d&d 5th edition

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tooleychris
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d&d 5th edition

#1 Post by tooleychris »

So a couple weeks ago I was bored and DLd the basic free copy of 5th edition.
I'd like to point out that while Ive enjoyed 1st-3.5 editions, I beta tested 4th edition and really let WotC know it was crap.
They ignored me.
It was so bad about 40 of us testers got together (online) and pleaded with them to rethink 90% of it. We wanted the new edition to shine.
They ignored us.
As you may or may not know 4th edition was a stinker. The corporate machine took it and twisted it into something...that wasn't OUR D&D (IMO)
This left a bad taste in my mouth. I was done with Hasbros D&D.
Flipping through 5th edition, I went in thinking it was gonna be a sequel to a movie I already hated.
I read the pages knowing it was gonna be a fail.
I flipped. I thought "heh, not bad" , "that's a nice way of doing that." , "Crap that's pretty smart."...
Before long I was done with the whole book and was smiling.
I think they really knocked it outta the park with 5th edition. It's almost as easy as 1st edition, classes have unique feel and flavors like 2nd edition, The classes are somewhat customizable like 3rd edition without all the number crunching, the class abilities give the classes unique meaning instead of copying all the same "powers" and calling them something else like 4th edition. There's a nice amount of balance without everyone feeling the same (also unlike 4th)
I'm digging it so much I've ordered the core books. They are beautifully done as well. Really nice art (IMO)

Anyway the reason for this post is in case some of you are thinking like I was after 4th edition. I'd encourage downloading the free basic rules and give'em a look. You might be surprised.
I know I was.
Happy Gaming!
http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/basicrules
Last edited by tooleychris on Thu Jun 23, 2016 10:44 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: d&d 5th edition

#2 Post by tooleychris »

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Re: d&d 5th edition

#3 Post by Stirling »

Played a campaign through using the 5th ed rules. Some good points but I played a low level mage and a cleric of a couple levels higher had 'domain' spells identical to my list. It left my mage as being the gopher who could identify magic items as the cleric was blessed with better armour and weapons, better saves and thaco and could cast the same spells at longer or more powerful effects or increased difficulty to save against. In effect, specialist mages became useless. Bards, Paladins, Rangers could all be better choices.

Giving advantage or disadvantage was a good addition as it meant people could still have a significant contribution to combat or problem solving even if they were not front line fighters.

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Re: d&d 5th edition

#4 Post by dmw71 »

A buddy of mine recently opened a brick-and-mortar gaming store and advertised on Facebook they were going to host Adventurers League D&D games. I had to Google what that was, and Adventurers League is essentially organized play for 5e. He hosted a Meetup at his store the other week to connect interested people, and I attended (partially out of curiosity of the latest edition, but also to support my friend).

I purchased a hardcover Player's Handbook for 5e (which, for anyone that knows me, is a huge deal because everything I own for D&D is in PDF format), and I've been reading through it.

I like a lot of the 5e rules and mechanics; they've come up with a pretty slick system.

I probably spent three-hours (no joke) building the character I'm (probably) going to use in the game (our first session is on 11/16). I'm including time spent reading up on the races and classes (5e is very player-friendly) in that time quote, and building the character in Google Docs (complete with notes inserted into the various fields with page numbers and descriptions from the PHB since a lot of the rules are still very foreign to me), so the process is probably pretty normal (but add a bit of time for the personal characteristics and background details you need to include -- which I found I really like).

A part of me is really hoping I like the actual gameplay, because it does have a nice set of rules and mechanics. Like what? Here's an example of what I think is a slick mechanic -- carrying capacity/encumbrance.

Every character has the following limits:
  • Carrying Capacity
    Your carrying capacity is your Strength score multiplied by 15 (e.g. 14 * 15 = 210-pounds).

    Push, Drag, or Lift
    Your Push, Drag, or Lift total is twice your carrying capacity (or your Strength score multiplied by 30).

So simple.

Encumbrance is actually an optional (or variant) rule, but it's pretty simple, too:

If you carry weight in excess of 5 times your Strength score (e.g. 14 * 5 = 70-pounds), you're encumbered (result: your speed drops by 10 feet). If you carry weight in excess of 10 times your Strength score (up to your maximum carrying capacity) (e.g. 14 * 10 = 140-pounds), you're heavily encumbered (result: your speed drops by 20 plus you have disadvantage on pretty much everything).

Very simple calculations and mechanics. (Note: The advantage and disadvantage system is pretty slick, too.)

[rant]
Slick or not, this encumbrance rule ended up really crushing my character. So much so, it may necessitate my rebuilding her. :(

In the game I'm joining, you can use a stat array (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8) or point buy; there's no rolling for stats (which is fine by me). The ability score modifiers are also an improvement in 5e over AD&D in my opinion.

Ability score modifiers can be determined like this: Ability Score - 10) / 2 (round down). Again, simple.

Anyway, for my character -- a fighter -- I put her second highest score in Strength (14), which gives me the following:
  • Carrying Capacity: 210
    Push, Drag, Lift: 420
    Encumbered: 70
    Heavily Encumbered: 140
You can roll for starting gold and purchase equipment normally, or you can start with pre-determined options which are part of your class and background. I went with these pre-determined lists. From these lists, my armor (chain mail), rations, torches, rope, and a hunting trap (from my background) total 120 pounds! Without including anything else (e.g. weapons, shield, backpack, etc...), I'm already encumbered... and damn near heavily encumbered. Once I add the weight of everything that is included in the lists I used, my total weight comes to 165.5, so I am easily heavily encumbered... which is not cool. One of the advantages of my race (wood elf) is a +5 to my base move (from 30 to 35), which is very nice. Heavily encumbered, her move drops from 35 to 15, and she has disadvantage all over the place.

Now I can (and probably should) pick a different set of armor (her Dex is her highest score and she doesn't get any benefit from it while wearing chain mail), but I was building to an image, and that image is wearing chain mail, so I'm conflicted.
[/rant]

Cool mechanics and rules aside, my biggest concern is still power creep. For someone with next to zero experience playing d20 editions of D&D, all the "goodies" that the player gets are a little alarming. Characters get so many more benefits from their races, and classes, and backgrounds... it makes me nervous. I built to a concept (you can find my character here if you're interested), but I could see power-gamers having a field day. What I don't know is, how powerful are the monsters and other threats. It might all balance out?

That, I imagine, will only come with experience (since I don't own the DMG or MM, and they aren't available in PDF! :( ), but I'll guess I'll find out in a couple of weeks.
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Re: d&d 5th edition

#5 Post by GreyWolfVT »

I've beta tested 5e and I don't have very much positive feedback but then again maybe the group of folks that were the same beta test weren't the best or very helpful for that matter for me either. All I know is it took me 1-2 sessions just to roll up a character. Because it is all still as f'd up as 3e & 4e when it comes to that part. I can roll up a 1e & 2e character in like an hour or less. Honestly can't say i see how it is at all anything like the old editions...yeah yeah rant rant... The one thing I can say that was positive from my experience with 5e was that there was no real race limitations to what class a character can be and that I really did love. Then again a lot of really open minded DM's allow this no matter what edition you play so really I see no reason to jump to 5e when simply you can find a DM for 1e or 2e that is like sure you can play a Dwarf Ranger, or sure you can have a Gnome Monk.

End of my input sorry for negative vibes.
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Re: d&d 5th edition

#6 Post by dmw71 »

GreyWolfVT wrote:I've beta tested 5e and I don't have very much positive feedback...
I was a DND Next playtester as well, and while I never played it, I did get and review the downloads. Even the beta test was based on the d20 system, which I wasn't open to at the time, but there were still definitely things about it I liked. In fact, I borrowed a couple rules from it for the 2e game I ran a few years ago (e.g. Defensive Adjustment Limits and Finesse Weapons). I know I also tinkered with ability score modifiers (and probably some others as well that I'm forgetting) in my Foxmoor game as well.

So, while it was a d20 game, it still had things I liked enough to implement into older edition games.
GreyWolfVT wrote:All I know is it took me 1-2 sessions just to roll up a character. Because it is all still as f'd up as 3e & 4e when it comes to that part. I can roll up a 1e & 2e character in like an hour or less.
Characters are definitely more involved in 5e, so creating them does take more time. No doubt. That said, I did end up scrapping the original character I created for my upcoming game and created a new one last night. This second character took me about 1.5 hours to create, which is still a decent amount of time, but it was significantly easier the second time, after having gone through the process before.

Much like a D&D character, you, as the player, improve with experience. ;)
GreyWolfVT wrote:Honestly can't say i see how it is at all anything like the old editions...yeah yeah rant rant...
The similiarities are more superficiail, but they're there. I agree with much of Tooley's assessment:
tooleychris wrote:It's almost as easy as 1st edition, classes have unique feel and flavors like 2nd edition, The classes are somewhat customizable like 3rd edition without all the number crunching, the class abilities give the classes unique meaning....
I think it's more like 2e than 1e, in that, especially with kits, 2e seemed to push for more diverse characters, or at least allow the players more options. Mechanically, though, it is a d20 system, and is definitely closer to Pathfinder or WotC D&D. That said, it seems that 5e is far less complicated than the other d20 systems from what I can tell, and the rules themselves seem to play simple.
dmw71 wrote:"Mechanically, though, it is a d20 system, and is definitely closer to Pathfinder or WotC D&D."
That.

That fact alone may prevent many old school players from ever giving it a chance. Heck, for many, D&D stopped progressing when EGG was ousted, so even 2e doesn't exist in their minds. I have no problem with that. Not every edition or change in the name of progress will be a welcomed one. I know I rejected 3e, 3.5, and 4e. I did have a brief dalliance with Pathfinder a few years ago (which was many years after it was released), and while the game never stuck with me, I continue to be influenced by many of the creative things it introduced. Probably anyone that's played in a game I've run will recognized the town of Sandpoint. It came from Pathfinder.

The reality is, every edition evolves. It's forced to. Consider the following:

Original D&D had three classes:
  • Fighting-Man
    Magic-User
    Cleric
Basic D&D expanded that list into seven classes (including races-as-classes):
  • Cleric
    Dwarf
    Elf
    Fighter
    Halfling
    Magic-User
    Thief
The beloved 1e continued that trend of expansion:
    • Cleric
      • Druid
    • Fighter
      • Paladin
        Ranger
        Barbarian
        Cavalier
    • Magic-User
      • Illusionist
    • Thief
      • Assassin
        Acrobat
    • Not to mention multi- and dual-classing.

For the most part, 2e kept things the same 1e... until they started to introduce all the "splat" books with class kits.

Bottom line, each edition just adds more "stuff," presumably in the hopes of giving players more options and making the game more fun. Since it appears they've maxed out on classes, they're forced to push the limit on what those classes can do.

Whether these extra options makes the game more fun is very much in debate, and certainly depends on the player/group.

---

It was really interesting to go back and re-read this Pathfinder discussion just now. A lot of it, especially this, still rings very true to me:
Keehnelf wrote:Every class gets flashy, powerful-feeling abilities right out of the gate and that changes the feeling of the game to me.
I still agree that this feels weird. At the same time, newer players, who grew up with d20 system as the current edition , will almost certainly reject old school characters as boring. Consider the following:
  • A 1st-level Magic-User that has multiple spells and other abilities, or
  • A 1st-level Magic-User that can only cast a single spell each day before essentially becoming functionally useless?
I still feel previous d20 editions went too far. I'm hoping 5e strikes a decent balance.
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Re: d&d 5th edition

#7 Post by GreyWolfVT »

I take your points Dave, well put, however I'm still just saying 5e isn't for me. I'll likely die holding my 2e PHB lol
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Elwood 'Dug' The Bounty Hunter Dwarf Swashbuckler - Hedge's Adventures in the World of Golarion
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Re: d&d 5th edition

#8 Post by dmw71 »

GreyWolfVT wrote:I'll likely die holding my 2e PHB lol
It's cool to stop there. That is still probably my edition of choice as well.
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Re: d&d 5th edition

#9 Post by tooleychris »

The over powered classes and races from level 1 is a pretty common argument against 5th edition. When you read into it all for a bit and take it in you notice the lengths the new design goes to maintain balance. A huge difference between 5th edition and earlier editions is a noticeable lack of actual magic items. This alone balances out a lot of this argument. Dont get me wrong, with the EXTREME exception of 4th edition I've enjoyed playing every edition back to my red box basic set. 5th edition does have a few things I dont care for, such as its crafting skills, but over all Im very pleased with what the designers have done. :D

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Re: d&d 5th edition

#10 Post by dmw71 »

tooleychris wrote:5th edition does have a few things I dont care for, such as its crafting skills, but over all Im very pleased with what the designers have done.
Crafting skills?
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Re: d&d 5th edition

#11 Post by tooleychris »

dmw71 wrote:
tooleychris wrote:5th edition does have a few things I dont care for, such as its crafting skills, but over all Im very pleased with what the designers have done.
Crafting skills?
I should have called it Crafting Mechanics. Apologies.
The way it's spelled out it could takes days or weeks to even craft a poison. Months to make a simple magic item.
This is all supposedly done during "down time" but my players rarely have down time. Go from one adventure to the next. :D

Effectively makes an alchemist adventurer or enchanter useless...but maybe more realistic...

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Re: d&d 5th edition

#12 Post by Scott308 »

I LOVE 5th edition! I was part of the D&D Next playtest and have played a fair amount since 5e came out, including some Adventurers League play. It is much easier knowing that you always need to roll high in order to succeed on a roll, instead of sometimes needing to roll high, sometimes needing to roll low. With ability score modifiers all being the same instead of different plus or minuses depending on the ability, it just makes sense. I like the fact that low level characters have multiple options. Instead of a first level mage being able to cast one spell, now they have cantrips that are actually useful and allow them to contribute in combat more than a single magic missile and then hiding the rest of the fight. And hoping you don't run into someone else before you can sleep for the night and recover spells. Plus, you have more options for each class instead of each class being exactly the same each time you play it, with the exception of race or spell selection. I grew up playing 1e, and it is still the edition I have played more than anything else. I don't have experience with 3-4 or Pathfinder so can't compare them. 5th edition has become my favorite.

And just a quick note about Adventurers League: there are strict guidelines for making characters, so be sure you are using the most recent version of the Adventurer's League Player's Guide. http://www.dmsguild.com/product/208178/ ... ayers-Pack

For one thing, you are not allowed to roll for starting wealth. Dave, I know you used the other option, but want to make sure your character is AL legal. Also, since your character has a high Dex, you would be much better off going with studded leather to drop weight and still allow Dex bonuses. You'll take a small hit on your AC, but I think it will be better overall. Also, using a rapier (or another weapon with the finesse property) will allow you to use your Dex bonus to attack and damage rolls.

Some people love AL play, some hate it. If you play at a convention, you'll have a hard time limit, therefore limiting the amount of roleplay opportunities, whereas playing at a store like you are may allow for a bit more freedom. Have fun!
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Re: d&d 5th edition

#13 Post by dmw71 »

Scott308 wrote:I LOVE 5th edition!
Considering you play a lot of 1e here on the boards, this is encouraging.
Scott308 wrote:It is much easier knowing that you always need to roll high in order to succeed on a roll, instead of sometimes needing to roll high, sometimes needing to roll low. With ability score modifiers all being the same instead of different plus or minuses depending on the ability, it just makes sense.
I totally agree with this.
Scott308 wrote:I like the fact that low level characters have multiple options. Instead of a first level mage being able to cast one spell, now they have cantrips that are actually useful and allow them to contribute in combat more than a single magic missile and then hiding the rest of the fight. And hoping you don't run into someone else before you can sleep for the night and recover spells.
I do like this as well. I like how a character gets at least one significant increase (not just extra hit points) with every level of advancement. The class features, where you get one or two each level, definitely give characters a little extra umph, and don't feel too over-powering on their own. Even when you couple them with the extra racial traits, they don't seem too terrible.

Where I get nervous is with the different archetypes each class has (or seems to have; I didn't read them all that closely), and also feats.
Scott308 wrote:I grew up playing 1e, and it is still the edition I have played more than anything else.... 5th edition has become my favorite.
Wow.

I am definitely approaching it with an open mind, and remain hopeful.
Scott308 wrote:And just a quick note about Adventurers League: there are strict guidelines for making characters, so be sure you are using the most recent version of the Adventurer's League Player's Guide. http://www.dmsguild.com/product/208178/ ... ayers-Pack

For one thing, you are not allowed to roll for starting wealth. Dave, I know you used the other option, but want to make sure your character is AL legal.
Thanks for looking out. The game I'll be participating in won't be an official AL game, but homebrew. A part of me is wishing it was an AL game; not because I'm looking to really advance my character or use him long term, but rather to get a taste of the official rules. Hopefully my DM will play it close. Although, he is using the following, which he indicates is a house rule, that I really like:

"Shooting / throwing into melee with ranged weapons will be at disadvantage. If a natural 1 is rolled on one of the dice the other die will be used as attack roll to ally in melee."

That seems like a cool rule to me, and a nice way to involve the advantage/disadvantage system, which I really like as a mechanic.
Scott308 wrote:Also, since your character has a high Dex, you would be much better off going with studded leather to drop weight and still allow Dex bonuses.
Using the official AL rules, how would I have gotten studded leather?
5e PHB, 72 wrote:"(a) chain mail or (b) leather, longbow, and 20 arrows."
Scott308 wrote:Also, using a rapier (or another weapon with the finesse property) will allow you to use your Dex bonus to attack and damage rolls.
True, but I was really building my character to an image I found, which didn't include a rapier, but a long sword. And chain mail. My stubbornness to create the character I had an image for definitely did not allow me to take full advantage of her abilities.

But, alas, I did end up scrapping the character I previously linked and created a new guy to use instead: Varis Gladomain. He definitely rolled for starting gold so he'd definitely be disqualified if this were an official AL game. :D

Really, my goal for Thursday is to just spend a few hours having fun and getting an exposure to the rules as a player, in a game run by a very active and experienced DM. I'm sure it will take me at least a full session (if not more) to get comfortable with the differences between the rules I'm familiar with (2e and older) and 5e, but I expect to have a good time even if I end up not agreeing with the newest set of rules.

Thanks again for the reply.
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Re: d&d 5th edition

#14 Post by Scott308 »

AL allows you to sell any starting equipment you have at half the purchase price. I don't have the PHB in front of me right now, so I don't know everything off the top of my head that you would start with, or the prices of everything, so i don't know that you would be able to afford the changes. Sometimes you have to take something you don't want just to sell it and buy what you do want.

I definitely understand playing a concept at the expense of maxing out your character. Even though you aren't playing that character anymore. Regardless, have fun!

I like that shooting into melee house rule. I may have to steal it.
Sometimes this summer I will most likely be participating in another 24 hour game of Dungeons & Dragons as part of Extra Life. This organization uses gaming to help raise money to donate to children's hospitals. I'm raising money for Marshfield Children's Hospital in Marshfield, WI, and all money I raise will go to that hospital. All donations are tax-deductible. Please take a moment to check out my donation page below. Thank you.

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Re: d&d 5th edition

#15 Post by dmw71 »

Scott308 wrote:AL allows you to sell any starting equipment you have at half the purchase price.
Ahh. I must have missed that, unless it's a rule from the DMG, or some AL sourcebook and not in the PHB. That actually helps - a lot. I don't really have a problem with having players pick from this option or that for starting equipment in theory... but I was finding it kind of limiting, and prohibitive when trying to build a specific character. I'm actually working on rebuilding my second character now; fitting him with the prescribed equipment choices (instead of rolling for starting gold) to bring him into compliance -- just to test it out. I'm finding myself, for encumbrance reasons, electing to voluntarily "leaving items at home." Now, I might consider selling some stuff. 10 torches and 10 rations are 30 pounds! I'll be fine with three of each, and the 9 pounds to tote around.
Scott308 wrote:I like that shooting into melee house rule. I may have to steal it.
:)
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Re: d&d 5th edition

#16 Post by Rukellian »

I'm looking through the 5e character creation and I like what I see. I also realize that I'm arriving a bit late to the party. A couple of 5e games have already started up. If I were interested in rolling up a character for this system, would anyone be in the position to take on a new player right now (next month or so realistically speaking)? I have only looked through the race and class sections of the basic ruleset and I intend on making a simple fighter. Nothing fancy like magic or healing.

-----

Now that a year or so has gone by and the 5e games are well into their paces with content having been churned out, I would like to hear from the DMs and players of these games. What sort of system am I getting myself into? Reading through the basic rules posted online is one thing, putting together a character in my head using the character creation rules is taking it a step further, but putting everything into practice in an actual game is something else entirely. The sort of experience you obtain while actually playing the game... having run it may be more than once... I am hoping that there are some wisdom and advice to be shared for someone who is now just thinking about venturing into the thick of it.

As a side note, my early years in paper and pencil RPGs consisted mostly of 1e, 2e, and OSRIC. Those were my bread and butter for a long time until a few friends of mine introduced me to GURPS. Today, I approach this new system with considerable experience in games that were structured and simple and those that were vast and widely flexible. I've been exposed to number crunching and tedious character min-maxing, and there have been game systems that have made use of skills and professions and talents and everything in between. I am no stranger to these things, but I would like to know what I am going to be getting into.

To those who reply, thanks!
Even a child that receives one bit of praise has the ability to excel in a single talent, and those who receive regular encouragement can feel confidence, achieve success, and become leading members of society. Because they don’t believe they are worthless, they don’t need to raise a fist and have vengeance against fate or the world at large… ~Inspector Lunge

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Re: d&d 5th edition

#17 Post by tooleychris »

5th edition is a really nice change from the crunchy 3.5 and the (sorry) downright silly 4th edition. I see it as old school D&D with a splash of what made 3.5 great. I really enjoy the system and my players seem to as well. That being said there ARE problems with it, as with any system. The old familiar is power creep waiting on certain levels but it's not as bad as it use to be in earlier editions.

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Re: d&d 5th edition

#18 Post by dmw71 »

Rukellian wrote:I'm looking through the 5e character creation and I like what I see. I also realize that I'm arriving a bit late to the party. A couple of 5e games have already started up. If I were interested in rolling up a character for this system, would anyone be in the position to take on a new player right now (next month or so realistically speaking)? I have only looked through the race and class sections of the basic ruleset and I intend on making a simple fighter. Nothing fancy like magic or healing.
If you really want to give 5e a try, I will guarantee you a spot in one of my games (and, seeing as how I'm running 75% of them, you're a shoo in).
Rukellian wrote:Now that a year or so has gone by and the 5e games are well into their paces with content having been churned out, I would like to hear from the DMs and players of these games. What sort of system am I getting myself into? Reading through the basic rules posted online is one thing, putting together a character in my head using the character creation rules is taking it a step further, but putting everything into practice in an actual game is something else entirely. The sort of experience you obtain while actually playing the game... having run it may be more than once... I am hoping that there are some wisdom and advice to be shared for someone who is now just thinking about venturing into the thick of it.
I haven't gone back to actually re-read it, but I did document my path to 5e.

Now, while I'm still very much in the learning phase, I can contribute a bit more with my added experience and perspective:

Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, it is still D&D. It's a story-telling adventure, narrated by a DM to a group of players that work to unfold the story.

Where it differs is in the mechanics. And character capabilities.

It's a more complex game. Starting at 3rd level, every class is able to choose an archetype or some other named deviation from the norm. Whichever path you choose allows you a bit of specialization. It's when a wizard chooses a school of magic to specialize in, or a rogue can elect to become a thief or an assassin (for examples).

Each class is a bit different in how they progress, but every class (compared to AD&D) is generous in what they allow characters to do.

Pick any class and create a new character.
Then advance them to level 2.
Then 3.
Etc...

Step them through the levels to see what they gain, and when. It's difficult to truly comprehend everything, especially when it's all new to you, but the more you're exposed to it, the easier it becomes. Kind of like anything.

The D&D Beyond website has a really helpful character builder, but I would encourage you to actually just use the rules as this will force you to "learn" what you can and can't do or add, instead of having the options force fed to you. It won't take long to realize that characters in 5e are more capable than their AD&D counterparts.

So are the monsters (though, I do kind of miss some of the deadliness of AD&D -- for instance, there is no such thing as level drain anymore, nor is there a "save or die" affect).

5e is a safer game, in that it's more difficult for a character to actually die. Natural healing is expedited. There are a ton of spells available to either heal or at least stabilize an unconscious character.
Oh, there are no negative hit points. You simply stop at 0 hp. That took a while to get used to.

On the subject of spells, each spellcasting class has a list of cantrips at their disposal... and these are actually quite useful, with a generous mixture of offensive, defensive, and utility spells. I do like this. A lot.

Other things that may seem jarring for an AD&D player:
  • Rounds are 6 seconds, not 10 seconds or 1 minute. And the terminology/phrasing tripped me up when I first started: Order of Combat
    • "A round represents about 6 seconds in the game world. During a round, each participant in a battle takes a turn."

    I sometimes still find this length of time too short, as, especially with higher level characters, they can do SO much (in such a relatively little amount of time). It has helped me to think of it more in terms of a more contemporary film -- like The Hobbit -- where battle scenes are chaotic flashes of movement and attacks.
  • Movement and attacks. How 5e handles this isn't too shocking, but I do like how they break up what a character can do in a turn into different components. Every turn, your character can move up to their movement speed and take an action. This action can be an attack, a second move, you can hide, dodge, etc... But, you can also formally disengage from a combat using your action. It's a very clean rule, which I like.
  • All classes use the same experience point progression chart (Character Advancement), and you go from 1st to 3rd pretty quickly... which is when the fun (and complexity) begins.


Now, all these extra capabilities come at a price. Kind of. Turns can take longer as players have more options at their disposal. This is less pronounced in a play-by-post game than a live one. It's a lot for a (new) DM to be able to process (which is why I'm still afraid to DM a live game and have only run games via this format).

The other big thing about 5e that I'll mention is their emphasis on what they call the Three Pillars of Adventure:
  • Exploration
  • Social Interaction
  • Combat


I don't know if combat was listed last intentionally, but there is more of an emphasis on role-playing, which is something I never really did much of during my AD&D days... and I find that I really enjoy it!

Another big perk of 5e is that all the actual rules are freely available on the D&D Beyond website, which is constantly improving. Yes, only the Basic Rules are available for free (but you'd be in luck in that you know a DM that owns all the rules, and is legally able to share them with players in a campaign he's running). ;)


Honestly, my best recommendation would be to just give it a shot.

I know, I left my first couple games really unsure (I may have shared this in my "path to 5e" posts? I'm going to go back and re-read them as soon as I post this), but I'm really glad I stuck with it. For as much as I loved 1e growing up, and 2e after giving it a shot here in the forums, I definitely prefer 5e.


If you have any specific questions, definitely ask! There are players here that know more about 5e than I do, so you (or anyone) will have plenty of resources available at the disposal.
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Re: d&d 5th edition

#19 Post by GreyWolfVT »

To be perfectly honest my opinion has changed on 5e quite a bit from my initial replies to this topic. I've come around tried it on here helpful to have Dave as a DM and the players in both his 5e games on here everyone is very patient and helping so I appreciate that vastly better than my introduction to 5e when it was still called D&D Next in a beta test format. I actually now have 3 of the books physically, joined briefly a live 5e group that fell apart due to a problematic player or two, however I have some plans down the road for running a 5e game either live or on here maybe both. I have a lot of love for 5e compared to my stubborn closed minded initial ways. No racial limitations on classes is sweet! The better forms of resting to regain HP is really a big bonus. Some of the class abilities are a little bit of a learning curve for me but very useful. Even some of the manners of getting starting equipment is vastly easier. All in all I am highly enjoying 5e and would recommend anyone against it giving it a try. Even if hesitant or entirely against it you might find your mind and opinion changes if you have the right environment to learn it in it's not terribly hard to learn.
“All men did have darkness. Some wore it in the form of horns. Some bore it invisibly as rot in their souls.”
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Re: d&d 5th edition

#20 Post by Rukellian »

Thank you for the timely replies! I'm glad I asked before jumping right in. "Knowing is half the battle."

I get the feeling that it will be best for me to learn 5e from a fresh slate. I'd rather not confuse myself unnecessarily with the mechanics of earlier systems with 5e's updated game rules.
If you really want to give 5e a try, I will guarantee you a spot in one of my games (and, seeing as how I'm running 75% of them, you're a shoo in).
I appreciate this offer, dmw71, and will most likely accept it when I have had the time to read through the basic rules on 5e a bit more in depth. I'm still working within a limited day schedule, most of my hours dedicated to my night shift duties and catching up on sleep during the afternoons. So, my reading of the rules will be intermittent, sporadic. Once I actually join a game though, I will be more regular in my posting. If it's only one game that I have to worry about, I'm golden.
Even a child that receives one bit of praise has the ability to excel in a single talent, and those who receive regular encouragement can feel confidence, achieve success, and become leading members of society. Because they don’t believe they are worthless, they don’t need to raise a fist and have vengeance against fate or the world at large… ~Inspector Lunge

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