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Somewhat OT, but the best fix for this that I saw was a suggestion of basically giving an "occupation bonus" of about 0.5-1 per year of intensive practice, up to a +10. Works for diplomats, craftsmen, etc., but unlikely to make much difference for adventurers. Doesn't have to be DM fiat, can...

Okay, so that's basically like using B/X or 1E and choosing 1 hp/HD, as you might for a really old and feeble foe. Ogre with 4 hp, Hill giant with 8 hp, etc. And I suppose 1 hp/HD could represent "really bad luck" as well as "inherently feeble," so it's not impossible. Still not a fan of that...

As a DM I always kept in mind that earning levels is hard and quite lethal. A 14th-level fighter is a veteran of MANY battles; PCs only get there through a heavy weighting of the system in their favor. Elite arrays, max HP at 1st level, encounters just happening to usually be level-appropriate...

But don't his higher HP already partially reflect an improved ability to dodge, parry, or roll with the blows? If you improve his AC on top of that, you're creating a steeper power curve.

Yes, you can certainly do that. But if you do go down the road of making it a PrC-based ability (rather than just assigning a number because you're the DM) and make it just slightly less exclusive, then you can have adventures where the swashbuckler PC is trying to bribe/cajole/trick his way...

But from the character's point of view, the pirate has some ridiculously effective parrying skills. They don't know it as a "feat" or "prestige class" but they can recognize that his technique is amazing. And perhaps one lightly-armored character might want to learn Bonetti's Defense as well...

It's not metagaming if it's based on in-game experiences. "Remember how the guards tripped and disarmed the barbarian in 2 seconds when he refused to surrender his axe on entering the city? And how they spotted our invisible rogue sneaking out of the shop? Well now that we're on good terms...

It's different for exactly the reason you describe: Yes, I get it. That was my POINT, that minions are not "exactly the same" as 1-HD monsters in earlier editions. One is relative, one is not.

Doesn't have to be. I happen to prefer when it does, others do not. But to give an example, when the game does represent the reality to some degree, it lets PCs judge the effectiveness of various plans. If the city guard is presented as much more powerful than the PCs, then maybe we should...

No, it's not exactly the same. A level 1 monster in earlier editions is a level 1 monster in the reality of that game world. It's a threat to other level 1 creatures and, in numbers, to somewhat higher level ones. Depending on the situation, the name-level PCs can judge that they should or...

Cthulhu

I disagree. In any edition, some system similar to 2E Wild Magic could be employed, with spells having a chance of random effects. The player doesn't need to know the list of possible effects; a significant chunk could be "DM's choice," or the entire list could be kept secret. Triggers for...

Classic D&D also had a hard cap of 18 for all ability scores, no stat-boosting spells, no racial stat modifiers, no exceptional strength, relatively few buffing spells, and only one stat-boosting item (Gauntlets of Ogre Power, which gave you a flat 18). The absence of those things was...

The cleric in D&D started off as a holy warrior with weak spellcasting compared to the wizard. In BECMI, the spellcasting and turning were just enough to make up for a relatively minor (at the levels where the game was actually played) difference between the cleric and the fighter in combat...

I agree. As I said many times, every alignment and every god already had a holy warrior or divine champion... it was called the cleric. The paladin was supposed to be a rare and special extra something that LG got, to represent the purest champions of good and order. At various times, I...

At the end of the campaign, enemies previously regarded as nearly unstoppable forces of destruction would inexplicably be turned into low-AC minions. This would be intended to let the PCs shine but would instead come off as the enemies just being pathetic (Reavers, Turok-Han).

I always find it interesting when people use "evolve" in a context like this. Evolution involves major and rapid changes of form when the initial form is inadequate to survive in a changed environment. When it is too weak, too slow, or deficient in some way; rapid evolution isn't the mark of a...

I haven't been in that situation in quite a while, but if I ever were again, here's what I'd do: decide on the chance that each combatant has to win, taking into account their abilities. Roll to determine who wins ahead of time. Then script the fight so it comes to that outcome. For a...

There are three options here: A) D&D is whatever has the D&D brand name on it. WotC can put out literally any game they want and call it D&D. This is an objective definition. B) D&D is any game that has the D&D brand name AND enough similarities to the individual's idea of the essential...

It's like pornography -- I know it when I see it, thanks to decades of experience. I would speculate that many of those of us who have a narrower view of "what is D&D" probably have a few specific game design principles that we regard as essential. For me, one of those is Vancian magic. For...