Wizards of the Coast is rolling out their latest edition of the venerable Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game this summer. This isn't just a new version of the game, though; the designers' stated goal was to create a version of D&D which would reunite the game's fan base, and bring back into the fold all the strays who have gone over to Pathfinder or Hackmaster in search of the "true" Dungeons & Dragons experience.
What they've released is a "sneak peek" abridgement of the character and combat rules, available for free online. It's got four of the races (human, elf, dwarf, halfling) and the four "core" character classes (fighter, rogue, wizard, cleric). There's an abbreviated spell list. Just right for running some playtest games down at the hobby shop.
In a way, this free download reminds me a lot of the first version of D&D I ever got my hands on: the old "blue box" Basic D&D set, which only had rules for character advancement up to 3rd Level so that if you wanted to keep playing, you had to buy the Advanced D&D books which came out a few months later. At least this time the first hit's free.
So: what has changed? (Bear in mind I'm working from a severely truncated version of the game, so obviously I can't discuss completeness.) The basic mechanics are unchanged. You roll 20-sided dice, apply various modifiers depending on circumstances, and see if you've hit the appropriate Armor Class (in battle) or Difficulty Class (everything else).
However, they've added a new twist: in situations where you've got an "advantage" you take the best of two rolls, and where you've got a "disadvantage" you take the worst. I think this is an attempt to pare down the endless calculating of modifiers during play, in order to keep things moving during action scenes.
Character creation looks about the same, although, weirdly, you now choose your character's race and class before determining attributes. That's one rule which I confidently expect will be routinely ignored. The skill system has been overhauled yet again, aiming to eliminate the tracking of skill ranks. Skills are now considered sub-specialties of your basic attributes (except for poor Constitution, which doesn't have any). Having proficiency in a skill lets you add your "Proficiency Bonus" (which replaces the old Basic Attack Bonus in combat as well).
The big list of powers for each class is pared way back, and look a lot less Munchkiny. Feats are now optional, so much so that they weren't included in this teaser rulebook.
Old-school D&D grognards will be happy to learn the old two-axis Good-Neutral-Evil by Chaotic-Neutral-Lawful alignment chart is back. Once again we can have Lawful Evil tyrants and Chaotic Good rebels and annoying "True Neutral" Druid jerks.
The game boasts lot more "character stuff" than the much-maligned 4th Edition: in addition to your character's Alignment you have Ideals, Bonds and Flaws. These in turn can give you situational bonuses via "inspiration." Characters also get background packages, giving them skills and abilities based on whatever they used to do before going to Player Character academy.
Spells are back to the old paradigm of learned spell lists, and you have to rest up before you can use them again. There's also a category of "Rituals" which take longer to cast but don't have to be prepared in advance. They're basically "spells nobody would ever waste a spell slot on, but might come in handy."
Interestingly, the age-old restriction on casting spells in armor seems to be gone. Wizards don't get proficiency with armor, but taking a level in one of the armor-wearing classes would fix that. Expect to see a lot more multiclassed Wizard/Something In Armor combinations from now on.
I did chuckle at one graphic-design choice used in the teaser rules (I don't know if it'll be used in the printed version): they seem to have picked the same typeface for tables as that used in the original AD&D books. It's a lovely visual call-back to the old days.
Overall impression: a well-crafted game which pulls back to the general feel of 3rd Edition but incorporates some of the more useful bits of 4th. The increased focus on character background and personality is welcome, and there's a lot less of the combat-centered "World of Warcraft" style that turned some players off of 4th Edition.
Will it reunite the scattered tribes? I don't know. Roleplaying game systems have a lot in common with religions. History suggests that whenever someone tries to reconcile two faiths and create a "unified version" what you get is the birth of a third religion, hated and despised by the other two. However, by shifting the game rules back to something very similar to 3rd Edition and Pathfinder, D&D 5th Edition does make it easier for Wizards to poach back some players.
I think the deciding factor will be in the support material: if there are fascinating worlds and exciting adventures available — and soon — then that may draw back the "lost" gamers as well as attracting new players. Because ultimately, the rules are just the support system for the adventures.
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