|
Post by asaki on Apr 14, 2020 9:59:43 GMT -6
asaki , maybe if you make a doc of this you might share. I would, but I don't know how this board feels about the distribution of copyrighted content.
|
|
|
Post by asaki on Apr 15, 2020 14:38:23 GMT -6
Another decent one, they've got The Sunless Citadel (5E conversion) for free today...I mean yesterday? Whatever time zone WotC is in, Wednesday doesn't start until at least 8PM.
|
|
|
Post by thegreyelf on Apr 16, 2020 13:38:55 GMT -6
198 pages! For me, it needs to be about Holmes-sized. And its just the PHB! That said, its gorgeous. Love the art and layout, especially all those great pieces from The Rogues Galley. I like how the "author" also whittled it down to essentially the AD&D options when it comes to races, classes, etc. Then again, if we are going to go to all that trouble- Why not just pick up Castles & Crusades? I find it easier as a DM to tack on a few things to C&C than remove what I don't like from 5E and implement some of the options from the DMG. I mean, I think everyone should just pick up Castles & Crusades for their fantasy gaming, but I'm biased . Still, I dig this AD&D take on 5e. I may have to Lulu this sucker and put it on my shelf.
|
|
|
Post by jeffb on Apr 16, 2020 14:45:21 GMT -6
And its just the PHB! That said, its gorgeous. Love the art and layout, especially all those great pieces from The Rogues Galley. I like how the "author" also whittled it down to essentially the AD&D options when it comes to races, classes, etc. Then again, if we are going to go to all that trouble- Why not just pick up Castles & Crusades? I find it easier as a DM to tack on a few things to C&C than remove what I don't like from 5E and implement some of the options from the DMG. I mean, I think everyone should just pick up Castles & Crusades for their fantasy gaming, but I'm biased . Still, I dig this AD&D take on 5e. I may have to Lulu this sucker and put it on my shelf. Agreed on all counts. I also am 99% sure this is the same person who took the C&C PHB years and years ago, added some stuff and transplanted it into the "skin" of the original AD&D PHB. FWIW- back in the "NEXT" playtest circa 2012, I grabbed onto Advantage and ran C&C using the CB 15 ala your AA game (1st edition anyway), but instead of +5 for Prime, I simply used Advantage. Worked very well. I've pretty much run it that way since, though I have waffled back and forth on what I think works best "mathwise" for C&C. You can see my initial playtest commentary over at this thread on Dragonsfoot C&C Frustrations
|
|
|
Post by thegreyelf on Apr 16, 2020 15:41:57 GMT -6
That's a brilliant idea, Sir! Kudos!
|
|
|
Post by tdenmark on Apr 16, 2020 21:25:25 GMT -6
I found the link to the rules I previously mentioned. These rules were created by Chris Perkins. He posted a link on Dragonsfoot. www.scruffygrognard.com/documents/DD5classic.pdfOverall, not a bad rules set. And the whole thing is fill with only old school art. F'n hell, that's awesome! That's the 5th edition I want. And they grabbed all the best B&W art from 1st edition. Great look and feel. It's like a 1st Edition Rules Cyclopedia with streamlined 5th edition rules. Nice.
|
|
Dohojar
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 114
|
Post by Dohojar on Apr 18, 2020 10:00:06 GMT -6
I found the link to the rules I previously mentioned. These rules were created by Chris Perkins. He posted a link on Dragonsfoot. www.scruffygrognard.com/documents/DD5classic.pdfOverall, not a bad rules set. And the whole thing is fill with only old school art. F'n hell, that's awesome! That's the 5th edition I want. And they grabbed all the best B&W art from 1st edition. Great look and feel. It's like a 1st Edition Rules Cyclopedia with streamlined 5th edition rules. Nice. It's the edition I want to use as well but my players wouldn't like it as much as we started our game using straight 5e with the character paths.
198 pages isn't really that big if you consider about 100 of those pages are the spell lists.
|
|
|
Post by Finarvyn on Apr 29, 2020 8:15:16 GMT -6
|
|
|
Post by jeffb on Apr 29, 2020 9:41:27 GMT -6
|
|
|
Post by asaki on Apr 29, 2020 12:49:34 GMT -6
Yeah, this Essentials book isn't too bad at all...definitely a lot more useful than the Starter book. Doesn't have quite as much as the Basic book does, though, and the PDF doesn't seem to have clickable TOC or bookmarks. But am I imagining things, or did they add new Martial Archetypes to this book? I don't own the actual PHB, but I can't figure out why, for my fighter, I would have chosen "Champion" instead of "Eldritch Knight". "Let's see, do I want OP spells like the rest of the party, or do I want %5 better chance at critical hits and some really lame stuff at level 7 that I will never use?" I know it's not in the Basic book.
Edit; Nope, it's in the PHB...either I was too lazy to grab the book and just used the Basic book instead, or I was completely out of my mind that night.
|
|
|
Post by jeffb on Apr 29, 2020 15:36:43 GMT -6
The Essentials Kit rulebook does have some extras compared to the Basic Rules and Starter set.
It has Bards, and some more subclass options like the Eldritch Knight that have previously only been in the PHB. I believe it also has the rules for companions characters (For one player games, or Kids games)
My son who has historically always been a great weapon Fighter in every single edition , clone, inspired by and offshoot (DW, 13th Age, etc), tried the Eldritch Knight once for a one-shot. It was for level 5 PCs. He actually hated the class because it completely overshadowed/overpowered a typical Fighter Class (e.g. Champion). The War Domain Cleric is another big offender in 5E.
4E is still the only edition where the classic Fighter is actually the best Fighter.
|
|
|
Post by asaki on Apr 29, 2020 18:40:40 GMT -6
He actually hated the class because it completely overshadowed/overpowered a typical Fighter Class (e.g. Champion). Yeah, it's super OP, but most magic in 5E is. Champion seems like a joke in comparison.
|
|
|
Post by jeffb on May 2, 2020 8:21:26 GMT -6
He actually hated the class because it completely overshadowed/overpowered a typical Fighter Class (e.g. Champion). Yeah, it's super OP, but most magic in 5E is. Champion seems like a joke in comparison. Agreed. I don't use feats or multi-classing in 5E (no MC in any edition), so when I run 5E I bulk up the Champion to be a bit more like the 4E Slayer. On a separate note- there are some other good freebies that have been posted. Forge of Fury (one of the few good 3.0 adventures, written by Rich Baker and converted to 5E). A Adventurer League Adventure that is based in Phandalin and a follow up to the Lost Mines of... The entire adventure that comes with the Essentials Kit (Dragons of Icespire Peak), which overall it pretty bad as an adventure, AFAIC, but does have some good locations/encounters to yoink. I think some expire today...
|
|
Dohojar
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 114
|
Post by Dohojar on May 3, 2020 9:37:59 GMT -6
I don't see the Eldritch Knight as being over-powered at all. Sure they can cast spells while wearing armor but big deal. So can almost any class (wizards can also cast in armor if they are proficient with the armor they are wearing). The can make one weapon attack as a bonus action when they cast a cantrip. Chances are that will be a firebolt which does 1d10 damage and it is at a disadvantage to hit if they are within 5 feet of any hostile creature. And they can't do that till 7th lvl. by that time, a champion will be able to do more damage with two melee attack. Most fighters will have at least a +4 to their str score and using a weapon that does an average d8 for damage. That is at least 5 damage on a hit up to a maximum of 12. Firebolt does 1d10 damage with no bonuses being added which could result in a 1,2,3or 4 being rolled. Also, at 11th level, the fighter class can have 3 attack actions. The eldritch knight has that ability as well, unless they cast a spell. Then that is their action. Turn over. I dunno about you but giving up 3 attacks just to cast one second level spell doesn't seem like a good trade off.
And let's not forget that all spells cast are based off the knights intelligence for to 'hit rolls' and saving throws. I haven't seen very many players that will put a high stat score in intelligence instead of constitution or strength when they create a fighter.
|
|
|
Post by hamurai on May 3, 2020 14:35:16 GMT -6
At 7th level, the Fire Bolt will do 2d10 damage. But there'd be better Cantrips to use with this ability, for example Booming Blade, which adds 1d8 thunder damage to the weapon attack (which is part of and a prerequisite of the cantrip) and does 2d8 more damage if the target moves while under the effect of the cantrip. So, for a long sword you might be at 1d8 + [STR mod] + 1d8 thunder + 2d8 thunder at 5th level, plus your attack as a bonus action which would be another 1d8 + [STR mod]. That seems like a rather overpowered cantrip, but if the target doesn't move it's really not so good because at 5th level you can attack twice anyway (Extra Attack).
I think Eldritch Knight isn't over-powered. The fact that they can make one weapon attack as a bonus action after casting a cantrip at 7th level means they either attack twice with their weapon or cast a cantrip and attack once. Damage-wise that's not a big deal. Shocking Grasp might be another useful cantrip for the combination. This feature might best be used defensively with Blade Ward: Cast Blade Ward (resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage dealt by weapon attacks till end of next turn) and attack once, next round still get the benefit of Blade Ward and attack twice (or more, if you get an attack with a bonus action).
|
|
|
Post by asaki on May 3, 2020 17:41:56 GMT -6
I don't see the Eldritch Knight as being over-powered at all. Sure they can cast spells while wearing armor but big deal. So can almost any class... That's what I'm saying, spellcasting is a lot more powerful than what the Champion gets, and I have no idea why I chose it. Champion: At level 3, you get %5 higher chance to crit. At level 10, you get another %5. I mean, that's cool I guess, but not as cool as spells. And in my experience, I almost never roll a 19 to hit. I was super disappointed when I hit level 7 and looked up what improvements I would get. Some of your skills get a tiny bit better. You can long jump a little better. Wowee. We were chatting about it with the group, and even the DM says he was shocked when I chose Champion. The only explanation I can think of is that someone else was using the PHB, and instead of waiting for it, I just looked in the Basic book and said "Eh, good enough." ...by that time, a champion will be able to do more damage with two melee attack. Sure, but Eldritch Knight also gets the extra attacks, so that's a moot point. If I'm rolling bad, and/or the monster has a high AC, I'm going to get frustrated if I keep whiffing. I haven't looked through the spell options for EK, but I know our party have a lot of spells that automatically hit, and targets take half damage if they save. I'd rather have an option to do half damage than have to cross my fingers and keep rolling for that 5/10/15% to even hit the thing. Or if it's a monster where it's much safer to attack from a distance, once I chuck my two hand-axes, I'm out of the battle.
|
|
|
Post by hamurai on May 3, 2020 22:51:26 GMT -6
If you play with feats, the Champion (or other not-Edlritch Knight subclass) will probably have more feats at their disposal as the Eldrith Knight may feel urged to increase INT with the Ability Score Increase while others might have maxed their STR/CON early on. Depending on your method of generating the scores you might be at 20 at level 4 already if you rolled lucky at character generation or if you chose the right race.
The Champion (to me) is the character ideally suited for new players and those who have a problem with memorizing lots of rules. It's a straight-forward class, easy to play. And you can spice it up with feats to make it special, if you like.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2020 13:11:02 GMT -6
Anecdotally, when I ran my 5e campaign for a handful of years before deciding to stick with homebrew OD&D, my stepdad was always a Mountain Dwarf Champion and he was really impressive in single combat. He beat the Fire Giant king Snurre in single combat, although he died shortly after because he was nearly dead after that and Hell Hounds show no mercy to the weak and crippled. (That Giant did a number on his bones. I was using the optional lasting wounds table from the DMG.)
On the other hand, as impressive as that character was at fighting, the Wizard could bend reality and cheat death like a force of nature. The old "linear Fighter, quadratic Wizard" trope is still alive and well in 5e despite various attempts to balance the classes. Having a bunch of hit points and a high AC doesn't mean much vs a Wish spell, at the end of the day.
|
|
|
Post by jeffb on Nov 27, 2020 11:24:23 GMT -6
FYI- Essentials Kit is $7.79 shipped PRIME on Amazon right now.
The dice are worth that.
Great intro for the Kiddos.
|
|
|
Post by asaki on Nov 27, 2020 15:19:14 GMT -6
I saw that the other day. I'm tempted to get one for myself, but I'm still pretty upset with WotC.
(says the guy who still buys their classic PDFs)
|
|