D&D 5E (2024) A critical analysis of 2024's revised classes

[Shadowedeyes]

Yah, it's not that difficult to explain the wait in most cases. A lot of gods have multiple domains anyway, so you can look at it as some general training before they pick their specific focus of devotion.

 

[Charlaquin]

Yah, it's not that difficult to explain the wait in most cases. A lot of gods have multiple domains anyway, so you can look at it as some general training before they pick their specific focus of devotion.

Also, even if you assign each domain to one specific god, presumably these gods are part of a unified pantheon. It makes sense to me that initiate clerics would first be taught the general rites and ceremonies of the religion broadly, before later specializing in the cult of one specific deity. With Warlocks, you get your Pact Boon at 1st level, so presumably that Boon is granted by the Patron you will gain at 3rd level. The character might just not yet know the identity of they acquired the Boon from. Or they might know it, and it might be disinclined to give more personal blessings to newly contracted warlocks, preferring to reserve such boons for the ones that have proven their usefulness.

 

[Lazybones]

I haven't seen a barbarian or bard yet in my current 2024 game, so I don't have any in-game experience with those classes other than solo playtesting. However, my experience overall (~50 sessions in) has been that the 2024 classes and subclasses are better balanced with each other, especially when one takes into account the additions from Xanathar's and Tasha's, which I think everyone agrees introduced some quite unbalanced options for some of the classes. The power creep overall with this edition of the rules is real, but isn't a problem as long as the challenges keep place, which I have found to be the case. I have even started using 2024 MM monsters in one of my 2014 campaigns, as I think the higher-level options are better.

The original poster seems to take the worst possible interpretation of all of the changes in 2024. For example, they say it's "bizarre" and "doesn't really make sense" that a cleric becoming incapacitated or dying ends a turning, but to me that makes more sense, and it's consistent with almost every depiction of priests in fantasy media. Similarly, they find the revisions to Divine Intervention to reflect "DM-antagonism," but as a forever DM, I actually find it helpful to provide more specific expectations for this ability rather than having the outcomes of big encounters or major plot points relying on a low-chance d% roll. There are other instances of this, but I disagree so fundamentally with the OP's initial assumption about "blind power creep" that I don't really want to go through all of their points in detail.

I do appreciate the suggestions for "fixes" as things to consider for house rules; I've adopted a few of those to correct some of the 2024-ruleset exploits others have raised in this forum.

 

[djotaku]

It doesn’t even have to be that you didn’t know until level 3. If you start at level 1, and you already know which Domain or which Patron you want to take when you get to level 3, there’s absolutely no reason you can’t have that deity be the source of your class features from the beginning and have your character know that. Just because you don’t get any features from that subclass until level 3 doesn’t mean you can’t make the choice and have it be locked in at level 1 if you want to. The only thing this changes is that it makes it possible to not know your patron, or to not have been dedicated to the service of a specific deity (or to a specific domain) at level 1. And that was the point of the change. They didn’t want players who may never have played a Cleric or Warlock before to feel like they have to read every Cleric or Warlock subclass before they can start playing one.

You're not wrong. I think it all depends on the player. Obviously the players who have been playing for a long time (more likely to be on enworld?) already know the classes and subclasses. Those who are new could be intimidated, but not necesarrily - depends on the personality of the person. First time one of my regulars was a warlock, they checked out the subclass first so that it coudl be part of their backstory.

 

[pukunui]

The original poster seems to take the worst possible interpretation of all of the changes in 2024.

The OP is vocally anti-5.5e. This whole thread is designed to tell people how badwrongfun it is to play it.

 

[Charlaquin]

You're not wrong. I think it all depends on the player. Obviously the players who have been playing for a long time (more likely to be on enworld?) already know the classes and subclasses. Those who are new could be intimidated, but not necesarrily - depends on the personality of the person. First time one of my regulars was a warlock, they checked out the subclass first so that it coudl be part of their backstory.

Which is perfectly fine! The thing is, a player who is comfortable choosing a subclass from level 1 can still do that, they just won’t get a feature from that subclass right away. If the subclass still came at level 1, a player who is overwhelmed by all the subclass options doesn’t have the option to play the class for a few sessions first before making that choice.

 

[FrogReaver]

My critical analysis of the OP is that he nitpicks about too many things that just don’t really matter. I’m fairly certain I could find a million things like that from 2014 as well, but literally no one focused on such things. We just kind of accepted them as gameplay contrivances and moved on.

Now there are some meat and potatoes here. But most of those meat and potatoes have pros and cons and so it depends mostly on what you value.

I personally cannot say wholeheartedly that 2024 is better, but it’s not worse, just a bit different.

I think it did feats much better. It elevated martials out of combat and gave them a clear in combat niche as single target damage dealers that casters typically do not overtake.

I think it buffed control spells and their accessibility too much.

Weapon masteries are a mixed bag for me. Subclasses all at level 3 is another mixed bag as well - it harms the narrative a bit but really helps with game balance and eliminating front loading for multiclass dips.

 

[Zardnaar]

The OP is vocally anti-5.5e. This whole thread is designed to tell people how badwrongfun it is to play it.

That and a lot of people aren't actually playing 5.5. Just grinding old axes.

Inter class balance is really good imho at least at levels that matter.

The power creep is very real though phb to phb. Depending on what's allowed from Tashas though that gap may not matter as much.

5.5 may not be for everyone sure. For whatever reason. That's fine. Bored of 5E, didnt like it to begin with, not enough of an upgrade etc.

MM probably needs a rewrite. The newer critters in 5.5 products are scarier than 5 5 MM.
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