Community

General responses from this thread [upto post 77]:


Combat Superiority

Fighter Changes
• Forumers are looking forward to what Combat Superiority looks.
• Good summary of what the feedback about the Fighter is, and how this feedback inspires the changes.

Tactical and Narrative
• Forumers seem patient and understanding with “tactical and narrative rules modules” being “the back-burner”.
• But these modular options remain vital for some players.

Surprise
• Forumers give mixed responses to changes.
• Determining who is surprised remains unclear.
 
Free Round versus Initiative Modifier
• Most forumers prefer an initiative modifier, and dislike an extra free round. These forumers specifically dont want the surprisers going twice in a row.
• Some forumers like the −20 penalty to initiative checks of those who are surprised.
• Suggestion: Make this penalty −10 to initiative checks.
• Suggestion: Use a disadvantage to initiative checks of those who are surprised, rather than a penalty.
• Suggestion: Use Perception check (defacto Perception is saving throw versus invisibility, illusion, and so on) to determine surprise, whether characters are unaware (surprised) or aware (unsurprised).
• Suggestion: Those who fail the Perception save roll initiative at a disadvantage or some penalty.

Ambush
• Suggestion: Preparing an ambush grants an advantage or bonus to initiative.

Critical Hits
• Most forumers like the way crits work now, simply dealing max damage.
• It seems to depend on playstyle regarding dice: those who prefer set simple values versus those who prefer random dice values.
• At least one forumer dislikes how a crit removes the ability to roll dice.
 
Resting and Healing
 
Options for Long Rest
• Most (all?) forumers like having various options concerning the long rest.
• “Reset” versus “gritty” - both are good options.
• Suggestion: Also add options for frequency of long rests: “once per day” (as a 7-hour sleep) versus several times per day (as a 1-hour rest).

Hit Dice
• Most forumers like having enough healing to avoid “healbot” Clerics.
• Most forumers like the hit-dice healing mechanic.
• Some want a nonrandom average as an option instead of rolling hit dice. 
• Some forumers express concerns about “single digit” hit points making heroes too fragile, and unable to persist for more than one encounter.

Skills

Set List of Skills 
• Most forumers express concern about “a set list of skills” for “when creating backgrounds”, and give mixed responses.
• Some forumers like freeform skills, the way they already are in Playtest 1.
• Other forumers like the structural design that “set” skills represent. 
• A set list of broad skills seems good for organization.
• But many forumers like the absence of a set skill list.
• A set list of skills clutters the character sheets.
• There still needs to be narrow skills that give bonuses to specific kinds of skill checks, without broad bonuses.
• Skill bonuses need to remain disconnected from specific abilities.
• For many, the skill system is one of the best features that 5e has. Dont mess it up. 
• Suggestion: Make “set” skill list just examples of skills. Those who like freeform continue to add new skills, those who like predefined dont.
• Suggestion: Make the “set” skill list broad categories of skill checks, but let narrow categories for a specific skill check remain unlimited.
  
Rogue Trained Skills
• Forumers give mixed responses to +3 Rogue skill bonus.
• Some forumers like seeing the Rogue as a “skill monkey”.
• Other forumers dislike a single class being in control of an entire pillar of the game.
• Do skillful Wizards need to multiclass as a Rogue? It seems wrong.
• The blanket Rogue skill bonus as an unhelpful complication to fix the lack of Perception.
• Suggestion: The mental ability of Wisdom for “quick thinking” and “cunning” is important for the Rogue, and the Rogue class should embrace Wisdom as a secondary ability.

Aug 6, 2012 -- 2:32AM, Orzel wrote:

The rogue thing I can't understand until I get some coffee. Can someone explain?

It can mean 2 things;

-the rogue can choose to use the +3 given by the skill or the flat ability modifier, whichever is higher

or

-the rogue can choose the +3+ability modifier or a flat +3, whichever is higher

If the first is true this will have repercussions on how skills work for all classes and that skill checks become harder for those that could add them before. If so, it will flatten the math moer and I do think it might work.

personally I think they meant to say the second option.

Aug 6, 2012 -- 2:53AM, ArjenL wrote:

Aug 6, 2012 -- 2:32AM, Orzel wrote:

The rogue thing I can't understand until I get some coffee. Can someone explain?

It can mean 2 things;

-the rogue can choose to use the +3 given by the skill or the flat ability modifier, whichever is higher

or

-the rogue can choose the +3+ability modifier or a flat +3, whichever is higher

If the first is true this will have repercussions on how skills work for all classes and that skill checks become harder for those that could add them before. If so, it will flatten the math moer and I do think it might work.

personally I think they meant to say the second option.

I'm curious if this will be a replacement for their 'No less than 10' mechanic, ot if it is in addition to it.  If it is in addition to, the minimum a rogue could roll on their skill check would be 16, which is pretty impressive (perhaps too much so).

Regarding critical hits, I would like to see the player get a choice of the critical hit effect, with max damage being the default option, and maybe have one or two more options depending on class, or theme, or maybe one for each.  For example, a rogue could have an option to either maximize damage, or to have their next attack against the target have advantage, or a Guardian could make the target have disadvantage on their next attack roll.

1. New Fighter mechanic to be tested. Cool. I hope they also added some sort of out-of-combat option for Fighters, as that was the only class that had none available.

2. The Surprise Round sounds a lot less clunky than the -20 to initiative.

3. I'm pretty much indifferent to Crits, so, okay. (Although I like Khopesh's idea above)

4. Lower HP, lower damage. Sounds good in general. I wonder how they are lowering damage output for characters, though? Maybe getting rid of some of the dice increases for weapons?  

5. Skill list. Okay. I hope there is no Perception skill, though. For example, just use Wis or Int + Sneak to spot someone hiding. I think people are much better at spotting the stuff they have some training in, because those are the details their brains automatically note and process.

6. Like others on here, I had to read that several times to get it (maybe). I think it means that if the Rogue has an attribute bonus of less than +3 on a skill check, she gets to use a +3 in place of her attribute bonus. It does seem clunky to me, but I'll give it a playtest.