Ondath
Hero
As someone who recently discovered Chromatic Dungeons (and is seriously torn between switching to that or switching to Level Up), I really like this @Sacrosanct! I'd seriously consider running this as an introduction for newbies.
D&D 5E Blue ONE, An attempt at a TRUE 5e Basic version
- Thread starter Sacrosanct
- Start date
Tales and Chronicles
Jewel of the North, formerly know as vincegetorix
Beyond the Bugbears of the Blue Borderland
BBBB or 4B? (instead of 5E)
Bugbears from Beyond the Blue Borderlands has a nice ring to it. Great adventure name.
for a players guide it could be Braves from Beyond the Blue Borderlands.
''There's an old keep on the slope of the highest mountain. It stands at the edge of the world, where the barren stone land meets the sky. Day and night, knaves and knight, daring traders and mercenaries, pious dreamers, heroes and hexers, witches, wanderers and other waghalters turn their backs to the known world to venture forth in a world where enchantment reigns supreme. They call themselves adventurers. The free-people watching them slowly disappear on the horizon call them the Braves from Beyond the Blue Borderlands.''
DND_Reborn
The High Aldwin
It could be the first adventure for whatever this system ends up being called.
dave2008
Legend
Sure, it just isn't a throwback to Basic like the OP wanted if you do that. IMO of course.Or it can stay as it is with three classes.
Aldarc
Legend
It seems to me, IMHO, that the work (more or less) reflects how the OP wants it, but if you know better than the OP does...
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dave2008
Legend
I am not trying to imply that this is not what the OP wants. It is clearly what they want as they have continued to defend the decision. I definitely do not know what the OP wants better than the OP, that is very odd interpretation of my comment.
The reason the OP posted this here is to get peoples thoughts and feedback. So I am just stating what seems obvious to me. There is nothing wrong with that, and I believe it is in fact what the OP wants from us.
Sacrosanct
Legend
You’re both not wrong. It’s a throwback to Holmes and Moldvay, if they were tasked with creating a basic version today, AND an attempt to streamline 5e to its most basic and core structure. I believe we can do that by combining clerics and MUs into one class. Mechanically speaking. (I.e., it doesn’t have to BE b/x, just have a similar feel in design approach).
And I do appreciate all feedback. A good designer has to be willing to set aside ego and listen to other ideas with an open mind, even if you don’t end up implementing all of them in the end.
And I do appreciate all feedback. A good designer has to be willing to set aside ego and listen to other ideas with an open mind, even if you don’t end up implementing all of them in the end.
Faolyn
(she/her)
Hey, this looks pretty cool! And actually, I find it more interesting than actual D&D One. If you're looking for suggestions and notes, I've got a couple:
Dragonborn: Maybe just let people pick damage type and breath shape, just in case someone wants to have non-standard dragon ancestry (gem dragon, ferrous dragon, etc.).
Dwarfs: No suggestion here, just you get like double points for noting that all dwarfs have beards. Kudos!
Halflings: They get darkvision? Personally, I'd remove it. Of course, I'm one of those who wish they'd go back to low-light vision.
Backgrounds: You may want to have a farmer or noble type of background in there. And you might want to specify the difference between Faerie and Fey.
Classes (Table): I'd just put the ASI as an asterisk next to the levels or whatever, rather than having a mostly-empty column.
Fighting Styles: While I know you're kind of limiting this to "basic" sort of options, you might want to include some of the Tasha's options here: blindfighting, thrown weapons, unarmed fighting, etc.
Magical Bonds: I feel like there should be a "study" option (maybe can prepare or cast more spells, maybe bonus on save DCs or spell attacks), for those who don't want to have gotten their power from a supernatural source. But at any rate, you might want to say how often these abilities can be used and for how long. Like, can a Celestial wizard create wings at will for as long as they want?
Alignment: I think that Law and Chaos should be options here as well.
Edit: re: Exceptional Variants: The phrasing is a bit off. It should be more like "Leader/Superior: one per 5-10 members of a group," because as it is, it suggests that any group of monsters will have 5-10 leaders... and also 50 or more legendary monsters.
Dragonborn: Maybe just let people pick damage type and breath shape, just in case someone wants to have non-standard dragon ancestry (gem dragon, ferrous dragon, etc.).
Dwarfs: No suggestion here, just you get like double points for noting that all dwarfs have beards. Kudos!
Halflings: They get darkvision? Personally, I'd remove it. Of course, I'm one of those who wish they'd go back to low-light vision.
Backgrounds: You may want to have a farmer or noble type of background in there. And you might want to specify the difference between Faerie and Fey.
Classes (Table): I'd just put the ASI as an asterisk next to the levels or whatever, rather than having a mostly-empty column.
Fighting Styles: While I know you're kind of limiting this to "basic" sort of options, you might want to include some of the Tasha's options here: blindfighting, thrown weapons, unarmed fighting, etc.
Magical Bonds: I feel like there should be a "study" option (maybe can prepare or cast more spells, maybe bonus on save DCs or spell attacks), for those who don't want to have gotten their power from a supernatural source. But at any rate, you might want to say how often these abilities can be used and for how long. Like, can a Celestial wizard create wings at will for as long as they want?
Alignment: I think that Law and Chaos should be options here as well.
Edit: re: Exceptional Variants: The phrasing is a bit off. It should be more like "Leader/Superior: one per 5-10 members of a group," because as it is, it suggests that any group of monsters will have 5-10 leaders... and also 50 or more legendary monsters.
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bedir than
Full Moon Storyteller
DND_Reborn
The High Aldwin
So, I'm reviewing the pdf with a player now, and I'll update this with any further ideas.
1. Cannon Fodder: I love the concept as a throw back to AD&D, but as a DM do I really want my player making 10 attacks against CR 1 creatures? As an alternative, I would make this feature instead:
Cannon Fodder: When you attack a creature of CR 1/4 or less and hit, it is reduced to 0 hit points. At 5th level, any creature of CR 1/2 or lower is reduced to 0 hit points on a successful attack, and at 10th level this increases to include any creature of CR 1 or lower.
This is the "mook" rule. You take them down with a hit and don't need to worry about rolling damage. It would speed things up instead of possibly slowing them down.
2. P.23 Wolfsbane is not a plane, it is a plant.
3. The Spell List is very much Arcane and Divine in nature (no pun intended), but lacks options which are more Primal (i.e. Druidic), such as Animal Friendship, Faerie Fire, and Entangle, as well as others at higher levels such as Conjure Elemental (which would work for any "type" of caster IMO). I would rather include some of these spells than doubling up on things like Cure Wounds and Healing Word. And no mending cantrip??? I would look at spells that are universal in 5E to those three classes as a core, and then add specific class/theme spells.
I think that is pretty much it. Otherwise, we both loved a lot of the things you did and how you presented it. Great work and I can't wait to see the finished pdf!
1. Cannon Fodder: I love the concept as a throw back to AD&D, but as a DM do I really want my player making 10 attacks against CR 1 creatures? As an alternative, I would make this feature instead:
Cannon Fodder: When you attack a creature of CR 1/4 or less and hit, it is reduced to 0 hit points. At 5th level, any creature of CR 1/2 or lower is reduced to 0 hit points on a successful attack, and at 10th level this increases to include any creature of CR 1 or lower.
This is the "mook" rule. You take them down with a hit and don't need to worry about rolling damage. It would speed things up instead of possibly slowing them down.
2. P.23 Wolfsbane is not a plane, it is a plant.
3. The Spell List is very much Arcane and Divine in nature (no pun intended), but lacks options which are more Primal (i.e. Druidic), such as Animal Friendship, Faerie Fire, and Entangle, as well as others at higher levels such as Conjure Elemental (which would work for any "type" of caster IMO). I would rather include some of these spells than doubling up on things like Cure Wounds and Healing Word. And no mending cantrip??? I would look at spells that are universal in 5E to those three classes as a core, and then add specific class/theme spells.
I think that is pretty much it. Otherwise, we both loved a lot of the things you did and how you presented it. Great work and I can't wait to see the finished pdf!
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