D&D 5E Likes and Dislikes?

[Nebulous]

Like: Bounded accuracy and the amount of different flavourful character options at 1st level

Dislike: Spell list layout. They should have included more than just the name. At least a superscript C and R for concentration and ritual spells, and small icons showing the school of the spells. It's annoying the way you have to flip through the spell list and all the spells.

The spell system itself is the best ever in D&D. the spell layout leaves much to be desired, both in the lists and the actual blocks. Very poorly done and needs more detail which could have easily been added.

Edit: HOW do things like that get passed over during the editorial stage by gamers themselves who write these books? "Hey, this would be useful to include on the chart for referencing....."

 

[Greg K]

I like

• Variant Humans: close to my house rule for humans in 3e
• Backgrounds (However, a not fond of the suggested characteristics; and b) think variants and several specialties should have had their unique listing)
• Personality Traits, Ideals, Bonds, Flaws
• Inspiration
• Toning down of spellcasters
• Concentration to keep spellcasters in check
• 3e alchemical items (e.g., sunrods, tanglefoot bags) are not included in the basic rules.

I dislike

• going back to Con modifier per level to hit points: hoping we get a DMG variant
• Drow, Dragonborn and Tieflings in PHB: easy to ignore
• Dwarven Armor Training: easy to replace it with the Hill Dwarf's Toughness
• No encumbrance penalties for halflings and encumbrance penalties starting at Tiny rather than small
• Hermit Background's Feature: Discovery
• Lack of 3e skill points: This is easy to houserule
• Hit Point Threshold for some spells
• Too fast for my tastes at initial levels and upper levels
• Multi-classing
• Missing some weapons from 1e and 2e
• The design of the actual classes themselves- especially, the Barbarian, Cleric, Circle of the Moon Druid, and Sorcerer. Overall, I like the rest of the game, but the classes are my one major issue.

 

[pming]

Hiya.

One sentence? Wow...uh...it's gonna be a bit long but here it goes!

I like that it feels like an updated 1e to me (because I play 1e), and that it feels like an updated 2e to some (who play 2e), and that it feels like an updated 3e to others (who play 3e), and that it feels like a mish-mash of annoying rules that have blatantly vague descriptions that make the game virtually unplayable (to those who play 4e).

(yes, I did single out 4e people as ye olde grumps because I feel for them the most; they were happily playing the latest version of D&D and loving it...then 5e came out and put a quick end to it; they like the way 4e is written, with the focus on player empowerment and "rules for DM's to use to make specific monsters"...but with 5e, that's been more or less reversed, with DM empowerment taking the forefront and very loose 'rules', if you can even call them that, for making monsters; this all looks like "a chaotic ball of vagaries designed to cater to DM fiat at the cost of player control" to the 4e fans I've talked to and read posts)

But, yeah, 5e is written in a masterful way that allows people from older editions to see their preferred edition reflected on the pages. That's the true majesty of its ever growing popularity.

^_^

Paul L. Ming

 

[mouselim]

Dislike:
- Tiefling race
- Warlock class
- Healing mechanism and rules
- Cantrip handling
- Second wind
- Ki recovery

All these are already house-ruled in my games.

Like:
- Old-school feel (other than those stated above)

 

[aramis erak]

5e is doing a lot of things I do like, however; the goal of "one D&D to unify them all" does not sit well with me.

It's also serious Hyperbole on the part of WotC... In 34 years of gaming, the one thing I've noticed is that a new edition NEVER unifies the fanbase. It may get a lot of conversion from other editions, but there are always some who reject it for others.

I don't hold that against the game, but I do hold that as a dislike about WotC...

 

[DMZ2112]

(though gargantuan-headed halflings was a close second... seriously, where is their racial ability that allows them to not topple over?)

Still in complete agreement. The halfling art is just awful.

 

[sgtscott658]

Likes: Prepared for my weekend game

Dislikes: Getting the flu a day before the game and having to cancel. A real downer too.

 

[edutrevi]

Like: some simplified rules, drow in PHB and the art of MM.
Dislike: I haven't had time to play yet

 

[Zhaleskra]

I don't hold that against the game, but I do hold that as a dislike about WotC...

Given some of the things WotC said in the early days of 3E, I'd hold it more against Hasbro. And on the other end, have to hold it against TSR before 3E.

 

[Salamandyr]

Likes:
bounded accuracy, the way spells work, the way that almost everything I might want to do, I can just do, without having to jump through 37 hoops to make a character and not a "build".

Dislikes:
Archer specialization getting an accuracy boost so they can hit more accurately than melees. Yes, archers work on accuracy, but that's because archery is inherently less accurate than melee. So hitting more consistently at targets 100 feet away doesn't work for me. And the way the art directors seem positively allergic to heroic, masculine men. When your kobold has more definition than any character depicted in the Player's Handbook, something is wrong. Boys play this game too you know. They like to have idealized depictions too.