D&D 5E (2014) The case for niche protection

[Sacrosanct]

Except when your party needs to make an arcana check and someone is forced to be a wizard. Or the only one who can heal is a cleric and someone is forced to play one.
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I don't think anyone is forced to be anything. Even in the edition with the biggest niche protection, 1e, you didn't need to do that. There were other options. No one can make an arcana check? That's what towns were for. No healing magic? That's what healing potions are for.

Now that I think about it, that's another big difference between TSR D&D and WotC D&D. Back then, parties had a base of operations where they went to several times during the adventure. A place to heal, to research, etc. Nowadays, it seems as if once the adventure starts, the party stays on path until it ends, thus sort of making it mandatory that you have classes that can do all of those things that were done back at the base.

 

[abirdcall]

I'm against DMs changing things based on character choices. There might be a great chance for an Arcana check, but if no one is around who can do it then you don't get to explore that option. I see that as niche protection. If someone chose to play a character like that they would be shining.

I do think it is important for the group to collaborate during character creation. I think other people in the game should have some say in what sort of character you play. There should be compromise or a fair resolution to specialty conflicts. The DM should act as the final arbiter on what characters are appropriate.

This is especially important for players joining mid-game.

 

[mellored]

I don't think anyone is forced/q to be anything. Even in the edition with the biggest niche protection, 1e, you didn't need to do that. There were other options. No one can make an arcana check? That's what towns were for. No healing magic? That's what healing potions are for.

If anyone can heal with healing potions, what's the niche of clerics?

 

[Sunseeker]

Assuming that all roles are given that chance to shine, sure. One risk exists though: when a member chooses not to shine. If the magic door can only be opened by Mr Magic Man and Mr Magic Man is either unable or unwilling to open the door, the party is basically boned.

I tend to think that every obstacle should have two solutions, and every character should be able to cover two bases. And I don't just mean "one combat, one social". Because that's still a single niche. Every class should have it's "thing" but it's "thing" should be the style at which it approaches a problem. Not necessarily it's ability to solve any given problem. IE: A Fighter approaches a problem with martial skill and organized training, while a Wizard approaches a problem with magical aid and years of learned research. They may both be rolling intelligence checks, but they're using different sets of knowledge to resolve the same problem.

 

[Sacrosanct]

If anyone can heal with healing potions, what's the niche of clerics?

Well, back then it was turning undead and other cleric only spells. And not all healing could be done through potions. Spells like neutralize poison (when poison straight up killed you), raise dead, bless, and all the protection spells were still pretty important.

Because a class fills a niche doesn't mean you're forced to play that class. Nice thing about an RPG--it's completely open ended and you can do whatever you want, which opens the door to infinite options limited by your creativity and choices in game.

 

[Sacrosanct]

I tend to think that every obstacle should have two solutions, .

this was pretty much the design philosophy of AD&D. If you go read through those adventures, there were plenty of healing potions, and if there was a monster who could turn you to stone, then there were scrolls of stone to flesh somewhere around. There is almost always a solution to a particular challenge available regardless of the party make up, if they looked for it. I think those writers deserve a lot of credit for having that insight that early in the days of RPGs.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Satyrn]

I like that I can select a criminal (smuggler) background for my swashbuckling battlemaster and be the party's rogue (lower case r)

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[MechaPilot]

Because a class fills a niche doesn't mean you're forced to play that class. Nice thing about an RPG--it's completely open ended and you can do whatever you want, which opens the door to infinite options limited by your creativity and choices in game.

That actually depends on the group. The first time I played a cleric was in a group I joined who didn't have one, and they said I had to be the cleric because no one else had made one. They also lectured and/or berated me every time I tried to do anything other than cast healing spells or turn undead.

When only the cleric can heal and the new girl joined a cleric-free party, the new girl got forced to play the healbot cleric. And I hated every minute of it. I didn't touch the class again for years.