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D&D is a Team Sport. What are the positions?
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<blockquote data-quote="Reynard" data-source="post: 9170788" data-attributes="member: 467"><p>Inspired by a post by [USER=7023840]@Snarf Zagyg[/USER] in another thread.</p><p></p><p>NOTE: This is in D&D General, but I am going to talk mostly about 5E just for familiarity sake, but some language from other editions like 4E is going to necessarily seep in.</p><p></p><p>I think that the idea that D&D is a team sport -- a cooperative competitive experience -- is an apt analogy, particularly when we are talking about combat. So if that is true, and the PCs represent the "home team" then what are the positions that need filled to complete the team? If talking about a 4 or 5 PC party, I think they are something like:</p><p></p><p>Striker: You primary damage dealer. Everyone should have the ability to hit, but you need a character that can really bring the hurt at key times. The Paladin is good for this, as is the rogue.</p><p>Healer: Hit points are the controlling factor in any D&D combat and essentially represent a combination of the clock and victory points, so a healer is very important. Usually this is the cleric.</p><p>Controller: changing the battlefield allows the PC team to concentrate efforts and focus on objectives, so someone who can do that is important. This is mostly a spellcaster role given the nature of D&D play and genre assumptions.</p><p>Leader/Buffer; This is more of a meta-role and can be part of the healer role or separate. In either case, the ability to buff members can give the team an edge, especially if the buff can be targeted and switched up easily from round to round as the situation changes.</p><p>Lineman: The team also needs one or two workaday bruisers who can support the striker. In 5E most classes can fill this role, though ones with either high defenses or lots of hit points are better at it simply because they can also tie up enemies in melee.</p><p></p><p>This of course is simplistic and broad but I think it is a decent starting place. One problem is that just like in real world meatspace sports, people like to feel like theya re the star. Team members who don't pass the ball or try and hog the spotlight or play outside their role can hurt the overall success of the team. This happens in D&D, too. It can be tempting for linemen to try and act the striker when they really aren't equipped to do so, or for healers to get bored with support and let the team down by spending actions or resources on attacks instead. Most of these failures would disappear if a single player controlled all the characters, which shows you it is a player problem, not a system problem.</p><p></p><p>So, if we use the analogy of D&D combat as a team sport, what do you think are the key positions? How important is it that team members stay in their lane? Is the position distribution rigid, or is there lots of wiggle room? Does it change from edition to edition, or between tiers of play?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Reynard, post: 9170788, member: 467"] Inspired by a post by [USER=7023840]@Snarf Zagyg[/USER] in another thread. NOTE: This is in D&D General, but I am going to talk mostly about 5E just for familiarity sake, but some language from other editions like 4E is going to necessarily seep in. I think that the idea that D&D is a team sport -- a cooperative competitive experience -- is an apt analogy, particularly when we are talking about combat. So if that is true, and the PCs represent the "home team" then what are the positions that need filled to complete the team? If talking about a 4 or 5 PC party, I think they are something like: Striker: You primary damage dealer. Everyone should have the ability to hit, but you need a character that can really bring the hurt at key times. The Paladin is good for this, as is the rogue. Healer: Hit points are the controlling factor in any D&D combat and essentially represent a combination of the clock and victory points, so a healer is very important. Usually this is the cleric. Controller: changing the battlefield allows the PC team to concentrate efforts and focus on objectives, so someone who can do that is important. This is mostly a spellcaster role given the nature of D&D play and genre assumptions. Leader/Buffer; This is more of a meta-role and can be part of the healer role or separate. In either case, the ability to buff members can give the team an edge, especially if the buff can be targeted and switched up easily from round to round as the situation changes. Lineman: The team also needs one or two workaday bruisers who can support the striker. In 5E most classes can fill this role, though ones with either high defenses or lots of hit points are better at it simply because they can also tie up enemies in melee. This of course is simplistic and broad but I think it is a decent starting place. One problem is that just like in real world meatspace sports, people like to feel like theya re the star. Team members who don't pass the ball or try and hog the spotlight or play outside their role can hurt the overall success of the team. This happens in D&D, too. It can be tempting for linemen to try and act the striker when they really aren't equipped to do so, or for healers to get bored with support and let the team down by spending actions or resources on attacks instead. Most of these failures would disappear if a single player controlled all the characters, which shows you it is a player problem, not a system problem. So, if we use the analogy of D&D combat as a team sport, what do you think are the key positions? How important is it that team members stay in their lane? Is the position distribution rigid, or is there lots of wiggle room? Does it change from edition to edition, or between tiers of play? [/QUOTE]
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