D&D 5E Mike Mearls Dungeons & Dragons 5e interview, 6/26/14

[RHGreen]

Mike Mearls Dungeons & Dragons 5e interview, 6/26/14 with Tabletop Gaming


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usKo0Ywp__M

[video=youtube;usKo0Ywp__M]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usKo0Ywp__M[/video]

 

[Kobold Stew]

Key Points:

* multiple pantheons in the PHB
* Kender and Warforged race in the DMG
* feats still optional
* "Battle master" fighter with maneuvers
* (15:00) sorcerer Wild Magic table: sorcery points augment spells (~metamagic) or for more spell slots.
* (16:00) sorcery subclasses are Wild Magic and Draconic magic.
* (16:10) when Wild Mage casts a spell, you roll a d20 to see if you get a surge (1/20). You can also use luck to alter a die roll.
* (17:40) Organized play adventures distributed for free. Intent to be played in stores, but som options for online play. Program will be assessed 6 months after launch.
* (20:00) D&D Insider: 4th ed tools still available by subscription.
* No announcements for the magazines
* different ways for building monsters/encounters (3e, 4e)
* DMG will have table of sample stats by CR.
* Beholder eye rays are specific effects, not spell replications.
* CR is a party of this level or higher. (so you have an xp budget, and look at monsters of a certain CR or lower to spend the budget).
* Essentials tiles: in DMG (or PHB?) still using 1" grid. No product plans for more.
* Mike Mearls' favorite monster is the Ogre Mage.
* Basic D&D (just character creation, levels 1-20) will be available on July 3.

 

[Nikosandros]

sorcerer Wild Magic table: sorcery points augment spells (~metamagic) or for more spell slots. Wild Mage if you spend sorcery points, you role a d20 to see if you get a Wild magic surge (1/20). You can also use luck to alter a die roll.

I'm pretty sure that Mike corrected himself and stated that in the final version of the rules the Wild Mage has to roll a d20 each time he casts a spell and gets a surge with one chance in twenty.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Key Points:

* multiple pantheons in the PHB
* Kender and Warforged race in the DMG
* feats still optional
* "Battle master" fighter with maneuvers
* sorcerer Wild Magic table: sorcery points augment spells (~metamagic) or for more spell slots. Wild Mage if you spend sorcery points, you role a d20 to see if you get a Wild magic surge (1/20). You can also use luck to alter a die roll.
* sorcery subclasses are Wild Magic and Draconic magic.
* (17:40) Organized play adventures distributed for free. Intent to be played in stores, but som options for online play. Program will be assessed 6 months after launch.
* (20:00) D&D Insider: 4th ed tools still available by subscription.
* No announcements for the magazines
* different ways for building monsters/encounters (3e, 4e)
* DMG will have table of sample stats by CR.
* Beholder eye rays are specific effects, not spell replications.
* CR is a party of this level or higher. (so you have an xp budget, and look at monsters of a certain CR or lower to spend the budget).
* Essentials tiles: in DMG (or PHB?) still using 1" grid. No product plans for more.
* Mike Mearls' favorite monster is the Ogre Mage.
* Basic D&D (just character creation, levels 1-20) will be available on July 3.

First off, thank you very much for summarizing this!

Secondly, only surprising thing, I think is Multiple Pantheons in the PHB - not totally surprising, they have hinted at it previously, but interesting nonetheless. I imagine they just mean perhaps just mentioning Aphrodite, Freyja and Sune for the Love God and the like, with perhaps a "Name and role" chart for the gods of a few pantheons, rather than a more detailed treatment.

Good to hear about multiple ways to build encounters (I think they mentioned this before), though haha to "3E", I presume they mean "like 3E but actually functional" (3E's encounter-building system was actively misleading).

Also very good to hear, expected but good to hear about DDI for 4E continuing. It's basically free money for them, I guess!

CR confirmed as "You should probably be this tall", which is good to hear.

 

[Nikosandros]

Secondly, only surprising thing, I think is Multiple Pantheons in the PHB - not totally surprising, they have hinted at it previously, but interesting nonetheless. I imagine they just mean perhaps just mentioning Aphrodite, Freyja and Sune for the Love God and the like, with perhaps a "Name and role" chart for the gods of a few pantheons, rather than a more detailed treatment.

I would imagine that, for each deity they list, they might give us the alignment and which domains are normally available to the clerics.

Also very good to hear, expected but good to hear about DDI for 4E continuing. It's basically free money for them, I guess!

After Project Morningstar had been announced, it was kind of a given that they would follow this route (WotC had already mentioned in the past that they would keep DDI up as long as there' will be enough subscribers). For those interested in both 4e and 5e, it means potentially having to pay for two subscriptions. I guess that it's very good for WotC, not so good for us... In October, when my DDI subscription is due for renewal, I'll have to think about it, since my 4e gamins has diminished a lot recently.

 

[Plaguescarred]

Mike also not closed the door on having D&D Expedition Organized Play available tor online/home play at some point, which i'd really like.

 

[Thaumaturge]

Thanks for the summary, KS.

The beholder eye rays being specific effects is fantastic.

Thaumaturge.

 

[Connorsrpg]

Thanks for posting and for summarising. Yay. I got into a thread b4 it spirals off into an argument b/w two posters regarding 1 tiny part of the video. I am sure there is something there

 

[Psikerlord#]

Loved everything I heard in this video. Bring on 3 July!

 

[an_idol_mind]

* No announcements for the magazines

Man, I hope WotC isn't going to just quietly drop the magazines.