D&D (2024) Going to play test. Who wants to hear about it?

[fluffybunbunkittens]

I don't really see the plane Fighter as an issue but rather an option for those who just want to hit things.

Thing is, the same mentality that gives us the plain Fighter, also apparently gives us the plain Barbarian, plain Rogue, plain Paladin, etc

But, uh, that's not really relevant to dwell on in this thread, which I am very interested in! Like, it's really good to hear a completely new player's experience, much as it was to their dismay... At least they picked the race with some inherent flight + spells.

 

[Parmandur]

Don't tell the Furry-hating narcs (like I used to be before I realized they were people too lol), but I'm pretty sure the whole "Upper Planes" stuff with the Aardling is mostly a disguise so that WotC can sneak an "any animal" anthro race into the game without getting accused of pandering to Furries and people getting huffy about it. My guess is they looked for the best way to do it, and the Guardinals (who are pretty badass/liked) and other Upper Planes talking animals and so on stuck out as an obvious way. The other major one would be Hengeyokai with a mixed form default, but that might be overcomplicated and some people would reject it as "Eastern mythology" or "not fitting settings" or the like. Whereas Angel-Fur flies under that radar (bizarrely).

Consider also the new hybrid rules: the game as proposed is putting front and center the option of making any Racial choice anthropomorphic: grandma was an Ardling, so my Elf has cat features.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Consider also the new hybrid rules: the game as proposed is putting front and center the option if making any Eacial choice anthropomorphic: grandma was an Ardling, so my Elf has cat features.

I have been talking with my group that we might try just "Use what ever stats you want and describe what ever you want" so you can use elf stats and describe an orc

 

[Parmandur]

I have been talking with my group that we might try just "Use what ever stats you want and describe what ever you want" so you can use elf stats and describe an orc

I mean, strictly speaking nothing prevents it in 5E as-is, it's just interesting that centering thst flexibility of the rules is part of the playtest.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

I mean, strictly speaking nothing prevents it in 5E as-is, it's just interesting that centering thst flexibility of the rules is part of the playtest.

yeah... I didn't mean it was just something new. We did "everyone is human but" campaigns even in 2e. I just meant we are talking about using it more as a default table rule. Nothing stops me from taking the reverant thing from the ravenloft book and refluffing it to rebuild my Deva from 4e. Nothing stops me from taking the shifter and making the hulk "You wouldn't like me when I'm angry"

 

[CrashFiend82]

I did something similar for a one-shot game. Refluffed the races and class builds to do an MCU style game. Just for giggles and threw it at my players, they had a blast and asked for it to continue. I realize these new rules upset some people but honestly I greatly enjoy the idea of grabbing mechanics and slapping on a non-d&d traditional aesthetic overlay. Let it be Anime, Video Game, or Comic Book style character if the mechanics fit so be it. I am so over western Tolkien fantasy, did that for 20+ years. I am craving new ideas, stories from cultures that I haven't explored, and I want to flex races to meet these concepts. The Playtest so far may not get me there 100% but it reaches so much further than the 2014 PHB did.

 

[HammerMan]

Okay so game 2 went well. We got more combat in and as such got to see more stuff happen. And we leveled to 3rd for the last playtest next week (sorry this is a day late I actually had some work issues).

I think we have 2. New players (although 1 has already learned you need to have spells to unlock some things in the game).
The DM through a monster with Slow against us to try the new condition and it went well.
I grappled 3 different threats 1 I held down for the entire fight and the DM ruled that I could pin with my arms and still kick. (She also let me take a +1 throwing star and push it through the heel of my boot so get a +1 unarmed strike “spur”.) so I could hold down 1 half bugbear and kick at the serpent man.
Our hex blade now has the ability to add Cha mod to eldritch blast damage and detect magic at will. Both made the bard and fighters jealous.
Our fighter DID ask something that most fighter players would not think of. During a tense negotiation with the gang leader she ask if she could “action surge” for 2 actions so she could aid herself by double using a skill. It was a good idea (not exactly raw) but our DM allowed it and gave an inspiration for it.

Also my niece and her friend both used inspiration a lot. Us old foggies kept forgetting to and twice lost it for taking a long rest without using it.

Overall nothing stood out as wrong or bad. With the exception of the nat 1 nat 20 thing we pretty much tested everything at this point (no DCs hog enough yet at low level and no modifie big enough to not pass fail on those rolls.

With the extra language we all some how missed I and my niece picked up sign. And our fighter picked up Druidic (with DM approval). I have no idea what our hex blade picked.

Next week we are going to take our new motly crew to the hidden sub level of the city that holds the big boss of the crime syndicate. Maybe we talk him into our new agreement or maybe we pull a butch and Sundance.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

I grappled 3 different threats 1 I held down for the entire fight and the DM ruled that I could pin with my arms and still kick.

Just noting for the future that you just need one hand to grapple people.

...so you could be pinning down TWO bugbears!