D&D 5E General PHB Speculation Thread [+]

[MockingBird]

I kinda wish they will just double down on "pick your background". I know it wasn't intentional but it's kinda been standardized.

 

[MichaelSomething]

I don’t know why it’s so extremely difficult to just actually say the point.

Why is this a behavior that even exists? Just say it.

Anyway, number of pages doesn’t determine anything other than number of pages.

What do you have against Gygaxain prose???

 

[Micah Sweet]

I think, looking at the 2014 playtest, we will get a lot of strange changes in design or more things will be reverted then we expect. I expect some classes to be better for it, and other classes to be just as lackluster.

My only real interest in the new PHB is that the layout is improved. I really, really hate the layout of the original PHB and have never once enjoyed reading through it or exploring it. This is unique to the 5E PHB; many other RPGs I enjoy reading and exploring in this manner. However, I think this is the one thing I'm pretty certain will 100% happen and is, imo, a good enough reason to print a new PHB by itself.

After ten years, it's worth buying another PH with very similar information if the layouts better?

 

[Minigiant]

Prediction

With the Backgrounds section reduced via the new Background system, some other sections will get more space.

 

[bedir than]

I'm leaning into the other wishcasting towards a fuller Mixed Ancestry system

 

[Shardstone]

After ten years, it's worth buying another PH with very similar information if the layouts better?

Yes, especially if that means new art.

 

[Mistwell]

I am hopeful for a better CR system, and monsters with more varied and interesting abilities

 

[Sulicius]

I am hopeful for a better CR system, and monsters with more varied and interesting abilities

We’ll probably not see that in the PHB, though!

I am very skeptical about them fixing how badly monsters scale in the higher tiers (they become pushovers) and how the CR system works. It does look like the latest books have monsters who are a bit stronger, but as usual it is only lower tier monsters.

Now what we will probably get in the 2024 release is an appendix with all beasts available for druids to wildshape into. The latest UA update told us that druids will be limited only to the PHB. I really hope they get more significant options at higher levels for the moon druid. On the other hand I love a generic stat block for wildshape even more. Obviously not the version they showed us in the UA playtest packet.

I expect to see lots of changes I love, and some I don’t like, as seen in the content from the playtests. I’m optimistic.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Yes, especially if that means new art.

Wow. Art and layout are the least important parts of an RPG product to me, in that order.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

What do you have against Gygaxain prose???

Nothing! It’s actually the main thing I like about Gygax, and I think it’s unfairly maligned.

“Get to the point/actually say the thing ffs” is correct wrt conversations. It’s dead wrong in storytelling or any other evocative writing. (Well, you should eventually say the thing sometimes, but it isn’t imperative)