D&D General Is power creep bad?

[MichaelSomething]

I need you to explain to me how Level Drain has any impact on Power Creep in 2022 for D&D 5E.

I started this train so I'll explain. 5E lacks a lot of negative effects for PCs that existed in previous editions. I contend that it is a form of power creep across editions.

In previous editions, monster had level draining abilities. In 5E, they don't. Though it might be better defined as nerfing monsters instead of buffing PCs...

 

[Shardstone]

No. You weren't looking for a discussion in good faith then and you aren't looking for one now. You want to argue about how "your generation" (whatever that is) has cracked the code on the definition of fun.

Well, congratulations, you win. You never ever have to use level drain. Good job!

That's not what I wanted to argue. You are taking what I said and imposing your own interpretation against my words. Nothing you said in your post was true to my intent, true to my post, or true to what I came here to do. Please don't try and tell me what I was doing again, and don't try to guess my motives. You can just ask instead of wasting my time by trying to paint me as someone on a crusade against people older than me.

 

[Shardstone]

I started this train so I'll explain. 5E lacks a lot of negative effects for PCs that existed in previous editions. I contend that it is a form of power creep across editions.

In previous editions, monster had level draining abilities. In 5E, they don't. Though it might be better defined as nerfing monsters instead of buffing PCs...

I don't think that's power creep but instead acknowledging a design paradigm that no longer was desired by the audience at large. The reason Level Drain disappeared wasn't just to nerf monsters, but because a lot of players found it unfun, and because the design of 3E and beyond are not built with Level Drain in mind. Losing a level in post 3E D&D is much different than in pre-3E, as each level you lose means you lose potential handfuls of levels in addition to everything else. In 5E, this is only more so.

Power Creep can instead be seen in how damage and HP have increased over the generations of D&D, and the amount of features given to characters as compared to before. Specific mechanics that get abandoned between editions aren't evidence of power creep but instead are presenting to you entirely new rulesets that shouldn't really be compared to each other along these terms. After all, each ruleset is designed to cater to a different audience in a different generation who want different things. While there is often overlap, the game I'm playin with 5E is nothing like my OD&D games.

 

[Bill Zebub]

I started this train so I'll explain. 5E lacks a lot of negative effects for PCs that existed in previous editions. I contend that it is a form of power creep across editions.

In previous editions, monster had level draining abilities. In 5E, they don't. Though it might be better defined as nerfing monsters instead of buffing PCs...

And then I threw out Level Drain to be funny.

But I can understand how the younger generation(s) might get sick of us grognards droning on about "how you youngins have it so easy..."

 

[DND_Reborn]

But I can understand how the younger generation(s) might get sick of us grognards droning on about "how you youngins have it so easy..."

Oh, but they do have it easier... they do, indeed...

 

[Seramus]

You can just ask instead of wasting my time by trying to paint me as someone on a crusade against people older than me.

To be clear, I asked if your intent was to insult, and you said "Yes."

 

[James Gasik]

Not sure if I should post this comment about level drain here or in the "5e rules thread". Eh, I'll do it here.

So one of my problems with level drain was simply logistics. Do you mark down each hit die roll at level up? No?

Then upon losing a level, how do we adjust your new hit point total? Just roll the hit die again, so you might lose more than you gained?

If you gained knowledge of a new spell, does it just go away? Proficiency in a skill vanishes?

What if you're a multiclassed character? Which level do you lose? The last one gained?

So much work has to be put into "de-levelling" your character. I suppose we could do what 3e did and bring negative levels back?

But this is what I mean about the juice not being worth the squeeze. It's like Reincarnate. Casting the spell and figuring out what you lose and what you gain can be so bothersome it'd be easier to make a new character!

 

[Seramus]

Oh, but they do have it easier... they do, indeed...

Them newfangled gnomes taking levels of paladin and bard. Heck, power creep is a dwarf being able to level up to 11 in cleric! Or dwarves being able to take class levels in anything at all!

Old man voice. Fist shaking. Lawns defended.

 

[James Gasik]

Them newfangled gnomes taking levels of paladin and bard. Heck, power creep is a dwarf being able to level up to 11 in cleric! Or dwarves being able to take class levels in anything at all!

Old man voice. Fist shaking. Lawns defended.

But none of them can take levels of Psionicist. : (

 

[DND_Reborn]

But none of them can take levels of Psionicist. : (

Are you kidding??? They have subclasses for it now!

Better to make you roll for psionics. If you got it, often is was more a curse than a blessing.