D&D (2024) Did you make up your mind about 5.24?

[DEFCON 1]

I'm No. Not Yet. Haven't chosen to spend money on the books yet because I am neither in nor running a game currently at this moment in time, so I decided to hold off so that I have something to put on my birthday and Christmas lists. I fully expect I'll get one of (if not both) books at the end of this month for my birthday, at which time I'll be able to delve fully into the game. Once that happens I expect my vote would naturally change to Yes, I Like It And I Don't See Much Of A Difference To 2014. I have yet to own a D&D core rulebook from any edition that I did not like.

 

[mamba]

To me it is pretty similar to 2014, but definitely moving in the wrong direction. Organization better, rest not so much

 

[Stormonu]

For me, yes and no. I bought the 2024 DMG to replace my 2014 one, but I won't be using the 2024 PHB nor the MM. I feel like the game is moving in a direction I simply do not like.

 

[mellored]

Yes,
I like it...however...
there are things that are so obviously broken and some underpowered that again it requires tons of house rules and math crunching.

Less than 2014 had.

Thus far I've only got 3 house rules and 1 clarification.

1. Conjure Minor Elementals, is once per turn. Though we haven't gotten high enough for this to matter.
2. No spirit guardians and similar don't do damage when you move outside you're turn. And you can't pull enemies out and back in on the same turn for damage. *Though I do allow out and back in on different turns, to support teamwork.
3. Lore bard gets cutting words proficiency times (by bard level chart) a day.

• Two weapon fighting takes 2 hands. Which is clearly the intention, just not the wording.

 

[Yaarel]

Voted Yes and I don't like it.

It isn't terrible. But a significant number of the changes are wildly broken, over powered, overly complex, or just dumb AF (I'm looking at you dragonborn sparkle wings!). It is far easier for me to houserule the stuff I like into 5.0 rather than trying to figure out how to make 5.5 work for the type of game I want to run.

A DM probably should build or adjust a setting to integrate the species that the players like. But other than that, the DM probably shouldnt use all the species in the Players Handbook. Rather, focus on a handful of fun salient themes.

A DM can decide an unused species simply lacks existence, or else "soft ban" the species by having them "in a land far far away" in the periphery.

I feel 5e 2024 is the best version of D&D for world builders to tinker with since 1e. In many ways, 2024 is superlatively better than 1e.

 

[Scribe]

I feel 5e 2024 is the best version of D&D for world builders to tinker with since 1e.

lol how? It has exactly 1 tone, and no guidance for anything but "Heroic". It has seemingly zero depth, offers up nothing at all on cultures, world views, or Gods and Religion.

If a blank piece of paper is 'best in class' world building, sure, but otherwise?

 

[schneeland]

I voted "I don't care", though that's not entirely accurate. It's more that on a surface level, it doesn't seem that different from late 5e, so I never had enough motivation to dig deeper.

 

[darjr]

I ran Scions of Elemental Evil last night. It was OK. I liked that I didn't have to pretend that inspiration was being used for "advantage" instead of just re rolls. And it was used once for a damage die.
Among other rules.

I did print out a booklet of the rules glossary that helped a ton. WotC i'd buy one of these. Or a pack of em.

 

[Yaarel]

lol how? It has exactly 1 tone, and no guidance for anything but "Heroic". It has seemingly zero depth, offers up nothing at all on cultures, world views, or Gods and Religion.

If a blank piece of paper is 'best in class' world building, sure, but otherwise?

In the 2024, the choice of setting is where to find (official) flavor or to build (homebrew) flavor.

At least for my worldbuilding purposes, 2024 has so much flavor that is inspiring, even compelling. At the same time the setting gets out of my, and lets me be easily do things I want to do for the setting.

For example, I am interested in building an Arneson-esque Blackmoor regional setting in the 2024 Greyhawk, in "Arn". No problem! And I also want to create from scratch a 2024 version of a mythologically Norse setting. No problem. Because both settings are northerly, the respective regional settings can be each others neighbors. It works well.

I am excited about working with 2024 backgrounds for worldbuilding purposes. I feel the shift from "biological" species to "cultural" backgrounds is the correct one. Indeed, the old school mechanics that confused culture and species now looks idiotic in my eyes. For example, one version of Blackmoor counted Humans − common Thonians versus aristocratic Thonians − as two separate species, "races". Then the indigenous Peshwah were yet an other separate species. Idiotic. It is so much more helpful to understand these diversities as cultural backgrounds. Meanwhile, the 2024 background is such a substantial amount of design space, I am looking forward to working with it.

Especially for the Norse region, the concept of a person descending from more than one species is important. Even changing from one species to a different species can happen. Because of the narrative space and the free feat mechanics of the background, I am confident that everything I need to do, I can do via backgrounds. I dont need to wait for mixed-species mechanics. Creating feats that grant species traits is more than sufficient. In a Norse context, all of this makes.

I like the 2024 Elf species, and will continue use its three lineages. But there are certain Norse elven concepts that I want in play. At the same time, it is much more helpful to think elven diversity as cultural differences between magical cultures, rather than add yet another hundred and odd elven "races". Meanwhile, any species can become part of an elven community, participate in the collective magic, and take on elven traits. Oppositely, an elf can become part of a human culture and take on human traits. Like a mermaid living on land among humans and gaining humanity, this is an important possibility for the mechanics of a fantasy game to represent.

 

[Scribe]

There is no Culture rules container in any way, and Backgrounds are not cultures.

We have been over this.

The 2024 rules, and the shallow extent that any kind of guidance is provided, does nothing from what I can see to aid or teach, world building at all.

Are the Gods detailed? What of their faiths? Are there actual cultural differences outlined, and how are those mechanically represented if every culture has the same Charlatan, Farmer, and Hermit.

Those are your Backgrounds. Capital B. That is a Rules Container.

Tell me, as a 'I just got my first D&D Book, 2024 PHB' who is Gruumsh, and what does he believe and ask of his followers?

Go to your Index. You'll find 'background' on page 378, first page of the index.

You will not find culture. Its not a thing, you are making it up as you have before.