D&D 5E Why Good Players Do Not 14.25.

[Zardnaar]

Have you really noticed these things, or are you just guessing by looking at what you're reading? Because in actual game play, I'm not noticing that scenario at all. I guess it comes down to who you play with.

I have seen them in a real game multiple times- a hunter ranger with sharpshooter when 5E landed, late 2014 a CE+SS fighter who could hit around 75% of the time and action surges and hit with 5 and 7 attacks each with +10 damage. Due to buffing he would use the -5 paret all the time and was happy if 2/4 attacks hit and he was using them on AC 18-20 foes.

Right now I have a hunter ranger with colossus slayer combined with a mastermind Rogue who usually gives the Ranger advantage. Thankfully the cleric is not using bless much except on high AC monster and there is no bard in the party.

 

[Zardnaar]

Choosing monsters to use, and choosing how to equip those monsters, is categorically not "metagames against you" territory - it's what a DM is expected to be doing whether they allow feats or not.

You are still chaning the way you run encounters due to those feats though which would indicate there is something wrong with them.

Also we use prepublished adventures/encounters a lot. While I could tweak the encounters generally I prefer not run them as is maybe fleshing out some NPCs and the worldbuilding/roleplaying side of things.

 

[TwoSix]

None of my players use either of these Feats...in fact they have pretty much stayed clear of Feats in both Campaigns we play (meanwhile I wallow in them). As a partial experiment I threw a 6th Level Fighter-"Archer" at them with a few Ogres as fodder. Without Bless I was SHOCKED at the damage the NPC did. I made him as per a normal character, so he was a Champion (and it didn't hurt I rolled about 4 19's throughout the entire encounter). He was probably the deadliest encounter thus far in the campaign. Everyone in the group had at least 18 AC, so flipping that around if you have an entire group of people using these Feats against AC 14 enemies...ouch. =D

I gave up scorching ray on my fire sorcerer because trying to compete with single target damage with the Sharpshooter and Great Weapon Master in our party was pointless. Granted, I think martial characters should be better at doing single target damage than casters, but it was a little humbling how thoroughly I was outclassed even with a 2nd level spell.

At least I still have fireball.

 

[TwoSix]

Have you really noticed these things, or are you just guessing by looking at what you're reading? Because in actual game play, I'm not noticing that scenario at all. I guess it comes down to who you play with.

It always does.

I will say at 10th level, though, we absolutely destroy monsters with low ACs (<15), no matter the HPs. They're speed bumps unless they have overwhelming offense.

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

You are still chaning the way you run encounters due to those feats though which would indicate there is something wrong with them.

That's just it - I'm not changing anything.

Saying I am is no more accurate than me saying that you are the one changing the way you run encounters to make those feats even more powerful than they otherwise would be.

Also we use prepublished adventures/encounters a lot. While I could tweak the encounters generally I prefer not run them as is maybe fleshing out some NPCs and the worldbuilding/roleplaying side of things.

That's your choice, but I can't say that I agree that choosing to let someone else decide what monsters and how they are equipped but not letting that same person decide what optional rules you are or aren't using results in it being that other person's fault that things aren't working out the way you wanted them to.

I.e. if you ask me for a recipe to cook ribs with and don't decide to cut back on how much chili powder and cayenne pepper I put in the rub, it isn't my fault you don't like how spicy they turn out.

 

[ccs]

I wonder what the average AC would be in the 1e MM?
{you'd think I'd just KNOW this answer after all these years....}

 

[WarpedAcorn]

I wonder what the average AC would be in the 1e MM?
{you'd think I'd just KNOW this answer after all these years....}

Don't even think about it lest ye risk summoning the ancient demonic spirit known as THAC0!!!

 

[Zardnaar]

Don't even think about it lest ye risk summoning the ancient demonic spirit known as THAC0!!!

I can do you one beter and dig out the to hit charts, THAC0 was an improvement lol.

 

[ccs]

You are still changing the way you run encounters due to those feats though which would indicate there is something wrong with them.

Yeah, so? I change the types of encounters/how I run them based upon A) the PLAYERS present, B) the actual characters they're using. Specific feats are just part of the characters.
I do this so that the game is fun & challenging.

Don't you?

Also we use prepublished adventures/encounters a lot. While I could tweak the encounters generally I prefer not run them as is maybe fleshing out some NPCs and the worldbuilding/roleplaying side of things.

Well if you're not going to do your job as DM, or only do a part of it, I don't see you're complaint as being valid.
Because feats are an optional rule. And the modules (at least the WoTC ones) aren't written accounting for optional rules.
So it would stand to reason that if you allow an optional rule - like feats! - then you might need to adjust some of the encounters.

 

[ccs]

I can do you one beter and dig out the to hit charts, THAC0 was an improvement lol.

That still doesn't tell me the average AC of the stuff found in the 1e Monster Manual (I suspect that it'd turn out to be about AC5)