Comment from discussion I played and enjoyed 3rd Edition (and 3.5), but 4th Edition left a bitter taste in my mouth. The game felt like a tabletop MMORPG, which is not what I’m interested in.
Since then, I’ve moved on to Pathfinder. Why should I now consider looking at 5th Ed.?5th is designed from the ground up to account for everything we’ve learned about RPGs in the 14 years since 3e launched. Those lessons are expressed both in the design in the rules and will be apparent as we start to roll out the product line.
The biggest thing, IMO, is that 5th focuses a lot on delivering similar depth of play as the d20 system with a much more compact, easier to grok, and easier to handle system.
For instance, let’s take designing NPCs. In 5th, we don’t assume that NPCs need magic items. Feats are optional. Skills are either a thing you have or you don’t. If you want to make a 10th-level NPC fighter, it takes a sliver of the time as it does in d20 because those details are no longer necessary. As a DM, you can delve into them if you want, but you don’t have to.
That philosophy is infused throughout the system. We’ve basically taken out hoops you had to jump through or elements of the system that evolved into barriers.
As another example – all characters now have a basic competence in two-weapon fighting. We eliminated the default penalties and the multiple feats needed to become good at it. Instead, we simply balanced core TWF against sword & board or two-handed weapons.
In essence, the game is built to move quicker, get results faster, and work in a compact manner that makes it much easier to mod or take apart.
Hope that helps!AMA: Mike Mearls, Co-Designer of D&D 5, Head of D&D R&D.
Since then, I’ve moved on to Pathfinder. Why should I now consider looking at 5th Ed.?5th is designed from the ground up to account for everything we’ve learned about RPGs in the 14 years since 3e launched. Those lessons are expressed both in the design in the rules and will be apparent as we start to roll out the product line.
The biggest thing, IMO, is that 5th focuses a lot on delivering similar depth of play as the d20 system with a much more compact, easier to grok, and easier to handle system.
For instance, let’s take designing NPCs. In 5th, we don’t assume that NPCs need magic items. Feats are optional. Skills are either a thing you have or you don’t. If you want to make a 10th-level NPC fighter, it takes a sliver of the time as it does in d20 because those details are no longer necessary. As a DM, you can delve into them if you want, but you don’t have to.
That philosophy is infused throughout the system. We’ve basically taken out hoops you had to jump through or elements of the system that evolved into barriers.
As another example – all characters now have a basic competence in two-weapon fighting. We eliminated the default penalties and the multiple feats needed to become good at it. Instead, we simply balanced core TWF against sword & board or two-handed weapons.
In essence, the game is built to move quicker, get results faster, and work in a compact manner that makes it much easier to mod or take apart.
Hope that helps!AMA: Mike Mearls, Co-Designer of D&D 5, Head of D&D R&D.
