D&D 5E The Decrease in Desire for Magic in D&D

[Minigiant]

WotC is terrified of confusing the new players they're courting by introducing any new complexity into the game.

Until there is a new PHB to sell them.

I have a theory that the 2024 One D&D is being primed to be Forward Compatible to prime new player to newer more complex products.

 

[Maxperson]

H

5e PCs can have magical effects that change their carrying capacity and such while leaving combat numbers still in bound accuracy ranges. 2nd level enhance ability bull's strength doubles it for PCs for example. Some superpower type things seem amenable to the blessings, charms, or epic boons type of things in the DMG that PCs can get.

As someone who had multiple subscriptions to Marvel Spiderman titles for some years (Amazing Spiderman, The Spectacular Spiderman) his strength lifting capacity was rarely a thing that came up in the ones I read. He would jump and dodge, throw punches, and web sling all the time. He would occasionally lift heavy things up or tear them away to get to someone who was hurt, but I don't remember him throwing cars, though I think I recall him lifting one in a cover.

A quick image search for Spiderman throwing a car brings up a couple images but not a lot.
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It is a Spiderman thing but I wouldn't say a core thing for him. Probably not top five things I would call to mind in describing him.

Here's one of him catching a car that was thrown by the Hulk, then casually tossing it to the side. Much harder than simply lifting one and throwing it.


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I can't get the image to work, but if you Google Spiderman catching a car, no less than three different images come up quickly.

 

[James Gasik]

Until there is a new PHB to sell them.

I have a theory that the 2024 One D&D is being primed to be Forward Compatible to prime new player to newer more complex products.

Which, like everything else WotC does, will be applauded by some, and denounced by others.

 

[Cadence]

If a 4HD player character can opt to learn 1st level magic simply by taking a feat, regardless of ability scores, class, or background, then it seems this is more akin to a 16 week course to get your CNA, nothing like being a

Is this one of the big eternal D&D questions - Are PCs special in the world, or not?

I have no idea in general (although some editions of the game certainly have strong opinions by RAW).

(And thank you, glad you found those years and technology things useful in that post!)

 

[Cadence]

It's because 'realism' and 'versimilitude' are not objective and actually constructed from what urban legends and common misconceptions we've bought into!

Ouch! Can we throw a flag on this one for being too painfully truthful?

 

[Gammadoodler]

It does for people who believe “non-magical” should mean “realistic, as in real world.” It’s fair to reject that as a desirable game feature, but for those who value it, the term has utility.

So it only has utility for those who believe that "non-magical" dwarves, elves, halflings, orcs, dragon people, cat people, half-devils, half-angels, lizard people...

..that live in a setting often cosmologically described as planes of existence

..with active and various deities, fey, and creatures from beyond the stars that meddle and plot

..where places can be cursed or hallowed, and items enchanted or animated

..should all have the same basic limitations they do in the real world, because no one has applied the word "magical" to any abilities they may possess?

I'm probably just going to have to take your word for it.

 

[James Gasik]

Is this one of the big eternal D&D questions - Are PCs special in the world, or not?

I have no idea in general (although some editions of the game certainly have strong opinions by RAW).

(And thank you, glad you found those years and things useful in that post!)

And if they are special, how special are they? It's a question without answer, since there's ample evidence to support that they are and are not either way.

Part of the problem is that, for a very long time, it was assumed that members of character classes were quite common. Published settings often have important individuals be high level, probably to prevent player characters from just running amok.

The introduction of NPC classes in 3e helped somewhat, though it still left quiet as to why someone with 5 levels of Expert couldn't acquire a real character class.

4e and 5e actually do something of a disservice by having anyone who isn't a PC be written up as a monster, with whatever abilities are relevant to a PC encountering them- we're given no guidance if "generic gladiator" is actually that, or a legendary figure, renowned throughout the land.

(No, thank you for sharing it!)

 

[Gammadoodler]

Does almost everyone usually take the real world science as default unless it seems to break perceived real world time lines?

I assume players don't ask if metal armor floats or sinks before pushing a guard into the water, if salting a field ruins them if they want to suggest a particularly vicious threat to a farmer, if diamond can cut glass, if green wood smokes compared to dry wood, if various creepy crawlies eat dead bodies, etc...


Do they usually not assume if it seems to go against the genre?

Would they ask about gun powder? Aqua regia? Petroleum? Helium?


Do players and DMs avoid asking about things that might be cool if they were true in the world?

Spontaneous generation, Lamarckism, Emission theory of vision?


Are a lot of us really bad at knowing which things in the real world were used between the 1200s and 1800s?

Assuming real world science is fine..but it is narratively convenient, not narratively essential.

 

[Vaalingrade]

It does for people who believe “non-magical” should mean “realistic, as in real world.”

I know Bill had bowed out, but this is a friendly PSA that 'Magical' is not the same as 'Fantastic'.

A giant is a fantastic creature, but they are not magic.

A dragon's ability to fly is fantastic. It's breath weapon is fantastic. The chain lightning it dropped on you is magic.

 

[James Gasik]

I know Bill had bowed out, but this is a friendly PSA that 'Magical' is not the same as 'Fantastic'.

A giant is a fantastic creature, but they are not magic.

A dragon's ability to fly is fantastic. It's breath weapon is fantastic. The chain lightning it dropped on you is magic.

I'd be happy with that if the line between one and the other was more clearly drawn by the game itself.