D&D 5E New D&D Next Packet Is Available

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MThe third complaint I have is the lack of spell progression for the spellcasters after level 16 and most other classes don't really obtain anything new as well.

I like it. Just that you can shake the heavens doesn't mean you can do it often. I consider 1 spell per level actually genius.

 

[Gorgoroth]

You are correct.

After spending time reading over the spells and rules for magic, the magic system is becoming my favorite in D&D history. Did anyone else notice that the cure spells have finally been truncated into Cure Wounds that can be cast at higher levels?

My god, you are so right. the new magic spells are brilliant! The built-in scaling and metamagic is so much more elegant than previous incarnations. I just LOVE the new sleep spell, it's based on current monster HP in a zone, and you can buff it. Same with the cure spells. I love this spell system so much! I can't wait to play it, it seems really intuitive and versatile, much better than past incarnations of sorcerers which felt way too limited. This is just, great news.

 

[the Jester]

-Why no Dwarven Thrower battle axes? What if I don't like Warhammers?

Because the dwarven thrower has always been a warhammer, going back at least as far as 1e.

 

[Li Shenron]

I think he means letting people choose their character's (one) wild shape. Not giving each character the ability to morph into more than one wild shape.

What GX.Sigma said, yeah. You pick one form and you stick with it. Though I suppose having a larger selection through feats might be a nice idea. ^^

Ah, my bad. Then this would be definitely a good thing.

 

[Li Shenron]

Still no diversity for shields. No buckler or tower shield and others. An explication ?

Probably it's just low on their priority list.

In 3.0 shield types did not just vary in bonus but had different "rules":

- buckler: can use a weapon, with penalties
- small: can hold an object but not use a weapon
- large: cannot hold an object
- tower: totally different rules

5e is more forgiving than 3e when it comes to holding objects or switching between them, but some of these can still be applied or use as a basis for new rules. But if all shields are equal in this regards, then probably they're going to also keep the same AC bonus for all of them (and thus making them different only in terms of flavor), otherwise there would be never a reason to use a smaller one.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

One thing I noticed that I'm slightly disappointed with is that many of the ray/touch spells are now saving throws rather than attack rolls. I know it's easier to "hit" a target if it's a dex save instead of a magic attack against AC, but to me it just doesn't feel right. They should bring out Dexterity Defense, as I'd feel better about it.

 

[Falling Icicle]

One thing I noticed that I'm slightly disappointed with is that many of the ray/touch spells are now saving throws rather than attack rolls. I know it's easier to "hit" a target if it's a dex save instead of a magic attack against AC, but to me it just doesn't feel right. They should bring out Dexterity Defense, as I'd feel better about it.

It also makes it so you can never crit. I would prefer that they change it back to an attack roll.

 

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I'm unsure about some of the Specialities / Feats. Weapon Mastery needs to go. There shouldn't be feats that simply increase damage. That's what classes are for.

Skirmisher is useless. The feats don't complement one another. It's a better idea to add special movement feats to other Specialities that could use them, like Spring Attack in Swashbuckler. Charge could substitute Weapon Mastery in Reaper.

Meta-Magician has a nice flavor to it, but the feats are quite trite. I would expect a litte more from a character who understands the theory of magic better than anyone else than dealing more damage once per day. Mind you, I have no idea how to make better but a little more flavor would be nice.

Also I miss the old Healer Specialty.

 

[Li Shenron]

Taken a second look at the whole package.

My best likes:

- exploration rules
- deadly strike (but could be better named and explained, it's just a weapon dice multiplier)
- druid's wildshape
- druid's circles
- replacements for class bonus skills
- paladin's oaths


Promising, need work:

- multiattack: I don't think any non-Fighter needs this, and could be more flexible (i.e. pick one boost of either type every time)
- ranger's favored enemy: very cool, but benefits are gained at weird levels, and why the silly names? Why not just "Favored Enemy: Humanoids"?

My worst dislike:

- skills... the whole system now looks totally f'up to me
- feats not being optional anymore, required for basic combat actions and exploration tasks
- losing Fighting Styles
- Arcane Recovery: how to take a potentially interesting idea for a new Arcane Tradition benefit, and turn it into a Wizard-mandatory feature that nobody asked for
- Sneak Attack has nothing "sneaky" left, it's practically a new version of Power Attack


EDIT: Has anyone noticed that "Casting in armor" does not specifically mention arcane casters? Does this mean that Clerics are affected also?

 

[1of3]

EDIT: Has anyone noticed that "Casting in armor" does not specifically mention arcane casters? Does this mean that Clerics are affected also?

Now that you mention it: I guess, it does.