D&D 5E What are the "True Issues" with 5e?

[Ruin Explorer]

Causes always matter, or verisimilitude is broken.

No, it isn't.

That's a dreadful science-obsessed worldview that absolutely doesn't match with the worlds of fantasy, whether it's Tolkien, REH, Fritz Leiber, Moorcock, LeGuin, Jordan, Kay, or whoever!

There are very few fantasy settings where heroes know exactly why they're capable of heroic feats, and the ones where they do tend to lean closer to being superhero settings (c.f. Stormlight Archive etc.) rather than typical fantasy settings. Conan doesn't know if the gods are helping him or if he's just that badass. He may believe one way or another, but he doesn't know.

 

[mamba]

There are plenty of games where a human is a human is a human. In RuneQuest fighting a giant without massively skewing things in your favor would be insane for instance. D&D has just never been that game (by the actual rules of the game).

I am more looking for a middle ground than either extreme…

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Why would you assume that a species labeled "human" is fundamentally different from any real life human? In what media is that true without explanation?

Most fantasy? Particularly most modern fantasy. One point I made already is about upper body strength - in a large proportion of modern fantasy and even quite a lot of older fantasy, women just are not less capable of high upper body strength. There's some where biological differences like that do exist, but there are plenty where it doesn't appear to, and I can't think of a single one of them where it's explained.

 

[Minigiant]

Nobody's removed magic items from the game at all. They're just no longer part of the necessary upgrade. Fighters still have access to them like they always had. But as far as the magic items go, +1 weapons are only uncommon so they're not that hard to find in a treasure hoard, on random tables, and affordable via downtime. Wands are considerably curtailed compared to 3e days. Good armor isn't hard to find on the treasure tables either (consider adamantine armor being uncommon and offering immunity to crits). And most magic weapons and armor don't even require attunement slots.
I'm not seeing the problem here.

You are right.

Nobody removed magic items.

WOTC told DMs that they don't need to give PCs magic items.
HOWEVER
WOTC didn't tell DMs how to run a campaign without magic items.

Some if your DM is not a vet and ran a low magic item game, there was a high chance of disaster because there was no guidance to do so.

 

[Micah Sweet]

No, it isn't.

That's a dreadful science-obsessed worldview that absolutely doesn't match with the worlds of fantasy, whether it's Tolkien, REH, Fritz Leiber, Moorcock, LeGuin, Jordan, Kay, or whoever!

There are very few fantasy settings where heroes know exactly why they're capable of heroic feats, and the ones where they do tend to lean closer to being superhero settings (c.f. Stormlight Archive etc.) rather than typical fantasy settings. Conan doesn't know if the gods are helping him or if he's just that badass. He may believe one way or another, but he doesn't know.

He doesn't have to know, so long as an answer exists.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I am more looking for a middle ground than either extreme…

Then stop looking at D&D lol. It's always been extreme here.

 

[billd91]

If the rule was created to a solve a problem and you remove it, the problem might still be there. It's your job to ask yourself why it's there in the first place and what happens if you remove it.

What problem was being solved? Did 3e/4e expect regular improvements in magic items because of regular improvements in monster ACs and other defenses? Is that what you think is being alluded to here? If that's the case then, yeah, I'd say the problem was pretty much removed, so the need for the same magic item treadmill? I'm not seeing it.

 

[Gammadoodler]

Causes always matter, or verisimilitude is broken.

Personally, I would argue that verisimilitude is broken by elements which are internally inconsistent, not those which are unexplained.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Most fantasy? Particularly most modern fantasy. One point I made already is about upper body strength - in a large proportion of modern fantasy and even quite a lot of older fantasy, women just are not less capable of high upper body strength. There's some where biological differences like that do exist, but there are plenty where it doesn't appear to, and I can't think of a single one of them where it's explained.

What modern fantasy? I honestly don't know what you're talking about.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

He doesn't have to know, so long as an answer exists.

You need to make a cogent rational argument, as to why an answer has to exist.

You haven't done that. You've merely expressed a preference for answers, and asserted that preference is mandatory. It is not.