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I don't think there's really a difference in whether I roll if a monster hits an NPC or a monster hits a PC. If the players care at all what happens to the NPC they will be invested in the result. If they don't... Then I probably wouldn't be rolling, but something else would already have gone wrong.

That's exactly the kind of situation where I would want to use actual rules to see when NPCs die and if they deal damage. I suspect my players would be annoyed at a regular pace of 1/round and the NPCs doing no damage. That would mean they couldn't try to protect the NPCs with a spell like...

I don't see how abstract time can work since you'll always have a certain maximum movement in a round. You can't just "reskin" 3e/4e rounds to 1 minute or your characters run in slow motion. So, I prefer 6s but there should also be quite a few actions that span multiple rounds, among them many...

IMC it is relatively common to have opposing NPCs in an encounter fighting each other. They can be allies, indifferent NPCs (like commoners or neutral non-humans) or enemies. I still would like to resolve their actions without pure fiat when the party is involved in the encounter. Otherwise it...

Sure, if the campaign calls for them.

IMO it is. It is possible that he's only found wondrous items or only shields and armor, even if the magic level of the campaign is the same as "normal" for D&D.

Apologies for misrepresenting your position, but honestly that's what it IMO comes down to, since it doesn't matter at all how close to zero you start. Only the distance between modifiers (in the case of d20 checks) and the ratio of scores (in the case of hp, damage, skills) matters. An Int 10...

I agree with Lanefan that the difference is smaller pre-3e. In earlier editions your AC and damage don't increase significantly, only your hp and to hit. When both sides of the equation increase, growth is much quicker and your ability to damage enemies diminishes more quickly. 3e is somewhat...

Unless you count those suicidal barbarian berserkers, but they should be much likelier to die.

They could make it explicit and list (or at least mention) them with traps and puzzles. Those monsters should also have at least two levels/CRs listed - one for when you are prepared and the other for when you are not.

That's math that actually matters and there are people who prefer one or the other. I think the choice of whether you roll hit points should allow 5e to cover a range somewhere between 1:2 and 1:20. For example, if typical range is from 1d6+0 to 1d12+4, the ratio is 1:3 for full hp but expands...

I did once. Dominate.

Class and background overlap so much that it's difficult to draw lines. Are your skill choices in 3e class or background? How about your feats? What if they are bonus feats from class or race? I think race should account for about 20% of a character's abilities. It's ok if that percentage goes...

But BBEGs are greedy. They take your stuff and then attempt to ransom you if at all possible. Unless they tell you their plans - then you should be worried.

Uncommon. Other forms of failure and loss are more common, but the threat is always there and characters do die. I don't like readily available resurrection, though, so when death happens it is final more often than usual in D&D.

Three main reasons for me. First, I prefer versatility to absolute power. I multi-class the heck out of many of my characters, even if it leaves them "crippled" in terms of character optimization. That's also why I like the 3e bard even when the DM doesn't allow charm and diplomacy to affect...

The plot evolves characters a lot more than magic items do. That doesn't mean the DM shouldn't be in charge of offering the options (plot hooks) that the players choose from. The DM is likely to set up situations that basically say something like: "Hey you are an elf, why don't you explore your...

"I like large numbers" isn't a good reason to start things above 0, IMO, because for every one who likes them you probably find someone who dislikes them. I know I do. Ultimately the magnitude of the bonus you add to rolls doesn't matter for the math, so the numbers should be chosen to balance...

I think something like the LA system is the only way to make many races play well. If I want to play a giant, I don't want to play a poor excuse of a giant in a party of exceptional humans, elves and dwarves. Giants are supposed to be tough and strong, not equal to 1st level humans. For some...

The OP system removes the only thing I like about 4e healing changes: healing is proportional to target hp. That could of course be changed but you'll have a lot of numbers for health: current/max wounds, current/max vitality, healing number, temp vitality. The main reason I believe hp have been...