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

[Falling Icicle]

I noticed that druids get some of the best wizard spells now, like charm person, hold person, web, dimension door, dominate person, feeblemind, dominate monster (at 8th level!!) and wish. They never had any of these spells before, and they're some of the most potent ones in the wizard's arsenal.

I also just noticed, wizards don't have Dominate Monster in their list anymore. So not only was the spell taken away from wizards, it was reduced a level and given to druids. Not cool.

[Edit] Flaming Sphere, too, was given to druids and taken away from wizards. Please tell me these are editing errors!

 

[Salamandyr]

• I am not a fan of the generic gods that don't really stand for anything.

I know. I want a lot. WotC is competing with 13th Age, Fate Core and Exalted 3e. Sorry for the long rambly post.

I, on the other hand, will scream, yell and generally carry on like a mad fool if they introduce yet another pantheon of generic gods that are intended to act as placeholders, yet spawn years worth of expansion articles over what are the real liturgies of the Raven Queen. I don't want to explain, for the 711th time, that no, the player can't be a cleric of Corellon Larethion, since Corellon doesn't exist in my campaign world.

I want to keep that kind of implied setting as far away from the central rulebooks as possible. Put out all the setting splatbooks you want, but D&D isn't 13th Age, or Exalted (thank Heavens!). I want a game to fire MY imagination, not just read about someone else's.

 

[adembroski]

* You have to have a feat to pick pockets, open locks, or track. Likewise, disarm and push, which used to be actions anyone could attempt, now require feats.

This is inexcusable. It's the same disdain for role play that lead to Dragon Age 2.

 

[Salamandyr]

OK, I've found one thing to annoy me...the rapier isn't a light weapon; so rapier and dagger requires a feat, while two scimitars is available from day one. (I do appreciate that the rapier does d8 damage though).

I've done both...rapier and dagger is probably the easiest dual wield combination there is!

I'm not saying the rapier should be a light weapon. Anyone who has held one knows they aren't...but they should have some kind of exception built in allowing the use of an off hand dagger.

Oh, and we definitely need a feat allowing a player to dual wield two non-light weapons.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

The Paladin alignment restriction really pisses me off. Alignment restrictions are something that should stay DEAD. Now while I don't mind restrictions on the subclasses, they need to get rid of the alignment restriction for the whole class. And even bring back the Avenger as a subclass of the Paladin that can be chaotic, if they somehow don't want CG characters ruining "Cavaliers". Secondly it doesn't make sense storywise why Wardens, defenders of nature can only be lawful, when nature is something that's usually neutral.

For Monks I know it's in transition, but I'm disappointed they've lost some of their really neat abilities that used to be among maneuvers, such as Step of the Wind.

Also almost every class, needs something new or at least improved for just about any level after 10. Those levels seem to be the bulk of the dead levels, and they make them seem boring.

Fighters, I see there's some effort to bring back the Warlord with the current bunch of fighter abilities.

They need to give humans something more interesting than +1 to all ability scores.

 

[the Jester]

Okay, so I'm going through the monster doc, and there are quite a few minor changes other than the xp revisions.

For instance: Aranea hp now at 32 and spellcasting changes;
basilisk AC is now 10;
Begbear AC is now 15;
Bullywug AC is now 14, lost claw attack, multiattack restricted to spear + bite;
Dark Acolyte AC is now 16; hps down to 6 (1d8+2); revised cure wounds;
Dark adept AC is now 16; revised cure wounds and inflict wounds;
Dark priest loses cure wounds, gains heightened inflict wounds; revision to inflict wounds;
Death knight spellcasting option revised;
Balor loses true seeing, multiattack now specifies 2 sword + 1 whip;

That's as far as I've gotten so far.

 

[Campbell]

I, on the other hand, will scream, yell and generally carry on like a mad fool if they introduce yet another pantheon of generic gods that are intended to act as placeholders, yet spawn years worth of expansion articles over what are the real liturgies of the Raven Queen. I don't want to explain, for the 711th time, that no, the player can't be a cleric of Corellon Larethion, since Corellon doesn't exist in my campaign world.

I want to keep that kind of implied setting as far away from the central rulebooks as possible. Put out all the setting splatbooks you want, but D&D isn't 13th Age, or Exalted (thank Heavens!). I want a game to fire MY imagination, not just read about someone else's.

D&D has always been decidedly non-generic. It includes:

• Spellcasting knights templar transplanted into a polytheistic society
• An order of celtic nature priests who bring down thunder and lightning while transforming into animals on a whim.
• Well defined discrete spells plucked out of the mind of the caster.
• An entire class of people (adventurers) who actively hunt monsters.
• Knights with superpowers who see evil with a glance
• A menagerie of exotic nonhuman and monsters
• Rapid ascent from (depending on version) human scum or heroic mortals to trans-human entities that eventually view the likes of giants and lower level demons as their inferiors.

I simply ask that these non-generic elements be described as evocatively as possible in a way that leads to inspiring narrative, rather than a biology manual. I want solid tags to use so all I have to do is prepare some minor setting elements. World building should not be required to play the game. Neither should using someone's hyper-detailed world. Give me enough detail to build on top of out of the box, but not so much it strangles my creative muscles.

Honestly, not everything in the game should be included in any given game. Give some solid examples and advice on how to build your own. Before 4e I never had gnomes and halflings in my games and everything turned out alright. Still didn't include halflings or Avandra, but gnomes were too good in their 4e incarnation to keep out. What can I say - I'm heightist.

 

[Falling Icicle]

Balor loses true seeing

It still has it, it's just listed under Senses in its stat block.

 

[Li Shenron]

My favourite feature of this package is how they make it very clear that some classes specifically are "in transition", as if the others were anywhere near being finalized...

 

[BASHMAN]

Looking over the packet and this thread, it seems as if April Fools has come early this year.