D&D 5E What are the highlights of D&D 5th edition for you?

[MichaelSomething]

Serious question, I skipped from 1e to 5e (with a long period of not being engaged in the hobby at all). 2e wasn't to different from 1e from what little I remember of it. Did 3, 3.5, and 4e attempt to constrain the DM through rules and mechanics? I can't image that was very successful, though I wasn't around to experience it.

The short answer is yes.
The long answer would lead to edition wars.

 

[Argyle King]

Every book published since Mythic Odessey's of Theros in Summer 2020 has had first Level Feats, and tied them into Background.

All cruncy features from 2014 have made it over: the fluffy bits are presented more compactly.

It's likely been longer than that since I've purchased a 5E book.

I'm not sure if the Features (i.e. Merchant Background having a network of contacts and such) are considered crunchy bits. Early previews for 5.5 suggested those features were being cut.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Serious question, I skipped from 1e to 5e (with a long period of not being engaged in the hobby at all). 2e wasn't to different from 1e from what little I remember of it. Did 3, 3.5, and 4e attempt to constrain the DM through rules and mechanics? I can't image that was very successful, though I wasn't around to experience it.

3x literally said the Dm's word was law in the first few pages.

4e did everything it could to make DMing easier and had pretty much the best DMG in terms of useful tools and tips.

 

[Parmandur]

It's likely been longer than that since I've purchased a 5E book.

I'm not sure if the Features (i.e. Merchant Background having a network of contacts and such) are considered crunchy bits. Early previews for 5.5 suggested those features were being cut.

Yeah, those fluffy bits have been in there since the first Unearthed Arcana, and are in the text from the page mock-ups we have from the new PHB:

 

[CleverNickName]

There were lots of highlights for me, but the biggest ones:

• Fewer rules and more DM adjudication. This meant there were fewer rules arguments at my table.
• No magic item "shopping lists" in the PHB. This shifted my players' expectations in a subtle but important way.
• Numerous rules being described as "optional, check with your DM" in the PHB. This also shifted my players' expectations in a less subtle, but still important way. The whole tone of character creation felt more like "the players and the DM need to work together" and less like "here's a sneaky way to trick your DM."
• Magic item attunement rules. "Christmas tree" characters became a thing of the past.
• Legendary actions/Legendary Resistance/Lair Actions. These went a long way toward making grand finales, boss encounters, and major NPCs more memorable and cinematic. Much better than just "make the numbers bigger, lol" techniques of earlier editions.
• Streamlining the action economy. Now we have Action, Bonus Action, and Movement, when in earlier editions we had to struggle with action, full action, free action, partial action, move action, swift action, immediate action...
• Streamlined (and flattened, and reduced) math. I didn't care for the endless stacking bonuses of 3.X and Pathfinder--the game was all but unplayable for my group past 10th level. Things still slow down quite a bit around level 10, but not nearly as much as they used to.

I have several gripes about 5E as well, but I'll save them for the inevitable "lowlights of D&D 5E" thread.

 

[el-remmen]

I didn’t get the 5e core books until 2019 and didn’t start a game til 2020, so it still feels new to me, but I’d say advantage/disadvantage and Ghosts of Saltmarsh (which four years on I am still getting so much use out of I have barely looked at any other adventure books despite getting a few as gifts/out of the library).

Edit to add: ATUNEMENT!

 

[Argyle King]

Yeah, those fluffy bits have been in there since the first Unearthed Arcana, and are in the text from the page mock-ups we have from the new PHB:

View attachment 348914View attachment 348916

That doesn't look to be the same thing as what I mean.

In the 5E PHB, the Features can be used for in-game benefit.

From what I can tell from the photos, that will not be the case going forward.

 

[SpellObjectEnthusiast]

The addition of Hit Dice/Short Rests, removal of buyable Magic Items, and weakening of Healing spells all work together to make a great system for attrition based dungeon exploration.

The 3.5/pf metagame relied entirely upon purchasing and spamming Wands of Cure Light Wounds - adventures would assume the party had this and be designed accordingly.

Attrition-based adventures actually work in 5e, and you don't need to relegate a party member to being a Healbot to make it work.

 

[Parmandur]

That doesn't look to be the same thing as what I mean.

In the 5E PHB, the Features can be used for in-game benefit.

From what I can tell from the photos, that will not be the case going forward.

In-game fluff benefits, which match the prose description of the fluff in these (which are identical to the text from the first Unearthed Arcana playtest nigh two hears ago).

 

[Argyle King]

In-game fluff benefits, which match the prose description of the fluff in these (which are identical to the text from the first Unearthed Arcana playtest nigh two hears ago).

It could be that I'm just not understanding what's shown in the photo.

What you're describing and what is shown in the photos provided does not seem to be the same thing I'm referencing.

I have not purchased a 5e book in quite a while, and I haven't followed much of anything regarding the playtest after a handful of early surveys.