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

[Belen]

I'd disagree on that. If your character has applied a condition or other effect then it's up to you to remind the DM of that if he/she forgets. As a player, I always remind the DM, for example, that he has disadvantage on his attack rolls because my character is dodging. If the DM forgets and I don't remind him, tough! We don't go back and change the results 5 minutes later when someone remembers!

I agree but rarely see it in practice even with 20 year vets.

 

[Greg Benage]

I think it's okay for new players to get better at the game as they gain experience AND I think it's fine to leave out modular features if they bog your game down too much, especially in an introductory campaign.

I'm glad weapon masteries were added to D&D. If they're not pulling their weight at a particular table, this seems like a very easy problem to solve.

 

[Belen]

It's not a question of what anyone 'likes', its a question of people pretending new players are too dumb to use them to prop up unnecessary simplicity.

No one is pretending that.

Masteries and feats should have been optional. Let people who want the added complexity have it but do not force it on everyone using the 2024 rules.

Many folks will have issues with masteries veteran and new.

 

[Horwath]

No one is pretending that.

Masteries and feats should have been optional. Let people who want the added complexity have it but do not force it on everyone using the 2024 rules.

Many folks will have issues with masteries veteran and new.

if you want to remove features. you are free to do so. Even on PC to PC basis, but do not force all of us to have the simplest game possible.

It's easy to dumb down the game on your own, it's hard to add features and keep it balance for most homebrews.

 

[payn]

Whatever happened to that modularity discussed during NEXT???

 

[TiQuinn]

if you want to remove features. you are free to do so. Even on PC to PC basis, but do not force all of us to have the simplest game possible.

It's easy to dumb down the game on your own, it's hard to add features and keep it balance for most homebrews.

I think we say this in either direction, but the problem is that if the overall design of the game includes it, all supporting material, from character sheets to adventure modules to D&D Beyond assumes that it is included. I think its always better for the company putting out the process to design for modularity with intention.

 

[Guest 7037866]

if you want to remove features. you are free to do so. Even on PC to PC basis, but do not force all of us to have the simplest game possible.

No one is forcing anyone to do anything, though, are they?

FWIW, I agree completely. If a DM doesn't want weapon masteries, don't include them. Just because they lack the "optional" label doesn't mean squat really and players should understand that IMO.

Feats, multiclassing, wizards or whatever... if you don't want them in your game don't use them.

It's easy to dumb down the game on your own, it's hard to add features and keep it balance for most homebrews.

True, but you still have to be careful. If you simplify (I prefer that to "dumb down") your game system for D&D, but use the new creatures, etc. who have ramped up abilities, that can also create imbalance.

If the designers built 2024 with the idea in mind weapon masteries and feat and whatever were not the default, then adding them in would make PCs more powerful (and complex), and the DMs can more easily ramp up the difficulty in the encounters to keep pace. But the game (apparently?) wasn't designed that way and so simplifying the game has its pitfalls as well.

Whatever happened to that modularity discussed during NEXT???

It sailed in 2014??? .......

 

[payn]

It sailed in 2014??? .......

A real shame. A crawl, walk, run path would be very helpful it seems.

 

[FrogReaver]

A real shame. A crawl, walk, run path would be very helpful it seems.

I love the concept of modularity, but I don’t think it’s really ever been a feasible goal.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Masteries and feats should have been optional. Let people who want the added complexity have it but do not force it on everyone using the 2024 rules.

Making them optional takes that choice away from the players who actually use them and puts them into the hands of the DM, who this edition already puts way, way too much on.