Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2015 21:26:57 GMT -6
Very interesting. Please, go on discussing this, all!
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2015 21:47:52 GMT -6
Personally, I should probably say, I am not too excited about 5e - simply, because I already have rulesets that work for me, and because the adventures released so far don't really seem to call my attention. Not that I had any *ideological* reservations, god forbid, but it's the usual *would perhaps play, but not DM*-situation. More power to Wizbro if they can manage to keep the brand relevant - but it won't make or break my gaming table whatever they do with it. Too much old stuff to play, still.
|
|
|
Post by Eibon of Mhu-Thulan on Jun 30, 2015 4:02:05 GMT -6
I have to say that I dislike the healing hit dice. It does, as others have said, feel like a video game, but I cannot think of anything else that I don't like. Oh, wait. There was something about a Ranger's animal companion sharing actions. To me, the animal is truly a separate being, or should be considered such. Yes, the Ranger can give commands, but I think the animal companion should have its own initiative. That is how I would play it. And, as for healing, I would simple take the healing from AD&D and perhaps modify it a little, or say, perhaps, that one with full bed rest heals 2 hit points per day, 3 with medical attention, and gets to add his or her Constitution Modifier at the end of the week or something like that. I tried adding the roll of a d4 for daily, medicated, full-bed rest healing, with the CON MOD at the end of a full week. I ask, simply: what feels right? I love the fact that in modern games, the monsters have stats. Another thing I have tried is the use of magic points from the CONAN d20 game. The magic user starts with 4 magic points and adds his or her Intelligence Modifier (or Wisdom, for Force of Will) to the total. This is his or her base. The spell caster may obtain more through human or animal sacrifice or the use of Atlantean Vril Crystals (the store magic points, but the limit is two times the base (three times the base at a later level). Now, the cost per spell depends on the level of the spell, and this information can be found in the 5th Edition Dungeon Master's Guide. I believe it is 2 for 1st level spells, 3 for 2nd level spells, 5 for 3rd level spells, and so on and such. I was thinking that the draining of magic points could be used in Dark Sun: defiling the natural world.
|
|
|
Post by franchise on Jun 30, 2015 23:12:12 GMT -6
I'm a real fan. Even though my most played version of D&D was AD&D 1e, I also enjoyed 4e. Though there were things about it that I disliked. Mostly I disliked the over-abundance of powers and how some of the feats or powers made others obsolete. It was next to impossible to keep track of all of that, and frequently at the end of a combat, I'd realize there was something I didn't take into account regarding my feats and/or powers. Part of that could be because I was a lame 4e player or didn't end up playing enough to totally get the hang of it.
But this version of the game seems like it will go more quickly (I haven't actually played yet). I absolutely love creating characters in the game... Maybe more than any edition since 1e. I love the way it has background traits and all that people can choose or roll for, but also encourages people to come up with their own in collaboration with the GM. That kind of encouraging house rules and tailoring the game is a huge plus for this edition. I think what makes that work is how concise the system is already.
I don't normally play spell casters but with the cantrips it really allows them to still play a meaningful part in the party even after they've used all their available spell slots. At the same time it isn't so overwhelming that it all gets muddled.
The character progression seems fun with great incentives for each level for the different characters.
The artwork is mostly good, with some that's a little bland or generic.
Most of the negatives I have with the book are just little personal preference nitpick type things. Those seem easy enough to tailor out and use house rules in order to make adjustments.
I think the strongest feature is that it is a full system without being over-encumbering and having too many aspects of which to keep track.
I'll finally be getting a chance to play the game for real Thursday, so I may have more to say then.
I will add that I wasn't too eager to give the game a shot prior to owning the PHB. But after reading so many positive reviews, I decided to give it a try, and I was very pleasantly surprised with what I found inside the book.
|
|
|
Post by Finarvyn on Jul 1, 2015 5:02:51 GMT -6
There was something about a Ranger's animal companion sharing actions. To me, the animal is truly a separate being, or should be considered such. Yes, the Ranger can give commands, but I think the animal companion should have its own initiative. I can see where you're coming from on this, but I've found in practice that this makes animal companions too powerful and is almost like having another PC at the table. A couple of semi-ramdon thoughts: (1) If the companion is killed, the ranger can just summon another one just like it and this brings in the potential to really unbalance encounters. (2) The current 5E interpretation is sort of like a combination ranged attack and melee attack, in that the character can be away from combat yet have the companion be engaged in melee. That's a pretty cool thing. (3) If I allowed for the companion to have its own initiative and actions totally seperate of the PC, I would also divide the XP assuming an extra character. Not trying to convince you, but just explaining my thoughts on the matter.
|
|
|
Post by Finarvyn on Jul 1, 2015 5:13:17 GMT -6
I don't normally play spell casters but with the cantrips it really allows them to still play a meaningful part in the party even after they've used all their available spell slots. At the same time it isn't so overwhelming that it all gets muddled. This is one of my favorite parts of the 5E rules set. I house ruled a simple "zap spell" which gave magic users something to do in combat once the main spells were gone because throwing daggers or using crossbows always seemed so mundane and not magical at all. The cantrip system doesn't really unbalance the game and I think it really enhances the fun factor for spellslingers. Having said that, the wizard is still given the shaft. When a party takes a short rest the bard gets his powers back, the monk gets his ki back, fighters can get some hit points back, but the wizard basically gets nothing back. He has to wait for a long rest to get his spells back. (There is an exception, but I think you have to be a high elf to do it. You can get 1/2 your level in spell levels back as an elven wizard, but only once per day.)
|
|
|
Post by Eibon of Mhu-Thulan on Jul 1, 2015 5:31:31 GMT -6
There was something about a Ranger's animal companion sharing actions. To me, the animal is truly a separate being, or should be considered such. Yes, the Ranger can give commands, but I think the animal companion should have its own initiative. I can see where you're coming from on this, but I've found in practice that this makes animal companions too powerful and is almost like having another PC at the table. A couple of semi-ramdon thoughts: (1) If the companion is killed, the ranger can just summon another one just like it and this brings in the potential to really unbalance encounters. (2) The current 5E interpretation is sort of like a combination ranged attack and melee attack, in that the character can be away from combat yet have the companion be engaged in melee. That's a pretty cool thing. (3) If I allowed for the companion to have its own initiative and actions totally seperate of the PC, I would also divide the XP assuming an extra character. Not trying to convince you, but just explaining my thoughts on the matter. I suppose it might be a good idea to allow the animal to be a separate character. Perhaps, the ranger could possess it like on "Game of Thrones"? You could come up with some sort of advancement table for the Animal companion.
|
|
|
Post by Eibon of Mhu-Thulan on Jul 1, 2015 5:46:05 GMT -6
I don't normally play spell casters but with the cantrips it really allows them to still play a meaningful part in the party even after they've used all their available spell slots. At the same time it isn't so overwhelming that it all gets muddled. This is one of my favorite parts of the 5E rules set. I house ruled a simple "zap spell" which gave magic users something to do in combat once the main spells were gone because throwing daggers or using crossbows always seemed so mundane and not magical at all. The cantrip system doesn't really unbalance the game and I think it really enhances the fun factor for spellslingers. Having said that, the wizard is still given the shaft. When a party takes a short rest the bard gets his powers back, the monk gets his ki back, fighters can get some hit points back, but the wizard basically gets nothing back. He has to wait for a long rest to get his spells back. (There is an exception, but I think you have to be a high elf to do it. You can get 1/2 your level in spell levels back as an elven wizard, but only once per day.) No, you don't have to be a high elf. It is called "Arcane Recovery" on page 115 in the PHB. After a short rest, the wizard may gain back expended spell slots of a total combined level equal to or less than one half of his or her level, rounded up, and no spell slot of 6th level or higher. I want to add that it is once per day. In addition, some 5th Edition spells have the ritual tag and may be cast from one's spell book without spending a spell slot. The spell takes 10 minutes longer to cast. Because it does not use a spell slot, it may not be cast at a higher level. The Water Walk is a spell that may be cast as a ritual, as is the spell Leomund's Tiny Hut, pages 255 and 287, respectively.
|
|
|
Post by franchise on Jul 3, 2015 15:50:06 GMT -6
I don't normally play spell casters but with the cantrips it really allows them to still play a meaningful part in the party even after they've used all their available spell slots. At the same time it isn't so overwhelming that it all gets muddled. This is one of my favorite parts of the 5E rules set. I house ruled a simple "zap spell" which gave magic users something to do in combat once the main spells were gone because throwing daggers or using crossbows always seemed so mundane and not magical at all. The cantrip system doesn't really unbalance the game and I think it really enhances the fun factor for spellslingers. Having said that, the wizard is still given the shaft. When a party takes a short rest the bard gets his powers back, the monk gets his ki back, fighters can get some hit points back, but the wizard basically gets nothing back. He has to wait for a long rest to get his spells back. (There is an exception, but I think you have to be a high elf to do it. You can get 1/2 your level in spell levels back as an elven wizard, but only once per day.) Yeah, without playing the actual game and just creating characters and staging a few battles to get the hang of it, I hadn't thought of that. Usually when I do play it's hardly ever spell casters, so everything I have seen isn't really from first hand personal experience. I did see that someone also mentioned arcane recovery which can be a little help.
|
|
Dohojar
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 114
|
Post by Dohojar on Jul 4, 2015 10:09:04 GMT -6
Vile, Are you going to post your version when you are finished? I would love to see the finished product.
|
|
|
Post by krusader74 on Jul 4, 2015 17:10:56 GMT -6
The book is sturdy. I don't think it will fall apart as quickly as some of the recent rulebooks we've seen from WotC. I'm very concerned about this. I'm interested in 5e, but I don't want to spend $80 on the set of 3 rulebooks only to have them fall apart after a few months. Amazon is currently selling the PHB for $25 (50% off MSRP), which is quite tempting, but there are probably 50+ reviews like the following sampling: So my question is: Has anyone here had problems with the way the book is manufactured? E.g., pages falling out?
|
|
|
Post by kesher on Jul 4, 2015 18:52:07 GMT -6
Whoa. I haven't, but then again I haven't been using them very hard. I guess there'll never again be a binding like those 1st ed books...
|
|
Dohojar
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 114
|
Post by Dohojar on Jul 4, 2015 19:01:23 GMT -6
I haven''t had any problems with my books (phb, dmg, &mm) and I bought each one on release date from my local gaming store and they do see heavy use. No problems with the bindings at all.
|
|
|
Post by Vile Traveller on Jul 5, 2015 8:48:19 GMT -6
My PHB has just cracked right in the middle of the cleric class. No pages have fallen out yet, but I'm not happy.
|
|
|
Post by franchise on Jul 5, 2015 10:29:14 GMT -6
Oh dear. I'm now worried about my binding. I've only gotten the books less than 2 months ago. It makes it hard to spend the money but I know on Fantasy Grounds you can buy the books geared toward that product. But it would mean spending that money again, and it isn't the 50% Amazon price either. Then you could use the FG program even if you were playing live. Nobody should ever have to do that because of poor book binding quality but if it was something somebody was already considering because they play on Fantasy Grounds and on the fence, this might be the tipping point.
|
|
|
Post by krusader74 on Jul 6, 2015 2:00:18 GMT -6
kesher and Dohojar: Thanks for the feedback! Vile Traveller: Sorry to hear you're having this problem with the binding. Mind me asking how many months it took for the binding to crack? And who you purchased it from? I know Amazon has a 30-day return policy, and it seems the badly bound 5e books start falling apart 2-3 months after purchase, after the 30-day return period expires! I saw this thread on the WotC forums, where some people with problematic 5e books said they've contacted Wizards customer support, and have gotten replacements. However, they need to ship the defective books back first. That was a major problem for this blogger, who went to GENCON and got the Wizards 5e development team to autograph his rule books. When the pages started falling out, he had a choice: pay $80-$120 to get the books rebound, or send the books back to Wizards and get replacements, losing all the GENCON signatures! After negotiating with customer service, they agreed to let him keep the signed pages. franchise: Thanks for suggesting Fantasy Grounds D&D. Can you really access the complete 5e rules there? FG may not be an ideal choice for me though--I have a slow, unreliable DSL connection to the internet at home, can't access it at work, and don't have a data plan on my phone. Furthermore, I likely wouldn't take advantage of the VTT features. I might consider e-book versions, someday, but sadly Wizards doesn't sell these rules on DnDClassics.com yet. If I buy the hardbacks, I guess I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed and hope that if I have this issue, Wizards will still furnish replacement copies. Thanks again to everyone for their feedback!
|
|
|
Post by kesher on Jul 6, 2015 9:14:04 GMT -6
Yeesh. At least it sounds like WotC is trying to provide some sort of solution...
|
|
|
Post by Vile Traveller on Jul 6, 2015 12:15:22 GMT -6
Vile Traveller: Sorry to hear you're having this problem with the binding. Mind me asking how many months it took for the binding to crack? And who you purchased it from? I got it through Book Depository, back in September. I just noticed it cracking last week, now it's completely split from top to bottom between p.58 and p.59. I guess I could ship it back to WotC, but it won't be cheap from Hong Kong ... at least it isn't signed!
|
|
|
Post by franchise on Jul 6, 2015 15:40:42 GMT -6
franchise: Thanks for suggesting Fantasy Grounds D&D. Can you really access the complete 5e rules there? FG may not be an ideal choice for me though--I have a slow, unreliable DSL connection to the internet at home, can't access it at work, and don't have a data plan on my phone. Furthermore, I likely wouldn't take advantage of the VTT features. I might consider e-book versions, someday, but sadly Wizards doesn't sell these rules on DnDClassics.com yet. As of now you can buy the PHB, The Monster Manual, Most of the campaigns put out by Wizards, and the DM's guide should be out soon. While all of the content is there, it's different than an e-book. In a way it's really cool, because you can drag things directly from the PHB to the character sheet. So if you want to play a human monk you can drag the monk icon, and the human icon onto the character sheet. It will automatically add +1 to all your statistics (for being human) add whatever skills for being a monk has automatically. It will also add the languages onto that section of the character sheet. When moving equipment from the equipment section to the character sheet it automatically adds in the weight and tallies the encumbrance. I've actually never used it for an online game with it (yet) even though it's the primary reason for having it. I use it for live games because it's easy to drop the character sheets and the monsters into the combat tracker and have it all lined up. So it might work no matter about the internet connection for that. I'm not sure how demanding the internet aspect is since I haven't used it yet. However, the thing that sucks is that even though I'd already bought the books for the PHB, the Monster Manual, Princes of the Apocalypse etc. I had to pay again for those things in Fantasy Grounds. Actually I didn't have to, but I did to see how it worked, and then bought the others because I liked the first product I purchased, and they had sensational customer service which made me want to support them. But without the internet connection, I'm not sure how viable it is for you. Also if wasn't something you were already considering, it's hard to recommend spending an additional $45-$50 for material you've already purchased.
|
|