D&D 5E (2014) What Single Thing Would You Add

[Stormonu]

What I really want though, is a base “Gish” class that can hold the various fighter/magic-user builds, including the existing Eldritch Knight, Bladesinger, Swordmage, Shadowblade, Arcane Archer, etc.

 

[ninjayeti]

Bacon. Everything is better with bacon.

 

[Mind of tempest]

Bacon. Everything is better with bacon.

and low the bacon meme returns from long slumber.

 

[Oofta]

No. Especially since character sheets had what the number was next to each weapon. So it was really easy. If you rolled a 15, and your THAC0 for that weapon (which had already factored in any modifiers) was 14, then you hit AC -1. It wasn't any more math, since the math was done up front to get the individual THAC0 for that weapon type. The only math was subtracting your roll from the THAC0 number. That's it. You didn't have the "I rolled a 14, +2 for strength, +1 for weapon, +4 for BAB, so I hit.....(14+2+1+4 is 21)...AC 21!"

So it was easy because you had the numbers already printed out ... which you could do right now if it matters.

THAC0 was confusing for a lot of people, addition is easier for most people. Especially when adding bonuses really meant subtracting.

 

[Faolyn]

Sure it can. It’s been done before and can be done again. If decent effort is put into the system, people will use it too - even if it isn’t what they originally claimed they wanted. <Edit> Look at how many people would like to get rid of Vancian wizards, but that’s what everyone uses.

Where in D&D has it been done "right," though? Every incarnation of psionics I've seen for D&D has been a mess and IMO failed in one or more of the ways I listed.

As for magic, well, they're about as far from Vancian as they're going to get. Yes, you have to prepare the spells (unless you're a class that Knows them), but you know longer forget them after casting or have to prepare them multiple times.

The current 5E psionics work at a basic level, a bit more work (base classes - using power points, additional abilities unique to psionics added to what exists, psionic items, monster [variants] and expand the magic initiate to cover wild talents) and we’d be there.

Calculations for power points are time consuming at best, leads to psionicists going nova and then being useless, and are bothersome for people who aren't good at math. (Same thing with using spell points for magic.) Plus, they'd have to either come back on a short or long rest--and people would complain about that--because having them come back over any other period of time would lead to waaay too much timekeeping for probably most tables.

Personally, I like the psionic archetypes and wouldn't mind more of those, but I honestly can't stand the idea of a psionic class.

They do have the Telekinetic and Telepathic feats now, so it's a good start.

 

[Shiroiken]

Just one, huh? How about a working weapons table, where most weapons have some trade off (trident isn't a crappier spear, mace isn't a crappier staff). I understand that some weapons were just worse than others, but at the very least price should reflect that.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I don't think it's possible to make a psionics system that is distinguishable from the existing magic systems, isn't overpowered, feels like it would fit a fantasy game (instead of relying on all the modern and SF terminology like it always has in D&D), and can be run in a way that isn't clunky and will be liked by a majority of the players.

I think this is kind of silly point, not intending that as an insult, but just seems a bit thoughtless, because the same really applies to magic in D&D.

If you had D&D with some other magic system, and you tried to introduce D&D's current magic system, people would loathe it. The reaction to any psionics system would be highly positive by comparison. The idea that the "majority" of players "like" (rather than tolerate) Vancian casting seems to me to be an incredibly questionable one. So to me you're demanding a complete double-standard. I think it would be absolutely possible to add Psionics that were distinguishable from Vancian casting (just use power points, it's not hard), not clunky (again, assuming current magic isn't "clunky"), and tolerated by a majority of players.

That's the big problem that WotC themselves didn't understand. Vancian casting as implemented in 5E wouldn't pass their own standards (what was it, 70% approval?). The casters in 5E wouldn't pass their own standards, they wouldn't even come near - full casters would be immediately dismissed as ludicrously overpowered, a joke even. Each class would be lucky to reach 50% approval if they were actually being presented as new classes.

But if you lower the bar to the same actual level, the real place the bar should be, you're looking at tolerate. If they'd done that, the Mystic with some balance fixes (far smaller than people like to suggest) would have been fine, and distinct enough.

Anyway my one thing would be a power-point based Psionics system.

Where in D&D has it been done "right," though? Every incarnation of psionics I've seen for D&D has been a mess and IMO failed in one or more of the ways I listed.

So has magic in every edition of D&D (except 4E, which non-coincidentally, also had fine Psionics but people like to say it "wasn't D&D"). This is just a double-standard and nothing more.

Personally, I like the psionic archetypes and wouldn't mind more of those, but I honestly can't stand the idea of a psionic class.

I think this is the real issue - you don't like the idea, fundamentally, and the logic and double-standards you're applying are just backfilling on a decision you've already made, rather than actual arguments.

 

[TheSword]

The Birthright campaign setting. Because short of a wish fulfillment exercise like this... it is almost certainly never gonna happen.

 

[Gorg]

There are several things I'd like to add to 5th Edition D&D that didn't get carried over from previous editions. Lately I've been missing the old Monster Templates from 3.X, so that's my answer for today.

Dammit- you took mine!

So, I guess it'd have to be the older version of the alignment system. A) I LIKED how spells like protection from Evil, Dispel evil, and stuff like that worked. As well as aligned items like weapons.

and also B) because it would annoy all those who've been annoying the rest of us with I HATE ALIGNMENT screeds for decades now.

 

[Faolyn]

I think this is kind of silly point, not intending that as an insult, but just seems a bit thoughtless, because the same really applies to magic in D&D.

True. But the magic is already here. Psionics, however, is always just tacked on and not particularly well.

So instead of one system that's not great, you'd have one system that's not great plus a system that is one or more of (A) just like the first one, but we'll pretend it's different, (B) overly complicated, and (C) either underpowered or overpowered. I can forgive the foibles of the magic system (especially since I find it much improved in 5e), but both magic and psionics is a bit much for me.

And that's not even getting into game questions of how psionics and magic affect one another or what powers brings to the table that magic doesn't, or shouldn't (do we go so far as to edit the spell lists so there are things that only psionicists can do, in the same way there are spells only wizards can cast?). Or worldbuilding questions of why and how both things exist in the same world.

(I also already said that this was all my opinion, BTW; I didn't say it was hard fact.)

That being said, you still haven't said which incarnation of psionics was done "right." I honestly do want to know what you consider to be a good D&D psionics system.