D&D 5E Mike Mearls Happy Fun Hour, Nov 27 2018

[Eubani]

Whilst I would of liked to see some animal companion affecting spells, using these to patch up poor design is an absolute cop out. Also how on Earth is Hunter's Mark a spell instead of a class ability? That is the sort of thing I expect a competent designer to realize and enact, specially considering how few spells known a Ranger gets.

 

[Pauln6]

Could the trident not simply be given 1d8 damage underwater and a feat to give it a specialised fighting style?

 

[Henry]

What surprised me was reading that Britney Spears, hit me baby one more time, is 20 years old now.

In some Hallmarks, Cracker Barrels, etc. I've seen those little paperbacks that list notable events and creative works produced in the year someone was born - It's funny to look back to one from, say, 1960, and see:
-First TV Presidential debate
-Roy Orbison "Only the Lonely"
-1st contraceptive pill

and then from the year 2000:

- X-Men Movie
- Britney Spears single
- Christina Aguilera wins a Grammy
- Bill Gates steps down from Microsoft

It's not as big of a jump from Headlines to History Books as I used to imagine when I was younger.

 

[MechaTarrasque]

I have long said that the way to make a pet class work is for it to be a pet class, not a subclass. Unless you are making a 3PP splat book (in which case, the more powerful the PC the better, right?), I think the subclass "space" is just too small to fit it.

I haven't had a chance to watch the video, but I think the idea is in the right direction. I am not sure the outcome is right (reserving judgment). To my mind, if a player picks a BM ranger and sacrifices spells for a better beast, it should be at some point be a really good beast (like pick a beast NPC class good).

 

[Parmandur]

I have long said that the way to make a pet class work is for it to be a pet class, not a subclass. Unless you are making a 3PP splat book (in which case, the more powerful the PC the better, right?), I think the subclass "space" is just too small to fit it.

I haven't had a chance to watch the video, but I think the idea is in the right direction. I am not sure the outcome is right (reserving judgment). To my mind, if a player picks a BM ranger and sacrifices spells for a better beast, it should be at some point be a really good beast (like pick a beast NPC class good).

Mearls did the math over his break, and the damage given and taken by a CR 1/4 creature that scales with level and has full independence over a maxed full adventure day (6-8 combat encounters of 2-3 rounds each) is the same as the Ranger's spell slot economy. He worked this idea overall out for the Shaper Psion subclass, which is a pet Psion that pours their slots into a mental projection pet, using the DMG table that gives the math for spell slot values in hit point terms (damage given and taken is the same in their model of the game).

By the same token, a full Summoner Class seems to be good design space, though he has mentioned wanting to try these mechanics out with the Druid too...

 

[MechaTarrasque]

Mearls did the math over his break, and the damage given and taken by a CR 1/4 creature that scales with level and has full independence over a maxed full adventure day (6-8 combat encounters of 2-3 rounds each) is the same as the Ranger's spell slot economy. He worked this idea overall out for the Shaper Psion subclass, which is a pet Psion that pours their slots into a mental projection pet, using the DMG table that gives the math for spell slot values in hit point terms (damage given and taken is the same in their model of the game).

By the same token, a full Summoner Class seems to be good design space, though he has mentioned wanting to try these mechanics out with the Druid too...

I hadn't seen the psion class (although I feel that the mystic class features would make really good sorcerer features, going from the mystic to the psion has soured me a bit on psychics, which I admit is unreasonable since I didn't feel like the mystic was a particularly "psychic" psychic class, but feelings are feelings...). I will have to take a look at that.

 

[Parmandur]

I hadn't seen the psion class (although I feel that the mystic class features would make really good sorcerer features, going from the mystic to the psion has soured me a bit on psychics, which I admit is unreasonable since I didn't feel like the mystic was a particularly "psychic" psychic class, but feelings are feelings...). I will have to take a look at that.

The overall gist of the new Psion prototype is that it is a full 9 spell level Caster, with the unique role of "breaking" the Concentration rules: able to hold multiple Concentration spells, and getting cantrips that can get spell slots pumped in to grow the effects. So the Shaper gets a sort of Invisible Servant cantrip with Concentration that can get HP, AC and damage abilities as spell slots get spent on it.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

My problem with how some people want the Ranger to look reminds me too much of how the Pathfinder Ranger works. And I feel like, back when 5E was being written, Mike and Co wanted to avoid copying what Pathfinder did as much as possible, so I do not think we will ever get a Ranger with any kind of pet other than we have now. It will not level with the character. It will not gain new abilities as the character levels up. Etc.

 

[Parmandur]

My problem with how some people want the Ranger to look reminds me too much of how the Pathfinder Ranger works. And I feel like, back when 5E was being written, Mike and Co wanted to avoid copying what Pathfinder did as much as possible, so I do not think we will ever get a Ranger with any kind of pet other than we have now. It will not level with the character. It will not gain new abilities as the character levels up. Etc.

Except that was what Mearls just laid out...?

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

Except that was what Mearls just laid out...?

Oh what, his little show is now magically a print book of official rules? Maybe something like this will show up in 5 or 10 years, after Pathfinder is on it's 3rd edition. Maybe.