D&D 5E What (if anything) do you find "wrong" with 5E?

[Micah Sweet]

Um, that's exactly what the game does. Proficiency is a bonus in a specific use or set of uses for an ability. 5E doesn't have "trained only" skills because there are no skill checks, only ability checks in which Proficiency might play a role.

But PCs do have proficiency and expertise in some skills and not in others. You're not proficient in dex-based skills, for example. You're proficient in Athletics.

 

[DarkCrisis]

Doesn't that just bias things even further in the direction of making Full Casters strong in all areas of the game, and Martials weak?

On paper looking at the DMG rules it absolutely seems like it would, simply because the skills aren't split up evenly, and some skills are much more important to gameplay than others, compounded by the Martial classes typically having STR or DEX primaries (and CON secondaries) where the casters have INT/WIS/CHA primaries.

Or does the fact that it's "any check" using that stat instead of skill checks somehow counterbalance this? The issue I see there is 5E is usually pretty good about already putting the skills in place. For example Athletics is already used in Grapple/Shove.


You literally have an avatar which appears to be drawn in an anime style (wearing completely unrealistic armour to boot). That means it is an arrestable offence, under the Anime Fans, Hypocrisy act of 1998, for you criticise other people's anime choices, with sentence of up to 12 months in Horny Jail, regardless of whether the offence was Horny or not. Please turn around and put your hands behind you so we can apply the fluffy leopard-print handcuffs.

That's Goblin Slayer. Wearing a helmet and breastplate. He slays any and all goblins because they are evil, no if ands or buts about it.

Now his companions (and other characters) ill give you, they are dressed very "anime" but you get what you get.

The real appeal though is its very much a D&D Tabletop game world. The gods are literally people playing D&D (or whatever).

Im hard pressed to find any modern anime telling a fantasy tale that even takes itself semi-seriously. Heck most of them seem to be "nerdy guy from the real world wakes up in fantasy world and has to save everyone!"

The days of Lodoss War are long gone, it seems.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Exactly. It removes skills, essentially. But that ground is covered by being proficient in the ability directly.

But there's no way to represent being good at something specific in that system. Way too vague for my tastes.

 

[Reynard]

But PCs do have proficiency and expertise in some skills and not in others. You're not proficient in dex-based skills, for example.

You asked for lists of activities covered by the abilities. That is what 5E gives you. All skill proficiencies are special cases where your training gives you a boost.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Exactly. Just don't mention how D&D is pay to win just like some video games. The terrible classes are free. The PHB comes with better classes and is $50. The "new" artificer class is in Tasha's which will cost $50. And the beast-mode warlock is in Xanathar's...which will cost you $50.

I mean, that's just not true.

The best Warlock Patron is The Fiend. That's in the PHB.

The Hexblade (Xanathar's, presumably what you're referring to) is about equal, maybe a little inferior, and Pact of the Genie in Tasha's is about equal. All the rest are somewhat weaker, but only The Fathomless and The Celestial are even close to bad (also Xanathars and Tasha's)

The best Pact is Pact of the Tome, which is in the PHB. There are no Warlock pacts in Xanathar's. And even with The Hexblade patron, that only fixed Pact of the Blade, rather than making it better than Pact of the Tome.

The Artificer class is one of the more mediocre 5E classes. No-one who is seeking power is playing an Artificer unless it's for some obscure Magic Item Replication-based exploit.

It's true that the Basic set subclasses are kind of mediocre, but not all of them - let's look:

Barbarian - Berserker - I'd say this is a weak one, some people violently disagree. If your DM houserules Exhaustion or fails to track it, it's amazing.
Bard - Lore - Straight up the most powerful subclass in the game to this day.
Cleric - Life - Extremely good domain, period.
Druid - Land - Deeply mediocre.
Fighter - Champion - Mediocre but surprisingly effective.
Monk - Open Hand - Not the best but nowhere near the worst.
Paladin - Devotion - Equal-best subclass for a Paladin.
Ranger - Hunter - Mediocre, but literally all the PHB ones are too because WotC are inept.
Rogue - Thief - Decent, not the best.
Sorcerer - Draconic - Solid at worst, some people regard it highly.
Warlock - Pact of the Tome is there, and The Fiend is the Patron - So this is best Warlock and you're wrong re: "beast-mode Warlock" requiring Xanathar's.
Wizard - Evocation - Decent, but yeah it's not Blademaster or Divination.

So I'd have to say your assertions are largely false here. We've got a mix of top-tier and mediocre subclasses. Only Druid and Ranger even arguably have "bad" subclasses.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

That's Goblin Slayer. Wearing a helmet and breastplate. He slays any and all goblins because they are evil, no if ands or buts about it.

He's literally an anime character, and he's an from awful and somewhat obscure anime beloved of super-duper anime nerds (not saying you are, but that's his key audience), people who are sixteen layers deep into Anime Hell.

As for the rest of it, buddy you're just showing how interested in anime you are. You don't get to criticise people for like Kawaii anime characters when you're going "Goblin Slayer is so cool I want to make him my avatar!!!". Especially as his companions are not only "dressed very 'anime'" as you put, but in fact are KAWAII anime - his main friend is Moe even!

You basically did a massive self-burn with the attempt to criticise D&D.

 

[DarkCrisis]

Exactly. Just don't mention how D&D is pay to win just like some video games. The terrible classes are free. The PHB comes with better classes and is $50. The "new" artificer class is in Tasha's which will cost $50. And the beast-mode warlock is in Xanathar's...which will cost you $50.

You don't "Win" D&D. Or at least that shouldnt be the attitude going in.

Learned my lesson with 3rd ed. It's just the core 3 for me from now on. Maybe a setting book or 2. That way when the new ed comes out you have a lot less dead trees doing nothing on you're shelf.

You can have a ton of fun for just the cost of entry. Do retro clones and its even cheaper. OSRIC is free. I recently got an OD&D clone for $5 off Amazon. Or get the old Rules Cyclopedia. That's all the bang for your buck you need in one book.

 

[overgeeked]

But PCs do have proficiency and expertise in some skills and not in others. You're not proficient in dex-based skills, for example. You're proficient in Athletics.

It's an optional rule in the DMG. It removes proficiency in specific skills and replaces it with being proficiency in all activities related to the ability.

But there's no way to represent being good at something specific in that system. Way too vague for my tastes.

That's the point. It removes the need for a list of skills and the silliness that entails...like a rogue who's for some reason worse at climbing than the fighter.

 

[DND_Reborn]

That's the point. It removes the need for a list of skills and the silliness that entails...like a rogue who's for some reason worse at climbing than the fighter.

It also helps with the whole Investigation/Perception issue...

 

[overgeeked]

You don't "Win" D&D. Or at least that shouldnt be the attitude going in.

Really? Tell that to most of the people on this forum and basically all the 5E players I've had for the last near-decade. A whole lot of people seem to think not only can you win, but that's the whole point of the game.

Learned my lesson with 3rd ed. It's just the core 3 for me from now on. Maybe a setting book or 2. That way when the new ed comes out you have a lot less dead trees doing nothing on you're shelf.

I'm mostly the same.

You can have a ton of fun for just the cost of entry. Do retro clones and its even cheaper. OSRIC is free.

You can have a ton of fun for free. There are incredibly well-designed games out there for free.

I recently got an OD&D clone for $5 off Amazon. Or get the old Rules Cyclopedia. That's all the bang for your buck you need in one book.

Or just use the books I bought 30-some years ago. Or grab the OSE humble bundle for $1. Or use one of the nearly infinite free games, etc...