D&D 5E Is Monte Cook working on D&D 5th Edition?

I hope it is 5th edition. I love Monte's work. And for me 3.5 and Pathfinder is D&D. 4e is a nice sidetrack with some interesting ideas, a drawn out Unearthed Arcana experiment.
It is good for GMing, as monsters are sensibly built, challenges are nice way of interacting with the rules, etc.
But as a player I miss my 100 pages of spells for a wizard.

The only thing that could draw me to a 5e would be a very tight integration with a good, comprehensive digital gaming aide. You know, like the one they promised us with 3e, then 4e---and failed to produce...

Initially I was hoping Pathfinder would carry 3.5's torch--but it bent the rules just enough to make most of my 3.5e stuff worthless without a LOT of rewriting.

I bought in huge for 3.5, particularly for the Forgotten Realms material. I have only bought a few 4e books, both because I feel I got burned on by the new version and the restart of the FR setting.

If 5e had more FR sourcebooks/material then I might buy in---but only after I have read some neutral playtesting reviews.

The only thing I truly like about 4e is the Dragonborne. I loved the Dragon Disciple--but it was underpowered. Happy to see that WoTC has finally realized that many players would enjoy the chance to become/take on the essence of the most iconic being in the game.

me too

I love dragonborn so much, that it's the main reason I played 4e for so long. My guy was basically Conan/Arnorld with scales. He never got his wings, after three years of playing, since the DM dragged his feet and didn't level us quickly. Level 12 and no player deaths after three years of playing every week. This is my 4e experience. After 4 months in Pathfinder, I have a level 8 cleric who is way more fun to play, who I can use spells and combat to do amazing things both in and out of combat, that augment roleplaying in a sense that no 4e revamp or house rule ever could.

I am with the majority here in saying that Monte's design of Unearthed Arcana was very, very good and I'd love to see a 5E by him. Although I've started playingand now DMing the Pathfinder system and bought a bunch of books, in terms of sheer fun and awesome sessions we've had, I've already gotten my money's worth way more than the hundreds I've spent on 4e books and materials and insider software-subsidies.

One thing I will NEVER trust Wizards to do right, is software. I'm a software engineer, and I cannot use their online builder for more than 5 minutes without vomitting. That said, PCGen is just as kludgy and slow, but at least that's free. I haven't tried Hero Builder but our pathfinder people seem to enjoy writing on their sheets old skool style and so do I.

If you are into Dragonborn, while you wait for 5e to reinvent them with a decent rule base underlying it, might I suggest refluffing a half-elf synthesist with evolution points in flight and breath weapon. It is so much better than waiting for epic level to fly in 4e. By that time, you are likely already so bored with it that you fly and it's like...I waited all this time for "this?".

I think D&D should be fantastic and let you do things you can't do in real life. I hope the rules are not power-based, because that's idiotic. People don't have a power to smash a table they can use once per day, or scratch their nose once every five minutes. Spells should work in combat and out of combat seamlessly. I'd like to see even LESS distinction between combat and non-combat. No initiative rolls. No artificial semantic barriers between these two magisteria are necessary. Keep the d20 rolls, but no silly scaling of AC and defenses to make you feel more "buff" than you were at level 1. You already have more HP and better saves/NADs, that should be enough.

Get rid of Reflex or make it the equivalent of touch AC, and have AC be DR, like in the optional ultimate combat rules. Only way to make it all work is to have it "Core". So you can have a light skirmisher who avoids blows be just as effective as a heavily armored hulk, but against different opponents. Avoiding a negative energy touch attack is a lot better than applying DR to it and still getting the ill side-effects, while a dragon's full attack should only go against the tank if you want any chance to survive. No more wizards tanking like in 4e. I HATE the idea of super high AC artillery classes, it's completely idiotic and over-soft on them.

If anyone can fix where Wotc went wrong with a good vision for the future, it's Monte. Monte!!! awesome

d+d 5

God i hope this is true. D+D 4th edition is a piece of ...it is NOT D+D i dont know what it is.. I have been playing D+D since 1983...and i Loved 2, 2.0, liked 3.0, Tolerated 3.5, but this piece of crap....ugh... I will say this.. Wizard is doing some things right...like the minis, and the cardboard counters...you do get alot for your bucks...but the rules have to go back to SECOND EDITION....tha was the best D+D by far. This mess...ugh

Hasbro can't save D&D

The needy greedy machine of Hasbro killed the spirit of the D&D line a long time ago!

While the idea of making an easier version (less complicated) for new players to transition into, far too much focus was put into expandability rather than roleplaying enjoyment.

Paizo took a different route and actually complicated the game a little more, but allowed a larger range of character customization. Then, they followed up their core product with several other supplimentary product lines. A very smart idea. However, Paizo is a run by gamers... not some big needy greedy corporation where a blip in a sales trends means either they have to fire someone, shuffle their staff or alter their product line. When I play Pathfinder I know I am playing a game that is compassionately supported by the management of the company... so much so, that they even take time to post messages and feedback on their own forums.

It doesn't matter if Wizards makes, 4th, 5th, etc... D&D will never reach the former glory that it was, and the high expectations of Hasbro's management will never allow the brand to fully prosper. D&D's only hope is for Hasbro to sell the brand to FFG or White Wolf, and let them run with it. (Paizo has no need for the brand, they already have one that works just as well).

Anyways, that's my doom and gloom analysis.

Erdrick Dragin said:

It's never too soon for WotC. They were immediately working on 3.5e (as stated by Monte Cook himself) right after 3.0 was released. In just 3 years it was out, pointlessly wasting money and time and book releases on something already obsolete the moment of their release.

In just 2 years after 3.5e (5 years total), 4e was being worked on. Two years later, 4e is out. From 2000 to 2007, only 7 years of 3.0/3.5 and many of us believe that was too short (considering the decade stretch between 1e and 2e and 2e and 3e).

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Just what I was thinking. I remembered seeing something somewhere that revealed how soon after 3.5 came out that they started working on 4E. I'm sure we won't hear any official 5E announcement anytime soon, but it wouldn't surprise me if they are actually working on it now.

Kor said:

The needy greedy machine of Hasbro killed the spirit of the D&D line a long time ago!

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Keeping in mind that gamers said something similar of pretty much each edition's authors, while many more said they loved those same changes.

ABSOLUTELY!!! couldnt say it better myself

Alphastream said:

Keeping in mind that gamers said something similar of pretty much each edition's authors, while many more said they loved those same changes.

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True, but there are some significant differences this time around.

4th Edition split the 3.5 Ed market. About half went to Pathfinder, and half went to 4th Ed.

Hasbro further limited the support for their line by handcuffing what made 3.5 so popular. They changed the OGL model, making it a very expensive and risky proposition for any publisher to make 4th Ed compatable material.

I believe it was even documented many months ago that Pathfinder sales have surpassed D&D.

So now Hasbro has a product that only has at best 50% of the market it once had, and sales are not significantly increasing significantly (if at all).

Now for most gaming companies, the amount of people buying 4th edition still makes the product a viable and profitable market. But we are talking about Hasbro... their management only understands line charts and bar graphs as they relate to profit.

Making 5th edition will not help them. Pathfinder solidly has the 3.5 players. In making 5th edition, Hasbro has 4 choices:
1. Improve 4th edition, while making 5th edition backwards compatable to 4th edition. (I'm not sure why they would do this though as their 4th edition players are already quite loyal and probably would be split between those that refuse to upgrade and those who welcome it. Regardless, less sales would ensue, and they will still not attract the 3.5 players.)
2. Keep 4th edition, and make a "Classic D&D" edition, which would essentially be 3.5, reworked in a similar fashion as Pathfinder. The problem here, is Pathfinder already has a loyal fanbase. They would only be taking back a portion of the 3.5 market, however now they have to support 2 product lines.
3. Do nothing. Keep supporting 4th edition and don't consider a new edition. Accept the lower sales figures. (However, this is not something Hasbro can do.)
4. Since none of the above are viable. Sell the licence.

Of course, there is always hidden option #5. Completely design a whole new set of rules that work for everyone. These rules would not be compatable with 3.5 or 4.0. These would be a totally new take on D&D game mechanics, but would be the best RPG system ever designed. Both 3.5 and 4.0 players would agree that, although they would miss game system that they have known and loved for so many years, that this new system is far superior.

Kor said:

I believe it was even documented many months ago that Pathfinder sales have surpassed D&D.

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I know this is trotted out a lot, but if you consider the thousands and thousands of DDI subscribers, many of whom do not purchase a single book but pay WotC monthly to access the Dungeon/Dragon, the builders, and the compendium, complete with constantly updated content... well, I don't know how you can make any sort of definitive statement as to who is outselling who... or whom. No one knows the DDI numbers besides Wizards - is it 5,000 or 150,000?

I'm not dismissing Pathfinder's success at all. It's a great system and doing incredibly well. I just don't know how the numbers really pan out when you consider WotC's online initiatives.

Cheers.