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Truly. The "Lethality Dial" is easier to adjust in Next than it is any other edition. Ignore spare the dying, eliminate hit dice, and force a real 'death save' whenever you are reduced to 0 hit points and you're got the most brutally deadly edition of D&D since OD&D.

Maybe. But I think it exists mainly because it's a game which uses hit points to simulate the health of characters, and a certain class who is far better than others at restoring those hit points. All the "Good GMs" in the world can't change that fact.

Not a problem at all. The cleric in my group has it and only uses it when he is out of all other spells. Its effect in the broader context of battle is negligible. It's not all that different from pouring a healing potion in the mouth of a fallen party member. By the way, isn't there a...

Well by that logic the game plays just fine without fighters, rogues, wizards or anybody else. You can be a party of commoners and merchants and have a rip-roaring good time. However the time-honored D&D truism "who's gonna be the cleric" exists for a reason. Indeed Clerics are not necessary...

No, but in every edition you've played, including the one you play now I'd wager, a cleric massively boosts the party's survivability and how long it can go before needing to rest – moreso than any other class by far. You know what the OP was asking. No need to be coy, everyone round here knows...

If nothing else, D&D Next delivers this. Faster and easier combat (that doesn't require a grid) was my top priority as well, therefore I will be making the switch and not looking back.

It won't be called that. It's going to be called Dungeons & Dragons, without any suffix or edition.

- More subclasses or 'builds' within the classes. For example, the Blackguard and GreenKnight which were at one time in the Paladin class entry. - As you said, 'mini-class' feats that pay off multiclassing. Fighter/Mage being the most important one to get right. - This won't happen, but set HP...

Feats versus Ability Score Increases is one such dial.

As a gritty DM, I approve of this generator.

So does D&D Next do that or not? Or is DDN "an unenjoyable game that fails in what it sets out to do"? FYI, "Feel like D&D" is a colloquialism meant to describe a universal gaming experience that captures the essence of all editions of D&D. Things like the 6 ability scores, classes, races...

5th edition - "Wow, this really does feel like D&D, and it's pretty fun to play. I'm actually enjoying this more than my previous preferred edition."

This whole argument rests on the premise that there are two camps: 3e/PF players who love it and hate 4e, and, 4e players that love it and hate 3e/PF – and that each camp is fanatically loyal to their own game, and despises the other. I think these two camps are in the minority of RPG players...

I think these are knee-jerk opinions that come with not playing the game. I see a true hybrid that takes ingredients from all editions and blends them up into what tastes like pure D&D, or what D&D should have tasted like from the beginning.

If you've never had a game bog down in 3.X/PF then that is indeed rare and miraculous. That has not been my experience as a DM for 2e, 3e, PF and 4e. First, rules bloat is intimidating to players who aren't 'system masters'. For players who love to optimize their characters it's great, and...

Well, faster than 4th Edition. Faster and less clunky than 3.5. You are right that clunky rules wasn't what turned 4e into a slog, but other things.

I dont know what you mean by 'rules lite', but I say the current D&D Next playtest runs smoother with faster combat and fewer clunky rules than both previous editions. So yes.

I don't think D&D Next is espousing simplicity for simplicity's sake per se, but rather an overall design methodology to make sure the game never, or at least rarely, bogs down into rules quicksand. Take a look at the four main mechanics of the game: the attack roll, the saving throw, the...

Others know far more than me about it, but 4e's failure on a business level was due to some highly unrealistic expectations on the part of the 4e Team and Hasbro. Someone thought a Tabletop RPG could carve into the massive money of MMORPGs. Something that is never, ever going to happen. The...