I am running 2-3 sessions of 5 ed a week atm and have been since the basic PDF went up. I likie a lot of things about 5E although some minor things are starting to annoy me and I do not like the healing rates and short rest mechanics that much due to pacing issues for the most part.
Now it seems to me a lot of people on these boards are still theory crafting using silly scenarios as for example I am not really noticing great weapon characters doing the most damage as they cannot always hit something in melee. Under ideal circumstances maybe which happens maybe 50% of the time at best.
I have also been seeing heavy dex based parties being rolled up with a low of 3/5 PCs favoring dexterity over strength through to 100% of the party being dex based including the bard,wizard and cleric over 3 different games (2 of mine+ another DM).
So who is actually playing 5E and who is actually DMing it as I get the impression not that many DMs actually exist on this board. Also the frequency of how often you play.
Running 1-3 sessions a week as DM, 1-2 is probably more the average being fair.
Bi weekly player.
Also I suspect a few people on these boards have no idea how the game actually runs once the boots hit the ground playstyle stuff aside. I favour fewer tougher encounters for example over the attrition model and I ignore encounter guidelines. I will use a CR 15 Dragon on 5th level PCs if the PCs are dumb enough to go looking for it.
spelley wrote:
I was DMing the playtest materials for a good 5 playtests (the first few playtests I was unable to get a group together,despite being in the playtest and having the materials). Then switched to being a player for the final playtest packet. I am currently playing in an AL game on wedsnday nights, and am about to start a second AL game (at a different location) every 2nd Saturday. I currently do not have a home group going at this time sadly 
Edit: Forgot to mention - I am playing a Human (V) Noble Bard, who will be mc Warlock, and currently has the Spell Sniper (Eldritch Blast) feat. I am however, considering rebuilding the character as the party had 3 different bards at my table last session, yet we only had one front-line warrior (Fighter).
Giving thought to rebuilding the character as a Paladin/Warlock instead, so that I can pull tanking duties, and still remain an off-healer.
I am playing a (mountain) dwarf fighter once a week, who will in the future be an eldritch knight/abjurer.
Currently 2nd level, so no subclass or MC yet.
I had my first 5E session last weekend, which I DMed. The group mostly consisted of people that had little or no experience with the playtest or with the final release until we sat down with the PHb to make characters. The consensus was definitely positive, with all the players feeling that the characters were contributing in a fair manner and that the system ran well. My experience DMing it was also good, and I didn't find it too difficult to adjust my mindset to this edition. There were some lingering questions about the breakdown of ability score checks, the ratio of incoming damage to healing potential, the mobility of orcs in combat, and so on, but everyone in the group expressed an interest in playing this edition and I expect us to get a regular game or two going soon.
I'm already in two 4E campaigns and a PF game, so it's just a question of when rather than if.
Zardnaar wrote:
I am.
Been playing for 14 months now, and we're having a blast. I've been DM'ing a homebrewed mega-dungeon that whole time. The PCs are only a few sessions away from ending the adventure, and I will have to come up with some new ideas to throw at them and see which they are interested in.
Our group has just started Horde of the Dragon Queen and consists of Dragonborn Warlock (fiendish), a halfling rogue probably arcane trickster , a wood elf ranger probable hunter, Half Orc barbarian probable bear totem, and me a half elf bard probable college of lore, at the moment we are 2nd level and are levelling up using the milestone rules
DMing every week for Encounters. DMed three seasons surfing the playtest (interest was low, sadly). Also DMing for local conventions, Pacificon over Labor Day, 2 AL sessions, 4 non-AL using HotDQ (that's more keep-seeking than anyone should need), next up is DunDraCon in Feb, where I've proposed reprising various classic modules.
So far, 5e' s been inconsistent. Most parties get mauled pretty badly, some TPKs, but occasionally one breezes through. Mostly seems to henge on party composition. Sleep can make a big difference, for instance, while rogues don't seem to carry their own weight, and a human with a feat at first can have quite an impact...
First level seem problematic, so I'm hopeful it'll improve...
The game as it exists at this very moment is unplayable for me. I'm waiting on the DMG. My objections though are real and legitimate. Some things you do know. Some you don't. The things I take issue with I know I don't like as is.
I'm playing a cleric in one, monk in another and DMing one.
My cleric is high wisdom and a 14 dex to have +2 AC bonus in medium armor. He doesn't have access to heavy armor so the extra dex actually does something otherwise I wouldn't have bothered.
My monk is dex based because it's hard to be tanking monk without dex.. you're just too easy to hit. He has a 15 dex and 14 wis so 14 AC. I couldn't really manage with a 12 AC from the wisdom bonus alone so I had to boost the dex to survive. The party has a fighter, and for some reason the player chooses to keep her character in leather armor and attacks from afar with a bow. They should've made a ranger. The same party has a paladin that is strength based and in chainmail. The group is going to get him into plate as soon as it's available. I went with a dex monk since I'm having to tank while the fighter stands back and shoots arrows. Although, I'm not sure there's any reason to ever make a str monk except maybe for grappling purposes. The unarmored abilities and the design of martial arts allowing dex to be used with all monk weapons suggest dex is better than str.
As far as dex being OP, it definitely is very useful to have high dex, but it's not game breaking. Anyone in heavy armor doesn't necessarily need it so fighters, paladins, and most clerics don't really need it, and without a high strength, you can't really bust down doors or win at some arm wrestling competitions... and how are you going to carry all the loot if no one is strong enough to lift it? If there were more skills requiring strength, it would be better, and for real melee damage output, strength seems better than dex.
Emerikol. wrote:
Emerikol. wrote:
Bloodscythe wrote:
Fralex wrote:
I played a PC in the Starter Set adventure last month and am currently playing through Expeditions. Tonight I am playing the final mission of DDEX 1-2 Sokol Keep. My favorite PC so far has been a Shou Monk who has taken the path of the Ninja. Next PC will probably be a human Paladin using a polearm. I play 1-2 nights a week.
I am currently DMing two groups. One is a home group and we are working through Hoard of Dragon Queen. The other is a public gaming club with 9-10 players, that I have to cap at 7 PCs for now until I can find another DM, as I am running it officially for the Adventurer's League. Right now they are using pregens in the Starter Set adventure. After it finishes, they will roll new PCs and start working through the Expeditions. I'm avoiding Horde with the public group because I've been encouraging them to play on Wed nights at a FLGS. I'm DMing 2-3 nights a week.
Prior to the release of 5e I was DMing regularly on a NWN2 persistent world. My laptop died a month before 5e released and so I've been able to switch over almost completely. I still miss the online play, but its not really an option until I replace my gaming rig. There is so much content for 5e right now that I don't really have the time. I'm currently awaiting the release of all the spell cards, DM screen, and status tokens from Gale Force 9, as well as the Monster Manual...
After the Expeditions DDEX 1-3 is over at the end of the month, I will be playing a PC in my first homebrew 5e campaign.
My group is playing 5e. I am actually a player for once. I'm playing a Dwarven Cleric. btw yes, I'm having fun.
I'm DMing Ghosts of Dragonpear Castle with monsters updated as best I can. We are enjoying the story and I'm improvising some fill in especially when fewer people can play on certain nights.
I'm also playing in 2 other campaigns that we play sporadically, the Lost Mines of Phandelver (a human evoker) and The Hoard of the Dragon Queen (a human storm cleric who was raised by Elves).
I'm enjoying all aspects of the game.
Zardnaar wrote:
Zardnaar wrote:
I'm DMing two separate games, 1-2 times a week, one is a homebrew campaign other is currently starter set and may move on to different homebrew.
Currently playing a cleric, and might DM once the DM guide is released. Just getting a feel for the game, before I can decide if it is worth an investment (time or money).
I've got a Half Orc Barbarian I play for Encounters on Wednesdays.
I've been GMing Lost Mines for a few friends on Saturdays to introduce them to 5e. Human(V-Dual Wielder) Ranger with Dual Rapiers, Half-Elf Paladin(Protection), Elf Wizard(Abjurer). It's good practice since I'm a novice GM, and everyone seems to be having a good time.
Sundays just picked up again and I'm playing a Human(V-HAM) Battle Master Fighter.
Emerikol. wrote:
h347h50 wrote:
Zardnaar wrote:
I was playing in one game and DMing a second. I had an additional game with my son, but he just wasn't that interested in sword and sorcery fantasy.
I am DMing AL at my local FLGS. So far, Hoard of the Dragon Queen has been quite fun. My group had five players this past week - a cleric, rogue, barbarian, fighter and wizard. The group has had to really work together to make it through the first episode of the adventure as there were limited opportunities for rests.
I'm putting together my campaign notes and gathering the players for the new semester (new students at the grad school, etc).
So the game hasn't begun yet, but it will.
I am starting my 5th edition campaign later today. Looking foward to it. I do have a couple brand new players but 5th is a good starter edition I feel.
I am going to be DMing a Dark Sun game in the very near future. I am just finishing up on the conversions I need to make for the Freedom! adventure, and putting the material up on roll20. I am giving the whole online table thing a try.
Zardnaar wrote:
I play in a weekly 5E campaign and run one myself.
Things are slow right now. DMing one game and plaing in one other.
Game I'm running has a large party: Fighter x2, Ranger, Bard, Cleric, Sorcerer, Warlock. Loving that the streamlined meachanics of 5e make this possible.
I'm running Adventurer's League online on Friday (and the game's open for people to join if they want!), which is kind of fun but doing published modules as written, while an interesting experience (and the fact that we've got a great group that makes me laugh constantly helps a lot) but doesn't let me bring my full A-game (my big strength in D&D is as an adaptable storyteller; AL modules don't give much room for me to create a story).
My A-game shows up in my home game, which is run with two players doing two characters each when time is found to do it. We were gaming multiple times a week from the release of the Player's Handbook until school started, but one of the players is a teacher and my work schedule changed significantly at the same time school started, which has blocked out a pile of play time so we haven't played in a couple of weeks. When the dust clears it'll probably become biweekly during the school year.
I'm playing in Encounters at one of the game stores in Tacoma (Exalted Games). It's a lot of fun, if not my very favorite way to play, and I find ways to get a lot of good RP in. Encounters in 5e isn't what it was in 4e - the speed of the system opens a lot of time during the session for stuff other than combat. The size of groups is a bit of a downer for me - I'd rather a lot of smaller tables over one or two huge ones, but that's not something most stores can do, especially when other things are going on at the same time. I got kinda spoiled with the layout of the game store I played at before Katrina.
My gaming group currently meets weekly with two different games, to accommodate player desires and individual schedules. Our "A" group is Pathfinder right now, where we're playing in a homebrew based on the Princess of Mars series, incorporating psionics from Dreamscarred Press' Ultimate Psionics book (by far the single best treatment on psionics since the 3.5 Expanded Psionics Handbook; the Soulknife is playable now! It also washes out the awful "indistinguished" feel of 4E psionics from my mouth).
Our "B" group is doing 5E, and we had our first session last weekend, wherein I'm playing a human wild magic Sorcerer. Overall I love what 5E has done to magic, making most every class closer to the Sorcerer in feel; it just makes more sense that you can use your magic situationally vs. being locked into one set of spells per day which may or may not wind up being actually useful. Slot recovery mechanics, as I'm reading them for higher levels in the Player's Handbook, look encouraging. Low-level magic feels rather powerful in terms of damage output (3d4+3 of Magic Missile is highly likely to take out most 1st level enemies in one shot; likewise, with low ACs overall, hitting with spells like Ray of Frost, Fire Bolt and Witch Bolt is nearly guaranteed unless you're rolling very poorly, and the damage for those spells is quite high, particularly since cantrips are spammable). Don't take this to mean I want magic nerfed, 'cause I don't: I think it should be powerful.
Overall, I'm liking the feel of 5E after just one session. Combat flows quickly and smoothly, "mind's eye" approach to positioning seems to work better than counting off squares on a grid, and the system is loose enough to account for players trying off-the-wall stuff instead of paging through 500+ pages of rules to find a specific ruling in 3.5/Pathfinder.
Played a lot with playtest rules. When Basic got out,started a new campaign,but we only played 3 or 4 sessions. Then 2 months of no d&d due to annual leave (sadly arranged in a way so that at least half the group is out of town,othervise we would play at least weekly). But i hope we will meet next week. I play high elf fighter (next lv eldricht knight),dwarf cleric,human archer (fighter/rogue-phb rebouild) and playtest bard who will probably become human warlock. It's a blast,can't wait to hit lv 3. Unfortunatley,at best,we play two,three times a month. Also,we play in homebrew setting where all our previous characters and deeds they done shaped the outcome of major events,so maybe we run into our old characters from playtest :P
Zardnaar wrote:
I have a group going every other Saturday. On a side note guy, in our group, that was down on 5th the entire playtest is so fired up after playing the box set and a few games since the PH was released he is going to run a game for his other DM that currently runs a 2nd edition game. He stated that this is, as it currently stands, his favorite edition to date.
Emerikol. wrote:
Running 1 game a week for my regular group. Sword Coast North/Savage Frontier. So far my group (who swing from doing some awesome RP to barely being IC) have found this edition of D&D very fun, especially the Origin bits of their characters. Dex is a good stat but not game breaking as (at least in my games) it's not all about AC and combat stats. There have been straight out fights and moments of genius wrought by some of the higher Intelligence and Wisdom characters as well as some awesome planning in dispatching Orcs and Ogre. My guys just hit level 2 and managed to wipe an encounter with a band of orcs, part of a larger warband, and an ogre through clever use of things stolen from the patrol they;d just ambushed and a little ambushing themselves along with some acting and manipulation etc.
So yeah, we're having a lot of fun with a more open system and the Healing thing (while I always enjoyed a more 'simulation' feel for injury) has worked out quite nicely as most of my players,and their characters, tend to see events within an 'adventure' as often somewhat time critical (and resting on the doorstep of the enemy is sometimes a bad plan) so push on instead of resting every fight. Of course if the opportunity presents they'll happily take the time to heal up and refresh abilities.
My son and I (and occasionally my daughter) have been playtesting since the start, and are still having fun now that the official 5th edition is out. We have played (in no particular order) human paladin, drow ranger (yeah, I know), drow druid, halfling two weapon fighter, elf cleric, dwarf wizard, dwarf cleric, human rogue, human wizard, halfling druid, plus some others. we are trying our different things. Started one campaign at around 13th level so I could run them through some of the old classic modules (Tomb of Horrors gave my son a complex about 10x10 rooms). I have found this edition of the game to be fun and really easy to use with older versions of the game. There is some work for me to do, but it is mostly translating armor classes and guesstimating hit bonuses. The Lost Mines of Phandelver has been fun, we just finished it. Gearing up for Hoard of the Dragon Queen next. Not sure if we will run the PC group from lost mines, or use this as an excuse to make up a whole new set of characters.
so this is a bit off topic but this question is for the DMs how are you handling treasure for encounters since rules state that monsters equipment is worthless now and monsters stat blocks don't seem to offer some type of treasure variable like older additions of the game
Thus far... One relic (Magic sword) from the old buried crypt they chased a Zhentarim necromancer into. An iron athame with dark powers...the item he'd stolen from the dwarf smith (former adventurer, retired) in the tiny village they'd rested (part of) the night in, which they are torn on trying to keep and maybe use at some point, hiding or fidning a way to destroy for good. A few gold and silver coins from the few living soldiers he brought along and a pouch of gold the far better paid captain he had on hand too. They've also manage to loot a few dozen coins of varying type from the orcs they found lurking around camp fires ringing the village they're returning to. Once they've gone through the orcish assault on the tiny village of Greyguard they'll either be somewhat wealthier and have the grattitude of at least this town. Or being carted away in chains by the Zhentarim (yes thy're stirring up the orcish tribes in this part of the Spine of the World) with all the possibilities escaping from those evil clutches entails.
So thus far not a huge amount, but with the looming promise of more.
Zardnaar wrote:
My "main" group adamantly rejected 5E from early in the playtest on.
I did have a second group of friends (veteran 3.5E and 4E fans buying 5E sight unseen, willing to hack it into pieces to make it into the game they want) who literally begged me to join their upcoming HotDQ game. Yesterday was supposed to be our first session, but the DM didn't bother to figure out when and where on Saturdays we were going to have this game before he started begging.
Short answer: no. I didn't start theorycrafting 5E until after I agreed to join the game though (the playtest era of course being an exception), so at least I was attempting to not just theorycraft.
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Seems to be a few missunderstandings of how AC works that lead to AC's above 20 (or even 18)
paganmale68 wrote:
Noon wrote:
paganmale68 wrote:
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I am DMing a 5e campaign that starts this Thursday. We will be running a Mines/Horde hybrid so all of the content is available. The goal is to run the printed material until the MM and DMG are available, which I s great, since we will be able to get a feel for the new system and get aw nice feeling how encounters are structured.
I am playing in a campaign, but I'm not enjoying the system, though I do enjoy the social aspect. My friends want to play 5e, so I'm playing it too.
I fear to say more lest I get modded for the third time.
We are in preparation stage of a story arc using 5E. The DM is leaning towards Spelljammer at the moment. If poeple will like it will then try Eberron or Planescape maybe.
Noon wrote:
I'm DMing a 11th lvl campeign set in Cormyr, party cosists of a Knight Human devotion paladin of Torm (greatsword + Fullplate) a soldier Human war cleric of Torm (greatsword + Fullplate) an outlander wood Elf ranger (studded + bow) an urchin Human Abjurer and a scholar Tiefling tome warlock with the GOO packt, once a week
Issues i run into is the lack of MM, for monsters or a DMG to make npc's isnt that big of an issue,. I make up magic items myself.
it seems that as long as i keep to the encounter budget and dont build encounters beyond deadly there is no issue. and the reccomended XP a day fits nicely in one gaming evening. the end of an adventuring day also natually seems to coincide with the need for an extended rest due to several characters in need of healing with al possible healing magic and about half the possible hit dice spent . and the primairy casters feeling quite empty headed. 2 or 3 short rests a day seem to be the norm for combat heavy days. The wizard's ability to get spells back once every day in a short rest seems really relevant, The wizard and warlock really feel completely different, the warlock does alot more damage then the abjurer and feels like an energiser bunny . The wizard keeps pulling so many nice tricks out of his hat.
The Warlock and the ranger both do solid single target damage and get sparckling eyes when i send 40-50 goblins their way, the paladin does masive single target mêlée dpr but had to resort to throwing javlins several times.
Classes all have their times and ways to shine.
Combat at this level still goes fast and smooth. We as a group really feel that the system feels "elegant"
the concentration mechanic makes shure that casters cant overBuff and obsolete the rest of the party.
the background system with ideals flaws and bonds really helps us to to get a good roleplaying feel with our characters, Roleplaying currently plays a bigger role then in 4th.
In 5th we use a grid about half the time. in 4e we used it 100% of the time.
As soon as the MM gets availible i'll fast foreward the characters to lvl 17-18 to see how the system holds at that level. After or regulair/prefered DM has his hands on a DMG I'll had over the DM's screen and will try a druid or a bard myself.
Currently playing in a 5e game (G3) that should go a few more sessions. DMing a campaign (monthly). My campaign is in Greyhawk using mostly 5e with some ad&d bits centred around the ToEE. Also occasionaly playing in a 4e campaign.
1eejit wrote:
I'll be running a light scifi fantasy game using 5e very soon.
Finally managed to wrangle some people together to play (almost all brand new to the hobby).
I can't wait to see how they take to it.
5e got our old 3e group to reunite after nearly ten years apart---not too shabby.
Six players (myself included) + DM.
Horde of the Dragon Queen and loving every session. Like, weirdly loving every game. We've actually commented on how much we are loving this game more than any we've played in years. And while I'm not sure how much of that is because we really enjoy each other's company and how much to attribute to the game itself, it hardly matters. Our DM is bringing it and we're chewing the scenery and we cheer when we crit and we use funny voices and all that jazz.
Been DMing a converted/tweeked Red Hand of Doom campaign for my wife, daughter and uncle for quite some time (through various playtest packets and now the real/final rules).
Finally got to play when I was at our local convention a few weekends back. Adventurers League. Got my very first character, a human infernal warlock, nearly to 3rd level.
I'm playing 5E through Encounters at my FLGS: my first time back at a D&D table in about two decades. It's been a ton of fun, and (for me at least) this version preserves enough of the old feel that I remember, while still having a lot that's new. I still yearn for a good ol' homebrew campaign, but Encounters is helping scratch an itch I didn't know I had all these years.
I'm running 2 5E games with 2 groups (with a couple of players common to both groups).
Doing one with Lost Mines of Phandelvar, and getting ready to start another with Horde.
We are about to start a Lost Mines campaign.
The group consists of:
Female Dwarf Abjurer Wizard Artisan (1st time playing tabletop RPG)
Male Half Elf TWF Battle Master Fighter Sailor
Male Halfling Open Hand Monk Hermit
Male Human Arcane Trickster Rogue Charlatan
Male Human Wild Sorcerer Sage
Me! (1st time DM, long time D&D player)
Wish me luck!
Ran most of Phandelver with my wife and a friend instead of spending any more of my weekend at Dragoncon.
The fact that I would rather play D&D in a dark room with two other people rather than hang out with a bunch of nerds at Dragoncon is a comment on something I'm sure.
Had a blast playing though. Super fun.
I'm DMing once, sometimes twice, per week with a group on Roll20 (3 locals, 2 remote). I'm running LMoP, and have a rogue thief, an evoker wizard, a life domain cleric, a protection battle master fighter (STR), and a TWF champion fighter (DEX). As far as I know, we're all having a blast, and have really been energized to play because of 5E.
Besides little nitpicks at this or that rule, the only major complaint I have heard from my players is my cleric feels totally disempowered to be anything other than a healbot, and he doesn't feel sufficiently powered to do this, even. I heard this WAY more frequently when he was level 1, when he'd compare the number of slots he would have in 3E compared to 5E (basically, 2 plus a domain slot plus a bonus spell from his wisdom modifier = twice as much healing at level 1). Now that he's level 3, he's just healing the crap out of people with his life domain ability and prayer of healing, with plenty of slots and cantrips left over for fun things.
mightyTeuton wrote:
Zardnaar wrote:
I am Dming 2 biweekly games and playing in a weekly one.
Running with the PHB and with feats and variant Humans allowed (in a human dominant Imperium)
So far no one has taken the varient human with starting feat. In fact, one of the campaigns (the same setting) doesn't even contain a Human. The other has three humans, all of which are the standard.
I am not seeing a clear winner in STR Vs. Dex. Though probably due to the party makeup. One group has no str based caracter and the other has no dex based character lol what? It's such a crap-shoot, as I feel 80% of DnD games and parties tend to end up as. Everyone is having fun and I am seeing a lot more RP compared to my old 3.5 campaigns where the party would resort to combat far more often.
mightyTeuton wrote:
If it helps, my home game right now includes two humans (I don't think either is a variant), a refluffed tiefling, and a faen from Arcana Evolved.
Much of my gaming is done at Mythweavers. I DM 5 games and I have two campaigns that I am building and I play in 3 other adventures. Three games use the PHB and Basic, three games use Basic, and three games are using the last playtest packet.
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