I've noticed that 5E is designed to be played fast and furious. Players are able to carve through enemies and recover at a much faster pace than previous versions of D&D save for perhaps 4E (excluding 4E because I have very little experience with it). And every class seems to have options that might have been considered overpowered in previous editions. I feel like the game is designed for PCs to be powerful and for fights to end quickly one way or the other, usually in the PCs favor.
It is taking some time to adjust to the expectations of this edition. In previous editions I looked for overpowered options and tried to rein them in. In this edition it feels like following this strategy would lead to chasing my tail. I would be wasting my time trying to house rule all the overpowered options in an attempt to balance the game. I'm thinking I would be better off making weak options stronger and more attractive, though that may happen later with additional splat books.
Some things I looked at for each class and what makes them appeared overpowered:
1. Fighters: Nova damage. A Great Weapon Fighter or Archer fighter with Great Weapon Mastery and Sharpshooter using Action Surge can do a pretty nutty amount of damage when buffed and using magic items, especially a Battle Master with Superiority Dice. Right now Battle Master is the best fighter archetype offering the most options for boosting damage dealing capabilities. Add in a few barbarian levels to use Reckless and Rage, you're doing crazy damage easily.
2. Paladin: The overall package. Great Weapon Fighting with Great Weapon Mastery stacked with a Vow and Smiting can do insane nova damage. Their saves are great. Their damage resistances are great. Their armor selection. Their damage boosting spells. Their archetypes are all solid. Their auras being a lot to the group. The overall class stands tall amongst all the martial classes. Self healing. Few enemies can withstand a buffed paladin for long.
3. Ranger: Archery style ranger using swift quiver spell stacked with hunter's mark and Crossbow Expert feat. Great damage.
4. Barbarian: Raging Great Weapon Mastery barbarian using Reckless with Bear Resistance. Beastly damage dealer with unequaled ability to take damage in battle.
5. Warlock/Sorcerer: Eldritch Blast with Hex and Agonizing Blast does a lot of damage per round as a ranged caster. Multiclass with sorcerer and you can do some nutty damage using quicken spell. This one works better as a multiclass.
6. Bard: Overall class. Great buffer. Excellent with skills. Nice ability to affect combat with Cutting Words. Ability to cherry pick great spells from any spell list. Able to heal.
7. Moon Druid: Ability to cycle hit points and maintain a strong hit point buffer for a lot of the day. Excellent spell list. Very hard to kill class competent in all areas of melee and spell combat with good healing capabilities.
8. Wizard: Still the most powerful class in the game with the best spell versatility. Capable of doing a little of everything with spells. The best at damage layering with the ability to summon melee minions, do direct damage, do AoE damage, and the most versatile spell capabilities in the game. The usual all around class wizard player's are accustomed to. It takes a little more mastery and the power gap isn't as wide as it was in previous editions, but the gap is still there. Rather than sitting on top of Mount Everest with everyone else at various tiers down below as it was in previous editions, it's more like being across the hall in an exclusive lounge that the other classes can at least take a look at now and again while being greeted by a bound Elemental Butler.
9. Rogue: The most mobile martial in the game. Capable of killing opponents without being seen or kiting them around without them being able to touch him. Master of skills and stealth. Excellent defensive capabilities. Able to deal moderate damage with minimal risk. Dex focus even more beneficial than in any previous editions given how many aspects of the game Dex affects. Extremely fun in all areas of the game. The ultimate stealthy skirmisher. You could fight a rogue in a forest and never see him before you died.
10. Monk: Seems a lot like the rogue lacking the same level of skill and not as capable of stealth combat. Not real sure about the monk yet. Has some nice defensive and offensive options. Limited by Ki. Seems like a nice class to multiclass with a Rogue for insane mobility.
11. Multiclassing: Multiclassing can provide big benefits for a minimal investment leading to some easily obtainable things like Advantage on Strength-based attack rolls and medium armor and shield proficiency for a spell user.
12. Cleric: Cleric seems like the most balanced, least abuseable class in the game. Though they are amazing healers as they gain levels. The best in the game.
Given all the classes have options that let them do something in an extraordinary fashion, sometimes with nearly no risk, I think I would be wasting my time to try to tone it down and balance it. I do see some weaknesses.
The weaknesses:
1. Two-weapon fighting and Dueling are not on par with Archery and Great Weapon Mastery. There is no way to spike damage for either style. No feats provide such potent inherent benefits as to make either style desirable over Great Weapon Fighter or Archery in a purely mathematical sense. I do not like this. I do not want a player choosing Dueling or Two-weapon style to feel they are taking an inferior option. I would rather they be as numerically effective dealing damage as a Great Weapon Fighter or Archer. I intend to give both fighting styles feats that allow them to spike damage.
2. Rogue damage: I understand rogue damage being weaker than fighters, barbarians, and other martial classes due to an inability to spike damage using a feat or spells and lack of multiple attacks, but I don't want the gap to become as wide as it appears right now. I'm going to be watching this closely to make sure Great Weapon Master fighters and Sharpshooter archers aren't making Sneak Attack a far too weak option.
Some things I do like about Sneak Attack is the single bit hit has a better chance of disrupting concentration and very powerful in combination with Stealthy attacking, especially sniping. I don't like that it may fall substantially behind in the typical way parties fight with everyone standing in the opening swinging at the creatures. I'll keep a close eye on this one.
What kind of trends are others seeing? What are you doing about them?
It is taking some time to adjust to the expectations of this edition. In previous editions I looked for overpowered options and tried to rein them in. In this edition it feels like following this strategy would lead to chasing my tail. I would be wasting my time trying to house rule all the overpowered options in an attempt to balance the game. I'm thinking I would be better off making weak options stronger and more attractive, though that may happen later with additional splat books.
Some things I looked at for each class and what makes them appeared overpowered:
1. Fighters: Nova damage. A Great Weapon Fighter or Archer fighter with Great Weapon Mastery and Sharpshooter using Action Surge can do a pretty nutty amount of damage when buffed and using magic items, especially a Battle Master with Superiority Dice. Right now Battle Master is the best fighter archetype offering the most options for boosting damage dealing capabilities. Add in a few barbarian levels to use Reckless and Rage, you're doing crazy damage easily.
2. Paladin: The overall package. Great Weapon Fighting with Great Weapon Mastery stacked with a Vow and Smiting can do insane nova damage. Their saves are great. Their damage resistances are great. Their armor selection. Their damage boosting spells. Their archetypes are all solid. Their auras being a lot to the group. The overall class stands tall amongst all the martial classes. Self healing. Few enemies can withstand a buffed paladin for long.
3. Ranger: Archery style ranger using swift quiver spell stacked with hunter's mark and Crossbow Expert feat. Great damage.
4. Barbarian: Raging Great Weapon Mastery barbarian using Reckless with Bear Resistance. Beastly damage dealer with unequaled ability to take damage in battle.
5. Warlock/Sorcerer: Eldritch Blast with Hex and Agonizing Blast does a lot of damage per round as a ranged caster. Multiclass with sorcerer and you can do some nutty damage using quicken spell. This one works better as a multiclass.
6. Bard: Overall class. Great buffer. Excellent with skills. Nice ability to affect combat with Cutting Words. Ability to cherry pick great spells from any spell list. Able to heal.
7. Moon Druid: Ability to cycle hit points and maintain a strong hit point buffer for a lot of the day. Excellent spell list. Very hard to kill class competent in all areas of melee and spell combat with good healing capabilities.
8. Wizard: Still the most powerful class in the game with the best spell versatility. Capable of doing a little of everything with spells. The best at damage layering with the ability to summon melee minions, do direct damage, do AoE damage, and the most versatile spell capabilities in the game. The usual all around class wizard player's are accustomed to. It takes a little more mastery and the power gap isn't as wide as it was in previous editions, but the gap is still there. Rather than sitting on top of Mount Everest with everyone else at various tiers down below as it was in previous editions, it's more like being across the hall in an exclusive lounge that the other classes can at least take a look at now and again while being greeted by a bound Elemental Butler.
9. Rogue: The most mobile martial in the game. Capable of killing opponents without being seen or kiting them around without them being able to touch him. Master of skills and stealth. Excellent defensive capabilities. Able to deal moderate damage with minimal risk. Dex focus even more beneficial than in any previous editions given how many aspects of the game Dex affects. Extremely fun in all areas of the game. The ultimate stealthy skirmisher. You could fight a rogue in a forest and never see him before you died.
10. Monk: Seems a lot like the rogue lacking the same level of skill and not as capable of stealth combat. Not real sure about the monk yet. Has some nice defensive and offensive options. Limited by Ki. Seems like a nice class to multiclass with a Rogue for insane mobility.
11. Multiclassing: Multiclassing can provide big benefits for a minimal investment leading to some easily obtainable things like Advantage on Strength-based attack rolls and medium armor and shield proficiency for a spell user.
12. Cleric: Cleric seems like the most balanced, least abuseable class in the game. Though they are amazing healers as they gain levels. The best in the game.
Given all the classes have options that let them do something in an extraordinary fashion, sometimes with nearly no risk, I think I would be wasting my time to try to tone it down and balance it. I do see some weaknesses.
The weaknesses:
1. Two-weapon fighting and Dueling are not on par with Archery and Great Weapon Mastery. There is no way to spike damage for either style. No feats provide such potent inherent benefits as to make either style desirable over Great Weapon Fighter or Archery in a purely mathematical sense. I do not like this. I do not want a player choosing Dueling or Two-weapon style to feel they are taking an inferior option. I would rather they be as numerically effective dealing damage as a Great Weapon Fighter or Archer. I intend to give both fighting styles feats that allow them to spike damage.
2. Rogue damage: I understand rogue damage being weaker than fighters, barbarians, and other martial classes due to an inability to spike damage using a feat or spells and lack of multiple attacks, but I don't want the gap to become as wide as it appears right now. I'm going to be watching this closely to make sure Great Weapon Master fighters and Sharpshooter archers aren't making Sneak Attack a far too weak option.
Some things I do like about Sneak Attack is the single bit hit has a better chance of disrupting concentration and very powerful in combination with Stealthy attacking, especially sniping. I don't like that it may fall substantially behind in the typical way parties fight with everyone standing in the opening swinging at the creatures. I'll keep a close eye on this one.
What kind of trends are others seeing? What are you doing about them?
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