D&D is often the classic that gets people into playing RPG's in the first place, but these days there are a number of other options available, both complex and not so complex.
So lets get started with things.
The game functions a bit the same as previous models...except for 4th Edition which most fans of the game would rather forget. Though 4th Edition did have an easier time with character making and combat this did not necessarily make it better.
5th Edition is an attempt to get back to the favored 3.5 Edition while at the same time creating something new. It succeeds to a degree but also fails.
ABILITY SCORES
The 6 classic scores are still present and function much the same as they once did. However there are some complaints here. Now there is still the classic method for determining scores by rolling 4d6 for each score, keeping the best while discarding the 1 lowest roll. Then of course there are the pregenerated scores you can apply. After this each race can apply various bonuses to those scores. and no penalties unlike in previous editions.
The main gripe comes from the point buy system. Buying scores starts at a base score of 8, and you have 27pts to buy up your scores. And the highest score you are allowed is 15. Previous editions allows for a score max of 18, which is my first problem with the system. A score of 10-11 still offers no bonuses, and anything under 10 offers a penalty.
Its an irritation if you want that barbarian to be supremely strong and tough but lacking in other areas. this stands in contrast to what you can potentially roll with 4d6. On the other hand this is what house rules are for.
I've played games where you roll 1d20, 3d6, 24d6 (pick the dice you want to use - no more than 3 per ability score). Or just go with more points for the point buy method.
CHARACTER RACES
The various starting races of D&D are still there: Dwarf, Dragon Born, Elf, Halfling, Half-Elf, Human, Half-Orc, and Tiefling (with the Tiefling and Dragon Born being more recent additions to the game since 3.5 Edition). Now there are also some variations presented for some races as well like the High-Elf and the Wood-Elf.
There are really no complaints here. All races offer an assortment of bonuses for a character like in previous editions. In past editions there were penalties in addition to bonuses but these have been done away with. It could be implied that the lower than normal Ability scores would account for this.
CHARACTER CLASSES
All the classes are back in this edition, including the newer Warlock class that first appeared with a 3rd Edition supplement book.
Each class gets an overhaul for the new edition. The first and most prominent change is the fact that HP is higher for most of the classes. A d6 is the lowest roll now while the highest is a d12.
Also one other change is addition of the Proficiency Bonus which replaces level based bonuses for attacks, saving throws, and so on. Levels still go from 1 to 20. Classes are now set up only to give 1 Feature with each level instead of multiple ones (though this is not always the case, such as is the case with spellcasters). Ability score increases are given by the classes instead of as a general bonus for leveling, and they count as part of the classes Features.
One thing you will notice that is missing are the restrictions on some classes in regards to the character's alignment.
Barbarian
The Barbarian has been rebuilt so that its a more fierce class to deal with when they work without armor. This hearkens back to the stories of Conan The Barbarian, whom rarely wore armor. Old tropes are there as well such as the Rage ability.
Bard
Still one of the classes I will never play. The bard appears much the same as before. They gain access to spells, can play songs, get special skill buffs, and are more or less just there to buff allies and die because bards are useless unless someone is actively defending them.
Cleric
The Cleric is also much the same as it was, but it now has a few new tropes like "Channel Divinity". Aside from their spell casting capabilities the Cleric is still a decent light fighter.
Druid
Again another spell caster class, for those who don't know. The Druid is another class that many people don't like to play. Shapeshifting is still there along with the new Druid Circle feature. One thing new is their ability to wear medium armor, though they are limited to no metal armor or metal shields.
Fighter
Gone are the bonus feats from the fighter. Instead the fighter sees a number of additional improvements and they gain more Ability Score increases than any other class - though this is due to the ability for any class to choose to either increase an ability score or take a feat. The fighter sees the inclusion of a chosen fighting style, gaining a second wind, martial archetype, extra attacks, action surge, and indomitable features.
Monk
The monk has always been one of my favorite classes, but also a class that needed other optional builds, like instead of focusing on being a spiritual based class there could be one that focuses more on the martial aspects of it than the spiritual side. Next to the Fighter, the Monk has possibly the most benefits that can be acquired.
Paladin
The paladin is still much like the cleric in how they are built...except they are of course more combat orientated and have fewer spells. Rather than being bound to an alignment a paladin is bound by the oath they take.
Ranger
The ranger is much the same as they were in the previous editions, mixing some fighter, rogue, and spell caster together.
Rogue
The rogue is is also like the ranger and is mostly the same as they were in the past editions, but with a few changes here and there.
Sorcerer
The sorcerer is still good at what they do and are more the heavy hitter now than the wizard. Something new is the "Font of Magic" feature which gives the sorcerer "sorcery points". This basically allows a sorcerer flexibility in figuring out their spells in addition to enhancing their spells as well.
Warlock
So the warlock seems quite a few changes from previous editions. Their spell progression is figured differently from the sorcerer and wizard.
Wizard
The wizard is more knowledgeable on spells than others thanks to their more open flexibility. One thing that sets a Wizard apart is their "ritual casting" feature with allows them to cast a spell directly from their book with out having it prepared in advance. They also seem to be able to recover spells faster than other classes.
BACKGROUNDS
Moving on from classes you then figure out your background. Its here that you encounter a few new things too. Alignment is still there to help your character with their moral compass. Some of the new things you will encounter are personality traits, ideals, bonds and flaws. These are just things that help flesh a character out, but the GM may even reward players who use these. The idea is that you can gain a bonus in some situations in regards to to these small aspects of your character (often described in a single sentence).
Also new are actual backgrounds that help establish the characters actual history. Backgrounds grant additional benefits that essentially help tell the story of where your character came from. Such benefits can include additional skill proficiencies, languages, equipment, or other possabilities.
The affore mentioned personality traits, ideals, bonds, and flaws are also present in the background offering. Here you can simply roll to randomly determine one, or you can just pick one if the GM is ok with this. This helps to show what is available for characters, and if there was something you had in mind that is not on those lists then they serve as an example of how you would write one up.
Examples of backgrounds include Criminal, Folk Hero, Hermit, and Sailor.
EQUIPMENT
Its odd to see this book in the order it presents things in. Equipment should generally be after skills and feats, but that is not the case here. One change that has been made is how AC (Armor Class) is figured. In this edition the armor worn just gives you your AC and may, or may not, allow you to add your DEX bons to it. Some armor has strength requirements for it to be worn, and some in addition to this also have a Stealth "disadvantage".
Weapons have some new properties noted for them. For example the long-sword is noted as being "versatile (1d10)", meaning it can be used with one hand or two.
General gear is also present and seems mostly unchanged.
CUSTOMIZATION OPTIONS
Ok so this is where you get your additional rules for customizing your characters.
First up are the rules for Multiclassing. Now to multiclass they have implemented some prerequisites in the form of having a certain Ability score(s) of 13 or higher. This isn't a big issue and probably has been a needed thing for some time now as it reigns in on anyone multiclassing into anything. Narratively it gives a reason like "while your Fighter would love to be able to hurl fireballs at his foes, he simply cannot because he lacks the proper gumption (Charisma in this case) to do so.
This means that if you are planing on multiclassing eventually you may want to consider this option back when initially making your character. You gain only certain proficiencies from the new class you take on as well.
Class features may also be impacted, especially if the classes share similar features. As there are notations present regarding handling these.
Finally there are Feats.
I have to say, I hate how feats are done now.
In this new system you have to give up an ability score increase if you want a feat. But feats are also much more powerful in the new system. There are some that still have some prerequisites that have to be met first too. In some cases the Feat still allows for an Ability score increase, but only by 1 point and to a particular score (rather than by 2pts or 1pt for one score and another point for another score).
While some people may like this option, I would prefer that feats be more of a way to further customize your character outside of class leveling, improving in small ways, rather than these bulkier versions. Don't get me wrong, something like this is a nice idea...but they should be presented in a way that you can choose to replace any class feature with one of these feats instead. Maybe having something like "Talents" which grant small bonuses that you only get a few of here and there but can build up with time would be a good addition. But that's just me complaining.
HOW TO PLAY
From this point on the book moves into how to play the game. Saving throws are based on ability scores as are any ability checks. In some cases for some skills one ability can be substituted for another allowing for some leeway in how you wish to roll your skills. For example, if intimidating someone you could use Charisma...but lets say your a barbarian and are quite large and muscular. Here you could rationalize using your Strength bonus instead for intimidation as you look like the type that could break a person's knees with very little effort.
New rules include those for Resting. Here players have the option for taking a Short Rest, or a Long Rest.
A short rest is generally an hour of down time and allows characters to essentially catch their wind and recover some HP (and maybe some spells if allowed). A long rest however is around 8hrs long during which the person can do light activities including standing watch for a short length of time. The upside is that the character regains all lost HP and other benefits of taking a long rest.
Another new option is Training which allows the character some off screen downtime to learn a new language or train in the use of a set of tools. This costs no xp, but just time and money.
From here in the book a significant portion is given over to spells, which is understandable.
The book follows up with five Appendix's, one for Conditions (like being stunned, or poisoned), followed by Gods of the Multiverse, Planes of Existence, Creature Statistics (which gives you a look at a few different creatures and animals that will appear in the monster manual), and some Inspirational Reading.
IS THIS THE GAME FOR YOU?
That is hard to say without actually playing the game. Your looking at around $50 to buy the Player's Handbook just to make your characters. Then if you are looking to run the game your going to need to fork out another $50 for the Dungeon Master's Guide and the Monster Manual. So in all you will have to fork out around $150 to play this new game. No PDF's are available at a discount price either, though they do have PDF's of past editions.
While I would say that this price tag is just another reason to go with Hero System, its really up to you if you want to pick up everything. Like with any hobby this is an investment, though Wizards of the Coast do tend to milk the property for all its worth for a few years before coming up with a new line.
But that's not answering the question. The game seems to have taken a few hints from Star Wars Saga Edition game rules, and is also attempting to embrace rules from the past too while doing its own thing.
I would recommend giving the game system a try, if at all possible with out first buying all the books. Now I'm not advocating getting PDF scans, but if at least one person in your game group is able/willing to get the books (or at least the Player's Handbook) then you can try it out and see if it is up for what your group likes.
UPDATE - 02/12/2015
So last Saturday my game group sat down and played D&D 5th Edition. I on the other hand had to work and could not join them other wise I would have run my Star Wars game.
So my group had some positive comments about the system. So to quote my friends:
Ian - Lesson 1: The HP system is a harsh, cruel mistress, but if your god loves you, you can roll a crit on your first death check!
Steve - I found it easy to run and would like to run/play it in the future. However, it will take some time to get use to the new spells. Ian's character discovered that he could resurrect himself ;P
Jake - It was a great game. Ian is a wimp. He never even came close to dying. That being said having a second person in the party who can heal might be a good plan.
The 5th edition game went well. The system is much simpler than 3.0 / 3.5 D&D but still seems to give a good number of options. I really enjoyed the game and would like a chance to play again.
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At this point I responded back about my dislike for the low starting HP for heroic characters and the magic system which I've never liked as I would prefer to just know "X" number of spells and then be able to spend "X" number of points to cast those spells as much as I like. I then got some responses.
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Ian - The hit points aren't any different from most other editions outside of maybe 4E; they're what they've pretty much always been in D&D. My own take is that 5E has the best version of the (for lack of a better term) "Vancian" magic slots to date in the game. Overall, it feels to me like a modern, streamlined version of old school D&D. It's easy to play and (for better or worse) gives a dose of what I would guess a number f people remember from their salad days of playing in some friend's basement on a Friday night while all the cool kids were off at the high school football game. I had fun with it.
Jake - I also had a positive experience with the system. It was simple to learn which has a lot going for it. I did notice it made for quick and easy fights. As for low hit points I didn’t think it was unfair. We were new characters and being kind of weak forces us to act as a group.
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Now here is where I will partly disagree with this. The thing that D&D fails to keep grasping is that the players are the heroes and if hit once a level 1 character should never be reduced to a death like state. Its unfair and detracts from the fun. At level 1 your not an NPC, your a hero. Sure you might be on the start of your adventure, but your cut from different cloth than everyone else. You should be tougher and being taken out by a single hit is not really fair to anyone.
On the other hand. I do see the point.
Yes at level 1 your not very good at survival. You haven't developed the endurance to stay on your feet, knowledge to roll with a punch, or much else for surviving a fight.
So a final prognosis: Give the new D&D 5th Edition a try. If the game was rubbish my friends wouldn't be lamenting so nicely about it. As for me...I'm just waiting for my turn to give the system a try. After that then we'll see how I feel about it.
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