DM's Workshop: 5th Edition

By now, everyone who would know should already know: the 5th Edition Basic Ruleset has been released (for free!) by Wizards of the Coast. As a bit of an exercise in seeing what the rules are all about, I've noodled with two of the characters from the main Chronicle: the fighters Varis and Gillam. It's a preliminary first pass.

Just looking at the number variations between BECMI/RC D&D and 5th Edition, it looks like they've front-loaded quite a bit into the various classes: more hit points, more opportunities for healing. But they're also packing a bit more punch; I know Mearls has said that PCs would be hitting more often from the get-go.

Second level 5th Edition characters are looking more like 4th or 5th level BECMI  PCs. Is it good? Bad? I'm indifferent. It embraces quite a different kind of storytelling at the table, I think, at earlier levels. PCs can maybe be a bit braver than their latter-edition counterparts. It might take three hits to kill off a PC now, instead of just one!


Part II: ClericPart III: Sorcerer
Part IV: Warlock
Part V: Bard
Part VI: Thieves