3rd level characters and some ramblings

Hi there,
So we had a few weeks away from the game and this weekend played one session, with a returning player to join our ranks. We have a sort of guest player who doesn't live near the rest of us so when he visits he joins the game. Last time his character was killed off to facilitate him not being around to play but this time the DM has found a way to keep him behind the scenes by being the captain of our very own flying ship!
A fantasy setting isn't complete without a magical flying ship, so this was very cool in my opinion. My character got to dress up as a pirate.

The flying ship gives us the ability to travel at a relatively good pace which helps to keep the game flowing. Because we never really know when we can play next I think its a good policy for the game to focus on the main quest without being too drawn out. Sometimes drawing out a journey to a goal can be fun, as it increases the tension and the feeling of questing for a hard earned prize. Sometimes a quest is stretched out over great distances (in the campaign) and if this is not portrayed it can make the world feel too small, and not the untamed wilderness it is meant to be.

Our game session consisted of only two combat encounters, which was less than in previous game sessions, but what happened was a higher level of roleplay and encounter exploration. There was some interesting discussions over whether or not we should free a giant spider, including investigative spell casting, use of non-rollable and well as checkable skills and a small amount of in party tension, where the more good aligned characters wanted to show greater compassion than the more direct pragmatic characters would have wanted.

The players are getting into their characters well, and you can see how as players they are making their characters interact and work well together. One of our first encounters (back against the zombies) we had to retreat and prepare ourselves and organize a plan of attack. The fight against the spider was supposed to be avoided - well that's what we were trying to do - so when the fighting broke out there was no time to organize a plan. Yet players had already prepared their characters and paced them in position just in case. That encounter saw some good team tactics and support, made all the more easier to see and describe by miniatures.

DnD Next is has been designed so you can play without miniatures but there is nothing to stop you using them, and it does make it a lot more fun. The game mechanics make battle quicker than 4e and this flow can be maintained even when using miniatures, because you don't have to be as tactical in your execution of skills. A few props were used to represent spell effects and important objects.

The character classes being played are getting quite fun now they are 3rd level and we have had some hours to play them at this power level. Its good to see the Fighter using sweeping strike to take out two opponents with one hit, and the Ranger picking injured targets to maximize the use of his Colossus Slayer perk. I'm playing a sorcerer and I am loving the metamagic, being able to change how spells work makes this character so much fun. It also adds a new level of tactics which for me is important as I do like to play complex characters.
You can see how each class has its specialty and we as players are now getting the first real chance to let our characters special skills show. The fighter is the the primary melee attacker being able to easily wade in and take on multiple enemies, but also ( and this is very good in DnDNext) aid in he defense of nearby allies. The fighter is the natural leader in combat.
Our ranger is mightily skilled in ranged combat and is the guy to dish out massive damage on a single target to help bring down the enemy boss, a very good support roll in a fight and a very good scout of course. Just coming into spellcasting we have yet to see the rangers full potential but his tracking skills are very useful.
The sorcerer is the fire brand. Busting out massive damage in the first couple of rounds to devastate the enemy before running of of steam and having to flit around the battle field helping where she can. The sorcerer has been able to take down enemies with one spell hit. Maybe the dice rolls have been unlucky but even though she is dexterous and is using finesse weapons in melee she can't hit a cows arse with a banjo!
The Druid is the controller and support, able to deal damage from a distance, heal, and do well in melee combat. The Druids massive choice of spells makes her a very versatile character able to offer aid and has good roleplay / noncombat powers which are very useful.

Out of all the characters the druid seems to be the hardest to play which is down to the fact that it is very much a multitasking character and so does not really specialize in anything. The large number of spells available compared to the number that can actually be memorized for the day, while very useful does mean that quite often the player is having to wait until the next day to perform a spell task. As we continue to play we will no doubt see a natural selection process of 'day to day' spells but for the moment its an overwhelming choice and of course a lot of spells to try and learn.

The power levels seem right. The sorcerer can deal the most damage in one hit but can only really do this twice before having to fall back on spells that equal the fighters damage output for a few rounds and then is relaged to low damage output, and then the enemy can save for half damage. The fighter can dish out extra damage on a few attacks but has the advantage of being a constant slogger. The ranger is like a weapon wielding version of the sorcerer but can maintain the damage output against a single creature. The druid can deal out a lot of damage as well with some spells but also has a lot of other non damage spells.

The fighter has the best armor class and can aid the defense of others. The sorcerer isn't too bad defense wise due to a class perk which gives them improved armor but is limited in combat. The druid has similar limitations on combat but our player has actually made melee a bit of a common fallback.
In terms of non combat character skills the fighter and sorcerer in our group have the fewest. The sorcerer beats the fighter due to a higher intelligence so giving her more proficiencies and languages to choose from. The rangers tracking/hunting and wilderness skills alongside a good dexterity makes him a formidable assassin. Our ranger player has almost exclusively used his bow in combat except for this last game session where he tried his hands at swordsmanship. The druid is the support role with healing and spells, and also her animal form makes her a great scout and burglar.

Third level has given the characters a strong base of skills, and a decent enough number of hit points to allow them to experiment a bit more with their characters without risking an untimely death. We should therefore see the players pushing the boundaries of their characters more to see what they can achieve, and by doing so better understanding their strengths and weaknesses.