I was looking through wizard classes today and noticed the School of Invention buried in with the other schools. It threw me back a bit b/c I have great respect for what Dungeons and Dragons is historically and groan when certain aspects that I see as critical are tossed to the wayside or inevitably diminished as the cooks flood the kitchens.
This post will reveal my undying bias for AD&D and 2e, but it isn't meant as a negative review of 5e and rather is intended to urge designers to contemplate where this gaming system/tradition is going and has been.
One major aspect of magic in prior editions was the expounding of 8 schools of magic with distinctiveness and flair that wove itself into the very essence of what it means to be 'D&D.'
Magic the Gathering has FIVE colors of magic... It is gut wrenching to consider a 6th color because the game is founded upon that principle. There are 8 'principle' schools of arcane (originally divine magic was divided along distinct spheres and not schools) and they are supposed to incorporate the 'how' of interaction with a caster and magic.
This is NOT to argue that the School of Invention, the Bladesingers and the Warmages should not exist. They and every other imaginative tradition should be welcome and worked and tested for balance. What is bothersome to me is that as this list expands, it will cause newer players to miss out on what the core of DandD tradition is itself. In particular, tossing 'school of invention' in with the 8 confuses the fact that it is an additive set to conform to worlds where it fits flavor-wise eg... as an Izzet mage from Ravnica or perhaps Eberron.
I really think D&D Beyond is a bright future for D&D generally. But I think a healthy use of indents and subcategories can avoid the above problems. I feel that this online tool might be the only tool some new gamers might use and consider the disservice done to them by failing to present them D&D as a game with rich tradition and not merely just mechanics for a raw canvas of undisciplined roleplaying. There is no need to limit content, but a growing need to structure it in a way that preserves the games identity.
I'm willing to swallow Necromancers are now able to cast spells from the Illusion school. I am fine with other systems of casting (2e had the elementalist system among others). What bothers me is a introducing things in a way that confuses the lore rather than highlights the traditions and the alternative possibilities.
Interesting post, and it does bring some thoughts to mind.
First, regarding organization and the School of Invention, specifically. You'll note that in the Compendium listings, Invention is listed as UA playtest content. That indicates that it is official WotC content that they want included so that people can kick the tires a bit. It is being evaluated for inclusion in some future product and isn't yet part of the "core" game. You can filter that out so that it isn't a valid option to choose from in the Character Builder. Likewise, you can turn off homebrew, Eberron, M:tG and Critical Role content if you feel those options are confusing and don't want your group to have access to them.
As far as the game's "identity" and what aspects are integral? Well, that's VERY much a subjective and personal feeling. You seem to have started at 2E and see much of how D&D was laid out then as being the one true way. To others, that's far too bloated already and adds a huge amount of content and fluff that ruins the original game. To yet others, 2E lacks critical material - races, classes or whatever. In the end, you have to recognize that the game has grown and evolved edition to edition. DDB is here to showcase and support the current 5th Edition and all the options that are core now.
The good news is that there are many things in works behind the scenes. One of those upcoming improvements will be a MUCH more customizable approach to content "whitelisting" so you can very specifically narrow down what options you offer your players - eliminating races, classes, subclasses, etc that you don't feel belong in your game.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
I was looking through wizard classes today and noticed the School of Invention buried in with the other schools. It threw me back a bit b/c I have great respect for what Dungeons and Dragons is historically and groan when certain aspects that I see as critical are tossed to the wayside or inevitably diminished as the cooks flood the kitchens.
This post will reveal my undying bias for AD&D and 2e, but it isn't meant as a negative review of 5e and rather is intended to urge designers to contemplate where this gaming system/tradition is going and has been.
One major aspect of magic in prior editions was the expounding of 8 schools of magic with distinctiveness and flair that wove itself into the very essence of what it means to be 'D&D.'
Magic the Gathering has FIVE colors of magic... It is gut wrenching to consider a 6th color because the game is founded upon that principle. There are 8 'principle' schools of arcane (originally divine magic was divided along distinct spheres and not schools) and they are supposed to incorporate the 'how' of interaction with a caster and magic.
This is NOT to argue that the School of Invention, the Bladesingers and the Warmages should not exist. They and every other imaginative tradition should be welcome and worked and tested for balance. What is bothersome to me is that as this list expands, it will cause newer players to miss out on what the core of DandD tradition is itself. In particular, tossing 'school of invention' in with the 8 confuses the fact that it is an additive set to conform to worlds where it fits flavor-wise eg... as an Izzet mage from Ravnica or perhaps Eberron.
I really think D&D Beyond is a bright future for D&D generally. But I think a healthy use of indents and subcategories can avoid the above problems. I feel that this online tool might be the only tool some new gamers might use and consider the disservice done to them by failing to present them D&D as a game with rich tradition and not merely just mechanics for a raw canvas of undisciplined roleplaying. There is no need to limit content, but a growing need to structure it in a way that preserves the games identity.
I'm willing to swallow Necromancers are now able to cast spells from the Illusion school. I am fine with other systems of casting (2e had the elementalist system among others). What bothers me is a introducing things in a way that confuses the lore rather than highlights the traditions and the alternative possibilities.
Interesting post, and it does bring some thoughts to mind.
First, regarding organization and the School of Invention, specifically. You'll note that in the Compendium listings, Invention is listed as UA playtest content. That indicates that it is official WotC content that they want included so that people can kick the tires a bit. It is being evaluated for inclusion in some future product and isn't yet part of the "core" game. You can filter that out so that it isn't a valid option to choose from in the Character Builder. Likewise, you can turn off homebrew, Eberron, M:tG and Critical Role content if you feel those options are confusing and don't want your group to have access to them.
As far as the game's "identity" and what aspects are integral? Well, that's VERY much a subjective and personal feeling. You seem to have started at 2E and see much of how D&D was laid out then as being the one true way. To others, that's far too bloated already and adds a huge amount of content and fluff that ruins the original game. To yet others, 2E lacks critical material - races, classes or whatever. In the end, you have to recognize that the game has grown and evolved edition to edition. DDB is here to showcase and support the current 5th Edition and all the options that are core now.
The good news is that there are many things in works behind the scenes. One of those upcoming improvements will be a MUCH more customizable approach to content "whitelisting" so you can very specifically narrow down what options you offer your players - eliminating races, classes, subclasses, etc that you don't feel belong in your game.