Playing Pool Of Radiance got me learning the ins and outs of 2nd edition AD&D and I came to the realization today that I prefer games with a magic points or mana system. Probably because I grew up with JRPGs which exclusively deal with MP over spell slots. Don’t get me wrong, D&D is great, but it’s such a pain when you get into battle and you realize you forgot to memorize Detect Magic and now you have a bunch of potential good loot.
I think spell slots are really neat when you take advantage of them like 3.5/Pathfinder did. Each slot was prepared separately, could be left unprepared and then prepared out of combat to adapt to the day, and had lots of metamagic options to make use of different level slots.
But by the time of 5e, slots don’t seem to have any purpose beyond lowering caster flexibility. When we were playing we ruled spontaneous casters could use spell points instead of slots to give them an edge up on the prepared ones.
3.0/3.5/Pathfinder also used Power Points for its psionics instead of slots, and that worked very well. Shame 5e doesn’t have psionics.
I really don’t like 5e on any level. The mechanics are so stripped down it leads to problems for the DM trying to tell an interesting story. The actual rulebooks and materials are a terribly laid out mess that just hurts to try to work with.
Meanwhile Pathfinder 2e is straight up elegant in how it’s mechanics work, and I have never in my life encountered a rule book so brilliantly laid out for ease of use at the table.
I didn’t want to pick a fight with 5e people, but we found it unsalvagable and moved on. Anything kind of campaign we could run in it would work better in some other system we know.
No one I know has played Pathfinder 2e since the playtest, but the low success rates and weakened spells made it feel like a very slow slapstick comedy. I heard some of that was from math issues that were later fixed.
We are considering trying it again, but I keep on getting caught up on the loss of things I loved in 1e, like constant flight or not having to take actions for your minions.
The final blow for 5e, for me, was when I saw that the Owlbear didn’t have a hug attack. It doesn’t have any special attacks or abilities at all. It’s just a hit point blob. One of the most iconic D&D creatures just as nothing. I cannot think of a stronger condemnation of 5e.
Tarrask too. Just a giant bag of HP.
No getting it to -100 hp and casting wish?
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