D&D 5E What is "broken" in 5e?
- Thread starter l0lzero
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Blue
Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal
For "broken" I'm going to use "non-fun". Something could be too powerful (so others aren't haven't fun) or too weak (so the person who picked it isn't having fun).
Pact of the Blade Warlock - especially if you allow the cantrips in SCAG, this is pretty much bypassed. My recommended fix would be to grant medium armor & shields, and give the Thirsting Blade (extra attack) invocation for free much like the later designed Bladesinger Wizard gets extra attack even though the base class doesn't.
Way of the Four Elements Monk - too little for too much resources. Fixes I've seen are reducing Ki costs by 1 across the board, or giving out themed passive abilities with the various disciplines they can select.
Sharpshooter, Great Weapon Mastery feats often the -5/+10 is considered too much.
Crossbow Expert, Polearm Master feats often reliable the extra attack is considered too much. Crossbow Expert is closer to Dual Wielder but it makes it into a ranged + melee-esqe, and works well with the Archery Fighting Style to cascade into being a bit too much as opposed to being it all by itself. On the other hand Polearm Mastery gives you much of Dual Wielder but with higher damage dice, reach, and additional ways to get an attack with your reaction.
Moon Druid may be front loaded in that at level 2 and a few levels around it the extra HPs are very powerful.
Battlemaster Fighter may be front loaded compared to other classes at that level. Solution might be to start with three dice instead of four.
Multiclassing may allow sub-optimal combonations that have players lag well behind by not hitting class milestones (ASI, 5th & 11th class levels, etc.) This can be avoided by plannign ahead and making sure it works, does not need a technical solution. Multiclassing may also be over powered if you allow 3rd party or UA classes which may not be balanced against cherry picking as the PHB classes. Finally cleric domains (gotten at 1st) are the thing in the PHB most ripe for cherry picking, with armor & weapon proficiency, a power, and casting/spells known available.
Find Steed becomes much less useful at higher levels IF the DM-optional "summon other creatures" part is not used since at 19 HPs a warhorse will die almost immediately to area of effect. I'm wary of a solution of upcasting for better steeds because a paladin/full-caster would be better able tot use it than a straight paladin. Perhaps a solution would be to advance it some based on paladin levels.
Eldritch Blast and Warlock 2 multiclassing - because cantrips advance with class level, taking warlock 2 (for the incantation) and then advancing whatever other class will give you the best damaging cantrip in the game and everything else from that other class.
Dexterity add to far to many useful things, from init to AC to one of the big saves to many skills.
Intelligence adds to far to few things unless you are and Int-based caster.
Pact of the Blade Warlock - especially if you allow the cantrips in SCAG, this is pretty much bypassed. My recommended fix would be to grant medium armor & shields, and give the Thirsting Blade (extra attack) invocation for free much like the later designed Bladesinger Wizard gets extra attack even though the base class doesn't.
Way of the Four Elements Monk - too little for too much resources. Fixes I've seen are reducing Ki costs by 1 across the board, or giving out themed passive abilities with the various disciplines they can select.
Sharpshooter, Great Weapon Mastery feats often the -5/+10 is considered too much.
Crossbow Expert, Polearm Master feats often reliable the extra attack is considered too much. Crossbow Expert is closer to Dual Wielder but it makes it into a ranged + melee-esqe, and works well with the Archery Fighting Style to cascade into being a bit too much as opposed to being it all by itself. On the other hand Polearm Mastery gives you much of Dual Wielder but with higher damage dice, reach, and additional ways to get an attack with your reaction.
Moon Druid may be front loaded in that at level 2 and a few levels around it the extra HPs are very powerful.
Battlemaster Fighter may be front loaded compared to other classes at that level. Solution might be to start with three dice instead of four.
Multiclassing may allow sub-optimal combonations that have players lag well behind by not hitting class milestones (ASI, 5th & 11th class levels, etc.) This can be avoided by plannign ahead and making sure it works, does not need a technical solution. Multiclassing may also be over powered if you allow 3rd party or UA classes which may not be balanced against cherry picking as the PHB classes. Finally cleric domains (gotten at 1st) are the thing in the PHB most ripe for cherry picking, with armor & weapon proficiency, a power, and casting/spells known available.
Find Steed becomes much less useful at higher levels IF the DM-optional "summon other creatures" part is not used since at 19 HPs a warhorse will die almost immediately to area of effect. I'm wary of a solution of upcasting for better steeds because a paladin/full-caster would be better able tot use it than a straight paladin. Perhaps a solution would be to advance it some based on paladin levels.
Eldritch Blast and Warlock 2 multiclassing - because cantrips advance with class level, taking warlock 2 (for the incantation) and then advancing whatever other class will give you the best damaging cantrip in the game and everything else from that other class.
Dexterity add to far to many useful things, from init to AC to one of the big saves to many skills.
Intelligence adds to far to few things unless you are and Int-based caster.
Blue
Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal
This hasn't been my experience. Or rather, in my experience caster/caster has lagged behind because of lack of higher level spells known. It's not bad with just 1-2 levels of another class because you can get back a share of that from upcasting using your higher level slots, but you get something like a Cleric 4/Wizard 4 that is casting 2nd level spells possibly upcast when a straight caster is casting real 3rd and 4th level spells and it makes a huge difference.
I've considered using -proficiency/+2xproficiency. So it ranges from -2/+4 up to -6/+12, and instituting similar scaling for any feat that gives a +5 static bonus (Alertness, etc). Small benefits at low levels, big benefits at high levels. (I don't have a problem with high level characters doing ridiculous amounts of damage. I'm used to it from 3E.
)I haven't done it yet, because it would would be a big change for a relatively small benefit. More to suit my sense of proportion than anything else (I don't like feats that give a disproportionate benefit at low levels).
Things I wish were different about 5e due to poor design, poor balance, or confusing rules interactions.
1. Creatures can stand from prone, even if both grappled and shoved.
2. Quicken Spell metamagic should not allow you to cast two cantrips in a single turn.
3. Two weapon fighting should not require a bonus action
4. Most Bonus Action attacks should not exist (polearm master and crossbow expert are the biggest offenders here).
5. A number of spells should have their level adjusted or are redesigned to be more in line with the power they provide. Shield should only apply against a single attack. Haste should be a level 5 Spell and should not increase AC. Fly and invisibility should be level 4 spells. Hold person or other spells that incapacitate enemies should be also be level 4 spells.
6. Paralyze removed from the conditions list. Abilities that paralyze instead merely stun enemies.
7. Stunning fist costs 3 ki to use.
8. The -5/+10 portion of feats are redesigned. Instead they give you disadvantage (and cannot be used if you already have disadvantage) and the damage bonus is changed to +1W.
And here are things I wish were different about the game overall that would require a complete overhaul of much of the 5e system.
9. Instead of Big Feats, we have little feats. ASIs are based on character level, not class level. ASIs and feats are separate.
10. Spellcasting default resource is mana points, not spell slots.
11. Most daily resources removed from the game and changed into short rest based resources. Game designed around short rests. The assumption will be that PCs face 2 to 3 encounters per short rest and will have the majority of their capabilities available after each short rest. This removes the absurd need for a 6-8 encounter per day adventuring day to achieve balance.
12. HP lowered across the board to increase challenge of individual encounters. At low levels HP would be higher though so PCs can't be one-shot. HP would be rolled HD + Con score at first level.
13. HD healing removed. Replaced with stamina which equals 3 + Con mod. Spending stamina during a short rest heals you for 25% per stamina spent. Stamina can also be spent for heroic effort to gain advantage on an ability check or reroll a failed saving throw.
14. Proficiency bonus replaced with a flat non-scaling +3. Fighting, Shooting, and Spellcasting are proficiencies just like the other skills and are what is rolled for in combat.
15. Include a scaling competency bonus based on character level. PCs get +1 to all d20 rolls and to AC for every 4 levels they have achieved. This represents them gaining more overall competency as they level up. They gain the bonuses at 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20.
16. Get rid of the six 5e saving throws. Reduce them to Fortitude, Reflex, and Will. Fortitude equals Str mod + Con mod / 2. Reflex equals Dex mod + Int mod / 2. Will equals Wis mod + Cha mod / 2. Proficiency in a save gives you a +3 bonus to that save. Classes only provide proficiency in one of the 3 saves.
17. Clean up lots of the wording for various spells and effects that are overly ambiguous.
18. Make multiattack function of the attack action instead of being a separate action.
19. Make extra attack work with readied actions.
20. Make spellcasting affected by the same things that affect ranged attacks. Ie being restrained, attacking a target you cannot see clearly, casting a spell in melee, and the like should give the caster a -5 penalty to the save D.C. Of their spell.
edit: oh gods, I totally forgot the summoning and minion rules. Yeah, those need a complete overhaul.
1. Creatures can stand from prone, even if both grappled and shoved.
2. Quicken Spell metamagic should not allow you to cast two cantrips in a single turn.
3. Two weapon fighting should not require a bonus action
4. Most Bonus Action attacks should not exist (polearm master and crossbow expert are the biggest offenders here).
5. A number of spells should have their level adjusted or are redesigned to be more in line with the power they provide. Shield should only apply against a single attack. Haste should be a level 5 Spell and should not increase AC. Fly and invisibility should be level 4 spells. Hold person or other spells that incapacitate enemies should be also be level 4 spells.
6. Paralyze removed from the conditions list. Abilities that paralyze instead merely stun enemies.
7. Stunning fist costs 3 ki to use.
8. The -5/+10 portion of feats are redesigned. Instead they give you disadvantage (and cannot be used if you already have disadvantage) and the damage bonus is changed to +1W.
And here are things I wish were different about the game overall that would require a complete overhaul of much of the 5e system.
9. Instead of Big Feats, we have little feats. ASIs are based on character level, not class level. ASIs and feats are separate.
10. Spellcasting default resource is mana points, not spell slots.
11. Most daily resources removed from the game and changed into short rest based resources. Game designed around short rests. The assumption will be that PCs face 2 to 3 encounters per short rest and will have the majority of their capabilities available after each short rest. This removes the absurd need for a 6-8 encounter per day adventuring day to achieve balance.
12. HP lowered across the board to increase challenge of individual encounters. At low levels HP would be higher though so PCs can't be one-shot. HP would be rolled HD + Con score at first level.
13. HD healing removed. Replaced with stamina which equals 3 + Con mod. Spending stamina during a short rest heals you for 25% per stamina spent. Stamina can also be spent for heroic effort to gain advantage on an ability check or reroll a failed saving throw.
14. Proficiency bonus replaced with a flat non-scaling +3. Fighting, Shooting, and Spellcasting are proficiencies just like the other skills and are what is rolled for in combat.
15. Include a scaling competency bonus based on character level. PCs get +1 to all d20 rolls and to AC for every 4 levels they have achieved. This represents them gaining more overall competency as they level up. They gain the bonuses at 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20.
16. Get rid of the six 5e saving throws. Reduce them to Fortitude, Reflex, and Will. Fortitude equals Str mod + Con mod / 2. Reflex equals Dex mod + Int mod / 2. Will equals Wis mod + Cha mod / 2. Proficiency in a save gives you a +3 bonus to that save. Classes only provide proficiency in one of the 3 saves.
17. Clean up lots of the wording for various spells and effects that are overly ambiguous.
18. Make multiattack function of the attack action instead of being a separate action.
19. Make extra attack work with readied actions.
20. Make spellcasting affected by the same things that affect ranged attacks. Ie being restrained, attacking a target you cannot see clearly, casting a spell in melee, and the like should give the caster a -5 penalty to the save D.C. Of their spell.
edit: oh gods, I totally forgot the summoning and minion rules. Yeah, those need a complete overhaul.
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mellored
Legend
The vast majority of people I've seen try it just end up reducing their damage. It's definatly caused more harm than good.
And there aren't many attack spells, with scorching being a multi-attack.
At best, there's Contagion, which isn't on any of the same spell lists.
Maybe if it was a level 1 spell, bonus action, you gain advantage on your attacks this turn.
I can't comment on that, as I've never seen anyone actually use it.
I'm just saying that in theory it's used in the same situations in 5e that you would use it in 3e - when it's worth giving up a round of actions to give you a big bonus on your next attack. It's just that in 5e the bonus is smaller (advantage instead of +20), and that same bonus can be gained via other means in most cases. So in practice it's not nearly as useful as it used to be, even in the circumstances in which it is useful.
Not many, but there are a few.
Chromatic Orb, 1st level.
Guiding Light on the cleric list (i.e. a cleric with the Arcane Domain - gives two wizard cantrips, or a wizard with Magic Initiate - Cleric who took Guiding light as their first level spell, or a multi-class character.)
But it's not just spells. You could be low level and wanting to throw Alchemist Fire, Holy Water, or Acid flasks. Using True Strike would reduce your chances of wasting your money. (Admittedly a questionable tactic, as just casting Firebolt would give you much the same results in most cases.)
And there are still Arrows of Slaying in the game.
It's definitely a niche spell, but so is Blade Ward and I have a tank-warlock build that uses that cantrip to good effect at the lower levels of the game.
That wouldn't be bad, but probably abusable by Eldritch Knights and Bladelocks, just off the top of my head.
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Giltonio_Santos
Hero
It's not broken, properly, but I wish Eldritch Blast was not so superior to other warlock options. I'd like to be able to create warlocks with a focus in other offensive abilities without feeling like I'm losing an important part of my power for doing that.
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