Level Up (A5E) The big difference between A5e and 5e?

[lichmaster]

Hmm... so a CR 6 monster would be impossible for a level 4 party?

It's the maximum suggested CR monster for level 4 characters. Above this and one-shotting PCs, or even TPKs, become a very real possibility

 

[Eyes of Nine]

A5E is, frankly, less susceptible to "cheese." The charisma class exploits between warlock, sorcerer, and paladin(now herald) have all been shut off.

A5E characters in general tend to be much more flexible and varied in what they can do, but are slightly less in terms of raw power; the initial attribute adjustments come to +2 rather than +3-+6 for O5E. And as mentioned above, destiny and culture help them feel like more fully-fledged individuals than many O5E characters. There is a bit more to keep track of, no two ways about it, but it's worth it.

Has anyone used A5E characters in the published WotC adventure paths? (I know, I'll probably run Holdshire AP once it releases for my first A5E AP; but wondering about after that...)

 

[Morrus]

Has anyone used A5E characters in the published WotC adventure paths? (I know, I'll probably run Holdshire AP once it releases for my first A5E AP; but wondering about after that...)

Yes we played through Tomb of Annihilation.

 

[Stalker0]

Probably the biggest difference I notice in the core interactions is the increase in various social and exploration abilities. A lot of my warrior type players in my games will still get knowledge through their "cosmopolitan" ability or glean the surface thoughts of their adversary by "reading the room", etc.

I think the monster math is a bit tighter and the encounter guidelines are much more solid.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

I, like the OP, had similar questions, and this thread has been very useful. Thanks. Keep them coming!

 

[mAcular]

Another question. Compared to WOTC material, how many subclasses are there? Is it just the stuff in the PHB that got converted or something equivalent, or is there a decent selection?

 

[Morrus]

Another question. Compared to WOTC material, how many subclasses are there? Is it just the stuff in the PHB that got converted or something equivalent, or is there a decent selection?

Well you can use all the WotC subclasses, and any 3PP 5E subclasses, and any 3PP A5E subclasses, so it's all them plus the ones in the Level Up core book, the Gate Pass Gazette, and other books. For ones made by EN Publishing there's a list here:

Archetypes | Level Up

a5e.tools

 

[Mike Myler]

Hi everyone. I have acquired the A5e books during the kickstarter, but I have not had a chance to play it yet. What I am curious about is the play experience: how exactly does it feel to actually play it compared to 5e? Or would someone not really notice? What is the big difference? Is it mostly on the GM side, making it more convenient to run games, or does the game itself feel way different?

My core group moved to A5E and the biggest thing I've noticed so far is that they're realizing they have more agency than before. There's a lot of, "hold on a second, I have <feature or trait> and that means I can <new thing>!"

For my spoons combat is also a more engaging experience than before but it's not coming up every hour like the <new things> are.

 

[noodohs]

We've been playing an A5e game for several months now and the maneuvers and the wealth of features you get have made a huge difference. As Mike said, there's a lot of "I have a thing for that!" moments outside of combat in particular, which is just amazing. I am intentionally playing a character with no spellcasting and the maneuvers and features have added a lot of variety that was lacking in O5e. The items also get new features, so now you have trip bonuses and things like that to provide situational advantages, and there are even some terrain/positioning-based advantages you can use. All of this makes for much more engaging combat all while still giving everyone, even barbarians, a lot more to do outside of combat.

From the DM side, the things I think our DM likes the most are that the CR is actually representative of the difficulty, so it is much easier to craft encounters. She also is very fond of the exploration challenges, again for more non-combat activities. Monsters also have more unique/fun abilities instead of everything just being two claws and a bite, so again, there is more variety.

Really the takeaway is that A5e is just a more varied, engaging game.

 

[TheHand]

Has anyone used A5E characters in the published WotC adventure paths? (I know, I'll probably run Holdshire AP once it releases for my first A5E AP; but wondering about after that...)

Currently running Witchlight with A5E characters and it's going great!