movement are golden against any enemies that want to fight in formation.

 

[Don Peste]

Take a look at the new Dungeon! board game art...

 

[Spectacle]

 

[Rahdulan]

Gotta sell you more shit. Now I'm getting flashbacks...

Although I suspect they won't make the same fatal mistake of charging $100 for the very basic set of things you need to play the game.

 

[Excidium]

WFRP 3rd Edition

This kills the RPG

 

[Night Goat]

WotC is looking for a new lead editor for D&D:

http://company.wizards.com/about/careers/lead-editor-dd-job-renton-wa-us?careers-view=1

QUALIFICATIONS

10,000 hours of game play and experience.

If you've played a 5-hour session every week since D&D was invented, you just might be qualitifed!