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."

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

I'm fine with them introducing a new warlord class if warlord players feel (as some clearly do) that the battlemaster does not properly replace the 4e class. But people shouldn't take their anger out on the fighter; it's a good class with fun subclasses.

Most campaigns wont see the levels requires to make the fighter worth choosing over the valor bard or the paladin. It is a weak class in comparison, with little/nothing to offer in the exploration/social pillars over other options. 2 levels get you most of the good stuff.

All the short rest dependent classes should be slightly superior to the long rest based classes, because the latter can nova. What would you rather do - be average all day during the pre-season, or dominate the Superbowl? Being able to pull out all the stops in a one fight day (which is normally going to be a balls to the walls fight) should come at a significant premium. I'm tired of running pointless trash encounters to make non-daily classes measure up.

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

It's clear that the designers of 5th edition listened to the mass of feedback from the playtests saying they didn't want instantaneous, non-magical healing happening from across the room again.

Didn't you get the memo?

Overruled.

Your fun is not more important than my fun. I can't play a game of D&D where healing an ally is happening like that without using magic or even touching the PC or using bandages or some such.

There already is a way for non-magical healing to occur, walk up to your fallen ally, use your healing kit from the healer feat that you took, and spend your action doing that.

Let's let magic take care of magical things. It's easy, we play a game with magic in it, so we already have that design space open to us. It's called a paladin, a cleric, or a ranger, or a bard, or a favored soul, or a druid can all do that. Using spells or other magic.

No warlord on the survey means they won't go there again. They already told the fans of the warlord class how to play one : a war college bard. Why make redundant classes? You can already do exactly what you want. But you do need to use magic to do it. Because that's life.

Or you could not be willfully inflexible when it comes to imagination. "Herp a derp, HP is meat!" "I cant conceive of narrative rules. Lets consult 50 ing charts and a spreadsheet like in Pathfinder to achieve the same battlefield repositioning effect!"

 

[Lanefan]

Settings: Birthright, FR, Mystara
Classes: Cavalier (or Knight, or something similar to fill that archetype)
Races: confusion - did they mean races to be played as PCs (in which case, only Kender) or to be expanded on as monsters and opponents for the PCs (in which case do them all, particularly the Githi)

I didn't think to comment on anything outside the poll, but more 1e-style adventures (rather than huge hardcover books) would be on my list. That said, if one looks at Princes of the Apocalypse as a bunch of stand-alone adventures instead of as a linked story it's pure gold - there's about ten good ones in there and half a dozen more that are salvageable with some work.

Lanefan

 

[Lanefan]

Most campaigns wont see the levels requires to make the fighter worth choosing over the valor bard or the paladin. It is a weak class in comparison, with little/nothing to offer in the exploration/social pillars over other options. 2 levels get you most of the good stuff.

All the short rest dependent classes should be slightly superior to the long rest based classes, because the latter can nova. What would you rather do - be average all day during the pre-season, or dominate the Superbowl?

Well, to dominate the Superbowl you first have to *get* to the Superbowl; and if your nova-guy wants to be a passenger all season while the rest of the team does the heavy work he'll not be very popular with his team-mates.

That said, if all you look for in a class is its mechanical "good stuff" we are talking across a huge gulf dividing our approach to the game.

Lanefan

 

[Yaarel]

Heh. If not for ENWord, I would never know what is going on at WotC.

 

[dd.stevenson]

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.

I don't believe this for one second.

"Overall feedback has been positive" is pr code for "certain things received very negative feedback."

In this case I'm willing to bet that the things in question are the content of the magazines (or lack thereof).

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

Well, to dominate the Superbowl you first have to *get* to the Superbowl; and if your nova-guy wants to be a passenger all season while the rest of the team does the heavy work he'll not be very popular with his team-mates.

That said, if all you look for in a class is its mechanical "good stuff" we are talking across a huge gulf dividing our approach to the game.

Lanefan

In general, classes are just mechanical packages. That level dip taken in fighter just represents stabbing people more and jogging in armor. Its not a lifestyle shift as you go back to your superior skald class.

The 6-8 fight days are going to, by nature, be easier fights. The short rest classes are still dependent on long rest classes to keep them up with healing. Preventing rests generally requires external pressure or railroading on the part of the DM. And unless you're running 6-8 random encounters PER DAY, the daily classes dominate. Even if they assume THREE random encounters while traveling (highly suspect), they are still ruling over the short rest guys, which require SIX to be on par. In general, its better to have everything on tap at your disposal, than hope you get to cram in a couple hour long rests to achieve the same results.

 

[AverageCitizen]

It's clear that the designers of 5th edition listened to the mass of feedback from the playtests saying they didn't want instantaneous, non-magical healing happening from across the room again.

Didn't you get the memo?

Overruled.

Your fun is not more important than my fun. I can't play a game of D&D where healing an ally is happening like that without using magic or even touching the PC or using bandages or some such.

There already is a way for non-magical healing to occur, walk up to your fallen ally, use your healing kit from the healer feat that you took, and spend your action doing that.

Let's let magic take care of magical things. It's easy, we play a game with magic in it, so we already have that design space open to us. It's called a paladin, a cleric, or a ranger, or a bard, or a favored soul, or a druid can all do that. Using spells or other magic.

No warlord on the survey means they won't go there again. They already told the fans of the warlord class how to play one : a war college bard. Why make redundant classes? You can already do exactly what you want. But you do need to use magic to do it. Because that's life.

I feel like they could do a warlord with temp hp, temporarily granted DR, and downtime healing bonuses. The kind of guy that helps you find strength you didn't know you had, story wise, and the kind of class that prevents damage rather than heals it, mechanics -wise.

 

[CapnZapp]

Link.

Thank you for bypassing what amounts to little more than click bait.

 

[CapnZapp]

This was only about very basic stuff, things you choose at first level.

What I want most from previous editions wasn't even close to being discussed: the magic item pricing economy from 3e