D&D 5E Definitions, please! What are Bounded Accuracy and RAW?

[TwoSix]

I am also thinking of additional bounding of accuracy to replace +X on weapons and armor with:
Weapons +1d6/+2d6/+3d6 damage and for armors +1/+2/+3 HP per your level to your HPs
No +X shields.
Only Ring and Cloak of protection for +AC

I like that. Making weapons +dX damage also has the nice side effect of depowering GWM and SS.

 

[Stormonu]

If AC's are giving you problems, you probably aren't using enough encounters that employ save-based attacks.

Let the fighters have their fun.

 

[Swarmkeeper]

For the OP, high AC characters, be they super high outliers or the result of spell buffs won’t break anything and won’t invalidate bounded accuracy as a general concept. Throw some spellcasting monsters/NPCs into your combat challenges that cast save-based spells and perhaps include Heat Metal in there at some point.

EDIT: also, what @Stormonu just said

 

[fearsomepirate]

Straight Fighters and Paladins with AC 21 by 5th level aren't that uncommon. No need to get fancy about it. The thing is, getting much above that requires spells and magic items. Since in 5e, magic items are rare and discretionary, there's no reason at all to think a 17th-level Fighter will have 28 AC from his +3 Shield, +3 Plate, and +1 Ring of Protection. He might very well have found little more than the ring and a +1 shield, or maybe even nothing at all. By contrast, the expected AC for a 17th-level fighter in 3rd edition appears to be around 31.

 

[embee]

It doesn't require mega stats, but it completely uses up a class feature (the Infusions). And where's a 3rd level character getting the money for plate armor?

She strips everything of value from everything she kills. Not just armor and weapons. Barrels of provisions that are just clutter? They've got value too. I'm sure that the apothecary can find a use for various bits of goblins, owlbears, and the like.

 

[TwoSix]

She strips everything of value from everything she kills. Not just armor and weapons. Barrels of provisions that are just clutter? They've got value too. I'm sure that the apothecary can find a use for various bits of goblins, owlbears, and the like.

I think that earning 1500 gp (the price of plate mail) is almost certainly DM and campaign specific. I've played in games where I've had that much at level 2, and others where I never scraped together than much by level 8.

Breastplate, half plate, and plate mail are almost like magic items because you can't afford them with your starting funds, and you're dependent on the DM's distribution of treasure to see if you can get them.

 

[CleverNickName]

It took my Fighter until 3rd or 4th Level to save up enough coin to buy his suit of full plate armor. (What? Healing potions are expensive at lower levels.) Which was right around the time that our druid gained access to the barkskin spell. Probably not a coincidence, that.

 

[fearsomepirate]

They also wanted some way to make high-level monsters feel epic other than giving them enormous bonuses. Sure, if your party is going to go literally kill Erythnul, they should be 20th level, have some divine blessings, and some epic magic loot.

In 3rd edition, Erythnul has 73 AC. His attack bonuses are +81/+76/+71/+66. He has +64 to Hide and +37 to Disable Device. A stat block like this doesn't feel "epic." It feels silly. You're rolling a d20 and adding 81 to it.

 

[jgsugden]

RAW - Rules as Written (putting the letter of the law above the intent)
RAI - Rules as Intended (putting what was intended over what was technically written)
RAF - Rules as Fun (forget what they wrote, forget what they intended, focus on what makes the game better)

Bounded accuracy is a game design approach in which the range of "accuracy" on die rolls when there is advancement in power is restricted so that the weakest tier of creatures retains relevance at higher levels. In a d20 system, it pushes us towards fewer situations in which success is either impossible or requires a 20 (or 1 on a save).

In older editions, a fighter would get a +1 (or more) to hit for every level gained. A high level fighter may attack at +30 to hit. This meant that a low level monster with a +3 or +5 to hit was incapable of doing anything meaningful against a baddie that was suitable for the high level fighter to face.

In 5E with bounded accuracy, a 17th level fighter may be +5 (strength) / +6 (proficiency) / +2 (magic weapon) for +13 to attack. A first level fighter may be +5 to attack. That is a much narrower band. Thus, the low level attacked retains more relevance for a longer period.

 

[iserith]

In practice, RAW is "Rules As Whatever I Want to Prove Me Right and You Wrong."