July 12, 2014

Thoughts on D&D 5e

Just over a week ago, Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition (D&D 5e) launched. In addition to the Starter Set, Wizards has also released the Basic Rules- a free introductory subset of the rule system as PDF (a brilliant strategy to reduce barriers to entry).

Over the Independence Day break, I ran a “one shot” game using the D&D 5e Basic Rules. Here’s my initial thoughts on that experience.

Note: The Basic Rules don’t currently have any monsters available, but that isn’t stopping me from playing. Since I was part of the Playtest, I have plenty of materials available that are balanced enough to use.

Character Creation

Before the game, I pre-generated three characters for my players. I did this because I knew we’d be tight on time and I wanted to really explore the creation process. I created a Wood Elf Cleric, Mountain Dwarf Fighter, and a Lightfoot Halfling Rogue.

Character creation was a familiar process, but there were a couple of noticeable differences:

The steps were different

1. Choose a Race
2. Choose a Class
3. Roll Ability Scores
4. Describe the Character
5. Select Equipment

While you don’t have to follow these steps, I enjoyed the near anxiety I experienced recognizing I’d need to choose a Race (that comes with Ability modifiers) and my Class (that depends on Ability scores) before I knew what my Ability scores were going to be. The min/maxer in me died a little, and I loved it.

Everything is positive

Races, Classes, and Backgrounds all positively increase the character in some way. There was not a single negative modifier to be found. Role-playing games tend to be arithmetic heavy: Roll die, add numbers, subtract numbers, compare numbers. What happened? This simple change has removed one of those variables. I enjoy this approach and hope it sticks around.

Backgrounds

5e respects character backgrounds by making them a required element of character creation and offering mechanical benefits for playing the game. In addition to adding flavor and story guidance to the character’s personality, they also provide bonus skills, proficiencies, and other things. This is a great step toward pushing the role-playing element of D&D, and I approve.

Traits, Ideals, Bonds, and Flaws

While tied to Backgrounds, these are the cream of the role-playing crop. Each features a vast array of character flavor and personalities to guide the players’ decisions as well as the DM’s storytelling.

Traits

Help define your characters personality: Likes, dislikes, attitude, fears, mannerisms, etc… “Nothing can shake my optimistic attitude” and “I would rather make a new friend than a new enemy” are examples of Traits that your character may have. Each Background has a list of Traits to roll (or choose) from, and I expect this list will only grow as the game matures.

Ideals

Define the fuel that drives your character. “I always try to help those in need, no matter what the personal cost” and “If I become strong, I can take what I want— what I deserve” are beliefs that help explain what compels your character to make their decisions.

Bonds

Tie your character to something real in the world such as a person, place, race, or item. “I owe my life to the priest who took me in when my parents died” and “I have an ancient text that holds terrible secrets that must not fall into the wrong hands” are example Bonds that cement the character to something tangible- a valuable storytelling resource for both the player and DM alike.

Flaws

Define weaknesses, vices, and compulsions about your character than may be exploited. These are not mechanical penalties, they are storytelling tools that drive your character (or other characters and NPCs) to behave in a way that isn’t ideal. “If there’s a plan, I’ll forget it. If I don’t forget it, I’ll ignore it” and “I can’t keep a secret to save my life, or anyone else’s” are Flaws rich in flavor that will no doubt make for some interesting interactions.

Inspiration

Since we now have rich personalities, Inspiration is a mechanical bonus rewarded by the DM (or another player who has previously earned it) for role-playing your character in such a way that exhibits an element of their personality. This is a very subjective bonus, and likely rewarded at an uncommon frequency at best- but I love that the rules provide a way to reward role-playing in a meaningful way (other than EXP): Granting Advantage (see below).

A concern with Inspiration

Since it is binary, On or Off, A player may role-play well to earn it, then have no other mechanical “carrot” for continued role-playing. Additionally, if Inspiration is awarded too frequently it will be expected and under-valued- while if too rare it will be held tight and never expended. While I think this presents possible challenges, I don’t think there’s problem with the feature. The DM and players will need to establish the value of Inspiration themselves and work through any issues it may present.

Advantage and Disadvantage

As a refreshing take on modifiers, Advantage and Disadvantage continue to simplify the dice math to determine results. If you have Advantage, you roll two d20s and take the highest roll. If you have Disadvantage, you roll two d20s and take the lowest roll. This is elegant because it effectively gives a +5 bonus (or -5 penalty) to a dice roll without any math. Additionally, rolling dice is a very engaging part of role-playing games- so rolling more dice is a great thing.

A concern with Advantage/Disadvantage

Sometimes the odds are stacked so high in the players’ favor (or against them) that a single extra dice doesn’t seem like enough. There will be scenarios where awarding only a single extra dice doesn’t do justice to the situation. I’ve decided to award more d20s as needed to stay simple, but there certainly could be balance issues with this. We’ll just deal with those as they come up. I’m choosing to prioritize fun.

Movement and Actions in Combat

During combat, characters can Move and take Actions in any combination they want, as long as they have enough Movement and/or Actions to do so.

Example:
“Move 10ft, attack goblin, move 10ft, attack other goblin, move 5ft.”

I expect this will make combat much more dynamic and cinematic than previous editions.

Proficiency Bonus

Likely the biggest simplification in 5e, the Proficiency Bonus is a blanket modifier that applies to any ability, skill, and save that your character is Proficient in. This makes character creation and game play easier, as there aren’t various bonuses applies all over the place. The Proficiency Bonus increases with level, representing the expected power increase for the character.

This feature isn’t only about simplification though. Having a small, controlled bonus that applies to all rolls makes the game easier to balance and contain. The goal is to prevent characters from becoming so powerful that they become mechanically immune to most creatures and effects. I like the idea that an experienced party of adventures can be at risk against a horde of goblins. Wizards of the Coast has referred to this as Bounded Accuracy, and I’m excited to see how it turns out.

Stay Tuned

D&D 5e is in its infancy. In the coming months and years, additional books filled with rules and stories will continue to expand the game and its universe of worlds. I’ll reserve true judgment until after the core books are released and I’ve had ample time to use them in game play, but for now I’m certainly excited at its prospects.

You can find more information about upcoming books and news at the Official Dungeons & Dragons site.