Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
The
VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX
is LIVE! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
Rolling Abilities
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="AverageTable" data-source="post: 4359490" data-attributes="member: 71718"><p>Yes, when dealing with <em>short-term effects</em> with <em>short-term consequences</em>.</p><p> </p><p>A lucky attack roll only has an immediate, short-term benefit. Its consequences, in the greater scheme of things, are negligible since they will be balanced out by just as many unlucky attack rolls.</p><p> </p><p>Similarly, an unlucky attack roll only has an immediate, short-term penalty. Its consequences, in the greater scheme of things, are negligible since they will be balanced out by just as many lucky attack rolls.</p><p> </p><p>There is, however, an <strong>ENORMOUS</strong> difference between this:</p><p> </p><p></p><p> </p><p>and this:</p><p> </p><p></p><p> </p><p>The latter group is of the kind described above. Such rolls concern <em>short-term effects</em> with <em>short-term consequences</em>.</p><p> </p><p>The <em>former</em>, however, are completely and totally different. When you roll ability scores or hit points you are basing <em>loooooong-term effects</em> and <em>loooooong-term consequences</em> on single highly random and highly variable rolls whose conseqences will carry on-and-on-and-on-and-on-and-on throughout the rest of the campaign.</p><p> </p><p>If you roll a 16 for your Strength instead of a 14. That gives you a <strong>PERMANENT</strong> +1 bonus to all strength-based attacks, damage rolls, and skill checks for your character's <strong>ENTIRE</strong> career due to nothing but a single, momentary turn of chance.</p><p> </p><p>Likewise, roll a 12 instead of a 14 and you suffer a <strong>PERMANENT</strong> -1 penalty to all of these rolls for the <strong>ENTIRE</strong> life of your character.</p><p> </p><p>This is nothing, I repeat <strong>NOTHING</strong> like making a single attack roll. To compare the two kinds of rolls is fallacious in the extreme. They are completely different, have completely different consequences in the game, and must, therefore, be treated very differently.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="AverageTable, post: 4359490, member: 71718"] Yes, when dealing with [I]short-term effects[/I] with [I]short-term consequences[/I]. A lucky attack roll only has an immediate, short-term benefit. Its consequences, in the greater scheme of things, are negligible since they will be balanced out by just as many unlucky attack rolls. Similarly, an unlucky attack roll only has an immediate, short-term penalty. Its consequences, in the greater scheme of things, are negligible since they will be balanced out by just as many lucky attack rolls. There is, however, an [B]ENORMOUS[/B] difference between this: and this: The latter group is of the kind described above. Such rolls concern [I]short-term effects[/I] with [I]short-term consequences[/I]. The [I]former[/I], however, are completely and totally different. When you roll ability scores or hit points you are basing [I]loooooong-term effects[/I] and [I]loooooong-term consequences[/I] on single highly random and highly variable rolls whose conseqences will carry on-and-on-and-on-and-on-and-on throughout the rest of the campaign. If you roll a 16 for your Strength instead of a 14. That gives you a [B]PERMANENT[/B] +1 bonus to all strength-based attacks, damage rolls, and skill checks for your character's [B]ENTIRE[/B] career due to nothing but a single, momentary turn of chance. Likewise, roll a 12 instead of a 14 and you suffer a [b]PERMANENT[/b] -1 penalty to all of these rolls for the [b]ENTIRE[/b] life of your character. This is nothing, I repeat [B]NOTHING[/B] like making a single attack roll. To compare the two kinds of rolls is fallacious in the extreme. They are completely different, have completely different consequences in the game, and must, therefore, be treated very differently. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
Rolling Abilities
Top