I found that there is a big difference, especially when players remember their weapon masteries. My Best example is that the players at level 5-6 have so many ways to automatically without a save knock a flying creature prone, resulting in it falling to the ground, that flying almost useless. Weapon masteries really change the outcome of encounters (when the party remembers they have weapon masteries).
Interesting! I've definitely found Weapon Masteries have been quite impactful, though I haven't run across any auto-proning stuff at my tables as of yet.
Epic boon feats are not lost with multicalssing. You just have to land an asi in as lv 19 or20. You can get 2 even if you take lv 16 and4 in 2 diffrent classes as you pc lv 19/20
I ran Mirror Image on my fourth level Bard the other night and just found the new mechanic on it so easy to remember compared to the old one. I still got critted into oblivion by a drider when I stepped up on him with one image left so it's still very possible for the DM to damage the player using the spell once one to two images get knocked out.
Great video Timothy! Informative and you didn’t feed into the drama. Perfect. Hope to see more content from you. After commenting I looked at your video catalog and you have a ton of content! Awesome!
Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it, and I hope you find something useful in my backlog! :D If there's anything missing that you'd be interested in, just shout out, I'm always happy to take on new topics!
Simple fix for the multiclassing dipping past level 1 or 2 is not allow Epic Boons. Baffles me to no end that those were included in the PHB. I will not be allowing them so it won't be a problem at my table. Those really should have been in the DMG as boon means it is granted by someone or something. Not just an entitlement. Just like Bastions. I won't be using that pile of garbage either.
The term Boon is a little silly, I’ll agree, though I largely quite like the epic feats as presented, personally. Mileage on these things obviously varies! Thanks for your comment!
You are mistaken about the Epic Boons tho. You still qualify for it if you get a feat and you are level 19 at least, regardless of your classes and class levels. The requirements for epic boon feat is 19th level character. Not 19th level single class character.
This is true, as long as you don’t dip 2 or 3 levels, but dip 1 or 4+ and time your level ups carefully, you can still get an Epic Boon. But the common 17/3 is no longer viable, nor is an 18/2.
I heard in another video that people are confused about the level 19 Epic Boon, that it actually is a feature outside the class even though it is listed on the table, so everyone gets it at 19th level whether you multiclass or not. I haven't read the rules for myself, so it could be that those rules were wrong early on & have been corrected in D&D Beyond already, or maybe people just have conflicting opinions about how the text reads. {SHRUG} Just something I heard that I thought I'd ask if you found the wording a little dodgy on that or if it is someone just hoping for the best had misquoted to stir up some drama?
It’s a feature in that you can access Epic Boons if you get a feat at 19th or 20th character level, but you don’t automatically get one separate from your class features. :)
My first experience of the new surprise rules was not good. The party were creeping along a sewer when a carrion crawler crept up and attacked from behind. The rear guard rolled a bad perception check and the party was surprised by the carrion crawler. So guess what happened? The whole party, all 5 of them, acted before the carrion crawler that had surprised them. 🤨 They didn’t know it was there, they were surprised, and yet they killed the crawler before it did anything to them to even alert them of its presence! 😠 I’m going to stick with RAW for now but if I keep getting unsatisfactory results it’s going to have to be some house rules I’m afraid.
I would just rule it that if you get surprised you go last. You can roll to see what order the players go in but the monsters go first every time. Or if the players surprised someone or something else they go first.
@ yep, I’m thinking that’s the way I’m going to go with it. Setting up an ambush and getting no benefit from it due to the vagaries of the dice feels bad to me.
I dont see the purpose to this video without the release of the new MM that's going to be the big factor. how players work against the new monster designs.
Wow your brilliant arn't you. Thats not at all what I meant. Trying to determine if "combat" is fixed without the monster stats seems like an effort in futility, since you are missing half the game and the most important aspect of combat. In no way did I suggest no one could have an opinion about the system.
It’s true that the MM will fill in a lot of how things will interact with monsters, but what we have now in the PHB are “the rules” and how they’ve changed from PHB to PHB felt relevant to me. :) mileage varies I guess!!
@@DM-Timothy Ultimately the most important thing that needed to be changed in combat is player vs monster and the CR system. Its honestly the only change I think they are making that might be a good thing. Lots of the other changes seem lazy, and not thought out that well. I mean they made surprise kinda meaningless now (advantage = lazy). Forever I have just homebrewed surprise to be, when you have surprise, you just auto-win initiative, and you choose your order of actions if it was a planned ambush. When obviously broken things have gotten through into the new system like conjure minor elementals I have very little faith in any substantial improvements that are not better fixed with more creative homebrew.
@@scetchmonkey007 Totally fair stance. I quite like a lot of the changes, and have yet to see any published product that didn't have a few broken pieces. Perhaps I'm just a forgiving sort, lol, I dunno. I don't anticipate any change to the CR system due to backward compatibility needs, but I am interested to see how they rebalance creatures to match the power level of the CR they're at, if at all.
Great video - and a handy recap, as I'm still to properly go though the new PHB. I've really enjoyed running combat in DnD 2024 - there's less work moment-to-moment for me as GM, especially with the new stealth rules. The new Surprise rules are a highlight for me too - it still feels like an advantage worth seeking out for the players if they know they're going into something deadly, but it makes it less likely that a combat will be over before one side gets to act, which can be ok when the PCs are doing it, but no fun for them if the monsters return the favour!
I find the new Stealth rules to be disappointing. The rogue for example, keeps rolling like a 14 to hide, which means he fails even though the passive perception of the monsters are like a 10. I suppose it means they see him go behind the obstacle. It feels very disappointing to me as the DM, I can't imagine how disappointed the player is themself. I still think surprise works best if the person initiating it takes an attack/spell and then combat begins instead of the mess of initiative that 5e has, because of how many times you end up with enemies acting before the triggering event even takes place, which becomes more silly if the rogue is hidden and hasn't revealed themselves yet.
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I've largely enjoyed the surprise rules, too. Sometimes the upsets can be irritating or weird, but I've found narrative reasons to include them and it has worked out great. I really enjoy granting advantage to people who "pull the trigger" on a combat in order to give them some benefit for being the guy who made the final decision in a standoff, without making their draw an auto-win.
No need for concern, I married up in the world. My wife is older than I am, and I inherited a bunch of extended family over the 22 years we have been together. :)
I have some great players, and for many of them, Weapon Masteries are already flowing quite smoothly. It's still more steps than before, so it's a bit slower, but it's still a lot faster than an indecisive player trying to figure out which spell to cast! :D
@@TwinSteel Not particularly, no. Most seem to pick a "schtick" and rinse and repeat it round by round. Only occasionally (largely for rogues so far) have people hesitated on the choice of which weapon to use.
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
WOW! That Was ME!
I found that there is a big difference, especially when players remember their weapon masteries.
My Best example is that the players at level 5-6 have so many ways to automatically without a save knock a flying creature prone, resulting in it falling to the ground, that flying almost useless. Weapon masteries really change the outcome of encounters (when the party remembers they have weapon masteries).
Interesting! I've definitely found Weapon Masteries have been quite impactful, though I haven't run across any auto-proning stuff at my tables as of yet.
I really hope you hit your goal, I think your take on many of the topics is unique. It's interesting having the view of a professional DM. Thanks Tim.
Thank you so much! Comments like that keep me going :)
Epic boon feats are not lost with multicalssing. You just have to land an asi in as lv 19 or20.
You can get 2 even if you take lv 16 and4 in 2 diffrent classes as you pc lv 19/20
Totally true, they’re just lost with careless multiclassing or 3 level dips. :)
There's a cat at the end! Every youtube video should have a cat at the end, tbh. Great video all round!
I would watch more RUclips if there were more cat videos… I’m just saying!
Great video. Pretty much agree with everything you said. I like your presentation manner as well.
Thank you so much! I appreciate it!!! Glad you enjoyed the video.
I ran Mirror Image on my fourth level Bard the other night and just found the new mechanic on it so easy to remember compared to the old one. I still got critted into oblivion by a drider when I stepped up on him with one image left so it's still very possible for the DM to damage the player using the spell once one to two images get knocked out.
Yeah though it at first seemed like an unnecessary change, I definitely like the new mirror image.
Great video Timothy! Informative and you didn’t feed into the drama. Perfect. Hope to see more content from you.
After commenting I looked at your video catalog and you have a ton of content! Awesome!
Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it, and I hope you find something useful in my backlog! :D If there's anything missing that you'd be interested in, just shout out, I'm always happy to take on new topics!
Simple fix for the multiclassing dipping past level 1 or 2 is not allow Epic Boons. Baffles me to no end that those were included in the PHB. I will not be allowing them so it won't be a problem at my table.
Those really should have been in the DMG as boon means it is granted by someone or something. Not just an entitlement. Just like Bastions. I won't be using that pile of garbage either.
The term Boon is a little silly, I’ll agree, though I largely quite like the epic feats as presented, personally. Mileage on these things obviously varies! Thanks for your comment!
Very fair. I think the foundation is flawed, but this is a fair assessment based on the system.
You are mistaken about the Epic Boons tho. You still qualify for it if you get a feat and you are level 19 at least, regardless of your classes and class levels. The requirements for epic boon feat is 19th level character. Not 19th level single class character.
This is true, as long as you don’t dip 2 or 3 levels, but dip 1 or 4+ and time your level ups carefully, you can still get an Epic Boon. But the common 17/3 is no longer viable, nor is an 18/2.
I heard in another video that people are confused about the level 19 Epic Boon, that it actually is a feature outside the class even though it is listed on the table, so everyone gets it at 19th level whether you multiclass or not. I haven't read the rules for myself, so it could be that those rules were wrong early on & have been corrected in D&D Beyond already, or maybe people just have conflicting opinions about how the text reads. {SHRUG} Just something I heard that I thought I'd ask if you found the wording a little dodgy on that or if it is someone just hoping for the best had misquoted to stir up some drama?
It’s a feature in that you can access Epic Boons if you get a feat at 19th or 20th character level, but you don’t automatically get one separate from your class features. :)
My first experience of the new surprise rules was not good.
The party were creeping along a sewer when a carrion crawler crept up and attacked from behind. The rear guard rolled a bad perception check and the party was surprised by the carrion crawler. So guess what happened?
The whole party, all 5 of them, acted before the carrion crawler that had surprised them. 🤨 They didn’t know it was there, they were surprised, and yet they killed the crawler before it did anything to them to even alert them of its presence! 😠
I’m going to stick with RAW for now but if I keep getting unsatisfactory results it’s going to have to be some house rules I’m afraid.
I would just rule it that if you get surprised you go last. You can roll to see what order the players go in but the monsters go first every time. Or if the players surprised someone or something else they go first.
@ yep, I’m thinking that’s the way I’m going to go with it. Setting up an ambush and getting no benefit from it due to the vagaries of the dice feels bad to me.
@@garethhamilton1252 same.
The new rules definitely leave room for some upsets. I kinda like that, sometimes, but it can be irritating if it goes too far.
HAI CELLO!
I dont see the purpose to this video without the release of the new MM that's going to be the big factor. how players work against the new monster designs.
So nobody should make any videos about their thoughts on the system for like 6 months? Gtfo
Wow your brilliant arn't you. Thats not at all what I meant. Trying to determine if "combat" is fixed without the monster stats seems like an effort in futility, since you are missing half the game and the most important aspect of combat. In no way did I suggest no one could have an opinion about the system.
It’s true that the MM will fill in a lot of how things will interact with monsters, but what we have now in the PHB are “the rules” and how they’ve changed from PHB to PHB felt relevant to me. :) mileage varies I guess!!
@@DM-Timothy Ultimately the most important thing that needed to be changed in combat is player vs monster and the CR system. Its honestly the only change I think they are making that might be a good thing. Lots of the other changes seem lazy, and not thought out that well. I mean they made surprise kinda meaningless now (advantage = lazy). Forever I have just homebrewed surprise to be, when you have surprise, you just auto-win initiative, and you choose your order of actions if it was a planned ambush. When obviously broken things have gotten through into the new system like conjure minor elementals I have very little faith in any substantial improvements that are not better fixed with more creative homebrew.
@@scetchmonkey007 Totally fair stance. I quite like a lot of the changes, and have yet to see any published product that didn't have a few broken pieces. Perhaps I'm just a forgiving sort, lol, I dunno. I don't anticipate any change to the CR system due to backward compatibility needs, but I am interested to see how they rebalance creatures to match the power level of the CR they're at, if at all.
Great video - and a handy recap, as I'm still to properly go though the new PHB.
I've really enjoyed running combat in DnD 2024 - there's less work moment-to-moment for me as GM, especially with the new stealth rules. The new Surprise rules are a highlight for me too - it still feels like an advantage worth seeking out for the players if they know they're going into something deadly, but it makes it less likely that a combat will be over before one side gets to act, which can be ok when the PCs are doing it, but no fun for them if the monsters return the favour!
I find the new Stealth rules to be disappointing. The rogue for example, keeps rolling like a 14 to hide, which means he fails even though the passive perception of the monsters are like a 10. I suppose it means they see him go behind the obstacle. It feels very disappointing to me as the DM, I can't imagine how disappointed the player is themself.
I still think surprise works best if the person initiating it takes an attack/spell and then combat begins instead of the mess of initiative that 5e has, because of how many times you end up with enemies acting before the triggering event even takes place, which becomes more silly if the rogue is hidden and hasn't revealed themselves yet.
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I've largely enjoyed the surprise rules, too. Sometimes the upsets can be irritating or weird, but I've found narrative reasons to include them and it has worked out great. I really enjoy granting advantage to people who "pull the trigger" on a combat in order to give them some benefit for being the guy who made the final decision in a standoff, without making their draw an auto-win.
They had put out anything in 10 yrs and sales were down. So they come out with lame changes.
Am I the only one concerned with "graddaughter"?
Amazed rather than concerned. DM Tim doesn’t look a day over 40😮
that whole “I EVEN make Mormon’s feel uncomfortable with my family tree” vibe
No need for concern, I married up in the world. My wife is older than I am, and I inherited a bunch of extended family over the 22 years we have been together. :)
🥳🫂👍🏿
Slowing down martials makes sense - after a few months, I’d love to hear how much it has sped up for your table
I have some great players, and for many of them, Weapon Masteries are already flowing quite smoothly. It's still more steps than before, so it's a bit slower, but it's still a lot faster than an indecisive player trying to figure out which spell to cast! :D
@ many thanks 🙏🏿 good to hear - have you seen anyone slowing things down to decide which weapon mastery to use?
@@TwinSteel Not particularly, no. Most seem to pick a "schtick" and rinse and repeat it round by round. Only occasionally (largely for rogues so far) have people hesitated on the choice of which weapon to use.
@ that’s great news