Looking around briefly at folks pondering E6 for 5e. Most nod to the bounded accuracy in 5e that is similar to playing E6. What’s perhaps more interesting and relevant now that there is bounded accuracy, is where to stop based on World Building. That is, how is the world shaped by the existence or lack of powerful magic, as per Tippyverse.
To build a stable society, basic needs need to be met: food, water, shelter, sleep, security
DMG isn’t until November, so I’m first going to have to make some assumptions.
Able to craft continual/unlimited use items
E4:
Food and Water can be created or cleansed. Poison & Disease can be survived. Eternal light can keep the darkness at bay. Magic Weapons can slay dangerous foes. Mental manipulation of others. Objects can be made invisible.
Magic seems to be able to provide for basic needs, but traditional resource acquisition is still necessary for protection. Mining, lumbering, transportation are necessary mundane industries.
Human societies can easily adopt a Full Metal Alchemist-esque state sponsored (military) research society where humans tend to take either the Ritual Caster or Magic Initiate feat as their human bonus feat.
Again, given feat options such as Ritual Caster or Magic Initiate, and that Paladins and Rangers get spells a lot earlier, stats perhaps dominate capability more than class.
E6:
Animate Dead enables free/expendable basic labor. Combat resurrection. Flight. Long range communication. Universal communication.
No real game changers in terms of macro society.
Classes gain a significant jump in destructive power as soon as they hit 5th. Extra attack for mundanes. Cantrip die bump. Casters go from base 6d6 single target Scorching Ray to base 8d6 fireball area attack. Flight, as always, solves a lot of adventuring obstacles. These thing start to really separate classes from one another.
E8:
Fabricate is huge. Crafting time is 5g of progress per day. Thus crafting 1500g plate takes 300 days. Fabricate can do this in 10 minutes if the caster is proficient in the craft. Proper use of DIvination can help ensure the safety and security of a society.
Casters gain some great spells that exercise control over the battlefield. In my opinion, this spell tier alone is far greater than any of the mundanes class features or archetype options acquired.
E10:
Wall of Stone, rapid construction. Teleportation Circle allows for easy trade and travel between great distances. Given that it takes a year to establish, it won’t lead to blitz attacks, unless constructed in secret with patience. Raise Dead. Limited cohorts through Planar Binding, Dominate, Animate Object, Geas, not quite as potent as 3.5e. Animate Object probably useful for large scale labor, where beasts of burden are not appropriate.
Divine Intervention comes online. So if spell lists aren’t explicitly capped, large impact spells like Earthquake, Gate and True Resurrection are possible effects, at an average of once per quarter.
Mundanes continue to fall behind in their ability to impact and influence the world around them on an important scale. Presumably the concentration system keeps casters from becoming self-buffing combat monsters.
E14:
Planar Travel
Reference
World Building Spells
0th - Mending, Spare the Dying
1st: Create Water, Goodberry
2nd Continual Flame, Lesser Restoration, Suggestion, Magic Weapon, Invisibility.
3rd Animate Dead, Create Food & Water, Fly, Revivify, Sending
4th Fabricate (otherwise craft takes 5g/day increment progress), Divination
5th Wall of Stone, Planar Binding, Teleportation Circle, Geas, Dominate, Animate Object, Raise Dead
6th Planar Ally, Heal(disease)
7th Plane Shift
8th
9th
Rituals
Rituals that Exist
alarm (1st)
commune (5th)
commune with nature (5th)
comprehend languages (1st)
contact other plane (5th)
detect magic (1st)
detect poison and disease (1st)
divination (4th)
dwawmij's instans summons (6th)
feign death (3rd)
find familiar (1st)
forbiddance (6th)
gentle repose (2nd)
identify (1st)
Illusory Script (1st)
Leomund's Tiny Hut (3rd)
Locate animals or plants (2nd)
Magic Mouth (2nd)
Meld into stone (3rd)
Phantom steed (3rd)
Purify Food and Drink (1st)
Rary's Telepathic Bond (5th)
Silence (2nd)
Speak with animals (1st)
Tenser's Floating disk (1st)
Unseen Servant (1st)
Water Breathing (3rd)
Water Walk (3rd)
Feats
Magic Initiate (2 cantrips, 1 1st level spell: 1/long rest)
Ritual Caster (Cast any rituals from ritual book, unlimited, 10 minute cast time)
Spell Damage Transition
@4th Scorching Ray 3x2d6
@4th Inflict 4d10
@5th Fireball 8d6
@5th Cantrips 1dX->2dX
Relevant Class Features
@5th Barbarian/Fighter/Monk/Paladin/Ranger Extra Attack
@5th Ranger/Paladin 2nd level spells
@6th Archetype feature
Another rundown
http://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/comments/2fvpw8/e6_in_dd_5e/
