Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.
Dismiss
DnD Next Playtest.rar: initial impressions.
34 views
Skip to first unread message
Rast
May 31, 2012, 4:00:11 PM5/31/12
to
WOTC makes you jump through so many hoops to download this that I found
it more convenient to just pirate it. Google "DnD Next Playtest.rar"
or search your favorite torrent site.
The download contains 9 pdfs:
PHB (31 pages)
MM (34 pages)
DMG (9 pages)
an adventure module, "Caves of Chaos" (29 pages)
and five pregen characters
Those first three documents are heavily stripped-down, obviously. They
give you just enough to get the included characters though level three,
with nothing about character generation. Even the rules for character
advancement are on the character sheets themselves.
The rules seem to be a lot closer to 3.x than 4E, but simplified
(dumbed down?) in places. There are also some weird new things, like
"advantage":
>>>If you have advantage or disadvantage on a check,
an attack roll, or a saving throw , you roll a second
d20 when making that roll . You use the highest roll
between the dice to determine your result if you
have advantage and the lowest roll if you have
disadvantage.
Saving throws seems to be ability checks now (so there are six save
categories), with nothing in the rules for increasing your saves
besides increasing the relevant ability. On the other hand, spell DCs
do not increase with spell level any more.
So if have 16 INT, and I cast a spell that targets your WIS save, and
you have 14 WIS, the DC is 13, and you'll roll d20+2. It doesn't
matter what levels we are or the spell is.
The adventure is based on the old Keep on the Borderlands. From the
notes to the DM, it does seem to have a retro flavor to it. For
instance,
>>>Killer Encounters
Most adventures published for the 3rd and 4th
editions of D&D have encounters finely tuned for
play balance and a structure meant to take the PCs
steadily from one set- piece battle to the next
(sometimes with safe resting places built in at just
the right points). The Caves of Chaos doesn't work
like that.
Instead, the PCs have the freedom to go where
they want and pick their own battlegrounds...
The characters you can play are:
Halfling Rogue
High Elf Wizard
Dwarf Fighter
Human Cleric of Pelor
Dwarf Cleric of Moradin
Each character has, besides the race and class, a Background and Theme.
These are about what you'd think, and give only advantages, no
penalties. There is a note in small font: "for a more oLd-sChooL
eXPerienCe, don't use background and theme"
Hit dice are as in 3E, except that the dwarf fighter (and, presumably,
all fighters) gets d12. Actual HP seems to be CON (not modifier) +
your hit dice, with each die rounded down. At level 3 the 14 CON
wizard has 20 HP = 14+2+2+2.
Magic items don't have prices listed (yet?)
Rast
May 31, 2012, 5:56:58 PM5/31/12
to
Rast wrote...
Those who haven't downloaded the playtest yet can follow along at:
http://www.image-upload.net/di-LVVX.png (page 1)
http://www.image-upload.net/di-WSUW.jpg (page 2)
So most of this character sheet is rules text, without which it would
be maybe 2/3rds of a page. That's a bit shorter/simpler than a 3E
character sheet.
The character has AC:11, 10+Dex mod, just as in 3E.
16 HP, which I think is calculated as CON+d4 (14+2), much like 4E.
This means that Con is less important, but also that wizards will have
a lot less HP in the long run -- a return to the squishy wizards of
pre-3E. This also opens the door to 0-level creatures who will have
simply CON HP and no benefits from class or level.
There's a place for alignment, but nothing in the rules about it.
The ability scores look much like the 3E standard array with -2 STR and
+2 INT. However, there's no mention of racial modifiers to ability
scores, so probably this is just a point buy thing. Other characters
have different arrays.
Initiative is still d20+Dex mod.
There's a place for "hit dice" (d4) but I'm not sure if that ever
matters except when gaining HP for a new level.
He has +1 to hit with his quarterstaff, but -1 damage. The PHB is
self-contradictory here, but what I think is happening on the character
sheet is that he can choose to use either STR (-1) or DEX (+1) to hit
with this weapon, but must take STR (-1) to damage with it. This seems
fair and makes the most sense.
Ray of Frost and Shocking Grasp are listed as attacks also, perhaps
because they're cantrips, which are at-will now. Or perhaps because
they use attack rolls. I have no idea why their to-hit is +6;
according to my skimming of the rules, it would be +5. That is, +3 for
the Int modifier, and then this wizard (all wizards?) gets +2 more to
hit with spell attacks.
Ray of Frost sets the target's move speed to zero for one round on a
hit, a very 4E-ish effect. Shocking Grasp does d8+3 (INT mod) damage
and is so much better than the quarterstaff that it isn't funny. This
is also a 4E-ish flavor -- you'll be casting a spell every round, but
most of the time it'll be this spell, which is mechanically the same as
swinging a sword. I much prefer the 3E flavor where, when the wizard
doesn't want to waste limited spells, he uses a real weapon.
Quite a few 4E concepts are still with us, but they're doing a better
job than 4E did of hiding them. Which is good.
Now the Elf bonuses:
* immune to charm and sleep
* "You have advantage on checks made to listen, search, or notice
something." In other words, roll twice and you only have to succeed
once. We could do a whole thread on the math implications of this...
* low-light vision to a whole 30 feet. This blows.
"Background":
This gives you bonuses to some non-combat relevant skills, much like in
(IIRC) 2E. Each of the five sample characters has a different
background, and presumably there would be more to choose from. It
seems like any class could have any background.
Besides the skills, this background gives:
>>Researcher
>>When you attempt to learn or recall a piece of lore, if you do not
know that information, you know where and from whom you
can obtain that information. Usually, this aid comes in the form
of a library, a scriptorium, a university, or from a sage or other
learned person.
Very simplified. In 3E, this kind of ability would give you bonuses,
but here it just flat out always works. Your 1st level guy might not
know the True Name of Orcus, but he knows who to ask to find it.
Theme: A feat related to your class. In this case, it's two more
cantrips known.
You can play without Backgrounds and Themes if you want.
Equipment: The usual junk. They forgot to list the quarterstaff,
maybe because it's worthless compared to Shocking Grasp.
>>Weapon Proficiencies
>>You can use daggers, slings, and quarterstaffs.
No idea what happens when you try to use something you can't use.
At level two, you gain 2 HP and you get three more 1st level spells in
your spellbook.
At level three you gain 2 HP, three 2nd level spells, and a familiar:
>>>Your familiar appears only when you summon it as
an action, and you can dismiss the familiar with another action,
causing it to return to an extradimensional space. It acts inde-
pendently of you, but it always obeys your commands.
>>>When a familiar drops to 0 hit points or fewer,
the familiar disappears, leaving behind no physical form. The
familiar cannot reappear until its master recalls it by spending 30
minutes performing a minor ritual.
Very video-gamish.
I've left spellcasting to another post.
> The characters you can play are:
> Halfling Rogue
> High Elf Wizard
> Dwarf Fighter
> Human Cleric of Pelor
> Dwarf Cleric of Moradin
I'm not going to review all of these, but here's my take on the wizard.
> Halfling Rogue
> High Elf Wizard
> Dwarf Fighter
> Human Cleric of Pelor
> Dwarf Cleric of Moradin
Those who haven't downloaded the playtest yet can follow along at:
http://www.image-upload.net/di-LVVX.png (page 1)
http://www.image-upload.net/di-WSUW.jpg (page 2)
So most of this character sheet is rules text, without which it would
be maybe 2/3rds of a page. That's a bit shorter/simpler than a 3E
character sheet.
The character has AC:11, 10+Dex mod, just as in 3E.
16 HP, which I think is calculated as CON+d4 (14+2), much like 4E.
This means that Con is less important, but also that wizards will have
a lot less HP in the long run -- a return to the squishy wizards of
pre-3E. This also opens the door to 0-level creatures who will have
simply CON HP and no benefits from class or level.
There's a place for alignment, but nothing in the rules about it.
The ability scores look much like the 3E standard array with -2 STR and
+2 INT. However, there's no mention of racial modifiers to ability
scores, so probably this is just a point buy thing. Other characters
have different arrays.
Initiative is still d20+Dex mod.
There's a place for "hit dice" (d4) but I'm not sure if that ever
matters except when gaining HP for a new level.
He has +1 to hit with his quarterstaff, but -1 damage. The PHB is
self-contradictory here, but what I think is happening on the character
sheet is that he can choose to use either STR (-1) or DEX (+1) to hit
with this weapon, but must take STR (-1) to damage with it. This seems
fair and makes the most sense.
Ray of Frost and Shocking Grasp are listed as attacks also, perhaps
because they're cantrips, which are at-will now. Or perhaps because
they use attack rolls. I have no idea why their to-hit is +6;
according to my skimming of the rules, it would be +5. That is, +3 for
the Int modifier, and then this wizard (all wizards?) gets +2 more to
hit with spell attacks.
Ray of Frost sets the target's move speed to zero for one round on a
hit, a very 4E-ish effect. Shocking Grasp does d8+3 (INT mod) damage
and is so much better than the quarterstaff that it isn't funny. This
is also a 4E-ish flavor -- you'll be casting a spell every round, but
most of the time it'll be this spell, which is mechanically the same as
swinging a sword. I much prefer the 3E flavor where, when the wizard
doesn't want to waste limited spells, he uses a real weapon.
Quite a few 4E concepts are still with us, but they're doing a better
job than 4E did of hiding them. Which is good.
Now the Elf bonuses:
* immune to charm and sleep
* "You have advantage on checks made to listen, search, or notice
something." In other words, roll twice and you only have to succeed
once. We could do a whole thread on the math implications of this...
* low-light vision to a whole 30 feet. This blows.
"Background":
This gives you bonuses to some non-combat relevant skills, much like in
(IIRC) 2E. Each of the five sample characters has a different
background, and presumably there would be more to choose from. It
seems like any class could have any background.
Besides the skills, this background gives:
>>Researcher
>>When you attempt to learn or recall a piece of lore, if you do not
know that information, you know where and from whom you
can obtain that information. Usually, this aid comes in the form
of a library, a scriptorium, a university, or from a sage or other
learned person.
Very simplified. In 3E, this kind of ability would give you bonuses,
but here it just flat out always works. Your 1st level guy might not
know the True Name of Orcus, but he knows who to ask to find it.
Theme: A feat related to your class. In this case, it's two more
cantrips known.
You can play without Backgrounds and Themes if you want.
Equipment: The usual junk. They forgot to list the quarterstaff,
maybe because it's worthless compared to Shocking Grasp.
>>Weapon Proficiencies
>>You can use daggers, slings, and quarterstaffs.
No idea what happens when you try to use something you can't use.
At level two, you gain 2 HP and you get three more 1st level spells in
your spellbook.
At level three you gain 2 HP, three 2nd level spells, and a familiar:
>>>Your familiar appears only when you summon it as
an action, and you can dismiss the familiar with another action,
causing it to return to an extradimensional space. It acts inde-
pendently of you, but it always obeys your commands.
>>>When a familiar drops to 0 hit points or fewer,
the familiar disappears, leaving behind no physical form. The
familiar cannot reappear until its master recalls it by spending 30
minutes performing a minor ritual.
Very video-gamish.
I've left spellcasting to another post.
Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor)
May 31, 2012, 8:35:45 PM5/31/12
to
On 5/31/12 4:00 PM, Rast wrote:
>
>
> WOTC makes you jump through so many hoops to download this that I found
> it more convenient to just pirate it.
And right there you know WotC (Hasbro Edition) is still resolutely
>
>
> WOTC makes you jump through so many hoops to download this that I found
> it more convenient to just pirate it.
refusing clues as to how things work in the online world.
--
Sea Wasp
/^\
;;;
Website: http://www.grandcentralarena.com Blog:
http://seawasp.livejournal.com
tussock
May 31, 2012, 10:40:30 PM5/31/12
to
Rast wrote:
> Rast wrote...
>> The characters you can play are:
>> Halfling Rogue
>> High Elf Wizard
>> Dwarf Fighter
>> Human Cleric of Pelor
>> Dwarf Cleric of Moradin
>
> I'm not going to review all of these, but here's my take on the wizard.
> Rast wrote...
>> The characters you can play are:
>> Halfling Rogue
>> High Elf Wizard
>> Dwarf Fighter
>> Human Cleric of Pelor
>> Dwarf Cleric of Moradin
>
> I'm not going to review all of these, but here's my take on the wizard.
> The character has AC:11, 10+Dex mod, just as in 3E.
Actual AC rules are a bit different. Like Star-Wars saga edition.
> 16 HP, which I think is calculated as CON+d4 (14+2), much like 4E.
everyone. Some races get different HD by class too.
> This means that Con is less important, but also that wizards will have
> a lot less HP in the long run -- a return to the squishy wizards of
> pre-3E.
resting up. More a daily thing than encounter thing.
> This also opens the door to 0-level creatures who will have simply CON
> HP and no benefits from class or level.
> There's a place for alignment, but nothing in the rules about it.
> The ability scores look much like the 3E standard array with -2 STR and
> +2 INT. However, there's no mention of racial modifiers to ability
> scores, so probably this is just a point buy thing. Other characters
> have different arrays.
at higher levels. High Elf and Wizard just line up.
> Initiative is still d20+Dex mod.
> There's a place for "hit dice" (d4) but I'm not sure if that ever
> matters except when gaining HP for a new level.
> He has +1 to hit with his quarterstaff, but -1 damage.
other book, no doubt after considering this sheet. Class gives you a secret
bonus to hit (and/or damage) with your proficiencies (it varies).
> Ray of Frost and Shocking Grasp are listed as attacks also, perhaps
> because they're cantrips, which are at-will now. Or perhaps because
> they use attack rolls. I have no idea why their to-hit is +6;
> Ray of Frost
Is the only thing the Wizard in my quick fart of a playtest ever used.
At all. Zappity zap, zap zap. The actual spells are just /awful/.
> Quite a few 4E concepts are still with us, but they're doing a better
> job than 4E did of hiding them. Which is good.
is Mike Mearls putting it together, so what can we expect.
> Now the Elf bonuses:
> * immune to charm and sleep
> * "You have advantage on checks made to listen, search, or notice
> something." In other words, roll twice and you only have to succeed
> once. We could do a whole thread on the math implications of this...
with any other advantage because you've already got your limit of dice.
> * low-light vision to a whole 30 feet. This blows.
> You can play without Backgrounds and Themes if you want.
genuine options in play. Good work the developers there.
>>> Weapon Proficiencies
>>> You can use daggers, slings, and quarterstaffs.
>
> No idea what happens when you try to use something you can't use.
>>> At level three you gain [...] a familiar:
> Very video-gamish.
I *love* the familiar. It's presented like the running joke out of OOTS,
but they could easily say it hides safely in your robes and can be magically
reanimated and recalled without access to the body as a free ritual with the
same effect. It's a really well made class featur; ghost hand, effectively,
they just need to fix the fluff.
> I've left spellcasting to another post.
--
tussock
dr...@bin.sh
Jun 1, 2012, 1:11:51 AM6/1/12
to
Alien mind control rays made tussock <sc...@clear.net.nz> write:
>> Ray of Frost
>
> Is the only thing the Wizard in my quick fart of a playtest ever used.
> At all. Zappity zap, zap zap. The actual spells are just /awful/.
curious. in contrast, the wizard in my group made good use of burning
>> Ray of Frost
>
> Is the only thing the Wizard in my quick fart of a playtest ever used.
> At all. Zappity zap, zap zap. The actual spells are just /awful/.
hands to fry some goblins (and was very happy that it was a real cone
again), and later comprehend languages to read a goblin map.
--
n_n n_n dr...@bin.sh (CARRIER LOST) <http://www.bin.sh/>
|"|n_n_n|"| ---------------------------------------------------------------
| | " " | | "im in ur dunjin, killin ur orkz.
|_|_[T]_|_| i can has xp, plz? kthxbye!"
Rast
Jun 1, 2012, 4:14:48 AM6/1/12
to
tussock wrote...
Actual DC Effective DC
3 ~1
5 ~2
7 ~3
9 ~4
11 6
13 ~8
15 11
17 ~14
19 ~17
20 ~19
> > * "You have advantage on checks made to listen, search, or notice
> > something." In other words, roll twice and you only have to succeed
> > once. We could do a whole thread on the math implications of this...
>
> It's effectively +4 for the range of DCs they set, only it can't stack
> with any other advantage because you've already got your limit of dice.
Well, let's see. Assuming a +0 bonus for simplicity:
> > something." In other words, roll twice and you only have to succeed
> > once. We could do a whole thread on the math implications of this...
>
> It's effectively +4 for the range of DCs they set, only it can't stack
> with any other advantage because you've already got your limit of dice.
Actual DC Effective DC
3 ~1
5 ~2
7 ~3
9 ~4
11 6
13 ~8
15 11
17 ~14
19 ~17
20 ~19
Rast
Jun 1, 2012, 4:14:48 AM6/1/12
to
tussock wrote...
Also its another 4E-ish fake difference. Sure, you have lots of
weapons and cantrips to choose from, but each one has +[ability mod] to
hit and +[same ability mod] to damage and you'll pick the one
corresponding to your best ability score.
> > He has +1 to hit with his quarterstaff, but -1 damage.
>
> It's an error. They changed it to a Dex weapon at the last minute in the
> other book, no doubt after considering this sheet. Class gives you a secret
> bonus to hit (and/or damage) with your proficiencies (it varies).
So some weapons give Dex bonus to damage? Feels wrong to me.
>
> It's an error. They changed it to a Dex weapon at the last minute in the
> other book, no doubt after considering this sheet. Class gives you a secret
> bonus to hit (and/or damage) with your proficiencies (it varies).
Also its another 4E-ish fake difference. Sure, you have lots of
weapons and cantrips to choose from, but each one has +[ability mod] to
hit and +[same ability mod] to damage and you'll pick the one
corresponding to your best ability score.
Rast
Jun 1, 2012, 4:14:49 AM6/1/12
to
tussock wrote...
of options. Definitely something the 1E/2E people should consider
using.
> >>> At level three you gain [...] a familiar:
> > Very video-gamish.
>
> I *love* the familiar. It's presented like the running joke out of OOTS,
> but they could easily say it hides safely in your robes and can be magically
> reanimated and recalled without access to the body as a free ritual with the
> same effect. It's a really well made class featur; ghost hand, effectively,
> they just need to fix the fluff.
Either way, that flavor does nothing for me. Familiars that can't be
meaningfully killed are dumb.
Maybe it's time to drop familiars for wizards, give them Improved Mage
Hand at-will if they really need it, then give classic familiars to a
witch-like class and maybe some wizard PrC.
> > You can play without Backgrounds and Themes if you want.
>
> Some of the things they give are quite nifty. Look like subtle but
> genuine options in play. Good work the developers there.
Yeah, I like this. Worth stealing for 3E, though it already has a ton
>
> Some of the things they give are quite nifty. Look like subtle but
> genuine options in play. Good work the developers there.
of options. Definitely something the 1E/2E people should consider
using.
> >>> At level three you gain [...] a familiar:
> > Very video-gamish.
>
> I *love* the familiar. It's presented like the running joke out of OOTS,
> but they could easily say it hides safely in your robes and can be magically
> reanimated and recalled without access to the body as a free ritual with the
> same effect. It's a really well made class featur; ghost hand, effectively,
> they just need to fix the fluff.
meaningfully killed are dumb.
Maybe it's time to drop familiars for wizards, give them Improved Mage
Hand at-will if they really need it, then give classic familiars to a
witch-like class and maybe some wizard PrC.
Rast
Jun 1, 2012, 8:25:36 PM6/1/12
to
tussock wrote...
modifiers? And the point buy system?
> Nope, they've said all the races and classes carry a fixed +1/-1, more
> at higher levels. High Elf and Wizard just line up.
Has anyone figured out the full list of race/class ability score
> at higher levels. High Elf and Wizard just line up.
modifiers? And the point buy system?
Matthew Miller
Jun 2, 2012, 6:25:19 PM6/2/12
to
I'm glad to see this. Give 'em flat out immunities, because that's fun
stuff. Make 'em immune to ghoul paralysis too, and whatever other random
stuff. That kind of stuff makes the game intriguing.
> * low-light vision to a whole 30 feet. This blows.
And conversely, yeah. Dumb, for the same reason.
> Very simplified. In 3E, this kind of ability would give you bonuses,
> but here it just flat out always works. Your 1st level guy might not
> know the True Name of Orcus, but he knows who to ask to find it.
And back around to awesome again.
> pendently of you, but it always obeys your commands.
>>>>When a familiar drops to 0 hit points or fewer,
> the familiar disappears, leaving behind no physical form. The
> familiar cannot reappear until its master recalls it by spending 30
> minutes performing a minor ritual.
> Very video-gamish.
And same as 4E.
--
Matthew Miller
stuff. Make 'em immune to ghoul paralysis too, and whatever other random
stuff. That kind of stuff makes the game intriguing.
> * low-light vision to a whole 30 feet. This blows.
> Very simplified. In 3E, this kind of ability would give you bonuses,
> but here it just flat out always works. Your 1st level guy might not
> know the True Name of Orcus, but he knows who to ask to find it.
> pendently of you, but it always obeys your commands.
>>>>When a familiar drops to 0 hit points or fewer,
> the familiar disappears, leaving behind no physical form. The
> familiar cannot reappear until its master recalls it by spending 30
> minutes performing a minor ritual.
> Very video-gamish.
--
Matthew Miller
Tetsubo
Jun 2, 2012, 7:34:26 PM6/2/12
to
On 6/2/2012 6:25 PM, Matthew Miller wrote:
> Rast<ra...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>> Now the Elf bonuses:
>> * immune to charm and sleep
>
>
> I'm glad to see this. Give 'em flat out immunities, because that's fun
> stuff. Make 'em immune to ghoul paralysis too, and whatever other random
> stuff. That kind of stuff makes the game intriguing.
>
>> * low-light vision to a whole 30 feet. This blows.
>
> And conversely, yeah. Dumb, for the same reason.
A rule of thumb I have used for twenty years is: starlight is equal to
> Rast<ra...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>> Now the Elf bonuses:
>> * immune to charm and sleep
>
>
> I'm glad to see this. Give 'em flat out immunities, because that's fun
> stuff. Make 'em immune to ghoul paralysis too, and whatever other random
> stuff. That kind of stuff makes the game intriguing.
>
>> * low-light vision to a whole 30 feet. This blows.
>
> And conversely, yeah. Dumb, for the same reason.
moonlight and moonlight is equal to sunlight.
>
>> Very simplified. In 3E, this kind of ability would give you bonuses,
>> but here it just flat out always works. Your 1st level guy might not
>> know the True Name of Orcus, but he knows who to ask to find it.
>
> And back around to awesome again.
>
>> pendently of you, but it always obeys your commands.
>>>>> When a familiar drops to 0 hit points or fewer,
>> the familiar disappears, leaving behind no physical form. The
>> familiar cannot reappear until its master recalls it by spending 30
>> minutes performing a minor ritual.
>> Very video-gamish.
>
> And same as 4E.
>
--
Deviant Art: http://ironstaff.deviantart.com/
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/tetsubo57
tussock
Jun 2, 2012, 11:41:36 PM6/2/12
to
Rast wrote:
> tussock wrote:
Yep. Part of that problem stems from the cheap stat mods you get in 3e
onward. Everyone and his dog has +5 to hit on their prime stat, where it was
a rare thing to have +2 in AD&D.
I think 5e's mostly trying not to leave behind the 4e crowd. It's
supposed to bring the market together, not split it /again/, though why they
imagine a *new* set of mechanics and build rules could ever do that is
beyond me.
--
tussock
> tussock wrote:
onward. Everyone and his dog has +5 to hit on their prime stat, where it was
a rare thing to have +2 in AD&D.
I think 5e's mostly trying not to leave behind the 4e crowd. It's
supposed to bring the market together, not split it /again/, though why they
imagine a *new* set of mechanics and build rules could ever do that is
beyond me.
--
tussock
tussock
Jun 2, 2012, 11:10:56 PM6/2/12
to
Human, +1 to all stats, +1 more to any stat.
Mt.Dwarf, +1 Str.
Hl.Dwarf, +1 Con.
Halfling, +1 Dex.
High Elf, +1 Int.
Cleric, +1 Wis.
Fighter, +1 Str.
Rogue, +1 Dex.
Wizard, +1 Int.
Not sure where I got the +1/-1 idea from, but it's not there. Love how I
can post this because it's not on the sheets I agreed not to copy, it's just
a mathematical derivation to comment on the sheets. Woot!
--
tussock
Rast
Jun 3, 2012, 7:42:34 PM6/3/12
to
tussock wrote...
Oh, any hints as to when they release an update to the current playtest
docs?
>
> Rast wrote:
> > tussock wrote...
> >> Nope, they've said all the races and classes carry a fixed +1/-1,
> >> more at higher levels. High Elf and Wizard just line up.
> >
> > Has anyone figured out the full list of race/class ability score
> > modifiers? And the point buy system?
>
> They're using a 15/14/13/12/10/8 array. Buy as options I suppose.
Thank you!
> Rast wrote:
> > tussock wrote...
> >> Nope, they've said all the races and classes carry a fixed +1/-1,
> >> more at higher levels. High Elf and Wizard just line up.
> >
> > Has anyone figured out the full list of race/class ability score
> > modifiers? And the point buy system?
>
> They're using a 15/14/13/12/10/8 array. Buy as options I suppose.
>
> Human, +1 to all stats, +1 more to any stat.
> Mt.Dwarf, +1 Str.
> Hl.Dwarf, +1 Con.
> Halfling, +1 Dex.
> High Elf, +1 Int.
wtf. One of these is a LOT better than the others.
> Human, +1 to all stats, +1 more to any stat.
> Mt.Dwarf, +1 Str.
> Hl.Dwarf, +1 Con.
> Halfling, +1 Dex.
> High Elf, +1 Int.
Oh, any hints as to when they release an update to the current playtest
docs?
Matthew Miller
Jun 3, 2012, 8:23:15 PM6/3/12
to
Rast <ra...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>> Human, +1 to all stats, +1 more to any stat.
>> Mt.Dwarf, +1 Str.
>> Hl.Dwarf, +1 Con.
>> Halfling, +1 Dex.
>> High Elf, +1 Int.
> wtf. One of these is a LOT better than the others.
Presumably that's in exchange for not getting any other nice toys.
>> Human, +1 to all stats, +1 more to any stat.
>> Mt.Dwarf, +1 Str.
>> Hl.Dwarf, +1 Con.
>> Halfling, +1 Dex.
>> High Elf, +1 Int.
> wtf. One of these is a LOT better than the others.
--
Matthew Miller
dr...@bin.sh
Jun 4, 2012, 1:16:42 AM6/4/12
to
Alien mind control rays made Rast <ra...@yahoo.com> write:
>> Human, +1 to all stats, +1 more to any stat.
>
>> Human, +1 to all stats, +1 more to any stat.
>
> wtf. One of these is a LOT better than the others.
have pity, its the only nice thing they get.
--
n_n n_n dr...@bin.sh (CARRIER LOST) <http://www.bin.sh/>
|"|n_n_n|"| ---------------------------------------------------------------
|_|_[T]_|_| high level to get XP from creatures of Tiamat's level."
-- der_kluge
Jim Davies
Jun 13, 2012, 8:06:04 PM6/13/12
to
On the grave of Rast <ra...@yahoo.com> is inscribed:
>
>
>WOTC makes you jump through so many hoops to download this that I found
>it more convenient to just pirate it. Google "DnD Next Playtest.rar"
>or search your favorite torrent site.
I got it by BitTorrent. It's a mixture of good, bad and unfinished,
but I like it better than 4e. It feels like OD&D, but that's partly
down to the lack of polish.
>The download contains 9 pdfs:
>PHB (31 pages)
>MM (34 pages)
>DMG (9 pages)
>an adventure module, "Caves of Chaos" (29 pages)
>and five pregen characters
>
>Those first three documents are heavily stripped-down, obviously. They
>give you just enough to get the included characters though level three,
>with nothing about character generation. Even the rules for character
>advancement are on the character sheets themselves.
One does have to wonder how accurate the character sheets are,
especially attack bonus and damage. For example:
The thief (Str 12, Dex 17) gets to do 1d6+3 with a dagger (listed as
1d4)? Why is the cleric of Pelor carrying a staff he can't use? I
think he and the wizard should do 1d8+2 or 1d8+1 with a staff, not
1d8-1 (it's a finesse weapon). The fighter does 2d6+7 with greataxe
(listed as 1d12), and I can see where only +5 comes from. Likewise his
xbow does 1 extra damage for some reason.
I can't calculate anyone's chance to hit from the data given. I'm
guessing that everyone is gifted a +2
There are two cleric PCs provided: a human cleric of Pelor (who is
very much what you'd expect) and a dwarf cleric of Moradin (who is
really a tank paladin). They're very different, which is refreshing.
Some of the spells seem a bit b0rken. Ray of Frost (an at-will) traps
the target in ice, dropping its speed to 0 for one turn if you hit. No
save. Do that on a flying dragon.
When the cleric of Pelor his 2nd level, he gets to Channel Radiance
which sounds good until you see that it toasts allies too. Either a
mistake or it's solidly back to that 1e feel.
Turn Undead is now a spell that some clerics can do as a use of
channeling (fine so far). It says that it might cause some undead to
crumble to dust, but there's no rule to enable that.
Sleep (the spell) works on creatures with 10 or fewer hp. A lot of
monsters (eg orcs, hobgoblins) are listed in the bestiary with exactly
11. This seems like a crude proxy for HD, and implies that a random
orc won't have less than 11 or needs some fudged immunity to Sleep
until injured.
Death and dying look good, one of the best implementations so far.
Natural healing is now very fast indeed: all your hp in a single 8
hour rest. I'd change that; YMMV. It's much too gamist for me.
Big monsters have silly amounts of HP (110 for an owlbear) but are
worth very few xp (400) compared to small monsters (eg 100 for a
goblin). A troll is seriously dangerous (132 hp, regen 10, reach, 3
attacks at +5 for 1d6+4 + rend) but worth only 450xp compared to 75
for a kobold (2 hp, attack at +0 for 1d8-2). Something is not right.
Electrum is back. woot!
Armour is refreshingly simple, in that there are 3 grades (light,
medium, heavy). Light allows full dex bonus, medium allows half, heavy
allows none. Medium and Heavy give Disadvantage to stealth, and Heavy
slows you by 5 feet. Fine so far. OTOH they haven't run the numbers on
this so Studded (light) is in all ways better than Ring (medium).
Splint (medium) is heavier than Banded (heavy). Shields are stupidly
expensive: a heavy shield costs more than a longsword.
xp seems to be only for killing monsters. There are about 45500 xp in
the caves of chaos, enough to get 7 characters to 3rd level.
--
Jim or Sarah Davies, but probably Jim
D&D and Star Fleet Battles stuff on http://www.aaargh.org
There is no God. But there is pudding!
>
>
>WOTC makes you jump through so many hoops to download this that I found
>it more convenient to just pirate it. Google "DnD Next Playtest.rar"
>or search your favorite torrent site.
but I like it better than 4e. It feels like OD&D, but that's partly
down to the lack of polish.
>The download contains 9 pdfs:
>PHB (31 pages)
>MM (34 pages)
>DMG (9 pages)
>an adventure module, "Caves of Chaos" (29 pages)
>and five pregen characters
>
>Those first three documents are heavily stripped-down, obviously. They
>give you just enough to get the included characters though level three,
>with nothing about character generation. Even the rules for character
>advancement are on the character sheets themselves.
especially attack bonus and damage. For example:
The thief (Str 12, Dex 17) gets to do 1d6+3 with a dagger (listed as
1d4)? Why is the cleric of Pelor carrying a staff he can't use? I
think he and the wizard should do 1d8+2 or 1d8+1 with a staff, not
1d8-1 (it's a finesse weapon). The fighter does 2d6+7 with greataxe
(listed as 1d12), and I can see where only +5 comes from. Likewise his
xbow does 1 extra damage for some reason.
I can't calculate anyone's chance to hit from the data given. I'm
guessing that everyone is gifted a +2
There are two cleric PCs provided: a human cleric of Pelor (who is
very much what you'd expect) and a dwarf cleric of Moradin (who is
really a tank paladin). They're very different, which is refreshing.
Some of the spells seem a bit b0rken. Ray of Frost (an at-will) traps
the target in ice, dropping its speed to 0 for one turn if you hit. No
save. Do that on a flying dragon.
When the cleric of Pelor his 2nd level, he gets to Channel Radiance
which sounds good until you see that it toasts allies too. Either a
mistake or it's solidly back to that 1e feel.
Turn Undead is now a spell that some clerics can do as a use of
channeling (fine so far). It says that it might cause some undead to
crumble to dust, but there's no rule to enable that.
Sleep (the spell) works on creatures with 10 or fewer hp. A lot of
monsters (eg orcs, hobgoblins) are listed in the bestiary with exactly
11. This seems like a crude proxy for HD, and implies that a random
orc won't have less than 11 or needs some fudged immunity to Sleep
until injured.
Death and dying look good, one of the best implementations so far.
Natural healing is now very fast indeed: all your hp in a single 8
hour rest. I'd change that; YMMV. It's much too gamist for me.
Big monsters have silly amounts of HP (110 for an owlbear) but are
worth very few xp (400) compared to small monsters (eg 100 for a
goblin). A troll is seriously dangerous (132 hp, regen 10, reach, 3
attacks at +5 for 1d6+4 + rend) but worth only 450xp compared to 75
for a kobold (2 hp, attack at +0 for 1d8-2). Something is not right.
Electrum is back. woot!
Armour is refreshingly simple, in that there are 3 grades (light,
medium, heavy). Light allows full dex bonus, medium allows half, heavy
allows none. Medium and Heavy give Disadvantage to stealth, and Heavy
slows you by 5 feet. Fine so far. OTOH they haven't run the numbers on
this so Studded (light) is in all ways better than Ring (medium).
Splint (medium) is heavier than Banded (heavy). Shields are stupidly
expensive: a heavy shield costs more than a longsword.
xp seems to be only for killing monsters. There are about 45500 xp in
the caves of chaos, enough to get 7 characters to 3rd level.
--
Jim or Sarah Davies, but probably Jim
D&D and Star Fleet Battles stuff on http://www.aaargh.org
There is no God. But there is pudding!
0 new messages