D&D 5E The free online crunch: I don't think it's going to be as much as we think it is.

[Nergal Pendragon]

Can we have a link please? I wasn't aware wotc had released the schedule. Thanks!

Here. It also gives you an idea of what the free material we will be getting is.

 

[transtemporal]

Here. It also gives you an idea of what the free material we will be getting is.

Ohhh, ty!

 

[miniaturehoarder]

Yeah, I think the main problem is that we don't seem to get much crunch at all, free or paid.

Maybe it's for the best, a ruleset should stand on it's own two feet without needing a crutch of excess material. Now if Wotc takes so long folks have been through more than a couple level 1 to 20 campaigns before anything new has been released, perhaps then some new material might be overdue.

 

[MoonSong]

Maybe it's for the best, a ruleset should stand on it's own two feet without needing a crutch of excess material. Now if Wotc takes so long folks have been through more than a couple level 1 to 20 campaigns before anything new has been released, perhaps then some new material might be overdue.

But for certain players it needs those "crutches", maybe wizards are fine as they are with having lots of class options and toys to play with, but for example sorcerers, by design they have been limited to a niche (blasting), and so far only one element is fully viable (fire). And that is just the tip of the iceberg, many home games set in places like Eberron need a way to convert things like warforged, artificers and so on. 5e core is fairly comprehensive, but far away from fulfilling everybody's needs.

 

[ranger69]

One thing seems obvious to me, when the free online release happens some people are going to be unhappy, some will be happy. At the end of the day WOTC has to make money or they will be closed down. I doubt that it will make money from the table top or online games only. The free online stuff is to entice people into D&D, whether they have played before, or are new to the game.
If this free online release does not please you, be patient, the next one might.

 

[TarionzCousin]

The deep ocean paladin does +1d6 crustacean damage actually.

If I hit you with my Crab-on-a-Stick™ you're going to feel it!

 

[Sigbjorn_86]

Maybe WoTC is creating an ecosystem (the core rules) that anyone can access for free. They figure they'll then make money off of adventures, mercsndise, and possibly the OGL. This lowers the barrier of entry for new players and dodges the rule bloat that plagued past editions.

 

[miniaturehoarder]

But for certain players it needs those "crutches", maybe wizards are fine as they are with having lots of class options and toys to play with, but for example sorcerers, by design they have been limited to a niche (blasting), and so far only one element is fully viable (fire).

D&D Spells have always been lopsided to fire, especially since several major boss-type are immune or resistant to it. Given that there are DMG rules for making new spells, a DM who desires to add in spells to other elements has the ability to. Now If someone feels that to be "viable" an element need a Capstone 9th level spell with damage on par with Meteor Swarm, that is never happening as Meteor Swarm deals almost TRIPLE the damage the DMG guidelines give for new spells.

 

[CasvalRemDeikun]

I am really only expecting 15-20 pgs of stuff. Probably the Genasi, a handful of spells, a magic item or two, maybe a subclass. Then again, Jeremy Crawford said that the stuff beyond the PotA material may see print later on depending on popularity. If it is miniscule, it probably wouldn't even be worth the effort, nor would it end up popular. So we could see a fair amount.

 

[Parmandur]

Could be that they are embracing a playtest methodology for all crunch; download the Elemental stuff for free use at him and in organized play, they gather feedback, publish slick book later.

If they do something like that, se could end up with the most solid splat ever.