Spelljammer Dark Sun confirmed? Or, the mysterious case of the dissappearing Spelljammer article...

[Parmandur]

Flavor bakes in.

Indeed, if the players want to reflavor a spell, they need to completely rewrite the spell. It is a new spell. Then I as a DM use the flavor of that new spell description to determine any implications within a given encounter. If a spell creates chickens, perhaps that makes the dogs go crazy. Depends on the dog.

No, that's not accurate to 5E D&D, the rulebooks contradict that directly.

 

[Parmandur]

So they waited to pull the trigger until it didn't matter anymore. Brave move.

Bravery is not a virtue corporations typically hold.

Discretion is the better part of valor.

 

[Yaarel]

No, it is not: it is easy-peasy, lemon squeezey. Flavor in 5E is always skin deep, and easy to redo.

I tried to have an animistic (nontheistic) Cleric. The baked-in polytheistic flavor of the Cleric is too too much and too much everywhere.

I will never again fight against the tide of Players Handbook flavor.

I appreciate Xanathars cosmic Cleric, but it is the Players Handbook itself that must accommodate it.

I require a separate Level 20 fullcaster Psion class with its own appropriate flavor.

 

[Parmandur]

That's another way of saying its irrelevant. I will never buy into that. It's the #1 reason I abandoned 4th ed.

To the mechanics, they do not matter. Mechanics are mathematical functiona. Those functions can accomodate different stories easily. That's what makes D&D cool.

 

[Parmandur]

I tried to have an animistic (nontheistic) Cleric. The baked-in polytheistic flavor of the Cleric is too too much and too much everywhere.

I will never again fight against the tide of Players Handbook flavor.

I appreciate Xanathars cosmic Cleric, but it is the Players Handbook itself that must accommodate it.

I require a separate Psion class with its own appropriate flavor.

I mean, that's just not what is in the rules.

 

[Yaarel]

I mean, that's just not what is in the rules.

We are talking about the flavor. In 5e: flavor = rules.

DM can and does adjudicate narratively because of relevant flavor.

Regarding the Cleric specifically, it has rules-as-written that specify a polytheistic "god".

Where the Players Handbook is core rules, Xanathars is optional and supplemental.

The Players Handbook is what the players read. Its flavor is what the players have in their minds eye. It doesnt matter what the DM says. The players are familiar with and thinking about the Players Handbook.

It is the Players Handbook text itself that needs to be open to more flavor possibilities − if other flavors are to be welcome during normal gameplay.

 

[Parmandur]

We are talking about the flavor. In 5e: flavor = rules.

DM can and does adjudicate narratively because of relevant flavor.

That's simply not how 5E works. Flavor is changeable, and changing it is encouraged actively by the designers and the books.

 

[Yaarel]

That's simply not how 5E works. Flavor is changeable, and changing it is encouraged actively by the designers and the books.

Reread the Cleric class in the Players Handbook. Even count how many times the terms "gods" and "deities" and "clerics" occur in core rules.

Others might want to reread the Warlock class.

I refuse to fight against the official flavor in the Players Handbook.

I have tried to reflavor the Players Handbook. But it isnt workable. It is certainly not worth the effort.

 

[Faolyn]

This is the first edition since 1st ed that doesn't have a dedicated psionic class. You really think that doesn't matter?

The real question is, how well did the dedicated psionic classes work, and how much fun were they to play? I didn't try or really even read 3e's classes, but I recall that the 2e psionicist was a mess.

 

[Yaarel]

The real question is, how well did the dedicated psionic classes work, and how much fun were they to play? I didn't try or really even read 3e's classes,

In 3e, in the Expanded Psionic Handbook, I love its Psion class. It is better and more balanced than the 3e Wizard.

The difficulty is, I prefer 5e spontaneous spell slots better than spell points. (The 5e DMG spell points are horrible.)

So for 5e, I want normal spellcasting mechanics for the 5e Psion.

That said. The Warlock chassis looks better for most psionic concepts. So I prefer 5e Warlock over 5e Wizard for the Psion spellcasting slots.

but I recall that the 2e psionicist was a mess.

Yes. Some psi fans like 2e Psionicist for "inspiration" for weird mechanics, but even they are forced to admit the 2e class is terrible as-is.