D&D 5E D&D Next Q&A: 03/14/2014

[Plaguescarred]

D&D Next Q&A
03/14/2014
By Rodney Thompson

You've got questions—we've got answers! Here's how it works—each week, our Community Manager will be scouring all available sources to find whatever questions you're asking. We'll pick three of them for R&D to answer.

What do you think?

 

[Plaguescarred]

I like that bards get full spellcasting mixed with bardic inspirations and that respective Colleges provides unique ways to use this feature. College of Valor and College of Lore seems different enought too.

I like that bard inspirations are not instantaneous but rather usable within 1 minute. Its both more versatile and flexible in that it can be used at a more advantageous moment when the need arise.

I like that Expertise is doubling your proficiency bonus as i think its easier on bounded accuracy than a flat +5 by starting smaller and going up progressively as you get higher level. I also like that proficiency bonus starts at +2 rather than +1, enlarging the gap between proficient vs unproficient.

 

[JamesonCourage]

If I understand answer number 3, it's is still immensely disappointing. It's such a low bonus ("I'm specialized, so I succeed 10% more often than you do... Whooo....") that it's almost meaningless. Is it a start? Yep. But I'd much prefer more than a 10% difference between people of similar attributes.

I don't really care about the Bard stuff, so no comment there.

 

[Minigiant]

If I understand answer number 3, it's is still immensely disappointing. It's such a low bonus ("I'm specialized, so I succeed 10% more often than you do... Whooo....") that it's almost meaningless. Is it a start? Yep. But I'd much prefer more than a 10% difference between people of similar attributes.

I don't really care about the Bard stuff, so no comment there
.

I agree. Part of me feels they are too stymied by simplicity. It would have been okay to have two progressions. Proficiency from +2 to +6. And expertise from +5 to +10. But that would have required two tables to remember.


This is better than nothing.

 

[Klaus]

If I understand answer number 3, it's is still immensely disappointing. It's such a low bonus ("I'm specialized, so I succeed 10% more often than you do... Whooo....") that it's almost meaningless. Is it a start? Yep. But I'd much prefer more than a 10% difference between people of similar attributes.

I don't really care about the Bard stuff, so no comment there.

It's just 10% at 1st level, when the characters are just apprentices. But the gap increases as the characters gain more experience (+2 vs. +4 at 1st level becomes +6 vs. +12 at max proficiency, which is nothing to sneeze at).

 

[Sage Genesis]

It would have been okay to have two progressions. Proficiency from +2 to +6. And expertise from +5 to +10. But that would have required two tables to remember.

If you do that, expertise is even less potent in the long run. Their expertise caps out at +12. Yours at +10.

 

[ExploderWizard]

If I understand answer number 3, it's is still immensely disappointing. It's such a low bonus ("I'm specialized, so I succeed 10% more often than you do... Whooo....") that it's almost meaningless. Is it a start? Yep. But I'd much prefer more than a 10% difference between people of similar attributes.

The smaller gap between specialists and non-specialists is a GOOD thing. It means characters don't have to be such delicate focused workers in some insect colony.

We are being attacked by flying critters and I'm melee focused waaahhhh!!!!!

The smaller specialization gap means that you all around better equipped to deal with whatever gets thrown at you whether or not it falls within your specialty. I am quite fine with not being so astronomically good at a specialty if the tradeoff is not being worthless at everything else. I would rather participate to some degree even at things that I'm not best at, rather than be completely ineffective or worse, have the universe become stupid all to make sure I can always play with my favorite toy. YMMV.

 

[Gundark]

I actually really like the 5e Bard and suspect this will be my first character

 

[DMZ2112]

Boy, the phrasing of that last answer scared the pants off me.

 

[ambroseji]

I like the sound of the different colleges, especially that they can modify the use of bardic inspiration. It sounds like bardic inspiration can be used on multiple characters at a time, which is good. I'm curious if/how its usage will be restricted...

If it is usable a limited number of times per day or rest, I am concerned that it won't have a big enough effect.

What I'm hoping for is that it is only limited by the time it takes to inspire. Which is to say, if it takes 1-5 minutes for the bard to use inspire his/her allies, then it would be available "per encounter" in a 4e sort of way. Of course, it wouldn't help in an ambush, but based on how I understand the flavor of the ability, it really shouldn't.

My concern then would be how inspiration would work with skill checks, since there would almost always be time out of combat for the bard to use the ability, but I suppose that bards have always been able to sing a ditty and help their party out in those situations (unless they were sneaking).

I think that if the colleges focus on buffing the combat application of inspiration, then it will be okay if the bard gets to use in many times throughout the day. There are other balanced options, I'm sure, but this is what I'm hoping for.