D&D 5E Official D&D Basic Discussion Thread

[Unwise]

EDIT - Okay no wait it's Finesse or Ranged only which is weird but I guess better kinda... Odd that you could use it on a STR-based throwing attack with a Throwing Axe, but NOT on a melee swing with that Throwing Axe. Poor Jean Tannen.

I found this wierd too. In my games you can Sneak Attack with Light or Finesse weapons. Jean is a good example.

If we go back to the culture of item entitlement we had in 4e, then we will soon see optimization builds involving throwing magical Dwarven Great Axes for Sneak Attack heh.

 

[Kobold Stew]

Looking at the stat generation methods, I noticed you can't buy a stat higher than 15 at level 1. The pre-generated array doesn't have anything above 15 either. If you want anything higher, you have to gamble and roll! Smart move WotC! <3

Well said -- I had read the rule but not understood the larger result.

 

[Dausuul]

Looking at the stat generation methods, I noticed you can't buy a stat higher than 15 at level 1. The pre-generated array doesn't have anything above 15 either. If you want anything higher, you have to gamble and roll! Smart move WotC! <3

Yeah, this is a nice touch. You aren't shut out of higher stats--assuming you pick a race that gives you at least +1, you'll reach 20 in your primary stat by level 8 at latest--but if you want that 20 at level 1, you gotta be hot on the dice. Or if you want to spend your early ability score boosts on feats instead...

Overall, I'm pretty darn happy with what we've got here. I don't like the wording on short rests, and the search sidebar is a wall-banger, but those are easily remedied, which is another thing I like about 5E-it looks very easy to house-rule and tweak. I love the new (old) equipment list and the fact they put all that stuff in the basic game! And ideals/flaws/bonds/inspiration are awesome concepts that have been floating around the RPG world for ages, but somehow never made it into D&D*. Until now.

[size=-2]*Now that I've said that, I'm sure somebody is going to point me at some splatbook from 1E that had all this stuff. Fine, it never made into the D&D core rules. Happy, Mr. Pedant?[/size]

 

[mips42]

I just finished my first skim (I usually do a skim, a read and a re-read) of Basic and I like it. I'm sure there are fiddly bits here and there that I'll go "HMMMM" about but, I keep this in my mind: This is v 0.1. Effectively an after-alpha but pre-beta. It's going to be changed and tweaked as more people play it and find those fiddly bits.
I am solidly looking forward to more class options (Sorcerer in particular), more backgrounds and a look at what Feats may have in store.
Also, I am happy that minis are not required. I'll likely use them when needed but use war-gaming style, non-gridded movement.
This is looking close to the game I was hoping for.
You've got me interested, WOTC. Lets see where you go from here.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Definitely. I was noticing the even sneezing a bunch of times (I have recently acquired hayfever, never having had it before) is vastly more exhausting than walking really fast for a mile and a half. Combat, with adrenaline and dodging and so on, jeez, that would trash you.

It's pretty complicated, but no, people in the past were generally quite a bit shorter, just not AS short as people during industrialization (especially urban people then). Interestingly, hunter-gatherers seem to tend to be taller than people who use agriculture, probably because those groups distribute food more evenly. Medieval people were pretty short, on the whole, because they were pretty poorly-nourished, on the whole. Well-nourished people who dodged famine and disease could be pretty big, of course.

Don't forget genetics. There's always been genetics. Some people's families are just plain bigger than others. Diet will only deviate you from your already set potential. Also, there were eras (and locations) of better and worse diet that make it an extreme generalization to say that people were shorter in the past than the present. Sometimes. Some places.

Also, it's not all good that we're bigger now (when we actually are) some of that's growth hormone. Alot of our "bigger" is only... heavier.

BTW, you sound proficient in hiking. Can you actually do 24 miles in 8 hours? I understand going LONGER, the only time I've ever gone on a really long walk (walked for three days, at least 12 hours a day) I didn't make it 72 miles. Of course, one of those days was nearly entirely wasted climbing over a mile of avalanche rock for nearly 7 hours and swimming across a river...

 

[Jeff Carlsen]

I think the search sidebar is trying to strike a balance between "I search the room" and "I poke the statue in the eye to see if it falls out". It wants you to describe a general pattern to your search, noting things of interest, and being a little more engaged in the action.

I can't say, without playing, if it succeeds.

 

[the Jester]

And ideals/flaws/bonds/inspiration are awesome concepts that have been floating around the RPG world for ages, but somehow never made it into D&D*. Until now.

[size=-2]*Now that I've said that, I'm sure somebody is going to point me at some splatbook from 1E that had all this stuff. Fine, it never made into the D&D core rules. Happy, Mr. Pedant?[/size]

Actually, to the best of my knowledge, you're correct, and there have never been specific trait types like that in D&D before (excluding alignment, of course). [/pedant]

I just finished my first skim (I usually do a skim, a read and a re-read) of Basic and I like it. I'm sure there are fiddly bits here and there that I'll go "HMMMM" about but, I keep this in my mind: This is v 0.1. Effectively an after-alpha but pre-beta.

I think you may be under an incorrect understanding here. The game is pretty well done and mostly off to the printers. There may still be a few days or weeks before the MM and DMG are sent off, but the PH is certainly already in production now. This is v 0.1 because the Basic set is going to have additional material inserted before it reaches a stable state around the end of the year as the books come out. However, I don't think we'll see additional classes or races in Basic. You need to buy the PH for those.

I think the search sidebar is trying to strike a balance between "I search the room" and "I poke the statue in the eye to see if it falls out". It wants you to describe a general pattern to your search, noting things of interest, and being a little more engaged in the action.

I can't say, without playing, if it succeeds.

As to that, I think it explicitly enables dms who want to run the game that way (and some groups like that playstyle), while those who don't simply won't bother to be so specific. I think it's a win, personally.

 

[samursus]

Just finished a quick read through of the pdf, and I really like it. As someone else mentioned, I think this is a great intro to the game a la BECMI. A lot of "cool" moments, though not a lot of "wow!" moments (I expect to have those reading the Trinity).

Mostly I am loving the "feel" of this edition. Improved adventure-writing (so far), the public play-testing, the DM empowering tone, optional components, new art-style, magical magic items, and general inclusiveness as well as some evidence that they are attempting to build a lasting version of D&D.

Love it.

 

[Mistwell]

As someone who knows how to march, I can assure you that it IS a skill or at least a proficiency.

As someone with some archaeological training, and a special interest in how people's bodies changed in different societies...

As someone who likes to point out when people start claiming real-life experience as some reason for others to listen to them in D&D threads, I thought it appropriate to quote you. Twice. With a couple hours difference between the two (and I left out you telling us how much you can bench press).

Now tell us how you have martial arts training and have used various medieval weapons and armor. PLEASE tell us that.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

As someone who likes to point out when people start claiming real-life experience as some reason for others to listen to them in D&D threads, I thought it appropriate to quote you. Twice. With a couple hours difference between the two (and I left out you telling us how much you can bench press).

Now tell us how you have martial arts training and have used various medieval weapons and armor. PLEASE tell us that.

Four years of fencing and about a month of Tai Chi Chuan, but I don't think that counts Never worn armour of any kind (except fencing gear and army helmets).

I have an A-grade (they didn't have A* back then) A-Level in Archaeology and Ancient History, and went on to study Archaeology and Ancient History at Manchester University (I dropped out after two years due to ADHD-related issues). I've also been on a number of training digs. More importantly, I'm just really interested in the particular subject and follow it closely.

Marching-wise, I was in the Combined Cadet Force at school, for two years, and learned how to march and how to stand up straight there (I was such a sloucher!), among other things. I've always been a keen walker, though.

I don't think being honest about one's experiences and interests is a problem, personally, OMMV.

(I also went to school with Orlando Bloom, if that helps!)