D&D 5E Quibbles with NEXT rules

[RangerWickett]

I'm prepping for a game at Gen Con, and I plan to use NEXT. A few things are irking me.

The action Dodge gives you advantage on Dex saves and makes attacks against you gain disadvantage. It is generally useless to dodge if you're fighting in a dark area where the enemy takes disadvantage from seeing you (or any other circumstance wherein the enemy has disadvantage on attacks). If there's a VIP who must live, and one PC is 'hindering' the enemy while the VIP tries to dodge, the efforts don't stack. If a spell already gives you advantage on saves, there's no benefit to dodging if you expect an incoming fireball.

I know a GM can rule in such instances, but it'd be nice if there were some guideline like, "If you have advantage from two sources, instead you get advantage and a +2 bonus."


Also, it might be more complicated than it's worth, but I'd like for a fighter to be able to divide his 'deadly strike' dice among targets when using 'volley' or 'whirlwind attack.' Right now a 20th level fighter can do 5d8 with a longsword against one target, or 1d8 against up to five targets, but not 3d8 and 2d8 against two targets.


Should resisting grapple be a 'saving throw,' so a fighter might be able to use Hold Fast or Lightning Reflexes to break free more easily?


Should Perfect Self for monks start at, say, 15th level? It could your stats to 10, then 12 at 16th, 14 at 17th, 16 at 18th, 18 at 19th, and finally 20 at 20th? Right now you can go from a dolt to a lama between 19th and 20th level. This would make enlightenment be a bit more gradual.


Do you have any quibbles with D&D Next's rules?

 

[Weather Report]

Also, it might be more complicated than it's worth, but I'd like for a fighter to be able to divide his 'deadly strike' dice among targets when using 'volley' or 'whirlwind attack.

I am currently house-ruling that you can split up Deadly Strike, so if you have Deadly Strike (roll three times) and are wielding a long sword, you can:

-Attack once for 3d8 + mod damage.

-Attack once for 2d8 + mod damage, and once for 1d8 + mod damage.

-Attack three times for 1d8 + mod damage each.

The caveat is you cannot attack the same target more than once a turn.


Monsters currently get a combo of Deadly Strike and multiattack (the death knight can attack 3 times with a long sword for 2d8 each).

 

[GMforPowergamers]

I agree we need rules for stacking advantage and disadvantage. I am unsure how to do it, but someone needs to do it.

Maybe if every 'extra advantage' gave a +1 to your roll... I don't know.

Fighters are about to go through a full overhaul (extra attacks instead of deadly strike) so I am not keep on fixing things that wont last.

I think that at level 13 monks should get 'building to perfection' all stats your level is the lowest your stats can be. SO at level 13 all stats are 13+, and so on up. So at level 20 when they all set to 20, it is a Perfect self.


I also think that like the belt of X str, they should bring back the Belt of Magnificent. I would set it so all stats are 18, if that raises OR lowers your stat.

 

[the Jester]

Anyone know off hand what the mechanical equivalent of "best of 3d20" is (i.e. 'double advantage')? I know advantage is about equal to +2.4 or thereabouts.

 

[MortalPlague]

The action Dodge gives you advantage on Dex saves and makes attacks against you gain disadvantage.

Ah, crap. I thought it still gave you a +4 to AC and to Dex saves. That made a lot of sense, considering that you're giving up your action to get it.

Anyone know off hand what the mechanical equivalent of "best of 3d20" is (i.e. 'double advantage')? I know advantage is about equal to +2.4 or thereabouts.

I thought advantage was the equivalent of a +4 bonus...

 

[Nagol]

Advantage raises the expected result to just over 13.8 from 10.5

Double advantages raise the expected result to just shy 15.5.

The curves are more pronounced the more dice you add.

 

[Sunseeker]

I think stacking advantage/disadvantage is territory best avoided.

As for fighters, I see no real downside to having XdN which can be divided up amongst up to X targets as the player chooses.

 

[GX.Sigma]

They have said in the recent live stream that they've removed the Deadly Strike mechanic, because it's a lot simpler when making an attack always means the same thing.

 

[Blackbrrd]

I really don't want stacking of advantage/disadvantage. The way they do it now, where stacking just doesn't work is a good design in my opinion. Stacking is one of those things that just slows down combat* and in certain situations make rolling the dice superfluous, something I dislike.

The slowdowns come when you have players going: I got advantage from x... starts rolling, stops, add advantage from y, wonders if he has advantage from z and after rolling begin discussing if he should have had advantage from æ as well. 3e was horrible in this regard with often up to 5-6-7 different sources of +1 and +2 bonuses.

I would rather see maneuvers and such that allows you to do new things instead of adding a small bonus or another advantage dice.

 

[Warbringer]

I know a GM can rule in such instances, but it'd be nice if there were some guideline like, "If you have advantage from two sources, instead you get advantage and a +2 bonus."

This is about right: the curve shifts to be a +3.5, +5.1, +6.1 for 2,3, and 4 dice respectively vs. 1 die. Though, instead of a bonus, just roll the extra d20.. It's a lot of fun