D&D 5E Break this House Rule: Advantage(s) can stack

DND_Reborn · Jul 13, 2019

We've been stacking advantage/disadvantage in this manner since the start. Hasn't bothered or broken anything and since no one at our table is a crazy multiclassing min/maxer crit hunter, we have yet so suffer such an issue. Frankly, if someone went through all the trouble to do it, I doubt our DM would care.

In other words, house-rule on!

Blue · Jul 13, 2019

People are talking about starting at lower levels? How about:

Elven Hexblade 5 using Devil's Sight + Darkness (advantage to hit, disadvantage to be hit), Shadow Blade (advantage in dim or darkness), Elven Accuracy (reroll one die when rolling with advantage) on a Cursed target.

Effectively 4d20 to hit, with 3d8 base weapon damage all multiplied on a crit, and crits on a 19-20 which leads to over 1/3 chance to crit.

Note: Hexblade was for curse, not CHR as attack stat since Shadowblade doesn't qualify for it (holding at end of long rest). That's why Elf for +2 DEX instead of Half Elf. Can be any other type of warlock.

EDIT: FrogReaver pointed out I missed that Darkness and Shadow Blade were both concentration, so it's only 3d20, either Darkness+Devil's Sight (with a lower base damage), or Shadow Blade (but only in dim or darkness).

FrogReaver · Jul 13, 2019

Blue said:
People are talking abotu starting at lower levels? How about:

Elven Hexblade 5 using Devil's Sight + Darkness (advantage to hit, disadvantage to be hit), Shadow Blade (advantage in dim or darkness), Elven Accuracy (reroll one die when rolling with advantage) on a Cursed target.

Effectively 4d20 to hit, with 3d8 base weapon damage all multiplied on a crit, and crits on a 19-20 which leads to over 1/3 chance to crit.

Note: Hexblade was for curse, not CHR as attack stat since Shadowblade doesn't qualify for it (holding at end of long rest). That's why Elf for +2 DEX instead of Half Elf. Can be any other type of warlock.

I like the idea but darkness and Shadowblade are both concentration

Blue · Jul 13, 2019

FrogReaver said:
I like the idea but darkness and Shadowblade are both concentration

Oooh, good catch. Thanks for pointing out my mistake. I'll correct my original.

Swarmkeeper · Jul 13, 2019

CleverNickName said:
This. The whole point to A/D was to avoid repeating the tedious bookkeeping of 3rd Edition, where it wasn't unusual to have a half-dozen different modifiers on nearly every single die roll. "Okay, I'm attacking. I have a +2 to Strength, another +1 for the Weapon Focus feat, +2 because I'm flanking, +1 from that bless spell, ...what do you mean I'm not flanking? Um, in that case I also take a five-foot step so I can be flanking again, so that's another +2...wait, did I already add that in? Let's start over. I have +2 to Strength..."

If you don't mind doing this all over again with dice instead of integers, and haggling with your DM and other players about how many Advantage dice and Disadvantage dice you get to roll at any given moment, I say go for it. But it's definitely not my jam.

This.

Desimplifying A/D with more tracking/math for little tangible return leads to slower combat resolution. Longer turns lead to player attention waning. Hate leads to suffering. This is not something for our table, either.

Esker · Jul 13, 2019

DM Dave1 said:
This.

Desimplifying A/D with more tracking/math for little tangible return leads to slower combat resolution. Longer turns lead to player attention waning. Hate leads to suffering. This is not something for our table, either.

I agree, despite thinking that it wouldn't break anything. I wouldn't actually use this myself for exactly the reasons you list: combat is slow enough as is.

Esker · Jul 13, 2019

For level 5, how about this tag team: kobold open hand monk with grappler, working with a half-drow Mastermind Rogue 4 / Hexblade 1 with elven accuracy.

The rogue casts Faerie Fire and then closes and takes the help action. The monk starts out with a stunning strike (with three sources of advantage: pack tactics, FF, and help), followed by a grapple, and a flurry, knocking the opponent prone (which auto-succeeds due to stunned). The first flurry punch has four sources of advantage (FF, pack tactics, stunned and grappler), the second has those plus prone. Then the mastermind uses Hexblade's Curse and attacks, with four sources of advantage (FF, stunned, prone, and Elven Accuracy) crits on 19, and 1d8+2d6 dice damage. Repeat the stun attempts, or maybe mix in a pin attempt (neutral for the monk, but gives the rogue one more source of advantage).

Esker · Jul 13, 2019

For the third member of the party, a half elf divine soul sorcerer, also with Elven Accuracy, who spends the first round casting Bestow Curse for disadvantage on CON saves, the second casting Blindness (possibly quickened and coupled with a fire bolt), and then spams guiding bolt.

Round it out with a Barbarian 2 / Moon Druid 3, who starts by casting entangle and wild shaping into a dire wolf (pack tactics) then attacks recklessly. Let's say human with savage attacker, just for fun, since we'll be getting lots of crits.