D&D (2024) Rules that annoy you

[Micah Sweet]

Do such tables exist?

Not from WotC.

 

[Shardstone]

Found another one. The summon spells wording of “30 + 10 for each Spell Level above 4th” type wording is requiring unnecessary subtraction. It should really be "X + Y for each spell level". Yes, this requires multiplication still, but the original way requires subtraction and multiplication and that trips up people who are bad at math. It's also extra words that are unnecessary.

Really you don't need any addition, you just need to say X per spell level and leave it at that.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

Was the person in the video unconscious?

No.

Riposte: Will it actually lead to better gaming experiences for most people if we are sticklers about having to consciously swallow a healing potion?

 

[R_J_K75]

We don't drool all night long or choke to death on our saliva, so we must have some ability to swallow while unconscious. Additionally, there nothing that says a healing potion has to make it to the stomach to heal. It could also heal if it reaches the lungs, being magically absorbed in some way. Perhaps all that needs to happen is the healing potion being released internally.

Now correct me if I'm wrong, I'm sure someone will in 6 seconds, but I think in 1E or 2E it said potions had to be swallowed. Actually, the word was imbibed.

 

[Micah Sweet]

No.

Riposte: Will it actually lead to better gaming experiences for most people if we are sticklers about having to consciously swallow a healing potion?

Not really my issue. Having things make logical sense helps my gaming experience, certainly.

 

[James Gasik]

Now correct me if I'm wrong, I'm sure someone will in 6 seconds, but I think in 1E or 2E it said potions had to be swallowed.

They do, but depending on the potion (the potion of extra-healing, for example), you might not need to drink the entire potion to get it's effect (well, excepting oils of course, which have to be poured all over the body and smeared appropriately). It's also never stated exactly how much liquid is contained in a potion bottle either.

Curiously, however, this process doesn't take much time by 2e rules, only imposing a speed factor penalty of 2-5. For reference, stabbing with a dagger has a speed factor of 2, and swinging a long sword is a 5 (a two handed sword would be a 10),.

 

[FrozenNorth]

He seemed ok with my claim, and he's the one I was talking to. No need for you to speak for him.

Fair enough. I didn’t see he had responded when I did.

 

[James Gasik]

OTOH, while I couldn't find a speed factor penalty associated with potion drinking in 1e, the 1e DMG states that "Potions take effect 2-5 segments after they are imbibed", meaning that, given how initiative worked in AD&D, you could drink a healing potion on your turn and theoretically take a hit and die before it "kicks in"!

 

[Micah Sweet]

OTOH, while I couldn't find a speed factor penalty associated with potion drinking in 1e, the 1e DMG states that "Potions take effect 2-5 segments after they are imbibed", meaning that, given how initiative worked in AD&D, you could drink a healing potion on your turn and theoretically take a hit and die before it "kicks in"!

All perfectly reasonable IMO.

 

[FrozenNorth]

They will be more clustered around the average of a larger spread!
With d20+5 you will never roll 2, or 30, with d20+d10 you will.

AnyDice

AnyDice is an advanced dice probability calculator, available online. It is created with roleplaying games in mind.

anydice.com

“Swinginess” means that extreme events are more likely. The way you measure departure from the mean in probability is through the standard deviation.

The standard deviation of 1d20 + 5 is larger than 1d20 + 1d10.

Math doesn’t lie.