I mean, yeah... that is one way you can go about doing things, I guess...
Of course different material types for crafting items, be they cosmetically or mechanically presented, would be a nice addition to a world-building book.
One complaint (and it is only minor) that I've seen often is the weapon list. There doesn't really seem to be a rhyme or reason to what is and isn't there. The glaive and halberd are exactly the same and yet some combinations of properties aren't represented.
I have heard from the guys I game with really wanting a compiled Players Handbook 2, which I know Xanathers kind of is. But with no DM stuff in it you could put like everything a player needs that wasn't in the 1st Players Handbook. Including Artificer and Mystic, all the sub classes everything in 1 place which would be great for new players. It is getting to the point that a potential new player is going I need to buy 5 books just to be a player, or I just need to buy Players Handbook 1 and 2.
I have heard from the guys I game with really wanting a compiled Players Handbook 2, which I know Xanathers kind of is. But with no DM stuff in it you could put like everything a player needs that wasn't in the 1st Players Handbook. Including Artificer and Mystic, all the sub classes everything in 1 place which would be great for new players. It is getting to the point that a potential new player is going I need to buy 5 books just to be a player, or I just need to buy Players Handbook 1 and 2.
I think a book like this could work, but only if it had a reprint of every player option from all other non-PHB material, in order to fit into the Adventurer's League PHB + 1 book limit. Of course, maybe the reason it is PHB + 1 is the devs don't want certain combinations of race/class (I am looking at you, bugbear arcana cleric...). That being said, once the PHB II gets printed, you simply reset the issue of not having every player option in one place. As more player options are added in new books, you would have to put together a PHB III and PHB IV. Then you run into the problem again with AL and the above issue of new players needing multiple books "just to be a player." Also, I think many players would be disappointed if a PHB II and so on didn't include at least a few new mechanics.
Perhaps WotC could work out a new rule for AL that opens up all race/class combinations instead of the PHB + 1 book rule. I am not sure what to do for the new player, except to say see if your group can lend you a copy of a book you are interested in before buying to see if it has material you are willing to pay money to have access to on demand.
1. Release both the Artificer and Psion officially before 2020
2. Release more setting material.
3. More magic items, feats, and maybe some spells. Subclasses and races are always nice, but we don't need them as badly as we need more spells that blend magic and martial techniques for actual slots, more magic items for a wider variety of weapon and armor types, and some more feats.
I'd like to see more done with Personality Traits, Ideals, Bonds and Flaws. Even if it is just a large table of options for each to work with.
These seem to have a far better way of defining characters (that players can fall back on should they need to) than the alignment system and can go along way to replacing alignment beyond rough tenancies.
I'd like to see more done with Personality Traits, Ideals, Bonds and Flaws. Even if it is just a large table of options for each to work with.
These seem to have a far better way of defining characters (that players can fall back on should they need to) than the alignment system and can go along way to replacing alignment beyond rough tenancies.
I DMed a short campaign where the player's used the optional rules in the DMG to use "Background Proficiency" and "Personality Trait Proficiency" with the option to use Ideals, Bonds, and Flaws as well. My players and I were amazed at how organic and unique each character felt. In addition, if the players wanted to expand their range of proficiency, they did so by giving me backstory hooks about special training, situations, or other experiences they had that warranted the additional proficiency. We have played a lot together over the years, so I never felt like they took advantage of this, and it provided me additional DM resources to further tie the characters to the world. This is definitely something I would recommend a group of people who trust one another try at least once.
Now that I think about it, I really got to do this again sometime!
I have heard from the guys I game with really wanting a compiled Players Handbook 2, which I know Xanathers kind of is. But with no DM stuff in it you could put like everything a player needs that wasn't in the 1st Players Handbook. Including Artificer and Mystic, all the sub classes everything in 1 place which would be great for new players. It is getting to the point that a potential new player is going I need to buy 5 books just to be a player, or I just need to buy Players Handbook 1 and 2.
I think a book like this could work, but only if it had a reprint of every player option from all other non-PHB material, in order to fit into the Adventurer's League PHB + 1 book limit. Of course, maybe the reason it is PHB + 1 is the devs don't want certain combinations of race/class (I am looking at you, bugbear arcana cleric...). That being said, once the PHB II gets printed, you simply reset the issue of not having every player option in one place. As more player options are added in new books, you would have to put together a PHB III and PHB IV. Then you run into the problem again with AL and the above issue of new players needing multiple books "just to be a player." Also, I think many players would be disappointed if a PHB II and so on didn't include at least a few new mechanics.
Perhaps WotC could work out a new rule for AL that opens up all race/class combinations instead of the PHB + 1 book rule. I am not sure what to do for the new player, except to say see if your group can lend you a copy of a book you are interested in before buying to see if it has material you are willing to pay money to have access to on demand.
I could see them adding in new racial feats for the races that don't have any for them, and a few other things like new spells and maybe a few more subclasses if they can think of any that would work. Maybe even some more races not already covered anywhere.
I love how the Mystic works, I get it's annoying that it is different but I don't think that's a bad thing. I didn't find it complicated to use for 2 games that I was allowed to play it in.
I loved the Magic of Arcanum book from 3E and it had some unique mechanics, would be neat to see that return.
I'm crossing my fingers for some new spells. I don't even play many casters, but something about a new spell - even just a highly flavorful cantrip - really excites me.
I'd love to see the Artificer and Mystic first get a new playtest run in early 2019, and then being released as part of a new Eberron setting (expanded from Wayfinder's Guide) later in the year.
I'm hoping to see an adventure that really digs into a small-ish area and sandboxes that stuff for a level 1-10 campaign. If anyone has played Sierra's classic Quest For Glory games (particularly 1 and 4), that's what I'm going for. Ideally the campaign/adventure should have some form of over-arching goal to provide some direction - something like Operation: Shadowpoint for Star Wars: Age of Rebellion Beginner Game (where the PCs have taken over an off-the-books Imperial spy base and have to make deals with the locals for security and/or labor, keep it from being discovered, acquire supplies, and so on - it's the best fun I can recall having as a GM). But there should still be room for side quests and personal business, which is otherwise one of the weaknesses of running pre-made adventures/campaigns.
My best idea for the Mystic has always been to make it a subclass of the Sorcerer. You got these powers at birth or from magic rocks or something and now you can move stuff WITH YOUR MIND!!!!! Pump their spell list with all of the Psychic Damage spells and the other obvious ones, maybe make them exempt from verbal components because Mind Magic, resist Psychic Damage, mind reading and/or Charm, etc.
The way I see it, a reskinned sorcerer (perhaps with an alternate spell selection) would work well as a psychic. Use things like charm person, detect thoughts, mage hand/unseen servant, and so on to mimic classic psionic powers. It would work great for, say, a Dark Sun or Eberron one-shot.
But there's not really enough depth there to support many different types of psions. The game should at the very least support clairsentients, kineticists, psychometabolists, and telepaths as distinct options (nomads and metacreatives are a bit of a stretch though and I don't really need to have those around - their useful stuff can be imported into the other types).
Another vote for the Artificer update here - as I have a Player bringing one into the game, and we can't track her character on DnDB because it's not official and expired as playtest materials.
I don't think any of my personal wish-list would make the cut, but I'd like to see more rigorous, detailed, and accurate tools & processes for DMs to create balanced home-brew classes, monsters, and spells would be extremely useful. Having the capability to put those into DnDB as well would be Christmas.
With those in place, then we can pretty much make anything else in this list ourselves.
I don't think that would take anything away from sales of official material, as no one has time to make everything from whole cloth; as someone pointed out to me once, my ability to make coffee at home hasn't bankrupted Starbucks.
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“Planescape” including Sigil. I’m even cool with it being some kind of Forgotten Realms crossover into the setting like what was done with Curse of Strahd.
A nautical storyline would be cool too.
Player options? I like what we have but chalk me up for playable Gnolls too. Can’t really think of any other races the current system is missing.
Quality over quantity please! Additional rules mechanics tend to lead to power creep, redundancy, and obsolescence of core rules choices. I'd prefer to see new options be carefully considered for how they change the game and increase meta gaming! This is a tabletop RPG, not a video game. There's a difference.
Disclaimer: This signature is a badge of membership in the Forum Loudmouth Club. We are all friends. We are not attacking each other. We are engaging in spirited, friendly debate with one another. We may get snarky, but these are not attacks. Thank you for not reporting us.
Quality over quantity please! Additional rules mechanics tend to lead to power creep, redundancy, and obsolescence of core rules choices. I'd prefer to see new options be carefully considered for how they change the game and increase meta gaming! This is a tabletop RPG, not a video game. There's a difference.
I'm confused why you think this is an issue. Everything outside of the 3 core rule books is 100% optional so if you don't want to use something you don't have to. And other than Healing Spirit, the quality of the new options has been consistently better than the ones in the Player's Handbook in my opinion.
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What if it's all about Alpaca instead?
Elminster's Guide to Alpaca!
Pun-loving nerd | She/Her/Hers | Profile art by Becca Golins
If you need help with homebrew, please post on the homebrew forums, where multiple staff and moderators can read your post and help you!
"We got this, no problem! I'll take the twenty on the left - you guys handle the one on the right!"🔊
I mean, yeah... that is one way you can go about doing things, I guess...
Of course different material types for crafting items, be they cosmetically or mechanically presented, would be a nice addition to a world-building book.
I would love to hear Elminster's thoughts on alpaca XD
One complaint (and it is only minor) that I've seen often is the weapon list. There doesn't really seem to be a rhyme or reason to what is and isn't there. The glaive and halberd are exactly the same and yet some combinations of properties aren't represented.
TL;DR: weapon list
I have heard from the guys I game with really wanting a compiled Players Handbook 2, which I know Xanathers kind of is. But with no DM stuff in it you could put like everything a player needs that wasn't in the 1st Players Handbook. Including Artificer and Mystic, all the sub classes everything in 1 place which would be great for new players. It is getting to the point that a potential new player is going I need to buy 5 books just to be a player, or I just need to buy Players Handbook 1 and 2.
I think a book like this could work, but only if it had a reprint of every player option from all other non-PHB material, in order to fit into the Adventurer's League PHB + 1 book limit. Of course, maybe the reason it is PHB + 1 is the devs don't want certain combinations of race/class (I am looking at you, bugbear arcana cleric...). That being said, once the PHB II gets printed, you simply reset the issue of not having every player option in one place. As more player options are added in new books, you would have to put together a PHB III and PHB IV. Then you run into the problem again with AL and the above issue of new players needing multiple books "just to be a player." Also, I think many players would be disappointed if a PHB II and so on didn't include at least a few new mechanics.
Perhaps WotC could work out a new rule for AL that opens up all race/class combinations instead of the PHB + 1 book rule. I am not sure what to do for the new player, except to say see if your group can lend you a copy of a book you are interested in before buying to see if it has material you are willing to pay money to have access to on demand.
Hoping for them to
1. Release both the Artificer and Psion officially before 2020
2. Release more setting material.
3. More magic items, feats, and maybe some spells. Subclasses and races are always nice, but we don't need them as badly as we need more spells that blend magic and martial techniques for actual slots, more magic items for a wider variety of weapon and armor types, and some more feats.
I'd like to see more done with Personality Traits, Ideals, Bonds and Flaws. Even if it is just a large table of options for each to work with.
These seem to have a far better way of defining characters (that players can fall back on should they need to) than the alignment system and can go along way to replacing alignment beyond rough tenancies.
- Loswaith
I DMed a short campaign where the player's used the optional rules in the DMG to use "Background Proficiency" and "Personality Trait Proficiency" with the option to use Ideals, Bonds, and Flaws as well. My players and I were amazed at how organic and unique each character felt. In addition, if the players wanted to expand their range of proficiency, they did so by giving me backstory hooks about special training, situations, or other experiences they had that warranted the additional proficiency. We have played a lot together over the years, so I never felt like they took advantage of this, and it provided me additional DM resources to further tie the characters to the world. This is definitely something I would recommend a group of people who trust one another try at least once.
Now that I think about it, I really got to do this again sometime!
I could see them adding in new racial feats for the races that don't have any for them, and a few other things like new spells and maybe a few more subclasses if they can think of any that would work. Maybe even some more races not already covered anywhere.
I love how the Mystic works, I get it's annoying that it is different but I don't think that's a bad thing. I didn't find it complicated to use for 2 games that I was allowed to play it in.
I loved the Magic of Arcanum book from 3E and it had some unique mechanics, would be neat to see that return.
I'm crossing my fingers for some new spells. I don't even play many casters, but something about a new spell - even just a highly flavorful cantrip - really excites me.
More settings
Thri-Kreen
Eberron-style playable Gnolls
More options for magic weapons that aren't swords. (Bows especially got the shaft, I feel.)
No more elf subraces for a while. Give some love to other races.
I'd love to see the Artificer and Mystic first get a new playtest run in early 2019, and then being released as part of a new Eberron setting (expanded from Wayfinder's Guide) later in the year.
I'm hoping to see an adventure that really digs into a small-ish area and sandboxes that stuff for a level 1-10 campaign. If anyone has played Sierra's classic Quest For Glory games (particularly 1 and 4), that's what I'm going for. Ideally the campaign/adventure should have some form of over-arching goal to provide some direction - something like Operation: Shadowpoint for Star Wars: Age of Rebellion Beginner Game (where the PCs have taken over an off-the-books Imperial spy base and have to make deals with the locals for security and/or labor, keep it from being discovered, acquire supplies, and so on - it's the best fun I can recall having as a GM). But there should still be room for side quests and personal business, which is otherwise one of the weaknesses of running pre-made adventures/campaigns.
The way I see it, a reskinned sorcerer (perhaps with an alternate spell selection) would work well as a psychic. Use things like charm person, detect thoughts, mage hand/unseen servant, and so on to mimic classic psionic powers. It would work great for, say, a Dark Sun or Eberron one-shot.
But there's not really enough depth there to support many different types of psions. The game should at the very least support clairsentients, kineticists, psychometabolists, and telepaths as distinct options (nomads and metacreatives are a bit of a stretch though and I don't really need to have those around - their useful stuff can be imported into the other types).
Another vote for the Artificer update here - as I have a Player bringing one into the game, and we can't track her character on DnDB because it's not official and expired as playtest materials.
I don't think any of my personal wish-list would make the cut, but I'd like to see more rigorous, detailed, and accurate tools & processes for DMs to create balanced home-brew classes, monsters, and spells would be extremely useful. Having the capability to put those into DnDB as well would be Christmas.
With those in place, then we can pretty much make anything else in this list ourselves.
I don't think that would take anything away from sales of official material, as no one has time to make everything from whole cloth; as someone pointed out to me once, my ability to make coffee at home hasn't bankrupted Starbucks.
My DM Philosophy, as summed up by other people: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rN5w4-azTq3Kbn0Yvk9nfqQhwQ1R5by1/view
Disclaimer: This signature is a badge of membership in the Forum Loudmouth Club. We are all friends. We are not attacking each other. We are engaging in spirited, friendly debate with one another. We may get snarky, but these are not attacks. Thank you for not reporting us.
“Planescape” including Sigil. I’m even cool with it being some kind of Forgotten Realms crossover into the setting like what was done with Curse of Strahd.
A nautical storyline would be cool too.
Player options? I like what we have but chalk me up for playable Gnolls too. Can’t really think of any other races the current system is missing.
Reprint Three-Dragon Ante!
Quality over quantity please! Additional rules mechanics tend to lead to power creep, redundancy, and obsolescence of core rules choices. I'd prefer to see new options be carefully considered for how they change the game and increase meta gaming! This is a tabletop RPG, not a video game. There's a difference.
There absolutely is a difference between an RPG and a video game.
Video games straight jacket you into a rule set, a style, and leave you zero room for customization as to your preferred style and tone.
Optional rule mechanics - or even meta-systems allowing to create balanced versions of your own - allows you to make the game your own.
Power creep, meta-gaming, optional rule management, and making sure that the mix isn't overpowered - these are the DM's responsibility to control.
Let's not enshrine the core rule choices as something sacrosanct.
My DM Philosophy, as summed up by other people: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rN5w4-azTq3Kbn0Yvk9nfqQhwQ1R5by1/view
Disclaimer: This signature is a badge of membership in the Forum Loudmouth Club. We are all friends. We are not attacking each other. We are engaging in spirited, friendly debate with one another. We may get snarky, but these are not attacks. Thank you for not reporting us.
I'm confused why you think this is an issue. Everything outside of the 3 core rule books is 100% optional so if you don't want to use something you don't have to. And other than Healing Spirit, the quality of the new options has been consistently better than the ones in the Player's Handbook in my opinion.