D&D 5th edition Next - PHB

[oslecamo]

Well, if it has 4th level wizard casting, that sounds more like a miniboss. It's not really HP bloat if the monster is hitting harder as well.

Miniboss? That sounds like a TPK. Level 1 wizard casting is enough to 1-shot fellow party members. Level 4 casting versus a level 1 party is just trolling everyone involved - DM and players - for wasting their time and money on this product.

I'm presuming this is "wizard 4" and not "level 4 spells".  It wouldn't seem to be THAT big of a leap, I could see a level 2 spell being used in a boss encounter.  Some exceptions apply, 4d6 damage would be fatal to most 1st levels but perfectly fine for something beyond direct damage.

I'm assuming Wizard 4 as well. His Magic Missiles can deal 4d4+4 damage (automatic hits). That's 8-20 damage (average 14), enough to down virtually anyone in the party (for the level it's aimed at). Thankfully he doesn't have any AoEs. Burning Hands is 3d6 at level 1, for instance.

Eeerr, a wizard 4 only has 2nd level spell slots, magic missile is just one extra shot per higher level spell slot, so 2d4+2, between 4 and 10 damage. Hurts, but hardly a sure kill.

[Nunkuruji]

From Basic Rules, 4d4+4 magic missile would indicate 4th level spell slots

That is, unless there is an Arcane Tradition or feat causing the damage boost. The evocation arcane tradition in the Basic Rules does not confer such a benefit.

Thus, Wizard 7 at the least. The 5d8 HP statement makes no sense to me.

Nevermind, I need to learn to read complete sentences and not skim...

1st level magic missile is 3 darts of 1d4+1 damage each.

So second level slot would in fact be 4d4+4.

[PlzBreakMyCampaign]

I just laughed my breakfast cereal milk, out my nose, onto my kitty avatar's tail, swinging it around like a minimalist version of this:

(click to show/hide)

Mission accomplished.



And yes, I do know what that elephant was drawing. 

[awaken_D_M_golem]

  ... ahh, it's Art !!


I'm reminded of the whole "damage on a miss" fiasco back at wotc.
As in, it's a violation of the contract between gawds and man.
OK then, let's do it as:
part A = auto-hit ... equal to the damage on a miss
part B = secondary attack ... equal to the original first line, of the attack
Same thing, less "role" "player" (wink wink) disconsonance.

[Wrex]

Magic Missile, as mentioned, fires three darts of 1d4+1 at first level, for a total of 3d4+3. Used as a second level spell, you get 4d4+4.

From running the module in the starter set, I can say that monsters are incredibly powerful- I had a player ask me, straight faced, if they could play one of the generic thugs.

[Libertad]

Anyway, weird art stuff in the PHB regarding the handling of weapons:

[Wrex]

 


I don't....what?

Clearly, they applied :effort:

[awaken_D_M_golem]

They added some bits to the Free PDF basic stuff.
I might actually get my tablet fixed soon, and download.


Maybe that's that new power they were talking about called "Fighter Sight" ?
Y'know, a psionic power that otherwise does nothing, so it can't be considered broken for just painting temporary lines in the air.
Felines and Felidae descended Outsiders can not see the lines, perhaps due to how their low light or dark vision works.  (So I guess for them it is broken, not having lines to chase around like on youtube.)

 

[VennDygrem]

I got my PHB early at the local gaming store, in case there are any questions about it. >_>

[bhu]

I got my PHB early at the local gaming store, in case there are any questions about it. >_>

Is it worth getting?

[VennDygrem]

That's a bit of a difficult question to answer. I already run 5th edition for my players, in some form, so for me it's worth getting; I'm already predisposed toward buying it. The book has some beautiful artwork, and it provides a lot of details for playing this edition of the game. There are references peppered throughout of details and options one might find in a variety of campaign settings. If you think you might end up playing quite a bit of this edition of the game, then yes, it's very worth getting.

If you're unsure whether you'd be playing, then it would be best to take a look at the book at a bookstore or gaming shop and decide if you like what you read.

If you only ever play 3.5 or Pathfinder, or if you read the new PHB and don't like what it's offering, or if you simply has some other form of bias against it, I'd say no, don't get it.

Personally, I've been enjoying my time running the game, and I've made plenty of comments to that effect. Most of my friends who've checked out the game, both near to me and those I've simply met online, seem to also enjoy the system.

Many others, however, have preferences that don't align with any other edition of the game than what they are either already playing or which would provide whatever else they're looking for in a game, and for them it's ok to not like the new books. It's ok!

For me, I love Dungeons & Dragons, I always try to remain open-minded, and I've tried my hand at a fair variety of D&D editions and alternatives. This edition of the game aligns very closely to what I like about D&D, and so far, it allows a game to be as simple or complex to put together as I like.

For what it's worth, the PHB and other core books are still available to preorder on Amazon at ~$30, which is $20 less than the retail price.

[Unbeliever]

This edition of the game aligns very closely to what I like about D&D, and so far, it allows a game to be as simple or complex to put together as I like.

Not to put you on the spot, and you might have already said this elsewhere, but if you get the chance could you elaborate on this a bit more?

[caelic]

Anyway, weird art stuff in the PHB regarding the handling of weapons:

See, you're just misinterpreting the picture.  That sword is actually lodged in his neck. and he's shaking his fist in anger over the state of affairs.

[caelic]

Thoughts thus far:

1. Stats are not created equal, and which stats are more valuable has shuffled around. 

Dexterity now seems to be the single most useful stat: it applies to hit and damage for both ranged and some melee weapons, armor class, and many useful skills.  Additionally, Dexterity saves are very common.

Constitution, I would say, is next; Constitution saves are also very common, and everyone needs more hit points.

Wisdom and Charisma seem to vie for third place; both apply to some useful skills, and while Wisdom saves seem a bit more common, class abilities based on Charisma seem more prevalent.

Intelligence and Strength seem to be the dump stats.  Both are only necessary to certain very specific character types, apart from a few skills.


2. Summoning is going to be powerful--maybe too powerful.  With a flattened power progression, large numbers of weak opponents are going to be a viable threat against even very powerful opponents.

[caelic]

Interesting synergy here:

1. A lightfoot halfling can hide even when the only cover he has is a larger body.
2. At second level, rogues can hide as a bonus action.
3. It's possible to split your move action, and thus move before and after attacking.

Seems like a sniper build is going to be very viable.  Step out from behind your friend hidden, shoot, step BACK behind your friend, hide again.

[Necrosnoop110]

To any one who has gotten their hands on a copy: How's the binding and printing?

Thanks,
Necro

[Dictum Mortuum]

To any one who has gotten their hands on a copy: How's the binding and printing?

Thanks,
Necro

The book's quality is great.

[Necrosnoop110]

To any one who has gotten their hands on a copy: How's the binding and printing?

Thanks,
Necro

The book's quality is great.

1) Overall content organization?

2) Good index?

[caelic]

1) Overall content organization?

2) Good index?

The physical quality of the book is excellent.  The artwork is inconsistent--quite good in places, and (imo) hideous in others.  The halfling racial picture, in particular, looks like a constipated Cabbage Patch Kid.

The book's a bit on the thin side for a fifty dollar cover price, IMO, but let's be honest: prices just keep going up.

Organization could be better.  I don't like the convention of listing ALL spells in strictly alphabetical order.  Yes, it's nice when you want to just go right to a specific spell, but it's not so nice when you want to look over your options for level 4 spells, say; you have to skip all over the place to find them. 

The index is fairly good, and needs to be; you'll find yourself flipping through the book hunting for things fairly often.

[linklord231]

My biggest gripe so far is that the spells don't tell you which class can cast them.  To pick spells, you have to constantly flip back and forth between your class list at the beginning of the chapter, and the spell descriptions part that actually tells you what they do.