D&D (2024) RD&D MM will have nearly 500 Monsters, and new NPCs.

[Ruin Explorer]

yes, there will be maybe 20 people discussing this for the next 2+ years, and I will happily ignore them

If I have learned one thing on the internet, then that there will always be a bunch who keep at some meaningless topic for the rest of time


for 1DD yes, for 3.5 it seems pretty established

Yeah sorry I didn't mean to suggest 3.5E wasn't used, just 5.5.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I'm saying that it's become a useless excuse for blame shifting with one party being given all of the responsibility for any failures through the entire campaign that could have been covered in s0 while the other participants are freed from any responsibilities from cradle to grave of the campaign. D&d doesn't work automatically because people show up, it's a team game that requires everyone to put in effort sharing the load to make it work every session but nothing in the 5e ruleset admits that or gives the gm support they can point at to help grease the gears.

Yeah, I don't do S0's for that reason. I have outright said when justifying why I chose to skip it: "It's not a single session's discussion that will make us all behave and get along. We all have to work on THAT every session. We all have to behave like adults and be upfront about our needs. We don't need to argue about it, but we do need to listen when someone does. Let's play."

That is obviously smart and it fits the criteria - at least for being written down - it might not work in speech and Gen Z uses speech more online than Millenials and Gen X, so we'll see. But it's good.

Fifty is pretty easy to say. Easier than "five point five". I mean, you'd probably want to say "Dee and dee fifty" of just "D&D" and when asked, "which", you say "fifty" or "fiftieth."

I don't WotC's PR is that smart. They should hire you, at least as a consultant, frankly.

Thanks! I do have 30 years of experience in selling their game and I don't think any of them do. Maybe someone.

But yeah if they do call it 50th Anniversary D&D I absolutely expect "Fifty" to catch on. 50A or something (which is distinct enough from 5E but still reminiscent of it).

Yeah. That oughtta work.

 

[Minigiant]

Hoping to see a lot more variants of humanoid type monsters with pseudoclasses in 4e style - a berserker orc, a soldier orc, an archer orc, a hunter orc, a shaman orc, etc.

Orc champion with Magic Axe!

 

[Mirrorrorrim]

Yes, I'm aware of how certain people perceive me, and the people I clash most with are people who I would perceive as being themselves guilty of patronization, and aggression, even if they're unwilling to face that.

To be clear that's what's called a "non-apology". It's when someone intentionally doesn't take responsibility for offence caused, and instead blames the person they offended. It used to be common in corporate "apologies" before the public started seeing through it. If you mean to actually apologise, I suggest using "I'm sorry that I offended or triggered you.", because then you take responsibility. You'll notice I always avoid the "if" formulation (because sometimes I do have to apologise!).

And the patronization is in the suggestion that anyone who doesn't agree with you is a bad person or needs help or guidance or the like. Even I don't think that's the case, but you explicitly laid it out in your post.

Some people will like it - there's always a market for people claiming to be unifiers whilst actually taking a "my way or the highway" attitude. And your attitude is explicitly "my way or the highway", as inarguably demonstrated when you told people who disagreed to go play other games instead. I'm not suggesting you return to lurking, but if you come here saying "agree with me or you suck", well, I don't think that's going to end well.

Thank you for your continued insights. I feel properly chastised. You are correct. I spoke out of turn because I was emotionally reacting to the hostility being thrown around and I tried to call for peace at the same time as calling out those who seem to me like they are enjoying keeping my favorite hobby on fire. And then I reacted poorly because I was on the defensive. I am sorry for my part in hurting anyone's feelings.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Fifty is pretty easy to say. Easier than "five point five". I mean, you'd probably want to say "Dee and dee fifty" of just "D&D" and when asked, "which", you say "fifty" or "fiftieth."

Yeah sorry I mean if a YouTuber was saying it "5E" and "Fifty" might seem similar depending on their enunciation - but I imagine that'd be solved by calling something like "50A".

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Thank you for your continued insights. I feel properly chastised. You are correct. I spoke out of turn because I was emotionally reacting to the hostility being thrown around and I tried to call for peace at the same time as calling out those who seem to me like they are enjoying keeping my favorite hobby on fire. And then I reacted poorly because I was on the defensive. I am sorry for my part in hurting anyone's feelings.

I dunno if you're just taking the piss out of me ("I am properly chastised") but hey I can't deny the pro-ness of this response.

I promise you one positive thing - a whole bunch of those people who LOOK like they want to keep things on fire - they don't actually want to - they just want to argue things out. There are people who genuinely want to see D&D burn, you can find 'em on Twitter real easy, but I don't think anyone who posts here really does.

Even for me, most of what 1D&D (or whatever we're calling it) is a positive direction (not the 1D&D Druid - but you had good suggestions for changes). My real problem is with WotC's bizarre PR decisions and bizarre statements - and that's been going on since before 4E came out, and went Chernobyl-esque with the OGL controversy.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Sure the Playtest Druid is not ready for print. It needs a LOT of work. But I strongly believe that the scaling stat block is the way to go because the base effectiveness of that druid will never be in question. Here are some things that don't yet work and I provided feedback on as potential solutions.

1. I want there to be a pretty decent list of possible beast abilities to choose from when I wildshape. Do I want be a cougar so I can pounce on my prey? I can just choose the pounce ability from the list. Do I want to be a wolf for pack tactics? Just select pack tactics. The free unarmed strike already lets you grapple if you want to represent a wolf dragging someone to the ground, or a constrictor snake, or a bear hugging someone with extreme prejudice. But maybe there is an ability to select that enhances that grapple or offers a better one? This will help the player better represent the animal in their minds. I also have no problem with all wildshape forms having darkvision. It's a magic world. Your primal connection gives it to you. That works.
2. I dislike the ablative HP as designed in 2014. That is not how any shapechanging fiction works. Using the 2014 rules you get dropped as a bear and you are still hale and hearty. I don't buy it. That said I don't mind getting some temporary hit points with the wildshape to make yourself a little tougher.
3. I want wildshape to be a duration that does not require concentration and you can change into any appropriate available form while under that singular wildshape use. It's not borken if you don't get the 2014 ablative armor every time you shift. Also, in my vision, you only get any temporary hit points the first time you spend the use of wildshape, not each time you shift while under that wildshape duration. Do I want to be an Owlbear to beat someone into the ground, then spend a bonus action to turn into a deer and run away? That is fine! (This design also supports the way Doric wildshapes in DADHAT, and how Merlin does it in the Sword and the Stone, and who doesn't want to do that!?)
4. I want tiny noncombat forms at lower level. I don't think you need to assume that the Tiny form can tank or something because they still have lots of hit points. While your hit points don't have to change, just include in the ability or stat block that if you take damage, you get knocked out of wildshape. And while you could still use your next action to get back into a new form, your cover is blown. What a story as to try to fight or run! (See Doric)
5. I don't need flying at level 1, but I don't want to wait too long to get it.

For anyone defending the 2014 druid, are my ideas remotely interesting if they were in the 2024 rules?

So I wanted to come back to this.

I'm not super-keen on the 2014 Druid but I have played them a number of times and I think it gets more things right than the 1D&D playtest Druid.

Re: your points

1. I think this is a good suggestion, but I also suspect WotC thinks it's too complicated. One of the major issues we've seen so far with the playtest packets is some fairly strange ideas from WotC on what is too complicated. Because they been both increasing complication (spell lists, all casters prep) and cutting it down in inconsistent ways.

But "Build-a-beast" is the right way to go if using a scaling statblock, yeah.

2. Disagree that no shapechanging fiction works that way. Some does - but that that does tends to be very high magic Wizard-type shapechanging. However, one thing that is extremely common in virtually all shapechanging fiction, but absent in D&D, is the "shapechanging heals you". I don't think ablative HP were the way to go, but say, Moon Druids at the very least should probably heal some amount on every shapeshift (it doesn't have to be huge.

3. Agree - this is the natural way to do it, and how most players envision shapeshifting into any animal when they hear about it.

4. They should be there from as soon as you can shapeshift. It's not the "tankiness" that's really the problem, though, if you're using your own HP, it's the damage. They should do 1 damage or 0 damage, whichever fits - or even be unable to make attack rolls. I don't think knocking people out of small wildshapes is good because it'll cause too many weird problems, esp. when going through narrow spaces, and it doesn't fit with the new "Your HP are your HP" design. Maybe make the Druid Vulnerable to physical damage when they're in a tiny form? I.e. double damage - I think that'd fit and give you a reason to shift out but also avoid a ton of rare-but-troubling issues.

5. Agree completely re: flying - on a form weak at combat it should be fairly low-level. Also it'd be lovely if WotC could just, y'know, for one second, realize how fast and far birds can fly lol. Like a pigeon, for god's sake, a pigeon, can fly at up to 90mph for hours on end.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Yeah sorry I mean if a YouTuber was saying it "5E" and "Fifty" might seem similar depending on their enunciation - but I imagine that'd be solved by calling something like "50A".

Oh, good point. Yeah, they'll have to throw in the A or be really clear with the "t".

Thank you for your continued insights. I feel properly chastised. You are correct. I spoke out of turn because I was emotionally reacting to the hostility being thrown around and I tried to call for peace at the same time as calling out those who seem to me like they are enjoying keeping my favorite hobby on fire. And then I reacted poorly because I was on the defensive. I am sorry for my part in hurting anyone's feelings.

I find two things are easy to do online: 1) Assume that others are more emotional about their arguments than they are; AND 2) GET more emotional about arguments than you need to.

You're doing fine! For your own sanity, just keep on and try not to let anything get you too riled. Remember: It's probably a misunderstanding more often than anything else. I mean, sure, maybe you really disagree with someone, but that's OKAY! Our differences is what makes things interesting.

I promise you one positive thing - a whole bunch of those people who LOOK like they want to keep things on fire - they don't actually want to - they just want to argue things out. There are people who genuinely want to see D&D burn, you can find 'em on Twitter real easy, but I don't think anyone who posts here really does.

I've gotten into soooo many arguments here with people that I've later gotten along with quite well. Friendly even. Some of the seemingly most unreasonable people can be quite alright when you get to know them. Communication by post has terrible pitfalls, and those of us who post here are often not necessarily the best at social queues under normal circumstances. I like to always give everyone the benefit of the doubt, if I can.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I've gotten into soooo many arguments here with people that I've later gotten along with quite well. Friendly even. Some of the seemingly most unreasonable people can be quite alright when you get to know them. Communication by post has terrible pitfalls, and those of us who post here are often not necessarily the best at social queues under normal circumstances. I like to always give everyone the benefit of the doubt, if I can.

One thing I find fascinating about ENworld is that there's pretty much no-one I always disagree with and also almost no-one I always agree with (possible exception: Hawkeyefan). Like Oofta (who I won't @ because it's mean), I really strongly disagree with him in a lot of threads about how WotC should handle things or the like, but threads about DMing, he's got ideas that line up exactly with me except maybe he thought them through better!

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Maybe make the Druid Vulnerable to physical damage when they're in a tiny form?

Ooh. I like that. It's not that you get knocked out of tiny form, it's that you'll WANT to pop out of tiny form before you get knocked out!

5. Agree completely re: flying - on a form weak at combat it should be fairly low-level. Also it'd be lovely if WotC could just, y'know, for one second, realize how fast and far birds can fly lol. Like a pigeon, for god's sake, a pigeon, can fly at up to 90mph for hours on end.

That's some awesome overland travel in bird-form!