Balancing D&D

[TwoSix]

Okay, so Dueling Fighting Style is +2 damage per attack. Assuming 10 base damage and a 65% hit chance (no Archery), that's 6.5 damage, which means Dueling is a 30.7% increase. Is Dueling OP? It's just one 1st/2nd-level class feature...GWM/SS are feats! What percentage increase in damage would be "balanced"?

I’ll let you check your math again before I make a fuller reply.

 

[Greg Benage]

I’ll let you check your math again before I make a fuller reply.

Okay. (2/6.5) * 100 = 30.7%. Proceed.

 

[Blue]

If you review the different optimizing guides you find 5 main tools : SS, GWM, Sorcerers twin and quicken, Warlock agonizing blast, and Paladin smite.

Simple solution nerf them all!

Remove the -5/+10 for an ability increase.
Disallow MC with other caster classes for paladin, sorcerer and warlock.

Simplest doesn't always mean best though. The MC removal in particular sounds like using a shotgun to kill flies. Not as overwhelming as nuking ti from orbit, but still massive overkill.

 

[5ekyu]

"No, the feat should bring your spear up to parity with a fighter using a longsword and a feat/ASI."

So one class had a feature giving martial and simple weapons, another class only gave simple wpns and other stuff, but after the feat spear fighter has weapon side parity in output?

Cool.

 

[Invisible Stalker]

Why do I get the feeling that before he sits down to play chess CapnZapp removes all the knights, bishops, rooks and queens.

 

[Satyrn]

Why do I get the feeling that before he sits down to play chess CapnZapp removes all the knights, bishops, rooks and queens.

I remove my king - you can't lose if there's nothing to mate!



. . . well, that's uh, rather lonely

 

[Oofta]

Why do I get the feeling that before he sits down to play chess CapnZapp removes all the knights, bishops, rooks and queens.

Absolutely. Must remove all overpowered pieces. Kings and pawns are perfectly balanced and all you need. Except maybe the king, what's up with that "any direction" cheese?

 

[Dausuul]

Okay. (2/6.5) * 100 = 30.7%. Proceed.

Duelist does not grant damage on a miss. You have to multiply the Duelist damage by the hit chance as well: 1.3/6.5 = 20%.

 

[Greg Benage]

Also, using absolute values downplays the effect. "2.5" doesn't seem like much, in the "6 on the die", "10 base damage" row. But 6 on the die is a 75% hit rate. 75% * 10 base damage is 7.5 damage, which means that 2.5 is equivalent to a 33% damage increase. 33% is a lot!

Duelist does not grant damage on a miss. You have to multiply the Duelist damage by the hit chance as well: 1.3/6.5 = 20%.

If the base damage is 10, Dueling is providing a 20% increase in expected damage per attack regardless of the target's AC. I'm not sure why we'd be interested in that. That's why both TwoSix and I stipulated a hit chance and adjusted the math accordingly. If your base damage is 10 and your hit chance is 65%, your average damage per attack is 6.5. If you have Dueling style, that +2 is a 30.7% increase.

To be more precise, though, assuming +5 Str/Dex modifier and a d8 weapon, the one-hander's base damage is really 9.5. So 9.5 * .65 = 6.175, and (2/6.175) * 100 = 32.4%. I don't think that's the math [MENTION=205]TwoSix[/MENTION] wanted me to double check, but I'm not sure.

 

[Tony Vargas]

Simplest doesn't always mean best though. The MC removal in particular sounds like using a shotgun to kill flies. Not as overwhelming as nuking ti from orbit, but still massive overkill.

"It's the only way to be sure..."