Lokishadow
First Post
Okay, so maybe this is the wrong forum. But let me explain.
I have had a long love affair with D&D; 20 years, to be exact. And then one day...
A friend introduced me to (gasp!) White Wolf.
I love the flexibility of WW. It's a great, almost realistic, system. It allows for some truly epic fights, and an incredible amount of character flexibility.
And yet, I still love D&D. d20 is probably the greatest thing to happen to D&D to date. But I have this nagging problem of trying to stike a balance between realism and fun-factor. Get shot in the head (playing a mortal) in WW, and your character is dead. But shoot the uber-badguy in the head in d20, and he takes 2d8+4 damage, averaging out to 13 points off of his 96hp total.
Basically, the problem boils down to numbers, and a little into game concept. In WW, if your character isn't something supernatural (a vampire, werewolf, etc) your survivability goes straight down the tubes. Even a simple fight with the villian's flunkies can end in character death, with only a slightly smaller probability of said death than fighting the actual "boss." But in d20, you can pull some uber-kewl 1,000 yard .50-cal head shot on the "boss," and he'll take, what, 27 points of damage?
And then there's what I call the "level divide." Enemies of significantly lower level than you are "extras," and get mowed down by the dozens. But try to tackle that red dragon 5 levels early and you need a new character.
But in WW, so-called "extras" pose entirely too much of a threat to the PC's.
So, where's the balance point? What do I do? Escalating skill ranks in a level system make the impossible routine, but basic accoutrements in WW make flunkies a serious threat.
Help?
-Loki
I have had a long love affair with D&D; 20 years, to be exact. And then one day...
A friend introduced me to (gasp!) White Wolf.
I love the flexibility of WW. It's a great, almost realistic, system. It allows for some truly epic fights, and an incredible amount of character flexibility.
And yet, I still love D&D. d20 is probably the greatest thing to happen to D&D to date. But I have this nagging problem of trying to stike a balance between realism and fun-factor. Get shot in the head (playing a mortal) in WW, and your character is dead. But shoot the uber-badguy in the head in d20, and he takes 2d8+4 damage, averaging out to 13 points off of his 96hp total.
Basically, the problem boils down to numbers, and a little into game concept. In WW, if your character isn't something supernatural (a vampire, werewolf, etc) your survivability goes straight down the tubes. Even a simple fight with the villian's flunkies can end in character death, with only a slightly smaller probability of said death than fighting the actual "boss." But in d20, you can pull some uber-kewl 1,000 yard .50-cal head shot on the "boss," and he'll take, what, 27 points of damage?
And then there's what I call the "level divide." Enemies of significantly lower level than you are "extras," and get mowed down by the dozens. But try to tackle that red dragon 5 levels early and you need a new character.
But in WW, so-called "extras" pose entirely too much of a threat to the PC's.
So, where's the balance point? What do I do? Escalating skill ranks in a level system make the impossible routine, but basic accoutrements in WW make flunkies a serious threat.
Help?
-Loki
