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Xeviat, here are some other questions you could also ask: ...Do genre conventions support two characters being equally strong, but one being better at Bending Bars/Lifting Gates/Bashing Doors/etc.? Or, two characters being equally "healthy" but one being better at Long Distance...

I had a gnome wizard who was a "particle metaphysicist" and all his spells were scientific-sounding. Like instead of magic missile it was deterministic energy exchange and instead of fireball it was spontaneous exothermic state collapse. Many of them had a lasers-and-sparks visualization. I...

Nobles from around the world recognize each others' elite status as a way to distinguish themselves from the lower classes. A foreign noble is thus a better dinner guest, and marriage prospect, than some nouveau riche adventurer who comes from common stock.

Is it time for me to float the "called shot" rules I've been toying with past everyone?

Honestly, I'd allow any of these checks, possibly with slightly different results on a success. It's much more important to me to keep the game moving than to dither about which ability/skill to use. Just use whichever skill makes your character look coolest and let's get on with the game.

For climbing, I allow Dexterity (Acrobatics) to totally replace Strength (Athletics) if you can get a running start. So if it's a wall you could climb up in one round, get the running start and use your Dexterity (Acrobatics). You don't need as much Strength because your momentum is carrying...

But -1 attack. That seems like a fair trade-off and within the 2-point limit. The easiest fix would be to limit the Str+Dex damage somehow. Limiting it to your Proficiency bonus +2 seems like it would track well against ASIs. I also thought about doing: add the LOWER of Str and Dex to damage...

This does give a +1 or +2, though. The attack bonus of this style is usually 1 or 2 points lower than someone maxing their ability score -- and if you dump both Str and Dex, your damage will be garbage, too. For maxxing damage, cheaply getting +4 or even +5 is totally fine, since that's within...

In my game, the party retreated after killing the bandits in the basement (area 21) but before they found the secret door to the caverns. Also, although the party heard Ned banging for help upstairs, they did not investigate. I decided that the remaining smugglers would hole up. So during the...

I think the most complex rules are the ones I see people screwing up constantly. 1. When you cast a spell as a bonus action, you can't cast another spell on the same turn, unless it's a cantrip. I get the reason for this rule, but have yet to see a player who has access to bonus action spells...

If the villain can miraculously escape for "plot reasons," can the PCs do that too?

One archetype that D&D handles poorly is the fighter who has "moderate" Strength AND Dexterity. (The mechanics really reward you for picking only one of Str and Dex and pumping it into the stratosphere, while dumping the other.) So I've always wondered if Versatile Style could be for them. For...

I always liked the idea of -5/+(1 damage die). This makes the maneuver actually bad in the general case, although it's still good if your attack bonus is buffed way higher than the enemy's AC. It's also another subtle buff to the greataxe over the greatsword. I like the OP's idea of introducing...

In addition to examining the genre implications of hit points, we should also think about the implications of healing. Because maybe getting shot and simply having your hit points lowered from 64 to 56 would be a big deal if healing that damage was impractical. Like, imagine there was no cure...

No, but they might face a real cost, such as a serious injury that slows them down later, or maybe getting pinned down (unable to sprint across open ground because it's too dangerous), or maybe getting shot and toppling over and next thing you know there are four bandits standing over the...

I like where you are going with this, but I think a "skill tax" for spellcasters might not be the right approach; it's usually just better to reduce their number of skills. One issue that Mearls mentioned during 5E development was the trouble of the skill rules doing "double-duty" of both 1)...

Pop quiz: When a wild-west gunslinger shoots an umber hulk, what should happen? (I'm not directing this at any one person. I'm just trying to point out that the damage mechanic needs to encompass more than just "shootout at high noon." Also, as an aside, the protagonist, who is a PC, always...

One of the things I like best about Blades in the Dark is how it surfaces information. The PCs know their standing with each faction, and they know their wanted level and heat (how much the law is actively investigating them). And in general I get the impression you are supposed to tell them...

What do I think they'll release this way? Probably Innistrad, a popular M:tG setting. What do I hope they'll release this way? Strangely, the setting I want most is probably... Birthright. I never played it, because as presented in the boxed set, it's practically unplayable. So many great...

Oh! I forgot a good one. No Map. Make the players map the place. They have to explore it. Talking to the locals might get them a good overview of the city, like district boundaries and major landmarks. But when the players realize that the local "general store" is selling everything for 50%...