D&D 5E How should be the future Oriental Adventures.

[LuisCarlos17f]

You know when something it's too popular then it becomes "old-fashion". Not only the music, but also fiction genres. For example decades ago Far-Western movies and teleseries were very popular among the public, and today the new generations don't want to watch them. It will also happen with the "Tolkien" fantasy, and WotC notices it shouldn't put all the eggs in one basket. WotC has to get ready to offer other things when the tastes of the fandom start to change...again.

And we can't forget the otaku community, a potential market to get new players. WotC should offers something for manga fans who would like to play PCs based in their favorite shonen or shojo titles, or beat'em videogames.

This is not only about WotC but also Hasbro wants to produce its own IPs for the Asian market, not only China, Korea and Japan, not only TTRPGs but also media productions (movies and teleserie) or toys.

* I guess to introduce PC races and monsters we will see in DM Guilds more titles as Tortle Package, Localath Rising, One Grung Above or Mordenkainen’s Fiendish Folio, but it ill be after the new version about the racial traits to allow more flexibility to create new PCs. Now I don't worry about the crunch. If WotC doesn't publish new base classes then they will be by 3PPs. My doubts are about how create an interesting lore for the PC races. I have showed some suggestions in a previous post.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Of the three class ideas mentioned, I think the sohei (which I view as the no-armor no-weapon wizard style cleric) would be the hardest to capture in 5e because subclasses rarely (if ever, I can't think of an example) take away basic class features in return for more powers than a subclass would generally add. Since the Cloistered Cleric in 3e, I have always wished the base cleric was this style of character (with fighting ability added only in certain prestige/subclasses) and the out-of-the-gate fighty religious character would be the paladin.

Sacred Cow Armor +5, though.

Sohei wore armour in the 1E version. I have the book open in front of me. They can wear any armour but no shield. They can also use the vast majority of weapons (including a lot of edged ones). So that's a pretty freakin' weird take. They are absolutely not the "spells only" class you're describing in any way, shape, or form. They're armoured warrior-clerics. In Japanese myth/history, the sohei are also armoured warrior-priests.

So what are you talking about? They're perfectly captured by 5E Clerics. You seem to be confusing them with some entirely different class.

 

[shadowoflameth]

Having played the 3e book with many players, I didn't encounter any content that players found insensitive including the Oriental Adventures name (though I don't think it was a great title). That said, Wizards isn't setting out to offend their customer base, they want to print books that will sell, and listening to people who buy books is good business. If they do put out a book that you don't like, it's easily resolved by not allowing that content when you DM. That doesn't stop anyone else from using it, and preserves the theme of your game. Listening to the players is a valid reason that choice. Personally, I had a player want to be the Shugenja and I'd love to the Wu Jen, Shintao Monk, and others back. More options are welcome in my game. If Wizards publishes a class or book or setting that I'm offended by, I won't buy the book and won't use that content, simple as that. This helps guide WOTC choices and doesn't stop anyone else who does want the book. My choice doesn't censor the publisher. If enough people want something that I don't want, they'll publish it over my objection.

 

[Count_Zero]

And we can't forget the otaku community, a potential market to get new players. WotC should offers something for manga fans who would like to play PCs based in their favorite shonen or shojo titles, or beat'em videogames.

(Emphasis mine)

You keep using that word - I don't think it means what you think it means. Particularly since there is an extremely long tradition of western-inspired fantasy in Anime, whether we're talking stuff like Lodoss and Slayers in the 90s, or a lot of modern Isekai like Sword Art Online, Konosuba, or Re:Zero.

Plus, you're also conflating Japanese historical fantasy (like Inuyasha) with the wuxia genre of martial arts cinema (like Hero, House of Flying Daggers, Come Drink With Me, and The Sorcerer and the White Snake), which come from different countries - and the people who are fans of those works will know that.

Also, an "OA" inspired game isn't going to cover characters based on everyone's "favorite shonen or shojo titles", because for example a bunch of those titles that are popular right now are Idol anime - about modern-day high schoolers who want to be pop idols. That doesn't fit with the OA concept. That fits more with something like the new edition of Big Eyes Small Mouth (or Fate). Or there's My Hero Academia, which is a superhero anime set in a not-to-distant future, and would fit perfectly with Mutants & Masterminds.

With your comments about "otaku", though this may not be your intent, you are coming across like that guy referring to The Tale of Princess Kaguya and The Story of Kells as "Chinese cartoons" when they were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

We already have the Way of Shadow that's explicitly called out as a ninja in its text. And then there's the Assassin which is very ninja. Plus the Arcane Trickster serves well as a magic ninja.

The Assassin is very solid for "historical ninja" - the disguise/infiltration stuff is spot-on. The Way of Shadows Monk is kind of lame for a ninja and it's a bit lame they call it out as such, but meh. Arcane Trickster with the right spells is probably the best bet for a solid magic-y ninja, even if the theme is a bit off. The only real issue with the Rogues is that 5E doesn't have a non-Feat, non-MC route to getting decent unarmed combat, and even the Feat or MC routes are pretty dreadful, introducing rules complications and making your character objectively worse.

It does fit the whole bizarre 5E theme of "designers insanely overvaluing the ability to fight without an actual weapon", sadly.

 

[Mecheon]

The Tale of Princess Kaguya

That movie was so god damn beautiful it was ridiculous

 

[JiffyPopTart]

Sohei wore armour in the 1E version. I have the book open in front of me. They can wear any armour but no shield. They can also use the vast majority of weapons (including a lot of edged ones). So that's a pretty freakin' weird take. They are absolutely not the "spells only" class you're describing in any way, shape, or form. They're armoured warrior-clerics. In Japanese myth/history, the sohei are also armoured warrior-priests.

So what are you talking about? They're perfectly captured by 5E Clerics. You seem to be confusing them with some entirely different class.

Yes I was. Confused with the shukenja, as mentioned in post #179.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Yes I was. Confused with the shukenja, as mentioned in post #179.

Fair enough, didn't see #179!

 

[ZeshinX]

Sohei wore armour in the 1E version. I have the book open in front of me. They can wear any armour but no shield. They can also use the vast majority of weapons (including a lot of edged ones). So that's a pretty freakin' weird take. They are absolutely not the "spells only" class you're describing in any way, shape, or form. They're armoured warrior-clerics. In Japanese myth/history, the sohei are also armoured warrior-priests.

So what are you talking about? They're perfectly captured by 5E Clerics. You seem to be confusing them with some entirely different class.

I find they tend to lean far more into Fighter than Cleric. I mean, even in 1e, it indicates they are far more militant than holy and "receive very little religious instruction." They don't receive spells until 6th level and never gain spell levels above 4th. They receive multiple attacks (per 1e's approach to such). They have d10 hit die. The one thing they do have that leans them towards Cleric is they use Priest (Cleric) saving throws and combat table.

Honestly though, they'd work well as a Fighter or Cleric subclass in 5e, so really there's no "wrong" side of this debate (and apologies if I'm coming off as simply contrarian). They could also work just as well as a Paladin subclass.

As a Fighter, I'd make them like the Eldritch Knight, swap spellcasting to the cleric list (wisdom the related ability score, same progression) and tinker with the subclass abilities to reflect a slightly more defensive/protection feel.

As a Cleric, they're basically a War domain cleric.

They just feel more at home to me in the Fighter (EK)'s body than the cleric's....but they would work well in either.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Otaku had got a pejorative sense in the past, but now it is not alway like this. At least otaku lacks of pejorative sense in Spanish community who love manga and anime.

Wikipedia:

Otaku (Japanese: おたく or オタク) is a Japanese term for people with consuming interests, particularly in anime and manga. Its contemporary use originated with Akio Nakamori's 1983 essay in Manga Burikko.[1][2] Otaku may be used as a pejorative; its negativity stems from a stereotypical view of otaku and the media's reporting on Tsutomu Miyazaki, "The Otaku Murderer", in 1989. According to studies published in 2013, the term has become less negative, and an increasing number of people now self-identify as otaku,[3] both in Japan and elsewhere.

In Spain the term "friki" (a latinized version of "freak") may mean "fanboy" or "a ridiculous or outlandish person".

* D&D players aren't used to divine spellcasters without armour.

* I remember the series Xena: the warrior princess and Hercules: the Legendary Journies with some pieces of "wuxia".

* What is the Japanse word for fantasy manga? Wuxia is Chinese, and Tokusatsu is the word for media productions with FXs (not only fantasy, but also sci-fi).

* I have said WotC not only wants to be polite and avoid to offend, but Hasbro wants to be loved, popular, in the Asian markets. Hasbro wants to create its own manga-anime franchises/IPs. You could suggest or advice about how to be loved by the Asian fandom but you can't forbidd totally any "wuxia" title if it's created by Western authors.

* Shaman should be a base class, but I admit I imagine something like a remake of the incarnum totemist, with powers about monster traits, close to the primal shifter class from Pathfinder: Ultimate Wild, or sometime like pact magic, but totem spirits replacing the vestiges.