The Actual Table of Contents for Xanathar's Guide to Everything

A lot of good stuff there.

Of course, on the DM side, a lot of stuff is not there, but I like what I see.

Actually, one of the most useful things will be the appendix of sample names.

 

[jmucchiello]

Regarding my interest article examples? Sure, but that doesn't mean I watch them, or that I even watch the best ones. I'd also be all about WotC curated YouTube content as well.

Or you can just post a thread here asking which are the best Youtube channels that give good DM advice and a bunch of people will point you in a bunch of different directions but the best content will bubble to the top.

Of course, you can also post a thread here asking for specific DMing advice and you will get better specific advice than a generic article or vid will give you. Given the breadth of knowledge held here and places like here I don't see what value a "curated" generic article has over specific, tailored to you advice.

 

[gyor]

Most people no longer remember that SCAG and Out of the Abyss were both farmed out to Green Ronin to create, so WotC only published them, but did not write them. Sure, their people had input to make sure things were accurate, but Crawford, Mearls, etc did not write SCAG. And while Green Ronin is a very good company, it not being their property may be why the book seems sub-par to some people.

Personally, I am fine with the book, but not for the retail of $40, which I did not pay anyway. I am actually not fine with the retail price of almost any gaming books these days, so Amazon discounts or a discount from a gaming store is the only way I go for new books.

SCAGs issues relate to A) being too small for it's basic purpose which was as a Setting Guide, B) the player material didn't get the public play testing that the Subclasses in XGTE got.

But VGTMs in some ways is worse because at least the SCAG knows what setting it's supposed to be apart of, while VGTM suffers from an identity crisis.

Is it a general options book or an FR book? If general options then naming it after Volo is unethical and misleading because that name means something. If it's FR then a lot of the lore in it, especially the Yuan Ti origins is straight up wrong. The line is blurred and I don't like that. In FR the Sarrukh created the Yuan Ti not a decadent human snake worshipping empire.

Does VGTM want to be a DM book or player book?

XGTM looks like it will suffer from similar flaws, although not to the same degree.

 

[gyor]

Did the Warlock invocation Kiss of Mephistopheles made the final cut?

No way to know yet.

 

[gyor]

They seem to have no problem putting together three books a year: really see no reason to engage in conjecture of what is "really happening" when a perfectly reasonable explanation has been provided consistently for many years now.

17 pages of names is a problem, it's blantant filler, having to contract out books like the SCAG to other companies is a problem, not being able to produce a proper FRCG is a problem, the fact that they have to mash books together because wise either DMs or Players go without is a problem.

So yeah if you shut you eyes of course WotC's words make sense, as long as you don't actually challenge it.

 

[gyor]

I honestly don't see much room for further Fighter archetypes moving forward, though I'm sure there must be something they could squeeze in.

Lycanthrope, Vampire, Wrestler, Improvised Weapons User. Fighter subclasses that focus in the none combat pillars, Hopilite or Legionaire, a divine fighter subclass.

Subclasses that specialize in particular weapons.

 

[Parmandur]

SCAGs issues relate to A) being too small for it's basic purpose which was as a Setting Guide, B) the player material didn't get the public play testing that the Subclasses in XGTE got.

But VGTMs in some ways is worse because at least the SCAG knows what setting it's supposed to be apart of, while VGTM suffers from an identity crisis.

Is it a general options book or an FR book? If general options then naming it after Volo is unethical and misleading because that name means something. If it's FR then a lot of the lore in it, especially the Yuan Ti origins is straight up wrong. The line is blurred and I don't like that. In FR the Sarrukh created the Yuan Ti not a decadent human snake worshipping empire.

Does VGTM want to be a DM book or player book?

XGTM looks like it will suffer from similar flaws, although not to the same degree.

Volo's is very much a generic book, most if the flavor text even references other settings. It is both DM and player material, because that is the business model, probably assuming that DMs will buy most of the books.

 

[Guest 6801328]

Lycanthrope,

God no, please.

Vampire

God no, please.

Wrestler

I wouldn't mind a strength-based, unarmed melee combatant but it would probably end up under Monk. (I know a lot of people want "non-supernatural" but I don't think WotC agrees with you.)

Improvised Weapons User

Subclasses based on a specific weapon or weapon category are not going to happen..

Fighter subclasses that focus in the none combat pillars,

"Focus" is unlikely but strongly flavored might be possible. But can you give a good example?

Hopilite or Legionaire

Those are just words. Can you describe a clear concept.

a divine fighter subclass.

That's a mechanical description. What's the distinct concept/flavor, and how is it different from Cleric or Paladin? Do you just mean Eldritch Knight but with Divine rather than Arcane powers?

Subclasses that specialize in particular weapons.

Not gonna happen.

 

[Kobold Stew]

I disagree that healing should be abjuration since healing doesn't really seem to fit what abjuration does, which is protect or banish. Healing spells have moved around the schools a lot over editions. Originally necromantic effects (which fits, you're manipulating life energy),

This is an old hobby-horse of mine, which I know is an unpopular view.. I think healing spells should be necromancy. Doing that removes the necessary association with evil, and clearly groups all the spells dealing with life magic.

 

[Demetrios1453]

Is it a general options book or an FR book? If general options then naming it after Volo is unethical and misleading because that name means something. If it's FR then a lot of the lore in it, especially the Yuan Ti origins is straight up wrong. The line is blurred and I don't like that. In FR the Sarrukh created the Yuan Ti not a decadent human snake worshipping empire.

Volo is an unreliable narrator from there start, and the book even mentions this fact. And the Sarrukh are a race known only to a few, so to most the origins of the yuan-ti would be clouded in mystery. Volo probably published the latest (incorrect) theories on yuan-ti historical research, which is likely tainted with misinformation from the yuan-ti themselves...



Sent from my VS987 using EN World mobile app

 

[gyor]

Volo is an unreliable narrator from there start, and the book even mentions this fact. And the Sarrukh are a race known only to a few, so to most the origins of the yuan-ti would be clouded in mystery. Volo probably published the latest (incorrect) theories on yuan-ti historical research, which is likely tainted with misinformation from the yuan-ti themselves...



Sent from my VS987 using EN World mobile app

On a practical level it will create mistaken impressions on new players.