Ok, so we all know when 3E was coming out WOTC bashed 2e and mentioned all its faults and what needs improvement. Now with 4e the same is being done with 3e; despite the fact that when 3e was being lauched no mention of these problems were made even though a bare few of them were apparent. (lack of feat slots for instance)
So here is a peek into the future , on the eve of the release of 5th Edition DnD, as the designers look back upon 4E and tell us why DnD really needed an update.
Interviewer) Hello there Wotc designer. How are you today?
Wotc designer) Hey yo bro. Wat up. You cool? Cool.
I) So, here we are at 5e's launch. Time sure flies doesn't it?
WD) We sure are. Time flies. Times cool.
I)Yes. Anyhow, so what exactly was the need for 5e? Why not just keep printing out splats for 4e?
WD) Well see, 4E was good for its time but it had a number of issues.
-The skill system for instance, was wonky. Players missed the fine tuning they could do like back in 3E, the classic d20 system. So we have reworked skills so players can get more invovled with their characters, which leads to better roleplaying.
-Feats are going to be improved. Basically 4e feats never really added much to the character, they ended up being a waste of time and space. So we yanked them entirely; players now get Techniques instead which are supercool. Basically these are insanely cool special moves that can be performed in combat, giving players even more tactical options. For instance one technique, "Insta-Warp" which we feel will be very popular among cleric characters, basically re-starts a combat from round 1! A great technique in case you are about to have a TPK on your hands.
-Another sthing we are fixing is spellcasting. See removing vancian spellcasting form 4E was a big mistake; sure the spellcasters were fun, but as everyone rose in levels spellcasters lost much of their power. They did not scale well. Thus, we've decided to bring vancian spellcasting back in, and give back fans of wizards the lofty heights of power they could achieve in 3e.
-Another mistake 4e made was in specializing classes. We are going back to the more general classes of 3e, which allow them to fit more roles. Fitting more roles is cool.
-4e really messed up with monsters. Even at the time MM was going to the printers we were all shaking our heads, bt there was nothing we could do. It was too late. Thing is, monsters with levels are more customizable. Heck, back int he old days when your party came across a kobold, they had to proceed cautiously because for all they knew the kobold could have 20 levels of fighter! 4e got rid of monsters with classes, which got rid of this great unpredictable tension and customization. In 5E, we are happy to say, monsters with levels will be back! Because they're cool.
-Clerics are getting a boost in combat ability. From the feedback we got, they were far too weak, especially when compared to the good old days.
-We are bringing the follower/stronghold mechanic from the archaic days of 1e and 2e back! We feel characters should have something to strive for, something to spend their money on.
-Half-Orcs are back in as races, as are Half-Dragons, Half-Puddings, Half-Dopplegangers, and Half- Deitites (think Bhaalspawn!). Hey, Baldurs Gate 3 was cool!
So here is a peek into the future , on the eve of the release of 5th Edition DnD, as the designers look back upon 4E and tell us why DnD really needed an update.
Interviewer) Hello there Wotc designer. How are you today?
Wotc designer) Hey yo bro. Wat up. You cool? Cool.
I) So, here we are at 5e's launch. Time sure flies doesn't it?
WD) We sure are. Time flies. Times cool.
I)Yes. Anyhow, so what exactly was the need for 5e? Why not just keep printing out splats for 4e?
WD) Well see, 4E was good for its time but it had a number of issues.
-The skill system for instance, was wonky. Players missed the fine tuning they could do like back in 3E, the classic d20 system. So we have reworked skills so players can get more invovled with their characters, which leads to better roleplaying.
-Feats are going to be improved. Basically 4e feats never really added much to the character, they ended up being a waste of time and space. So we yanked them entirely; players now get Techniques instead which are supercool. Basically these are insanely cool special moves that can be performed in combat, giving players even more tactical options. For instance one technique, "Insta-Warp" which we feel will be very popular among cleric characters, basically re-starts a combat from round 1! A great technique in case you are about to have a TPK on your hands.
-Another sthing we are fixing is spellcasting. See removing vancian spellcasting form 4E was a big mistake; sure the spellcasters were fun, but as everyone rose in levels spellcasters lost much of their power. They did not scale well. Thus, we've decided to bring vancian spellcasting back in, and give back fans of wizards the lofty heights of power they could achieve in 3e.
-Another mistake 4e made was in specializing classes. We are going back to the more general classes of 3e, which allow them to fit more roles. Fitting more roles is cool.
-4e really messed up with monsters. Even at the time MM was going to the printers we were all shaking our heads, bt there was nothing we could do. It was too late. Thing is, monsters with levels are more customizable. Heck, back int he old days when your party came across a kobold, they had to proceed cautiously because for all they knew the kobold could have 20 levels of fighter! 4e got rid of monsters with classes, which got rid of this great unpredictable tension and customization. In 5E, we are happy to say, monsters with levels will be back! Because they're cool.
-Clerics are getting a boost in combat ability. From the feedback we got, they were far too weak, especially when compared to the good old days.
-We are bringing the follower/stronghold mechanic from the archaic days of 1e and 2e back! We feel characters should have something to strive for, something to spend their money on.
-Half-Orcs are back in as races, as are Half-Dragons, Half-Puddings, Half-Dopplegangers, and Half- Deitites (think Bhaalspawn!). Hey, Baldurs Gate 3 was cool!
