Bought all three Core Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition Books. On Amazon.

[ArlEammon]

What should I expect? It's all very interesting to me just for the Pantheons they have alone.

[aspekt]

The DMs guide is one of the better ones I've seen released.

[Kajorma]

Well,
If I were you, I'd expect Amazon to deliver my books...


Okay, okay.
I may be early in this, but I think 5e is the best edition to date. I've played ..crap, I think all of them. Enjoyed most of them (never liked much in 4th)
They made the spellcasters very playable at low levels.
Barbarians are still beastly. Monks are worth playing.
Not sure really on the Rangers. They don't look great to me, but I haven't played them or GM'd for one yet.

Overall, my feeling is that this edition has a lot of polish to it. Things just seem to work well.

[Madfellow]

I've been running a game for months now and have been having a blast. What I love about 5th is how much it focuses on the storytelling aspects of the game.

[Mr.Moron]

It's pretty similar in feel to 3.P, just with all the fatty bits cut out. I've seen many people compare it to 2e, which was before my time.

[ruy343]

Well, seeing as you've already ordered the books, there's not a whole lot that I can say to change your mind....

But honestly, I don't want to change it. 5th edition is so very worth it. All of the crazy subsystems relating to getting bonuses and penalties to rolls? all are scrapped and replaced with "advantage/disadvantage", the simplest, most elegant system I've ever seen. Truly, it makes learning the rules umpteen times easier.

Note to self: Chrome considers the word "umpteen" to be a real word.

I found the DMG to be pretty helpful in breathing life into situations, characters, and scenarios, but I found its organization to be somewhat lacking. It certainly isn't in the optimal order of presentation, based on the way that I think about such books. However, I've memorized where most important stuff is pretty quickly, so it's not all bad.

It is a bit harder to build appropriate-challenge encounters according to their mathematics, but you get the hang of it soon enough. A good rule of thumb for that is that you can send two monsters of two levels lower than the party for a pretty average encounter, and one monster of appropriate level for a fairly easy encounter. You'll get a feel with time for how the players do against certain challenges, and usually, they'll be able to handle threats that are beyond their level.

I just taught the rules to a guy who hadn't played in years, and I was able to go over the entire thing in 20 minutes, and make a first level character in that time as well. The players handbook is excellent. I mean, really, it is the best player's handbook I've ever used, hands-down, and I've played every edition ever!

You will not be disappointed overall, but just know going in that the DM's guide isn't written in the most logical order in my opinion.

[Scarey Nerd]

I was a diehard 3.5 fan. I played 4th edition, didn't like it, and I had low expectations for 5th edition. Boy was I wrong.

Like people have said, it's terrifically balanced without making characters feel identical or underpowered. With regards to calculating encounters, I personally think it's an excellent system. Find the XP limit of the party from the table for the difficulty level you want, then add up monsters till you hit it. It's a bit more complicated than previous approaches, but it means you don't need to always assume the party has 4 players of equal level, which may not always be the case.

Spellcasting feels like spellcasting again. The rituals system is a great addition, and (to an extent) lets you build utility characters in an innovative way. One issue I would say is that the spell lists don't organise spells by school, which I would really appreciate personally, since some subclasses can only cast spells of certain schools, or have to have a minimum of X spells from X schools (Looking at you, Eldritch Knight).

With regards to the books themselves, the artwork is amazing, consistent, and vivid. In previous editions I've sometimes felt that the quality of the artwork varied from book to book (and sometimes page to page), but it's absolutely incredible in these books.

The index is your friend. I've been having some trouble remembering where certain tiny sidebars or briefly mentioned but crucial rules are, and the DMG (and sometimes the PHB) do feel a little disorganised at times, but on the whole the index should be good enough to let you navigate around. Alternatively, bookmarks.

Have fun. Enjoy it. I'm personally hoping that 5th edition sticks around for many, many years, with additional books and/or online content for it rather than a shift to a new addition. 3rd edition lasted about 8 years, 4th edition lasted 6, so let's raise a glass to 5th edition NOT lasting 4.

[JAL_1138]

There are several small places (paragraph here, spell there, item here, etc., etc.) where the rules are written vaguely, such that they can easily be interpreted in multiple ways. These can be troublesome in theory and have spawned many arguments on these forums. In practice, the DM makes a ruling and that's the end of it, usually. It's good to check with players (or, if you're a player, with the DM) about how they interpret certain things during character creation rather than building immediately around a particular rules concept.

There are some 4e influences in some abilities like the Fighter's "Second Wind" and the Warlock's spells recharging on short rests, the easy out-of-combat healing, the condensed skill list, and in the division of rests between short and long. Otherwise, it's almost entirely "third without the fiddly bits, with heavier limits on spellcasting, and with far less optimization focus" which has the effect of making it seem very familiar to 2e fans even though the mechanics are vastly different. Backgrounds and Subclasses are very reminiscent of kits in some ways, too. The much heavier focus on "The DM runs the game" rather than on "The DM adjudicates the impartial rules that cover every situation" also has a lot of that old AD&D feel.

Personally I still like 2e better, because it's old and familiar and get off my lawn dagnabbit. But 5e captures a lot of what was good about the editions before it and usually leaves a lot of the problems they had behind. It's not perfect (and frankly I half-expect a 5.5 sometime in the future to clear up some rules and collect errata), but that's not to say it's of poor quality, not at all. I could sit here and nitpick it to death, but I could do that for 2e just as much, and at the end of the day I'm having a heck of a lot of fun with it. It's the best of the WotC editions by far in my opinion.

EDIT: The big thing you'll notice if you're coming from 3.5 or 4th is speed. 5e is fast in play; if it takes longer than 2e/BECMI you won't notice unless you're sitting there with a stopwatch. Combat never becomes a slog. Advantage and disadvantage is a huge part of that since it cuts out most of the fiddly bits to remember about bonuses and penalties, but damage also keeps up with HP for both PCs and monsters (which 4e had an issue with at mid-level and onward). The new movement rules, the reduced triggers for AoOs, and the generally lower ACs across the board really help with that, too. (Side note: spell cards (commercial or index cards) can vastly speed up spellcasters in play given that spells are simply done alphabetically in the PHB; they're also handy to have for spellcasting enemies if you're a DM, since enemy spellcasters don't have the text of their spells in their stat blocks, just a list).

[ProphetSword]

You should expect some decent hardcover books with full-color illustrations and rules to play the best damn version of D&D, which combines all the best things from 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th edition and crams them all into an elegant system.

[ArlEammon]

I read that they finally included the Celtic Pantheon !!! Praise my real life God!

I didn't see Cernunnos listed though. Did he make it?

[Kajorma]

I already threw in my 2 cents, but I did forget something.
I never liked 4th, as I said, but it had one thing that seems to have been omitted in 5th.

Tank type classes were really useful in 4th ed. The focus on tactics and positioning made playing the meat-shield a fun and challenging endeavor. I like how 5th has gravitated toward much more of a role-play style of game, but I can't help but miss some of the tactical elements.

But still. 5th is awesome. Go there, and never look back!

:)

[ArlEammon]

Okay, I got my five books now what? Any new spells that weren't in 4th or 3.5 edition?

I mean, I like the ideas for Pantheons and gods but I"m not sure I understand all of it. . . and will there be an Epic level version of fifth edition?

[Scarey Nerd]

Epic level is doubtful I think, it would probably meaning removing all the bounded accuracy caps to get more powerful than 20th level.

As for new spells, I'm pretty sure there's a few new ones, but some of the "new" spells come from old spells being combined into a simpler one (cure wounds), or shuffling around spells so they work similarly but at different levels (shocking grasp a cantrip that scales with level, rather than a 1st level spell that scales to level 5 then stops)

[Joe the Rat]

The DMG has some non-loot, non-monetary rewards options (charms and boons) which can add some of that mega-tier play (i.e. stuff normally impossible), albeit without the ever-growing numbers. There's nothing official for beyond 20.

On spells: It depends on what editions you know. A lot of what was new to me were spells from late 3.5 supplements or 4th edition. There are also a few "not your father's X" spells - same themes, only reworked in this edition. Chromatic Orb, for instance, is a choose your element spell, rather than one that unlocks functions as you level up. Unless it did that in 4, in which case see point 1.

[silveralen]

Overall: The best way to describe how it feels is to rewrite 3.x to have more of a 2nd edition feel, with some 4e elements. It is, at it's core, a revised balanced simplified variation on 3rd edition/pathfinder. It kept a lot of things from 4e that seemed to work and stripped out most of the controversial or debated aspects. I compare it to second edition mainly because it has the same feel, where many rules are optional and the DM is encouraged to tinker till he finds the right balance for his table or his campaign.

PHB: The PHB is good. Most classes are interesting and reasonably well balanced to one another. It is not a book that focused on really tightly written rules and you can see that in places, RAW can often be confusing, contradictory, or nonexistent with interpretation or alterations required, and balance can vary for that very reason.

DMG: A good book, focuses heavily on alternate rules to make customization easier. It has some weak spots, magic item creation is pretty useless as written is one of the more common examples, but it has a variety of useful information in it. The section on the planes is rather odd to see in the DMG, but is so much fun to read few people complain. The world building sections are good as well, and the monster creation guide is helpful (but not perfect, don't let players use it for henchmen, summons, or pets unless yor trust them implicitly).

The section about making sure your players enjoy the game was actually nice to see, the DMG fully admits some players will be motivated primarily by treasure and killing stuff over RP, and talks about how to intergrate all types into a campaign. I honestly wish this section had more to it, it's something more novice DMs could benefit from.

MM: More or less what you expect. It's got a lot of the more common choices in it. A few bits are dicey, like the handful of templates actually in the book rarely telling you the exact CR adjustment instead giving and example, and a couple optional variants not giving any guide for how it effects CR (magic using Dragons). A couple monsters also suffer from having a CR that's lower than it should be, pixies are a common example and it is head scratching since the DMG actually gives them a CR closer to what one would expect. Again, it probably ties into them not really knowing how to tie spell casting into CR, with factors like concentration and limited usage causing confusion.

TL;DR the books are good, flaws exist because editing and proofing didn't seem to be their highest priority (another similarity to 2nd edition) but most can be worked around when they present themselves.

[Yagyujubei]

Okay, I got my five books now what? Any new spells that weren't in 4th or 3.5 edition?

I mean, I like the ideas for Pantheons and gods but I"m not sure I understand all of it. . . and will there be an Epic level version of fifth edition?

there kinda already is, there are epic boons and high powered stuff in additional rules in the DMG somewhere, but you may wanna homebrew something else like if you go past 20 you get to pick up a second archetype or start getting levels in another class.

as for pantheons and gods, they're whatever you want them to be, they can be as important or un-important as you want, or you could use gods from any mythos, or make your own. I've done a campaign where the gods were at war for power and the party was one of many groups chosen as champions for the different gods vying for territory, followers, and relics of power which was fun...but I've played in a few with no religion or god that worked just as well.

[Vogonjeltz]

Okay, I got my five books now what? Any new spells that weren't in 4th or 3.5 edition?

I mean, I like the ideas for Pantheons and gods but I"m not sure I understand all of it. . . and will there be an Epic level version of fifth edition?

Almost every spell (and spellcasting in general) has been drastically altered. Never assume a spell does what you think it does because you remember it behaving a certain way in 3.5 or 4th, always, always check it out first.

As for what occurs at 20th (i.e. Epic Levels), check the DMG pages 227 to 232. These are all rewards that are exclusively for characters that have reached 20th level and it provides guidelines/suggestions on when they ought to be handed out in a balanced manner. The Epic Boons in particular are some amazing stuff, and best tied to actually engaging in some particularly epic feat by the characters.

Two other suggestions: 1) Check out the index in the back of each book, they are actually extremely well done and easy to reference for key words. 2) Read each book from front to back like you would a novel, especially in this case it will aid in system mastery.

[ArlEammon]

there kinda already is, there are epic boons and high powered stuff in additional rules in the DMG somewhere, but you may wanna homebrew something else like if you go past 20 you get to pick up a second archetype or start getting levels in another class.

as for pantheons and gods, they're whatever you want them to be, they can be as important or un-important as you want, or you could use gods from any mythos, or make your own. I've done a campaign where the gods were at war for power and the party was one of many groups chosen as champions for the different gods vying for territory, followers, and relics of power which was fun...but I've played in a few with no religion or god that worked just as well.

But the thing with Domains, it's saying that if I were to choose Odin, I could choose Nature and be a Priest of Odin?

[Yagyujubei]

But the thing with Domains, it's saying that if I were to choose Odin, I could choose Nature and be a Priest of Odin?

yeah, in past editions clerics and paladins had to adhere to certain domains and alignments but in 5E there arent any restrictions. so feel free to pick and domain and any god, and then just cook up a back story and think of a reason why it makes sense.

like off the top of my head you could be a cleric of odin whose job is to make sure the earth/realm/whatever doesnt get ruined by people before Ragnarok happens...or something, on the other hand you could be a cleric of odin and choose war domain and be like, cuz the glory of battle bros, i'll join my forefathers in Valhalla.

[ArlEammon]

yeah, in past editions clerics and paladins had to adhere to certain domains and alignments but in 5E there arent any restrictions. so feel free to pick and domain and any god, and then just cook up a back story and think of a reason why it makes sense.

like off the top of my head you could be a cleric of odin whose job is to make sure the earth/realm/whatever doesnt get ruined by people before Ragnarok happens...or something, on the other hand you could be a cleric of odin and choose war domain and be like, cuz the glory of battle bros, i'll join my forefathers in Valhalla.

How many domains can a Cleric have?

[Yagyujubei]

How many domains can a Cleric have?

in 5e you just pick one, and it gives you a few abilities and a special spell list.

[ArlEammon]

in 5e you just pick one, and it gives you a few abilities and a special spell list.

You don't even grow in power by gaining new domains? :/

:smallfurious:

[Madfellow]

You don't even grow in power by gaining new domains? :/

:smallfurious:

Didn't you say your books have arrived at this point? Why don't you crack open the Player's Handbook and have a look for yourself?

[ArlEammon]

Didn't you say your books have arrived at this point? Why don't you crack open the Player's Handbook and have a look for yourself?

Sorry. I'm being pretentious.
:D
I did. I just misunderstand what it's saying. It said something about doing whatever we want with domains in regards to deities. I forgot it's often a part of the Cleric entry. I was just reading to find these rules underneath the Pantheon/god rules themselves.

:D

[Madfellow]

Sorry. I'm being pretentious.
:D
I did. I just misunderstand what it's saying. It said something about doing whatever we want with domains in regards to deities. I forgot it's often a part of the Cleric entry. I was just reading to find these rules underneath the Pantheon/god rules themselves.

:D

At level one, clerics choose a domain. There are eight to choose from. At certain levels, each domain gives you certain perks, including bonus spells. You do only choose one domain, but that's really all you need because each one gives you multiple different bonuses, getting progressively stronger as you reach higher levels. Deities usually have one domain associated with them, but most non-evil deities can support the Life domain in addition to whatever else they might have. But as a cleric, your mechanical bonuses come from your choice of domain. So if you choose Nature as your domain, you could be a worshipper of Corellon or Obad-hai or Demeter.

Hope this helps.

[ArlEammon]

At level one, clerics choose a domain. There are eight to choose from. At certain levels, each domain gives you certain perks, including bonus spells. You do only choose one domain, but that's really all you need because each one gives you multiple different bonuses, getting progressively stronger as you reach higher levels. Deities usually have one domain associated with them, but most non-evil deities can support the Life domain in addition to whatever else they might have. But as a cleric, your mechanical bonuses come from your choice of domain. So if you choose Nature as your domain, you could be a worshipper of Corellon or Obad-hai or Demeter.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for your patience Madfellow. You have an inaccurate username. lol.