D&D General Session Zero and Nobody Chose a Spellcaster

[Clint_L]

Most of my games are light on casters, and they all go fine. Latest campaign has a battle smith artificer who mostly wants to shoot stuff, a paladin who just wants to smite, a moon Druid who only wants to fight in wild shape, a monk, a rogue, and a barbarian, and they absolutely steamrolled.

 

[Voadam]

Most of my games are light on casters, and they all go fine. Latest campaign has a battle smith artificer who mostly wants to shoot stuff, a paladin who just wants to smite, a moon Druid who only wants to fight in wild shape, a monk, a rogue, and a barbarian, and they absolutely steamrolled.

My last two pcs were a paladin who spent his spell slots on smiting and a moon druid who always wildshaped in combat.

My Druid did use stuff like locate animals and speak with animals out of combat and did once use a produce flame (shouting fireball) to open a combat when foes were too far to close, but I then immediately used a bonus action to wildshape.

 

[TheSword]

Wow, the monk player is getting properly doinked by not playing 2024. I’m surprised they’re not raging like a barbarian.

Casters… you’ll be fine. The game doesn’t need them and hasn’t for a while. They are a convenience nothing more.

 

[Micah Sweet]

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.

I just use a 3pp redesign of the archetype.

 

[Micah Sweet]

In my home game, I made rangers and paladins non-casters, and bards half-casters. You end up with 6 non-casting classes, 2 half-casters (including artificers)and 5 fullcasters.

Level Up made rangers non-casters by default, and added marshals (and other non-casters in supplements), so there's a good balance in that version of 5e.

 

[Corinnguard]

Level Up made rangers non-casters by default, and added marshals (and other non-casters in supplements), so there's a good balance in that version of 5e.

Level Up also gave all of its' martial classes (Adept, Berzerker, Fighter, Herald, Marshall, Ranger and Rogue) proficiencies in 2 to 3 Combat Traditions. Each of the 15 maneuvers in a Combat Tradition is spread across by a degree (the martial equivalent of a spellcasting level). And there are five degrees in all. So, they're like half-casters.

 

[Mistwell]

They could use a Detect Magic in there somewhere.

 

[aco175]

Henchmen are cheap. For the price of a potion of healing, you hire a acolyte for almost two weeks.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Henchmen are cheap. For the price of a potion of healing, you hire a acolyte for almost two weeks.

Hiring someone to fill a role in your party makes so much more sense to me than maintaining a constant supply line of potions where ever you go. Who's making all these potions I assume you're buying in bulk?

 

[Voadam]

Hiring someone to fill a role in your party makes so much more sense to me than maintaining a constant supply line of potions where ever you go. Who's making all these potions I assume you're buying in bulk?

In my 5e Carrion Crown game it was the hermit background fighter who had proficiency in the herbalism kit.

HERMIT
You lived in seclusion-either in a sheltered community such as a monastery, or entirely alone-for a formative part of your life. In your time apart from the clamor of society, you found quiet, solitude, and perhaps some of the answers you were looking for.
Skill Proficiencies: Medicine, Religion
Tool Proficiencies: Herbalism kit
Languages: One of your choice
Equipment: A scroll case stuffed full of notes from your studies or prayers, a winter blanket, a set of common clothes, an herbalism kit, and 5 gp

Herbalism Kit. This kit contains a variety of instruments such as clippers, mortar and pestle, and pouches and vials used by herbalists to create remedies and potions. Proficiency with this kit lets you add your proficiency bonus to any ability checks you make to identify or apply herbs. Also, proficiency with this kit is required to create antitoxin and potions of healing.