Review: D & D5 Player's Handbook
Now D & D Next is so there! The Player's Handbook (Player's Handbook or PHB) for the fifth edition brings the most rules and all the character options that were missing in the D & D Basic Rules freely available on the Dungeon Master's Guide (DMG), we must still wait until the end.
The game world
All previous releases in the context of D & D5 were settled in the Forgotten Realms. This setting world was especially popular during the AD & D2 era, but also as a background world for many PC games served (Neverwinter Nights, Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor, Baldur's Gate, etc.). Together with the publications of D & D3 and D4 D & the Forgotten Realms were never really out of the picture, but the central game world they are only now back to the fifth edition.
In general rule part of the Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance addressed. In the appendix of the book also the basics of cosmology of Planescape be explained, and there are references to the setting worlds Greyhawk, Dragonlance and Eberron. For which of these settings is then actually give it new releases, we learn well earlier 2015th
The Rules
Many rule innovations were already addressed in Holger's preliminary consideration to the Basic Rules. The PHB focuses indeed largely with the production and development of game characters, so this aspect should receive more attention in this review.
I personally am not a fan of Skill systems of D & D3 and Pathfinder, so I find the Proficencies (training in a skill) just elegant. These summarize the knowledge of a character, for example, if you ...
is proficient with certain tools
has learned a skill
dominates the handling of (groups of) weapons and armor
It is determined whether to freely add a bonus in the presence of a Proficiency, or have to take in their absence a disadvantage in purchasing.
[Box] A Ranger (Ranger) is practiced in wilderness survival (Survival). In Survival throws he must his Wisdom modifier and its Proficiency bonus plan add to the dice roll.
A magician (wizard) is not proficient with medium armor. Wearing a chain mail restricts him so that he can not perform these magical gestures and thus prepared may not conjure up. [/ Box]
Proficiencies can be seen from the chosen race, the class, the background and obtained by Feats. Upgraded magicians who beat with long swords around, so are quite possible. One just needs to choose just the right combination, or they can buy with increases or Multiclassing. Chainmail armored dwarves who hurl affect magical projectiles are to be found certainly more frequently than would be expected, the setting continuity of existing worlds ...
The skill and attack rolls the advantage of a Proficiency increases over time from +2 to +6. Are interesting as well as special class traits (class-specific skills), which make it possible to double the Proficiency bonus in certain activities. Because characters with the time acquire additional proficiencies and also increase their Attributsmodifikatoren, the character itself is to draw up a total bonus of +11 on the W20-litter in their core competencies. Class Traits can further increase the still. For most beginners have litters still a chance with a happy knack.
[Box] In fact, it came up with D & D5 to a shrinking of the value ranges. The maximum bonus of Proficiency course and achievable modifier (maximum attribute value 20, maximum modifier thus +5) is +11. This seems compared to the rising attack bonuses older editions little.
But if one compares, for example, the Adult Red Dragon from the Pathfinder Bestiary same monsters from the Dungeon Master's Basic Rules, the discrepancy falls within the armor class eye: In Pathfinder 29, in D & D5 19. In other words, lower total bonuses are lower targets against ,
A fighter with specialization Battlemaster can at an appropriately high level then eg W20 + W12 + 11 throw maneuver with the Precision Strike. Since the dragon should be good treffbar ... And if he then also likely to throw 2D20 due to the Advantage Rule ... [/ box]
The Red Thread
Generally speaking, the development of a character is strongly marked out. For most stages increases obtained one or more capabilities of the class to more magic, a higher proficiency bonus, you may increase or attributes (optional instead) a Feat select (special craft).
Each class has a specialization or this choice: the Barbare Applies a magic totem to or the path of the Berserker? Which college selects a bard? What the schools of magic the magician? Which domain, what aspect of their own Divinity brings a cleric in the world? These decisions are made depending on the class in the stage 13. Thereby the individual subclasses develop in different ways:
[Box] A cleric with the domain Life must wear heavy armor and has automatically healing spells ready.
A cleric with the domain may also Light Mage spells such as Fireball and Burning Hands act, but must be content with medium armor. [/ Box]
A cleric can therefore make quite a magician (Sorcerer) with respect to comprehensive harm competition effect, but hold only in the element of fire. Especially the classes clerics and mages are here maximum versatile when it comes to magic.
The power of the characters grows here from level to level, but the amount of decisions, meet the players as they level up remains manageable. Even if you use the optional rule for Feats, one may only swap its attribute against a rise Feat. This happens only once every four stages, because you can also a bit of treat more reference and reading.
More could you want, you will have to pick up the Multiclassing. The rules for this are clear, well-structured and should do this from time immemorial yet challenging theme well controlled.
And .... Action!
Most litters in the game to be executed very quickly read the throw bonus from the sheet and determine if you have Advantage / Disadvantage, and dice. Many special abilities allow this to modify the litter again before the SL reveals whether the throw was made. Saves there per attribute, and depending on the class, you can be here and still practiced.
Disturbing reading seemed to me that the term turn is now only used for to say that one's turn. With some reading which provides first for confusion meant a turn so earlier the passage of ten minutes. Combat rounds (round) last for 6 seconds otherwise the time is now measured quite banal in real-world terms. The rules for time and movement done on three sides. Shortly sums you look elsewhere: the more complex class magician fits on eight pages of Barbare five.
The fight turns out clearly can be a maximum of running his action, a Bonus Action and Reaction. So you have to consider if you verbrät his Reaction for a fleeing Goblin nor of passing a, or perhaps more with a dangerous attack spontaneously conjures Shield also eg. Not both.
The formerly so abundant verregelte theme Opportunity Attack is now also dealt with very simply: an enemy moving deliberately from the own figure away, one must spend a unique reaction to attack him. Is the opponent in this case his action only to withdraw from, there is no attack of opportunity. Also the rings (Grappling) and fighting with two weapons are dealt with in less than one column.
Attack rolls are like long ago W20 + bonuses to Armor Class of the opponent. If you roll a 20, you always meet, even critical. A critical hit in turn means that you may roll the damage dice and any additional dice twice and add together the bonuses there but only once.
It also dies not so fast. You have to take on later stages already enormous amounts of damage before you die directly, otherwise you have to versemmeln three saves, before you go to Orcus. This gives you a window of 2-4 rounds in which you can be saved by others. If you manage three litters, one is stabilized without external help, and you throw a 20, you can even come back to consciousness.
The combat rules fit on ten pages, which course to increase racial and class abilities the variant wealth again.
Plenty of Magic
As the book now comes to more than three hundred pages? In the Basic Rules, there are 22 pages spells, here it is due to the class diversity almost 80. If one adds the many, often magical Additional skills classes added, then takes their description also almost back 80 pages.
Each class has this at least one magic acting variant there is already a full-time spellcasters Bard, Cleric, Druid, Wizard, Warlock and Mage. Ranger and Paladin launched automatically added later. A thief can continue their education for Arcane Trickster, a barbarian with the addition Totem Warrior act rituals, and even the fighters may conjure up as Eldritch Knight. And if a monk follows the path of the four elements, he must realize his Ki-points directly into spells.
How much magic you can work in a day, is generally limited. Almost all classes rules on this Spell Slots, which indicate how many sayings we must act, and at what level you conjure this. A slot Level 2 also has the effect of level 2 regardless of whether the acting stage 3 or 20 has. Forces that you want at so at any time and without limitation, act, are either very simple spell (Cantrips), certain special skills of a class (especially in warlocks), or only on a very high level available. Whether you must now handle his slots, or Ki Sorcerypunkte it always goes only a certain amount of magic per adventure day.
Clerics, druids and paladins know all the sayings of their list. Bards, fighters, rangers, thieves, wizards and warlocks know only a limited number Proverbs. And the magician can potentially learn all spells his list, but must work out the. Clerics, druids, paladins and mages must also make a choice which of her many awards are subject to availability on a day. This means that classes that have a particularly large repertoire, must make a choice, this choice over time is already very large. Other classes do not have to, but are from from home in the number of restricted spells that dominate at all.
Character Creation
Most steps of character creation choices are between a few options. The values of the main attributes can Cams Categories, determined by distribution of points or select from a list.
A D & D5-character based on three pillars: class, race and background. All three also contribute to the mechanical expression of the character, which varied builds are possible even without optional rules. All three components bring eg a proficiencies so that the treble is also the skill system. The class limitations of older editions are finally history. Each race, each class, etc.
The background fills this gap, the previous editions have never really closed: It completes the character from a not necessarily class-related origin, what a slender and elegant compromise in my opinion, to build more realistic characters. In addition, the character is an ideal, a blemish, obligations and personality traits added, so he or she is not just a collection of game values.
For a completely new character, there is the other side of this hat-tricks not much to decide. Class Typical equipment you choose from several alternatives offered. Further development takes the character then only on decisions that are made at the level up. The preparation is thus relatively fixed by hand.
D & D5-game characters are from the beginning compared with the older editions powerful, though D & D-typical Level 1 still relatively vulnerable. At level 3 you are then in no time, a lengthy existence at levels 1 and 2 does not have to eke out the newly-created adventurers.
Playability from GM overview
In order to fully assess the playability of the SL, of course, the DMG remains to be seen. The control framework but it should be to provide really good, and so is the conversion safely Edition nothing in the way.
Playability of player view
The Starter Kit makes it before: What you need to know at level 1, usually fits on one sheet of paper. The Pregens are the class, race and background specific rules on the character sheet. A few page numbers on the character sheet do it for a self-constructed character also.
If I had to draw a direct comparison, reminds me of a 13th Age: What I packed there on my self-created character sheets to additional info, I had been extremely compact and abbreviate. D & D5 is as much leaner and exaggerates it with the class differences at the beginning not as extreme.
Price / performance ratio
A D & D players will not get around despite the Basic Rules to this book, and for a little over 30 EUR you get not only a handsome, but also clearly designed book that brings across the core rule well. 10 euros per hundred pages is certainly not too much for a print product.
Scoresheet
We ventured to the adventure from the Starter Set, the other players with Pregens, but I have modified me my mage Faaiap de Oiad using the PHB. The first night was because even one of extremes: In the first fight, we came without any Blessur of the second our clerics dice a bad initiative, the GM two attacks, which loosely met his armor class of 18, and in Round 2, we did not have a single character more, which was not passed out or down to a maximum of 2 hit points. So we have shown ourselves to preserve the cleric before death.
On the second night game we had earned after overcoming the first adventure milestone the first step increase. The Class Traits and Advantage / Disadvantage were already loose from the hand, the rules also generally, only the elaboration of inspiration did not come sooner. It struck at times that the SL still lacking detailed rules that are to be included only in the DMG.
Overall, my personal impression was playing that I was very impressed. I will definitely my character, I have just increased evolve, and spend more time with the system.
Appearance
The book is richly illustrated, easy to read and nicely formatted. I do not know if that's just in my issue so, but sometimes the pressure affects even something weak and spongy. Since the book is only available in a print edition, the good index is certainly beneficial.
Overall, the book looks presentable, not cluttered and conveys information visually very good. The illustrations on the theme scope of a spell are for example very clearly!
Bonus / Download Content
On the WotC website can be found character sheets and free rules for players and GM.
Conclusion
For me it was the perceived overall impression of the past editions that 3E and Pathfinder people spoke, like fine-optimize and screws on its Charaktern, and 4E players who wanted to balanced, combat-oriented tabletop that. The latest edition is just so exciting for me, because it significantly mitigates the Optimiererei, and also of the Battle Map is rather moved away again. The control framework appears slim, characters are built quickly. Combining race-class background allowed diversity, decision points during development of the character allow differentiation. And the rules are simply a rare on the way!
A relatively simple rule core shines up with consistency, and when I saw a Class Trait, was in the diced with W100, which was for me rather been a flagrant breach of style. This D & D will be less looked up, and many endless discussions of a litter can be very fact stifle that Advantage and Disadvantage always pick up that you just have not consuming charge.
Owed to the marketing and publishing concept of the Dungeon Master's Guide comes much later, and it stinks to me. The competitors with the same target group Numenera, 13th Age or DungeonCrawl Classics deliver everything in a book, and the details you have to not suck your fingers, because the relevant rule has not yet been published. The already available Dungeon Master's Basic Rules are in their current version rather a lightweight Monster Manual.
Will I take retro clones and offspring play the original, then I will actually engage in the future when choosing between editions to this issue. This new D & D I like that, it does well, the rules are well structured. For me personally, this D & D acts as the reincarnation of AD & D2, but modern, uniform, carrying a total concept. Even if it should be the course of events again, that more publications flood us with additional options as control core and basis of the game is this Player's Handbook rock solid and will me much joy.
