New to 5e - Please Advise

[RolandDeschain]

Long story short, I've been playing since the days of THAC0. Most experience with 3.5, but currently engaged in a long running PF game. Just got invited to a 5e game, which pleases me because the PF game is only through Fantasy Grounds and is very hit and miss.

Question 1: What are the top three or four things I need to know before jumping into 5e from a player perspective.

I'm considering reprising one of my favorite characters who was a Shifter Lion Pounce Barbarian Weretouched Master. He was an absolute melee monster with a flurry of natural attacks.

Question 2: Is this viable in 5e?

[sophontteks]

Probably not.

5e is more about the story and the character and less about the mechanics.

All the classes are balanced and they all work great without any multiclassing. Gone are the crazy optimized builds of 3.5 along with the need to optimize at all. You just pick a class that interests you, bump up the primary stat, and you are good to go, mechanically at least.

There are no feats or spells for every little thing either. Its all been compiled and simplified. Many of the things that required a feat in 3.5 you can just do.

Finally, there are very few stat buffs. Most spells require concentration, and you can only concentrate on one spell at a time. Even then you'll be given advantage rather then a +/- most of the time. Advantage means you roll twice and keep the higher value.

[Unoriginal]

Things to know:

1. It's not because something has the same name that it is the same as in 3.PF. Forget all your assumptions and treat 5e like the new game it is.

2. Numbers are much smaller this edition. The maximum humanoids can have in a stat is 20, 15-17 of Armor Class is often seen, etc.

3. CR now means "this monster is an easy fight for 5 PCs of X level, or a medium one for 4 PC". Related to this, the number of combatants plays a huge factors. One monster alone usually get destroyed due to how many actions the PC group has, while a bunch of mooks can stay dangerous even at higher level.

4. Most combats will cost you ressources, be it in abilities that reset by long rests (like a Wizard's spells) or by short rests (like a Druid's Wildshape) or in HPs. It's calculated than a group can generally face 6-8 Medium difficulty encounters between each long rests, with 2 short rests in between, before running out of ressources. It does not mean you will face this many Medium encounters, however, or that you'll never face significantly harder ones during that time. The point is, if you spend your ressources, you can hit considerably above your weight class, at the cost of running on an empty tank the rest of the day. So you have to find the right balance for the events of the day.

For your second question: it is quite hard to make a character which is not viable in 5e. However, it is likely impossible to translate a PF character in the game without modifications, and the power level will be lower than what is expected of PF characters.

That being said, there is no reason why a Shifter Barbarian, maybe with a few levels of Monks for the flurry of blows, wouldn't be fun to play.

[solidork]

You don't need to jump through hoops to be able to move and get all of your attacks in 5e, and you can move between attacks freely as well.

There are several races that get natural weapon attacks, but the only real support for fighting unarmed is as a Monk. Builds are much less exotic in 5e, so the closest you could probably get to that previous character is a straight Barbarian and the Shifter race published in the Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron earlier this year. There is a subrace that will give you an extra attack over the ones you usually get as a Barbarian when you're shifted, which is a nice combo. Unfortunately, that subrace doesn't combo particularly well with Monk because they already get an extra attack using the same action type that the race adds.

[DrowPiratRobrts]

1. This edition, maybe more than any other, is made to reward creativity both in and out of combat. There are rules for things like granting advantage and disadvantage (rolling 2 d20s and taking the higher/lower respectively), but ultimately if the DM thinks you've earned it through how you approach a situation it's within his/her power to grant at any moment.

2. As stated above, pretty much any build is viable. I would take this a step further and say that any well-played party comp is viable. So make sure that everyone plays something interesting to them and don't worry about forcing someone or being forced into a role that you don't really want just for the good of the party.

3. Because the rules are simplified, I actually really enjoy playing without a board most of the time. Theatre of the mind is much easier when you aren't nearly as bogged down by mechanical rules. And when you have a DM that's lenient enough on things like Speed and Range it makes it even better.

4. This version of the game is a ton of fun. I don't have a great deal of experience with other versions, but I haven't been dissatisfied with almost anything in 5e. It's set up to be almost modular in that you can change rules/settings/content around to suit your groups desires. So embrace the learning curve and really just enjoy yourself.



For your second question: it is quite hard to make a character which is not viable in 5e. However, it is likely impossible to translate a PF character in the game without modifications, and the power level will be lower than what is expected of PF characters.

That being said, there is no reason why a Shifter Barbarian, maybe with a few levels of Monks for the flurry of blows, wouldn't be fun to play.

I agree with this.

[MilkmanDanimal]

The main difference between 3.5 and 5e is there are no longer incredibly optimized super-builds you can make to steamroll everything; there are certainly some more or less effective sublclasses or multiclass options, but, generally, you can choose any character in 5e and still be able to be a valuable member of a party. If you had a class that was ridiculously good at melee in 3.5, you're unlikely to be able to replicate that, though you could certainly still find something that works well in a different way.

5e is really well-balanced in all sorts of ways, and there's much less focus on the character building metagame that kind of ruined 3.5 for me.

[Willie the Duck]

Question 1: What are the top three or four things I need to know before jumping into 5e from a player perspective.

Class balance is (mostly) back (or finally here, depending on your opinions of pre-3e/PF).
Not everything that retains vocabulary you find familiar will be the same (case in point, feats are an optional thing that a given PC might select 0-2 of throughout their career).
Just go read the rules on movement, actions, and action economy. It isn't the same. Everyone basically has a lion's pounce/whirling frenzy/other full attack+move effect, as well as spring attack. There are no standard and full round actions. You get one free weapon draw (or like) action a round. You get a bonus action (which by default you have nothing specific to do, and part of the fun is finding something to fill it with). On others' turns, you get 1 and only 1 'reaction' (which might be an opportunity attack). I could go on, but just read the thing.
Numbers are smaller. across the board. Little-to-no 25 ACs. Little-to-no 50 hp single-attacks. Little to no +20 skill checks or saves. That's fine. It (mostly) works, and unlike PF, people mostly agree upon what AC is 'good enough' for ex. a front line, level 8, tanking character.



I'm considering reprising one of my favorite characters who was a Shifter Lion Pounce Barbarian Weretouched Master. He was an absolute melee monster with a flurry of natural attacks.

Question 2: Is this viable in 5e?
There are types of shifters (Longtooth and Razorclaw) that get natural attacks. They either can use them as an attack, or as a bonus action attack along with a weapon attack. However, a monk (which is now a decent class) gets a whole bunch of unarmed attacks and a shifter monk could simply 'flavor' their monk attacks as claw attacks (and 5e is big on re-flavoring to suit theme). You can also just be a barbarian or fighter and pick unarmed attack feats.

If you've been playing since the days of THAC0, then you get what this means. You couldn't build exactly what you're talking about in AD&D, and likewise you can't build exactly that build in 5e --in no small part because Lion Pounce isn't... and doesn't need to be... a thing. All classes can make all their attacks regardless of when or how much they move. But (and in this case, 5e is better than going back to a thAC0-bearing edition), you can usually create a thematic equivalent.

[RolandDeschain]

Good stuff folks, keep it comin'.

Sounds like one huge adjustment is that the action economy abuse is gone and feats/class features/race combos designed to exploit the action economy with it(although I'm a bit dubious about that last part).

[Willie the Duck]

Sounds like one huge adjustment is that the action economy is gone and feats/class features/race combos designed to exploit the action economy with it(although I'm a bit dubious about that last part).

I would say that most classes are roughly equal on it. Rogues always have something to do with their 'bonus action' (think 3.5 'swift action'), so much so that they usually have to balance which one. Sorcerers get metamagic and can cast a second spell (but it costs resources and one of them has to be a cantrip). Fighters get a 'Action Surge' which means a whole second round (minus second bonus action) of attacks or whatever. Paladins (and now Hexblade Warlocks) can smite--which is burning spell slots to increase damage -- which would normally be considered inefficient, but it is boosting that doesn't take a separate action to do.

There are ways to stack action economy exploits on top of each other (fighter2 sorcerer/paladin/warlock mix or the like), but in the end that level of hyper-specialization isn't greatly rewarded by the system.

[intregus]

Multiclassing isn't bad but as a general rule you'll want to hit level 5 in 1 class unless you have a good reason to dip into something else.

Theres a big power jump at level 5 and most classes are getting a boost then, be it extra attack or 3rd level spells etc.

[KorvinStarmast]

I'm considering reprising one of my favorite characters who was a Shifter Lion Pounce Barbarian Weretouched Master. He was an absolute melee monster with a flurry of natural attacks.
Doesn't really exist. But working with your DM you might be able to put that kind of package together.

First things first:
If you don't have the PHB, check out the basics (http://media.wizards.com/2016/downloads/DND/PlayerBasicRulesV03.pdf)

Second thing to know: Action economy is made up of five things.
1. Movement
2. Action
3. Bonus action
4. Reaction
5, Interact with object.

You can always do 1, 2, and 5. 3 and 4 depend on a class feature, spell, or item to trigger.

Third thing to know: Saving throw proficiencies vary by class.

Fourth thing to know: picking a background will offer you some skill proficiencies, and a few other nice features. Pay attention. Pick a background that fits your character.

Fifth thing: There are no skill checks, there are ability checks. you can try anything. If you are proficient, your odds of success go up with level. If you have expertise, the odds go up again.

Sixth thing: Read up on "Using ability scores" in the link.

Seventh thing: For all 12 basic classes, here is free resource (http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/systems-reference-document-srd).

Buy the PHB for the full monty. Feats are optional, and are in the PHB.

Eighth thing: have fun.