D&D 5E New D&D Survey, with some in-depth setting questions

[Minigiant]

I'm not sure if I agree with your assessment of Warcraft, but I'm also not sure if I want to spend the next few pages arguing about it either. Though it may be better if I were to suggest simply removing the non-D&D settings from the compared set so that D&D settings are compared with other D&D settings in regards to their magic.

I added nonD&D settings to display how D&D setting have a major usage of spellcasters with high versatility compared to other fantasy settings.

It's one of the main ways to disprove D&D as generic classic fantasy. D&D characters and monsters have incredible range not found anywhere else in fantasy.

It's something I believe D&D is beyond due exploring. The lowest you really get is Dark Sun and that hasn't made it to 5th yet. And even Dark Sun isn't that narrow

 

[Henadic Theologian]

As @Parmandur said, these answers seem to be pulled from previous surveys.

I get you love FR, but I don't see why FR's answers show an "anti-FR bias." If anyone has the worst survey answers its Dragonlance, which has for some reason extremely short choices.

Actually the main ones that bothered me was the introduction answer because it suggested folks only like it because they don't know better and the most like a classic setting one, because it's not, Greyhawk and Mystara are in my opinion.

BUT I get FR is harder to classify then others, although I just realized the "flexiblity" answer is their polite way of saying "kitchen sink setting" LMFAO. Personally I think Archology Setting like they used for Dominaria in the past, but this is fine.

And on the novel issue, I'm satisfied with the Nostalgia answer which I didn't notice contained novels and other media.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

I added nonD&D settings to display how D&D setting have a major usage of spellcasters with high versatility compared to other fantasy settings.

It's one of the main ways to disprove D&D as generic classic fantasy. D&D characters and monsters have incredible range not found anywhere else in fantasy.

It's something I believe D&D is beyond due exploring. The lowest you really get is Dark Sun and that hasn't made it to 5th yet. And even Dark Sun isn't that narrow

That is an interesting point, even Sorcerers and Warlocks have much higher versatility compared to magic users of other settings. I mean look at how little versatility Gandalf has compared to even low level D&D spellcasters.

I think the none D&D settings that do have versatility have it because of D&D influence most of the time.

 

[Staffan]

Both the lightning rail and airships are recent developments. The airship is within like the last ten years and airship within the last decade with the timeline even noting when a few major cities were connected like how it might shortly adter/still during the us buildout of the transcontinental railroad. Yes they exist, but they are not common .

The elemental binding tech used for airships is even strongly hinted to have been stolen from the drow who themselves are former slaves of a fallen giant empire living in the bones of that empire the last 4000p or so years. The drow weren't really using it, they just preserved some of the applies the knowledge &tools of a much more advanced civilization thst developed it.

Eberron Timeline

Eberron has a rich and varied history; a history that can be seen all around you. From the ruins of recent wars to the ancient ruins of Xen'drik, what follows are the known highlights of the past. This timeline uses the Galifar Calendar to mark dates. Events from the distant past are intended to...

eberron.fandom.com

Airships yes, but the lightning rail is an established technology that dates back over a century, to before the Last War. And insofar as you see Keith Baker as an authority on the setting, he has said that he sees the lightning rails as marked on the maps as the trunk lines that have frequent trains and allow trains running in the opposite directions to pass one another, but that there are also smaller lines covering most settled areas but with less frequent traffic (like once or twice a week).

 

[Staffan]

That is an interesting point, even Sorcerers and Warlocks have much higher versatility compared to magic users of other settings. I mean look at how little versatility Gandalf has compared to even low level D&D spellcasters.

I think the none D&D settings that do have versatility have it because of D&D influence most of the time.

I've been saying this since... I think the release the Expanded psionics handbook for 3.5. Basically, in core D&D, almost everything magical can be done by a wizard. There are some niche exceptions (with healing being the big one that traditionally is the realm of divine magic, though that's been softened up a bit), but almost everything. This has two effects:

1. The wizard becomes boring, because every wizard grabs the "good" spells if they can.
2. It becomes hard to introduce other caster types, because the wizard already does everything as well as can be done without breaking the game. You can't do a psion that's better at mindbleepery, because the wizard already has charm person as a 1st level spell and suggestion as 3rd. The effect in 3.5e was that the psion was a better blaster than the wizard, but not a better mindbleeper.

I thought 4e had a decent start on a fix, by making the wizard class in the PHB very focused on boom-boom magic, but that didn't last. Late-era 3e also had a valiant attempt at alternatives via the ultra-specialists (warmage, beguiler, dread necromancer) which more or less acted as sorcerers with a fixed spell lists of all in-theme spells plus assorted class features that fit the theme as well.

 

[Bolares]

My answer to the "what are your 3 favorite races" question on surveys like this one always has been and always will be "Gnomes, Warforged, and Lizardfolk".

Mine was Gnomes Warforged Changeling

 

[Twiggly the Gnome]

Mine was Gnomes Warforged Changeling

Those are the ones I chose as well.

 

[Mind of tempest]

I've been saying this since... I think the release the Expanded psionics handbook for 3.5. Basically, in core D&D, almost everything magical can be done by a wizard. There are some niche exceptions (with healing being the big one that traditionally is the realm of divine magic, though that's been softened up a bit), but almost everything. This has two effects:

1. The wizard becomes boring, because every wizard grabs the "good" spells if they can.
2. It becomes hard to introduce other caster types, because the wizard already does everything as well as can be done without breaking the game. You can't do a psion that's better at mindbleepery, because the wizard already has charm person as a 1st level spell and suggestion as 3rd. The effect in 3.5e was that the psion was a better blaster than the wizard, but not a better mindbleeper.

I thought 4e had a decent start on a fix, by making the wizard class in the PHB very focused on boom-boom magic, but that didn't last. Late-era 3e also had a valiant attempt at alternatives via the ultra-specialists (warmage, beguiler, dread necromancer) which more or less acted as sorcerers with a fixed spell lists of all in-theme spells plus assorted class features that fit the theme as well.

the versatility of the wizard would be less of a problem if they were more locked into their subclasses with less choice of spells outside of it but that would take another edition to do nerf its versatility and buff its health.

 

[Bolares]

Wait... the wizard is a problem?

 

[Mind of tempest]

Wait... the wizard is a problem?

the casters being super versatile is the balance problem the wizard is an example.