A Balanced Party

[@solowolf7418]

The one class that is not needed is the rogue. DM’s can do without traps and locked doors

[@wizardsofthetower3802]

@solowolf741 Thank you for the reply. Sure, you can remove those things. But that would be like saying a healer is not needed, give them potions of healing. It really depends on the adventure

[@solowolf7418]

@@wizardsofthetower3802 I think that is the way they want it wizard. My whole group bickers about who will play the cleric. They are glad that potions are now a bonus action. I don’t mind making healing potions available to them

[@angelojohnson9441]

Traps, sure. Locked doors? Not as much, unless you are not anywhere close to society. Normal people would at least have a door bolt, yes, even peasants historically. In fact it is more likely to find a locked/bolted door than one with a key hole and especially a rotating knob. Furniture behind the door to keep it shut is a classic and timeless method of barricading a door. A peasant having traps? Far less likely, unless you are opening their pantry, then stuff might fall on you because they shove stuff in there and know where their hands should be to catch things (like my sibling putting away tupperware). Rogues are also really good at sneaking, stealing, and backstabbing, which if you need to steal anything in an adventure, there should likely be some sort of lock or puzzle (does not need to be both) unless you are outright mugging people or you are relying HEAVILY on stealth. If you are storming a place to gnab something, that means you are just breaking locked doors anyway.

[@wizardsofthetower3802]

@@angelojohnson9441 Thank you for the comment. Indeed!

[@TwinSteel]

🥳🫂👍🏿 Balance between the PCs is key 🔑

[@wizardsofthetower3802]

Agree

[@swordsnstones]

:) BALANCE!! we dont need no stinkin' balance lol...CHAOS RULES!!!!

[@wizardsofthetower3802]

Chaos Rules!

[@elementzero3379]

Which edition are we playing? With 5e, "optimal play" entails largely ignoring healing spells, avoiding melee combat, and probabaly not playing martial classes. That's not to say that you can't or shouldn't play martials or melee warriors, but they simply can't keep up with ranged warriors nor (especially) spellcasters. Healing spells don't scale with damage output, and are a waste outside of emergency situations. The revised 2024 5e is giving many needed buffs to martials and healing spells. Martials still won't match spellcasters, and healing won't be as good as proactive damage mitigation, but at least they won't feel so bad to use. There's a new Barbarian that looks like a blast to play, and the lowly Monk is now good. The martial-caster divide has thankfully been narrowed.

[@wizardsofthetower3802]

@elementzero3379 Thank you for the reply. We are not fans of 4e or 5E. I have been a player sing 1979 and have played every edition accept 4 (Just did not like what was offered). I have played 5, and it just did not fit my likes of gaming. Never once as a Rogue, did I get to be a rogue. In fact, even the wizard felt more like a fighter. And funny, the guy playing the fighter who was a seasoned player was losing fighters left and right. If you play any Fantasy RPG outside of 4E and 5E (Pathfinder, Shadowdark, OSR, etc), you need a balanced party

[@elementzero3379]

@@wizardsofthetower3802 The experience you describe sounds like 4e. Classes feeling "samey" was a frequent complaint. It was fun, but definitely different from all other editions. Pathfinder doesn't feel much different from WotC D&D to me, but Shadowdark and OSR games certainly require an entirely different approach. I enjoy both 5e's Fantasy Super Heroes and OSR-style grounded fantasy. I'm still trying to decide on my favorite OSR game. Early D&D (and its clones) doesn't do it for me because (humorously) the Rogue feels useless, among other gripes. 😄 Shadowdark has been okay so far, but I've not yet played or run enough games to have a fully formed opinion. Forbidden Lands has a good feel, but I'm not a fan of fiddly dice. The search goes ever on and on, which means ever more gaming.

[@wizardsofthetower3802]

@@elementzero3379 Nope, it was 5E and it just felt SO Off from every other edition of D&D and PF I played. My group saw 4E and we all said WOW Tabletop... NOPE! I still have my PHB for 4E, just for... what ever... Look at and compare, I guess PF1 feels way different that 5E, We are gearing up to play PF2E, but I can see HUGE differences between 5E and PF2E from the get go. I started with the original J. Eric Holms, and within a week, I was into the AD&D (79) I still have a fondness for those games as well as 2E and 3/3.5. PF1 is as close to 3.5 as you can get, the new OSR games really style after 1.2E with a bit of 5E tossed in from what I have seen. YUP, the search is always on for fun games to play. Our group was playing Pirate Borg. no need for balance in those games, just have fun

[@elementzero3379]

@@wizardsofthetower3802 Yeah, I know 3e and PF1 really well. I had lots of fun with them, but don't miss them. I haven't played any PF2e. Reading it, I like some of the new gameplay features. Many have told me that it incorporates a lot of good features from 4e, too, but I've not dug into it enough to have seen that.