D&D 5E Shadowdark casting in standard 5E

[Aldarc]

I somehow doubt that most 5E fans would go for random level up benefits, though.

It's admittedly one of the things that turns me off from Shadowdark. That sort of randomized progression is not my thing.

 

[Reynard]

It's admittedly one of the things that turns me off from Shadowdark. That sort of randomized progression is not my thing.

Yeah, it is an interesting tool when creating pre-gens, but my Friday Shadowdark game only just reached 2nd level so I don't know how it feels over the long term.

 

[Bill Zebub]

I somehow doubt that most 5E fans would go for random level up benefits, though.

Oh, sure. I was just spreading the gospel of the wonderfulness we call Shadowdark. Not suggesting that 5e aspire to that which it cannot even dream.

 

[Bill Zebub]

It's admittedly one of the things that turns me off from Shadowdark. That sort of randomized progression is not my thing.

I absolutely said the same thing when I first read Shadowdark.

Other reactions I had:
"What? Fighters don't get multiple attacks at higher levels? I'm going to have to change that..."
"Torches on a real-life timer is never going to work."
"This Close, Near, Far range thing isn't granular enough."
"Thieves aren't strikers? How is that fun?"
"Only four classes, and no subclasses? Sounds too limiting."



Um, yeah. I'm orc enough to admit when I'm wrong.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I somehow doubt that most 5E fans would go for random level up benefits, though.

Yeah, all of my players had to take a beat to digest that. The good (?) news is that characters die so often that getting a disappointing roll doesn't mean a years-long commitment to a less compelling character.

 

[Aldarc]

I absolutely said the same thing when I first read Shadowdark.

Other reactions I had:
"What? Fighters don't get multiple attacks at higher levels? I'm going to have to change that..."
"Torches on a real-life timer is never going to work."
"This Close, Near, Far range thing isn't granular enough."
"Thieves aren't strikers? How is that fun?"
"Only four classes, and no subclasses? Sounds too limiting."



Um, yeah. I'm orc enough to admit when I'm wrong.

I'm not sure if I particularly keen on the implication that I'm wrong to dislike these things. There are many elements of Shadowdark that I do like; however, there are plenty that I know from personal experience that I dislike, and some of those are, unfortunately, fairly core elements of the game.

 

[Bill Zebub]

I'm not sure if I particularly keen on the implication that I'm wrong to dislike these things. There are many elements of Shadowdark that I do like; however, there are plenty that I know from personal experience that I dislike, and some of those are, unfortunately, fairly core elements of the game.

Oh, not that you’re “wrong” at all. There is no right and wrong when it comes to preference and experience.

I was only wrong in the sense that I turned out to really like mechanics that at first I thought I wouldn’t.

Sorry if it came across dismissively.

 

[Aldarc]

Oh, not that you’re “wrong” at all. There is no right and wrong when it comes to preference and experience.

I was only wrong in the sense that I turned out to really like mechanics that at first I thought I wouldn’t.

Sorry if it came across dismissively.

I know it came from a place of love from Shadowdark for you.

 

[Bill Zebub]

I know it came from a place of love from Shadowdark for you.

/swoon

 

[Distracted DM]

I don't want to derail getting into guts of my system (which is still playtesting / work-in-progress), but yeah basically if you fail your Roll-to-Cast, the spell still happens and then the misfire event happens in addition to that. That's if the misfire is wholly negative to the player.

Ex: Player tried to cast an offensive spell (failed Roll-to-Cast) and ended up casting Mirror Image on themself instead.

Ex: Player upcasting Sleep (failed Roll-to-Cast) on a yeti put both the yeti and themself to sleep.

What's the status on the system you're talking about? I was came across this thread thinking about how/if one could import the Shadowdark/DCC casting system into 5e.