D&D (2024) DMs what do you think of the new PHB?

[UngeheuerLich]

But will the new DMG say that? Who knows? We do know that very little of the hype surrounding 5.5 has done anything to gets DMs excited about it. Instead they joke about how frustrated DMs will be by some new player widget.

My first impression from the first fight:

Level 1 chars are tougher.
Healing word potentially raising hp from 0 to full, fighter having a third wind in one encounter.
Tough feat and magic adept.
Lucky on top.

So as a DM you don't have to hold back too much at level 1. Currently I like that.

What I'd also like would be new monster stats.

 

[KryHavok]

I really like the additional structure. It’s a pet peeve of mine when a player says, “I want to make a perception check to…” no dude, you check when I tell you to check, ;-)

The new language would be “I’d like to take the search action to…” and that’s great because as DM it gives me a lot more flexibility to smoothly say, “ok roll X” or “here’s what you learn, no check required.”

 

[Charlaquin]

I really like the additional structure. It’s a pet peeve of mine when a player says, “I want to make a perception check to…” no dude, you check when I tell you to check, ;-)

The new language would be “I’d like to take the search action to…” and that’s great because as DM it gives me a lot more flexibility to smoothly say, “ok roll X” or “here’s what you learn, no check required.”

I share your sentiment about preferring players not to declare rolls, but I feel this will make the situation worse. “I use the search action” is basically the same declaration as “I make a perception check,” especially since the rules glossary entry for the search action explicitly talks about making a perception check. I don’t want any of this naked rules speak. Tell me what you’re trying to accomplish and what your character is doing to try to accomplish it, let me worry about what rules, if any, are needed to resolve that action.

 

[overgeeked]

I share your sentiment about preferring players not to declare rolls, but I feel this will make the situation worse. “I use the search action” is basically the same declaration as “I make a perception check,” especially since the rules glossary entry for the search action explicitly talks about making a perception check. I don’t want any of this naked rules speak. Tell me what you’re trying to accomplish and what your character is doing to try to accomplish it, let me worry about what rules, if any, are needed to resolve that action.

Exactly.

"I want to make a perception check" is the same as "I use the search action."

No thanks. None of that.

Skip the rules-speak and get right to the fiction.

Player: "I want to search the room."

Referee: "What are you looking for and where are you looking for it?"

 

[Warpiglet-7]

Exactly.

"I want to make a perception check" is the same as "I use the search action."

No thanks. None of that.

Skip the rules-speak and get right to the fiction.

Player: "I want to search the room."

Referee: "What are you looking for and where are you looking for it?"

I don’t default to this but I want
To move in this direction. So much more immersive.

Thinking about that and then maybe say roll a d20 and narrate outcome…

 

[KryHavok]

Exactly.

"I want to make a perception check" is the same as "I use the search action."

No thanks. None of that.

Skip the rules-speak and get right to the fiction.

Player: "I want to search the room."

Referee: "What are you looking for and where are you looking for it?"

I agree, but I find that there’s a category of player where it helps them to have a menu of things.

Plus as a DM, I generally hate for players to roll on things where success is fun and failure is not. Now I have a new tool: action economy. You don’t need a roll just spend an action. You could do this in base 5E but players would always try and negotiate it being free. This saves that conversation.

 

[tetrasodium]

Exactly.

"I want to make a perception check" is the same as "I use the search action."

No thanks. None of that.

Skip the rules-speak and get right to the fiction.

Player: "I want to search the room."

Referee: "What are you looking for and where are you looking for it?"

While I somewhat agree, there is an important difference. Specifically that difference is in the fact that the player is taking an action with their PC. 5e was especially bad there because a lot of actions are some form of null activity passive thing. Saying "how/to do what" is going to Carry much more weight than perception check.

Unfortunately wotc didn't fix the overly condensed skills list or useless skill check system to go with the new action types

 

[Micah Sweet]

While I somewhat agree, there is an important difference. Specifically that difference is in the fact that the player is taking an action with their PC. 5e was especially bad there because a lot of actions are some form of null activity passive thing. Saying "how/to do what" is going to Carry much more weight than perception check.

Unfortunately wotc didn't fix the overly condensed skills list or useless skill check system to go with the new action types

Level Up's skill specialization system IMO goes a long way towards addressing the condensed skill list problem.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I share your sentiment about preferring players not to declare rolls, but I feel this will make the situation worse. “I use the search action” is basically the same declaration as “I make a perception check,” especially since the rules glossary entry for the search action explicitly talks about making a perception check. I don’t want any of this naked rules speak. Tell me what you’re trying to accomplish and what your character is doing to try to accomplish it, let me worry about what rules, if any, are needed to resolve that action.

I like, that in combat situations, that clarifies that an action is needed to asses a situation.

 

[KryHavok]

While I somewhat agree, there is an important difference. Specifically that difference is in the fact that the player is taking an action with their PC. 5e was especially bad there because a lot of actions are some form of null activity passive thing. Saying "how/to do what" is going to Carry much more weight than perception check.

Unfortunately wotc didn't fix the overly condensed skills list or useless skill check system to go with the new action types

Yes. Also, players would do this thing where they’d buff one skill to the max and then try to shoehorn in ways to use it everywhere — regardless whether they were saying “I want to roll X” or describing a convoluted method of doing something that would make the skill seem appropriate. The actions system allows me to better control that; instead of saying, “no, you cannot intimidate a book,” I can say “the influence action only affects creatures.”

Plus it sets context for players — e.g. you can’t use persuasion for everything. That’s great because it makes inroads toward solving the “let the bard do the talking” problem.