D&D 5E (2024) WotC Should Make 5.5E Specific Setting

[Paul Farquhar]

Is the DM supposed to tell me that his game is different from the base assumption of the game and does not have enough enemy spell casters that the Counterspell and Dispel Magic spells which are straight out of the player's handbook would not be good choice

If it’s something the character would know, then the DM might warn you in session zero,but it’s no big deal, you can always change your spells on a rest and even spontaneous casters can change spells easily. And it’s not a setting issue it’s an adventure issue. Remember Ranger favoured enemy in older editions? If the DM didn’t give advance warning many a time they never turned up in the adventure, even though there might be plenty in the world.

 

[Maxperson]

It's not the content it's the mentality.

That is my entire point.

We are continuously making content for old editions as new edition content and simply converting it rather than making content for this new edition.

There is only one official setting made specifically from the ground up for 5th edition. And it shared its background with another game:

Strixhaven.

There are zero official settings design specifically from the ground up for the 2024 version of the physician.

ZERO.

Everything is a conversion.

Nothing is a conversion, because none of the settings that I know of have setting specific mechanics that need to be converted. You don't convert settings. Most settings just are, and you adventure in them with whatever system you feel like using.

 

[Yaarel]

I actually don't want FR to emphasize Dragonborn for those reasons.

What I want is for people to stop saying Forgotten Realms is a 5.5e style setting because it doesn't embrace the style of 5.5e. it allows Dragonborn and Goliaths as playable species but it doesn't truly embrace the idea. It just now started giving Gnomes and Halflings love. But Forgotten Realms is really a human, elf, orc, and dwarf setting.

I agree with your characterization, in that the Sword Coast regional setting makes the common species be Human, Elf, and Orc. But it is an evolving kitchen sink setting that adapts to each edition, sometimes in "realms shattering" ways.

In 2e Forgotten Realms, the Human and Elf were the popular species. The Orc species was the go-to adversary for almost every low tier adventure. The Dwarf was less common in 2e too, but always normal with readily accessible lore for any player group.

The Halflings were treated as if little more than a small human ethnicity, who were wherever other Humans were. Gnomes were like a dwarven ethnicity who could do arcane magic, who were wherever Dwarves were. The Forgotten Realms setting entered D&D with these all of these popular old school species and assumptions in mind.

But the Realms continues to evolve. Even now, emphasizing how Halfling and Gnome are actually "species", is forcing designers to think more clearly about where these species came from, and how they got to where they are now. As you say, only now are they getting setting lore love. The Forgotten Realms is evolving.

The same 5e 2024 attention to detail that encourages spelling out the Halfling and Gnome, might also encourage hesitation for how to do this for Dragonborn and Goliath, exactly.

Still, I expect Dragonborn and Goliath to find a way. Consider the Drow lineage who went from playable monster to a fully normal Elf lineage. The only reason for this was popularity. For sensibility reasons, the Orc went from monster to normal. So the setting is now in the process of better integrating them into the local cultures.

Forgotten Realms evolves according to the edition, but it is a process.

I see a flaw in your logic.

There is a difference between "heres how to explain this weird option" (Dragonborn), versus "here is how the Dragonborn are a significant part of Sword Coast".

Currently, the Dragonborn is still weird. I expect future Forgotten Realms product for come up with a satisfying amount of love for Dragonborn. Because. This is a popular species, and many Forgotten Realms players play Dragonborn. There is a demand for lore ... that also works seamlessly.

 

[Maxperson]

That's not my argument.

Let's go out of species.

A DM invites me to his game. He says that we are starting at fifth level.

I make a wizard. I choose as a some of my prepared spells the spells Counterspell and Dispel Magic.

Is the DM supposed to tell me that his game is different from the base assumption of the game and does not have enough enemy spell casters that the Counterspell and Dispel Magic spells which are straight out of the player's handbook would not be good choice?

Or does he let me prepare and leave them in my prepared spells and never allow me to cast them because he doesn't have enemies spell casters?

Actually, according to the 5.5e PHB, you are supposed to ask him before you make your character. His setting might not even have wizards.

 

[Minigiant]

If it’s something the character would know, then the DM might warn you in session zero,but it’s no big deal, you can always change your spells on a rest and even spontaneous casters can change spells easily. And it’s not a setting issue it’s an adventure issue. Remember Ranger favoured enemy in older editions? If the DM didn’t give advance warning many a time they never turned up in the adventure, even though there might be plenty in the world.

The point is the DM is not supposed to let you take arctic in his desert game.

That's why Ranger was changed.

Because the assumption was that your stuff is supposed to work.

The goal of 5.5e was to clear up language and gut all the strictly bad options in the core game.

That's why languages don't mean anything and the linguist was removed. Because there is a clear bias and hierarchy of languages in DND. So language had to be minimized to an extreme extent.

 

[Maxperson]

There is a difference between "heres how to explain this weird option" (Dragonborn), versus "here is how the Dragonborn are a significant part of Sword Coast".

Currently, the Dragonborn is still weird. I expect future Forgotten Realms product for come up with a satisfying amount of love for Dragonborn. Because. This is a popular species, and many Forgotten Realms players play Dragonborn. There is a demand for lore ... that also works seamlessly.

My point is that it took them 11 years to get us one more book on the Forgotten Realms. Relying on future Realms books to do stuff isn't the most solid choice.

 

[Minigiant]

Actually, according to the 5.5e PHB, you are supposed to ask him before you make your character. His setting might not even have wizards.

In the example he lets me create a wizard with counterspell and dispel magic even though his campaign setting has no enemy spellcasters.

In older edition this was deemed as okay.
In 2024 5th edition it is not.

 

[Minigiant]

My point is that it took them 11 years to get us one more book on the Forgotten Realms. Relying on future Realms books to do stuff isn't the most solid choice.

And that's the core of my point

Wizards of the Coast is lagging behind in mentality of the editions. That are still in the 2010s.

 

[Maxperson]

In the example he lets me create a wizard with counterspell and dispel magic even though his campaign setting has no enemy spellcasters.

In older edition this was deemed as okay.

I don't remember that being deemed okay in older editions.

In 2024 5th edition it is not.

Where does it say that?

What you are describing isn't a rules/edition issue. It's a social contract violation. It may be completely accidental and he just forgot, in which case he lets you change your spell choice and no harm, no foul. Or it may be intentional, in which case you need a new DM.

 

[Maxperson]

And that's the core of my point

Wizards of the Coast is lagging behind in mentality of the editions. That are still in the 2010s.

Settings are not edition dependent, though. I have run a 5e campaign using 2e Ravenloft. With no issues.