D&D 5E Might&Magic: the linear fighter and the exponential wizard

[Garthanos]

I was simply clarifying the terminology (AFAIK). Superhero in those wargaming terms was "hero plus". By my understanding, it was not intended to imply the superhero genre.

Oh the early fantasy superheroes were their own thing too and yes not quite the Xmen I agree however they were not actually far from demi-god... the Greek word Hero meant defender literally, but in terms of their nature every single one was born of a divine bloodline if not Half God and eventually were doing those over the top (split the mountain caliber moves). Or Paul Bunyan maneuvers if you want a more recent incarnation.

Just give them a lot of leeway when it comes to doing things. Let high level fighters chop mountains in half (or whatever) if that's what you want.

You arent that far off in this here ... the broad interpretation of what can be accomplished with high level skill use can I think actually take one far towards balance if the Fighting man is actually allowed to be skilled. The irony being the thief was seen as stealing the Fighting mans lime light wrt to many skilled physical activities when it was introduced.

 

[Garthanos]

Virtually every major player of the Round table knights were also sporting a magical blood-line.

Kind of reminds me of having an X-factor in ones genes.

 

[CapnZapp]

I don't enjoy the part of D&D where wizards fly around and shoot disintegration beams out of their eyes. That sort of thing belongs in the supers genre, and not the dungeon fantasy genre.

Then you're in luck, since that stuff happens WAY less often in 5E than in any previous edition (during the last 18 years anyway).

Personally I haven't witnessed the Fly spell being cast once. Why? Flying yourself is not how you use the spell in 5E; that's far too risky. Even if the monster can only be reached by air, sending a single fighter doesn't do the job. The caster in question has simply always found another use for his concentration.

Disintegration is cool, but hardly a game-changer. Don't remember off the cuff how much damage it deals, but wouldn't be surprised if a martial couldn't dish out almost as much, on any given good nova round.

And if none of that convince you - how about trying something new: for your next campaign, have all players agree to play a weapon wielder! (Arcane Tricksters and Hexblades remain casters, but of a different description)

And if you still aren't convinced, how about letting D&D rest for your next game? Maybe play Warhammer Fantasy Role-play, or perhaps Call of Cthulhu!

 

[TwoSix]

Disintegration is cool, but hardly a game-changer. Don't remember off the cuff how much damage it deals, but wouldn't be surprised if a martial couldn't dish out almost as much, on any given good nova round.

10d6+40. Somewhat above your standard martial build normal round, and in the same ballpark as an optimized Fighter build. (XBE SS Fighter would be doing 4d6+60, assuming 20 Dex and no magic weapon.)

5e casters are just on a completely different (much lower) level of power than 3.5 casters. After playing about 20 sessions as an 11+ caster in my last game, I know your goal as a caster is primarily to AoE when needed, and otherwise keep people off the martials long enough for them to bring the monsters down.

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

Again - your supers comparison is leading you astray. You're asking for not something small. You're asking for something that, in the context of the game, is clearly unreasonable: a complete genre overhaul of the entire game.

The only resolution is either to stop thinking about D&D as a supers game, or to stop thinking about D&D. Really.

Something akin to a Bo9S for 5th would go a long way, as would tiers of skills that only non-casters can access. Otherwise non-casters will continue to suck, as they have in basically every edition other than 4th.

 

[Parmandur]

Something akin to a Bo9S for 5th would go a long way, as would tiers of skills that only non-casters can access. Otherwise non-casters will continue to suck, as they have in basically every edition other than 4th.

Without a doubt, the most effective character I have played is a 5E Champion Fighter. If by "suck," you mean "be a whirlwind of death to their enemies," you'd be close to the mark. This gap is theoretical, more than practical.

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

Without a doubt, the most effective character I have played is a 5E Champion Fighter. If by "suck," you mean "be a whirlwind of death to their enemies," you'd be close to the mark. This gap is theoretical, more than practical.

I think that's kind of maybe due to low expectations. I mean, the champion isnt even the best 5E fighter... Remarkable Athlete is a thoroughly unimpressive ability, the expanded crit rarely kicks in or makes a difference. All they get to look forward to is basically more of the same.

 

[Tony Vargas]

Otherwise non-casters will continue to suck, as they have in basically every edition other than 4th.

When you consider that the Martial source didn't have a controller, while the Divine, Arcane, Primal & Psionic sources all covered all 4 roles, and how sadly Martial Practices stacked up to rituals, they just didn't suck as hard as in the other editions.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

Something akin to a Bo9S for 5th would go a long way, as would tiers of skills that only non-casters can access.

Instead of trying to add in a bunch of new content, you could alternatively cull about half of each spell list to remove the egregious offenders.

 

[Parmandur]

I think that's kind of maybe due to low expectations. I mean, the champion isnt even the best 5E fighter... Remarkable Athlete is a thoroughly unimpressive ability, the expanded crit rarely kicks in or makes a difference. All they get to look forward to is basically more of the same.

By "more of the same," I read "murderfying everything into Hamburger Helper." Remarkable Athlete might not have the flashbsng of spells, but it can be used creatively. Expanded critical are a 5% improvement, which adds up quite nicely. Champion is a beast.