D&D 5E Is 5e the Least-Challenging Edition of D&D?

Retreater · Feb 19, 2020

I was having a discussion with a player recently about how he was concerned that the party was going to get destroyed in the adventure I'm running - when the only real challenge happened when they split the party in four directions (no kidding - literally, the six characters went in four different rooms). I told him that among their six characters, four of them had access to magical healing (including Healing Spirits - which is like a 2nd level "maximize the party's HP" after every encounter). Monsters do a paltry amount of damage, death save failures don't carry over, healing is abundant, tactics aren't really essential, etc.

Which brings me to the topic of the thread: Is 5e the easiest edition of D&D? Are you less likely to lose a character?

I feel like in the editions I've played, it's easily the less threatening edition. 4e was pretty hard to die in, but it required some sharp tactical play. 5e, conversely, seems to be the very forgiving, training wheels edition. Especially after 3rd level.

commandercrud · Feb 19, 2020

5e is definitely the training wheels edition.

Undrave · Feb 19, 2020

Retreater said:
I was having a discussion with a player recently about how he was concerned that the party was going to get destroyed in the adventure I'm running - when the only real challenge happened when they split the party in four directions (no kidding - literally, the six characters went in four different rooms). I told him that among their six characters, four of them had access to magical healing (including Healing Spirits - which is like a 2nd level "maximize the party's HP" after every encounter). Monsters do a paltry amount of damage, death save failures don't carry over, healing is abundant, tactics aren't really essential, etc.

Which brings me to the topic of the thread: Is 5e the easiest edition of D&D? Are you less likely to lose a character?

I feel like in the editions I've played, it's easily the less threatening edition. 4e was pretty hard to die in, but it required some sharp tactical play. 5e, conversely, seems to be the very forgiving, training wheels edition. Especially after 3rd level.

Maybe? Depends on how you tweak your encounters. I'd say it's hard to ACCIDENTALLY kill a character by overshooting the difficulty... You could still be punished if you're too foolish.

However, is that actually a problem? There's clear value-judgement in your post and I gotta wonder what your ideal difficulty would be like.

iserith · Feb 19, 2020

Retreater said:
I was having a discussion with a player recently about how he was concerned that the party was going to get destroyed in the adventure I'm running - when the only real challenge happened when they split the party in four directions (no kidding - literally, the six characters went in four different rooms). I told him that among their six characters, four of them had access to magical healing (including Healing Spirits - which is like a 2nd level "maximize the party's HP" after every encounter). Monsters do a paltry amount of damage, death save failures don't carry over, healing is abundant, tactics aren't really essential, etc.

Which brings me to the topic of the thread: Is 5e the easiest edition of D&D? Are you less likely to lose a character?

I feel like in the editions I've played, it's easily the less threatening edition. 4e was pretty hard to die in, but it required some sharp tactical play. 5e, conversely, seems to be the very forgiving, training wheels edition. Especially after 3rd level.

If the DM is running plot-based games that fall short of the expected attrition and difficult choices the PCs have to face as their resources dwindle, yeah, it's probably going to seem easier by comparison. Also, if the DM is running modules, those seem to be tuned down. But if you're running location-based adventures with the expected number of encounters per day and including hindering terrain and other logistical or tactical concerns, it's much more difficult for players to succeed in my experience and they find it all the more rewarding when they do succeed.

CleverNickName · Feb 19, 2020

Yeah, I think it might be. If I were wanting to play a gritty, hardcore game where combat is dangerous and monsters were terrifying, I wouldn't choose 5th Edition rules for that.

But if I want to play a more immersive, story-rich game where combat is largely harmless, and monsters are expected to be beatable in 6 rounds or fewer? 5th Edition would be (and is) my top choice.

DND_Reborn · Feb 19, 2020

Using the core rules as written, 5E is most definitely the easiest in many ways! As myself (and others) have commented int the past, it is like playing a video game. Once you reach a certain stage, you just have to plod on and you will win. With super easy healing, the party has to be hard pressed to really risk losing the game via the TPK IME.

Now, this assumes you are using the guidelines provided by WotC in the books. You can certainly make the game impossible if you want, but that holds true with every edition.

Ralif Redhammer · Feb 19, 2020

My vote would go to 4e. I could overclock all my encounter CRs, make the floor lava, and then throw them off a mountainside while fighting a dragon, and no one would hit zero HP. I was so used to it that when I started running 5e, my encounters were all really tough because I was used to having to be a jerk to even remotely challenge the party. Almost every encounter, someone was making death saves.

I've since dialed it way back from that.

OB1 · Feb 19, 2020

5e is designed as the most accessible version of the game. Challenge is DM dependent, as always.

jmucchiello · Feb 19, 2020

I fail to see how the game system is supposed to be challenging. The DM creates the challenges. The rule system is just an agreed upon framework within which to play the game.

Sacrosanct · Feb 19, 2020

I think any edition is as tough as the DM makes it. But out of the box RAW? It's pretty easy. I've heard that 4e was almost impossible to die in though from people who have played it. It looks like at low levels anyway, 4e characters are far more robust than any other edition (low levels being typically the most lethal)