D&D General 6E But A + Thread

[Minigiant]

The 2024 DMG is a really good introductory DMG, but it isn't a very good general reference DMG and a pretty bad "veteran" DMG.

Personally you can't do all three in one book due to how big and diverse the D&D customer base is.

That's why I'd make a 4th book and put the majority of magic items and spells in it.

 

[ECMO3]

but I would argue outside of some specific FU-gotcha abilities (save or die, energy drain) 9th level AD&D and 9th level 5e RAW is about equally lethal.

Those abilities were all over the place though.

Get hit by a Wight and lose a level ... permenantly and you can expect to start running into Wights at around level 4.

Get hit by a Ghoul and fail the saving throw and you were paralyzed for the rest of the fight.

Miss your save against a poisonous snake and you die.

These types of enemies were in every adventure .... alongside the Kobolds and Orcs.

1E and 5E enemies may have some similarities, but 1E did not have the "save at the end of your turn", "recovered on a Long Rest" and saves were generally much harder to make unless you were a very high level fighter.

 

[Reynard]

Personally you can't do all three in one book due to how big and diverse the D&D customer base is.

That's why I'd make a 4th book and put the majority of magic items and spells in it.

I think the beginner GM book should have been in a really robust starter set and the actual DMG should be the reference at the table.

 

[Minigiant]

I think the beginner GM book should have been in a really robust starter set and the actual DMG should be the reference at the table.

Nah.

Just cut the magic spells and items and traps to its own book.

Create space in the PHB and DMG for more stuff.

 

[Lanefan]

My argument is those aren't meaningful challenges.

That's the difference.

In modern play you are giving the power but via resources therefore you're able to deal with the obstacle but it is costly. Oliver when you don't have those resources or are saving them the challenge is difficult because you're not spending resources.

An old school play, what is considered a challenge is never weak enough that you can power through them .

The other thing about old-school play, in generalized terms anyway, is that things are somewhat swingier. A supposedly tough challenge can often be made relatively easy by lucky dice-rolling, while an otherwise trivial challenge can be made into a disaster via some unlucky rolling (I've DMed both of these on numerous occasions!).

 

[Lanefan]

Nah.

Just cut the magic spells and items and traps to its own book.

Create space in the PHB and DMG for more stuff.

Spells in one book, sure.

Items and traps in another, though, as the target audience is different: that's DM-side material, not player-side.

 

[AnotherGuy]

I think the beginner GM book should have been in a really robust starter set and the actual DMG should be the reference at the table.

That's actually a great idea. Beginners buy the robust starter pack with all the wonderful ideas therein. It is also more cost effective than having to acquire 3 books before play.

 

[Remathilis]

Nah.

Just cut the magic spells and items and traps to its own book.

Create space in the PHB and DMG for more stuff.

$150 is already a steep buy in for DMs. You're shooting for $200 plus?

 

[Minigiant]

Spells in one book, sure.

Items and traps in another, though, as the target audience is different: that's DM-side material, not player-side.

Okay maybe not traps

• Players Handbook
  • Species
  • Classes
  • Feats
  • Necessary Core Spells (Fireball, Magic Missile, Read Magic, Hunter's Mark)
• Dungeon Monsters Guide
  • Traps
  • Planes and Environments
  • Hazards
  • Bastions
  • "Necessary" Core Magic Items (+1 sword, Flame tongue, Dragon Scale Armor)
• Monster Manual
  • Monsters
  • Humaniods NPC statblocks
  • Monster Spells
• Tome of Magic
  • Bulk of Spells
  • Bulk of Magic Items
  • Psionics
  • Runes
  • Infusions
  • Anime Fightin' Magic Attacks

This way a DM does not technically have to buy four books. Old core spells that a DM or Players needs are in the PHB.

But if you want those legacy spells like Aganazzar's Scorcher or book fillers like Flame Arrows or theme spells like "Acid spell #4", you buy the magic book.

 

[Minigiant]

$150 is already a steep buy in for DMs. You're shooting for $200 plus?

No.

3 books you all the basics
The 4 book is like 4-5 supplements worth of stuff.

Shove the Apparatus of Kwalish and all those obscure, legacy, and reading material magic items and spells in its own book so that the PHB can have 6 subclasses per class and the DMG can fit the Monster creation rules.