D&D diceless

[Garthanos]

Sounds heretical don't it

One of the initial ideas I had in this arena... Diceless D&D
basically adjusted at-wills which were say like a 3 to 5 pointed Roshambo

Earlier stuff much better written than that sketch

Becoming a Diceless DM | DnD Corner

 

[eriktheguy]

While I thought that moving to point buy for stats was a good move, I do think that rolling for combat is fun for the random factor.
I would be interested to see how a less random combat system would work, simply because the reason I like probability in combat is because it's what I'm used to.

 

[Garthanos]

While I thought that moving to point buy for stats was a good move, I do think that rolling for combat is fun for the random factor.
I would be interested to see how a less random combat system would work, simply because the reason I like probability in combat is because it's what I'm used to.

For me randomness is about unpredictability ... choices between multiple people can interact to create that same element of unpredictability... And it isnt all choices based on lack of information though that is an easy method.
For instance chess is not completely predictable due to number of element in play at a time and the game states has a complex definition... we are getting some of that in D&D4e already... The team game element brings some of that in

For the simplified element based on limited information picture the following as 5 at-wills each equal but adversarial.
Physical Combat Techniques for Ars Magica

Abilities that allow you to sacrifice defense for the sake of offense start adding unpredictability.... what armor class is your enemy going to have this turn? and what are you going to have this turn?

 

[eriktheguy]

You certainly have a point there!
Even if I were to simply tell players that they hit all the time for 75% of average damage, we could probably still have fun at the table. They would hate it at first, it isn't what we are used too, but sometimes its difficult to tell the difference between a system that is good, or one that is just legacy.
For what its worth, I think that the amount of random currently in the game is fine. Removing random from character creation and progression was such a massive improvement on its own.
Technically it has been proven that in a game of chess there are finitely many solutions and only one unique rational solution (although we have never actually determined what that solution is). The solution is most likely, 'first player always wins' or 'game is always a tie'.

 

[Garthanos]

Technically it has been proven that in a game of chess there are finitely many solutions and only one unique rational solution (although we have never actually determined what that solution is). The solution is most likely, 'first player always wins' or 'game is always a tie'.

Humanly predictable is all that counts not "technically" given all information about dice angles friction surface an impact angle etc... there is only one number a die will land on too.

If the variation can be made to reflect something about the character (how aggressive they feel right now or sneaky or whatever) then we are getting something more interesting than the dice.

 

[Garthanos]

Take your example of 75% average damage lets say you also told a play they could up that 85 but the monsters would get higher too or reduce that 50% and so would the adversary.