D&D 5E Going from 1st to 5th Edition

[Charlaquin]

The idea that there was a STORY that was pre-written, even for a pre-fab world, didn't come up until DragonLance. And a lot of us hated that even then.

What the characters choose to do, the implications of those choices and the next choices we made - that was the story.

Storied Adjective
Sto•ried
1: decorated with designs representing scenes from story or history
// a storied tapestry
2: having an interesting history : celebrated in story or history
// a storied institution

 

[Worrgrendel]

I am not advocating that my teenage self was right.

Today, my opinion has softened. I am simply confused why someone would want to run a pre-made world or adventure. I'm sure there are reasons. They simply don't make sense to me.

Kids

 

[Coroc]

So after playing OD&D followed by 1st ed computer games (Pool of Radiance...the original...up through Dark Queen of Krynn), followed by Mage: the Ascension and a little Call of Cthulhu, I played no RPGs with real people for about 25 years.

Then I had the chance to join a 5th Edition game. While I had followed along with many of the changes in D&D by reading the books over the years, I was quite surprised nonetheless at many things.

A spectre showed up, and I pooped my pants. I immediately started running away. Imagine my surprise when it hit another party member, and...their max hitpoints went down, temporarily.

I thought, wow. "You used to lose two levels of experience, permanently!"

I also found a lot of the spells I remembered had been nerfed. "Wait, Fire Shield does 2d6 damage to the person attacking you? It used to do double the attacker's damage! Hold Person requires concentration to maintain, and only affects one target? Haste only gives you one extra attack?"

I'm curious to hear what other funny stories of edition 'jumps' people have to relate.

Not with D&D between editions, sice I always was to informed about that. But me, having only played PnP D&D in my first game of DSA some 25 years ago:

DM: (During a river journey on boat) Some straw huts are along the shore. You see some of the local tribe waving their weapons in an intimidating way at you.

Me (playing a halfelf equipped with a bow): I light some flaming arrows and shoot at their huts

Rest of the group (mainly DSA players) stunned, because this was meant to be a peaceful encounter which was obvious to them while the opposite would be obvious to me, since in D&D it was kill mobs and take their stuff, especially if they show aggressive behavior.

Another anecdote, same game:

One of the others playing a Knight: "I want to encounter a dragon and fight it one on one!" (Correct RP for a DSA campaign, I learned that much later)
Me thinking to myself: OMG this guy is nuts, we are only level 1, if a DSA dragon is as powerful as a D&D dragon (it actual is) then we are toast.
DM during one of the later sessions actually lets him take a glimpse on a dragon living in a cave with a heap of burned and bent weapons in front of it and suspicious piles of ashes. Thank god Sir Bravealot reconsidered

 

[CydKnight]

I jumped from AD&D all the way to 5E. It wasn't because I didn't want to play other editions. I didn't play at all for over 25 years. When I began again with 5E nearly 5 years ago, I found it to be quite logical to my way of thinking and have had fun with it ever since. Since I hadn't played any of the other editions or Pathfinder, and it had been so long since I played AD&D, I guess I didn't have as many preconceived notions about how the game should be played making it easy for me to acclimate (to).

 

[Jeff Albertson]

Hobbits can get an 18 Str?!

 

[commandercrud]

Hobbits can get an 18 Str?!

Yeah, it's absurd.

 

[Undrave]

I'm continually amazed how invincible PCs are nowadays.

It's easier to accept the death of a PC when you can roll one up in 1 minute... not so much when it takes a while to build one.

measuring areas of effect,

How did you measure area of effect in 2e? 3e still used feet and stuff, it's 4e that used squares.

Where are all the tables?

Flashback to Shadowrun NOOOooooooooo!

Hobbits can get an 18 Str?!

They can get 20! More, if they're Barbarians!

 

[Ancalagon]

It's easier to accept the death of a PC when you can roll one up in 1 minute... not so much when it takes a while to build one.

That right there is fundamental: any high lethality game almost requires a quick PC creation system.

If you are playing 3.X, PF, 5e... an NPC/henchman is almost required to be there for the player to have something to do before they can have a new PC ready. Maybe those sidekick rules will become important...

 

[CleverNickName]

Remember when grey oozes, black puddings, rust monsters, and the disintegrate spell were terrifying?

Nowadays they are mildly annoying, at best.

 

[Undrave]

That right there is fundamental: any high lethality game almost requires a quick PC creation system.

If you are playing 3.X, PF, 5e... an NPC/henchman is almost required to be there for the player to have something to do before they can have a new PC ready. Maybe those sidekick rules will become important...

imagine having to put together a level 15, 3.X character, right at the table because you opened the wrong door... All the skill points and feat chains shenanigans that existed... No time to go for Prestige Class amirite?