Recently, I had the chance to play Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition, a new iteration of Obsidian Entertainment’s 2006 CRPG that faithfully adapted the rules of Dungeons & Dragons 3.5e, which was the standard of the time. While I was not particularly impressed by the work Aspyr has done on this updated version of the classic, one element of the game stuck with me: how damn complex character building was in D&D 3.5e. And not in a good way.

I am aware that one of the reasons why many D&D players still miss 3.5e — an improved and expanded version of 3e — is the amount of customization available to characters. However, while creating some builds for my Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition playthrough, I was reminded of how soothing and compelling the simplicity of 5e, instituted in 2014, can be. I am not always a fan of 5e’s streamlined approach to rules. The system works for character classes, I think, but not necessarily for every other aspect of the game. Still, I can’t deny that having a glimpse back at 3.5e character building gave me PTSD.

Starting from the basics, there were a lot more classes available to players in........

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