D&D 5E Random Starter Set Teaser from Google+

[The Human Target]

The fact the Porsche and Corolla both exist at all should indicate that some people want different experiences, and that it is actually preferable to have some weapons be better than others, imo.

Given the option between the two, I think pretty much everyone would have a Porsche.

 

[I'm A Banana]

IMHO it's not an intended result, but a by-product of the playtesting process.

I don't know that I believe that. Certainly I can't counter-prove it, but I'd be a little astonished if they don't know exactly what this list of weapons does to a player trying to kit out their PC. That makes me wonder what the design intent is here. What benefit does this give that I'm not seeing?

 

[Thaumaturge]

Funny how people are comparing a greataxe to playing russian roulette, a game where you are literally risking suicide to win money.

It wasn't "people" it was me. And despite what the voices in my head say, I'm just one person.

And I wasn't "comparing" so much as using Russian roulette as a way of demonstrating that some people engage in risky behavior in life-or-death situations. I don't think there's any real comparison. One is a slight difference in average damage; the other is a "DM says you're going to die, roll a D6".

Gambling and other unwise high risk behavior is stupid

In your opinion. My friend, you'll have to take my word on it, isn't stupid. He just uses his dopamine differently.

I don't want my greataxe wielding paladin to have his weapon be considered, with good reason, to be a gamble over a maul.

I in no way think the damage difference is enough to have alignment implications.

Thaumaturge.

 

[DDNFan]

It wasn't "people" it was me. And despite what the voices in my head say, I'm just one person.

And I wasn't "comparing" so much as using Russian roulette as a way of demonstrating that some people engage in risky behavior in life-or-death situations. I don't think there's any real comparison. One is a slight difference in average damage; the other is a "DM says you're going to die, roll a D6".




In your opinion. My friend, you'll have to take my word on it, isn't stupid. He just uses his dopamine differently.



I in no way think the damage difference is enough to have alignment implications.

Thaumaturge.

Engaging in high risk behavior because one uses dopamine a certain way is a stupid thing to do, which can cost you big time.

Ever hear the phrase "the lottery is a tax on stupidity?" I see tons of stupid people buying scratch tickets for the fun of it, not realizing the house always wins. It's rigged. If the game is rigged against you, the only smart move is not to play.

I used to work in a casino, I've seen plenty of "intelligent" people throw their lives away. Maybe "unwise" would be better. Think of it this way, you work 40 hours a week and then friday night blow it all in ten minutes at the slot machines. Pretty dumb, right? Thought so. Yes, gambling is stupid. doesn't mean you have a low IQ, but it is objectively stupid. You are more likely to get hit by lightning than win the lottery, and much more likely to become a millionaire by becoming an entrepreneur than winning the lottery. Except that's not so easy to do, which is why most people can't or won't do it. So instead they waste their dollars away trying to cheat their way out of poorness. It's a disease of the mind, and yes it does make otherwise smart people blind to the stupidity of their actions and choices.

It's not alignment so much as a disconnect with wisdom. Engaging in high risk behavior might be appropriate for a barbarian, but generally frowned upon in the clergy. War clerics with high wisdom picking unreliable weapons strikes me as implausible, for the same reason that I wouldn't lend money to a gambling addict.

Because I am wise and they are not. People throwing their wages or their children's college tuition away for the thrill of a dopamine rush is yes, what many people would also call, "stupid".

That is imposing a chaotic alignment tint on weapon selection process. Being an axe over a sword shouldn't make one think twice, regardless. It will make me think twice for many character concepts, where I would otherwise feel freer to choose on a whim, but now unless my character specifically is all about axes, then I don't think I'll ever pick it.

A greataxe is simply a poor man's greatsword in D&D fifth edition. That poor man is probably that way because he engages in high-risk behavior like gambling, and as a result can't afford the extra 20gp to pick up a proper sword instead. That doesn't scream lawful or wise to me.

Oberoni is now inherent to every person's rationalisation for choosing a greataxe. It's inferior, you are choosing a mechanically inferior option because of a character concept. Do that if you like, but that is not game design.

Axes should deal more max damage than swords on hits or crits, as in fourth edition.

 

[Uller]

Do we know what the final crit rule is yet? If it is max damage + one damage die then a d12 becomes better as crit ranges expand and as AC goes up. If it is just double damage then the 2d6 remains slightly better (but imo not enough to care about)

 

[Agamon]

How did we get to using a greataxe over a greatsword is high-risk behavior? This thread is spinning off into bizarro world.

 

[Thaumaturge]

How did we get to using a greataxe over a greatsword is high-risk behavior? This thread is spinning off into bizarro world.

My fault. Sorry.

Please, don't call Superman on me.

Please.

Thaumaturge.

 

[GravyFingerz]

Arguing about the merits of greatsword versus greataxe is fruitless when we can't look at the complete rules.

 

[Sir Brennen]

Do we know what the final crit rule is yet? If it is max damage + one damage die then a d12 becomes better as crit ranges expand and as AC goes up. If it is just double damage then the 2d6 remains slightly better (but imo not enough to care about)

Arguing about the merits of greatsword versus greataxe is fruitless when we can't look at the complete rules.

These.

It's just amazing how far this thread has gone arguing about the difference between 2d6 and d12 in pretty much a vacuum.

Remember, too, these are pages from the Starter set... even if there are no crit rules in the box, they may be in the Basic rules when they come out.

 

[Uller]

Using the same assumptions in previous threads (60% chance to hit) the d12 is the superior weapon using the crit rules of the last playtest. As the crit range grows the superiority of it grows from 0.15 @ 20 to 0.45 @ 18. Again...not enough to care about but it is interesting how a small change in a rule can reverse things. Want to more reliably do average damage, use 2d6. Want a better shot at high damage on a crit, use d12. Dont care? Use d12 to reduce the amount of adding...yes...some people take longer to add up 2d6+mods than 1d12+mods...some are annoyingly slow imxp.