D&D 5E New D&D WotC survey! On classes.

[Aldarc]

Regarding the arcane spell schools, they are inconsistent kinds of categories, and less useful for organizing spells. No other gaming mechanics should depend on them. Anything that depends on the schools will likewise become an inconsistent mess.

Consider the schools Abjuration, Transmutation, and Necromancy. One category is a purpose, an other is a process, and an other is a theme. Any spell could show up in any category. The schools organize spell lists less well than other organizational systems, such as psionic disciplines and divine domais that are both mainly thematic and can be used to organize all spells coherently by theme.

It also feels that the themes and processes for spell traditions are repeatedly broken for the sake of creating loopholes in earlier iterations of the game - e.g., a conjuration/transmutation spell that is effectively an evocation attack spell that the Conjurer/Transmuter can cast, etc. - and these oddities have been preserved mostly for the sake of tradition than consistentcy. Not to mention the bizarre refusal by WotC to make healing a type of Necromancy.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I can't agree that a Necromancer class would fit the way 5e does things. Largely because it's almost perfect both thematically and mechanically for a sorcerer subclass, especially if necromancers get their own metamagic options thrown in both to optionally necromancy-theme spells like mage armour for a bonus, and to tweak the undead they summon way past the realms of animate dead. The big wizard gimmick is breadth.

I don't think even Sorcerers have the design space and I am once again referring people to Worlds Without Number's Necromancer or alternatively, to Gideon the Ninth.

Sorcerer would be fine if it had more design space though. A half-caster like Artificer might be a better base, but Artificer's theme and base abilities conflict with Necromancy. OR DO THEY?!?! You might actually be able to do a decent Necromancer as an Artificer subclass. It would be kind of a specific Necromancer, not an all-purpose one like a class could be, but it could do a much better job than Wizard Necromancer.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

The trouble with this bit is that it throws out the action economy. The summoned undead should be area effect debuffers or something like Spirit Guardian but not centred on the necro.

Yeah I'm aware, they don't have to be actual attackers with separate statlines and stuff (beyond the one permanent one), and this is why I'm saying separate class, because then you can meld the class in such a way that the action economy works with what they've got.

 

[Panfilo]

The level of detail on this survey is bordering on something people should be paid for. It's practically a consultation.

 

[ph0rk]

The level of detail on this survey is bordering on something people should be paid for. It's practically a consultation.

Usually when a survey takes more than 5-10 minutes (as this one does) without an incentive, people just stop halfway and you have tons of nonresponse bias to address (they lack the extra detail about respondents to address it).

 

[Aldarc]

Yeah I'm aware, they don't have to be actual attackers with separate statlines and stuff (beyond the one permanent one), and this is why I'm saying separate class, because then you can meld the class in such a way that the action economy works with what they've got.

I imagine that it would not be too difficult to simply have minions work akin to temporary spell effects like Spirit Guardians, Evard's Tendrils, etc.

 

[SkidAce]

I imagine that it would not be too difficult to simply have minions work akin to temporary spell effects like Spirit Guardians, Evard's Tendrils, etc.

My only conceptual concern would be if somebody raised an actual zombie (similar to other zombies my character had encountered) they would expect to be able to target/combat that creature.

It could work, just something to take into account I reckon.

 

[FrogReaver]

I gave up on the survery after 30%. I did barbarian, bard, cleric, druid and I said this thing is taking too much time.

 

[FrogReaver]

The level of detail on this survey is bordering on something people should be paid for. It's practically a consultation.

Yea I can't believe they thought something this in depth was a good idea.

 

[Gladius Legis]

You guys do know you could pick the classes you wanted to provide feedback on, right? You didn't have to do them all?