5e questions regarding Rate of Fire

[WhosDaDungeonMaster]

We house-ruled a feature for Halflings:

Stone Slinger: From a lifetime of games and fun, you are adept at throwing small, light objects quickly and with accuracy. When you make a ranged attack with a small, light object (no more than 1 lb.), you gain a +1 to the attack roll. Items include darts, daggers, stones, and other items at DM's discretion. When you make a ranged attack with these small items, you may use your Bonus action to make one additional ranged attack with the same types of items.

So, even at first level, you could use your bonus action to use your sling to throw stones twice.

 

[iserith]

My standard disclaimer, since it's always relevant in my view:

D&D 5e is not an "upgrade" or "patch" to AD&D 2e or any other version of D&D. They are entirely different games that come with different rules and assumptions that demand different approaches for the game to work optimally and to arrive at the intended play experience.

Therefore, I highly recommend you forget what you know about AD&D 2e and try to approach learning D&D 5e with fresh eyes and an open mind. While you may be able to get close to certain concepts that worked in the past, they might miss the mark in a number of ways. Adjusting your expectations is really important in my opinion.

 

[WhosDaDungeonMaster]

That's a good point, but frankly if that is the case, give the game a different name IMO.

 

[Ovinomancer]

There is no rate of fire in 5e. The attack action allows one attack, modified by the extra attack class ability.

 

[Ovinomancer]

That's a good point, but frankly if that is the case, give the game a different name IMO.

Why? It didn't between OD&D and 1e. Or 2e and 3e. Or 3e and 4e. Why does 5e get the different name?

 

[WhosDaDungeonMaster]

Why? It didn't between OD&D and 1e. Or 2e and 3e. Or 3e and 4e. Why does 5e get the different name?

Because AD&D (1E) was an upgrade from OD&D. It was "Advanced" and offered more in depth material, etc. 2E was a revamp or reboot of 1E, with much of it identical to 1E. It wasn't a paradigm shift from 1E, but expanded, revised, etc., for better or worse.

3E, however, vastly changed things, and IMO could have been called a new game as well. There were no longer separate XP charts, feats were added, and a whole lot of other changes I don't even recall (I only played it for about a year because it was so different from the 1E/2E games I was familiar with). I never played 4E, so I don't know how much of a shift it was from 3E.

My standard disclaimer, since it's always relevant in my view:

D&D 5e is not an "upgrade" or "patch" to AD&D 2e or any other version of D&D. They are entirely different games that come with different rules and assumptions that demand different approaches for the game to work optimally and to arrive at the intended play experience.

Therefore, I highly recommend you forget what you know about AD&D 2e and try to approach learning D&D 5e with fresh eyes and an open mind. While you may be able to get close to certain concepts that worked in the past, they might miss the mark in a number of ways. Adjusting your expectations is really important in my opinion.

5E as others have claimed (see above, a post for which you awarded XP), is supposed to be a whole new experience, so forget what you knew, yadda yadda yadda. That being the case, it would have been fine to call it something else. I've tried to transfer my knowledge of 1E/2E to 5E, and there are SO MANY differences it should be considered a completely different game. Sure, they are both "fantasy" games so there will be similarities, but that's about in IMO.

I'm not going to debate or argue it further, just MPOV since you asked.

 

[S'mon]

Slings - how about stones do 1d4, lead bullets do 1d6? That'd make it equivalent to a shortbow.

 

[WhosDaDungeonMaster]

Slings - how about stones do 1d4, lead bullets do 1d6? That'd make it equivalent to a shortbow.

Seems reasonable to me. People often underestimate the damage a proper sling shot did historically. There were reasons why armies had companies of slingers and companies of bowmen. Both served their purpose.

 

[Ath-kethin]

Seems reasonable to me. People often underestimate the damage a proper sling shot did historically. There were reasons why armies had companies of slingers and companies of bowmen. Both served their purpose.

People also overestimate the toughness of creatures in 5e. Remember, a Commoner has 4 hp. A good solid hit from a sling will take out an average person with no problem.

Adventurers are tougher than normal folk.

 

[CapnZapp]

Nope, you're not missing anything.

I'm not sure why people are beating around the bush here. There is no incentive for a Halfling Fighter to use anything other than a shortbow, a hand crossbow with Crossbow Expert, or a thrown javelin or handaxe. And Halflings have no particular affinity for thrown weapons or slings.

I also wonder why people avoid giving a straight answer to a simple question.

A. Is there any rate of fire mechanism in 5E?

Q. No. There is no advantage whatsoever in using a sling in 5E. It is simply inferior.