Unpopular opinions go here

[Cadence]

That, or... recognize that combat is only one pillar, and that there are many ways to optimize, and thus contribute, in many facets of the game

I am led to believe the way to do that is to play a wizard? (Especially with some new swap-thibgs-out power?)

 

[Gradine]

I am led to believe the way to do that is to play a wizard? (Especially with some new swap-thibgs-out power?)

You can do it with any character. In fact, 5e makes that easier than any previous edition to be the case.

 

[Cadence]

You can do it with any character.

Simultaneously on all the pillars?

 

[Gradine]

Simultaneously on all the pillars?

You can't do that with any character

 

[Cadence]

You can't do that with any character

I know I haven't. The wizard doing it with utility spells and enough flexibility seems to be the claim.

In any case, I have my doubts about all three pillars typically being relatively balanced (in D&D anyway) within a single session in terms or focus time or importance, or even two adjacent sessions even if the GM is trying. Some might not mind waiting a few sessions.

Even within pillars, if there are more characters than pillars, the efficacy of the separate characters seems like it might not match depending on the system and options chosen (with, say, 5e being better about it than 3.5/PF1).

 

[Gradine]

I know I haven't. The wizard doing it with utility spells and enough flexibility seems to be the claim.

The problem here is that the Wizard has plenty of limiting factors that aren't often taken into account by Gap Truthers. Sure, flexibility is the Wizard's greatest strength... it just happens to be in a game that, by and large, rewards specialization over generalities. A wizard can always serve as a bit of a swiss army knife, but there a multitude of situations a swiss army knife just isn't going to cut it at, and plenty of others where a more specialized tool in the shed will prove far more useful

 

[Tony Vargas]

You absolutely can as a DM, lean into the Exploration and Interaction pillars. It just, more likely widens the martial/caster gap.
I mean, Martial
If anything, Combat is probably marginally-less imbalanced than the other two of the three pillars, since it's the focus of the least versatile classes, and DPR is notoriously easy to check up on.

In any pillar, casters can just learn/prep a variety of spells, and spontaneously cast the best one for a given situation, when the situation warrants using a slot. In less important situations, you have cantrips to grind damage all day, skills (just like everyone else, likely more than some), non-combat cantrips, and, if time isn't the issue, rituals.

At least in the classic game, old-Vancian casting, and restrictions on the act of spellcasting itself, made that a bit of a challenge - heck, it made surviving 1st level a challenge...

 

[Gradine]

There's a difference between being able to do anything and being able to do everything.

 

[overgeeked]

That, or... recognize that combat is only one pillar, and that there are many ways to optimize, and thus contribute, in many facets of the game

Combine that with combat being the vast majority of the game and the other “pillars” only having vestigial support…

 

[Thomas Shey]

That, or... recognize that combat is only one pillar, and that there are many ways to optimize, and thus contribute, in many facets of the game

This only works if the other pillars are used as regularly. Which they rarely are in general in the RPG hobby, and D&D doesn't even lean into those other pillars as well as some.