D&D 5E What Single Thing Would You Add

[JEB]

Schools of magic useful to make a thematic mages from all other non-D&D fictions:
Fire magic, Ice Magic, Blood Magic, Beast Magic, etc

It's astonishing to me that we're nearly seven years into 5E (with indications that an overhaul may be on the way) but we still don't have basic fantasy stuff like elemental casters.

 

[Mind of tempest]

It's astonishing to me that we're nearly seven years into 5E (with indications that an overhaul may be on the way) but we still don't have basic fantasy stuff like elemental casters.

true but I suspect it would be more just a flavour thing or what spells you picked than full subclasses as they tend to be a bit one note.

what even is a blood mage?

 

[Asisreo]

true but I suspect it would be more just a flavour thing or what spells you picked than full subclasses as they tend to be a bit one note.

what even is a blood mage?

Mechanically? A caster that uses lifeforce to drive their spells in the form of HP. So, it may require extracting the blood from your enemies or it could require using your own HP. The "blood" could be used to enhance the already known spell or to make an entirely new spell.

A 5e example is a spellcaster class that can add additional damage to their AoE spells equal to a certain number of expended hit dice which the spellcaster takes half of. Or a powerful spell that requires 50gp worth of a vial of human blood to cast.

 

[Mind of tempest]

Mechanically? A caster that uses lifeforce to drive their spells in the form of HP. So, it may require extracting the blood from your enemies or it could require using your own HP. The "blood" could be used to enhance the already known spell or to make an entirely new spell.

A 5e example is a spellcaster class that can add additional damage to their AoE spells equal to a certain number of expended hit dice which the spellcaster takes half of. Or a powerful spell that requires 50gp worth of a vial of human blood to cast.

it would also need lots of blood themed spells, I would put money on it ending up the edgy caster.

 

[TwoSix]

2) Why would you want to actively stop your player from being able to develop their character the way they wanted to?

Because random or procedurally generated character growth can also be fun.

 

[Sithlord]

Because random or procedurally generated character growth can also be fun.

And just maybe it’s not a kitchen sing campaign and their are some RP limits.

 

[Oofta]

Because random or procedurally generated character growth can also be fun.

For some people perhaps. It's not my cup of tea.

If you want random I'd suggest a system that lets some people randomize while others can plan out. Whether that's having the option to do feats or boons (that are more-or-less balance out in the long run) or in character generation with the option to use point buy or a couple dozen random arrays based on point buy numbers.

 

[TwoSix]

For some people perhaps. It's not my cup of tea.

If you want random I'd suggest a system that lets some people randomize while others can plan out. Whether that's having the option to do feats or boons (that are more-or-less balance out in the long run) or in character generation with the option to use point buy or a couple dozen random arrays based on point buy numbers.

Well, I'm working on a 5e hack that incorporates bits of both. I'm trying to get more of a board game/Talisman feel like into character growth, where the reward loop isn't getting your next character feature but earning magic items and other boons in play.

 

[Reynard]

Because random or procedurally generated character growth can also be fun.

I think one of the "sacred" features of the RPG is that the players have agency over their characters, both within the fiction of play and the mechanics of play, including character generation and development. That doesn't mean there are limited choices or that players shouldn't be cognizant of tone and other table elements, as well as the basic rules of the game in question, but within that broader context it is up to the player. The bit I was specifically challenging was the intimation that the GM gets to force players to make suboptimal choices because roleplaying or something.

 

[TwoSix]

I think one of the "sacred" features of the RPG is that the players have agency over their characters, both within the fiction of play and the mechanics of play, including character generation and development. That doesn't mean there are limited choices or that players shouldn't be cognizant of tone and other table elements, as well as the basic rules of the game in question, but within that broader context it is up to the player. The bit I was specifically challenging was the intimation that the GM gets to force players to make suboptimal choices because roleplaying or something.

Yea, but I read @jgsugden's post as advocating for getting a specifically GM-chosen boon in place of feats, based on the narrative of the game. Personally, I love that idea; it moves character growth out of the metagame and into the narrative space, which I think is very rewarding.