House Rule - level bonus added to damage?

[DanmarLOK]

After a couple of 'draggy' fights, I'm going to try implementing these changes. The damage boost applies to PC and NPC equally. The healing surge changes apply to PC's and any NPC with the ability to heal (surge or power). Since few monsters heal this means that typically the boost may cut out a round or two of combat. This also has some subtler balance impact. Stat bonuses mean less in the total damage dealt which shifts those that max out their primary stat closer to those who may diversify more. A flat static damage bonus across the board means other sources of damage are a smaller percentage of the total and thus variations in those matter less. I'm avoiding the aoe ZOMG LOOK AT THAT DAMAGE by applying the damage only to one attack per power. Auto damage is also negated because it only applies to powers that require an attack roll.

The change in healing should help offset the increase in damage, to some degree, I fully realize that a character with 40 health that gets hit for 3 attacks for 21 damage pre-change and 27 damage post change doesn't make up the difference with a +2 to their healing surge. (assuming level 4's on both sides) They're now 4 more damage to the worse. But the obverse is also true, the monsters are lasting a shorter period of time.

Damage: All powers that require an attack roll and deal damage gain a bonus damage of 1/2 level that is applied to the first target of the attack.
Special: The increased damage must apply to the closest target from either the center or starting square of burst or blast attacks, when more than one target meets this requirement the character can choose which target to apply the extra damage.

Healing Surges - When you spend a healing surge, regain 1/2 your level + 25% of your normal max hit points in hit points.

 

[Markn]

FWIW, DanmarLOK

We never found it necessary to increase healing in this way. Do you intend to apply the healing surge to monsters as well when they have one? If so, it will have an adverse effect on combat and will actually nullify some of your efforts to speed things up because said monster now heals more too. Of course monsters with healing abilities are few and far between.

What about attacks that allow you to attack 2 targets (like many Ranger powers) that are still ranged attacks? Will it affect only 1 target?

If you do, do this, let me know how you make out. I'm curious of others peoples perspective since we have been doing something similar to this.

 

[Mad Hamish]

How is the wizard getting 1/2 level bonus to damage any different than the bonus damage he gets with his implement? He gets that bonus on every damage roll with his implement so the system seems to already work to that effect somehwat. Same goes for the Ranger - a magical bow will do damage on each hit. It really is no different, its just scaled a bit higher than what implements give out but not grossly so.

For scaled a bit higher read +15 versus +6.
The game is more or less balanced around the gear people can get and stat increases they can get.
If you chuck in another +10 or +15 on top of that it makes a huge difference.

Our group has been playing the 1/2 level bonus to damage for a few months. It has sped up combat bot not to the degree we hoped. It also hasn't hurt the balance too much either. But it has created some interesting things we never considered in the first place. Does the Paladins Mark get the extra damage?

What levels have you played it at though?
Because often things work fine at low levels but are incredibly overpowered at high levels
(e.g. a 2nd ed AD&D campaign where spellcasters didn't have to memorise spells. Fine at 5th level, a killer at 12th
an earthdawn campaign where all matrices were basically shared matrices)

 

[Eldorian]

Two things:

House rules forum.


Rangers and tempest fighters, and any other classes that can pull multiple attacks out in a round would benefit much more from these sort of changes. I only skimmed the thread, but if no one mentioned these two things I'm surprised.

 

[Plane Sailing]

I think it is worth trying out, it was one of the many great rule innovations from SAGA. (I was considering trying it out it myself).

IF you were as concerned about the potential balance effects wrt characters who get more than one attack in a round, just simply follow the 'striker damage' model of rangers, rogues etc and say that the +1/2 level damage is added once per round.

Frankly, I wouldn't worry about it though. Hit points are so much higher than damage that I don't think it will destroy your game, nor will it make some classes so 'uber' that nobody wants to play anything else (unless perhaps if you game with a bunch of "powergaming munchkins" (tm), although I would guess that is unlikely).

 

[DanmarLOK]

Yes, the healing like the damage is across the board and yep, it will bring it back to square one in that regard but like you mentioned and I've seen healing critters aren't numerous.

The +1/2 level damage is applied to one (the first target) only. So rangers for instance would get +1/2 to one bow shot, not both for twin shot. Otherwise that rewards powers that have multiple attacks per single use too greatly and causes AOE's to go nuts.

I've had one session using it and to be completely honest at level 4 it makes not so much difference in combat length. An extra +2 damage just isn't that big a deal, up to +8 against a single target if everyone focus fires and hits. But that will cut maybe one round of attacks against that creature. What it does do though is get rid of some of the 1 damage rolls.

At higher levels it probably will continue to be a non-factor in terms of combat length to the overall encounter.

The biggest perceived benefit I believe is that it'll take a couple of shots less (assuming focus fire) to take down a standard with less impact on Elites and Solo's.

You could get a much bigger impact I believe by reducing monster hit points by some % but the math is slower there. It's easy to say, okay level 4, your arrow now does 1d10+6 (+2 bow) and that gets written on their card once every two levels. Rather than, okay 75% of 117 hit points is...

FWIW, DanmarLOK

We never found it necessary to increase healing in this way. Do you intend to apply the healing surge to monsters as well when they have one? If so, it will have an adverse effect on combat and will actually nullify some of your efforts to speed things up because said monster now heals more too. Of course monsters with healing abilities are few and far between.

What about attacks that allow you to attack 2 targets (like many Ranger powers) that are still ranged attacks? Will it affect only 1 target?

If you do, do this, let me know how you make out. I'm curious of others peoples perspective since we have been doing something similar to this.

 

[Blastin]

good thread as I was considering doing that myself. What about adding it to just encounter/daily powers?

 

[enigma5915]

I've added the 1/2 level to damage about 3 months ago and it has worked out well. The encounters take less time (a good thing), makes combat slightly gritty (again a good thing), and there has been no issues worring about which class's damage output has been more negativly or positivly affected. We just all like to play and are having fun with this. So if you are thinking of trying it, I would say go for it. If you find you don't like, then switch back. Easy peasy.

Brian

 

[DanmarLOK]

That's entirely too sensible a solution...

So if you are thinking of trying it, I would say go for it. If you find you don't like, then switch back. Easy peasy.

Brian

 

[enigma5915]

Welcome to D&D. Increasing damage +1/2 level isn't going to change that.

Well in my experiance 1/2 lvl to dam has changed alot. And for the better.