D&D 5E Speeding Up Combat

[Tony Vargas]

While I think the party might not be optimally built, it really shouldn't matter. I thought 5th Edition was built on the idea that you didn't have to have specialized builds to be competitive?

You don't need to optimize to be participating - thanks to bounded accuracy you can be sub-optimal, or even just plain lower level than the others in your party, and still hit things and make successful checks now and then.

But, if the party is a collection of sub-optimal-DPR builds, it just might slow things down a bit, which is what you're experiencing.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

While I think the party might not be optimally built, it really shouldn't matter. I thought 5th Edition was built on the idea that you didn't have to have specialized builds to be competitive?

I actually prefer non-optimized characters. Giving that fighter a 15 Charisma because that's how you envision him, going with lightning bolt over fireball because you like the way it looks, or you are lightning-themed (with no mechanical benefit), etc.

However, even I draw the line. And a warlock using fire bolt instead of eldritch blast + Agonizing Blast is way over that line. If a player wanted to do that I would explain what the results would be an why that might be desirable. Most of the time that is all it takes. Once they see the difference it makes they are probably going to agree and change their option. If they really seemed to want to stick with it, I would privately ask the other players how they felt about it (since something that sub-optimal affects the whole party). I wouldn't ask them in the presence of the warlock player because most people wouldn't want to rudely say that they don't want the warlock playing that way. If everyone was cool with the idea, then it's fine. If people aren't okay with it, I'd talk with the warlock player a bit more. Maybe it is just a matter of visuals. Eldritch blast can look like fire. Or if they really insist it must be fire, then maybe I'd give them a variant cantrip that is eldritch blast but with fire instead of force damage.

 

[ProphetSword]

I spoke to the player who plays the Warlock, pointing him to a couple of helpful quotes in this very thread. He said that he had always heard that the Warlock was OP, but had yet to see it. On the advice given here, he is going to take another look at his options to see what can be done to increase his damage output. We probably won't play until January (our regular Thursday game this week falls on Star Wars premiere day, next Thursday is Christmas Eve, and the following Thursday is New Year's Eve), but I'll let you know the results once we actually see it in action.