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<blockquote data-quote="Shiroiken" data-source="post: 8510784" data-attributes="member: 6775477"><p>Back in 1E, before the THAC0 days of 2E, there was a combat matrix. Well, a set of charts, really, but they called it a matrix (IIRC). A 20 wasn't always an automatic hit, as the chart would go: 19, 20, 20, 20, 20, 20, 21, 22... If you needed the 21 or more, it meant that you had to have some kind of attack modifier to the roll, which was not a given at the time (such as a 17 Str or a magic weapon). On the other end, the numbers not only stopped at 0 with an automatic hit, but additional damage tacked on as well.</p><p></p><p>Personally, I'm fine with the auto hit & miss in 5E, mostly because with bounded accuracy it seldom matters. If someone really wanted to add this in, I'd suggest having a natural 20/1 add +/-5 to hit. If your AC is 6 higher than a natural 20 would give, you're invincible; if your AC is 6 lower than a natural 1, you're a weapon magnet.</p><p></p><p></p><p>I don't think it's about math, but simplicity. 3E was very popular, and figuring out the final modifier from stacking and non-stacking situations was an integral part of it. 5E was built upon the premise that people don't want things that complicated, and for the vast majority of players they've been right.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Shiroiken, post: 8510784, member: 6775477"] Back in 1E, before the THAC0 days of 2E, there was a combat matrix. Well, a set of charts, really, but they called it a matrix (IIRC). A 20 wasn't always an automatic hit, as the chart would go: 19, 20, 20, 20, 20, 20, 21, 22... If you needed the 21 or more, it meant that you had to have some kind of attack modifier to the roll, which was not a given at the time (such as a 17 Str or a magic weapon). On the other end, the numbers not only stopped at 0 with an automatic hit, but additional damage tacked on as well. Personally, I'm fine with the auto hit & miss in 5E, mostly because with bounded accuracy it seldom matters. If someone really wanted to add this in, I'd suggest having a natural 20/1 add +/-5 to hit. If your AC is 6 higher than a natural 20 would give, you're invincible; if your AC is 6 lower than a natural 1, you're a weapon magnet. I don't think it's about math, but simplicity. 3E was very popular, and figuring out the final modifier from stacking and non-stacking situations was an integral part of it. 5E was built upon the premise that people don't want things that complicated, and for the vast majority of players they've been right. [/QUOTE]
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