D&D 5E Legends & Lore 4/21

[Rydac]

After a couple of missing weeks the column returns

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4ll/20140421

 

[variant]

I wonder when we will start getting real previews of 5e.

 

[Argyle King]

Simplicity and complexity aren't always the same thing; a game being 'rules-light' doesn't always mean it easily works as intended in actual play.


I'm still unsure about how assigning an XP budget to an entire adventure works. I understand (I think) that it means an entire adventure/dungeon/whatever has a XP budget, and you choose components while using that budget as a guideline. However, I'm unsure how that helps gauge the difficulty of a particular component of that adventure or a specific encounter. Also, with 'bounded accuracy' not meaning what I thought it meant when the design team first started using the term, I'm curious to see how far up or down a monster can go and still provide meaningful challenge. It's been especially hard to gauge that aspect of the game in light of the monster numbers for Encounters not seeming to work.

 

[LightPhoenix]

Simplicity and complexity aren't always the same thing...

I got what you were saying - simplicity/complexity don't necessarily translate to ease/difficulty of use. Still, I did a bit of a double take there.

I'm still unsure about how assigning an XP budget to an entire adventure works. I understand (I think) that it means an entire adventure/dungeon/whatever has a XP budget, and you choose components while using that budget as a guideline. However, I'm unsure how that helps gauge the difficulty of a particular component of that adventure or a specific encounter.

It will probably be similar to 4E, where CL/XP/level are a rough budget for determining how difficult an encounter will be. Sum that all up, and you get the total adventure XP. There will probably be guidelines for how much XP an adventure should have based on whatever WotC decide their baseline leveling rate is. So if they want the baseline to be one level per adventure, you have an XP budget based on that.

Personally, I don't see too much use for it other than official guidelines for published adventures and advice for new DMs. I think DMs from the earliest days of D&D have been estimating and adjusting this stuff based on how they want their game to feel, and I don't see why that won't happen here as well.

 

[Aloïsius]

It's when I read this column that I realize how much I'm tired from dungeons, doors, random monsters and treasures.
I know the rules won't write stories...

 

[Jack99]

I like that we will be able to create monsters both from the ground up AND by using templates.

 

[Nikosandros]

I like that we will be able to create monsters both from the ground up AND by using templates.

Yes, that's great news. It's the best of both worlds. In general, I prefer the 4e style, but it's nice to able to "stat up" a creature from the ground up every now and then.

 

[Plaguescarred]

I prefer the term Level to Challenge Rating personally but otherwise am fine with how it works off a XP Budget to do Encounter Bulding.

 

[Iosue]

I was reading along, thinking, "Yeah, okay, sounds good, sounds good. Personally, if anything I like the 4e way of building monsters, but it's good that the 3e way is supported, too. Nothing new or unexpected here, it seems." I got to this part:

When creating an adventure, you start with an XP budget and a suggested number of encounters. You can create individual encounters, stock a dungeon level from that budget, or simply use the math as a guideline for winging it. Monsters have an XP value, and once you've spent your budget on monsters and other threats, you've got a solid foundation of encounters to match to your map, your NPCs, and the other creative elements of your adventure.

...and thought, "Yeeah, that's great and all, but not really what I'm looking for when it comes to adventure design." Then...

For example, the materials we've assembled for dungeon creation allow you to create and stock a dungeon using elements from a number of different tables. The initial ideas you can generate from the tables determine where the dungeon is located, what's above it, who built it, why they built it, and who lives there now. Other tables allow you to randomly generate a dungeon map and room contents, including monsters, mysteries, and other elements.

Boom. I'm in love.

 

[Derren]

Great, table based dungeon design. So that the chain of 10ft. rooms with orcs and chests the players have to go through makes even less sense.