I generally prefer grid-based tactical RPGs. Last March, I decided to DM 5.5e, hoping that it would be a major overhaul of 5e, and that it would revitalize my interest in 5e. The game took place at level 8, and we played from March to April. (Yes, I am getting around to reporting on this only now.)While there were many improvements to certain player-side and DM-side mechanics, and I personally think the revision is better than the original 2014 edition, 5.5e felt like only a marginal upgrade. It was still ~98% the same game, with all the eccentricities and shortcomings of such. It was nowhere near enough to revive my interest in 5e, and it certainly did not look balanced enough for level 9+ gameplay: not when spells like Banishment and Wall of Force remain untouched, not when the new Conjure Minor Elementals can set up disgustingly high damage.Encounter budgets are still useless. With no Short Rest since the previous fight, I blasted the two level 8 PCs with the Mental Stress rules for 9d6 Psychic damage each (Intelligence save DC 20 negates). I then immediately sent in two CR 8 hydras. The PCs were Blinded throughout the entire fight due to Heavy Obscurement, but not the enemies; due to oddities in the 2025 Monster Manual, multiheaded enemies are immune to many Conditions, including Blinded. The two PCs won very handily. (More on this fight later.)I am the sort of person who likes playing in and DMing 4e-style skill challenges. 5.5e still lacks them by default, which I find irksome.Aside from me, there were two players. One chose a Monk, while the other opted for a Sorcerer.(Continued.)
• Monk's Level 8 Build: Warrior of Mercy, Dexterity 15+2+1+2, Constitution 12, Wisdom 15+1, human, Tough, Lucky, Grappler, +1 Wraps of Unarmed Power, Cloak of Protection (purchased for 400 GP), Bag of Holding (purchased for 400 GP), Clockwork Amulet, Daggers• Sorcerer's Level 8 Build Highlights: Draconic Origin, Dexterity 15+1, Constitution 12, Charisma 15+2+1+2, human, Tough, Lucky, War Caster, +1 Bloodwell Vial (the only pre-2024 material I was allowing), Cloak of Protection (purchased for 400 GP), Weapon of Warning (purchased for 400 GP), Clockwork Amulet, Empowered Spell, Heightened Spell, Fire Bolt, Shield, Scorching Ray, Fireball, BanishmentCompared to 2014, our 2024 Monk had the following at level 8:• Martial Arts d8 instead of d6.• Dexterity for Grapples and Shoves.• Bonus Action attacks decoupled from the Attack action, allowing substantially more flexibility.• Significantly improved Patient Defense and Step of the Wind, making them fantastic options for survival and mobility.• Uncanny Metabolism for an instant refresh of all Focus Points and some healing, once per Long Rest at the start of a fight.• Deflect Attacks, an improved version of Deflect Missiles that works against any Bludgeoning, Piercing, or Slashing attack. In many cases, the reflection even deals more damage.• A 1/turn limit on Stunning Strike, sadly. On the bright side, a successful save still debuffs the enemy somewhat. Also, a Monk can simply attack with a Bonus Action on their turn and then Ready an Attack action if they really want to try a second Stunning Strike (though this means giving up the Reaction for an Opportunity Attack or Deflect Attacks).• +1 Dexterity from Grappler, and the ability to initiate a (Dexterity-based, as a Monk) Grapple upon landing an Unarmed Strike 1/turn. Grappler still gives its attack roll Advantage benefit, so our Monk had an easy source of Advantage on attack rolls.
>>96683696Compared to 2014, our 2024 Sorcerer (Draconic Origin) had the following at level 8:• 12 spells known, and then another +8 spells known from Draconic Spells, for a total of 20 spells known. A 2014 sorcerer at level 8 has only 9 spells known: less than half.• Innate Sorcery and Sorcery Incarnate, buffing spell save DCs by 1 and giving Advantage on spell attack rolls.• Sorcerous Restoration, for +4 Sorcery Points each Long Rest.• Heightened Spell with a cost of 2 instead of 3.• AC 10 + Dex and Cha mods, rather than just AC 13 + Dex mod.• A permanent Resistance from Elemental Affinity, not a temporary one.• +1 Charisma from War Caster.Both characters were human. Compared to 2014 variant humans, they had +2/+1 instead of +1/+1, and Heroic Inspiration each Long Rest. Additionally, they had an Origin feat from their backgrounds.All of the above were appreciable changes, making the characters feel significantly more competent than they would have been in 2014.I have a writeup of two spotlight fights, including the hydra battle, here: https://rentry.co/edna55espotlightfightsThe PCs probably got lucky in both fights, but the ease with which they won is still remarkable.
>>96683686>With no Short Rest since the previous fight, I blasted the two level 8 PCs with the Mental Stress rules for 9d6 Psychic damage each (Intelligence save DC 20 negates). I then immediately sent in two CR 8 hydras. The PCs were Blinded throughout the entire fight due to Heavy Obscurement, but not the enemies; due to oddities in the 2025 Monster Manual, multiheaded enemies are immune to many Conditions, including Blinded. The two PCs won very handily. (More on this fight later.)2hu, have you posted this before or is it your autistic posts blending together in my mind?
>>96683686>plays dnd like it's a shitty war game >is surprised it's a shitty wargame.Look i understand that as a woman you lack critical skills like rationality, long term thinking, and problem solving, but no one cares. The only reason your threads get any amount of traction is because you insist on making them outside their given generals and post amine titsPlease go back to whatever stupid insta discord hole you came from and spam your shitty nonsense there. The reason most people don't play "tactical" rpgs is that they're not conducive of long term play, as they're too busy being entirely centered around combat. This is why dnd is bad and your beloved 4th ed is particularly so>>96683824>2hu, have you posted this before or is it your autistic posts blending together in my mind?They all are pretty much the same>tried new system>didn't like x for y>blog posts for the rest of the threadIf it weren't so frequent these might be quality as it is the geedubs bitching threads provide at least more entertainment and as much genuine discussion
Can OP (I know it never will) or someone else give ma reason why should someone who plays 5e move onto 5.5e (I only play 3.5e)?
>>96683824Yes, I posted about this before, back in April.>>96683939I think that 5.5e is genuinely an improvement over the original 2014 version, but only marginally so. It is still just 5e at its core.
>>96683939The only reason Is if you feel like It.
>>96683966so what improved? Can you give me some comparison examples? In which aspects? Combat? Non combat?
>>96683939Eventually it'll end up having a bigger playerbase, that's the only sensible reason.
>>96683978I have already listed some improvements that the PCs in my game availed of, particularly as a Monk and a Sorcerer.Apart from that, the Monster Manual's statistics blocks have been significantly overhauled. For example, compare the 2014 and 2025 rakshasas, or the 2014 and 2025 archmages:https://5e.tools/bestiary.html#rakshasa_mmhttps://5e.tools/bestiary.html#rakshasa_xmmhttps://5e.tools/bestiary.html#archmage_mmhttps://5e.tools/bestiary.html#archmage_xmm
>>96684061So it's a wide balance update?
>>96683686>not when the new Conjure Minor Elementals can set up disgustingly high damage.This was downgraded by errata, actually. So replace this complaint with "Suggestion and Mass Suggestion are significantly more broken than ever before due to removing the need for a reasonable order.">>96684086Yes, mostly hits, with some misses.
>>96683706How come your Dino wasted its first turn? Why didn’t the Dino have adv from the hobo? Why did you have both your hydras next to one another so they can both get hit by aoes before they can act? Your party high rolled pretty well and you missed constantly.
>>96684154>How come your Dino wasted its first turn?The Monk used Step of the Wind to skirmish. After that point, the Monk and the Sorcerer were both too far away from the tyrannosaurus.>Why didn’t the Dino have adv from the hobo?The rider was dead by the time the tyrannosaurus could actually act.>Why did you have both your hydras next to one another so they can both get hit by aoes before they can act?The hydras were traveling together in the Mournland's dead-gray mist, opposite the PCs' own direction.Since the PCs were sticking together, I thought it would only be fair for the hydras to stick together, too. Besides, a Fireball has a 40-foot diameter.
>>96684226Why would a hydra be traveling with another, they're supposed to be solitary territorial creatures
>>96684262I do not know about "solitary." I was working off the 2025 Monster Manual's description, which says no such thing.
>>96684300It do, but that’s ok that you missed it
>>96684262Maybe mating like tigers?
>>96683706How did the sorcerer know where and when to shoot with the fireball?If the players didn't know where the hydra were (ignoring for now that "wandering monster" is a pretty poor way to set up a fight), but the hydras could see due to bad statblocking, they definitely should have a better chance at getting the drop on the PCs
>>96683706Sorcery points are dumb and should have been a wizard's thing. Why wizards are not the metamagic class will mystify me forever - this is not the only game that does this wtf were they thinking?
>>96684521The hydras were not using Stealth; they do not have Stealth proficiency. The PCs could hear the hydras and sense their general location, but could not see them.As per the 2024 Player's Handbook, page 26:>UNSEEN ATTACKERS AND TARGETS>When you make an attack roll against a target you can't see, you have Disadvantage on the roll. This is true whether you're guessing the target's location or targeting a creature you can hear but not see. If the target isn't in the location you targeted, you miss.As far as I can tell, if you can hear a creature, you know its overall location and do not have to guess.
>>96684262two heads are better than one
>>96684761Two's company, more's a crowd
Another thing gubat did very well was have a strong list of basic actions everyone could preform, something notably missing from Icon that was good in LancerLancer was a fully featured game at level 0 that only got better as you leveled up. Icon , much like normal dnd, you wont get to play your class fantasy out for several levels
>>96684835wrong 2hu thread
>>96684824but it takes two to tango
>>96684948Have you tried tangoing with ten? Too many cooks, broth spoiled.
there was no reason for 2024 to exist
>>96685007true, we should have skipped that year entirely and should be in 2026 by now
>>96683939We started playing because my gm wanted to. And the books are in Barns and Nobel and therefore literally free.
>>96685007when's 6e?
>>96685214after 14th
>>96683686>level 8!0 or nothing!
