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  1. rmcoen

    D&D 5E (2024) The Focus Fire Problem

    Remembering that the PCs are usually outnumbered by the foes, how would you implement this in a way that was effective, that didn't also drastically cripple the PCs when a few goblins each are shooting at them?
  2. rmcoen

    D&D 5E (2024) The Focus Fire Problem

    I do have monsters run, but that has been an exceptionally long thread here on EnWorld before too - most players refuse to let foes run, for many reasons. In my case, most foes think about running at bloodied, based on how the combat overall is going; any "damage" up to that point has been...
  3. rmcoen

    D&D General What's wrong with Perception?

    Sorry just had to chime in here, many pages later. Literally in my last campaign session, the various PCs had to make Animal Handling (the ex-marine driving the horse-and-wagon cross country with the Exhasuted spellcasters in back because of a Forced March, ahead of a giant warparty), Medicine...
  4. rmcoen

    D&D 5E (2024) The Focus Fire Problem

    So that sounds like the "solution" is "facing". Bonus to hit the guy in front, flanking from (non-shield, if you have one) side, wide open from rear. Buuuuut, this line of thought encourages focus-fire. We have to strike a balance in this idea that encourages PCs to strike/engage multiple...
  5. rmcoen

    D&D 5E (2024) The Focus Fire Problem

    So far, thanks to COVID and adulting, we've been exclusively playing 5e on Roll20 (minus one glorious in-person session). So I mark the figure/icon's damage as they inflict it right in icon, and then add a colored dot as it passes a threshold. Blue for Bruised, Red for Bloodied, Purple for...
  6. rmcoen

    D&D 5E (2024) The Focus Fire Problem

    IMC, we use "injury effects" in two ways, which (a little bit) encourage spreading some attacks. First - Wound Levels and Penalties. I never state HP, and I don't allow the players to do so either. You can only say "Fine", "Bruised" (lost 25% of MaxHP), "Bloodied" (lost 50% of MaxHP)...
  7. rmcoen

    D&D 5E (2024) The Focus Fire Problem

    "Reroute power to the phasers, Scotty, we don't need the shields!" This seems like it is easily simulated with the reverse of the Total Defense move from 3e (-4 Attack, +2 AC, IIRC), Total Attack: -4 AC, +2 attack. If no one is attacking you, why not?
  8. rmcoen

    D&D 5E (2014) Adding Feats to the Existing Backgrounds

    Weiley31, I would hope that feats like Sharpshooter, Crossbow Expert, Great Weapon Master, Fey touched, Warcaster, Spell Sniper... these feats are not available from Backgrounds. I want my players to have Mounted Combat, Chef, Actor, etc. as background feats. But... 5e's feats are weirdly...
  9. rmcoen

    D&D 5E (2014) Adding Feats to the Existing Backgrounds

    I'm okay with the Variant Human retaining its bonus feat - and without restriction. If he wants to be a Variant Human with the Acolyte background, and have Warcaster (VH bonus) and Ritual Caster (background) both, I'm okay with that. He's not getting darkvision or wings or resistances or any...
  10. rmcoen

    D&D General Why Do People Hate Gnomes?

    Dwarves are the miners and smiths of my world(s), including goldsmiths and silversmiths. They excel at engineering on a grand scale. Gnomes, on the other hand, are the jewelers and technologists. They excel at the minute and the intricate. They are the alchemists and artificers...
  11. rmcoen

    Sorting armor by effectiveness

    Why would you not wear a helm? Scale Armor = Leather + Breastplate (AC, not cost) Chain Mail = Leather Brigandine + Breastplate + Helm These values are higher than Core. Is that intentional? What's the difference between Brigandine and Leather Brigandine? I must have missed that...
  12. rmcoen

    Sorting armor by effectiveness

    (Minor Necromancy....) so what did the "final" list end up as? I liked the conversation in this thread, taking categories of armors from around the world and categorizing them into a smallish number of groups, because I tend to get very granular and suddenly I've got 30ish armors on the table...
  13. rmcoen

    D&D 5E (2014) WHAT IF... Spells didn't do damage?

    Well, I was trying to avoid rewriting all the spells. Me personally, I love changing everything about everything. An unofficial sarcasm motto of mine since college has been "it's not a game until we've changed the rules!" But... in practice, no one wants to have to go double-check "how did we...
  14. rmcoen

    D&D 5E (2014) (Fun) - Gravity Proves Standard Human has 9 HP

    Lol, I did that research too, read the Trauma Report with the analysis of the 48' fall - except the trauma report said that fall is 100% lethal, not 50% - but I worked from "commoners have 5.5hp", instead of "falls do 1d6 dmg". I ended up with "falls do 1d10 damage, summation. DEX/Acrobatics...
  15. rmcoen

    D&D 5E (2014) Why do guns do so much damage?

    Clever Nick, just a thought (not rebar, the weapons comment): In my karate class, they taught us how to fight a knife wielder (and a club wielder, which was like 90% the same). When we asked about a gun-wielder, the answer was "Give him what he wants. Unless you're willing to die to prevent...
  16. rmcoen

    D&D 5E (2014) WHAT IF... Spells didn't do damage?

    This would be interesting, too. The only damage spells that exist are found on scrolls/tomes/whatever, and you have to actively use/read them. If you have multiples of these after many quests... you can still only have one ready and in your hands. and maybe it takes a full round to use it...
  17. rmcoen

    D&D 5E (2014) Why do guns do so much damage?

    I liked an old 2e idea - implemented for crossbows - which was Armor Piercing: a crossbow ignores 5pts of AC-due-to-armor when fired at a target in short range. That seems like it would be a great buff for the pistol/rifle, while keeping the damage in the same range as the other weapons...
  18. rmcoen

    D&D 5E (2014) SODL Initiative in 5e - Anyone Using it?

    Copied from the 2020 "Five Things I love about SODL" thread: Elegant Initiative Going first in a fight is important. A lot of traditional games get bogged down in who goes when and how many actions a character can take. This game keeps it simple, but still throws in a tactical choice. Players...
  19. rmcoen

    D&D 5E (2014) Adding Feats to the Existing Backgrounds

    New players, in my experience, either have no idea what they've gotten themselves into, or they come with an idea they got from a book/show/movie. Which means they are most likely to end up with either a stereotype/archteype character, or some weird munchkinized multiclass abomination a...
  20. rmcoen

    D&D 5E (2014) When you've made the battle too much to handle...

    Character Death, when it happens, rarely lasts more than a couple rounds (revivify), or at most a Long Rest (raise dead). With this understanding, maybe we can agree that Character Death in 5e isn't uncommon. PERMANENT character death is very rare, and generally the result of either (a)...
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