D&D 5E What is the point of the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide?

Slit518

Adventurer

• May 6, 2016

• #1

I was at my local game store and looking at the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide. From what I saw, it looked like a bunch of lore for the Sword Coast. Among this lore were several things to expand the main game, such as Deurgar, 2 Rogue Archetypes (Swashbuckler and Mastermind), some cantrips, etc...

But some of what I saw seemed unfinished or not fleshed out. I saw some Bard Colleges that look like they were nothing but text, no mechanical benefit to the actual characters. Some expanded sub-races for elves and the such, but no mechanical benefits yet again.

Did it feel unfinished to everyone else? Is there a point to it other than those few game additions other than the lore? I felt like it should of been more. Needless to say, I didn't buy it.

 

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M

MechaPilot

Explorer

• May 6, 2016

• #2

To make money.

 

Stuntman

First Post

• May 6, 2016

• #3

I was disappointed that there weren't more material for all classes.

 

Slit518

Adventurer

• May 6, 2016

• #4

MechaPilot said:

To make money.

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I meant for the buyer. Like if I were a DM or a player, why would I want to buy it?

 

C

crashtestdummy

First Post

• May 6, 2016

• #5

This topic has been discussed before. I'd suggest reviewing a couple of the previous threads:

http://www.enworld.org/forum/showth...hered-with-the-Sword-Coast-Adventurer-s-Guide
http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?471088-SCAG-Thread

 

AaronOfBarbaria

Adventurer

• May 6, 2016

• #6

Slit518 said:

Did it feel unfinished to everyone else?

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No.

Slit518 said:

Is there a point to it other than those few game additions other than the lore?

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You've basically just asked "Is there a point to this book besides its content?'.

Slit518 said:

I felt like it should of been more. Needless to say, I didn't buy it.

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That is the wise choice to make when you don't see the point of what you are looking at.

Of course, you not seeing the point doesn't mean that there wasn't one.

 

flametitan

Explorer

• May 6, 2016

• #7

It's a lore book for those new to the Realms, first and foremost. The bard colleges are there to explain how bards fit into the Realms, not to expand them mechanically.

Likewise, the Sidebar for rare elven subraces is to provide more context for how elves fit into the world, especially because there's a winged elf in Princes of the Apocalypse, and I assume the expected response to that is supposed to be more "They're still around!?" than "What's a winged elf?"

 

M

MechaPilot

Explorer

• May 6, 2016

• #8

Slit518 said:

I meant for the buyer. Like if I were a DM or a player, why would I want to buy it?

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I can't really say. I know someone who has it, and I am allowing the players in my group to use some of the options therein (all the ones they've asked me about seem fine), but I'm not an FR fan. I'm running a game there because that's where WotC is setting the published adventures (I would make my own if I had the time), but because I'm not an FR fan I feel absolutely no obligation to be beholden to the lore. I've even introduced my homebrew slime race in LMoP, and one of my players will be playing a slime PC when we start PoTA sometime this month.

 

Slit518

Adventurer

• May 6, 2016

• #9

flametitan said:

It's a lore book for those new to the Realms, first and foremost. The bard colleges are there to explain how bards fit into the Realms, not to expand them mechanically.

Likewise, the Sidebar for rare elven subraces is to provide more context for how elves fit into the world, especially because there's a winged elf in Princes of the Apocalypse, and I assume the expected response to that is supposed to be more "They're still around!?" than "What's a winged elf?"

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Aerie in Baldur's Gate II was a winged elf (Avariel). I didn't know they went extinct, or were thought to of went extinct.

Who owns this book? And do you enjoy it?

 

AaronOfBarbaria

Adventurer

• May 6, 2016

• #10

Slit518 said:

Who owns this book? And do you enjoy it?

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I own it, and my group is enjoying using it - and we aren't even playing a game set in the Forgotten Realms.