D&D 5E Legends & Lore 03/24/2014

[Klaus]

Not really on topic, but the art for this L&L is way cool. Where did it come from?

And, equipment packages have been in the game for a long time. The back of the old B/E module - The Lost City had three equipment packages, all about the same price, that covered adventuring equipment. Loved it then and love it now.

It's from a 4e book. I want to say Adventurer's Vault, but I'm not 100% sure.

 

[I'm A Banana]

It is a pretty sweet piece of artwork!

 

[the Jester]

I want all the classes to start off with the same level of complexity. In my opinion, it makes no sense that a cleric gets to chose a deity or domain, but a fighter has to wait until third level to make significant class choices.

It's a matter of the in-game fiction. It makes perfect sense for a warrior to gradually focus on one fighting style, while it makes no sense whatsoever to many of us for a cleric to get empowered by a deity if she hasn't even chosen one yet.

(Obviously, this is a matter of taste, but it has come up in every thread that I've read that addresses the topic, so it is clearly a concern for a significant subset of D&D players.)

 

[Mistwell]

So it looks like they lifted almost-whole the starting-character oddity rule from Numenera.

 

[Dausuul]

Didn't we have this in 3E? I don't recall those packages seeing much use. But then, the 3E packages kind of sucked.

The idea sounds promising, but it's all in the implementation. Every package has to include the adventuring essentials: At least 50 feet of rope, a way to start a fire, a light source*, and any kit that may be required to stabilize a dying PC. Rations, bedroll, and water are seldom actually required (if the core books contain rules for hunger and thirst, I'll be surprised) but are customarily included as a nod to verisimilitude. I like that they don't try to specify your weapon and armor--those are things that should always be up to the player to choose--and the "random trinkets table" sounds awesome.

If they do this right, it will be a great addition to the game. If they do it wrong... well, it'll just be a repeat of 3E's worthless equipment packages: A wasted opportunity, but hardly a disaster. Everyone will just buy gear a la carte, same as they did in previous editions, and life will go on.

[SIZE=-2]*Optional for PCs with darkvision.[/SIZE]

 

[Sadrik]

I think this is a really good way to go for 1st level character creation.

Packages could also be developed for starting at higher levels too. As we all know characters are not always created at first level. Perhaps something that can be found in the DMG or PHB2?

A couple of things about equipment that I would like to see in the PHB.

Alchemy as a non-magical source of magic- I don't want to see this concept. Alchemist fire is magical, heck black powder is magical in D&D, acid is magical (unless extracted from a creature). So, alchemical compositions should be created by spells and be magical creations as a consequence. The only gray area here is poison and I can see both existing, magic poison created in a lab, and poison extracted from an animal or plant. Both valid. Basically the concept of creating some concoction in a lab is magical by nature. Anything extracted from an animal or plant is not.

I would like to see potions and scrolls in the PHB. I think if you want to buy a potion of healing you should be able to out of the PHB. Minor magic items should be included in the PHB, potions and scrolls. Other magic items should be in the DMG as they are the providence of game world creation.

 

[Iosue]

It's a matter of the in-game fiction. It makes perfect sense for a warrior to gradually focus on one fighting style, while it makes no sense whatsoever to many of us for a cleric to get empowered by a deity if she hasn't even chosen one yet.

(Obviously, this is a matter of taste, but it has come up in every thread that I've read that addresses the topic, so it is clearly a concern for a significant subset of D&D players.)

It's not an issue for me, but were I making the decisions, I would have decoupled cleric-style from deity and gone for something more like In Nomine. That is, you pick your deity right away and get a few special features. Say, proficiency with a staff, medium armor, two cantrips, and a channel divinity based on the deity you choose. Then, at level 3, you choose whether you want to be an arsekicker for the Lord, laser cleric, or holy combat medic, and get armor/weapon profs or magical spells as appropriate. So deity would be similar to fighting styles, and type of cleric would be like martial paths.

 

[Stormonu]

I remember pointing many of my players to the equipment pack in B4. I also remember despising the PHB2 equipment pack for including sun rods. Overall, I like equipment packs, but I hope they don't include alchemical items in the base package.

i'm also leery about the trinket table. The person who picks up, say, an heirloom pearl necklace or his father's masterwork sword will be overjoyed, but I can almost imagine a pig-pen like "I got a rock" when someone rolls up that "candle that won't light"

 

[Agamon]

So it looks like they lifted almost-whole the starting-character oddity rule from Numenera.

And people say Monte quit due to differences in design decisions.

Reminds me a bit of starting equipment for DCC funnel PCs, too. I'm a farmer, I start with a pitchfork and a chicken.

 

[ForeverSlayer]

I'm glad they are focusing on mundane equipment because I require tracking of everything. It adds a more realistic element to the game and it makes players who ise ammunition to be more cautious. I always use a rule that if you have recoverable ammo then you get back half.