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Clearly, we just need a return to side by side initiative. Or perhaps entirely simultaneous resolution. Theater of the mind does help there.

This is the problem with the adventure path format. If you want adventures that take you up to Epic-ish levels, then the stakes are accordingly high. Hopefully they'll do a low-level only AP at some point. Personally, I think they're the wrong people to be doing _any_ adventure paths, but I...

Yeah, much like sneak attack, it feels like they're making ready-ing a key component of optimal spellcasting. Personally I think I'd have preferred if they dropped ready instead of Delay, but oh well.

Well, to be fair - this is supposed to be the edition of D&D in which everything is the most D&D D&D it can be. Isn't "wizards suck at low level" iconic D&D?

Okay. I think I'm getting a much better picture of your rogue's damage than your initial post of four options seems to portray. That is to say, your rogue actually does a lot less damage than you described, and plays a lot more like how the rogue's expected damage. Which doesn't stop it from...

Wow, interesting. So, in my experience (which is obviously not yours), the dual wielding rogue would run into the following problems: 1) Going before someone else has gotten into melee 2) Going when the melee people don't currently have enemies on them (usually via said enemies dying) 3) Not...

Out of curiosity, do you guys allow delaying? A dual wielding rogue should often miss out on sneak attack without the ability to delay, though your larger party size than I'm used to likely helps out. I play a rogue and ability to sneak attack is actually a real restriction without certain...

At a certain point, you have to factor it in. You've noted caring about enemies failing saves, so you should conversely care about people missing. Especially when discussing something whose only saving grace is that it doesn't miss. But, I agree that the rogue is a better combatant than the...

Eh, I am far more willing to take risk than most players I know who play wizards (or clerics, rogues, or fighters, for that matter). I don't consider mage armor a wise investment when you only have a couple spells. I don't see why you don't charge up into melee to get a spell off if that's the...

For reference, it's 3 rays at 2d6 damage each. That's actually my point. You say this, and in actual play (as a DM or player) I've found magic missile to be the most reliable and effective 1st level option. Burning Hands is awful range and terrible variance. The benefits do not outweigh the...

The pact of the chain was a no brainer for my warlock, because it let me use the imp for scouting (invisible sneaky flying devil I can sense through? Done) and as a melee combatant when I can't conveniently attack. He also tends to be invisible so I often have advantage for that attack. He's...

In my experience, it's generally more reliable to use magic missile and scorching ray as your baselines, because they automatically cope with multiple targets and don't require exposing the wizard to counterattack. They're also sadly more effective against enemies that tend to matter: again...

I think there are a few things at work here: 1) Wizards are very swingy, due to variableness. Sometimes Sleep will affect 10 hp, sometimes it'll affect 30+. Dealing 1d10+0 damage may be 5.5 average but if something has 5 hp, you're going to drop it 60% of the time while your friend dealing 1d8+4...

Just for clarity, it sounds like you're describing a radius of 15-ft from the caster, but that's not what the spell does. It's a 15 x 15 x 15 cube, ie, only 9 squares if you do happen to use a grid. It's also possible you're describing the caster as being in the center, which would make it...

Mines of Phandelver is a good adventure. And actually a ridiculous loot fest compared to Expeditions. So I don't think it will be unpopular when you run it. The trickiest bit is going to be stopping and starting at good points. Some people might have good advice for that, I'm not sure.

I think Parry is also not from 2nd level or lower. Technically, neither is (or should be) heavy armor master, but variant humans get to get it 3 levels early. And yeah, I've heard lots of people say Heavy Armor Mastery is busted good at level 1 and 2. It falls away pretty quick, though. Much...

And I'd raise an eyebrow to any DM who tried to say the drow druid can't say he's seen a giant spider :) In order to cause balance problems at level 2 you just need one of a few key forms, and you can get that via background in all kinds of ways, nevermind visiting a zoo or circus. The form...

Yes, the first druid was an Outlander who used the "I was in fact raised by wolves" quote from the background. The second druid the DM actually had people roll up random backgrounds in an old RPG book, and she had childhood exposure to lycanthropy and wild animals, but the DM actually gave her...

Sadly, the sword coast probably just makes it easier. All kinds of cities, lots of access to transport. "I worked at a circus. We had a bunch of animals, including a lion, a tiger, and a bear. Oh my." The druid pauses to think about the next several levels. "Even an elephant and a giant lizard...

Eh, you can't count on the wildshape restriction to shapes you've seen to be meaningful. Any of the forms could appear at 1st or 2nd level (they're CR 1), any of the forms could easily be witnessed through appropriate scouting (okay, guys, welcome to level 2. We're taking a quick trip up this...