D&D 5E Poll on the Reaper: is damage on missed melee attack roll believable and balanced?

[El Mahdi]

My faith in WotC's ability to find that middle ground is weak. I sure as hell wouldn't want to be the one trying to find it.

Actually, I have quite a bit of optimism in them. In this one small instance I think they missed the mark. I also think it's easily fixed by them. But I do believe that WotC can pull it off, and I'm rooting strongly for them to do so. But I agree, overall it's going to be a tough job of designing.

However, I think as long as we continue to give them good, polite feedback...as most of this thread has been...I think they'll be able to find that middle path.

 

[Scribble]

I don't think that's accurate. Natural healing rates (ie, rules) in previous editions certainly implied a particular interpretation, and second wind in 4E (a rule) also implied a certain interpretation (as did its fast recovery of HP).

I think it depends on where the rule enters in actually.

With the healing rates prior to 4e I'm not sure it really DID imply anything. It was just a game rule largely you heal X amount per day, but it didn't really describe what that healing meant.

You could still divorce it from one interpretation or the other. You could imagine it was wounds closing, or you could imagine it as you gettin your mojo back or both.

(And yes 4e I think had the same issue as this for some people.)

I think it's a general problem for all rules though. Anytime you add a rule it has the potential to force your imagination to a degree. I think we'll see the issue spring up anytime someone who's been imagining something one way for like 15 years is suddenly asked to re-imagine it.

 

[El Mahdi]

Yep. The biggest threat to the hobby is its fans.

I disagree. The biggest threat to the hobby (D&D) is a game company that won't listen to it's fans.

When it comes right down to it, that was the biggest problem during the last edition.

But, so far, I don't see this happening this time around. Now if they decide to ignore feedback like what's in this thread, then we have the same problem again. I have faith though that they won't do this.

 

[El Mahdi]

During 4e the standard answers to "I dont like X" were:

Don't use it

Or

Just do X, Y and Z. Bam. Done.

Neither of these satisfied most people and they lost alot of players. People are not going to get everything they want, but I think attempts by the designers to explain away beievability issues, attempts by the fans to pressure people to adopt the edition despite mechanics they dont like, will fall on deaf ears.

Man! I owe you some serious XP once that system is back up. I can't agree more!

 

[GMforPowergamers]

I disagree. The biggest threat to the hobby (D&D) is a game company that won't listen to it's fans.

When it comes right down to it, that was the biggest problem during the last edition.

But, so far, I don't see this happening this time around. Now if they decide to ignore feedback like what's in this thread, then we have the same problem again. I have faith though that they won't do this.

Even though the poll shows 70% give or take want the feat as is

 

[CleverNickName]

I disagree. The biggest threat to the hobby (D&D) is a game company that won't listen to it's fans.

Easier said than done. The fan base is so polarized on some things that Wizards simply cannot win. Take the dragonborn, for example: if they include that race in the Player's Handbook, about 50% of their fans will howl in outrage. If they do not include it in the Player's Handbook, the other 50% of their fans will howl in outrage. They can't do both, so "compromise" is out of the question. No matter what they do, half their fans will be outraged.

Now, repeat this exercise, but instead of "dragonborn," use tieflings. Or warlords. Or warlocks, healing surges, or whatever definition of "hit point" is in style these days. The fan base becomes less and less satisfied as a whole with each decision they make.

The online surveys and playtesting will help a lot at first, by helping people feel involved, like they have some influence over the direction of the game. But when the final product hits the shelves, more of these fans will be frowning than smiling.

 

[Bedrockgames]

Even though the poll shows 70% give or take want the feat as is

We can't go by a single enworld poll. I suspect had they done a poll on heaping surges in 2007 the reaction would have been about 60 percent favorable. The issue is how strongly does the remaining 40% fee and is it enough to make them wake away. In all honesty, one mechanic like htis isn't going to bother me. I think it is strange but can still play the game, but if it is part of an overall pattern of design (as it was with 4e) then I will not make the switch back to D&D.

 

[El Mahdi]

Even though the poll shows 70% give or take want the feat as is

Yup.

A little more effort on it, and I'm sure they can get more than 70% to like it.

70% is a C-.

I think they can do better than that.

 

[Fifth Element]

Even though the poll shows 70% give or take want the feat as is

The biggest threat to the hobby is a game company that doesn't listen to me.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

We can't go by a single enworld poll. I suspect had they done a poll on heaping surges in 2007 the reaction would have been about 60 percent favorable. The issue is how strongly does the remaining 40% fee and is it enough to make them wake away. In all honesty, one mechanic like htis isn't going to bother me. I think it is strange but can still play the game, but if it is part of an overall pattern of design (as it was with 4e) then I will not make the switch back to D&D.

So to recap when 60-70% is against you, it is about how much it matters not numbers???

Please tell me that is a joke this thread shows (and only this thread) 2/3+ of people want it to stay... Going by this data don't change the feat