D&D 5E Examples of a Strength Saving Throw

[redrick]

You've been successfully pushed off a ledge. Strength save to grab onto the ledge (or something else, depending on how many handholds cliff-face provides) before tumbling to your death.

You're dining at a restaurant and a giant mirror above your table falls from the wall. Strength save to catch it before it crashes onto you and your family/dining bros. http://ny.eater.com/2015/2/20/8076959/giant-mirror-falls-off-the-walls-of-balthazar-and-onto-diners

You've been lassoed. Strength save not to be pulled in.

 

[sleypy]

11) Giving your opponent a friendly nudge during a foot race.

 

[Xeviat]

I'm in love with the idea of using different saves for a single effect. Dodge or brace? Avoid or catch? Fight back against a mental effect, or calm your mind and let it wash over you. It could avoid the pitfalls of having a low score that you never upgraded against high level save DCs

 

[Xeviat]

But I do think saves should always be for passive and defensive things, even if they seem active.

 

[Sunseeker]

I don't think there's a clear line between "checks" and "saves" saves are a kind of check. So anything that has to do with brute force would work I suppose.

 

[Xeviat]

A check would be Str check to break down a door. A save would be a Str save to keep from getting knocked over by a door

 

[Scorpio616]

I'm in love with the idea of using different saves for a single effect. Dodge or brace? Avoid or catch? Fight back against a mental effect, or calm your mind and let it wash over you. It could avoid the pitfalls of having a low score that you never upgraded against high level save DCs

That is a feature, not a bug. Ignoring shoring up a low stat isn't something to be rewarded.

 

[Li Shenron]

The tricky thing is differentiating between Strength checks and Strength saving throws.

One idea is to use ST for 'checks you cannot choose (not) to do'.

 

[Xeviat]

That is a feature, not a bug. Ignoring shoring up a low stat isn't something to be rewarded.

The bug is that Saving Throw DCs tend to scale at a particular rate. For PCs, they go up with ability scores and proficiency mod. This means they typically go up by +6 or so over the course of 20 levels.

A weak save goes up by 0, and possibly starts in the negative.

So, Jim the Fighter starts with a -1 Wisdom against DC 13 will saves. He can succeed on a roll of 12. It's hard, but he has about a 1/3rd chance of succeeding. Not the end of the world.

At level 20, Jim the Fighter still has a -1 Wisdom save. Only now, DCs from meaningful challenges are around DC 19. He has to roll a 20 to succeed (on top of a failed wisdom save potentially meaning much worse at 20th level then at first).

I don't like this about this system, and I didn't like it about 3rd either. Since I've never seen the designers say that this is an intended part of the system, I'm not really convinced by you simply saying that it is so. Do you have an explanation more than "it is because it is"?

 

[Scorpio616]

Do you have an explanation more than "it is because it is"?

Because it is Jim's player's fault they didn't choose to raise his wisdom. Especially if he pigged out on feats.