D&D 5E Discussion

[Jasede]

I am invited to a 5E campaign and studied the rulebook.

Am I missing something? I feel like 90% of 3.5 feats are gone. Everything is gone. Everything is streamlined. Every class feels like a mix of 3.5 and MMORPG.

Are the feats in a different book? There's only like 20 in the base book...

 

[7h30n]

I am invited to a 5E campaign and studied the rulebook.

Am I missing something? I feel like 90% of 3.5 feats are gone. Everything is gone. Everything is streamlined. Every class feels like a mix of 3.5 and MMORPG.

Are the feats in a different book? There's only like 20 in the base book...

Yep, that is indeed it. Did you notice the feats are actually an optional rule?

 

[Jasede]

-_-

A system for people with ADHD...

I liked the 'bloat', damnit.

 

[Bara]

That's how it's intended to be played. They simplified things down and I don't really mind the reduction of feats as if I really want to go in depth with them again can always just run a game of 3.5 or pathfinder again.

What I don't like is you have to sacrifice ability score improvements in exchange for a feat. So at the levels you get a +2 ability score improvement you can only select a feat then and you have to exchange it for the ability score improvements.

There are a bunch of "+1 to stat & feature" type feats to mitigate that some what but it's rather dull.

Most tables I know just house-rule it and let you keep the ability score improvements and feat selection but just drop the "+1 to stat" part from certain feats.

I've heard of some people who try to run games disallowing feats but they tend to get crucified online as people say feats vital to martial classes to keep in line with casters.

 

[7h30n]

I've heard of some people who try to run games disallowing feats but they tend to get crucified online as people say feats vital to martial classes to keep in line with casters.

Yep, I'm one of those people. No feats allowed!

:prepares-to-get-fired-at:

 

[Jasede]

May I ask why? I found feats one of the few things in 3.5 I prefer over AD&D.

 

[7h30n]

May I ask why? I found feats one of the few things in 3.5 I prefer over AD&D.

Feats in 3.5 are great, and I love so much customization they provide.
I was talking about 5ed, and I don't use them there, because they are quite uninteresting and sometimes game breaking.

EDIT: Overall, the 5th edition is missing quite a lot of customization options for classes. In the end they all feel kind of samey, you got your "spells" which are casted freely. You got some "spells" which replenish on resting. Skills are progressing every N levels by a small amount via proficiency bonus. Thus, leading to everyone doing everything, except for Expertise class feature which makes Rogues usually insane at Stealth.

I do like the simplicity of 5ed and it makes balancing for me, a DM, much much easier, but I wish they had at least one complex system for tuning classes. I think I miss the most the skill point buy system of the 3rd editions, perhaps having just that system would break up the monotony of class differentiation as they level.

 

[Mortmal]

I am invited to a 5E campaign and studied the rulebook.

Am I missing something? I feel like 90% of 3.5 feats are gone. Everything is gone. Everything is streamlined. Every class feels like a mix of 3.5 and MMORPG.

Are the feats in a different book? There's only like 20 in the base book...

You are new to the party whole system is streamlined, yet when it comes to tactical combat you are not missing anything . You could lament the lack of feats or even not using them, and prefer a game like pathfinder 1 and 2e . Yet with so many feats and extra books everyone ends up with the exact same templates . So really whats the point ?
Much better for thean organic DM indeed ; leave pathfinder to the computer, balance is easier yes, but you shouldnt rely on CR so much, it doesnt portray well an encounter lethality.

 

[Bara]

Welp no new splat book and more cross over with MTG via Forgotten Realms card set

 

[Stella Brando]

No feats allowed!

How does you walk?

 

[Bara]

Okay so this ones bit of good news but still annoying in its own way.

They're adding rules for wilderness exploration like the older editions outside of the unearthed arcana but so far just as a new DM Screen product.

This kit equips the Dungeon Master with a screen and other tools that are perfect for running D&D adventures in the wilderness.

The Dungeon Master’s screen features a gorgeous painting of fantasy landscapes on the outside, and useful rules references cover the inside of the screen, with an emphasis on wilderness rules. The kit also includes the following:

• 5 dry-erase sheets, featuring hex maps, a food-and-water tracker, and rules references (wilderness chases, wilderness journeys, and the actions you can take in combat)
  
• 27 cards that make it easy to keep track of conditions, initiative, and environmental effects
  
• 1 box to hold the kit's cards

Maybe it'll show up in the new Tasha book also but hey at least it's something useful this time to flesh out exploration more rather than players just fast traveling to locations all the time or more reprints of race options again along with some new sub-classes.

 

[Elex]

That's how it's intended to be played. They simplified things down and I don't really mind the reduction of feats as if I really want to go in depth with them again can always just run a game of 3.5 or pathfinder again.

What I don't like is you have to sacrifice ability score improvements in exchange for a feat. So at the levels you get a +2 ability score improvement you can only select a feat then and you have to exchange it for the ability score improvements.

There are a bunch of "+1 to stat & feature" type feats to mitigate that some what but it's rather dull.

Most tables I know just house-rule it and let you keep the ability score improvements and feat selection but just drop the "+1 to stat" part from certain feats.

I've heard of some people who try to run games disallowing feats but they tend to get crucified online as people say feats vital to martial classes to keep in line with casters.

Free feats as a reward is a common rule (so players avoid take the variant human for min maxing).

 

[Elex]

May I ask why? I found feats one of the few things in 3.5 I prefer over AD&D.

A lot a lot of stuff that in 3.5/pathfinder required a feat 5e you can do it from the start.

For example: finesse weapon can already add dex to hit and to damage.

same for ranged weapon: they already add dex to damage

etc etc etc

they removed all the trap choise in the feats.

And the 5e feats are the equivalents of 3-4 pathfinder feats mashed togheter.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

hold up

why is it called wizard if they don't use wisdom

 

[deuxhero]

they removed all the trap choise in the feats.

And the 5e feats are the equivalents of 3-4 pathfinder feats mashed togheter.

No, there's still plenty of crappy feats. 5E also implemented a massive trap in point buy: If you don't get a racial bonus to your main stat and max it at character creation, you're unfixably fucked to the max because bonded accuracy. In 3E/PF it was often worth it to have a lower main stat if you could boost all your secondary stats instead. In 5E it's not only never worth it, but so horrible an idea you ruin your character forever if you do.

 

[J1M]

they removed all the trap choise in the feats.

And the 5e feats are the equivalents of 3-4 pathfinder feats mashed togheter.

No, there's still plenty of crappy feats. 5E also implemented a massive trap in point buy: If you don't get a racial bonus to your main stat and max it at character creation, you're unfixably fucked to the max because bonded accuracy. In 3E/PF it was often worth it to have a lower main stat if you could boost all your secondary stats instead. In 5E it's not only never worth it, but so horrible an idea you ruin your character forever if you do.

The cap for allocated attribute points is 20, so at some point while levelling you can hit that even if you didn't max it at character creation. Not optimal in many cases, but saying a character is 'forever damaged' is a bit dramatic.

 

[deuxhero]

The cap for improvements is 20. The cap at character creation is 15+racial bonus. Unless you're a fighter, you're not getting your 20 till level 12 if you play something without a bonus to the main attribute. Considering most games don't even get to 12, much less one with characters perpetually behind the curve, it's hardly overly dramatic.

 

[Bara]

Well the adventurers league document has the legacy system in it for those who want to see it.

Mountain dwarfs are now the new Supreme casters.

Whatever D&D race you choose for your character, you get a trait called Ability Score Increase. This increase reflects an
archetypal bit of excellence in the adventurers of this kind in D&D’s past. For example, if you’re a dwarf, your Constitution increases by 2, because dwarf heroes in D&D are often exceptionally tough. This increase doesn’t apply to every
dwarf, just to dwarf adventurers, and it exists to reinforce an archetype. That reinforcement is appropriate if you want to
lean into the archetype, but it’s unhelpful if your character doesn’t conform to the archetype.

If you’d like your character to follow their own path, you may ignore your Ability Score Increase trait and assign ability score increases tailored to your character. Here’s how to do it: take any ability score increase you gain in your race or subrace and apply it to an ability score of your choice. If you gain more than one increase, you can’t apply those increases to the same ability score, and you can’t increase a score above 20.

For example, if the Ability Score Increase trait of your race or subrace increases your Constitution by 2 and your Wisdom by 1, you could instead increase your Intelligence by 2 and your Charisma by 1.

There also stuff about swapping around your starting proficiencys and languages.

At least you can't freely assign racial abilities like darkvision or flight and they haven't drunk the cool aid hard enough yet to stop using the word race.

 

[Gyor]

They have also shown the Wild Magic Barbarian and Genie Patron Warlock. Both look great. Still its important to note that the Wild Magic Barbarian mentions Aasimar and Genasi in its text suggesting both races maybe be reprinted for TCoE.

 

[J1M]

Not sure why anyone cares about official splat books if we are at the point where you can assisgn whatever attribute points you want with no drawback.

Just assign whatever skills and equipment you want too.

 

[Bara]

It's also a real knee jerk solution to what was considered a problem.

So much so they've actually banned Yuan-ti from adventure league and this is most likely why. They're only disadvantage is now easily dealt with thus making them the best choice.

Technically they've decreased both mechanical and racial diversity now.

Still though it's billed as a optional rule so the easiest thing to do is just say you're running only core books and disallowing other material. Or just ban the option as DM.

Like if they were really going full hog with this they'd probably start reprinting this new rule addition in the core book. They also try to play off what's in the core book as simple archetypes and nothing problematic. Which they never were of course.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

If you’d like your character to follow their own path, you may ignore your Ability Score Increase trait and assign ability score increases tailored to your character.

why are they so intent on killing this game
did Gygax harm them in some way?

 

[deuxhero]

For example, if you’re a dwarf, your Constitution increases by 2, because dwarf heroes in D&D are often exceptionally tough. This increase doesn’t apply to every
dwarf, just to dwarf adventurers, and it exists to reinforce an archetype

So dwarfs don't actually have an actual reason to be short and slow and are just strictly inferior?

 

[rusty_shackleford]

For example, if you’re a dwarf, your Constitution increases by 2, because dwarf heroes in D&D are often exceptionally tough. This increase doesn’t apply to every
dwarf, just to dwarf adventurers, and it exists to reinforce an archetype

So dwarfs don't actually have an actual reason to be short and slow and are just strictly inferior?

A dwarf can be tall if he wants to be, just adjust your culture.

Spoiler

Why do these people even play RPGs

 

[Stella Brando]

Wondering why young people seem to love playing animals so much?

This image may explain it.