D&D 5E 5th ed D&D general impressions from a new player and DM.

[Oofta]

JImmyG has left the building, folks. No need to reply to him.

I'm grateful for the board moderation around here. I get a tiny bit frustrated now and then (who doesn't) but we don't have to put up with abrasive language.

Thanks.

 

[DND_Reborn]

JImmyG has left the building, folks. No need to reply to him.

Yeah, I mean he seemed to get some of my stuff but yeah there was no call for that.

Thanks, Morrus!

 

[clearstream]

Here is a must read for new 5e DMs:

'Iserith's Adjudicating Actions'

EDIT: (with h/t to @robus )

https://www.enworld.org/attachments/iseriths-guide-to-adjudicating-actions-pdf.132710/

Also worth noting that @iserith promotes a specific DMing style that not all follow. Many of his cases are DM'd very differently by others.

 

[Swarmkeeper]

Also worth noting that @iserith promotes a specific DMing style that not all follow. Many of his cases are DM'd very differently by others.

Sure, the document promotes a DMing style very much informed by the 5e ruleset but, yeah, @iserith indicates pretty much what you just said in the Disclaimer at the beginning of the document.

 

[clearstream]

THE BAD:

Advantage. The rules and conditions for this are scattered throughout the books. I didn't even notice it- until I drew up a Rogue, and went to use his Sneak Attack. There's essentually no guidance included on how the Rogue can GET the advantage needed to use it. (without spells and stuff)

Let a rogue make a stealth check to hide whenever they can't be seen and have more than one square they could be in. Count a rogue as still hidden in the first square they enter from hiding, until they do anything else (including end their turn). However, don't let them use the same square that way twice in a row.

Or if you use TOM and not grids, just be generous with assuming available cover.

Character creation and advancement. The downside to all the options, is that it takes longer to draw up a character- or to level one up- as the relevant info is spread across several chapters, and you need to look in several places to make sure you have it all. Background, race, class, domains, archetypes, school- all have a part of the pie, and most advance with your level.

I now find character creation fast, albeit I do it in a very different order than the PHB suggests. A couple of tips

• Pencil in skills for class and then if you see a background you like, shift any skills that would double-up.
• As it is in PHB, choose class before race
• Use average HP after first level because, for one thing it makes it easy to verify your HP Max is right later

Magic schools. Okay this is a niggle, but I really wish that since choosing a school of magic is now part of the core for every Wizard- that there was a list of spells sorted by school!!! Or even an abbreviation tacked onto each spell on the main spell lists. Considering there are class abilities tied to your use of spells of a specific school... Cross referencing each spell individually is a pain in the tookus!!

IKR!

THE UGLY

OUCH. Some monsters are surprisingly tough in play. For no apparent reason. My party was VERY nearly TPK'd by a pair of giant spiders! At the end of that encounter, the mage was unconscious, paralyzed, and at death's door. The cleric and fighter were on low single digit hp. It took us 2 tries to get through the Kobold lair- the first time, a party of 4 3rd level characters nearly got their butts whupped by Kobolds with slings and Daggers (and +4 attack bonuses, +2 to damage), and 6 giant rats. And had to retreat with everyone wounded- and Bob on ONE hit point. (they couldn't hit the AC 10 mage to save their lives- even before I remembered to cast mage armor- but the AC 19 fighter? No problem!!) Attempt #2 went better, but was still pretty costly. We DID curbstomp the chieftain in one round with a Guiding Bolt/ Chromatic Orb combo though, so there is that, lol. I'm now worried about taking on the Orcs, next.

Tier 1 is where the game is most deadly in my experience, for a number of reasons. Once your characters hit tier 2 they will likely feel more resilient.

 

[clearstream]

Sure, the document promotes a DMing style very much informed by the 5e ruleset but, yeah, @iserith indicates pretty much what you just said in the Disclaimer at the beginning of the document.

Informed by and particular to some, but not all, DMs. For example, there are varying views of what the dice can represent; and their use, and value, in play.

EDIT In short, other equally valid DMing styles are also very much informed by the 5e ruleset.

 

[fearsomepirate]

It's a useful website, but I do most of my stuff in excel. Glad you can code in it.

It didn't have anything to do with your spreadsheet, just while we were on the subject of useful things for doing D&D math

That sounds like the sort of player who'd get uninvited quickly. My players and DM tend to lose patience quickly with that sort of behavior... (the latter example)

He doesn't do it in an naughty wordish way, it's more like
Player A: "I'm gonna drink a healing potion"
Player B (the overthinker): "Whoa, I think we only have two left, let's short rest after this fight. And does anyone have a healing spell?"
Player C: "I can cast prayer of healing after the fight."
Player B: "Good idea. You know you can use a bonus action to disengage and get out of harm's way, right?"
Player A: "Gee, that's a lot better than wasting a healing potion!"

and on and on and on

Meanwhile, there is a goblin with one hit point left. After 7 real-world hours of discussion, the party finally decides on how they will relieve him of it. It is a well-crafted plan, perfectly optimized not just for the party's abilities, but their remaining resources. They all roll 1s.

 

[robus]

Informed by and particular to some, but not all, DMs. For example, there are varying views of what the dice can represent; and their use, and value, in play.

Sure, but for a novice DM like myself that document was incredibly illuminating.

 

[Swarmkeeper]

Informed by and particular to some, but not all, DMs. For example, there are varying views of what the dice can represent; and their use, and value, in play.

Sounds like you are referencing The Role of the Dice (DMG p236) here. It is true, the document is best suited for "The Middle Path" as described on that page.
EDIT : corrected page # - thank you @clearstream!

EDIT In short, other equally valid DMing styles are also very much informed by the 5e ruleset.

Of course, people can play and DM 5e however they like. That's the beauty of D&D and I don't think anyone posting here in good faith believes otherwise. It doesn't affect your table or my table one bit how others choose to play and have fun. It certainly does keep these discussions interesting, though, to hear other viewpoints of how to interpret and implement the rules. That said, I've found @iserith 's style to be particularly apt for running a smooth and enjoyable 5e game. I want to make others aware of that because it transformed my table play into something that I found much more rewarding. At the outset (4 years ago or so), our table play used to be informed quite a bit on assumptions from prior editions that the more experienced players brought in and, frankly, it felt very clunky at times. As I hadn't played 2e through 4e, it was hard at first for me as DM to identify that most of those habits the players were introducing just weren't jiving with the 5e ruleset. It took a while but thanks to many posters here, my DMing style and our game play has evolved in a positive direction. Ultimately, every DM needs to find their own way and all I'm doing here is sharing a methodology that has been very successful in my experience.

 

[fearsomepirate]

I have to admit, I still haven't figured out the exhaustion rule.

As in you haven't figured out how it works, or why I have this house rule?