D&D General Explain Bounded Accuracy to Me (As if I Was Five)

[Maxperson]

All the bolded were design goals of DND Next and early 5e. When most of the "Me Smash" HP sponges were designed.

That's fine. It doesn't make them linked and design goals can change. One does not HAVE to go up when another goes down.

 

[Vaalingrade]

No, I'm not.

But I bet I can stealth better than Peter Paladin when he's wearing heavy armor, has DEX 8, and no proficiency in stealth.

I might not be much better, but still, better.

This might seem a bit personal, but what's your DEX?

I personally don't have one because I'm not a fantasy game character and thus can't be compared to such, but again, to each their own.

 

[Lanefan]

Is it though?

By high level, ol' Petey has been wearing this armor forever, they know it like the back of their hand, treat it like a second skin. They know it's tics and foibles. They have moved in it, every way it is possible to move. They are, one might say, "proficient", in this armor's use.

And, one hopes, by now they know that in order to move quietly they have to doff said armour.

And that's before considering all the oath juice they've been drinking that allows them to strike down their enemies with holy fire.

And besides all that, while the armor is certainly 'a problem', it is not 'the problem' from a system perspective. And even so far as it a problem, the system has equipment upgrades (often with no downside) that make it an easy problem to address.

Perhaps.

If there was a flat built-in minus to stealth, scaling by armour type, to reflect how hard it is to sneak while wearing it, that'd be perfect. Equipment upgrades could reduce this penalty a bit, but never eliminate it; enchantments on the armour - though rare - could eliminate it entirely.

 

[ezo]

This might seem a bit personal, but what's your DEX?

About a 13, probably a solid 14 when I was younger...

But, more importantly, I have proficiency in Stealth and I'm not wearing heavy armor.

I personally don't have one because I'm not a fantasy game character and thus can't be compared to such, but again, to each their own.

Too bad, it makes life more fun.

 

[Minigiant]

That's fine. It doesn't make them linked and design goals can change. One does not HAVE to go up when another goes down.

But the design goals didn't change until the 2023 playtest.

And games without something that goes up tend to be boring and makes no money.

 

[payn]

But the design goals didn't change until the 2023 playtest.

And games without something that goes up tend to be boring and makes no money.

...but 5E only goes up a little...makes most money...

 

[ezo]

...but 5E only goes up a little...makes most money...

Less is more?

 

[Thomas Shey]

This might seem a bit personal, but what's your DEX?

I personally don't have one because I'm not a fantasy game character and thus can't be compared to such, but again, to each their own.

Of course you can be compared to such. You might not like the comparison methodology, nor accept the result, but you absolutely can be so compared; Villains and Vigilantes did it when deriving avatar characters years ago.

 

[Micah Sweet]

But the design goals didn't change until the 2023 playtest.

And games without something that goes up tend to be boring and makes no money.

I would say the design goals changed around the time Tasha's was being worked on.

 

[Minigiant]

...but 5E only goes up a little...makes most money...

5e damage and HP goes up a lot

Fighters, Paladins, and Sorcerers: hehehe