D&D (2024) Not loving weapon mastery with beginners

[DrJawaPhD]

I guess the question is. More than having spells?

There's no way weapon mastery is more complicated for a brand new player than spells. You only have one weapon, there isn't even a decision to make so it really only slows things down as being another step in the process that needs to be explained.

Spells are far more complicated in terms of the decision-making process, but you can bypass the decision-making delays by informing the new player which spell(s) would work best, and then spells are quicker.

 

[Weiley31]

Hot take, I still prefer the one Heroes of Krynn UA where the Solamnia Knight feats gave you Superiority Die and a Combat Maneuver or two to use. Nothing too crazy and still adds some damage on top of attacks.

 

[kittenhugs]

This feels like a problem that could be solved by writing their weapons' mastery effects down on index cards and handing them to players at the start of each session. Most weapon masteries aren't any more complicated than the effects of any cantrips (ray of frost's slow, chill touch's healing cancelation, toll the dead's damage difference, thorn whip's pull effect). Plus it's not really a problem if a new player ignores their weapon mastery, as the game math isn't that different from the 2014 PHB. A barbarian with a greataxe that doesn't utilize Cleave is still going to be demolishing enemies and absorbing tons of damage, and a rogue that isn't utilizing Vex is still going to be dealing sneak attack damage just about every round.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

If you don't let them weapon swap all the time, it should be faster. It is always just a bonus.

 

[ezo]

Like everything, the more you have to remember, the slower the game will go. I don't care how long you've been playing, it is always slower with more stuff added in (the difference might become negligible, but it is still there IME).

Like with spells. You start out one player with three spell options, another with six, and the second player will take a bit longer to decide what to do much of time--even if just a moment longer.

Game time is too precious IME to waste on such things. The learning curve helps once you get past a certain point, but you're wasting time until you get there--and then just wasting slightly less time afterwards.

Kinda wishing these had been an optional rule.

You know everything is optional. If it isn't working out as is, give them something simpler that is just baked in.

 

[ECMO3]

There's no way weapon mastery is more complicated for a brand new player than spells. You only have one weapon, there isn't even a decision to make so it really only slows things down as being another step in the process that needs to be explained.

Spells are far more complicated in terms of the decision-making process, but you can bypass the decision-making delays by informing the new player which spell(s) would work best, and then spells are quicker.

During gameplay, IME Weapon Mastery is way more complicated than spells, for both experienced and new players.

Spells are more complicated than weapon mastery in terms of character creation and level up, but generally less complicated during play and execution IME.

 

[Zardnaar]

There's no way weapon mastery is more complicated for a brand new player than spells. You only have one weapon, there isn't even a decision to make so it really only slows things down as being another step in the process that needs to be explained.

Spells are far more complicated in terms of the decision-making process, but you can bypass the decision-making delays by informing the new player which spell(s) would work best, and then spells are quicker.

2014 you can opt out of spells by not playing them.

2024 seems you can't opt out of complexity for beginners.

Context I'm training 7 beginners in 2014 and OSR.

One player sucked in 5E to the point it was annoying other players. In C&C he's doing well. Druid vs Bard (bards more warrior than spellcaster).

 

[CreamCloud0]

Was there a point you were trying to make that I have missed?

spells are far more of a much bigger slowdown in getting new players to learn the mechanics as there are far more individual rules with multiple layers of them, realistically you could speed things up much more by removing them rather than maneuvres but nobody does that, they give them all a giant pass because 'they were already part of the game'

 

[Scribe]

2024 seems you can't opt out of complexity for beginners.

Sure you can.

"We wont be using Weapon Mastery rules, lets roll!"

 

[Zardnaar]

Sure you can.

"We wont be using Weapon Mastery rules, lets roll!"

Are they baked into the classes?