D&D (2024) Mike Mearls “…it’s now obvious how to live without Bonus Actions”' And 6th Edition When Players Ask

With all due respect to Mike Mearls, he is wrong. The action economy in 5th Edition is beautifully designed, and I wouldn't change a thing about it.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Bonus action is do work. It worked without bonsu action for quite a long time in the playtest.

But it does work well enough with them. TWF is a bit lacking but in a rules upgrade there might be a feat on par with polearm master.
I can understand mearls though. Abilities like the orc aggressive could easily written as: as an action the orc may move 30 ft when taking the attack action.
Charger feat could be when taking the dash action you may make a single attack with a +5 bonus. OR You can spend your action to...
Putting the extra into a special attack action has two advantages: the dreaded double dash is gone and it is a lot safer for multiclassing because it is attached to a class specific thing.

That is also a lot less rules interaction and a revised 5e could easily do without bonis action.

TWF could be: as an action you make an attack with both weapons. If you habe the extra attack feature you can do that attacks twice.
With cunning action attached to the standard attack action wich you can't use with two weapons, the intersting decisions are still there.

 

[wedgeski]

I loved that one guy on Twitter: "I'm ready and formally asking for 6E." Get over yourself, pal.

 

[Evenglare]

I'd like to see 5e built out a bit more. Or.. well any more. We don't even have a proper splatbook of things to add to the game that isn't tied to story which I have absolutely no desire to have. Just give me a "Pathfinder Advanced players guide" version of 5th edition to add to 5e what it did for pathfinder.

 

[Li Shenron]

Not in my experience. I know several people who 1) play clerics now, who wouldn't prior to 4E, or 2) have always loved clerics, but were ready to abandon them prior to 4E, precisely because they were sick of spending so much of their time in combat healing and doing nothing else.

Not here. I skipped 4e but Clerics were the most common class in 3e IMXP.

 

[Aldarc]

Not here. I skipped 4e but Clerics were the most common class in 3e IMXP.

I played mostly clerics and druids in 3E. They were an überclass in 3e, but a bit of a boring one, as they were mostly reactive.

 

[Kramodlog]

Mearls is downplaying the psychological aspect a "bonus" can have on people. A bonus makes you feel like you have something more. Something special. Even if people get to do the same thing they use to do, but the "bonus" is taken away, you'll get a lot of complaints that 5e was nerfed for no good reason.

Mearls says bonus actions are hacky, he is right, but he forgets people like to be able to hack stuff. We like to find hacks and loopholes, even baked in hacks. It is rewarding. Fiddling with bonus actions might create a backlash.

Better leave it for 6e that is coming out in two years cause "people asked for it".

 

[The Fighter-Cricket]

I'm ready and formally asking for 6th Edition

Listen to us, He Who Shall Not Be Named!
We are now two, who ask you for a new edition. Hear our word, Lord of Backwards Nostalgia, and release your grip on D&D, which has cursed this finde game for far too long. Great Traitor of 4E, I banish you by the name of Heinsoo (blessed shall be Heinsoo)! Your poisonous deeds, which hinder progress in roleplaying games, must cease. Brake the seal which binds all the developments that were made in other RPGs in the last ten years and make D&D a game that thrives on narrativity and heroic actions! Thrice cursed be your Hatin' of Fighters. Thrice cursed be your oldschoolness. Repent and give way to the blessings of newschool RPGs! The Gods of Hasbro shall install a New One in your place!
In the name of the Cook, the Heinsoo and the Schwalb - begone!

 

[Hussar]

Guys, you did see that he specified there are no plans for 6E anytime soon, right?

Shhh. You're getting in the way of people getting all upset about nothing. Watch the rumours fly and giggle.

 

[JeffB]

I'm OK with a 6th Edition. Bring it on.

 

[Mephista]

Yes, its clear as day that two weapon fighting as a bonus action is hacky. Lots of people thought that when you did it the first time. You made it a bonus action specifically to balance out the rogue and make two weapon fighting not the default for all rogues. You hacked the game as a whole so you could get a desired result that ends up crappy for everyone else. The problem isn't necessarily the bonus action. Its trying to make it do more things than it should. Concentration is another mechanic that does too much.

That said? Yes. The game can actually work without bonus actions. There are plenty of games that just make them "reflexive" abilites that don't take up your action.

Perhaps eliminating bonus actions and just let all these bonus actions be reflexive, once a turn things that don't take up your action. If we're assuming that multi-classing isn't a balance thing, and its something fiddly GMs have to deal with individually, then forget about that bonus action entirely? It could work. Other games make it work out. Could be a problem if people load up on all these reflexive actions at once, but if you have other systems in place? Should be fine.


Do we need a sixth edition? Not really. But, honestly, a rules update with some of the problem children of 5e such as TWFing, non-eldritch blast warlocks, the Ranger, Gishing without Con bonuses, non-story-based fighters, etc? More than welcome.