Sparrowhawc
Villager
Please note that there is a spoiler in here.
I'm new to the forum, but not the game; I've been playing since the early 80's. I've played every version of D&D with the exception of 4e. After reading the PHB I decided that the only way to really get a feel for the changes in 5e would be to play it; so I picked up HotDQ and started a group of new players.
So far, overall I like the system; however, I've come across to things that are issues for me. Others may not find these two things "problematic" in their games, but I do. The first is natural healing, but I'll save that for a different thread. The second is how NPCs are handled. (Forgive me if I miss quote a number as I do not have the books with me as I'm writing this.)
This issue with NPCs only really came to light for me after I purchased the MM. When I saw the "Archmage" in the MM and looked at the stats, certain disconnects started to reveal themselves. The Archmage casts as an 18th level wizard but has a d8, not a d6 as its hit die. Therefore it would have more HPs on average than an 18th level wizard PC. The Proficiency bonus for the Archmage is +4, IIRC, because it is based on a CR of 12. An 18th level wizard PC has a proficiency bonus of +6. These types disconnects are rampant across the NPCs in the MM. NPC HD only lines up with the Class HD for d8 HD classes and proficiency bonus only line up when the PC level and NPC CR fall into the same range bands; Level/CR 1-4 = +2, 5-8 = +3, etc.
After this, I started looking closer at the NPCs in HotDQ. Then other issues came to light. The one that really sticks out is the NPC Dralmorrer Borngray.
SPOILER:
So the issues are:
1. PCs get HD of Class; NPCs get HD based on size.
2. PCs get proficiency bonus from level; NPCs get it from CR.
3. PCs have restrictions and benefits from class and race; NPCs have no clear cut guidance; just make them what you want. Just look at Dralmorrer Borngray
Now, some disconnects between the HotDQ and the MM could be due to the release schedule and certain things getting changed in the MM after HotDQ was released. What I don’t get is why the NPCs needed to be in the MM. I’ve always been a firm believer that NPCs of playable races should follow the same guidelines as PCs. Under 3.5e this was tedious as the NPCs became higher levels, i.e. tracking skill points, proficiencies, feats, etc. But with the simplification, relative, of the character generation, building NPCs would not be so tedious a task. Depending on rules in the DMG however, disconnects could get worse; how do you determine CR?
My fix to this will be to build out the NPCs in HotDQ using PC rules in the PHB, not the MM, and to develop a way to set an appropriate CR based on rules from the DMG.
Has anyone else picked up on this? If so, do you find it an issue and how do you plan to fix it in your game?
I'm new to the forum, but not the game; I've been playing since the early 80's. I've played every version of D&D with the exception of 4e. After reading the PHB I decided that the only way to really get a feel for the changes in 5e would be to play it; so I picked up HotDQ and started a group of new players.
So far, overall I like the system; however, I've come across to things that are issues for me. Others may not find these two things "problematic" in their games, but I do. The first is natural healing, but I'll save that for a different thread. The second is how NPCs are handled. (Forgive me if I miss quote a number as I do not have the books with me as I'm writing this.)
This issue with NPCs only really came to light for me after I purchased the MM. When I saw the "Archmage" in the MM and looked at the stats, certain disconnects started to reveal themselves. The Archmage casts as an 18th level wizard but has a d8, not a d6 as its hit die. Therefore it would have more HPs on average than an 18th level wizard PC. The Proficiency bonus for the Archmage is +4, IIRC, because it is based on a CR of 12. An 18th level wizard PC has a proficiency bonus of +6. These types disconnects are rampant across the NPCs in the MM. NPC HD only lines up with the Class HD for d8 HD classes and proficiency bonus only line up when the PC level and NPC CR fall into the same range bands; Level/CR 1-4 = +2, 5-8 = +3, etc.
After this, I started looking closer at the NPCs in HotDQ. Then other issues came to light. The one that really sticks out is the NPC Dralmorrer Borngray.
SPOILER:
Based on the rules in the MM, this NPC should be d8 HD because he is a medium size creature; he is a d10, 7d10+14 to be exact. So my initial thought is that he is a 7th level fighter. Further down in the description, it tells you he casts spells as a 7th level caster with spells from the wizard spell lists. He wears studded leather armor and fights with a long sword or dagger plus casts spells. What is this guy? Also, since he is a 7th level caster and has 7 HD, you would think a +3 proficiency bonus; he has +2 because he is only a CR 3.
I could continue with the other NPCs in HotDQ but I believe you get my point.
So the issues are:
1. PCs get HD of Class; NPCs get HD based on size.
2. PCs get proficiency bonus from level; NPCs get it from CR.
3. PCs have restrictions and benefits from class and race; NPCs have no clear cut guidance; just make them what you want. Just look at Dralmorrer Borngray
Now, some disconnects between the HotDQ and the MM could be due to the release schedule and certain things getting changed in the MM after HotDQ was released. What I don’t get is why the NPCs needed to be in the MM. I’ve always been a firm believer that NPCs of playable races should follow the same guidelines as PCs. Under 3.5e this was tedious as the NPCs became higher levels, i.e. tracking skill points, proficiencies, feats, etc. But with the simplification, relative, of the character generation, building NPCs would not be so tedious a task. Depending on rules in the DMG however, disconnects could get worse; how do you determine CR?
My fix to this will be to build out the NPCs in HotDQ using PC rules in the PHB, not the MM, and to develop a way to set an appropriate CR based on rules from the DMG.
Has anyone else picked up on this? If so, do you find it an issue and how do you plan to fix it in your game?
The ever so gracious,
Sparrowhawc.
Sparrowhawc.