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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jester David" data-source="post: 7759259" data-attributes="member: 37579">A ribbon ability is very much still a mechanical ability. It's just not one that has an impact on combat, and thus can be added without "breaking" the game. Choosing between ribbon abilities may not be popular, because that's a lot of work for nothing. But gaining a free non-combat power that lets you play the character you envision would suit most players just fine. The player says what they want their character to do and what they envision the character doing, and the DM proposes a small flavourful bonus. That should satisfy the majority of players/ After all, a large percentage of players don't give a flying eff about their "build" or choosing from a long list of options. Not every player is a power gamer, and not every player is character builder who spends their time between games picking between powers and choosing from a long list of options. That kind of playing very much is a minority. Most players do just want to show up and play and not have to do "homework" between sessions where they level up.No, but at the risk of argumentum ad populum, the fact that 5e is ridiculously more popular than the customisation heavy 3e and 4e is a pretty good sign that player base does not care about that stuff. Are you seriously saying characters with feats are exactly the same power level as characters with feats?! That being able to choose feats doesn't make characters better?But there ARE feats. Feats ARE the decision point that allow customisation. That there's not a customisation point beyond feats is irrelevant. Yeah, there aren't as many feats as in 3e/4e. We could use a few more: they haven't really expanded into non-racial feats in any expansions. But feats are very much are designed to serve as the customisation point of characters and the place to insert new unique mechanics beyond subclasses.  And the fact they haven't added more subclasses with additional decision points, like different Battle Master or Way of Four Elements tells you what?There very much IS a feature that allows players to "consort with spirits". It's the totem barbarian's 3rd level feature Spirit Seeker. That lets them cast beast sense and speak with animals as rituals. Because they're communing with nature. So, if that option counts as "speaking with spirits" why not just reflavour the Ritual Caster feat and say that's how the mechanic is working? Why do we need and a new option that does the exact same thing but with a slightly different name and description? Just take Ritual Caster and/or Magic Initiate and reflavour. Gain the mage hand cantrip and unseen servant ritual and reflavour them as spirits.Or just make a new feat that replicates those mechanical effects but is called Spirits Talker. Because it's effectively replicating an existing feat it's automatically balanced. This isn't rocket surgery. Nothing is gained by having dozens or hundreds of subclasses. But that adds confusion and bloat to the game. Bloat and the related power creep have very much killed 3e and 4e. We really don't need that again. If a player really wants something niche or specific, they can make it themselves or turn to the DMsGuild. That's what they're for. The onus isn't on WotC to support every single conceivable option or character concept. Because that's impossible.</blockquote>

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