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chuckroD&D 4th edition split the fanbase, and as much as I enjoyed it as something different, I’ll admit it lost a lot of the traditional D&D feel in favor of being a very mechanical, miniatures-based game. Having just completed a six-month 4th edition campaign, I decided it was time to actually get a feel for 5th edition.
The numerical inflation of previous editions has been condensed: Stats “soft cap” at 20 and absolutely can never go above 30. Everything relies on your “proficiency bonus” (instead of half-level), which maxes at +6. Most things that would give you numerical bonuses or penalties instead give you Advantage or Disadvantage (which mean you roll twice and take either the better or worse result). Hit point totals are overall lower than 4E, but scale better.
Feats are rarer but more powerful: You need to sacrifice an ability score increase to get one, but they typically come with two or three benefits each. Skills no longer have numerical values; you’re either proficient (and get your standard proficiency bonus) or aren’t and just use your stat bonus. Saving throws are now entirely stat-based, so you make Dexterity saves and Wisdom saves instead of Reflex or Will saves.
Cantrips are a blend of the last two systems: They can be cast infinitely without preparation, but an assortment of useful attack spells (basically the at-will powers from 4E) were added to the lists. So the sorcerer can always cast a Fire Bolt or Acid Splash and never has to resort to using a crossbow or trying to clunk things with a staff.
Classes have a lot of variety (and room for the splatbooks to expand), but it’s less keyword/notecard based. Within each base class is a focus and a path (similar to a prestige class or paragon path), and each character chooses a background on top of that.
Sorcerer, Wizard and Warlock are all core classes, but efforts have been made to make them play differently. Wizards can memorize a new “spells available” list every day, but then can cast those spells in any of their slots. Sorcerers have sorcery points they can allocate to more spell slots or to metamagic effects. Warlocks get a different spell selection and abilities that improve their Eldrich Blast cantrip.
Also, after receiving no love in 3E and being a PHB2 addition in 4E, Wild Mage has made it into the core as a Sorcerer focus. With a full and actually interesting wild surge list (which ranges from “regain all sorcery points” to “you become a potted plant until the end of the encounter”) and an assortment of chaos-based powers, this seriously makes me happy.
Most of the spells from 3E and earlier have returned (particularly less “mechanically fair” things like Antimagic Fields and the like). Some spells (mostly divinations) can be cast as rituals, which takes much longer but doesn’t use a spell slot. (I found it surprising that Create Food and Water wasn’t among them, actually.) Many spells can be cast in higher-level slots (rather than scaling to your character or caster level), which gives them better effects. Rather than having separate Cure Wounds spells, for example, there’s only one and it’s first level, but it heals more if you cast it with a second-level spell slot.
Overall: It feels much more like classic D&D, going back to a lot of the 2nd/3rd edition roots but keeping the best innovations of 4th edition. I think it very likely that I’ll run this eventually, and I’m sure I’ll have more comments then.
The numerical inflation of previous editions has been condensed: Stats “soft cap” at 20 and absolutely can never go above 30. Everything relies on your “proficiency bonus” (instead of half-level), which maxes at +6. Most things that would give you numerical bonuses or penalties instead give you Advantage or Disadvantage (which mean you roll twice and take either the better or worse result). Hit point totals are overall lower than 4E, but scale better.
Feats are rarer but more powerful: You need to sacrifice an ability score increase to get one, but they typically come with two or three benefits each. Skills no longer have numerical values; you’re either proficient (and get your standard proficiency bonus) or aren’t and just use your stat bonus. Saving throws are now entirely stat-based, so you make Dexterity saves and Wisdom saves instead of Reflex or Will saves.
Cantrips are a blend of the last two systems: They can be cast infinitely without preparation, but an assortment of useful attack spells (basically the at-will powers from 4E) were added to the lists. So the sorcerer can always cast a Fire Bolt or Acid Splash and never has to resort to using a crossbow or trying to clunk things with a staff.
Classes have a lot of variety (and room for the splatbooks to expand), but it’s less keyword/notecard based. Within each base class is a focus and a path (similar to a prestige class or paragon path), and each character chooses a background on top of that.
Sorcerer, Wizard and Warlock are all core classes, but efforts have been made to make them play differently. Wizards can memorize a new “spells available” list every day, but then can cast those spells in any of their slots. Sorcerers have sorcery points they can allocate to more spell slots or to metamagic effects. Warlocks get a different spell selection and abilities that improve their Eldrich Blast cantrip.
Also, after receiving no love in 3E and being a PHB2 addition in 4E, Wild Mage has made it into the core as a Sorcerer focus. With a full and actually interesting wild surge list (which ranges from “regain all sorcery points” to “you become a potted plant until the end of the encounter”) and an assortment of chaos-based powers, this seriously makes me happy.
Most of the spells from 3E and earlier have returned (particularly less “mechanically fair” things like Antimagic Fields and the like). Some spells (mostly divinations) can be cast as rituals, which takes much longer but doesn’t use a spell slot. (I found it surprising that Create Food and Water wasn’t among them, actually.) Many spells can be cast in higher-level slots (rather than scaling to your character or caster level), which gives them better effects. Rather than having separate Cure Wounds spells, for example, there’s only one and it’s first level, but it heals more if you cast it with a second-level spell slot.
Overall: It feels much more like classic D&D, going back to a lot of the 2nd/3rd edition roots but keeping the best innovations of 4th edition. I think it very likely that I’ll run this eventually, and I’m sure I’ll have more comments then.
