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It's all perspective, though. McClane vs. a hand-picked team of well-armed terrorists. He shoots (okay, he shoots four or five times) , he kills a terrorist. Terrorist unloads a full clip, McClane is "missed". Is he a super-monk/Rogue (unarmored AC, high DEX, evasion against "full Auto" AoE...

I hear what you're saying, but that goes back to the fact that PCs will be in more combats than NPCs. Death spiral is "real", it makes sense. I've sparred a lot in martial arts, and the more I get hit, the less endurance I have... the more likely I take more hits! And then we're back to the...

That's well-stated, and makes sense. One of those "that's obvious, duh!" facts that wasn't actually obvious until it is pointed out. Yes, if the area has goups of a dozen goblins attacking wagons, the mechants hire at least 6 to 10 guards in response. If it's a half-dozen ogres, they don't go...

Very true. I noted that playing Cyberpunk, after being "raised" with D&D. Ouch, gunshots hurt!! IMC, I added "-1 to hit" at Bloodied (50%hp remaining), -2 at Battered (25% remaining), and -3 at Critical (10% remaining). Most unintelligent foes flee at Bloodied; intelligent foes weigh the...

I'm picturing "the mage lets the AC 20 Dodgy McSwashbuckler go first, only to suddenly get hit with all the javelins the so-called 'tank' dodged AND DIDN'T ACTUALLY STOP"! But, in the D&D rules now, they'd either "attack the swashbuckler", or "attack the mage, the swashbuckler gives +2 Cover AC...

Now this statement I can get behind. If two "similarly skilled" opponents fight, luck and tactics (or pre-fight strategy) will/should determine the winner, not that "god loves a fool" (i.e. the PC). Restated in Klingon, "Why would I ever engage in an equal fight?"

That means you're more comfortable playing a different game system. Nothing wrong with that! If you're facing D&D level and frequency of threats and combat, though, you're quickly making a new character...

Knife is "1d4-1" damage... 18 "hits" for 0 damage that lacerate you and bleed but aren't lethal... and then one hit that does 1 real hp, another deep one to the chest that does 3hp, and now you're using Willpower and making death saves to stay conscious... :-)

Yep, Rolemaster and MERP were college saturday games for me, 35 years ago. We loved it then (bunch of enginerds), and accepted unfortunate character deaths from a lethal crit. [We also had the adjacent "blow up the world when playing Nuclear War, start your next Rolemaster character with an...

Right, that's what I was thinking. When you're doing 1d6+10, the d6 isn't as relevant (hence the "essentially just -2 damage" comment). In 5e it tends to be 1d8+4, and there are only 2 range increments, so it is slightly more relevant (30% swing in damage, say), but it's still just "-2 damage"...

This. For example, D&D monsters "die" at 0hp, while characters have Death Saves (or negative hp, depending on the edition). Many systems have Hero/Fate/Luck/Inspiration/Toon points, too, which maybe only Boss Monsters share, which mitigates bad luck or fatal injury. Thus the 7hp goblin takes...

That's "why" adventurers are rare, despite the fabulous riches they can achieve in a short amount of time. (a) You need to be a little "touched in the head", and (b) most adventurers die. I mean, even being one of a dozen caravan guards has got to be literally one of the worst trash jobs you...

Huh, this response just had me off-the-cuff think about introducing a ranged damage modifier: "Disadvantage on Damage" at Long Range. Currently, the archer-types - in my game at least - don't much care if they are shooting at Long Range; they have Advantage from Steady Aim, or stealth, or...

Having read most of the intervening pages, I have been swayed strongly to "Psions should be able to do anything magic (wizards) can do". I think, however, that Psions (like druids or my ideal of sorcerers), should stay strongly or entirely within their "Disciplines". (I did that same effort...

My party of level 9ish PCs are headed into some long-abandoned dwarven tunnels next session, which intersect an area of corruption/"taint" that mostly kills living things but occasionally "enhances" (mutates) them. My first thought was "troglodytes", but then the word "grimlock" popped into my...

I do have to say that most GMs tend to take "fumble" as "chance to make the character look stupid/silly/incompetent". I hate that, and try not to do it (although I can't help myself sometimes, based on the mood of the evening). Last session I was proud of myself because I took a "fumble" roll...

Ah, so many times have we asked that question! We have even provided character sheets for him where the data is already calculated. For every possible weapon he might use. Now, finally, on VTTs, the character sheet does it for him, and things have speeded up... unless we're in person. (But...

I loved [Keywords] in 4e. I thought it was a marvelous design concept. Magic missile causes [Force] damage. That damage is affected by things that affect [Force], but not things that prevent you from forcing open a door. A beautiful bit of scenery or jewelry can be charming without...

More rolling is bad; more dice being rolled is less bad, but requires more "understanding time". I have players at my table that - after literally 3 decades of D&D - still are doing the math of "I rolled a 12, plus my strength, plus my skill... 15. No 17. Wait, it's a +1 sword..." And that's...

In my current "sandbox-y" campaign, the starting map of the area featured a red dragon in the SW corner - not as a decoration, but as an honest and accurate "A red dragon lives here and terrorizes that area." The party is now 9th-ish, and haven't even stepped a foot in that direction. When...