Sonofapreacherman
Explorer
I really like D&D 5th edition so far. I'm excited. I'm invested. It did a lot things right. But it's not perfect.
I want D&D 5th edition to be everything that it can be. I don't want it to settle for 'good enough'. Not after this much public play-testing.
To wit...
Feats
Stop treating feats like variant rules. Too many people want them. Are planning for them even now. Embrace what the players clearly want, especially with the variant human being vastly more appealing than the regular human.
Fighter
Great Weapon Fighting. Treat 1 and 2 as 3 instead of re-rolling 1 and 2. Otherwise the 2d6 weapon damages are vastly superior to the 1d12 weapon damages.
Fighter
Protection fighting style with a shield should be with any weapon or shield. Restricting this ability to shields kills certain play-styles.
Fighter
The Second Wind of fighters should be limited to once per day, avoiding hourly regeneration. Especially since you nerfed cure wounds and healing word spells. Better yet, make it temporary hit points granted with a bonus action. Perhaps this could also herald the death of martial healing once and for all?
Rogue
Sneak Attack works with a thrown Strength attack, such as a handaxe, but not a melee Strength attack with the same weapon? This is inconsistent. I understand that you want to restrict the weapons, so make it finesse, range, AND light weapons.
Wizard
Potent Cantrip should work on a miss (not a failed saving throw). That way Fire Bolt, Ray of Frost, and Shocking Grasp can benefit... rather than inventing new cantrips later on to justify this ability.
Classes
Switch the crowning 20th level class power to an ability score increase/feat for each class. That keeps the progression consistent. Chances are it will probably be a feat by that point.
Race
Mountain dwarf +2 Strength is wonky. The two +2 bonuses make them great for melee classes, but then mountain dwarves also have a free proficiency with light and medium armour. Any melee class they pursue already have those proficiencies. It's redundant. Lower Strength to +1 (in keeping with every other +2/+1 races), and bring back the +1 armour bonus to mountain dwarves.
Skills
Medicine is still a useless skill, especially when untrained use of a Healing Kit can stabilize. This also makes the standard action cantrip Spare the Dying a poor choice (unless changed to a bonus action or given a range). Have the Medicine skill cure diseases and poisoning at least. The DC could be equal to the initial Saving Throw DC. Require a Healing Kit proficiency for that.
Armour
You added Breastplate, Half-Plate, and Splint Armour, but took away Banded armour? There's even an AC gap in the heavy armours for Banded. Make Chain Mail AC 15, Splint AC 16, and restore banded to AC 17. Also, Chain Shirt is a Medium armour? Make it light. Moreover, Padded hurts Stealth? There has got to be better mechanic for differentiating Padded from other light armours. Alternatively, if you are going to delete any armour from the list, choose Padded over Banded.
Weapons
So many pointless or redundant weapons on the chart. Mace. Pick. Trident. Take your pick. There are more. Consider weapon properties for groups of weapons (Axes, Bows, Swords, etcetera) to create meaningful differences.
Spells
Did we really need V, S, and M again? It was so elegant during the play-test. All spells have a few words, a few gestures, and a material component. Some have a costly material component (as noted). Done.
Spells
100 gp for Identify? If you say a magical item can be figured out over time, or figured out with a spell that costs 100 gp, guess how useless Identify just became?
Spells
100 gp for Stoneskin? Let the fact that it's a high level spell with less castings than previous editions be the cost. Remove the GP cost of this spell. Like Identify, that sacred cow is not worth preserving.
Languages
Go back to languages granted by Intelligence bonus (in addition to training). This was added after the initial play-tests and then taken away. People want their languages.
Ability Scores
Bring back the ability to buy 16 as a score and raise the point buy total to 30 again. This has a very appealing secondary effect that you may have overlooked. It will encourage players to try non-traditional race/class combinations. See why? Right now, there are very clear race choices (read: ability score bonuses) for specific classes, especially if you want to be effective with a 16 or 17 in your primary ability score, instead of a 15 (the highest score players can currently buy 'without' a racial bonus). If players can buy a 16, then they are more likely to explore unconventional race/class options.
Advantage and Disadvantage
Make the number of Advantage/Disadvantage instances count. Three Advantages? One Disadvantage? You have Advantage. People can tell the difference between a higher and lower number. Like instantly.
Combat
Bring back the charge action. It served a worthy purpose in combat.
Dying
Constitution bonus on death saving throws.
Encumbrance
The new encumbrance rules are bizarre. Strength 10 can bench press 300 pounds? Go back to what you had in the play-test and turf the variant. Make certain armours inhibit speed by 10. Reduce that to 5 for Strength 15, and 0 for Strength 20. Dwarves continue to ignore these penalties, regardless of Strength.
I want D&D 5th edition to be everything that it can be. I don't want it to settle for 'good enough'. Not after this much public play-testing.
To wit...
Feats
Stop treating feats like variant rules. Too many people want them. Are planning for them even now. Embrace what the players clearly want, especially with the variant human being vastly more appealing than the regular human.
Fighter
Great Weapon Fighting. Treat 1 and 2 as 3 instead of re-rolling 1 and 2. Otherwise the 2d6 weapon damages are vastly superior to the 1d12 weapon damages.
Fighter
Protection fighting style with a shield should be with any weapon or shield. Restricting this ability to shields kills certain play-styles.
Fighter
The Second Wind of fighters should be limited to once per day, avoiding hourly regeneration. Especially since you nerfed cure wounds and healing word spells. Better yet, make it temporary hit points granted with a bonus action. Perhaps this could also herald the death of martial healing once and for all?
Rogue
Sneak Attack works with a thrown Strength attack, such as a handaxe, but not a melee Strength attack with the same weapon? This is inconsistent. I understand that you want to restrict the weapons, so make it finesse, range, AND light weapons.
Wizard
Potent Cantrip should work on a miss (not a failed saving throw). That way Fire Bolt, Ray of Frost, and Shocking Grasp can benefit... rather than inventing new cantrips later on to justify this ability.
Classes
Switch the crowning 20th level class power to an ability score increase/feat for each class. That keeps the progression consistent. Chances are it will probably be a feat by that point.
Race
Mountain dwarf +2 Strength is wonky. The two +2 bonuses make them great for melee classes, but then mountain dwarves also have a free proficiency with light and medium armour. Any melee class they pursue already have those proficiencies. It's redundant. Lower Strength to +1 (in keeping with every other +2/+1 races), and bring back the +1 armour bonus to mountain dwarves.
Skills
Medicine is still a useless skill, especially when untrained use of a Healing Kit can stabilize. This also makes the standard action cantrip Spare the Dying a poor choice (unless changed to a bonus action or given a range). Have the Medicine skill cure diseases and poisoning at least. The DC could be equal to the initial Saving Throw DC. Require a Healing Kit proficiency for that.
Armour
You added Breastplate, Half-Plate, and Splint Armour, but took away Banded armour? There's even an AC gap in the heavy armours for Banded. Make Chain Mail AC 15, Splint AC 16, and restore banded to AC 17. Also, Chain Shirt is a Medium armour? Make it light. Moreover, Padded hurts Stealth? There has got to be better mechanic for differentiating Padded from other light armours. Alternatively, if you are going to delete any armour from the list, choose Padded over Banded.
Weapons
So many pointless or redundant weapons on the chart. Mace. Pick. Trident. Take your pick. There are more. Consider weapon properties for groups of weapons (Axes, Bows, Swords, etcetera) to create meaningful differences.
Spells
Did we really need V, S, and M again? It was so elegant during the play-test. All spells have a few words, a few gestures, and a material component. Some have a costly material component (as noted). Done.
Spells
100 gp for Identify? If you say a magical item can be figured out over time, or figured out with a spell that costs 100 gp, guess how useless Identify just became?
Spells
100 gp for Stoneskin? Let the fact that it's a high level spell with less castings than previous editions be the cost. Remove the GP cost of this spell. Like Identify, that sacred cow is not worth preserving.
Languages
Go back to languages granted by Intelligence bonus (in addition to training). This was added after the initial play-tests and then taken away. People want their languages.
Ability Scores
Bring back the ability to buy 16 as a score and raise the point buy total to 30 again. This has a very appealing secondary effect that you may have overlooked. It will encourage players to try non-traditional race/class combinations. See why? Right now, there are very clear race choices (read: ability score bonuses) for specific classes, especially if you want to be effective with a 16 or 17 in your primary ability score, instead of a 15 (the highest score players can currently buy 'without' a racial bonus). If players can buy a 16, then they are more likely to explore unconventional race/class options.
Advantage and Disadvantage
Make the number of Advantage/Disadvantage instances count. Three Advantages? One Disadvantage? You have Advantage. People can tell the difference between a higher and lower number. Like instantly.
Combat
Bring back the charge action. It served a worthy purpose in combat.
Dying
Constitution bonus on death saving throws.
Encumbrance
The new encumbrance rules are bizarre. Strength 10 can bench press 300 pounds? Go back to what you had in the play-test and turf the variant. Make certain armours inhibit speed by 10. Reduce that to 5 for Strength 15, and 0 for Strength 20. Dwarves continue to ignore these penalties, regardless of Strength.
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But I think it's a great set of houserules. I'm kind of tempted by the CON for death saving throws myself.
