Just got back to D&D after a 20 year hiatus and am still transitioning from 3 to 5 editions. Really the only thing I have an issue with are the minimal “subclasses” previously called prestige classes. I loved the prestige classes. I understand the “pay to play” have to buy the extra books to get the extra stuff. You can’t keep making money on a website like this without it. But it doesn’t mean I like it. Second issue: where are all of the rest of the weapons? Where’s the buckler, half-shield, chakra so I can be Xena lol. Where’s my 15/13 Epic Fighter/Wizard? Sure I can make two characters and add proficiency bonuses and edit to my hearts content but isn’t the purpose of this website so I don’t have to? A few little disappointments, but overall 5e is a good system and Beyond makes it so much easier to get started and stay organized through a campaign.
From what little I know about 3/3.5, prestige classes and subclasses aren’t really the same thing. (Wizards actually experimented with prestige classes for 5e in an Unearthed Arcana article a few years ago, but it didn’t get good reviews, so they dropped them)
In terms of needing to pay for things, a few points to keep in mind; apologies if some of them are things you already know
-DDB is not owned by Wizards of the Coast; they must pay licensing fees to Wizards and abide by their licensing agreement in terms of what is free and what is not. (Thank you, by the way, for acknowledging that they need money to keep the site running)
-those subclasses (and races, spells, etc.) that are free here are the ones that are available for free in PDFs put out by Wizards of the Coast (The Basic Rules, SRD, and Elemental Evil Player’s companion)
-you can purchase individual subclasses; you don’t have to purchase entire books. Whatever you spend on individual “item” purchases is credited toward the cost of the book if you decide to purchase the entire thing later.
-If you have or have access to the print books, you can also homebrew subclasses/races/spells/etc here for free.
-As I understand it, weapons were massively simplified in 5e; here on DDB you can create custom attacks, or you can use the “magic item” system to make custom weapons, with the caveat that you can’t actually change a weapon’s damage dice; so start with a weapon that has the right damage dice and change damage type/weapon properties, etc.
-In 5e, all characters are capped at level 20. Multi classed characters character level is the sum of their various class levels. So a Fighter 10/Wizard 10 is a level 20 character. In your home game, if all are willing, you are welcome to create a house rule that changes it, but DDB tries to keep to the official rules, so it is not an option here. (To be clear, it is possible to build multi-classed characters here, just not past a total character level of 20.
A multi class rogue/fighter is wicked cool even at 10/10 but you don’t get either of their higher level attributes.
And even though subclasses are not prestige classes, prestige classes being multiple times better than subclasses, they are what replaced prestige classes
I do get all of your points and have been home brewing my tail off but it would be easier if it was already there.
Really the only thing I have an issue with are the minimal “subclasses” previously called prestige classes. I loved the prestige classes. I understand the “pay to play” have to buy the extra books to get the extra stuff. You can’t keep making money on a website like this without it. But it doesn’t mean I like it.
Welcome to capitalism. You have to buy the game to play the game (except you don't because the basic rules are free). This is the agreement DDB has with WotC on pricing. You can always use homebrew to add more options for free.
The idea behind subclasses is to diversify classes and add player options without complicating it. I think this works well.
Second issue: where are all of the rest of the weapons? Where’s the buckler, half-shield, chakra so I can be Xena lol.
Weapons and shields have been simplified. Rather than making every weapon they could think of with very similar stats, they made a few generic weapons with (mostly) different stats and told us to rename them as needed. DDB plans to add homebrew support for weapons and armor in the future.
Where’s my 15/13 Epic Fighter/Wizard? Sure I can make two characters and add proficiency bonuses and edit to my hearts content but isn’t the purpose of this website so I don’t have to?
DDB is dead set on following the 5e rulebooks, and rules for epic levels have not been added (sadly).
A multi class rogue/fighter is wicked cool even at 10/10 but you don’t get either of their higher level attributes.
And even though subclasses are not prestige classes, prestige classes being multiple times better than subclasses, they are what replaced prestige classes
I do get all of your points and have been home brewing my tail off but it would be easier if it was already there.
These are all points best raised with Wizards of the Coasts, who publish 5e. Wizards is just a licensee and has no influence over the rules.
A multi class rogue/fighter is wicked cool even at 10/10 but you don’t get either of their higher level attributes.
And even though subclasses are not prestige classes, prestige classes being multiple times better than subclasses, they are what replaced prestige classes
I do get all of your points and have been home brewing my tail off but it would be easier if it was already there.
There is something like an epic level handbook on the DMs Guild, but its not official content and won't be available here. That said, Wizard's release schedule has been deliberately slow, so you never know - it might come one day. (I doubt it given the few people who reach 20th level, but then they did release a high level monster manual).
I would much rather play 3.5 but it is not available on Beyond and my players don’t want to buy all of the books or 3.5 after buying all of the books for 5.
Few people reach level 20? Seriously? Why would they make 20 levels if only a few people are going to reach it? Also, do you not level up your character multiple times taking different choices every time to see what is the best way to do it? It is sooo much easier now to test each character. I used to run through a ridiculous amount of character sheets experimenting with each character before playing. Now I just make a bunch of copies on beyond and open a bunch of tabs.
Yes, seriously, few people reach level 20–at least in 5e, although from what Wizards of the Coast has said that was true of previous edition a well. Recent data from a DDB developer’s update backs that up. Some people do, but most games/campaigns end long before that point.
And, no, it’s not really necessary to level up characters multiple times to test various choices. Some players like to do so, and that’s fine, but it’s not necessary. From what I’ve read since getting back into D&D (dabbled in 1e, came back early in the 5e era), 3 and 3.5 were complex enough in terms of character building and had enough “trap options” that doing so was more necessary. But that’s not really the case with 5e. As i said, some players still enjoy doing so, and DDB is definitely a great tool for doing so, but it’s not a universal approach.
5e is not 3 or 3.5. If you expect it to be, I think you will find yourself repeatedly frustrated and disappointed. If you can set aside your expectations/memories of 3.5 and embrace 5e as a different game, I think you have a better chance of enjoying it rather than wising it were 3.5. Note that I’m not saying that 5e is better than 3.5; I don’t know 3.5 to compare it to 5e, and even if I did, “better” is a subjective difference. You may never like 5e as much as 3.5, and that’s o.k. Whatever you end up playing, I wish you happy gaming.
Few people reach level 20? Seriously? Why would they make 20 levels if only a few people are going to reach it? Also, do you not level up your character multiple times taking different choices every time to see what is the best way to do it? It is sooo much easier now to test each character. I used to run through a ridiculous amount of character sheets experimenting with each character before playing. Now I just make a bunch of copies on beyond and open a bunch of tabs.
Beyond certainly makes that easier, but no, I don't do that. Partly time. Partly that (at least until recently) I've tended to DM more. Partly that I'm not that into optimisation - I'm less into the gaming side of DnD and more into the shared story and experience. Great thing about DnD is it can be what you want it to be in these respects!
Thank you, I am always happy gaming! I started with 2nd Edition, then 3rd and stopped playing due to no one to game with. Now back in it for 5e. It’s pretty good minus a couple little things from above.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Just got back to D&D after a 20 year hiatus and am still transitioning from 3 to 5 editions. Really the only thing I have an issue with are the minimal “subclasses” previously called prestige classes. I loved the prestige classes. I understand the “pay to play” have to buy the extra books to get the extra stuff. You can’t keep making money on a website like this without it. But it doesn’t mean I like it. Second issue: where are all of the rest of the weapons? Where’s the buckler, half-shield, chakra so I can be Xena lol. Where’s my 15/13 Epic Fighter/Wizard? Sure I can make two characters and add proficiency bonuses and edit to my hearts content but isn’t the purpose of this website so I don’t have to? A few little disappointments, but overall 5e is a good system and Beyond makes it so much easier to get started and stay organized through a campaign.
From what little I know about 3/3.5, prestige classes and subclasses aren’t really the same thing. (Wizards actually experimented with prestige classes for 5e in an Unearthed Arcana article a few years ago, but it didn’t get good reviews, so they dropped them)
In terms of needing to pay for things, a few points to keep in mind; apologies if some of them are things you already know
-DDB is not owned by Wizards of the Coast; they must pay licensing fees to Wizards and abide by their licensing agreement in terms of what is free and what is not. (Thank you, by the way, for acknowledging that they need money to keep the site running)
-those subclasses (and races, spells, etc.) that are free here are the ones that are available for free in PDFs put out by Wizards of the Coast (The Basic Rules, SRD, and Elemental Evil Player’s companion)
-you can purchase individual subclasses; you don’t have to purchase entire books. Whatever you spend on individual “item” purchases is credited toward the cost of the book if you decide to purchase the entire thing later.
-If you have or have access to the print books, you can also homebrew subclasses/races/spells/etc here for free.
-As I understand it, weapons were massively simplified in 5e; here on DDB you can create custom attacks, or you can use the “magic item” system to make custom weapons, with the caveat that you can’t actually change a weapon’s damage dice; so start with a weapon that has the right damage dice and change damage type/weapon properties, etc.
-In 5e, all characters are capped at level 20. Multi classed characters character level is the sum of their various class levels. So a Fighter 10/Wizard 10 is a level 20 character. In your home game, if all are willing, you are welcome to create a house rule that changes it, but DDB tries to keep to the official rules, so it is not an option here. (To be clear, it is possible to build multi-classed characters here, just not past a total character level of 20.
Trying to Decide if DDB is for you? A few helpful threads: A Buyer's Guide to DDB; What I/We Bought and Why; How some DMs use DDB; A Newer Thread on Using DDB to Play
Helpful threads on other topics: Homebrew FAQ by IamSposta; Accessing Content by ConalTheGreat;
Check your entitlements here. | Support Ticket LInk
I want my Epic Level Handbook back from 3/3.5. It was awesome and you could go crazy. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_Level_Handbook
A multi class rogue/fighter is wicked cool even at 10/10 but you don’t get either of their higher level attributes.
And even though subclasses are not prestige classes, prestige classes being multiple times better than subclasses, they are what replaced prestige classes
I do get all of your points and have been home brewing my tail off but it would be easier if it was already there.
Welcome to capitalism. You have to buy the game to play the game (except you don't because the basic rules are free). This is the agreement DDB has with WotC on pricing. You can always use homebrew to add more options for free.
The idea behind subclasses is to diversify classes and add player options without complicating it. I think this works well.
Weapons and shields have been simplified. Rather than making every weapon they could think of with very similar stats, they made a few generic weapons with (mostly) different stats and told us to rename them as needed. DDB plans to add homebrew support for weapons and armor in the future.
DDB is dead set on following the 5e rulebooks, and rules for epic levels have not been added (sadly).
These are all points best raised with Wizards of the Coasts, who publish 5e. Wizards is just a licensee and has no influence over the rules.
Trying to Decide if DDB is for you? A few helpful threads: A Buyer's Guide to DDB; What I/We Bought and Why; How some DMs use DDB; A Newer Thread on Using DDB to Play
Helpful threads on other topics: Homebrew FAQ by IamSposta; Accessing Content by ConalTheGreat;
Check your entitlements here. | Support Ticket LInk
There is something like an epic level handbook on the DMs Guild, but its not official content and won't be available here. That said, Wizard's release schedule has been deliberately slow, so you never know - it might come one day. (I doubt it given the few people who reach 20th level, but then they did release a high level monster manual).
It sounds like you would rather play 3e.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
I would much rather play 3.5 but it is not available on Beyond and my players don’t want to buy all of the books or 3.5 after buying all of the books for 5.
Few people reach level 20? Seriously? Why would they make 20 levels if only a few people are going to reach it? Also, do you not level up your character multiple times taking different choices every time to see what is the best way to do it? It is sooo much easier now to test each character. I used to run through a ridiculous amount of character sheets experimenting with each character before playing. Now I just make a bunch of copies on beyond and open a bunch of tabs.
Yes, seriously, few people reach level 20–at least in 5e, although from what Wizards of the Coast has said that was true of previous edition a well. Recent data from a DDB developer’s update backs that up. Some people do, but most games/campaigns end long before that point.
And, no, it’s not really necessary to level up characters multiple times to test various choices. Some players like to do so, and that’s fine, but it’s not necessary. From what I’ve read since getting back into D&D (dabbled in 1e, came back early in the 5e era), 3 and 3.5 were complex enough in terms of character building and had enough “trap options” that doing so was more necessary. But that’s not really the case with 5e. As i said, some players still enjoy doing so, and DDB is definitely a great tool for doing so, but it’s not a universal approach.
5e is not 3 or 3.5. If you expect it to be, I think you will find yourself repeatedly frustrated and disappointed. If you can set aside your expectations/memories of 3.5 and embrace 5e as a different game, I think you have a better chance of enjoying it rather than wising it were 3.5. Note that I’m not saying that 5e is better than 3.5; I don’t know 3.5 to compare it to 5e, and even if I did, “better” is a subjective difference. You may never like 5e as much as 3.5, and that’s o.k. Whatever you end up playing, I wish you happy gaming.
Trying to Decide if DDB is for you? A few helpful threads: A Buyer's Guide to DDB; What I/We Bought and Why; How some DMs use DDB; A Newer Thread on Using DDB to Play
Helpful threads on other topics: Homebrew FAQ by IamSposta; Accessing Content by ConalTheGreat;
Check your entitlements here. | Support Ticket LInk
Beyond certainly makes that easier, but no, I don't do that. Partly time. Partly that (at least until recently) I've tended to DM more. Partly that I'm not that into optimisation - I'm less into the gaming side of DnD and more into the shared story and experience. Great thing about DnD is it can be what you want it to be in these respects!
Thank you, I am always happy gaming! I started with 2nd Edition, then 3rd and stopped playing due to no one to game with. Now back in it for 5e. It’s pretty good minus a couple little things from above.