D&D 5E 5E = Fate Accelerated

[DEFCON 1]

Last week when on Twitter, television showrunner and RPG writer John Rogers ('Leverage', 4E Manual of the Planes 'Feywild' section) live-tweeted his reading of the Basic Game. And during the course of his tweeting, he made this interesting observation:

"Ability check/proficiency screams Fate accelerated/stunts vibe. A lot of cross pollination here. #DnD5e reads most like Fate Freeport"

As I started thinking about this, I came to realize how correct John really was. When you unpack the 5E Ability Modifiers / Skills / Ideals, Bonds & Flaws and put them up against Fate Accelerated Edition's (FAE) Aspects / Approaches / Stunts... they actually are exceedingly similar.

In 5E... you accomplish things using one of six methods of bodily action-- your Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma. And these are ranked from -1 up to +3 (and higher after advancement).

In FAE... you accomplish things in one of six descriptive ways-- Careful, Clever, Flashy, Forceful, Quick, and Sneaky. And these are ranked from +0 to +3 (and higher after advancement.)

In 5E... there are specific areas wherein you get a bonus to those bodily actions, which are called 'Skills'. And that bonus is +2 (and higher after advancement.)

In FAE... there are specific areas of expertise wherein you get a bonus to those descriptive ways of doing things, which are called 'Stunts'. And that bonus is usually always +2.

In 5E... there is a Background and five sentences of character description used to illustrate what is special or different about the character (two Personality Traits, an Ideal the PC holds, a Bond the PC has with someone or something else, and a Flaw the PC has.) Whenever the player acts out those descriptions they gain a point of Inspiration, and they can later on spend that point to gain a bonus on an action.

In FAE... there are three to five sentences of character description, called 'Aspects', that illustrate what is special or different about the character (a High Concept, a Trouble, and one to three past details, personality traits, goals or groups you belong to.) Whenever the player acts in accordance to these Aspects, they gain a Fate Point that can be used later on to gain a bonus to an action.

Now obviously there are small differences between the two systems... the Stunt system in FAE is more descriptive than 5E. So for instance, a Stunt might be written as "Because I am a Smooth Talker, I get a +2 when I Sneakily create advantages when I’m in conversation with someone", whereas 5E just condenses this down into a Skill called 'Negotiation'. Stunts describe the PC a bit more, but the bonus is acquired in a slightly more restrictive situation.

But overall... the two systems are remarkably similar, and Rogers' noting of this has adjusted the way I now look at the game (positively). For a long time I found the Skills system that 5E settled on to be underwhelming based upon how much I enjoyed Fate's way of doing them. But now I'm seeing Skills through a different prism, and I'm wondering if perhaps the system will actually suit my needs. If I work 5E's Backgrounds, Traits, Ideals, Bonds, and Flaws in the same manner and with the same import as I do Aspects in Fate... the Skills might not need to hold as much weight as I originally thought they should.

5E and FAE being functionally similar might be just the way for me to look at 5E in the best light for my game.

 

[TwoSix]

That's not a bad observation at all.

I would point out, though, that getting a +2 to a roll is a lot more meaningful in the 4dF system of Fate than it is in the d20 system of 5E. Especially since so much of the combat isn't binary pass/fail, but opposed rolls.

 

[DEFCON 1]

That's not a bad observation at all.

I would point out, though, that getting a +2 to a roll is a lot more meaningful in the 4dF system of Fate than it is in the d20 system of 5E. Especially since so much of the combat isn't binary pass/fail, but opposed rolls.

Yeah, once you get into all the dice differences, the actual results of all these things splits off quite wide from the two systems. That's why I avoiding delving into the actual dice mechanics because while the base system has similarities... there are hundreds of obvious differences not worth even bringing up because they are so evident.

The two systems are definitely different games... but do have a common core.

"Roll dice, add in one of six modifiers plus a bonus if the specific situation calls for it, and if you've gained a point for acting in character previously you can spend it to reroll/second roll as needed."

 

[I'm A Banana]

It is definitely clear to me that 5e cribs notes from FATE, at least in its "role-playing" pillar.

Which it should! D&D and FATE are different games, but FATE is smart, smooth, adaptable, and elegant (if EXCEEDINGLY JARGONY). It makes memorable characters that are fun to play.

Now if they crib from The One Ring's exploration and keep the D&Desque Combat, I think we might have a "best of many worlds" thing.