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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Chaosmancer" data-source="post: 6783728" data-attributes="member: 6801228">So, after reading all of this I think we have two "issues" that explain why the one game with the Bard is going badly, but that has little to do with the combat system of 5e.The first is starting at level 1. You don't get most of your interesting abilities or really much of anything until level 3, and you are very vulnerable. A team of 4 1st level character fighting 3-4 CR 1/4 gnolls would probably be slaughtered in short order if it was a fair fight. Between 3 and 5 is where I start my groups, and I still have some issue with them surviving but not nearly as much. I actually had a team of six 5th level adventurers fight a horde of gnolls (12 or so I think), a pair of shadow demons, and a Fang of Yeenoghu. After some bad rolls early on they won, but they were sweating the entire time despite most of the enemies being CR 1/4, in a bottleneck, and not having great ranged options.The second thing, it sounds like you guys just have crappy luck. Consistently rolling low damage and the DM critting more than your entire team consistently... the dice gods are out to get you guys and there is no known cure for that except to slog through until the wind changes. This is the biggest reason you feel the need to constantly heal in my humble opinion. You guys just haven't been firing at full strength yet.Honestly, for as long as a lot of you guys sound like you've been playing DnD, you all know the tricks and tips to make it more interesting. I can add nothing to that, but as a DM you has been very cautious and nervous about houseruling the system, I wonder a few things.I wonder how many DM's feel comfortable adding in the optional rules from the DMG, I have a few I like to use but some of them are harder to run with new players involved.I wonder how many DM's or players remember all of the things you can do. Dash, Disengage, Dodge, Help, breaking up Movement between attacks, Grappling, Shoving, these are all things any character or monster can do at first level. I for example, often forget about the Dodge action unless someone has it as a special ability like the Rogue or the Monk. If you are playing for the first time, it may be hard to remember things in the book that are not on your sheet.Finally, I wonder if part of the problem is how much experience a lot of you guys already have. I play a lot of video games, and sometimes I'll love a game for the first few hours, but find the experience a bit tedious by hour 30 or 40. I'm sure some of you guys have clocked in 1,000 hours of tabletop gaming. Things that are novel and exciting to me are old hat to you guys. Times when I may be wondering about the combat tactics available, you guys may already have played out the battle and likely moves. It's harder to surprise and excite you guys, not impossible, but harder, meaning what I see as small hiccups in the game, turn into bigger issues for you guys.</blockquote>

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