D&D General 5e System Redesign through New Classes and Setting. A Thought Experiment.

[Paul Farquhar]

What does 'works fine' even mean?

Is fun.

 

[FrogReaver]

Is fun.

Smashing perfectly good cars is fun too

 

[Zardnaar]

I don't think it's just boss fights. But I do think 1-3 encounters per rest period is the sweet spot. I think each encounter needs to be difficult, but I think there should be enough recovery options between encounters that the next is only slightly more difficult due to being in the previous. Some common ways to accomplish this would be encounter recharge powers or 5 min short rests. Could also give enough resources but place strict per enocunter limits on them that they could go through alot more encounters if needed but narratively will likely get to rest and get back to full strength before that.

That only works at lower levels.

By 9 or 10 its taking about 4 high encounters in 5.5 RAW to even start depleting resources.

Each spell caster has 6 level 3+ spells or more. That's 12 with 2 spellcasters.

Even if they "double tap" boom spells (fireball, lightning bolt, Synaptic Static etc) theyre not going to run out with 2 spellcasters.

And that's using weak spells. If theyre smarter the 5.5 meta us disable the foes and let the martials deal with them. That's more like 1 spell each per combat.

If theyre dropping big souls every fight a lot will be over in 2 rounds maybe mop up round 3.

Double tap works OK CR2 or 3 mooks, over that youre looking at smaller numbers of tougher critters. They have to dodge command/hold/tashas/fear/slow/hypnotic pattern etc.

 

[FrogReaver]

That only works at lower levels.

By 9 or 10 its taking about 4 high encounters in 5.5 RAW to even start depleting resources.

Each spell caster has 6 level 3+ spells or more. That's 12 with 2 spellcasters.

Even if they "double tap" boom spells (fireball, lightning bolt, Synaptic Static etc) theyre not going to run out with 2 spellcasters.

And that's using weak spells. If theyre smarter the 5.5 meta us disable the foes and let the martials deal with them. That's more like 1 spell each per combat.

If theyre dropping big souls every fight a lot will be over in 2 rounds maybe mop up round 3.

Double tap works OK CR2 or 3 mooks, over tgat youre looking at smaller numbers of tougher critters. They have to dodge command/hold/tashas/fear/slow/hypnotic pattern etc.

I have no idea how this has anything to do with what you quoted from me. I wasn't talking about 5e. I was talking about the hypothetical game system.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

In the days before non-magical healing and-or ubquitous wands of CLW were a thing, the number of available healing spells-potions-devices in the party served the same function and at far lower complexity.

Higher complexity.

Healing surges are simpler, because they don’t require any one character to hoard a resources to the benefit of the whole party, because the resource is in each character’s resource pool.

You just take a few minutes between scenes, mark off whatever resources are needed, and then move on.

 

[Zardnaar]

I have no idea how this has anything to do with what you quoted from me. I wasn't talking about 5e. I was talking about the hypothetical game system.

Derp.

Yeah one xoukd design a game that its not an issue. That game wont be D&D though which is constrained by player expectations and legacy.

5MWD isn't a problem in my games because living world is easiest way of dealing with it and I can go old school if required.
That's not universal though and inexperienced DM may not know or care.

Modern players dont play that way and the rules dont tell them to in any event.

Theres always be a difference in what rules say and how its actually played.

They've been trying to fix that since 3.0.

 

[Steampunkette]

It had nothing whatsoever to do with resources (Beowulf didn’t use any). Beowulf did not fight the second monster because it didn’t appear until quite a while later. And that was because it was basically a sequel. one monster is enough for one story, having more monsters devalues all monsters.

Ahh... Yeah. Okay.

Still irrelevant because that's not a game, that's prose. We can talk about prose in another thread. This one is about a game.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Ahh... Yeah. Okay.

Still irrelevant because that's not a game, that's prose. We can talk about prose in another thread. This one is about a game.

The game is designed to emulate the prose. The prose is important to the game design. It’s far from irrelevant.

 

[Remathilis]

On ENworld thats Badwrongfun though lol.

I find it just the opposite. Bring up the notion that encounters should be balanced here and people will look at you like you asked for the children's menu and crayons.

 

[Zardnaar]

The game is designed to emulate the prose. The prose is important to the game design. It’s far from irrelevant.

How many people have read Beowulf these days?

I haven't in 3 years of D&D. Most players wont give a naughty word about the prose lol. Steampunkette has you here

Try leaping over her igniting a lightsaber may work.