D&D (2024) Dungeons and Dragons future? Ray Winninger gives a nod to Mike Shea's proposed changes.

[Charlaquin]

The 90's and 00's.

Well that’s two to three decades past now.

 

[Maxperson]

A +1 to AC, Spell DC or attack is pretty consistently awesome.

You aren't really getting that, though. You've already picked two +1s to your main two stats, which are going to be the attack/DC stat and probably dex/con. The other +1s are going to add a bonus to maybe two other stats, maybe, and they will be secondaries like int for a fighter or strength for a wizard.

 

[Parmandur]

You aren't really getting that, though. You've already picked two +1s to your main two stats, which are going to be the attack/DC stat and probably dex/con. The other +1s are going to add a bonus to maybe two other stats, maybe, and they will be secondaries like int for a fighter or strength for a wizard.

But based on the stats out there...most games aren't getting that far along. Most characters are played to a point where their big primary stats are still able to be raised.

 

[Maxperson]

But based on the stats out there...most games aren't getting that far along. Most characters are played to a point where their big primary stats are still able to be raised.

That's a matter of what to do with your ASI for levelling, not for beginning characters. As a normal human, you get +1 to everything, so the big two get +1 and a few other minor stats get a boost from their +1s. As a variant human you get the same +1 to the big two, and you get a great feat and an extra proficiency for adventuring. Much better.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Completely changing how ASIs work and quite a bit more drastic, allowing players to just invent whole races are not small changes.

Doesn't matter. Power level isn't the requirement for how big a change is. Before you had fixed ASIs and races were better at some things than others. Now they will be floating and all races are the same with stats. That's huge and alters the world view of races. No longer are elves and halflings nimble. No longer are half orcs strong.

And I know you or someone else is going to be like, "Racial abilities can show those things." But then you've created a disconnect where races are strong, but not strong, nimble, but not nimble, because stats matter. It's a large change to how things work, even if mechanically things are still equal.

But, it doesn’t actually change the game significantly. You can still play precisely the same characters you could before. You just have more options.

We could further distinguish between drama and melodrama. Point is, some people want to treat the fiction as more akin to LotR or GoT than Vox Machina or Slayers.

Absolutely, I’m just pointing out that while my group leans much more LoTR (I’ve little regard for GoT), we still tell jokes and have moments like the gif upthread.

 

[Parmandur]

That's a matter of what to do with your ASI for levelling, not for beginning characters. As a normal human, you get +1 to everything, so the big two get +1 and a few other minor stats get a boost from their +1s. As a variant human you get the same +1 to the big two, and you get a great feat and an extra proficiency for adventuring. Much better.

The one time it came up, my brother in law made a big deal of allowing Feats in a campaign. I was making a Human Wizard to take him up on it, while the other players ignored Feats entirely...and then I rolled 6 odd Ability scores, and I couldn't help myself. 6 +1's to Saves and Skills...

 

[Parmandur]

It does strike me: with Backgroujd Feats looking like the norm moving forwards...could the revised Humans essentget two Backgrounds...?

 

[Maxperson]

The one time it came up, my brother in law made a big deal of allowing Feats in a campaign. I was making a Human Wizard to take him up on it, while the other players ignored Feats entirely...and then I rolled 6 odd Ability scores, and I couldn't help myself. 6 +1's to Saves and Skills...

Corner cases will happen where the +1s across the board are great! Most of the time you have a few odd and a few even and you put the odd ones into your main two stats and most of the rest are wasted. You're as likely to roll all even stats as all odd.

 

[Maxperson]

It does strike me: with Backgroujd Feats looking like the norm moving forwards...could the revised Humans essentget two Backgrounds...?

I doubt it. Likely it will be one background and a bonus feat of choice for race.

 

[Charlaquin]

Absolutely, I’m just pointing out that while my group leans much more LoTR (I’ve little regard for GoT), we still tell jokes and have moments like the gif upthread.

Oh, for sure! And it’s not as if LotR is without its own goofy moments.