D&D General Are the 5.5 (or whatever) classes/races/monsters/etc better than 5.0?

[overgeeked]

If the UA stuff goes through, the 2024 classes will all be more powerful than the 2014 classes, with the possible exception of the druid.

To keep things compatible, the monsters will likely only change slightly. But we haven’t seen any monster UA yet.

The overwhelmingly vast majority of people will move to the new books. As they always do.

 

[Oofta]

Yea, I've already houseruled the "power attack" mechanism that drives sharpshooter (and GWM) into the base game.

I think the amount of house rules and variation you allow into your game has a major impact on how you view these revisions. There are lot of people who are "official only" for whom these changes count as a major impact. For those of us with a wide amount of house rules and outside material already in their game, these changes are just a small drop in a big bucket.

That may be part of it. I have maybe a page of house rules and most of them will transfer over without a hitch. I'm not a game designer and I don't pretend to be, so they're all pretty simple.

 

[Oofta]

If the UA stuff goes through, the 2024 classes will all be more powerful than the 2014 classes, with the possible exception of the druid.

To keep thing compatible, the monsters will likely only change slightly. But we haven’t seen any monster UA yet.

The overwhelmingly vast majority of people will move to the new books. As they always do.

I would say Monsters of the Multiverse kind of was the UA.

 

[Vaalingrade]

We have absolutely no idea.

We know what they showed us. We know what we voted for.

But we also know what happened with Next where they did their best Lucy impression and pulled the football out of the way at just the last second, so who knows what's actually going to be in the final books?

 

[Yaarel]

I haven't kept up with all the released info. I have seen endless discussions about it, though.

The reason I ask is I see a lot of people say they won't switch or whatever which tells me that at some point they may be playing "lesser" characters in a 5.5 powered game. Sure it's compatible so yes you can play the weaker Ranger compared to the 5.5 Ranger (or whatever class), but would you really want to?

Or as a DM, sure you can use the old weaker Troll with the CR not updated for modern play but the 5.5 Troll is upgraded with a more accurate CR for making battle plans.

The only thing I really see carrying over will be the Adventure Books (with DMs upgrading things a bit monster wise)

I mean sure you can keep playing 5.0, assuming your group goes along with it. I still prefer AD&D but it's not easy to find a game IRL (I'm not a fan of online play) (I probably need to get over that).

I'm curious how many people will "stick to their guns" about not getting the new core. As someone who's been through this since 2E, I foresee a lot of those "only 5E" people giving in at some point.

The important improvement is, the 2024 player species balance better compared to each other.

Some species got major upgrades, such as the Dragonborn that was mechanically horrible but now is mechanically appealing.

Other species are about the same, because they were already formidable.

 

[aco175]

I'm hoping that the new books fix the feats and spells that most people have problems with and makes the classes and races things that people want to play equally. If there is no taking this, that and the other thing to deal 100 points of damage at 3rd level, it should be ok.

My group tends to play rather casually, so we will see a creep-bump if I am killing all the PCs with a basic design.

 

[Corinnguard]

Some species got major upgrades, such as the Dragonborn that was mechanically horrible but now is mechanically appealing.

I like the fact that the 2024 Dragonborn can switch between a line AoE and a cone AoE. However, I probably would replace their spectral wings with real ones like the one Draconic Sorcerers receive at 14th level.

 

[Yaarel]

I like the fact that the 2024 Dragonborn can switch between a line AoE and a cone AoE. However, I probably would replace their spectral wings with real ones like the one Draconic Sorcerers receive at 14th level.

The Norsesque Dragon (Dreki) is serpentine. It is born as a normal snake, a european adder. It sheds its skin, and each time emerges from it transformed, like a butterfly from a cocoon.

Soon it emerges with horns (where the V-shaped scale markings are on the head of the adder).

Around puberty it emerges with prehensile armlike eagle claws. (This is similar to a D&D Salamander, a snake with arms, but with a longer neck.)

An ancient dragon can emerge with eaglelike wings.

Across Sweden, Viking Period runestones depict the various phases of Dragon maturation. A fiercely protective mother Dragon guarding her brood of newborn snakes is a popular motif.

The Dragons start off natural enough, but amplify and transmogrify according to increasing magical power.


In a D&D context, it can make sense for Dragonborn to shed their skin as snakes do. They can emerge differently according to their level of experience. They can even emerge with forms expressing their own choice and intention. Some Dragonborn might emerge with wings, and others not. Some might have tails, and others not.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

I haven't kept up with all the released info. I have seen endless discussions about it, though.

The reason I ask is I see a lot of people say they won't switch or whatever which tells me that at some point they may be playing "lesser" characters in a 5.5 powered game. Sure it's compatible so yes you can play the weaker Ranger compared to the 5.5 Ranger (or whatever class), but would you really want to?

Or as a DM, sure you can use the old weaker Troll with the CR not updated for modern play but the 5.5 Troll is upgraded with a more accurate CR for making battle plans.

The only thing I really see carrying over will be the Adventure Books (with DMs upgrading things a bit monster wise)

I mean sure you can keep playing 5.0, assuming your group goes along with it. I still prefer AD&D but it's not easy to find a game IRL (I'm not a fan of online play) (I probably need to get over that).

I'm curious how many people will "stick to their guns" about not getting the new core. As someone who's been through this since 2E, I foresee a lot of those "only 5E" people giving in at some point.

It really depends and it is somewhat premature to say.

So, if a table is playing 2014 PHB, DMG and MM, would they notice? Most published adventures are using MM monsters and ones printed in the book. So, at the table, playing in the old fashioned no one would probably notice.
Particularly so, if one considers WoTC adventures to be "easy mode". In so far as I have checked most WoTC encounters are "hard" or "medium" for a party of 4 but with the XP high enough that they are in the same threshold for a party of 5 or even a level below the recommended one.

VTT players might notice, but again only if the DM buys the new monster manuals and rebuilds the encounters.
I think that if any group is likely to notice it will be VTT groups where the DM has purchased the new MM and is running an adventure published after the new MM has been released.
But to be honest I would not be surprised if there are groups doing that and not noticing. As other have said, really too early to say.

 

[ezo]

As someone who's been through this since 2E, I foresee a lot of those "only 5E" people giving in at some point.

I know I certainly will not adopt anything WotC produces from this point on unless they make some major changes.

2024 books only escalate PC power and such, which doesn't appeal to me at all. My games, my adventures, my fantasy is not about "superheroes" or anything like them. I prefer it when the player is the important part of their character.

Adopt anything from 2024 on? No, I'll stop playing D&D first.