I haven't played any edition of D&D since 2E. Although 3E was available to me when it was first released, I snubbed it upon learning that characters could freely take levels in any number of classes they wanted with virtually no restrictions.
I had long since aged out of the gaming scene by the time 4E was released, so I really know nothing about its system. Likewise for 5E. Can anyone give me a quick rundown of the differences in these editions? I briefly researched them, but the only articles I came across didn't get into any specifics beyond "characters now have powers," without further explaining how "powers" might differ from spells or whatever character-specific skills earlier editions had.
The only thing I don't like about classic editions is the THAC0 system making it retardedly difficult to land a hit. I'm not sure if newer editions did away with THAC0 or balanced probabilities to make swinging your weapon much less of a tedium, but that would probably be a welcome change.
>>48328596
In 4e, there are four basic roles: Leader, Defender, Striker, and Controller. Each class falls under one of these roles, though the specifics of how they do so are unique. Leaders heal and improve allies' capabilities (and tend to be the party face), Defenders draw fire and tangle up enemy forces (and are more durable, so they can survive traps and falls and such better), Strikers deal the most damage and have the best mobility (and typically have exploration-based skillsets), Controllers apply disabling effects to groups (and are usually the knowledge-based party members).
Each class has its own set of powers which reinforces their role while defining its individual characteristics. You gain new powers (or replace older ones with better ones) at almost every level. Most of these powers are combat-based, but you also get utility powers that provide some other capability. For example, one of my favorites is the Warlock's Beguiling Tongue, which gives you a +5 bonus to a Bluff or Intimidate check.
What this all means is that the structure of all the classes is a lot more unified. Every class gains new powers of similar potency at the same levels; it's the contents of those powers that give each class its flavor.
>>48328596
>I snubbed it upon learning that characters could freely take levels in any number of classes they wanted with virtually no restrictions.
holy shit
>>48328596
D&D 5e is the latest edition, and don't worry, it doesn't use THAC0. It uses the same basic "roll a d20, add relevant modifiers, compare to target number" mechanic that 3e and 4e used, and the six basic stats are all still there. There are a few big changes that are worth noting, since you've been away for so long.
To elaborate on how multiclassing works in 3e and 5e (I can't speak for 4e since I haven't played it), instead of having parallel classes with their own experience point totals, you instead have your character level, which is the sum total of all your class levels, and everyone requires the same amount of experience points to reach a given level. This means that if you have 5 levels in fighter and 5 levels in rogue, you're a level 10 character.
Another big thing that 3e and 5e did was give each class unique abilities that they gain every few levels, and what 5e did was give you a choice of an archetype that further differentiates your character from other members of the same class. This, in addition to feats (which anyone can take), means characters are more customizable and variable than they were in 2e. For example, you could have a party of fighters, all with different specializations -- in 5e, this could be a party with a champion, a battle master, an eldritch knight, a monster hunter, and a cavalier. They'd all be good at straight-up fighting, but they all approach it in a different way and have very different abilities.
Also, the biggest difference with 5e is that it has something called "bounded accuracy," which is a term I'm still not quite clear on, but apparently it means that the numbers don't bloat wildly out of control (except hit points).
The way 5e's basic numbers game works is that you have your Proficiency Bonus and your ability scores. Your proficiency bonus starts at +2, and caps out at +6 when you hit level 17, and you add it to everything you're proficient in -- this could be attack rolls with a weapon, a skill roll, a saving throw, a spell attack roll, or to the target number (or difficult class, DC) that an enemy needs to roll a saving throw against to resist a spell you cast.
What this does is keep numbers more or less under control and within a relatively small range throughout the game. Back in 3e, you could have a level 20 character who would have a +33 to something, and a +4 to something else, making the latter thing pretty much useless. In 5e, it would be closer to +12 vs +4, which is still a significant difference, but is a bit more reasonable.
It also means that the DM gets more mileage out of weaker monsters, since they can still hit and deal damage and thus pose a viable threat in large enough numbers. When was the last time you saw a party of level 15 characters afraid of ordinary orcs?
>>48329319
He's right though, 3.x's multiclassing system was a masterpiece of shitty design.
>>48328596
They never made it easier to land a hit. They just got rid of the stupid inverted AC system and the THAC0 slot on your character sheet.
(THAC0 was never a rule, it was a shortcut to help you memorize the rules because you had to consult a gigantic fucking chart to figure out the odds to hit. This is because TSR was a publishing company and they needed to sell books and charts to make money. If you want an easy-to-memorize system that's straightforward and logical, here you go: the DM tells you your odds of hitting, you roll d100, if you roll below the percentage, you hit. Fucking boring.)
>>48330151
Oh, I never said he was wrong. I liked how 2e handled multiclassing better, but I'm sure it would throw power levels out of whack if I brought it back for 5e.
>>48329659
2e also had bounded accuracy, they just didn't call it that.
>>48328596
D&D adjusts damage output per round to suit the sort of hit points monsters of your level have not by increasing or decreasing damage* but by adjusting your chance to hit them. So if you play low level characters in 2e, their THAC0s are going to be pretty modest because you only need to land a blow or two to take out an enemy. At higher levels though, fighters get to the point where they have trouble missing most targets. Keep in mind though that even at THAC0 20, you're going to hit an unarmored target more than half of the time (and you're unlikely to be fighting too many heavily armored targets when you're just starting off).
*Damage improves as you level a bit due to magic weapons and whatnot, but not by nearly the amount that your chance to hit does.
>>48330151
The system was shitty, but the concept is fine.
>>48328596
You probably want an OSR system, check the general. If you really want to try something new feeling based on 2e, look up classic fantasy.
>>48329469
>(I can't speak for 4e since I haven't played it)
4e multiclassing works in two ways:
There's "normal" multiclassing, in which you spend feats to grab abilities and powers from another class, and then have the option to have full access to a class's powers later, in exchange for giving up your paragon path. It's usually not a very good option, there are a number of houserules to improve it.
The other option is Hybrid multi-classing, which works from level 1 by essentially fusing 2 classes together. So you take, say, barbarian and sorcerer and become a barbarian-sorcerer hybrid, with access to the powers of both and some abilities from both.
Some combinations work better than others, but then, that's true of all multiclass.
