D&D General 6E But A + Thread

[CreamCloud0]

State plainly, in all the Core Rulebooks, that the purpose of Magic is to break the rules (a.k.a. The Game’s Basic Laws of Reality) so that a Character can achieve exceptional results.

i feel like this would be have horrible consequences for martials, we already have them so limited to barely 'guy at the gym' standards and stating in such plain language that 'magic is the only way to be exceptional' would be the final nail in the coffin for worthwhile nonmagical characters.

 

[Zaukrie]

I think I'd want a simple version and a more complex version (that are really one version that can be played together).
I'd probably want a simple, medium, and complex version of each class (if there aren't 20 classes).

So, fighter, barbarian, battle master are all "fighters". Something like that.

For monsters, I want a monster builder like we had in 4e that let me EASILY make whatever monster I want that moves its level (get rid of CR and make a monster level like a PC level, 4 PCs? 4 monsters of equal level, give or take). I'd want monsters to have their one unique thing that makes a goblin different than a kobold (in mechanics, not just fluff).

 

[Zaukrie]

Can I also ask for fans that aren't toxic, or is that too much?

 

[mamba]

Well, the Spells are the resources in 5E: it is a game of attrition of Spell Slots and HP, more than water and food, etc. Though the latter help overall if kept track of carefully.

and Rope Trick and Tiny Hut make that attrition pretty hard as you basically have a refill on demand

Either they need to remove these / make them a lot harder to achieve, or they need to move from a daily attrition model to a per encounter model, as little as I like those in theory

 

[mamba]

I have seen people complain specifically about the efforts made to balance the game and to the point that the entire rest of the group of players asked him to reverse his decision.

that complaint was not about balance though, but about players wanting more power

 

[Parmandur]

and Rope Trick and Tiny Hut make that attrition pretty hard as you basically have a refill on demand

I think they need to move from a daily attrition model to a per encounter model, as little as I like those in theory

Skill issue, those can be denied or massively disincentivized handily.

 

[mellored]

This is just personal opinion, but I think if a GM is planning out a whole campaign before they start playing, they are doing it wrong and making their own lives extremely unpleasant.

Or just a scenario.
"Get this message to the King of Gondor across the mountain of giants" is very different depending on if you have the Sending spell or not.

How much of a story would Lord of the Rings been if Gandolf just cast Teleport or Disintegrate?

Or Harry Potter if Locate Creature was available?

Adventure designers absolutely should know what abilities are typically available to characters of levels the adventure is for, and should design FOR those abilities -- maybe with sidebars reminding the GM about them and giving suggestions.

So you DO expect every designer to know every spell a player could possibly have.

IMO, a medieval fantasy world shouldn't have to work around someone suddenly pulling out a cell phone.

 

[Zaukrie]

Just got Shadow of the Weird Wizard (not sure why, but whatever). The idea of 4 classes, then like 10 branches from there per class appeals to me (I don't love that I have to go back and forth between the three levels of classes, but I get why). This kind of thing seems better than subclasses, but then, maybe it is just the same thing packaged better (IMO).

I like the idea of prestige classes from earlier editions, but they never really worked. I think that could be achievable with more mechanics tied to fiction more, but I don't think WotC (and most fans, frankly) want that.

 

[Scribe]

So you DO expect every designer to know every spell a player could possibly have.

At the time of adventure creation? I mean...yes? Obviously.

 

[TwoSix]

Well, because it is on my brain, the Cosmere RPG notably doesn't: resources like money and ammo are firmly in the realm of narrative handwavium, and in-game resources are strictly per Encounter. Which is interesting, since the moment to moment vibe is heavily channeling 5E, but there is zero attrition element to the larger picture of the game.

I can't see D&D ever being that.

I think the game could get closer, but it needs to ditch the idea of a diegetic rest period (i.e. going to sleep) being a full recharge of everyone's resources. Break that linkage in everyone's expectations, and the game can start exploring more innovative resource structures.