New D&D Survey: What Do you Want From Older Editions?

WotC has just posted this month's D&D feedback survey. This survey asks about content from older editions of D&D, including settings, classes and races. The results will help determine what appears in future Unearthed Arcana columns.

The new survey is here. The results for the last survey have not yet been compiled. However, WotC is reporting that the Waterborne Adventures article scored well, and that feedback on Dragon+ has been "quite positive".

"We also asked about the new options presented in the Waterborne Adventures installment of Unearthed Arcana. Overall, that material scored very well—on a par with material from the Player’s Handbook. Areas where players experienced trouble were confined to specific mechanics. The minotaur race’s horns created a bit of confusion, for example, and its ability score bonuses caused some unhappiness. On a positive note, people really liked the sample bonds and how they helped bring out the minotaur’s unique culture.

The mariner, the swashbuckler, and the storm sorcerer also scored very well. A few of the specific mechanics for those options needed some attention, but overall, players and DMs liked using them.

Finally, we asked a few questions about the Dragon+ app. We really appreciate the feedback as we tailor the app’s content and chart the course for future issues. The overall feedback has been quite positive, and we’re looking at making sure we continue to build on our initial success."

 

[Morlock]

It's like being a liberal on Fox news, unable to get a single word in edgewise because being assaulted from all sides.

Yes, having one network that isn't leftist is a real downer. That it became America's most popular news channel (by far) using this unwanted innovation just added insult to injury.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I´d like to see a warlord in UA just that everyone is pleased.

 

[Jester David]

I picked the artificer and the shaman. And I think that was about it.
The artificer is kinda iconic to Eberron and fairly different than the wizard, so it really needs to be done well. The subclass approach was okay, but I don't think it hit all the notes.
And the shaman/spirit shaman is pretty iconic as well, but that could be a druid archetype.

Other than that we seem pretty well served. A fighter with the Mounted Combatant feat seems like a cavalier, and the warlock seems to touch on the hexblade nicely. Most of the other classes of 4e didn't really seem like anything special.

For settings, I clicked on Dragonlance and Ravenloft out of loyalty. And Planescape cause it's nifty. I don't really expect to see those.

 

[Umbran]

Yes, having one network that isn't leftist is a real downer. That it became America's most popular news channel (by far) using this unwanted innovation just added insult to injury.

Ladies and gentlemen,

While some talk on politics and religion are now allowed, they are *ONLY* allowed in the Off-topic forum, in threads clearly labelled as such.

Keep it out of the threads about gaming. Thank you.

 

[Lanefan]

I agree it is useful to distinguish ‘healing’ (physically mending wounds and refreshing physical stamina) and ‘inspiring’ (mentally improving alertness and galvanizing resolve). Both restore hit points but the flavors and narrative implications are different.

"Inspiration" in combat has always meant mechanically, to me at least, something that results in some sort of to-hit and-or damage bonus - you're inspired to fight harder, rather than last longer. Bardic morale singing is the obvious example here.

Another thing to keep in mind from an overall design perspective is anything that gives combatants more defenses and-or h.p. in combat (particularly if both sides have it) is going to inevitably make those combats longer. Giving to-hit and damage bonuses will have the opposite effect, which to me is a win.

Lanefan

 

[Mistwell]

I want the halfling art from prior editions of the game...while we're talking about what we want from prior editions of the game.

 

[I'm A Banana]

How does a warlord...

... Restore Hit Points? (BCD get cure wounds, healing word, and mass versions. What would a warlord have to match that?)

I'd imagine triggering HD in combat would be a useful way to represent that. It both mimics the 4e-style surge healing, and gives "nonmagical" healing a distinct difference from magical healing. It works with the "warlords use your abilities on their turns" vibe, and has a natural "cap" (you only have so many HD).

... Cure status aliments like fear, blindness, poison, or lost limbs? (BCD get access to lesser and greater restoration, as well as Regenerate. CD get heal. How is the warlord healing these status conditions?)

I think the first resort would be "extra saving throws," which is useful enough for most abilities. I don't imagine warlords fixing lost limbs or regenerating gouged out eyes, but they could offer new saves against effects that required a save in the first place. This would still leave some gaps that only magic could heal, which is reasonable - I think we'd want warlords who could be more pro-active in these situations (they might not cure the gorgon's petrification, but they can turn your failed save to avoid it into a successful one).

... Return someone to life (BC get raise dead, D gets reincarnate. If my PC falls, how is the warlord bringing him back up?)

Linked mostly to healing HP. Death by other means (like disintegration) or places where you can't recover the body or situations where they've been dead for years...that's somewhere magic has to go. Again, warlords could be useful in a pro-active sense here - improved saves and AC and the like can stop the beholder's disintegrate from working in the first place.

 

[Jester David]

I'd imagine triggering HD in combat would be a useful way to represent that. It both mimics the 4e-style surge healing, and gives "nonmagical" healing a distinct difference from magical healing. It works with the "warlords use your abilities on their turns" vibe, and has a natural "cap" (you only have so many HD).

Which doesn't work very well with the optional healing rules that change how often you can spend healing surges.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Which doesn't work very well with the optional healing rules that change how often you can spend healing surges.

Why not? The 5-minute rest rule works fine (that doesn't apply to what happens in a fight, and the HD are still capped since a long rest doesn't restore them all), and the healing surges rule still works fine (using a healing surge takes an action in combat, vs. the warlord's ability to trigger others' healing surges without using a full action), as far as I can see.

 

[Minigiant]

I'd imagine triggering HD in combat would be a useful way to represent that. It both mimics the 4e-style surge healing, and gives "nonmagical" healing a distinct difference from magical healing. It works with the "warlords use your abilities on their turns" vibe, and has a natural "cap" (you only have so many HD).



I think the first resort would be "extra saving throws," which is useful enough for most abilities. I don't imagine warlords fixing lost limbs or regenerating gouged out eyes, but they could offer new saves against effects that required a save in the first place. This would still leave some gaps that only magic could heal, which is reasonable - I think we'd want warlords who could be more pro-active in these situations (they might not cure the gorgon's petrification, but they can turn your failed save to avoid it into a successful one).



Linked mostly to healing HP. Death by other means (like disintegration) or places where you can't recover the body or situations where they've been dead for years...that's somewhere magic has to go. Again, warlords could be useful in a pro-active sense here - improved saves and AC and the like can stop the beholder's disintegrate from working in the first place.

Which doesn't work very well with the optional healing rules that change how often you can spend healing surges.

Which is why the best solution is for warlords to not heal during combat and instead get a beefed up version of Song of Rest and increase the heals after rests. The warlord becomes a master of first aid and inspiration and heals HD and adds Temp HP when you spend HD.

You get a replacement cleric in a passive sense. Instead of cure wounds 4 times, the warlord lets every party member heal more on rests.

The party healer need not be a in-combat healer.