Highlights
- Baldur’s Gate 3 set a precedent for future D&D games to make the adjustments they need to the D&D rules.
- Changes in spellcasting and ration requirements demonstrate how the game caters to the virtual medium’s needs.
- Limiting choices for races, spells, classes, and subclasses in the game helps with game balance and aids verisimilitude.
Baldur’s Gate 3 adapts a lot from its D&D 5e base, but isn’t afraid to play fast-and-loose with that same TTRPG ruleset—making a host of key changes. As more and more D&D games get announced, the way Baldur’s Gate 3 adapts 5e rules is something future titles could take inspiration from.
In terms of those future games, the most notable at the moment would be Gameloft’s upcoming D&D game. While not much is known about Gameloft’s project, fans can expect a survival/sim RPG set in the Forgotten Realms. In the same setting will be an eventual sequel to Baldur’s Gate 3, albeit without Larian’s involvement. That game will be a long way off, with Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast looking for a developer that will meet expectations. This is without mentioning WOTC’s upcoming VTT that should be released more-or-less alongside 5e’s 2024 rules update, which will be using Unreal Engine 5 and will be released on consoles.
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Baldur’s Gate 3 Shows How Future D&D Games Would Benefit From Bending The Rules
It’s no secret that Baldur’s Gate 3 changes up D&D 5e in some big ways. Though many of its changes are similar to popular house rules, such as potions of healing taking a bonus action to consume, others are tailored to the video game medium. This is a pivotal design philosophy to have when translating a real-life experience that lacks automation in math and other systems to a virtual experience, and it’s something future D&D titles need to take onboard.
Baldur’s Gate 3’s Changes Suit A Virtual Experience
One change that really demonstrates how Baldur’s Gate 3 shifts design to suit its needs is in regard to spellcasting. The game deviates greatly from D&D 5e by allowing players to cast a leveled spell as a bonus action and action on the same turn. Considering the sorcerer’s ability to quicken spells, this effectively allows for any two leveled spells to be cast in one turn. This is far too powerful for most D&D games, but Larian has the advantage of balancing its own game; Larian can control its game’s difficulty in a way that WOTC designers, who have to account for all types of official and hombrew encounters, cannot.
Another way Baldur’s Gate 3 changes things up is with ration requirements for long rests. The need to consume enough rations to gain the benefit of a long rest is something that most D&D tables would rather avoid, considering how much bookkeeping such a rule would involve. Luckily, the virtual medium can take care of inventory contents better than a paper character sheet and human memorization. In fact, this mechanic in particular would be a great fit for Gameloft’s survival-based D&D game.
In D&D Games, Less is Often More
After a decade since release, D&D 5e is drowning in choices for players across official and third-party sourcebooks. Baldur’s Gate 3 limiting the choices for races, spells, classes, and subclasses to little more than what 5e’s Player’s Handbook offers may be a negative for some, but it really helps control game balance. Fewer options means less work for the developer, which likely means better balancing. Moreover, avoiding a smorgasbord of absurd genre-splices really aids verisimilitude.
The Spirit Of D&D Goes Beyond the Rules
The spirit of D&D is different for everyone. Some like their games to have advanced diplomacy and political intrigue, while others will fall asleep without at least one combat encounter in a session. However, when translating this experience into a game, fantasy adventures that mix epic heroics with hijinx are what should be striven for. In this sense, the rules of 5e are secondary to creating a great experience for fans and newcomers alike.
Baldur’s Gate 3
Baldur’s Gate 3 is a Dungeons and Dragons inspired RPG developed and published by Larian Studios. Featuring both a single player and cooperative element, players create their character by selecting a starting class, take on quests, level up, and engage in turn-based combat using the D&D 5th edition rule set.
- Franchise
- Baldur’s Gate
- Released
- August 3, 2023
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence
- How Long To Beat
- 30 Hours
- Metascore
- 96
- Split Screen Orientation
- Vertical Only
- Number of Players
- 1-4
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
- Local Co-Op Support
- 1-2 Players
