D&D (2024) Martial/Caster fix.

[ezo]

Using those rules is not out the book. Meaning just the core books.

LOL then we very much disagree on what "out of the book" means.

"Supplements" are things like Role-Aids, Dragon Magazine, etc., not published rulebooks for the edition like Oriental Adventures or Complete Guides.

Ignoring rules is also not playing out the book

Yep, we very much disagree on "out of the book" means and further conversation is pointless.

 

[ezo]

But then a longsword's damage is based on the wielder and not the sword, so it no longer has objective reality and disassociates into madness. At least, it does if your a hobgoblin.

Not at all. Your chance of hitting goes up because you get better, it makes sense you would know how to be more lethal with the weapon you're wielding as well.

Much of it also depends on how much increase you want to see. A simple method would be to grant advantage on damage rolls. It keeps the range "normal", but increases the average damage. Such a system would still be objectively realistic and quite sane.

 

[Remathilis]

Not at all. Your chance of hitting goes up because you get better, it makes sense you would know how to be more lethal with the weapon you're wielding as well.

Much of it also depends on how much increase you want to see. A simple method would be to grant advantage on damage rolls. It keeps the range "normal", but increases the average damage. Such a system would still be objectively realistic and quite sane.

Please come here and say this.

D&D General Thread 'Reification versus ludification in 5E/6E'

Feb 15, 2025

First of all, let me acknowledge that I'm using ludification wrong, because it means to mock, tease, or make fun of. However, it comes from ludus (game, sport) and so literally means to make a game of. I just want to make an observation about some of the changes from 5e to the revised edition, some of them fairly subtle, others more obvious. In 5e, a lot of things were reified, that is, literally, thingified. It's about treating the representation of something as the thing itself, often in a reductive way. So, for example, in the BECMI (especially Expert and Companion...

• pawsplay
• Replies: 825
• Forum: *Dungeons & Dragons

• 
• 

 

[Horwath]

Not at all. Your chance of hitting goes up because you get better, it makes sense you would know how to be more lethal with the weapon you're wielding as well.

Much of it also depends on how much increase you want to see. A simple method would be to grant advantage on damage rolls. It keeps the range "normal", but increases the average damage. Such a system would still be objectively realistic and quite sane.

a way to solve this and and make more damage is to link damage to attack roll directly.

every weapon deals fix damage when you hit AC, then you deal bonus damage by how much you beat AC.

you can go on 1by1 basis, if you beat AC by 7 deal 7 extra damage. or with a treshhold.

beat AC by 5, deal +50% damage
beat AC by 10, deal +100% damage
beat AC by 15, deal +150% damage
beat AC by 20, deal +200% damage

then you can have Graze property, if you miss AC by 5 or less, deal 50% base damage.

base damage can be 1 for unarmed and 7 or 8 for greatsword and similar weapons.
add str/dex as normal to base damage.

rogue's sneak attack can be +2 damage per rogue level.

 

[ezo]

Please come here and say this.

D&D General Thread 'Reification versus ludification in 5E/6E'

Feb 15, 2025

First of all, let me acknowledge that I'm using ludification wrong, because it means to mock, tease, or make fun of. However, it comes from ludus (game, sport) and so literally means to make a game of. I just want to make an observation about some of the changes from 5e to the revised edition, some of them fairly subtle, others more obvious. In 5e, a lot of things were reified, that is, literally, thingified. It's about treating the representation of something as the thing itself, often in a reductive way. So, for example, in the BECMI (especially Expert and Companion...

• pawsplay
• Replies: 825
• Forum: *Dungeons & Dragons

• 
• 

Done.

 

[ezo]

a way to solve this and and make more damage is to link damage to attack roll directly.

every weapon deals fix damage when you hit AC, then you deal bonus damage by how much you beat AC.

you can go on 1by1 basis, if you beat AC by 7 deal 7 extra damage. or with a treshhold.

beat AC by 5, deal +50% damage
beat AC by 10, deal +100% damage
beat AC by 15, deal +150% damage
beat AC by 20, deal +200% damage

then you can have Graze property, if you miss AC by 5 or less, deal 50% base damage.

base damage can be 1 for unarmed and 7 or 8 for greatsword and similar weapons.
add str/dex as normal to base damage.

rogue's sneak attack can be +2 damage per rogue level.

In theory I think something like this is fine. In practice, however, with the mathematically challenged players I have often, not so much.

 

[Micah Sweet]

that's a matter of personal taste though isn't it? what i was referring to was the effectiveness of the balance of the design.

Quite true. 4e design appeared to accomplish its balance goals quite handily. That just wasn't what a lot of folks appeared to want, at least not the way they did it.

 

[Micah Sweet]

while i do think Martial Powers are something they should have to some degree i think what they really ought to get is a more extensive catalogue of basic options available to all martials (and only martials), like, too much martial stuff is sectioned off into feats, class abilities or just isn't in the game at all, something like defensive duelist's parry or charger's dash attack is something all martials should just be able to do, fighting styles, maneuvres, stances, taunting, obstructing, all of these things should be ground level tools of the martial kit.

casters have this whole list of options while so much of what martials do is just trade simple blows.

Hence A5e's Combat Maneuver system.

 

[Horwath]

In theory I think something like this is fine. In practice, however, with the mathematically challenged players I have often, not so much.

with threshold you just need to write in all 5 damage options and just compare attack roll to AC, it's probably faster as damage is not rolled and then added.

i.e:
if you have greatsword 8 base and 5 str and 1 from magic, that is 14 damage

normal damage: 14
+5 AC: 21
+10 AC: 28
+15 AC: 35
+20 AC: 42
graze( -5 AC): 7

 

[Minigiant]

Quite true. 4e design appeared to accomplish its balance goals quite handily. That just wasn't what a lot of folks appeared to want, at least not the way they did it.

It was more not a lot of folks wanted to look at.

Many of the wish lists for 3e and 5e is 4e stuff "written the long wordy way".