D&D 5E Starter Set Excerpt 2 -- Equipment

[fjw70]

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4ex/20140610


I like that the rules for the equipment are in the description. I don't recall if that was done in previous editions.

 

[dd.stevenson]

Ah, the old oil on the floor trick.

How I've missed you.

 

[DDNFan]

.

Were healing potions 2d4 +2 in the playtests? I thought they were 2d8 + 2, similar to a single casting of Cure Wounds. I drank half of mine last session, and got 1d8 + 1 if I remember correctly.

A nice house rule for potions is to allow sipping them 1 hit point at a time, like the new Lay on Hands. So you roll the HP each one provides beforehand, then decide if you want to pass it around or drink it all yourself!

 

[fjw70]

Were healing potions 2d4 +2 in the playtests? I thought they were 2d8 + 2, similar to a single casting of Cure Wounds. I drank half of mine last session, and got 1d8 + 1 if I remember correctly.

A nice house rule for potions is to allow sipping them 1 hit point at a time, like the new Lay on Hands. So you roll the HP each one provides beforehand, then decide if you want to pass it around or drink it all yourself!

2d4 + 2 in latest playtest.

 

[Paraxis]

I am sad to see tool proficiencies made it into the final game. It is a clunky mechanic that serves no purpose. They should just have thievery skill and gambling, not thieve's tool and playing card proficiency.

If a tool is needed for some applications of a skill just make that call they can't try without the tool, if there is an issue with not having the right tool but it can be done give them disadvantage, if having the tool in a situation is a valued bonus give them advantage when they have access to the tool. Simple.

 

[Blackwarder]

Nice, I also like the fact that the rules for items usage is in the items description, makes it much more easier to use around the table.

I also like that we have a good breakdown of food and drink prices, iirc in some editions we only had a range of prices.

I wonder how those prices compared to ACKS prices, ACKS got the best economy engine of any RPG I ever

Warder

 

[Lanefan]

Looks ike a decent start.

A few nitpicks:
- I'd much, much rather see damage from the oil be a dice roll (e.g. 2d4) than a flat number, with some sort of secondary damage next round if the fire is not dealt with before then
- there's no mention of lighting the oil as a Molotov before throwing it, which should be easy to do
- damage from torch-as-weapon should be that of the torch itself, shouldn't it - plus the 1 point of fire? Put otherwise, ask how much damage would the *unlit* torch do if swung as a weapon then add the one point of fire damage if it's lit when swung.

This also tells me 5e is staying with the gold-based pricing system (I use this, but a lot of games I've known have gone to a silver-based system).

Lan-"throwing a Molotov at someone who is in process of reading a magic scroll just never stops being fun"-efan

 

[samursus]

I must admit, however excited I am for 5e, this excerpt left me somewhat underwhelmed.

 

[GX.Sigma]

This also tells me 5e is staying with the gold-based pricing system (I use this, but a lot of games I've known have gone to a silver-based system).

I get why some people philosophically like a silver-based system, but players really like talking about things in terms of gold.

 

[jadrax]

This also tells me 5e is staying with the gold-based pricing system (I use this, but a lot of games I've known have gone to a silver-based system).

It does seem that the cost of living prices are much cheaper than the 3.5 ones and also have more categories.

A poor peasant farmer in 3.5 needed to spend 1sp per day on food under the RAW, while the same farmer can exist on 6cp per day at the same standard, or 3cp per day if he drops down to a squalid lifestyle.

It is admittedly not a huge change, but it does give me hope that they have put some thought into the prices this time and we will not see things like a wooden ladder costing less than a 10 foot pole.