D&D 5E Q&A February 14th: Lines, Finding Spells & Fighter Identity

[Garthanos]

Now I don't have as much experience with 2nd and OD&D, so if that's how you trained and learned spells SOLELY through treasure and roleplaying, then great go play that.

Its a small element not sure somebody needs to flash all the way back to 0e or 1e for it to work.

But it seems to me that you would still have to go gain levels and qualify for the spells/maneuvers before you had access to them.

Yes makes sense to me but qualification may only mean be of sufficient level to use that spell or maneuver... otherwise you cant learn it now.

For a pure game based on learning things through experience / treasure/ and roleplaying then it would seem to me a skill based system is what you are after.

Yes if .. but thats assuming a huge extrapolation that you want everything trainable. A pretty simple optional rule could give spells and maneuvers without any big balance issues . (I kind of like the idea 2e had where on leveling up to higher slots you gain 2 spells of your choice and if you found more you could learn those as well - I didnt play 2e I may be mis-remembering the details).

This is a very D&D thing and this coming edition wants to cater to all editions.

 

[Ed_Laprade]

A free spell (yet still not very free which takes up slots) always implied you dont have any lore.
Knowing and requiring a spell to do various things with magic that should be part of your skill at using magic.. like speaking the languages of magic and interpreting there cypher and sensing the flows of magic always seemed silly. The idea that you had to have a spell to even detect magic was anti-thematic as well...

And if you think that's bad, try reading the 1E description of Identify! Its purely GM vs. Players. No one I knew ever used it as writen.

 

[pemerton]

I used to always wonder why Barbarians deserved their own class... but every time I read through Howard's Conan stories again, about the innate difference between the civilized and the uncivilized, I'm left with the feeling that having their own class makes perfect sense.

In REH this is social commentary. I'm not sure whether D&D should be designed with that social commentary built in, or rather leave that for each table to sort out based on its own opinions and preferences.