D&D 5E What Does the Game Need Now?

[Stalker0]

Would love to see something on running games without the expected 6-7 encounters per day. Recommended class adjustments, encountered adjustments...etc

 

[WhosDaDungeonMaster]

Might have already been said, but I would like to add a more thorough monster book of humanoids and NPC-types, something like 5-10 variants for kobolds, goblins, etc. up to bugbears maybe.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Would love to see something on running games without the expected 6-7 encounters per day. Recommended class adjustments, encountered adjustments...etc

I think one of the biggest things is to shorten short rests dramatically, down to 15 or even 5 minutes. But yeah, a chapter in a book for that would be rad, alongside chapters of different magic item assumptions, and other world and game building guidelines.

Maybe with some options for players for stuff like 5e Modern play, and some other goodies, to round it out in 5e publishing style.

 

[aco175]

I too would like some more maps with adventures, like 4e did with each module. I get many uses out of them myself beyond the initial play. I said it before, but The Kings Highway is the deadliest stretch of road in my game. That map is about fallen apart.

I would like a DMG2 where things like towns and villages run. Types of stores and how magic may affect the economy. Things I have a hard time with like a road survey crew and how that may interact with the PCs or the town. Where so they work and how that fits with the government. I tend to have a few stock businesses in every town, but making each a bit different or allowing the world to run around the PCs and not everything be focused on them.

There should some listing on how to make businesses more and less fantastic based on how much magic you like. I tend to like less magic affecting life, but some like having floating pitchers of ale and automated ovens that cart food out like in The Jetsons.

 

[Parmandur]

I am chocking on monster stat blocks. No interest in buying more. But I would love deep dives into specific monsters. "Ecology Of ... ", "Monstrous Arcana...", "The Complete Book of ...", etc. I really liked the first 3rd of Volos and would love another book like that but instead of a bunch of stat blocks in the back, mingle variants of the monster your are talking about in the section on that monster and same with any character options.

Seems like there is plenty of room for this. Still many iconic monsters that are ripe for this. Heck, about about starting with DRAGONS. You could make a full book on dragons with deep dives into their societies, ecologies, life cycles. Include multiple lair maps and tie in with premium battlemap and mini products. Stuff I could easily work into my campaign or create a mini campaign around. Actually, it would make sense to include some adventures.

So, the complete book of dragons. Each chapter discusses a different dragon. In depth treatment of its lifecycle, behavior, and ecology. Give some variant options for the dragon. Give some cult and minion options for some of the dragons. Give one or more lair maps. And end with plot hooks or a mini adventure.

I would pre-order that in a heartbeat.

Throw in Dragonborn ala MToF,and stat blocks for all the Dragon beasties yet to be covered...easily enough material for a full Volo's Guide to Dragons style book.

 

[gyor]

Noted D&D blogger Mike "Sly Floursh" Shea recently asked this on Twitter:

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https://twitter.com/SlyFlourish/status/1063808500676075521


What does D&D need next?

We have two campaign settings, one in stores. Three official accessories with monsters. Extra subclasses. Lots of races.
There are a wealth of minis, both random prepainted and non-random unpainted. We have dungeon tiles. There are dice. We have tactical maps, both blank and printed. Lots of adventures, both new and classic. Books for kids, including the newly relaunched Endless Quest.
And that's before getting to the absolute wealth of amazing 3rd Party Products from Green Ronin, Kobold Press, Nord Games, and others.

I imagine the two big requests will be "psionics" and "the artificer". Or the inevitable flayed horse of "a better ranger".
Okay, but what else is left for the game beyond just more? More subclasses. More adventures. More monsters. A big ol' generic more. Aka bloat.

Things like gods have been covered by Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide and Tome of Foes, limiting the need for a Deities & Demigods. And the updated mechanics of planes are covered quite well in the DMG, so the Manual of the Planes is less necessary.

Why?

When stopping to reply to Sly Flourish, I realized I’m almost “good”. That the edition feels close to complete.

I can think of a couple good options, but a lot of ideas just feels like content for the sake of content. Books because they're expected each year and not because they really fill a gap in the game.

I think future books will explore more gods as needed, such as when exploring different creatures and races or cultures or settings in depth. Examples include the Gods of Kara Tur/Al Qadim, Dragons, Lords of Creation, Greyhawk, Dragonlance, Birthright, Theros.

The biggest need right now is setting books for Classic D&D settings including FRCG.

I think a book exploring monster types that have been under explored in this edition would be nice like Celestials.

More APs that aren't set on the sword coast.

And of course the Artificer and Psion. Maybe a book with alternate class features like shown in Mearls happy hour for the Ranger.

And a D&D movie.

And every properly playable race that has appeared in any edition of D&D, especially ones important to settings.

 

[Guest 6801328]

I think future books will explore more gods as needed, such as when exploring different creatures and races or cultures or settings in depth. Examples include the Gods of Kara Tur/Al Qadim, Dragons, Lords of Creation, Greyhawk, Dragonlance, Birthright, Theros.

The biggest need right now is setting books for Classic D&D settings including FRCG.

I think a book exploring monster types that have been under explored in this edition would be nice like Celestials.

More APs that aren't set on the sword coast.

And of course the Artificer and Psion. Maybe a book with alternate class features like shown in Mearls happy hour for the Ranger.

And a D&D movie.

And every properly playable race that has appeared in any edition of D&D, especially ones important to settings.

It's funny how two people can play the same game and like it for diametrically opposed reasons. All the things you list are the things that I'd like to see less of.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

What does the game need now or next? Not a lot when looking at the huge numbers of new players 5E has been both getting and retaining.

What does the game need to retain all us older, jaded pre-5E players? Apparently a lot, going by all the replies here. lol

But just from skimming through all the other posts, aren't most of what people want already out there, or in the works, from either WotC or any of a multitude of 3rd Party companies?

As for everyone wanting 5E releases of older settings, I feel that any they do release will get the Eberron treatment. So people should probably be buying that PDF, whether they think they will ever use it or not, to show that other settings done that way can be profitable too.

One thing I would like to see them do for the Realms is, once another adventure or two have been released, that they take all the fluff/setting material included in all the adventures to that point and compile it into one setting book. That way everyone who does not want or need the actual adventures, and has not bought any of them, but does want the setting info, will have something to buy and use.

 

[Dax Doomslayer]

I'd like to see more options for races. I liked that Xanthar's provided some Racial Feats (though not enough for me). I'd also like to see some sort of 'level progression' maybe for races where they each have different options presented as racial features as opposed to just getting everything at first level. Kind of like class abilities but for Races. This way, every mountain dwarf wouldn't look alike and it would add customization for each character.

 

[Guest 6801328]

Really the only thing the game needs, from my point of view, is more of my time.