D&D 5E Discussion

[Caim]

So what did we learn from that? If upper management wants a quality product they need to give the creative minds the freedom to do creative stuff and not inject their own stupid ideas while they wish they were game designers.

Of course, they have to be kept in check to some degree, lest you get another Tim Schafer.

 

[J1M]

So what did we learn from that? If upper management wants a quality product they need to give the creative minds the freedom to do creative stuff and not inject their own stupid ideas while they wish they were game designers.

Of course, they have to be kept in check to some degree, lest you get another Tim Schafer.

Too often "kept in check" translates to "each decision requires approval" when it should involve establishing scope and constraints of time, money, and people.

 

[Keldryn]

So what did we learn from that? If upper management wants a quality product they need to give the creative minds the freedom to do creative stuff and not inject their own stupid ideas while they wish they were game designers.

This lesson is taught over and over again, but they fail to learn it. Sometimes the creative guys build something that falls flat, but most of the runaway hits come out of that same process.

 

[Caim]

You won't get another Tim Schafer if you don't assume that one person is pure fukken magic.

You mean that Schafer is magic because he can make millions of dollars disappear without a good product appearing in return?

 

[LeStryfe79]

Comb hates everything decent he did like JOJ and Elfs. He went insane. He only jokes around because his soul is gone. It would be like me saying cigarettes are bad.

 

[Andhaira]

Yet another Ranger variant:

http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/ranger

 

[HotSnack]

Yet another Ranger variant:

http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/ranger

2d6 for a skirmisher class, and that's on top of it's unique stealth abilities that turns the ranger into an anime ninja.

 

[mediocrepoet]

Yet another Ranger variant:

http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/ranger

2d6 hp, automatic extra round or never surprised... Seems balanced.

I guess they wanted to be sure Drizzt wannabes could have their power fantasies without modifying the rules.

 

[Lhynn]

Well, at the very least i hope that with this someone will play a freaking ranger.

Stealth ability reminds me of that scene in the patriot.

Guardian spirits are nice, a good use for the bonus action, especially giving advantage to attacks against a chosen creature is good.

 

[Andhaira]

The magic less Ranger variant in a prior edition of UA was much better, and more fun.

 

[LeStryfe79]

This is only through 5th level, so it might still be good. Right now it feels like a strange Barbarian archetype, like Marc Singer in the Beastmaster movies.

 

[tdphys]

Beastmaster is Mike Mearls boogy man. The ranger in 5e is fine, the beastmaster archtype is clunky, uninspired and impotent.

They're so scared of overpowering a beast companion that they're willing to offer up this joke of a class to avoid the fact. Almost everything else in 5e is a slam dunk.

 

[DavidBVal]

2d6 hp, automatic extra round or never surprised... Seems balanced.

What is the problem, exactly, with things being not "balanced"? for a MMORPG sure, I understand. But in PnPs classes never were balanced, nor should be. Let the DM sort what feels "unbalanced" in the party, i.e., if a ranger is seriously overshadowing the group's fighter AND that creates frustration of some sort (I would see it more as a RP opportunuty, actually).

 

[Rahdulan]

This. Its not like PCs are ever going to fight one another.

You sound like you never had paladins and rogues in your parties.

 

[L'ennui]

That's all well and good for your games and your clique of smelly hippies, but us real men must sometimes resort to resolving our differences through the timeless art of dice throws and shit-talking.

 

[Lhynn]

That's all well and good for your games and your clique of smelly hippies, but us real men must sometimes resort to resolving our differences through the timeless art of dice throws and shit-talking.

I remember once another player wanted to cheat the party of their earnings. Killed his ass in like 3 seconds.

In indsight i shouldnt have done that, we were playing at his house. The DM wasnt too happy either. But he did end up making a better character because of it, so it was all good.

 

[DavidBVal]

I remember once another player wanted to cheat the party of their earnings. Killed his ass in like 3 seconds.

Man, that was maybe a bit over the top. Could have settled by, dunno, just killing his character?

but I understand sometimes it's time for a lesson.

 

[tdphys]

What is the problem, exactly, with things being not "balanced"? for a MMORPG sure, I understand. But in PnPs classes never were balanced, nor should be. Let the DM sort what feels "unbalanced" in the party, i.e., if a ranger is seriously overshadowing the group's fighter AND that creates frustration of some sort (I would see it more as a RP opportunuty, actually).

I don't think it's so much balancing as making sure each character has something to add to the fight. That being said... 5e is using something they call " bounded accuracy" that tries to hold back the exponential power progression of 4e. I think it works really nice, as characters always have a weaknesses ( you'll probably have that same one crappy stat save the whole time) and lesser monsters can still be potent. There's more intensity and death in our 5e campaign then we ever saw in 4e, and we're at level 9. So yeah, they do care about balancing in the effect that they don't want to blow that power curve for just one class, and trivialize a lot of the game.

 

[Neanderthal]

Didn't Rangers get 2d8 hp at first level back in AD&D?

 

[Lhynn]

Didn't Rangers get 2d8 hp at first level back in AD&D?

i think that was back in first edition, yeah.

 

[Andhaira]

2 months until Sword Coast Adventurers Guide is out.

http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/news/scag


I can't wait; while I am happy they are not churning out supplements month after month, this has been too long a wait for new crunch. The free ToEE Guide with new spells and Storm Sorcerer was good, as well as the UA articles like the Rangers and the Mystic, but I want more class & Feat crunch for the existing classes in the PHB, including more options for Warlock, Monk and Wizard. And more Feats plz. I would also like more abilities for existing subclasses (they can make the new one's optional so you have a choice at each subclass new-ability level)

I would also like some stuff to add more crunch to existing characters, like a feat that allows a Wizard to take more than one tradition or something. Or don't make it a feat, make it an optional thing for peopl wanting more crunch in their games. As it is there are too many dry levels for classes like Wizard without new options.

 

[Lhynn]

All we know for sure is that the Fighter is getting more shit. Mostly because the fighter's class archetypes are not liked by the Hasbro team.

link

 

[Jaesun]

Have you played a PnP session with 5.0 yet Andhaira ?

 

[Andhaira]

Have you played a PnP session with 5.0 yet Andhaira ?

Yes, online only via play by post. I've played as a Paladin and as a Wizard, though did not get to play much as the latter. I like the system, it's quite clean, though I wish they would have toned the power of feats down slightly but offer a feat choice every other level. Still, I find it better than 3e and it's descendants, including Pathfinder. The magic system has finally been 'fixed', the slot system this time around is much better than anything before. And the Paladin class got a pretty sweet boost.

They fucked up with the Warlock though.

 

[Lhynn]

I actually think the feat frecuency is good, theyve made sure there arent any empty levels anyway. And its less of a headache as a DM because i have to worry less about what the npcs in my world got.
Another thing is that despite how powerful the feats are, most players worry more about ability scores, despite a lot of feats being complete gamechangers for their characters.