D&D 5E Personality Test for insight on how a group wants the Rules to Function

Bawylie said:

You could do a session zero and simply ask what the players want.

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This. +100

So I asked my fictional, somewhat sarcastic, hyperbolic and passive aggressive Adventurers' League Encounters table these questions - their answers follow.

Oddly they all had different answers (H. represents the "Kobayashi Maru" answer).

Question 1a: The Prince Battercap (Noble 8, AC 13, 51 hp) is being held by the Vladessa the Assassin (Rogue 6, AC 16, +7 Attack for 2d4+4 +6d6 on an Assassinate sneak/+3d6 normal) with a knife to his throat. She threatens to kill him if the party tries to prevent her escape. Which do you prefer to happen (you are a party member)?
A.) The villain is allowed to back away out of the room after some witty banter, throws the prince down and escapes.
B.) The villain backs away, slits the prince’s throat because the party let her, and the party chases her down.
C.) The party attacks because the Assassin can’t Assassinate since no one is surprised and can’t one shot the prince anyway (average damage 40 vs. hp 51).
D.) Play stops while we poll the message boards on how this should be resolved.
E.) Roll initiate if the party wins they take her down before she can act, if the assassin wins she saws on the Prince’s throat for 17 damage (dagger plus sneak) fails to kill him then gets cut down.
F.) Situation won’t happen because the Prince won’t be in that situation if he still had positive HPs. If the Assassin had already reduced him to 0 hp with a successful attack and chosen to take him hostage instead of killing then it could happen.
G.) Situation won’t happen because the Prince would already be dead. The assassin would have already moved full plus Dash from Cunning action, then taken the hide action behind a bystander (because all rogues are halflings) to become effectively invisible.
H.) Insert your Option here.

Question 1b: Your character Prince Battercap (Fighter 8, AC 17, 60 hp) fails a Will save versus Hold Person from an assassin's ally Enchantro and is subsequently being held by the Vladessa the Assassin (Rogue 6, AC 16, +7 Attack for 2d4+4 +6d6 on an Assassinate sneak/+3d6 normal) with a knife to his throat. She threatens to kill him if the rest of party tries to prevent her escape. Which do you prefer to happen?
A.) The villain is allowed to back away out of the room after some witty banter, throws you down and escapes.
B.) You wait until you succeed on a Will save versus Hold Person and then succeed in breaking the Held condition continuing the fight.
C.) The party attacks because the Assassin can’t Assassinate since no one is surprised and can’t one shot your character anyway (average damage 40 vs. hp 60).
D.) You tell the party to shoot the hostage. They do and you take 45 damage. Vladessa is not surprised (Alert feat) and finishes you for another 17 from the sneak with advantage. Fortunately you get better after a short rest.
E.) Roll initiate if the party wins they take her down before she can act, if the assassin wins she saws on your throat for 18+4 damage (short sword plus sneak and a twf for another 4) fails to kill Battercap then gets cut down (no assassin uses a dagger – they dual-wield short swords).
F.) Situation won’t happen because the Prince won’t be in that situation if he still had positive HPs. If the Assassin had already reduced him to 0 hp with a successful attack and chosen to take him hostage instead of killing then it could happen.
G.) Situation won’t happen because the Assassin would already be dead. The party first strikes anything that might be a threat. Four greatsword attacks at +8 for 2d6+5 with action surge make short work of him against his weak DPS.
H.) Insert your Option here.

Second set of 5. Inspired by a true thread.

Question 2a: In an adventure climax, your character Thod and his friends are fighting Hodar the Invincible on the back of an enormous Skyray at an altitude of 450’. Thod is bullrushed off the edge of the Skyray with 85 hp remaining. Which do you prefer to happen?
A.) Thod falls 450’ and takes 20d6 damage (70), climbs to his feet and looks for a way to rejoin the fight.
B.) Thod rolls a DC 15 Dexterity save and catches the edge of the Skyray for half damage, climbs back up with a DC 10 Strength check and continues the fight. If he fails he takes 70 damage from the fall and looks for a way to rejoin the fight.
C.) That’s stupid you can’t stand on the back of a flying Skyray. The air currents would knock you off or at that very least require a Strength or Dexterity check DC 20 every round. You’d never get that far up without falling off.
D.) Thod falls prone as a free action in response to being Bullrushed thus he doesn’t fall, but is prone.
E.) Thod can’t be bullrushed. He is wearing the Boots of Icantbemoved. And even if he did fall he’s wearing a Ring of Featherfalling (standard gear for level 8).
F.) Thod falls and takes 70 falling damage and triggered the massive damage option. Roll a DC 15 Con save or die, otherwise he takes 1 roll on the Lingering Injury table as if he were critted.
G.) Thod takes damage for the ‘fall’ but catches the edge of the Skyray because his hit points were not reduced to 0, he climbs back up on his turn wary of being knocked off again because he would have fallen to his insta-death if his HP had been reduced to 0.
H.) Another character should have a chance to help Thod. They must success at a skill check.

Question 2b: In an adventure climax, your character Thod and his friends are fighting Hodar the Invincible on the back of an enormous Skyray at an altitude of 450’. Early in the encounter, Hodar is bullrushed off the edge of the Skyray with 165 hp remaining. Which do you prefer to happen?
A.) Hodar falls 450’ and takes 20d6 damage (70), climbs to his feet and looks for a way to further his goals.
B.) Hodar rolls a DC 15 Dexterity save and catches the edge of the Skyray for half damage, climbs back up with a DC 10 Strength check and continues the fight. If he fails he takes 70 damage from the fall and looks for a way to further his goals.
C.) That’s stupid, Hodar would never put himself in a situation where the party could do 70 damage with an at-will attack. Instead he collapses his throne room on the party when he is reduced to half and dimension doors to the Skyray hanger to escape as a bonus action. The party takes 10d6 collapsing throne room damage.
D.) Hodar falls prone as a free action in response to being Bullrushed thus he doesn’t fall, but is prone.
E.) Hodar can’t be bullrushed. He uses a Legendary Resistance against the Bullrush for the auto-save. And even if he did fall he’s wearing a Ring of Featherfalling (standard treasure for a level 8 hoard).
F.) Hodar falls and takes 70 falling damage and triggered the massive damage option. Roll a DC 15 Con save or die, otherwise he takes 1 roll on the Lingering Injury table as if he were critted.
G.) Hodar takes damage for the ‘fall’ but catches the edge of the Skyray because his hit points were not reduced to 0, he climbs back up on his turn.
H.) Insert your Option here.

Meat or Mojo? Narrated Wounds or no? Gritty or not gritty? Rule of Cool?

Question 3a: You are fighting an axe-wielding orc chieftain in melee. Your character has 42 hp remaining. The Chieftain rolls a ‘20’ and the damage comes up 26 which is nearly max on 2d12+4. Which do you prefer to happen?
A.) The DM says, “Crit for 26”. You reduce your hit points to 16 and continue play.
B.) The DM says, “The Orc Chieftain gashes your chest with a mighty blow. Take 26”. You reduce your hit points to 16 and continue play.
C.) The DM rolls on the Lingering Wounds table with a serious result and then says, “The Orc Chieftain severs your leg with a mighty blow. Take 26 and you lose your left leg”. You reduce your hit points to 16 and continue play with the results of the Lingering Wounds result.
D.) Instead of immediately rolling damage the DM rolls a second d20 to check for insta-kill on a second ‘20’. Otherwise you take the 26 rolled for damage.
E.) The DM says, “The orc chieftain nearly connects a serious blow. Take 26.” You reduce your hit points to 16 and continue play.
F.) The DM says, “The Orc Chieftain gashes your chest with a mighty blow. Take 26”. You reduce your hit points to 16 but find it difficult to think you will recover that damage in 60 minutes of milk and cookies.
G.) The DM rolls on the Lingering Wounds table with a serious result and then says, “The Orc Chieftain severs your leg with a mighty blow. Take 26 and you lose your left leg”. You immediately take action to keep your character from bleeding out.
H.) Insert your Option here.

Question 3b: You are fighting an orc chieftain in melee with an axe. The orc has 42 hp remaining. You roll a ‘20’ and the damage comes up 26 which is nearly max on 2d12+4. Which do you prefer to happen?
A.) You say, “Crit for 26”. The DM reduces the orc’s hit points to 16 and play continues.
B.) The DM says, “[Insert name here] gashes the orcs chest with a mighty blow”. She reduces the chieftain’s hit points to 16 and continues play.
C.) The DM rolls on the Lingering Wounds table with a serious result and then says, “[Insert name here] severs the orc’s leg with a mighty blow. You cut off his left leg”. She reduces the orc’s hit points to 16 and continues play with the results of the Lingering Wounds result.
D.) Instead of immediately rolling damage you roll a second d20 to check for insta-kill on a second ‘20’. Otherwise the orc takes the 26 rolled for damage.
E.) The DM says, “The orc chieftain is nearly killed by the serious blow.” She reduce the orc’s hit points to 16 and continues play.
F.) Impressed by the result the DM says, “You cleave the chieftain from shoulder to sternum with your mighty blow. He collapses in a pile of entrails”. High fives all around!
G.) We don’t do crits, auto-hit is good enough. In general they are a detriment to the party.
H.) Insert your Option here.

Player H is a cheater. CHEATERRRRR!!!

Question 4a: The group decides to roll stats with the default method. Your results come up: 11, 13, 14, 6, 13, 12 which is below point buy. Which do you prefer?
A.) Make the best character possible with what was rolled.
B.) Use point buy instead.
C.) Pretend that was just a practice roll and try again.
D.) Roll 3d6 in order instead.
E.) Lobby for a reroll under the ‘too weak to survive’ provision.
F.) Reroll 1s and 2s to increase the average and raise the minimum possible.
G.) Keep the roll but suicide the character first chance I get.
H.) Keep the roll except write down the ‘6’ as ‘16’.

Question 4b: The group decides to roll stats with the default method. Your results come up: 14, 16, 15, 17, 17, 18 which is significantly better than the other players. Which do you prefer?
A.) Each character uses your result. The DM increases the difficulty.
B.) You use this opportunity to make a suboptimal character.
C.) DM runs default difficulty and fails to challenge your character.
D.) DM runs increased difficulty and intentionally targets your character.
E.) Lobby for a reroll under the ‘too awesome to play’ provision.
F.) It won’t make a difference. Max life expectancy is 3 sessions.
G.) Keep rolling because you can do better.
H.) Lower all the stats by 2 except for the ‘18’.

I could do this all day, but won't. Feel free to join in.

Question 5: Your 6th level character has 42 hit points and has been hit for 4, 2, 9, 6, and 15 (a crit) over the course of a day with 4 encounters. Currently you have 6 hit points. Which do you prefer?
A.) The character recovers to 42 hit points with 8 hours of sleep.
B.) The character recovers 6 hit points with 8 hours of sleep but gets more back from magical healing.
C.) The character recovers to 42 hit points with 1 hour of rest and 5 Hit Dice of Healing spent.
D.) The character recovers to full with magic after every serious encounter and never gets down to 6 hit points unless it is just one long fight.
E.) The character recovers to full with a short rest after every serious encounter and never gets down to 6 hit points unless it is just one long fight.
F.) The character has 5 separate bumps, bruises, or cuts. They heal quickly except the one for 15 which is more serious.
G.) The character has 5 separate wounds. They require magic to heal quickly otherwise it may take a week or more to recover.
H.) Insert your Option here.


Question 6: Your 5th level Archery-style Fighter uses a Crossbow. Which do you prefer?
A.) With a Heavy Crossbow my character can shoot twice per action at +8 for 1d10+3 because I took Crossbow Expert at 4th. With an action surge I reload and shoot 4 times.
B.) With a Heavy Crossbow my character can shoot once per action at +9 for 1d10+4 because I increased my dexterity by 2 at 4th. With an action surge I reload and shoot twice. However I have disadvantage if an enemy is next to me.
C.) I dual wield hand crossbows because I took Crossbow Expert at 4th to shoot 3 times per round at +8 for 1d6+3. With an action surge I reload and shoot 5 times total.
D.) I use a hand crossbow with a shield because I took Crossbow Expert at 4th to shoot 3 times per round at +8 for 1d6+3. With an action surge I reload and shoot 5 times total.
E.) My character doesn’t use a crossbow because there is no way to shoot and load more than once in 6 seconds.
F.) My build is human with a feat at 1st. I have Crossbow Expert (1st) and Sharpshooter (4th) with a 18 Dexterity because we roll stats. I attack 3 times per round with a Hand crossbow at +9 for 1d6+4 or if I have Bless or Advantage (or the target is easy to hit) attack at +4 for 1d6+14. Using a shield keeps my AC high. With a surge I reload and shoot 5 times.
G.) I use a rapier and hand crossbow in combat. Normally I attack twice with my rapier (+6 for 1d8+3) and then shoot for +8/1d6+3 at the start of combat. At range I just use the hand crossbow twice and sheath my sword. After the first round, I only use my rapier unless I find time to reload my crossbow.
H.) We use the playtest rule for combining attacks. I upped Dexterity at 4th and attack once at +9 for 2d10+4 normally. With an action surge I combine two more attacks for 4d10+4 total if I hit.

"A Dire Tortoise arises from the beach sand..."

jodyjohnson said:

I could do this all day, but won't. Feel free to join in.

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My attempt, below.



Question 7. Your party is negotiating with an NPC who is obviously not "Good." How do you prefer to proceed.

A. Let the party's "Face" character do the talking for as long as he/she wants.
B. Let the party's "Face" character ask a couple questions, then have "Mr. T." threaten and/or intimidate said NPC.
C. Give the NPC one chance to give the correct answer, then go for the intimidate option.
D. Stab the NPC once and then negotiate.
E. Cut the NPC down to single-digit hit points, then negotiate/intimidate.
F. Pay the NPC for the information.
G. Offer to pay, get the info, then don't pay.
H. "Speak With Dead." Know what I mean?

Leon Kowalski was sitting at the kids table because he couldn't hang with the big boys/girls.

Any answers he may have made have been stricken from the record.

TarionzCousin said:

My attempt, below.



Question 7. Your party is negotiating with an NPC who is obviously not "Good." How do you prefer to proceed.

A. Let the party's "Face" character do the talking for as long as he/she wants.
B. Let the party's "Face" character ask a couple questions, then have "Mr. T." threaten and/or intimidate said NPC.
C. Give the NPC one chance to give the correct answer, then go for the intimidate option.
D. Stab the NPC once and then negotiate.
E. Cut the NPC down to single-digit hit points, then negotiate/intimidate.
F. Pay the NPC for the information.
G. Offer to pay, get the info, then don't pay.
H. "Speak With Dead." Know what I mean?

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H. We don't negotiate with suspected terrorists.