D&D (2024) Revised 6E prediction thread

[Minigiant]

Make all characters more MAD, to encourage/reward more varied attribute score assignment. That will require a combination of toning down the importance of primary stats (which they have taken steps toward in recent material), creating more subclasses that use alternate stats, and just generally making secondary/tertiary stats more useful.

This is where I see it going.

Classes will get a class based mechanical benefit from 3 or more ablity scores. Classes from previous editions will be incorporated into the main classes to make them have less dependent on specific prechoice abilities. So Str wizard, Int rogues, and Cha fighters will have more advantages beside their base ability aspects.

 

[tetrasodium]

This is where I see it going.

Classes will get a class based mechanical benefit from 3 or more ablity scores. Classes from previous editions will be incorporated into the main classes to make them have less dependent on specific prechoice abilities. So Str wizard, Int rogues, and Cha fighters will have more advantages beside their base ability aspects.

Would be nice if they keep the 3.x on standardization* of bonuses but go back to the 2e mark for +/-1 at 6 & 15 or so to somewhat deemphasize the weight on perfect stats too.
* prior to 3.0/3.5 each attribute got +/-1 & other stuff at different values then 3.x standardized them all to the 8/12 we know. The standardization was good but it made it so stats seemed so important to players that the proper distribution was practically set in stone

 

[Stalker0]

There is no such thing as "ironclad rules for stealth" because you can't cover every scenario. The more they try to clamp rules like this down, the more exceptions there are. The more exceptions, the more clarification and further rules are needed. It's a never ending rabbit hole. Ultimately no matter how many rules you have unless you have board-game-like rules it will always come down to a judgement call.

There was a podcast on this here if you want to listen to the reason they did what they did.

Personally I like that I can set the tone and style of my campaign, I don't want to have my hands tied or to have to flip through books to find the specific rule for the specific scenario. YMMV of course.

In my original statement, I noted that for the vast majority of skills, I am glad WOTC went with a more freeform, "DM makes the call" kind of work. But I do feel Stealth is one of the exceptions.

While its true you can't cover every scenario, you could certain cover a lot of standard scenarios people are going to try.

1) Hide while in combat
2) Hide after attacking and other standard actions.
3) Effects of Invisibility
4) Moving while hidden, at what point is the person "no longer hidden".
5) Rules for aggressive looking for hidden character.
6) "Passive Stealth" (aka I teleported in fog or behind X, am I automatically hidden?)

So that took me a minute of brainstorming, and covers a lot of the areas my players and monster have used stealth. Yes its impossible to cover 100%, but its relatively easy to get 80%.

 

[cbwjm]

I guess, but wouldn't that be the case in any edition from 3e on?

Personally, I've never run games where the PCs are always facing the next best thing. The typical progression for us is: from 1 orc to a few orcs to dozens of orcs, etc,, with a few more powerful beasties thrown in every once and a while.

That's how I run games. Currently my players are level 5 and they're annihilating dozens of gnolls, goblins, and hobgoblins, while also facing off against trolls, ogres, and hill giants as well as stronger versions of the gnolls and hobgoblins. The players are definitely feeling powerful.

 

[embee]

You left out the part where they blocked buying the stock to prevent further pumping in a clear move to interrupt the disruption. I found that an interesting step in the process.

Robinhood did it partly for that reason and partly because the trading was causing it to burn through cash. It owed the clearing houses a couple million dollars in fees. It was lucky to raise another round of funding from an emergency stock offering.

 

[auburn2]

This is where I see it going.

Classes will get a class based mechanical benefit from 3 or more ablity scores. Classes from previous editions will be incorporated into the main classes to make them have less dependent on specific prechoice abilities. So Str wizard, Int rogues, and Cha fighters will have more advantages beside their base ability aspects.

There is an easy way to accomplish this in the current core rules - roll abilities and use a scheme that does not allow moving them.to different abilities.

If you roll a 17 Strength you have a 17 strength, not a 17 that you can move to wisdom because you want to be a cleric. Still be a cleric and do it with a high strength!

 

[humble minion]

If you roll a 17 Strength you have a 17 strength, not a 17 that you can move to wisdom because you want to be a cleric. Still be a cleric and do it with a high strength!

Problem is when you want to be a cleric and roll a 5 for wisdom, and therefore suck at being a cleric though your entire cleric-ing career.

 

[auburn2]

In my original statement, I noted that for the vast majority of skills, I am glad WOTC went with a more freeform, "DM makes the call" kind of work. But I do feel Stealth is one of the exceptions.

While its true you can't cover every scenario, you could certain cover a lot of standard scenarios people are going to try.

1) Hide while in combat
2) Hide after attacking and other standard actions.
3) Effects of Invisibility
4) Moving while hidden, at what point is the person "no longer hidden".
5) Rules for aggressive looking for hidden character.
6) "Passive Stealth" (aka I teleported in fog or behind X, am I automatically hidden?)

So that took me a minute of brainstorming, and covers a lot of the areas my players and monster have used stealth. Yes its impossible to cover 100%, but its relatively easy to get 80%.

The rules cover these pretty clearly. These are all right in the PHB. Hide is an action, not a condition. Either you take the action or you don't. If you do not take the hide action you are not hidden.

1. Yes as long as you are obscured ... or have an ability that lets you hide being partially obscured (halfling, wood elf). Being in combat does not change that (although it can be difficult to be obscured in combat).

2. Hide is clearly an action in the PHB. If you are a fighter with action surge you can use it to hide after you attack with your normal action. If you are hasted you can use it as your second action after you attack. If you are a Rogue you can use it as a bonus action after you are attacked. Other cases, no you can not hide, or take any action, on the same turn you take the attack action. You can move and obscure yourself after taking the attack action, but that is different than taking the hide action. You are obscured but you are not hidden. If you are still obscured on your next turn you can take an action to hide if you want.

3. Invisible is a condition like frightened or prone. Effects of the condition are clearly spelled out in the PHB on p291. and it adresses hiding specifically - "for the purposes of hiding the creature is heavily obscured". This means a Rogue can drink a potion of invisibility and then immediately use his bonus action to hide right where he is standing. A fighter could do the same and then use his action surge to hide. Another character could turn himself invisible and hide on his next turn (assuming he is still invisible) but he would not be hidden for the round between the time he drank the potion and took the hide action. People can not see him, but he is not hidden either.

4. Clear in the rules: A. When you fail a hide check vs passive perception. B. when someone takes a search action and beats your hide. C. When you are no longer fully obscured (if you move out from behind what is obscuring you). With respect to C - if you are hiding behind something and move out from it you are no longer obscured. If you are being obscured by invisibility, darkness or fog cloud then you will still be obscured and hidden until you attack.

5. Search action p.193 PHB. Enemy can take the search action to compare perception against your hide roll. If successful you are no longer hidden. How aggressive he is has nothing to do with it, either he takes the search action and tries to find you or he does not. Alternatively he can launch an attack against where you might be (without knowing). If you are not there it is a miss, if you are there he gets an attack roll with disadvantage. There is even an example of this in the PHB I believe.

6. If you did not take the hide action you are not hidden.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

In real life? My fellow grogs & I simply refer to all of this as "Basic".

Weird.
When I’m being imprecise and just say “Basic,” I am specifically excluding Holmes.

The others have a shared rule set that you can trace (a lineage); Holmes is arguably the bridge between OD&D and AD&D so despite the shared name is certainly not in the same category.

 

[auburn2]

Problem is when you want to be a cleric and roll a 5 for wisdom, and therefore suck at being a cleric though your entire cleric-ing career.

Few methods which allow for fixed rolls will result in this. Even if you use the 3d6 6 times for every stat you only have a 6% chance of rolling lower than a 12. The chance of rolling lower than an 8 is 4 in 100,000.

The homebrew method I use most often is adapted from a 1e method and you choose your class (but not race) before you roll. Depending on the class you choose you get a lot of dice on the prime requisite (in the case of cleric 9 dice for wisdom and drop 6). You will generally roll between 15 and 17 on that stat, occasionally 18, occasionally 14. I have never seen below a 13 and that is before race, so even then you can make it 15 pretty easy. Using this method, you always have a "Good" main stat but you won't be able to choose a dump stat. and other stats are very random. You don't get your fighter with a 8 str and 16 dex or the other fighter standing next to him that has those swapped the other way.

Regardless of the method you use, rolling is absolutely the best way to avoid dump stats and have randomized characters.