Twitchcon Panel Ravnica Panel

[gyor]

Okay I just watched the Twitch Con Ravnica Panel and I learned some cool things.

First off there are 75+ new NPCs and Monsters in the book (I think this refers to purely new ones, not just the creatures that just use MM monster stats).

Also and this is huge, I found out what the guilds' spells lists are for, they add spells casters in the guild have access to. So guilds are way more powerful then other backgrounds.

Also as you gain renown in a guild you will gain access to Guild Charms from you Guildmaster or other powerful member when you go on guild missions. These Guild Charms are based on the charms from the DMG, but with abilities related to the Guild Charm cards (Satin Phoenix made a funny joke about that).

They said at first that they thought they'd have to make new mechanics for using D&D in an MtG setting, but that the D&D 5e rule set was so robust that it turned out that wasn't required.

They do also talk about the option of your character going guildless in the game in the book.

 

[gyor]

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/329370046

The link to the twitch video on the panel.

The Guild backgrounds seem almost bordering on a subclass in their own right honestly. Access to guild spells, allies (possibly including monsters), an enemy, and resources like charms, and who knows what else, in addition to the usual background goodies. This could change how classes play radically. A Wizard of Selsynia or Orzhov could for instance likely be able to learn how to cast heal or cure wounds, or both. At high level that could be broken, because wizards can make one of their wizard spells at level one usable at will, which means infinate healing spells, something that the game is not designed for.

This could radically change the balance of power between classes. This seems like pure win for Sorcerers especially, although all spell casters stand to win. I really hope the side bar on Material Traditions really knocks out of the park, because otherwise none spell casters (like ones that are Eldrich Knights or Arcane Tricksters), stand to be left out.

Also how does this work with Monk subclasses that use ki instead of spells slots to cast spells, can they too use these spells. Maybe ki points = to Spell level allows a monk to cast a guild spell.

I am looking forward to the beastiary section most of all I think. I wonder if they will have new beasts suitable for Rangers like Eelhawks.

Well I'm also looking forward to the races and guilds sections an aweful lot too.

 

[Parmandur]

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/329370046

The link to the twitch video on the panel.

The Guild backgrounds seem almost bordering on a subclass in their own right honestly. Access to guild spells, allies (possibly including monsters), an enemy, and resources like charms, and who knows what else, in addition to the usual background goodies. This could change how classes play radically. A Wizard of Selsynia or Orzhov could for instance likely be able to learn how to cast heal or cure wounds, or both. At high level that could be broken, because wizards can make one of their wizard spells at level one usable at will, which means infinate healing spells, something that the game is not designed for.

This could radically change the balance of power between classes. This seems like pure win for Sorcerers especially, although all spell casters stand to win. I really hope the side bar on Material Traditions really knocks out of the park, because otherwise none spell casters (like ones that are Eldrich Knights or Arcane Tricksters), stand to be left out.

Also how does this work with Monk subclasses that use ki instead of spells slots to cast spells, can they too use these spells. Maybe ki points = to Spell level allows a monk to cast a guild spell.

I am looking forward to the beastiary section most of all I think. I wonder if they will have new beasts suitable for Rangers like Eelhawks.

Well I'm also looking forward to the races and guilds sections an aweful lot too.

Thing is, everybody is doing things at high level tgat are ludicrous. At will Magic Missle us about in particular with at will Cure Wounds. Mearls has talked on his Happy Fun Hour how damage to enemies and healing for allies are identical in the spreadsheets for mathematical value that they use.

I don't know that the Guilds are more powerful, so much as they fuse the DMG faction rules onto the base Background rules.

 

[gyor]

Thing is, everybody is doing things at high level tgat are ludicrous. At will Magic Missle us about in particular with at will Cure Wounds. Mearls has talked on his Happy Fun Hour how damage to enemies and healing for allies are identical in the spreadsheets for mathematical value that they use.

I don't know that the Guilds are more powerful, so much as they fuse the DMG faction rules onto the base Background rules.

I wasn't referring to party combat, you could literally heal thousands and thousands of injured people per day with infinate cure wounds.

All I know is anyone aside maybe from a pure Martial build that chooses one of the mechanically more valuable backgrounds like Acolyte or Urchin, is severely gimping themselves by choosing any background that doesn't involve a guild. Although maybe the guilds will offer the choice of background features while allowing renown and guild spells access still. Like maybe Orzhov not only allows Orzhov Representive background feature, but also Criminal, Acolyte, Bounty Hunter, Noble, Pirate, and so on, while still getting guild spells and renown.

Honestly I think Background and Faction should be separate things. Background is well about your background before you became and adventurer, and Faction is about right now.

Honestly I would treat renown like a spendable resource you use to buy ranks in an organization. You could spend it all in one organization and rise high and quickly or you could rise slower in multiple organizations that aren't opposed to each other, like multifactioning instead of just multiclassing. But alas they didn't go in that direction.

If I was DMing a none AL Ravnica game the first house rule I'd do is that each character can choose a Faction and a regular background, one represents the future and present, the other represents your past, where you came from before you joined a guild.

And one thing Ari said about not being born into a guild is mostly true, but Orzhov has noble families which people are born into and gain magic from. But technique they could decide they don't want to properly join Orzhov when they become adults.

 

[Parmandur]

I wasn't referring to party combat, you could literally heal thousands and thousands of injured people per day with infinate cure wounds.

All I know is anyone aside maybe from a pure Martial build that chooses one of the mechanically more valuable backgrounds like Acolyte or Urchin, is severely gimping themselves by choosing any background that doesn't involve a guild. Although maybe the guilds will offer the choice of background features while allowing renown and guild spells access still. Like maybe Orzhov not only allows Orzhov Representive background feature, but also Criminal, Acolyte, Bounty Hunter, Noble, Pirate, and so on, while still getting guild spells and renown.

Honestly I think Background and Faction should be separate things. Background is well about your background before you became and adventurer, and Faction is about right now.

Honestly I would treat renown like a spendable resource you use to buy ranks in an organization. You could spend it all in one organization and rise high and quickly or you could rise slower in multiple organizations that aren't opposed to each other, like multifactioning instead of just multiclassing. But alas they didn't go in that direction.

If I was DMing a none AL Ravnica game the first house rule I'd do is that each character can choose a Faction and a regular background, one represents the future and present, the other represents your past, where you came from before you joined a guild.

And one thing Ari said about not being born into a guild is mostly true, but Orzhov has noble families which people are born into and gain magic from. But technique they could decide they don't want to properly join Orzhov when they become adults.

It's bit really "gimping," as spell lists are more about theme and flavor than mechanical balance, per WotC.

Certainly, this system is designed to be used by all player Sina a given game.

 

[gyor]

It's bit really "gimping," as spell lists are more about theme and flavor than mechanical balance, per WotC.

Certainly, this system is designed to be used by all player Sina a given game.

In practice changing the spells a class can use changes the class radically. Look at the Divine Soul as a major example.

 

[André Soares]

I wasn't referring to party combat, you could literally heal thousands and thousands of injured people per day with infinate cure wounds.

Well, any high level character should have this kind of big impact in the world. But for them to "literally heal thousands and thousands of injured people per day" they would have to spend thousands and thousands ou turns doing so. you would reduce a character that has almost god-like powers to a basic healer. To me this seems like a bit of whiterooming.

 

[Parmandur]

In practice changing the spells a class can use changes the class radically. Look at the Divine Soul as a major example.

In feel, yes, but not necessarily balance. I'm intrigued to see how they have this set up.

 

[shadowoflameth]

Are there not already Epic boons and Legendary Items that are big enough to skew balance in these kinds of ways?

 

[gyor]

Are there not already Epic boons and Legendary Items that are big enough to skew balance in these kinds of ways?

At really high level yes, but not at lower levels.