D&D 5E Bounded Accuracy: does it deliver as promised?

[Mistwell]

Anyone that thinks 5E has bounded accuracy is kidding themselves or don't know what it even is.

Again, you've said you don't play. Has that changed? Are you now playing and actually finding it to be a problem, or is this just theorycrafting?

 

[Eejit]

There are a couple of ill-advised items in the modules released prior to the DMG (and magic item rules) being finalised which definitely strain Bounded Accuracy. I expect they'll be errata'd and magical items will be kept in hand.

At least for a couple of years.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Let me illustrate what I was talking about re: using higher level monsters sooner. I'll use the infamous blue dragon encounter in HotDQ

In 3e, the adult blue has an AC of 28, +27 attack bonus, and an SR of 21. There is no way in hell a 1st level group of players or guards will even hurt the thing outside of a natural 20, and the dragon will always hit unless it rolls a natural 1.

In 5e, the blue has an AC of 19, +12 attack bonus, and no spell resistance. Most 1st level PCs have a +4 through +6 attack bonus, and most guards have a +4. That means they will hit on a 15 or higher. They also have an AC between 15 and 18, meaning the dragon would need more than just a 2 to hit them. And 1st level spells will still be effective.

It seems clear that bounded accuracy opens up the ability to implement a monster for a much wider bandwidth than previous editions. That is a good thing, IMO.

And honestly, I think the dragon encounter was designed to illustrate this. No, you can't beat it at first level. But you can hurt it and drive it off. Which you had no chance of doing in previous editions.

 

[Desdichado]

I probably should read through the entire Basic game (I did download it, but with no potential to play it in the near-term, I found it drier than I prefer for casual reading), but how exactly do they implement bounded accuracy, then? I see an awful lot of stuff about higher level monsters not being so monstrously statted compared to prior editions, but how does leveling actually work, then?

 

[Thaumaturge]

Let me illustrate what I was talking about re: using higher level monsters sooner. I'll use the infamous blue dragon encounter in HotDQ

In 3e, the adult blue has an AC of 28, +27 attack bonus, and an SR of 21. There is no way in hell a 1st level group of players or guards will even hurt the thing outside of a natural 20, and the dragon will always hit unless it rolls a natural 1.

In 5e, the blue has an AC of 19, +12 attack bonus, and no spell resistance. Most 1st level PCs have a +4 through +6 attack bonus, and most guards have a +4. That means they will hit on a 15 or higher. They also have an AC between 15 and 18, meaning the dragon would need more than just a 2 to hit them. And 1st level spells will still be effective.

I had a player throw a cantrip (vicious mockery) at the dragon. When the dragon failed his save, I told the player to roll damage, and he exclaimed, "really?!".

It'll definitely take a while for us to unlearn some old habits and knowledge.

Thaumaturge.

 

[Astrosicebear]

There are a couple of ill-advised items in the modules released prior to the DMG (and magic item rules) being finalised which definitely strain Bounded Accuracy. I expect they'll be errata'd and magical items will be kept in hand.

At least for a couple of years.

Which ones in particular?

 

[ExploderWizard]

I probably should read through the entire Basic game (I did download it, but with no potential to play it in the near-term, I found it drier than I prefer for casual reading), but how exactly do they implement bounded accuracy, then? I see an awful lot of stuff about higher level monsters not being so monstrously statted compared to prior editions, but how does leveling actually work, then?

For both PCs and monsters the basic hit bonus is the proficiency bonus. In 3E this would be BAB. The prof. bonus scales at a much slower rate than BAB did. Thus ACs don't have to climb out of the atmosphere to still be viable for a longer period of time. It also means lower level monsters in greater numbers are still worth using because attack and defense numbers are lower overall.

 

[Tormyr]

I probably should read through the entire Basic game (I did download it, but with no potential to play it in the near-term, I found it drier than I prefer for casual reading), but how exactly do they implement bounded accuracy, then? I see an awful lot of stuff about higher level monsters not being so monstrously statted compared to prior editions, but how does leveling actually work, then?

The major place it is implemented is in the proficiency bonus. It runs from +2 at level 1 to +6 at level 20. Characters and creatures get this bonus when they are proficient in a skill, saving throw, tool or weapon. This is added to any ability score bonus that would also apply.
Unaugmented ability scores run from 8 to 20 for a bonus of -1 to +5.
As an example, a character's bonus to hit with a weapon could be -1 for a 8 Str character with a weapon they are not proficient in to +11 for a Str 20 character with a weapon they are proficient in at level 20.
When you level the following things allow you to progress forward on the bounded accuracy scale:

• Every 4 character levels you get a +1 to your proficiency bonus.
• Roughly every 4 class levels (some classes more often some less) you can add 2 points to ability scores. These can be applied to the same score or split between two different scores. Alternately, if the DM allows it, you may take a feat.

That is pretty much it for what leveling does in terms of bounded accuracy. There are some magic items that will give a +1 to +3 armor and weapons as well as some more unique magic items, but that is pretty much it.
The difficulty increase for higher CR monsters comes from more HP, more damage and nastier abilities.

So a CR0 commoner could hit an adult dragon with a 19 or 20, but it would be squished the next round unless the dragon rolled a 1.

 

[Eejit]

Which ones in particular?

The Bracers of Defense (as currently written, re-write essentially confirmed via twitter), there's reportedly a mask in HotDQ which gives Cha modifier to AC.

 

[Boarstorm]

There's reportedly a mask in HotDQ which gives Cha modifier to AC.

There is. It's essentially an artifact, though.