D&D General Session Zero and Nobody Chose a Spellcaster

[CreamCloud0]

the 4 elements monk is such a good concept, it's such a shame they beefed it's design as hard as they did.

 

[CreamCloud0]

Yep. The only change the DM allowed was the class spell list. Originally the player wanted to use the Ranger list, but since the ranger doesn't have cantrips--and the DM was already doing him a favor and he didn't want to push his luck--the player decided to go with the druid list.

ah well, it's not like the druid list doesn't have some good picks from those categories, the healing spells your group most needed, stuff like faerie fire, thunderwave, lesser restoration, moonbeam and pass without trace, plus you've got the small handful of exemptions you can pick from the rest of the list.

 

[Nefermandias]

Magic is so infused in 5E that you don't really need a caster

I would even make the point that it's really hard not to be a spellcaster in this edition. You have to deliberately go out of your way to avoid all the magic options.

 

[ezo]

I would even make the point that it's really hard not to be a spellcaster in this edition. You have to deliberately go out of your way to avoid all the magic options.

Totally agreed. How many races and classes / subclasses don't offer some form of magical, spell-like, or outright spellcasting?

I mean, I am not talking about "ki" which I call more "mystical" than magical, but features which allow you to become invisible or something, even if only until the start of your next turn, and such run rampant in 5E by design.

 

[Mort]

That kind of sucks for the monk, though, if their goal is to be like an "Airbender" character as you say. Because the 2024 elemental monk delivers on that. The 2014...not so much.

It's also worse for the future Eldritch Knight. The 2024 version has some nice improvements!

 

[Mort]

the 4 elements monk is such a good concept, it's such a shame they beefed it's design as hard as they did.

I haven't seen it in play yet, but the 2024 version is a near total redesign. And by the looks of it, a MASSIVE improvement.

 

[CreamCloud0]

I haven't seen it in play yet, but the 2024 version is a near total redesign. And by the looks of it, a MASSIVE improvement.

that's good news at least.

 

[aco175]

If the PCs have a problem with the challenges, they will adapt. At third level the thief might become trickster instead or at 4th level some take feats that allow some sort of healing and such. I seen this before.

My groups tend to have no wizard, but seem to have a cleric nowadays snice the problem with the last paragraph.

 

[CleverNickName]

I would even make the point that it's really hard not to be a spellcaster in this edition. You have to deliberately go out of your way to avoid all the magic options.

This is a running joke in the group's Campaign Discussion Email. Every single one of us has found a way to cast at least one spell--my character (Brash, tiefling barbarian) starts with the Ray of Frost cantrip, and by 3rd level I will literally sweat lightning.

Beedleby is the only exception, and only because he has made a dedicated effort to refuse all magical options for his character. "If I wanted to play a spellcaster, I'd roll up another useless bard."

 

[CreamCloud0]

I would even make the point that it's really hard not to be a spellcaster in this edition. You have to deliberately go out of your way to avoid all the magic options.

I feel it’s a bit of a shame the game is designed this way that you have to actively opt-out of having magic in your build choices so hard.