One of the things I enjoyed most about PAX was getting the chance to test D&D Next and SR5. My D&D Next thoughts will have to wait, due to my possible playtest participation, but I am free to comment on SR5. The biggest change SR5 makes is creating limits for each set of stats.
The limit is a number derived from your stats in that relevant category (I wasn't able to get a look at what went into each limit). This number serves as a cap on the number of successes any particular roll can garner. More than that, though, it provided a form of Creature Control (CC) against mobs. We discovered this aspect accidentally, as my Street Samurai threw a large quantity of lead downrange at a group of agents, knocking them all to the ground. The battlefield quickly devolved into a comedy of errs as security guard after another fell to the floor, unable to act. While I understand that this was under the purview of a testing scenario, combat seemed resolved from the moment the first hit landed, and the fight was over without a scratch landing on our party in large part because of this limit mechanic.
While limits are a good idea in theory, in practice they have created a balance in which the first landed hit may very well end the fight, even if it doesn't cripple, injure, or kill the victim. I hardly think this was intended, but we'll see how Catalyst adapts this as it moves into revisions of the rules.
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