D&D 5E (2014) What is Missing from 5E?

[Emirikol]

Agreed, but Id hope wotc would support their product and 3rd parties are very hit/miss.

 

[Morrus]

Agreed, but Id hope wotc would support their product and 3rd parties are very hit/miss.

So are 1st parties, frequently. I think there are some 3rd party adventures leagues ahead of anything WotC tends to put out. I hope that's a trend that continues in 5E, as it's an awesome thing for us gamers.

 

[Emirikol]

Don't get me wrong. I'm not ungrateful or dismissing 3rd party stuff. I'm just finding wotc's lack of enhanced support (other than a lot of empty glitz and blah blah blah on their website) lacking. I'm looking for that shared experience of official stuff and it just isn't there for this edition.

 

[aramis erak]

Did a bit of research and what it seems is that continual light was essentially a permanent daylight spell. Since continual light is already missing from 3e... where daylight and continual flame spell appear, it seems that when 3e was made this spell was split into two different spells.

One of the many reasons 3E sucked...

Daylight spell was more potent in 2E - but was called Sunray. I think you failed your research roll.

Also why do you need a separate spell in PHB for worldbuilding reasons? Don't get me wrong i am a fan of "everyday spells" but there is a limit how much of them are actually needed in rulebooks. Also not everything needs to be a spell that every wizard can use. Maybe the spellcasters of Underdark have learned how to make such powerful light spells, but there is absolutely no need for them to be available to every spellcaster.

I'n one of those types who wants the 4th pillar - civilizing the wilderness - to be in the core again. Fortress construction was part of all editions prior to 4th; continual light was part of this. Players often want to build their fortresses using magic - stoneform, transmute, etc. A couple pages more, or even making certain spells groups of spells in a single entry, would have made room for the two big ones: Rock to mud, and Continual Light.

In all seriousness, Continual Light, the various ___-Form spells, and Transmute Rock to Mud are all spells that give reason and sensibility to depictions of the underdark (and for clothform, woodform, etc, reasons why the clothing is shown as renaissance, while the tech is medieval).

Making the continual daylight spheres with the magic item rules makes them a lot more rare. Too rare to be numeroous enough for agriculture sufficient to live off of. A continual light cast upon a pebble was the default "Hello, Fight!" response from many a party - the wizard would make a few dozen during downtime days.

If you want to have "continual dayflame" spell in your game, then its fine. Convert or homebrew it.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

I couldn't find any class with Planar Binding on their spell list.

Wizards and druids both have it.

 

[Mouseferatu]

I like the idea of expanding the mechanic from the teleportation circle spell. Want a permanent circle? Cast the spell at the same point every day for a year. That concept can easily grow to encompass other spells.

Permanent daylight? Cast daylight on the same spot every day for a season/year/whatever fits your campaign style. Ditto darkness, silence, basically any effect that targets the environment in a non-massive/non-destructive way, and wouldn't be game-breaking.

 

[Tony Vargas]

I'm looking for that shared experience of official stuff and it just isn't there for this edition.

I hope I'm not repeating myself, but that's very much what the Adventurers League delivers. AL modules get run all over, using about the same rule set, and characters are portable. Something of a shared experience feel, there.

 

[Morrus]

I hope I'm not repeating myself, but that's very much what the Adventurers League delivers. AL modules get run all over, using about the same rule set, and characters are portable. Something of a shared experience feel, there.

For the 0.01% with access to them. For most of us, they're not a thing.

 

[Tony Vargas]

For the 0.01% with access to them. For most of us, they're not a thing.

Everyone I know who's playing 5e is playing it at Encounters or AL - mostly both - at an FLGS. I take it they haven't made good the promise to allow home and on-line AL games as yet?

 

[Morrus]

Everyone I know who's playing 5e is playing it at Encounters or AL - mostly both - at an FLGS. I take it they haven't made good the promise to allow home and on-line AL games as yet?

I wasn't aware of any promise, but I've never met anybody (other than when I went to Gen Con last year) who played in an AL game. The adventures aren't available to the public.