Abilities and Hit Points: Thoughts

[TerraDave]

I think...it looks really good.

You may or may not agree. Lets here it.

EDIT: Summary of stuff next post.

 

[TerraDave]

Not to bump my own thread, but for those who have not yet seen the PbP document:

Ability Scores: d20 style (+4 at 18), which I am pleased to see for continuities sake alone.

Notables: Adventurers (PCs) cannot have a stat higher then 20, monsters and gods, 30. No reference to a BAB, or level based mechanic in check or combat discussions. Stealth and perception discussed as general actions and ability checks, jumping depends on your strength score and does not involve a roll. Save for each ability mentioned (pretty easy for Str, Con, or Dex, harder to see how you decide on which mental stat is relevant). No "auto-success" in the section for players.

Hit Points: Con+HD. Roll HD for each additional level or use con mod, whichever is higher. (found that clever).

Recovery: Old School 4E: You get HD and can run them down, during a rest, with a healing kit. Here you add the con mod. (again, clever). No second wind. Long rest seems to be 4E style. Which is my only real quibble.

 

[Kinak]

I agree things look solid overall.

I'd rather not roll HP, which this system makes a little weirder (by applying Con as part of the roll). I might end up having to figure out "Average HP including Con" to houserule, which is sort of annoying.

Recovery: Old School 4E: You get HD and can run them down, during a rest, with a healing kit. Here you add the con mod. (again, clever). No second wind. Long rest seems to be 4E style. Which is my only real quibble.

I'm a little concerned about healing potions. I'd feel a lot better if they also used hit dice like the healing kit. Otherwise your main limit on how much you can adventure in a day is your pool of gp, which seems way off.

Cheers!
Kinak

 

[YRUSirius]

Otherwise your main limit on how much you can adventure in a day is your pool of gp, which seems way off.

Is this... a bad thing? Nearly every computer video game does this and it does seem to work for them?

-YRUSirius

 

[TerraDave]

For 50 gp, the healing potion looks a little too good for mid-level parties, but is hard to judge without knowing the other (magical) options they might have...or the gp they might have.

 

[Gamer McSmartypants]

...

 

[Dausuul]

Is this... a bad thing? Nearly every computer video game does this and it does seem to work for them?

And if D&D were a computer game, there would be nothing wrong with it.

I'm really not happy with the idea that wounded characters can just pour money into healing potions, with no limit other than cash supply, and be back to full health. It trivializes injury and reduces the long-term resource management aspect of the game... though the "get all your hit points back with a night's rest" rule has already gutted that pretty well. I trust that particular element is a holdover or a modular setting.

 

[B.T.]

Liking the HD mechanic, not liking the no scaling with level. I realize that they're trying to drastically simplify, but would prefer some advancement in numbers as you level up. High-level fighter should be more accurate with his attacks than a low-level fighter, in my opinion.

 

[YRUSirius]

It trivializes injury and reduces the long-term resource management aspect of the game...

But juggling your gp resource is a long-term resource management aspect?

-YRUSirius

 

[DogBackward]

High-level fighter should be more accurate with his attacks than a low-level fighter, in my opinion.

They are, just not to the degree that they were in older editions. According to the talk, Fighters will actually be the only class that gains attack bonuses by level. It's just not a fast thing: I'm thinking +1 per four levels.

And this is good. Advancement comes in choices and abilities, not simple numbers. This means that while it's easier to take on a horde of orcs at higher level because you have more special abilities and higher HP, you won't be completely immune to any non-crit like in previous editions. One orc will be no threat at high levels, but one hundred can both still be a threat, and still be defeatable thanks to your abilities.

Reducing/removing scaling numbers is, in my opinion, one of the best things they could have done for the system. It opens up so many options for long-term play.