Recent content by Neonchameleon

You're confusing class systems with level systems. PbtA playbooks are classes but don't really have levels. Even Daggerheart has broken open its levels enough that they aren't pre-written; you get to make three choices at every level and none of them have to be the same; the only thing you have...

The problem with subclasses that tells a story is that the story is pre-written. You gain the abilities at the preset levels no matter what you have done or decided in the meantime. Hit that subclass at level 3 and you are locked in for the next 17 levels unless you die, the campaign ends, you...

And that is because you want cookie cutter classes where members of a class may not do things like another class unless they are explicitly permitted to and the options are kept as few as possible. And you literally want to pre-writte the stories before seeing what happens in play. And your...

Way to completely miss the point. The Death Knight is a character who falls from a code - but because you want all members of all classes to be cookie cutter you are scrubbing away the uniqueness of individuals and then declaring other options to be "blandification". The example in question is...

And this sort of attitude is why people dismiss class based design as only leading to cookie cutter characters where what you pick at level 1 dictates your destiny. And if you think a paladin who is also a death knight is no different from a monk who is also a death knight then the problem is...

Hardly complex to say "or a pact magic slot". They just decided not to put any warlock options there. The thing is figuring things out isn't hard and the warlock is IMO easily the most interesting class to play both thematically and mechanically. Throwing out the best class in D&D 5e just to...

I don't want feats and subclasses unified. Layers of choices and customisation are a good thing.

Long is relative to opportunity cost. Chains of two feats are chains of eight entire levels of character customisation and chains of three are chains of twelve entire levels. This isn't Pathfinder or even 4e. These in reality are long chains. I've said before and I'll say again 5e's lack of...

Of course the AoE Cure Wounds main purpose is if you have multiple people in the party on 0hp; it's no more spell slot efficient than simply casting Cure Wounds. But for getting people from 0 to 1hp it can be really good.

A PbtA style playbook is an example of a class without levels. Your starting character has a role and distinct abilities that can be silo'd away from other classes, but when you level up your advancement is picked from a list rather than lockstep (so in the Apocalypse World advancements below...

As I said yesterday in another thread a class system and a level system aren't the same thing. PbtA games have classes but not levels and Daggerheart defangs levels. Meanwhile D&D 5e's are almost uniquely constraining (3.X for example has skills, 4e has powers, and AD&D is random equimpent...

The thing here is that although the Titans are niche outside combat (there are uses for turning into giant flying monsters that are strong enough to carry people and giant siege attackers) this is a druid; it has wild shape, familiars, and one of the best out of combat spell lists. When a...

And would require a lot of feats. But this ties into my core problem with 5e from the player's side. How few character development choices you make. Once you've hit level 4 in 5e then, with most non-charisma casters, you are likely to make only a single character growth choice that's not just...

With very rare exceptions you've got that backwards. Subclasses are what feat chains aspired to be. But feats neither have the power budget nor combo protection of subclasses and so can only ever half-ass the job unless you're running a classless system. The Lich and Death Knight are closer...

The big thing here is that the damage doesn't go up - but once you hit level 14 you get a free grab (control isn't damage but is similar) and even a bonus action gobble for more damage. I'd like one to come with huge admittedly.