D&D 5E Skills and Ability Checks -- Perspective on Consistency vs DM Empowerment

[Garthanos]

Linear Skills and Quadratic Spells/Attack abilities yay!!!!

 

[Oofta]

Linear Skills and Quadratic Spells/Attack abilities yay!!!!

I wouldn't want to play in a game where a PC could throw a net and anchor the net to walls to slow a fall during the less than two seconds it takes to fall. It would be silliness far beyond even Fast and Furious silliness. I don't even allow Fast and Furious level of overcoming physics in my game without magic most of the time.

Skills don't have to replicate spells in order to be useful in my games. Sounds to me like you want to play a different game or a version of D&D that is heavily house ruled.

 

[Charlaquin]

Right now I trust the vast majority of DMs to be bad at making balanced unguided/poorly guided on the fly decisions call me a cynic but it happened the first time I ever played in the 70s and till 5e decided it was a retro clone it had become less and less a problem as the game tools improved. Like my epically difficult 5e one man affecting feather fall... I expect that to happen all over the place and most people to just throw a spell at a problem.

Yeah, I’ve heard this story before. Look, I’m sorry you’ve had bad experiences with some crappy DMs 40 years ago. You really shouldn’t let those experiences ruin your ability to trust DMs nowadays. The people who were DMing then have had 40 years to learn to DM better, and the people who started more recently have the benefit of having learned from people with 40 years of experience.

 

[Garthanos]

I wouldn't want to play in a game where a PC could throw a net and anchor the net to walls to slow a fall during the less than two seconds it takes to fall.

The allies you help in those movie scenes teeter on the edge as they are about to fall... as I said before how one envisions the timing of a reaction can take something from maybe to utterly impossible

 

[Garthanos]

Yeah, I’ve heard this story before. Look, I’m sorry you’ve had bad experiences with some crappy DMs 40 years ago.

That epically hard stunt not even as good as a first level spell, power to break an enemies fall was less than 3 months ago... not buying it.

 

[Oofta]

The allies you help in those movie scenes teeter on the edge as they are about to fall... as I said before how one envisions the timing of a reaction can take something from maybe to utterly impossible

You're saying that grabbing someone before they fall is the same as replicating feather fall with a net and arrows?

 

[Sadras]

No I did see a third party project that didnt seem too great though.

Linear Skills and Quadratic Spells/Attack abilities yay!!!!

Well, I understand where you're coming from. There was/is certainly room to expand on the skill system, WotC went with something simple. I suggest you take a look at the UA article maybe that will help a little, hopefully.

 

[Garthanos]

You're saying that grabbing someone before they fall is the same as replicating feather fall with a net and arrows?

not quite but I will respond later i am off to do that work thing

 

[cmad1977]

Basically: some people need their hands held.
Other don’t.
Some systems hold hands. Others don’t.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

You're saying that grabbing someone before they fall is the same as replicating feather fall with a net and arrows?

I believe that he is saying that the chance of a PC to prevent a fellow PC from being hurt from a fall can be automatic (cast Feather Fall) or a range based on the DM that can go from easy ("Sure, I'll let you try to nail his clothing to the wall to stop him falling with a ranged attack" <Sets a reasonable DC>) to almost/actually impossible ("I don't think a real life athlete could do that, so you can't either.")

Unless you happen to have the right plot coupon, your chances of succeeding can depend more on what the DM had for lunch than what you're actually trying to attempt. Furthermore, even though your general capability and power at level 20 may be a hundred times greater than it was at level 1, your chance of succeeding on a mundane task where you can't use magic is unlikely to have improved by much more than maybe 3 times greater.