D&D 5E Discussion

[DavidBVal]

There's indeed many "exceptions" to the usual flow of the turn. As in, "I want to use my Indomitable to not fail that save". Which means, the game UI and flow must give you a chance to act on every potential failed save. Same with certain reactions... even damage rolls! it is a bit nightmarish, tbh

Or how about cutting words for the bard ability? That's a reaction that will come into play on nearly every roll.

Yeah, that one is tough. There are modifiers to the natural roll, like that one, and others, that can be called upon any roll.

Any cRPG based on 5e will have to choose between ruleset faithfulness, and gameplay flow.

 

[Alchemist]

I think 5E was designed primarily to flow "at the table" - which is does, in my experience. But this doesn't necessarily translate smoothly to a CRPG.

That's why I'll probably stick with a variant of AD&D for my game, which is proven already to work well enough.

 

[vonAchdorf]

Looks like Cubicle 7 hops on the OGL train and announced DnD in Middle Earth:

Cubicle 7 Entertainment and Sophisticated Games have announced plans to make a Dungeons & Dragons® compatible roleplaying series for J R R Tolkien’s legendary fantasy world of Middle-earth, the setting for The Lord of the Rings® and The Hobbit®.

Cubicle 7’s CEO Dominic McDowall said, “We’re all very excited to be building on the success of The One Ring Roleplaying Game and bringing Middle-earth to D&D® players. Uniting two things very close to the hearts of gamers, me included, is very cool – I can't wait for the summer.”

The best selling The One Ring Roleplaying Game will continue as a separate and independent line, with some very exciting announcements coming this week. The new series will be based upon Francesco Nepitello’s highly praised work in The One Ring®, with Francesco acting as creative consultant.

Further details will be released in the coming months, with the release set for Summer 2016.

They seem to see a market were people don't buy The One Ring because they only want DnD rules.

 

[TigerKnee]

"One Ranger, One Elven Bow Fighter, One Dwarven Fighter, a Wizard spec'd for melee combat and 4 Halfling Thieves? What is this shit?"

 

[Irenaeus III]

"One Ranger, One Elven Bow Fighter, One Dwarven Fighter, a Wizard spec'd for melee combat and 4 Halfling Thieves? What is this shit?"

http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=612

 

[Neanderthal]

I translated LotR into 2nd edition AD&D when I were a lad, think most of us have ant we, an I didn't ave cast use usual classes. Aragorn wi his healing ability, royal heritage an all the special powers he shows I made into a Paladin, an gotta say it fit him, just had to splash out on some wilderness skills as well. Gandy I made a Bard because o lore bonus an limited spellcasting, had his storytelling an advice take place o bardsong, spells were mainly useful not damaging or flashy. Legolamb were Ranger, Boromir I made a Barb from Unearthed Arcana which is a real fuckin beast, Gimli a Fighter, an Hobbits all Thieves.

 

[Night Goat]

It'll be like any generic D&D setting, only without the Conan, Lovecraft and Dying Earth influences that make them slightly interesting. I can't wait!

 

[Sam Ecorners]

So my playing career seems to be over. one of our group couldnt make it, so i decided to take over dm and run through the Death House(CoS introductory campaign) That went very well and the other DM decided to ask me to take over PotA, which I agreed to. So I got the campaign book, started reading it, and what the holy shit, did they roll dice for what chapter to put every paragraph? How can a campaign book be so disorganized? IT has NPC shit spread across 7 chapters, so you never really know if you got a complete picture after reading a dedicated section on some dude. it's nuts

 

[fastjack]

My group should finish up PotA tonight with the party they carried over from the starter box. It has been a very satisfying campaign for me as a GM and I think they have enjoyed the whole arc but I am pretty fatigued with dnd and looking forward to playing something else tbh. While I enjoyed 5th edition it still has a 'sweet spot' like 3rd did (at least) and while it is a little bit bigger by level 11/12 the game stops resembling heroes and becomes superheroes. I know some people like that but a complete genre change mid-campaign always seems jarring to me.

 

[Rahdulan]

Low level dnd is the best

Low level adventuring is only distinctly different enough for me in AD&D thanks to, depending on your rolls, you may be at serious risk of dying because someone violently sneezed in your general direction.

 

[fastjack]

I just want to make the point that, you aren't really supposed to be a weakling post level 11. The DMG makes that clear.

I'm not talking about playing a weakling though, after all a level 8 character is hardly a weakling, I'm talking about going from playing Lancelot/Aragorn/cuchulain other traditional fantasy heroic archetypes to playing a knight who flies around as a cloud and takes on 100 wyverns without breaking a sweat. I'm not even complaining that 'it sucks dnd is this kind of game when I want to play this other kind'. I'm saying that it seems to take a shift in play at high levels that means it no longer supports our genre expectations. I'd also argue that the existence of e6 et al for past editions and discussions (at least) about the same sort of thing for 5e in the dnd community show that I'm not alone in this complaint.

I'd also like to say that I think the idea of a game evolving its style of play over time to keep things fresh is cool, my specific complaint is about how in a single campaign (PotA specifically) the characters increase in strength at a rate and time which creates a disconnect for me and my players. The first time they fought the prophet of air it goes a certain way, three in game weeks and 4 or 5 levels later it doesn't resemble that at all so trying to imagine or retell the story of the adventure leads to weird moments imho.

 

[LeStryfe79]

Just impose a steeper leveling curve after 5th level and use gritty rest times and insanity. Also, have the players photocopy their cha sheet at each tier and have a time skip. That way you can go back and run in between one off adventures at a later date if you want.

I personally like starting the characters at level 5 with 0 XP, and then resetting their XP to 0 each time they gain a level. This method actually works quite well at 1st level or any level for that matter.

Of course, I've never actually ran a 5ed game, so I'm basically lying about everything. I still totally recommend my advice though. Totally.

Edit:

Here are some new gothic character options:

http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/gothic-heroes

 

[mutonizer]

Check this shit out. He played a character, ran up to a group of enemies, cast thunder wave, got killed because the other people have turns too, and then goes on to bitch that the concept of initiative is bad. Because he played like a retard. So if you ever wanted to know some in real life awesomebuttonfags, here you go.

Nah, not really. He seems more of a simulationist & roleplayer and has issues with the level of abstraction required for D&D which has always been the anti-simulationist RPG by definition. He's probably more at ease with the like of GURPS and/or Runequest alongside almost pure in-character players and a very reactive, pro-active and eloquent GM to avoid shit getting bogged down.

To each his style, especially in RPGs, but really as far as you can get from "awesomebutton".

 

[Spectacle]

On the other hand, in most simulationist systems rushing in like a madman is going to get you killed much faster than in D&D, because huge hit point pools aren't real.

 

[mutonizer]

On the other hand, in most simulationist systems rushing in like a madman is going to get you killed much faster than in D&D, because huge hit point pools aren't real.

Yea, never said he was any clever or anything, but he has bloody videos on dungeon ceiling shapes and shit and he refers to more simulationist aspects in other RPGs here and there in other videos...

That said, it's hard to resist packed up enemies when you got Thunderwave early on in DDN though

 

[J1M]

It's amazing that he is ok with special dispensation for his character to act while everyone else waits, but can't see why that has to go both ways.

If his suggestion of simultaneous action was implemented he would have been stabbed to death as he approached to cast his spell.

 

[Excidium II]

Check this shit out. He played a character, ran up to a group of enemies, cast thunder wave, got killed because the other people have turns too, and then goes on to bitch that the concept of initiative is bad. Because he played like a retard. So if you ever wanted to know some in real life awesomebuttonfags, here you go.

Nah, not really. He seems more of a simulationist & roleplayer and has issues with the level of abstraction required for D&D which has always been the anti-simulationist RPG by definition. He's probably more at ease with the like of GURPS and/or Runequest alongside almost pure in-character players and a very reactive, pro-active and eloquent GM to avoid shit getting bogged down.

To each his style, especially in RPGs, but really as far as you can get from "awesomebutton".

Lyndibeige is a Runequest fan.

 

[Excidium II]

And D&D initiative/combat structure fucking sucks since 3E. Same goes for all RPGs that work in a similar way.

Gay man's anal cysts is just butthurt he opens by talking shit about 4E.

 

[Excidium II]

Sounds like he hates bad abstraction.

 

[laclongquan]

Did he ever show he like a good abstraction anywhere?

 

[Lhynn]

Bad abstraction is a fucking tumor in rpgs, all in the name of gameplay, without realizing it usually detracts from it.

 

[Lhynn]

I'm gonna have to disagree with you on this one, considering he pulled a darksidephil on his 5e game by doing something he shouldn't have, and then whining about the mechanics in the most pointless and pedantic way possible.

Didnt watch the vid, dont care for it. It was just a passing comment.

 

[Excidium II]

His course of action made sense. The rules suck and failed to simulate it.

 

[Lhynn]

Eh, just watched it. He could have still used his movement if he had any left, and his reaction to act out of turn. He simply ended his turn before checking what he had provoked, and how to react to it with the actions he had available, so it came off as if he wasted time congratulating himself on a spell well casted or something. If the battle wasnt over, why would he cut his own turn short.

Being inept with the rules shouldnt be grounds to criticize them.

 

[Excidium II]

But he said he wanted to gtfo after casting.