Transitioning from 2nd Edition D&D to 5th Edition (Part I)

Introduction

I’ve been playing Dungeons and Dragons for around forty years or so. I remember back in the  early 80’s playing with my friends. I remember the first set of “dragon dice” I ever saw, being fascinated by the green 8-sided die. Back then, there was Dungeons and Dragons consisting entirely of three boxed sets: Basic, something set in the wilderness, and, of course, the Expert Set and Master Set. I didn’t play the original version of D&D much, but kind of skipped along to Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 1^st edition. I remember all the handbooks that came out from the Player’s Handbook to the Dungeon Master Guide to the Monster Manual – and then there was the Fiend Folio, Deities & Demigods, The Unearthed Arcana, The Wilderness Survival Guide and a whole bunch of others that I’ve forgotten. And then came 2^nd edition, and that’s where I got really swallowed up in the game. I mean, honestly, I think I had a level of obsession with D & D bordering on psychological dysfunction. But I loved it.

Anyway, after a hiatus of a few years, I got into D & D again, skipping over all the intermittent editions and instead deciding to play 5^th edition with some friends of mine. It’s interesting. Different. But interesting.

Now that I’ve been playing for a couple of years, I feel like doing a little compare and contrast type of post, exploring the features I like better in 5^th edition than 2nd, the features I like less, and the ones I’m a little ambivalent about.

So, without further adieux, let’s get into it, shall we?

Things I Like in 5^th Edition

The Delineation of the Types of Damage Inflicted

There were always hints of damage types in 1^st and 2^nd edition D & D, but in 5^th, they did their due diligence and really made all the distinctions crystal clear. Back in the day, you’d run across the occasional creature that might be resistant to fire damage (like a Fire Giant or a Red Dragon) or some other type of damage. It was usually limited to things like fire-based damage, cold-based damage, or what have you. When necessary, it was added in the monster description, but it always seemed kind of like an ad hoc type of thing.

5^th edition, though, changed that. They organized the types of damage and created an exhaustive list of such types. Starting with normal weapon damage – slashing, piercing, and bludgeoning – and moving on to the more exotic types like – poison, necrotic, fire, electrical, cold, etc… There is, of course, the possibility that the “exhaustive list” is not as “exhaustive” as it should be, that the designers overlooked a damage type that might be required, but in two years of playing, I haven’t encountered any instances where we needed a damage type that was not found on the list.

So, too that, I say, “Well done!”

Clearer rules on Conditions

Much like the clearer delineation of the types of damage, the 5^th Edition system also has a far clearer delineation of the types of “conditions” that can affect an individual. You have clear cut rules for being grappled, paralyzed, restrained, etc… Again, the conditions are sorted and distinguished each with its own particular criteria and effects.

Back in the day, whenever you encountered a creature that had a special ability that led to a special condition – say a Giant Spider that sprays webbing – you’d get rules to handle the condition that was based on each individual creature. One spider might have one set of special rules to handle the webbing encounter whereas another type of spider would have still entirely other rules.

Soo, again, I say, “Well done!”

Overall Simplification of System

Generally, I find the simplification of the gaming system to be a great plus to the game. It gives a kind of consistency and uniformity that makes the system easy to get a hang of. It’s easier to follow.

Back in 2^nd Edition, although I enjoyed it immensely, it was easy to get bogged down in details and gaming minutiae. Of course, as a young teenager with “infinite time” on my hands, I found it totally engrossing. Now, not so much.

So, I am glad of the simplification of the system, and, again, I say, “Well done!.”

Conclusion

Okay, that covers the details of three specific improvements of 5^th Edition Dungeons and Dragons vs. 2^nd Edition (and 1^st) – at least, according to my opinion. I hope you found the discussion entertaining and informative. Next week, we’ll cover a few items that I don’t like how they were done in the new (5^th edition) system.  Again, just my two cents. Feel free to disagree.