D&D 5E Attack Bonuses

[Quixoticelixir]

With the latest packet, what are we looking at with regards to attack bonuses at the different levels, including magic items (and other effects that boost to hit)?

 

[Falling Icicle]

Characters can get up to +5 to attack rolls from their class levels, +5 from their ability score (or higher, if they have a magic item that boost an ability score above 20), and up to +3 from a magic weapon. A 20th level fighter with a belt of storm giant strength (29) and a +3 magic weapon could have a +17 to hit. That's the highest attack bonus I've been able to come up with. If ioun stones are allowed to stack with other bonuses, you could add another +2 to that (using a pale blue rhomboid to boost str to 30 and a pale green prism for a +1 to attack rolls).

 

[Sage Genesis]

That Fighter really is about as high as you can get, barring temporary effects like Bless spells. If there will be equivalents to the belts of giant strength for other ability scores, a Moon Druid could get +20 by using Flame Blade while in dire beast form, but that's speculation. Anyway, magic items can roughly double your accuracy. Which is really kind of weird, considering the highest monster AC in the game right now is 18. Even Asmodeus, a level 20 entity who's arguably a god, only has 17.

A regular 1st level Fighter will have about +5 to hit. At level 20 he'll have +10. With items out the wazoo he can get nearly +20.

 

[RangerWickett]

Okay, so can we please get rid of those stupid items, then, since they ruin the whole point of bounded accuracy?

A belt of storm giant strength should let you wield weapons as if you were huge. So you could grab a 15-ft. long longsword and start swinging it for 2d8 damage per hit, but your attack bonus and Strength mod to damage should still just be whatever your normal Strength gives you.

I'm fine with up to +3 from magic, as long as that is the absolute max. You can have a +2 sword and that ioun stone, or a +3 sword, or a super-bless that gives you +3, but nothing should ever let you go over that.

 

[JamesonCourage]

Can't you just do that by controlling the magic items in your game?

Though, to be fair, I can see the problem if crafting / expected wealth is on the table. So, yeah, some variants might be nice. Only a bonus to damage for +X swords, or whatever. As always, play what you like

 

[Chris_Nightwing]

Yeah the belts are all very well meaning and traditional, but the bounds for Str bonus were smaller back then.

 

[jodyjohnson]

The Strength Belts need to come way down. Probably Maximum of effectively +2 over 20 Strength or less. Add another option such as the larger weapon or just bonus damage.

An option to throw rocks would be fine.

 

[Ratskinner]

Yeah the belts are all very well meaning and traditional, but the bounds for Str bonus were smaller back then.

I think dealing with the mods is the key.

Not that I have strong opinion on exactly how they should be modded. I mean, to me, the obvious solution is to eliminate ability scores entirely or wrap them into class abilities, but we're bound by those sacred cow thingies.

 

[Dausuul]

Do keep in mind that the belt of storm giant strength has a rarity level of "artifact." If "artifact" means the same thing in 5E that it has in previous editions, I don't have a problem with it granting the full benefits of 29 Strength. Artifacts are supposed to be crazy powerful--you don't expect the Hand of Vecna to be balanced.

 

[ki11erDM]

Yep. You should only have one Belt of Storm Giant Strength in your multiverse. And only 2 or 3 Belts of Fire/Cloud Giant Strength.