D&D 5E Discussion

[Lhynn]

Lhynn Consider a Level 1 match up. Wizard with 16 INT casting a L1 spell vs a non-proficient stat with +0 bonus. Effectively (8+2+1)=13 vs 1d20. The defender has a 40% chance to succeed. Round 2 65% chance. Round 3 >78% chance. Stated differently, a typical wizard using their best stat as a 40% of failure round 1 against a something baseline (no bonus, no proficiency). They can do that twice a day. Round 2, there is a 2/3 chance that spell will be shaken off. Unless the wizard has awesome initiative, there is a good chance an effect may never even get to be capitalized on. While a down the road maxed mage vs baseline might be 19 vs 1d20, characters have lots of ways to shake off or avoid effects. Even without items.

Changes to spell casting in 5E kind of took the worst from 2E, 3E, and 4E and mashed them up. It's not irredeemable, but there's so many tweaks to be done that a totally fixed system would be considered wholly different.

Hm

 

[Gyor]

Nevermind saw the other thread.

 

[Bara]

lol

They're trying to cash in on Planescape Torment by using Morte in the new planescape books

This is going to end up being as bad as the Baldurs Gate 1 & 2 official related products for 5e isn't it.

 

[Caim]

Look how they massacred my boy.

 

[NecroLord]

I've said it before, but 5E art is just horrible.

 

[Hagashager]

I've said it before, but 5E art is just horrible.

Nerd culture art in general looks awful. Everything looks like it's made of plastic. Even in-universe scenes look like toys.

You see it in Star Wars too, it all looks like everything has a layer of saran wrap over it. Ditto for comics, manga, anime, etc.

What gets me most about modern DnD art is how artificially beautiful characters are made to be. Old time 2E AD&D was no stranger to unrealistic beauty standards, but they at least tried to make the buxom babes with big boobs and flowing blonde hair look like they beautified themselves with make-up and tools contemporary to their era.

Everyone in 5E looks like they walked out of an H&M with a trendy new outfit, got done having a Manny-Petty and are now heading to Spirit Halloween for their armor.

 

[Darkwind]

I've said it before, but 5E art is just horrible.

These artists are certainly pale shadows of Elmore, Easley, Otis, Brom, Caldwell, etc. D&D's "Golden Age" artists were gallery quality drawings & prints. This is comic book shit.

 

[thesecret1]

What gets me most about modern DnD art is how artificially beautiful characters are made to be.

You'll look back to this post a couple years from now, tears in your eyes, as every piece of media gets plastered with hideous hambeasts

 

[Hagashager]

What gets me most about modern DnD art is how artificially beautiful characters are made to be.

You'll look back to this post a couple years from now, tears in your eyes, as every piece of media gets plastered with hideous hambeasts

That's already happened. It happened long ago.

Unlike most Codexers here I don't feel revulsion at less-than-supermodel character designs (though the blatantly fat, pixie-cut adventurers can fuck off).

I'm talking about the fact that regardless whether the characters look conventionally attractive or not, they all look like modern day Millennials and Zoomers. Even the fucking demi-humans and monsters look like 2023 humans who use modern hygiene and beauty kits and clothes.

 

[thesecret1]

Unlike most Codexers here I don't feel revulsion at less-than-supermodel character designs (though the blatantly fat, pixie-cut adventurers can fuck off).

You'll get this:

 

[gurugeorge]

Unlike most Codexers here I don't feel revulsion at less-than-supermodel character designs (though the blatantly fat, pixie-cut adventurers can fuck off).

You'll get this:

But always – do not forget this, Winston – always there will be the intoxication of power, constantly increasing and constantly growing subtler. Always, at every moment, there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on an enemy who is helpless. If you want a picture of the future, imagine a monumentally obese Negress squatting on a human face – for ever.

 

[Raghar]

I properly reviewed 5E books and after BG3 it's obvious that 5E isn't simulating anything, and it's just a random table top game that has very few things in common with reality with Beholders and other stuff.

 

[Bester]

I'm playing a warlock and jesus fuck this is boring in battle.
- At level 5 I can cast a total of TWO spells.
- Only ONE concentration slot, so no interesting combinations of even those two spells.
- Then it's a boring ass spam of eldritch blast.

How the fuck is this magic?

Any better magic user classes in 5e?

 

[laclongquan]

Lhynn Consider a Level 1 match up. Wizard with 16 INT casting a L1 spell vs a non-proficient stat with +0 bonus. Effectively (8+2+1)=13 vs 1d20. The defender has a 40% chance to succeed. Round 2 65% chance. Round 3 >78% chance. Stated differently, a typical wizard using their best stat as a 40% of failure round 1 against a something baseline (no bonus, no proficiency). They can do that twice a day. Round 2, there is a 2/3 chance that spell will be shaken off. Unless the wizard has awesome initiative, there is a good chance an effect may never even get to be capitalized on. While a down the road maxed mage vs baseline might be 19 vs 1d20, characters have lots of ways to shake off or avoid effects. Even without items.

Changes to spell casting in 5E kind of took the worst from 2E, 3E, and 4E and mashed them up. It's not irredeemable, but there's so many tweaks to be done that a totally fixed system would be considered wholly different.

Hm

A 1st level spell has casting time of 1, equal to a weapon attack... yeah great design~ It's as fast as a warrior thrust forward a spear, or an archer shoot an arrow. That spell is too bloody overpowered by half, considering where it is -1st tier, and how it affect target.

On the one hand, the way wizard combat is slash down like that to stress the difficulty to raise up one from lvl 1 to when they can be effective, and so the rarity of wizards.

On the other hand, they provide overpowered spells like this~

The confusion in design and the quality control is too terrifying to behold.

 

[Trithne]

I'm playing a warlock and jesus fuck this is boring in battle.
- At level 5 I can cast a total of TWO spells.
- Only ONE concentration slot, so no interesting combinations of even those two spells.
- Then it's a boring ass spam of eldritch blast.

How the fuck is this magic?

Any better magic user classes in 5e?

I think that's because you picked Warlock, which is a class built entirely around the Eldritch Blast.

If you want your classical spellcaster with many tricks up their sleeve, you need the traditional Wizard.

5e classes, to my understanding, are very pigeonholed into specific designs.

From what I've seen (I've not played 5e personally), Wizard is the traditional caster with many spells to draw on, Sorcerer is metamagic abuse, and Warlock is customising your Eldritch Blast.

 

[Non-Edgy Gamer]

I'm playing a warlock and jesus fuck this is boring in battle.
- At level 5 I can cast a total of TWO spells.
- Only ONE concentration slot, so no interesting combinations of even those two spells.
- Then it's a boring ass spam of eldritch blast.

How the fuck is this magic?

Any better magic user classes in 5e?

Warlock is like the fighter class version of a Wizard. Infinite spells at the expense of selection.

It's basically there for people who want to play a ranged DPS, but also want to cast spells and not just shoot arrows.

Also, you can multiclass to Sorcerer or Paladin and break the game because D&D is basically just larping now and WotC don't care.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Any better magic user classes in 5e?

Roll a barbarian

 

[NecroLord]

Any better magic user classes in 5e?

Roll a barbarian

The magic of manliness.

 

[Alex]

I'm playing a warlock and jesus fuck this is boring in battle.
- At level 5 I can cast a total of TWO spells.
- Only ONE concentration slot, so no interesting combinations of even those two spells.
- Then it's a boring ass spam of eldritch blast.

How the fuck is this magic?

Any better magic user classes in 5e?

No, everyone has to deal with concentration. You can make a wizard and collect all the spells you can if you want, but the only ones that are really interesting are the very high level ones which the designers seem to have left like that figuring people wouldn't play that far.

Also, I just realised that this thread is almost 10 years old now; and so 5e likewise is nearing that age. Pretty crummy edition, all in all. I mean, after all this time we never got any particularly good books, as far as I can tell. 3e was a mess and the focus on balance was a huge annoyance, but at least it got a bunch of creative books.

 

[Bester]

Also, you can multiclass to Sorcerer or Paladin and break the game

I don't see it. How does it break the game? Specifically sorcerer, because my warlock is not melee-oriented.

 

[NecroLord]

3e was a mess and the focus in balance was a huge annoyance, but at least it got a bunch of creative books.

Indeed.
Balance was nonexistent and things started to go way off the rails at high levels. It was insanity, but it was pretty fun, all things considered.

 

[J1M]

I'm playing a warlock and jesus fuck this is boring in battle.
- At level 5 I can cast a total of TWO spells.
- Only ONE concentration slot, so no interesting combinations of even those two spells.
- Then it's a boring ass spam of eldritch blast.

How the fuck is this magic?

Any better magic user classes in 5e?

No, you will just feel bad when you notice a spell you wanted to cast requires concentration.

Bard is on the higher end of complexity because they can pick spells from any spell list a few times.

Here's a shopping list:
Shillelagh
Chill Touch
Bless
Shield
Spike Growth
Pass Without Trace
Counterspell
Hypnotic Pattern
Wall of Fire
Conjure Elemental
Heal

 

[J1M]

Also, you can multiclass to Sorcerer or Paladin and break the game

I don't see it. How does it break the game? Specifically sorcerer, because my warlock is not melee-oriented.

I suppose the claim is that smite does good damage and sorcerer provides extra spell slots while being two levels behind in casting. But a hexblade would probably do the same thing better because you can attack with charisma instead of strength.

I would still wager that sharpshooter feat combined with archery fighting style would be significantly more effective and not constrained by resources.

 

[Raghar]

Any better magic user classes in 5e?

Sorcerer, wizard, druid...

 

[Lhynn]

I'm playing a warlock and jesus fuck this is boring in battle.
- At level 5 I can cast a total of TWO spells.
- Only ONE concentration slot, so no interesting combinations of even those two spells.
- Then it's a boring ass spam of eldritch blast.

How the fuck is this magic?

Any better magic user classes in 5e?

Generally speaking fights tend to last from 2 to 5 rounds, just the nature of the system, 4-5 dudes can kill things very fast, so you dont really need concentration that much.
That said warlocks tend to rely on their gimmick a whole lot, id say they are the most boring casters, and nowhere near the strongest class, but sitting right in the middle of the pack.

If you are chain you will be relying on your familiar to get things done a lot, and its nice to have a disposable invisible minion, even if it dies in one hit, the utility you can get out of the damn thing is staggering. If you are blade you can be a fairly good melee, but you will want levels in a martial class to compliment it.