D&D Next - First Thoughts

First, a disclaimer. I'm an avid fan of D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder. I also enjoy many other game systems, including Savage Worlds, Eclipse Phase, and Shadowrun. I played D&D 4e for a few months but switched to Pathfinder when Paizo released the core book.

Why? I had two issues with 4e. First, it was more combat focused than I would have liked. I was particularly disappointed about the loss of non-combat spells from the Arcane and Divine Spell Lists. Second, classes lost some uniqueness. Every class had powers that did a certain amount of damage, sometimes imposing a condition and/or movement effect. In essence, the divine and arcane spells were downgraded to damage and movement/status effects. The martial class attacks were upgraded to include movement and/or status effects. The distinction between the classes, as such, was diminished

With that said, what I've written above and what you find below is just my opinion. I don't believe in the edition warfare many people seem to engage in. If you think 4e is the greatest thing since the invention of dice, please enjoy it. I don't wish to detract from your love of the game. Far from it. I'm glad that you've chosen to engage in the tabletop gaming hobby at a time when there are a myriad of other gaming options, most of which seem to isolate players on couches or in front of computer screens rather than bringing them together to share the experience face to face.

I downloaded the D&D Next Playtest earlier this week. I opened it with the cautious optimism of someone who wasn't enthralled with the last version of the game. My somewhat jaded attitude was quickly replaced by a need to actually play the game as soon as I could muster a group willing to go exploring with me. I like D&D Next. I really like it.

The first thing that caught my attention was the simplicity. I have nothing against crunchy system (as I said, I love Shadowrun), but there is something to be said for a game like Savage Worlds that is easy to learn and easy to teach. D&D Next is just such a system.

Skill checks have been simplified. Instead of having a list of skills, all skill checks are associated with a core ability (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom or Charisma). You never need to be trained in a skill to make check. Want to research something or recall something you may know? Intelligence check. What if it has to do with religion? Intelligence check. What about arcane lore? Intelligence check. History, Geography, Nobility, Planes, Nature, Dungeoneering, Local? Intelligence check. It's that simple.

Now, you may have certain Backgrounds that give you situational bonuses for certain types of skill checks. The Knight background, for example, gives the player bonuses for Animal Handling, Diplomacy, Heraldic Lore and Religious Lore checks. So, while everyone can make a skill check to recognize the a message scrawled in blood as the maniacal ramblings of a cult of Urgathoa worshipers, someone with the Knight Background is just a little better at it.

So, what are Backgrounds? Well, it would seem that every character is now defined by 4 components. In earlier versions of D&D, a character was primarily defined by her Class and Race. D&D Next takes those two components and adds a couple more, Background and Theme. The two cleric playtest characters are a perfect example of how these concepts have a very real influence on the style of character being played.

The Cleric of Moradin has the Knight Background and the Guardian Theme. Because of her Background, she gains bonuses to the skill checks I've already mentioned. She also received free accommodations and food for her and her party whenever she's in a location where nobility would recognize her station as a Knight. I love the flavor of that!

As a Guardian, she puts herself between her and her allies. She has the ability to use her shield to protect an ally within 5 feet of her who is currently under attack. Doing so gives the attacker a disadvantage to hit her ally.

The Cleric of Pelor, on the other hand, has the Priest Background and the Healer Theme. The Priest Background grants her bonuses to Diplomacy, Insight, Religious Lore, and Wilderness Lore. In addition, she and her party receive free healing and religious services at temples, shrines, or any other locations associated with her faith. Again, I'm loving the flavor of the Backgrounds. The Healer theme gives her the ability to make healing potions, antitoxins, and healing kits.

So, while both characters are Dwarf Clerics, their Background and Themes round out the character concepts into two distinctly different styles.

I mentioned before that the Guardian Theme gives the Cleric the ability to grant a disadvantage to someone attacking an ally. What does that mean? It's very simple really. D&D Next introduces the advantage/disadvantage mechanic as such: If you are granted an advantage, roll two d20 and choose the highest; if you are granted a disadvantage, choose the lowest of the two rolls. You never roll more than two d20, ever, regardless of the number of advantages or disadvantages you have. Also, advantages and disadvantages can cancel each other out.

In theory, I think this is a great new mechanic. It allows for a multitude of situations to be handled with one core set of simple rules. I'd need to see it in practice before I can give it a thumbs up or thumbs down but I like the concept.

The last thing I'll discuss is the armor system. It's quite simple really. You have a choice between light armor, medium armor, and heavy armor. Light armor gives you an armor bonus plus your dexterity modifier. Medium armor gives your an armor bonus plus half your dexterity modifier. Heavy armor just gives you the armor bonus (albeit the bonus is usually higher than for medium or light armor).

At first this seemed odd. I didn't get it. A character with high dexterity in light armor could easily have a better Armor Class (AC) than a Fighter or Cleric in heavy armor. Odd. Then, it dawned on me. It was genius. Dexterity could now become a dump stat without negatively impacting AC. The Cleric has always suffered Multiple Ability Dependency (MAD). Intelligence (at least in Pathfinder) is really the only possible dump stat. The Cleric never uses Dex but always needs a 10 so as not to take a hit on AC. Well, the new armor system solves that problem quite eloquently. Dex can now be dumped!

So, that's my initial impression of D&D Next. I've got a first playtest scheduled this week and will post again with my thoughts after actually playing a game.