D&D 5E Discussion

[Gangrelrumbler]

And I thought DnD couldn't get more gay after they've added a race of good drows.

Wait what?

Heard about it some time ago on /tg/ and didn't remember well so I did some research. Apparently because of some bullshit Eilistraee, a chaotic good drow godess returned back to life. Because of that some wizard managed to transform her (good) followers into Dark Elves (which unlike what most might've think are a separate race from Drows), which have brown skin. So yeah, there's no a race of chaotic good Ex-Drows somewhere out there.

http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Dark_elf#cite_note-AotL-9

 

[Lhynn]

Never understood why its important to establish that some dude in your world likes eating cock. Gays are desperate to be relevant again i guess, and in 2017 no one gives a fuck.

 

[mediocrepoet]

Never understood why its important to establish that some dude in your world likes eating cock. Gays are desperate to be relevant again i guess, and in 2017 no one gives a fuck.

It's actually one of the things that made me raise a brow when I was reading the adventures like the knights in Curse of Strahd. I was like: Ok, a bunch of undead cursed knights. Cool... and these guys used to blow eachother. Why the hell is that an important detail to establish? Anyway, it's all about what sort of game you want to run, I guess. My groups generally have never tended to focus on sex of any sort "on screen" because we were playing Dungeons and Dragons, a fantasy adventure game; not Daggers and Dildos, the lonely shut in why won't anyone touch me simulator.

 

[DavidBVal]

Never understood why its important to establish that some dude in your world likes eating cock. Gays are desperate to be relevant again i guess, and in 2017 no one gives a fuck.

It's actually one of the things that made me raise a brow when I was reading the adventures like the knights in Curse of Strahd. I was like: Ok, a bunch of undead cursed knights. Cool... and these guys used to blow eachother. Why the hell is that an important detail to establish? Anyway, it's all about what sort of game you want to run, I guess. My groups generally have never tended to focus on sex of any sort "on screen" because we were playing Dungeons and Dragons, a fantasy adventure game; not Daggers and Dildos, the lonely shut in why won't anyone touch me simulator.

IIRC, that knight leader was in love with someone as part of the backstory. Felt very forced to me too, CoS barely has any romantic themes or development and it's as if they needed to put 5 into the book so they could make 2 of them gay and pass the censorship test. Still it was labeled racist and sexist so it was a futile effort.

IMHO, it kind of breaks immersion to have 1 in each 4 people being a gay activist in a fantasy world. In a futuristic setting why not. Oh wait, because nobody gives a shit about what NPCs do offscreen. I knew there was a reason.

 

[Sacibengala]

Hey guys, I don't know, but this survey can be interesting. Darksun and Planescape all the way! http://sgiz.mobi/s3/36e018baf04e

 

[Catacombs]

Hey guys, I don't know, but this survey can be interesting. Darksun and Planescape all the way! http://sgiz.mobi/s3/36e018baf04e

What's the deal? Is this an official Wizards of the Coast survey?

 

[Mystary!]

Hey guys, I don't know, but this survey can be interesting. Darksun and Planescape all the way! http://sgiz.mobi/s3/36e018baf04e

What's the deal? Is this an official Wizards of the Coast survey?

Yeah. Non-direct link: http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/news/dd-survey

 

[DavidBVal]

I like that they ask about historical settings. Greece/Rome would be great for 5ed, it's the perfect edition for "low-magic" settings.

 

[Spectacle]

I like that they ask about historical settings. Greece/Rome would be great for 5ed, it's the perfect edition for "low-magic" settings.

Also perfect setting for the "gayer" d&d that WotC is pushing!

 

[Delterius]

That's pretty telling. For what it's worth, neither Gygax nor Arneson were into D&D for "escapist fantasies". They liked games, they liked violent adventure stories, and created something combining the two. They weren't interested in "escaping" to fantasy worlds (and Gygax was vehemently against the 'amateur thespian' school of roleplaying).

Poor D&D. It went through one ideological purge in the 80s to placate concerned suburban moms and Tipper Gore, and now it is going through another one to placate rainbow-haired freaks and people who don't know if they are men or women.

Gary also thought that being able to actually be a wizard was something retards wanted

I agree. Its a terrible career choice and I regret it ever since.

 

[Gangrelrumbler]

I can see where he was coming from. Wizards have button-awesome solution to most problems that could normally be solved in a more creative way. "A hug chasm? Lol, I'll just fly over it. An important NPC is dying and we need to get him to a healer? Haha, I'll just teleport this fucker. We are in an unknown location and need some way to find out where? I'll just scry or whatever. We found a mysterious powerful sword, should we use it right-away or maybe find someone know might know something about it. After all it can be cursed. Just let me identify this junk". I understand that he could look down on players who instead of relying on their wits when travelling through dungeons just preferred to shout "I cast fireball!".

 

[Lhynn]

I can see where he was coming from. Wizards have button-awesome solution to most problems that could normally be solved in a more creative way. "A hug chasm? Lol, I'll just fly over it. An important NPC is dying and we need to get him to a healer? Haha, I'll just teleport this fucker. We are in an unknown location and need some way to find out where? I'll just scry or whatever. We found a mysterious powerful sword, should we use it right-away or maybe find someone know might know something about it. After all it can be cursed. Just let me identify this junk". I understand that he could look down on players who instead of relying on their wits when travelling through dungeons just preferred to shout "I cast fireball!".

Thing is, thats not how you played wizards, not even at high level. The castings were far more limited, you were defenseless without them, you couldnt really take a hit and even your best spells could be saved against. Saving throws went up meaning your spells actually got weaker against strong opponents instead of scaling to an ever growing stat. Even a single point of damage while casting would interrupt it and youd lose the spell, you didnt get spells per level, so you had to actually go out there and explore, and it was entirely up to luck what you got.

Playing a wizard on OD&D and AD&D was very, very different, it relied on staying on your toes and constantly relying on your team mates for even the easiest of tasks, even at high levels. Today playing a wizard is easy mode and requires no thought at all.

 

[DavidBVal]

I can see where he was coming from. Wizards have button-awesome solution to most problems that could normally be solved in a more creative way. "A hug chasm? Lol, I'll just fly over it. An important NPC is dying and we need to get him to a healer? Haha, I'll just teleport this fucker. We are in an unknown location and need some way to find out where? I'll just scry or whatever. We found a mysterious powerful sword, should we use it right-away or maybe find someone know might know something about it. After all it can be cursed. Just let me identify this junk". I understand that he could look down on players who instead of relying on their wits when travelling through dungeons just preferred to shout "I cast fireball!".

Thing is, thats not how you played wizards, not even at high level. The castings were far more limited, you were defenseless without them, you couldnt really take a hit and even your best spells could be saved against. Saving throws went up meaning your spells actually got weaker against strong opponents instead of scaling to an ever growing stat. Even a single point of damage while casting would interrupt it and youd lose the spell, you didnt get spells per level, so you had to actually go out there and explore, and it was entirely up to luck what you got.

Playing a wizard on OD&D and AD&D was very, very different, it relied on staying on your toes and constantly relying on your team mates for even the easiest of tasks, even at high levels. Today playing a wizard is easy mode and requires no thought at all.

Yeah, what Gangrelrumbler mentions happens in D&D 3.5, where spellcasters have an endless supply of spell slots. 5th edition has come back to the "every spell must count" creed. A level 20 wizard slots for level 6/7/8/9 spells is 2/2/1/1, as opposed to 3.5e where it had 4/4/4/4

 

[TigerKnee]

5e is a step backwards from 3.5/PF's Dragonball Z casters but the caster/martial gulf is still a lot wider than pre-3E because all the contextual things to weaken them are gone (as mentioned, spell lists being randomized, losing spells to interruption)

 

[Sacred82]

That's pretty telling. For what it's worth, neither Gygax nor Arneson were into D&D for "escapist fantasies". They liked games, they liked violent adventure stories, and created something combining the two. They weren't interested in "escaping" to fantasy worlds (and Gygax was vehemently against the 'amateur thespian' school of roleplaying).

Gygax would even run around Lake Geneva cemetaries at night, pretending they held monsters n shiet. Many people's need for escapism is weaker than that.

[source: Empire of Imagination]

 

[Gangrelrumbler]

That's pretty telling. For what it's worth, neither Gygax nor Arneson were into D&D for "escapist fantasies". They liked games, they liked violent adventure stories, and created something combining the two. They weren't interested in "escaping" to fantasy worlds (and Gygax was vehemently against the 'amateur thespian' school of roleplaying).

Gygax would even run around Lake Geneva cemetaries at night, pretending they held monsters n shiet. Many people's need for escapism is weaker than that.

[source: Empire of Imagination]

Wow it's like that shitty movie with Tom Hanks.

 

[Lhynn]

Gygax liked a more hack and slash style of adventuring, with devious traps and really zany adventures. Which is, to me, the best kind of D&D. He relied a lot on random chance to create unpredictable situations, from which only the most prepared players could get out of, it wasnt fair or balanced at all, like life is, like games should be. The player/s need to struggle, without the struggle the game part of a game may as well not be there.

 

[deuxhero]

Hey guys, I don't know, but this survey can be interesting. Darksun and Planescape all the way! http://sgiz.mobi/s3/36e018baf04e

What's the deal? Is this an official Wizards of the Coast survey?

Yeah. Non-direct link: http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/news/dd-survey

There's a section about cRPGs. Stuff it with as many demands for actual turn based stuff as possible.

 

[vonAchdorf]

Gygax liked a more hack and slash style of adventuring, with devious traps and really zany adventures. Which is, to me, the best kind of D&D. He relied a lot on random chance to create unpredictable situations, from which only the most prepared players could get out of, it wasnt fair or balanced at all, like life is, like games should be. The player/s need to struggle, without the struggle the game part of a game may as well not be there.

In those days characters were easy to create and more disposable. Today with the ultra complex buy systems and 10 page character documents, you can't have them die all the time. (DnD 5 isn't the worst offender though).

 

[Mk2scorpion]

And I thought DnD couldn't get more gay after they've added a race of good drows.

Wait what?

Heard about it some time ago on /tg/ and didn't remember well so I did some research. Apparently because of some bullshit Eilistraee, a chaotic good drow godess returned back to life. Because of that some wizard managed to transform her (good) followers into Dark Elves (which unlike what most might've think are a separate race from Drows), which have brown skin. So yeah, there's no a race of chaotic good Ex-Drows somewhere out there.

http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Dark_elf#cite_note-AotL-9

Only a small number of her followers was transformed (a few hundred, over a few thousand that she has). Eilistraee interfered with the mage's spell and either botched it, or made it so all of her followers would get a choice to accept the spell or not. She has never cared to transform her people, she in fact even took their same curse and chose to be one of them since she was but a girl. WotC, in fact, chose to completely and 100% ignore the spell, and restore Eilistraee as a drow goddess with drow followers. That race of good drow isn't a thing anymore--it actually has never been.

 

[mediocrepoet]

I can see where he was coming from. Wizards have button-awesome solution to most problems that could normally be solved in a more creative way. "A hug chasm? Lol, I'll just fly over it. An important NPC is dying and we need to get him to a healer? Haha, I'll just teleport this fucker. We are in an unknown location and need some way to find out where? I'll just scry or whatever. We found a mysterious powerful sword, should we use it right-away or maybe find someone know might know something about it. After all it can be cursed. Just let me identify this junk". I understand that he could look down on players who instead of relying on their wits when travelling through dungeons just preferred to shout "I cast fireball!".

Thing is, thats not how you played wizards, not even at high level. The castings were far more limited, you were defenseless without them, you couldnt really take a hit and even your best spells could be saved against. Saving throws went up meaning your spells actually got weaker against strong opponents instead of scaling to an ever growing stat. Even a single point of damage while casting would interrupt it and youd lose the spell, you didnt get spells per level, so you had to actually go out there and explore, and it was entirely up to luck what you got.

Playing a wizard on OD&D and AD&D was very, very different, it relied on staying on your toes and constantly relying on your team mates for even the easiest of tasks, even at high levels. Today playing a wizard is easy mode and requires no thought at all.

There also used to be spell components, some of which were rare and/or expensive. Many of the components were consumed when casting but some were reusable. You might not have 100gp diamonds lying around for identify or run out of bat guano for fireball.

Other spells might cause fatigue or even drain stats.

 

[Lhynn]

There also used to be spell components, some of which were rare and/or expensive. Many of the components were consumed when casting but some were reusable. You might not have 100gp diamonds lying around for identify or run out of bat guano for fireball.

Other spells might cause fatigue or even drain stats.

Components never went away. Neither did bad status effects from casting some spells. Some of it was lessened, yeah, but components have always been there, mostly as a very optional rule in my experience. Usually if its cheap the DM doesnt enforce components, if its expensive he does.

 

[mediocrepoet]

There also used to be spell components, some of which were rare and/or expensive. Many of the components were consumed when casting but some were reusable. You might not have 100gp diamonds lying around for identify or run out of bat guano for fireball.

Other spells might cause fatigue or even drain stats.

Components never went away. Neither did bad status effects from casting some spells. Some of it was lessened, yeah, but components have always been there, mostly as a very optional rule in my experience. Usually if its cheap the DM doesnt enforce components, if its expensive he does.

I agree but it strikes me that the emphasis is significantly lessened. Also, components went away in 4E.

 

[Lhynn]

4E.

Whats that?

 

[Sacibengala]

Someone can tell me if the revised ranger is that different from the core one? I'm asking because a friend want to change midgame for the revised one but I'm not sure if it make sense to do that or if the class is balanced enough, if it is different enough, etc.