D&D General How has D&D changed over the decades?

[Thomas Shey]

I don't think I understand your complaint yet. What now?

D&D combat mechanics are heavily abstracted, and abstracted in ways that not only don't tell you much about what goes on, they sometimes tell you things that seem counterfactual. It doesn't need to be that way. Its that way because it was a quick and dirty solution 40 years ago and its carried it forward as a legacy mechanic ever since.

 

[Guest 7034872]

D&D combat mechanics are heavily abstracted, and abstracted in ways that not only don't tell you much about what goes on, they sometimes tell you things that seem counterfactual. It doesn't need to be that way. Its that way because it was a quick and dirty solution 40 years ago and its carried it forward as a legacy mechanic ever since.

Oh, I see. Well, here I'll say two things, but I'm not madly emotionally invested in either of them:

1. I'm not confident it matters much. Relentless pursuit of verisimilitude in a game like D&D is tantamount to demanding fried ice.
2. I'm not confident changing the mechanics to something less abstracted from the in-game physical combat injuries, etc. would be guaranteed an improvement. Make-believe only really works so long as we're willing to make believe, and especially in a fantasy setting like D&D, that's going to involve a lot of stuff a lot hokier than mere HP-vs-meat concerns. Have you ever looked at one of those paintings that look like bunches of dots, but when you un-focus your eyes the right way they turn into these 3-D images? The trick to them is in not focusing too hard on the little dots, right? As I see it, D&D works in a similar way.

 

[Scribe]

Have you ever looked at one of those paintings that look like bunches of dots, but when you un-focus your eyes the right way they turn into these 3-D images? The trick to them is in not focusing too hard on the little dots, right? As I see it, D&D works in a similar way.

This is too good, I'm keeping that one in memory.

 

[Hussar]

Has anyone said HP are entirely meat as opposed to HP are meat and a bunch of other stuff?

Well we have a whole host of posts talking about DnD superheroes, healing, being able to swim in acid, and probably other stuff I’ve missed.

So yeah people very much are.

 

[Hussar]

This is too good, I'm keeping that one in memory.

So it’s all illusion? I’m sure the DnD sim crowd would love to hear that.

 

[Scribe]

So it’s all illusion? I’m sure the DnD sim crowd would love to hear that.

The picture is there, I believe, but if you focus on the details, you'll never get it.

 

[Guest 7034872]

The picture is there, I believe, but if you focus on the details, you'll never get it.

That's exactly how they work. They're not illusions: they're real pictures. But they're pictures you'll never see if you insist on obsessing over their details because the entire life of the image isn't in the details: it transcends them.

 

[JiffyPopTart]

Did a little digging and found the 3.5 "cantrip" style abilities. They were from Complete Mage and we're a series of reusable spells and abilities. Below is the fire related power....so compare to 5e Firebolt.


Fiery Burst
( Complete Mage, p. 43)

[Reserve]

You channel your magical talent into a blast of fire.

Prerequisite
Ability to cast 2nd-level spells,

Benefit
As long as you have a fire spell of 2nd level or higher available to cast, you can spend a standard action to create a 5-foot-radius burst of fire at a range of 30 feet. This burst deals 1d6 points of fire damage per level of the highest level fire spell you have available to cast. A successful Reflex save halves the damage. As a secondary benefit, you gain a +1 competence bonus to your caster level when casting fire spells.

 

[Lanefan]

We did much the same. More meat, equal to CON score, but crits dealt meat damage instead of hp. So even high level characters would fear for their lives. But we also did zero and you’re dead. Getting low and want to live…run.

We didn't use Con score because we specifically wanted the b.p. idea to work for commoners as well; and commoners don't have an average of 10.5 hit points. But we do have death at -10, so the end result is about the same only it hurts more.

 

[Hussar]

That's exactly how they work. They're not illusions: they're real pictures. But they're pictures you'll never see if you insist on obsessing over their details because the entire life of the image isn't in the details: it transcends them.

Heh. Maybe that’s why the analogy doesn’t work so well for me. I’m Color blind. Those pictures never work for me. They can’t.