D&D 5E (2014) Favorite change and thing you like better before
- Thread starter Najo
- Start date
The_Gneech
Explorer
Favorite new rule: It's a toss-up between adv/disadv and concentration chopping the buffs out. Always hated the buffs.
Wish hadn't changed: Level progression being slower. It feels like we're rushing to endgame; a level should last at least three sessions (and that's probably going to be house-ruled in my campaign soon).
-The Gneech
Wish hadn't changed: Level progression being slower. It feels like we're rushing to endgame; a level should last at least three sessions (and that's probably going to be house-ruled in my campaign soon).
-The Gneech
Favorite: Neo-Vancian casting (i.e.: prepare a list of spells, rather than locking down your spells at the beginning of the day in the style of 1E/2E/3E).
Least favorite: 5E cleric domains that try to be something to everybody but end up being nothing to almost everybody. 2E spheres were more flavourful and 3E domains were diverse and versatile (because your powers came from a combination of two of them); 5E's options are neither versatile nor flavourful enough.
In a 1st-level campaign, those first three levels are still slow; in a 5th-level campaign, those first three levels are fast enough to get your new characters (starting from 1st level) up to a reasonable power-level in a hurry. (I also love that in 5E, 1st-level characters are still viable in a higher-level party--as long as you start them out with more hit points.)Wish hadn't changed: Level progression being slower. It feels like we're rushing to endgame; a level should last at least three sessions (and that's probably going to be house-ruled in my campaign soon).
-The Gneech
I'm A Banana
Potassium-Rich
Favorite: Advantage/Disadvantage. So many fiddly little +1's and +2's can be rolled into a re-roll, nixing the micro-math while simultaneously being more memorable and notable.
Honorable Mention: The division between tool proficiencies and skill proficiencies capturing well the distinction between an innate skill based on an ability score and a useful thing you learn how to do based on a bit of kit. Not as revolutionary as A/D, but really nice.
Also: two weapon fighting as something anyone can do is a big win...
....but now I'm cheating. Second half:
Rule I Miss: I get *why* wizards prepare a spell list each day and why they have at-will cantrips, and I can support it being the default, but I honestly miss the more binary feeling of olde skool low-level wizards with their "I cast what I prepare" mechanic and their "I have one spell, and then I use daggers" rationing. It said something about the power of magic that no one could do it all day long and needed to be very precise in what they wanted to do with it. I think the current way is fine, but it misses some of that evocative flavor, and it's kind of difficult to weave back in easily without just nerfing wizards.
Honorable Mention: The division between tool proficiencies and skill proficiencies capturing well the distinction between an innate skill based on an ability score and a useful thing you learn how to do based on a bit of kit. Not as revolutionary as A/D, but really nice.
Also: two weapon fighting as something anyone can do is a big win...
....but now I'm cheating. Second half:
Rule I Miss: I get *why* wizards prepare a spell list each day and why they have at-will cantrips, and I can support it being the default, but I honestly miss the more binary feeling of olde skool low-level wizards with their "I cast what I prepare" mechanic and their "I have one spell, and then I use daggers" rationing. It said something about the power of magic that no one could do it all day long and needed to be very precise in what they wanted to do with it. I think the current way is fine, but it misses some of that evocative flavor, and it's kind of difficult to weave back in easily without just nerfing wizards.
The_Gneech
Explorer
We've been running the Starter Set; after four sessions, the characters are halfway between levels 3 and 4, and that's with a lot of skipped encounters. Believe me, it's not slow at all!
-The Gneech
Wow, there are so many. This is hard.
I'm going to go with the proficiency rules and bounded accuracy. Bounded accuracy has done so much for the game. Although neo-Vancian spellcasting is up there, too, and the wizard's new spell table with its sharply limited high-level spell access, and... I'm going to shut up now because I could go on for pages.
This is also hard. 5E is not perfect, and there are things I would like changed about it; but most of them are things that either carried over from previous editions, or simply didn't exist until now.
But all right, here's one: I don't really like 5E's multiclassing. It's an improvement on 3E and a vast improvement on 4E, but what I would prefer would be AD&D-style multiclassing (what in 3E was known as "gestalt" and in 4E was "hybrid"). Obviously it would require careful balancing--it was grossly overpowered in AD&D--but IMO it's a better approach to creating a character who is a true mix of classes, as opposed to being mostly class X with some dabbling in class Y.
I've heard rumors the DMG is going to address gestalt-style multiclassing, so this may be fixed soon.
Of all the awesome new rules in 5E... I guess chalk me up as an Ad/Disad advocate.
As far as least favorite... probably the skill list. Much more a fan of the 4E version. Animal Handling and Sleight of Hand both kind of suck as skill by themselves in my opinion, and Dungeoneering should have remained a viable lore skill. AH should really be a part of Nature, Sleight of Hand was only worthwhile when also combined with the lockpicking and trap disarming of Thievery, and while I understand them wanting to give History and Nature a bit more 'oomph' by killing Dungeoneering and taking its stuff... I'm not sure I'm crazy about it. You can also put me down as someone who has never like Heal/Medicine as its own skill, and who thinks Survival would be better served by absorbing the functionality (although that was a problem with both 4E and 5E.)
As far as least favorite... probably the skill list. Much more a fan of the 4E version. Animal Handling and Sleight of Hand both kind of suck as skill by themselves in my opinion, and Dungeoneering should have remained a viable lore skill. AH should really be a part of Nature, Sleight of Hand was only worthwhile when also combined with the lockpicking and trap disarming of Thievery, and while I understand them wanting to give History and Nature a bit more 'oomph' by killing Dungeoneering and taking its stuff... I'm not sure I'm crazy about it. You can also put me down as someone who has never like Heal/Medicine as its own skill, and who thinks Survival would be better served by absorbing the functionality (although that was a problem with both 4E and 5E.)
Favorite addition: Advantage/Disadvantage
Other well liked additions: Versatile casting, spells can be used in higher slots; Bounded Accuracy; Death Save mechanic; etc.
Wish was different: Speed of leveling is too fast. It works great for mini campaigns, but standard campaigns lose time to develop the subtle elements that make for fun retelling. Hopefully the DMG will have plenty of examples for varied advancement.
Other well liked additions: Versatile casting, spells can be used in higher slots; Bounded Accuracy; Death Save mechanic; etc.
Wish was different: Speed of leveling is too fast. It works great for mini campaigns, but standard campaigns lose time to develop the subtle elements that make for fun retelling. Hopefully the DMG will have plenty of examples for varied advancement.
tuxgeo
Adventurer
Favorite and Least-Favorite changes in 5E
Favorite: Bounded Accuracy. The influence of this feature cuts right through everything else, enables somewhat-similar playstyles across character levels, and sets the tone of the whole game.
Honorable Mention: Background Features. Conferring language, skill, and tool proficiencies through the Background mechanic was a great innovation, though it was not as pervasive an influence as Bounded Accuracy.
Honorable Mention: Flavored versions of Neo-Vancian spellcasting. Wizards select a spell to cast from a prepared list, while Bards select a spell to cast from their small list of spells known; and other variations.
Honorable Mention: "Finesse" weapons. PCs do not need a Feat, nor do they need a Class Feature, to use their Dexterity modifier with certain weapons.
Honorable Mention: Advantage/Disadvantage. It is a "nice-to-have" feature in my opinion: without it, the game would still work as intended, but would not work as smoothly and simply.
Least Favorite: Mega-Feats: They are kludgey, in my humble opinion, compared to the careful precision of selecting feats in 3E and 4E. Wizards of the Coast could have easily kept Feats the same size as before by making "Ability Score Improvement" be a +1 to one Ability, and making them appear twice as often in the Class tables. There was no need to create Mega-Feats.
Favorite: Bounded Accuracy. The influence of this feature cuts right through everything else, enables somewhat-similar playstyles across character levels, and sets the tone of the whole game.
Honorable Mention: Background Features. Conferring language, skill, and tool proficiencies through the Background mechanic was a great innovation, though it was not as pervasive an influence as Bounded Accuracy.
Honorable Mention: Flavored versions of Neo-Vancian spellcasting. Wizards select a spell to cast from a prepared list, while Bards select a spell to cast from their small list of spells known; and other variations.
Honorable Mention: "Finesse" weapons. PCs do not need a Feat, nor do they need a Class Feature, to use their Dexterity modifier with certain weapons.
Honorable Mention: Advantage/Disadvantage. It is a "nice-to-have" feature in my opinion: without it, the game would still work as intended, but would not work as smoothly and simply.
Least Favorite: Mega-Feats: They are kludgey, in my humble opinion, compared to the careful precision of selecting feats in 3E and 4E. Wizards of the Coast could have easily kept Feats the same size as before by making "Ability Score Improvement" be a +1 to one Ability, and making them appear twice as often in the Class tables. There was no need to create Mega-Feats.
KidSnide
Adventurer
My favorite new rule is backgrounds. They provide skill flexibility that is separate from class (vastly increasing the set of interesting options), provide a trait that connects the character to the game world, and provide amazing role-playing aids with traits, ideals, bonds and flaws. Amazing addition to the game.
Honorable mentions have to go to the many rules that make the game less fiddly: advantage/disadvantage (instead of many modifiers), less complicated movement and positioning (instead of move actions and flanking), easier "semi-vancean" spell preparation, etc...
So far, I haven't found specific rules that really bother me, although I wish the spell list had an extra round of playtesting (e.g. I really like the idea of Witch Bolt, but it should be more effective).
-KS
Honorable mentions have to go to the many rules that make the game less fiddly: advantage/disadvantage (instead of many modifiers), less complicated movement and positioning (instead of move actions and flanking), easier "semi-vancean" spell preparation, etc...
So far, I haven't found specific rules that really bother me, although I wish the spell list had an extra round of playtesting (e.g. I really like the idea of Witch Bolt, but it should be more effective).
-KS
Similar Threads
Recent & Upcoming Releases
-
June 16 2026 -
June 16 2026 -
September 16 2026 
Arcana Unleashed(Dungeons & Dragons)
Rulebook featuring "high magic" options, including a host of new spells.
Replies (181) -
September 16 2026 -
October 1 2026 -
October 6 2026 -
January 1 2027
