D&D 5E Hit points explained

[Sacrosanct]

Except that point attack is already in your space. There is no dodge, only partial deflection or full damage.

A sword strike or a bullet, can miss you completely. Having a blast go off when you're in the radius does not miss you. That's why an attack roll is something you do to "see if you hit your target." AoE is different, and has different rules.

Or are you trying to tell me that every time I was shot at, I wasn't missed, but just deflected all the damage? Come on now...


There's a famous saying: "Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades." That means things like a point of attack, close doesn't mean jack squat because you missed. However, AoE doesn't need to hit in order to still do damage. If you can't grasp that fundamental difference, then I don't know what to tell you. Even the developers understood this by having no attack roll for a fireball.

 

[MechaPilot]

Even the developers understood this by having no attack roll for a fireball.

A save is just reversing who rolls to resolve the action. The difference between a DoaM attack and a spell that does partial damage on a successful save is purely semantic.

Also, a miss in D&D is a matter of rules mechanics (i.e. a mechanical miss) and doesn't inherently mean an actual miss or whiff (i.e. a total lack of contact). If a mechanical miss did mean an actual miss/whiff then wearing heavy armor would make foes less likely to make physical contact with their blows, instead of simply deflecting them. Now, failing to beat a target's AC can mean an actual miss/whiff. But, frequently, it makes as much if not more sense for the mechanical miss to mean the blow was absorbed or deflected by armor (natural or otherwise).

 

[Illithidbix]

IT'S TIME FOR THIS CHART AGAIN!
With thanks to 5 Minute Workday's article on this subject.

 

[Yunru]

A sword strike or a bullet, can miss you completely. Having a blast go off when you're in the radius does not miss you. That's why an attack roll is something you do to "see if you hit your target." AoE is different, and has different rules.

Which means nothing. A fireball eill miss you completely if you're not in it's area, same as an attack. An attack can be unavoidable if it's in your area, same as a fiteball.

Or are you trying to tell me that every time I was shot at, I wasn't missed, but just deflected all the damage? Come on now...

Not at all. After all, not all attacks have damage on a miss.

Unless you're talking real life, in which case I must remind you of the concept of abstraction.

Are you suggesting every time you were shot at and it missed you took no damage because it never hit you? If you, how do you justify armour giving any bonus to AC?

 

[Sacrosanct]

Are you suggesting every time you were shot at and it missed you took no damage because it never hit you? If you, how do you justify armour giving any bonus to AC?

Because effective armor keeps the weapon from actually hitting you. It stops the attack before it reaches your body. Like a level IV plate keeps the bullet from reaching your skin. It never hits you, it hits (and is stopped by) the armor.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

A save is just reversing who rolls to resolve the action. The difference between a DoaM attack and a spell that does partial damage on a successful save is purely semantic.

In practice, it's often the difference between attacking with a discrete object and attacking with a wave of energy. It makes sense that you can entirely dodge a sword, arrow, or fist-sized bolt of fire; it doesn't make sense that you can entirely dodge a giant explosion. I don't think many people would complain about a fighter dealing damage-on-a-miss while they were wielding a flamethrower.

 

[Yunru]

Because effective armor keeps the weapon from actually hitting you. It stops the attack before it reaches your body. Like a level IV plate keeps the bullet from reaching your skin. It never hits you, it hits (and is stopped by) the armor.

So you're saying it's deflected then?
But you just insinuated that attacks being deflected was rediculous?

 

[MechaPilot]

it doesn't make sense that you can entirely dodge a giant explosion.

And yet a 7th level rogue can do just that.

 

[Sacrosanct]

So you're saying it's deflected then?
But you just insinuated that attacks being deflected was rediculous?

No I didn't. I was responding to you saying there was no dodging point attacks, and that they all are deflected or damage is taken. THAT'S what is ridiculous.

 

[Sacrosanct]

And yet a 7th level rogue can do just that.

But that's one of those magical/superhuman feats that we accept in a fantasy world. An exception that explicitly calls out how it breaks from reality. Not the norm.