D&D 5E Fantasy Character Draft- How would it work?

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[TwoSix]

Damn, that would be fun as hell.

Arrays and classes would probably go high, backgrounds would be like drafting your kicker. I might add some random (unknown) boons, sell them off at a $5 (gold piece?) minimum. Like a bonus feat, or +2 to a stat, or a magic item to start, and maybe one negative thing (cursed item) just to keep it interesting.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[GreenTengu]

I don't really see how it would work out at all... unless you were in a group where one person was just being an outright troll. Or at least the person deciding the options being a complete troll and intentionally inserting flat out superior and inferior options (one ability array is all 18s while another has no scores above 9 or something)

Within this edition maybe race doesn't so much dictate your class and so maybe there could be some disagreement over who gets to be what class after the races have been assigned, but... past that point?

Once everyone knows what class they are, which background is appropriate (to a lesser extent than the other elements), which array is ideal and which feat actually fits are all pretty much dictated.


The whole "fantasy draft" thing only works because there are obviously superior options. But that wouldn't be so fun to actually play in a game.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[TwoSix]

How about this-

Everyone starts with 50gp.

Random draw as to order (in other words, Player 1 gets to choose what item goes to bid first, so would say, Fighter for 1gp etc., then Player 2 starts the next bidding).

Assume 5 people.
<snip>

Not bad at all. I do think Hobgoblin makes a valid point about you need some kind of value difference to be able to really drive the bidding up. After all, a fantasy wideout might go for 5 times as much as another, even if he's only worth about twice as many (projected) points. Let's make it a little more extreme.

Everyone has 50 gp, bidding starts at 5gp (so the group can't lowball to get more stuff for everyone). Feel free to be aggressive, and maybe take 2 different classes as trade bait; it's part of the fun.

Classes

Fighter (level 3)
Ranger (level 4)
Cleric (level 2)
Any full caster (level 3)
Any non-caster (level 3)
Any two classes (level 1 in each)

Races
Human (standard)
Human (variant)
Half-Elf
Aasimar (any subrace)
Lizardfolk
Kobold

Arrays
**Arrays are sold in groups of 3, must buy 2**
12,12,13
10,15,11
9,9,10
14,12,13
18,6,11
18,7,8
11,12,14
9,10,16
4d6k3 3 times
6d6k3, 5d6k2, 2d6

Feats
*** You can buy no more than 2 ***
Lucky
Magic Initiate
Charger
Actor
Resilient
War Caster
Dual Wielder

Special
+1 armor, weapon, or shield
+2 stat increase (roll d6 for stat)
+1 stat increase (player's choice)
+1 level in a random class (roll d12 for class)
Proficiency and Expertise in one skill
2 random potions

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[TwoSix]

So ... I did try to put in more desirable FIRST ROUND RB options (the player's choice, aka what happens if you don't want a base class).

But I hadn't thought about trading.

I was assuming that once someone got an item from a category, they were done.

I haven't done fantasy in a while (got burnt out from doing too many, so went cold turkey), but stocking up on 2 or 3 of one position if there was a run on a different position was one of my favorite things to do, especially if I was on the end or beginning of the curve. Draft for value, not just your roster spots.

You could really make it more complicated/(fun?) with more bundling. Maybe bundle a less popular race with a stat bump or feat, or a basic class with a guaranteed 17 in their main stat. Ideally, you'd want to create multiple avenues of assessing value to make trading and drafting more interesting.

 

[Sunseeker]

Why would the players be competing?

In Fantasy Football, everyone wants the "good players" but not everyone can have the good players. So you can bid high and fast and try to get stars, and risk having very little left over to fill out your team, or you can bide your time, trying to create a more balanced team and ending up with more "middle" players. But the key trick here is that you're competing against other bidders.

The other players are your comrades. You all know which stats, races and classes pair well together, so unless you've got someone who wants to make something unorthodox (such as a low-str, high-wis Fighter or a high-str, low-cha bard) you're going to be naturally inclined to make optimal combinations, since presumably, much like Fantasy Football, the people who would enjoy this would be number-crunchers and optimizers.

I would argue you need say, 15-25 available "characters". These characters would already have a class, a race and an array. Just like the "characters" in Fantasy Football do. The players would essentially be Amanda Waller or Charlie Townsend and bidding against the same played by the DM: people looking to build an adventuring team to accomplish some goal. Adventurers would cost more for good stats, and also for successful adventuring history. Bob the Mighty may have great stats, but he has no history. Lethor the Bold has medium stats, but has been successful in several dungeons.

I just don't see it working well with the players bidding "against" each other. I'd think they'd be more inclined to let the Wizardy get the Wizard stats and the Fighter get the Fightery stats.