D&D 5E How about 5d20?

[ezo]

Oh man, I browsed a few of the early posts and didn't realise, glad I'm not the only one.

Funny thing is, another DM I know actually proposed a 5E D&D mod which did use 5d20.

Basic concept was instead of a proficiency bonus, you got proficiency dice, and took the best roll.

So...

1. +2 ==> 1d20, +3 ==> 2d20, +4 ==> 3d20, +5 ==> 4d6, and +6 ==> 5d20
2. Non-proficient was 1d20 with "disadvantage"
3. Sources of advantage/disadvantage added or substracted a d20 from the "pool"
4. Add your ability modifier and any other bonuses normally

 

[cbwjm]

Funny thing is, another DM I know actually proposed a 5E D&D mod which did use 5d20.

Basic concept was instead of a proficiency bonus, you got proficiency dice, and took the best roll.

So...

1. +2 ==> 1d20, +3 ==> 2d20, +4 ==> 3d20, +5 ==> 4d6, and +6 ==> 5d20
2. Non-proficient was 1d20 with "disadvantage"
3. Sources of advantage/disadvantage added or substracted a d20 from the "pool"
4. Add your ability modifier and any other bonuses normally

I have considered, not specifically 5d20, but stacking advantage and disadvantage. That is you might have advantage from 2 sources and disadvantage from 1 letting you roll 2d20 and taking the highest, 3d20 if you didn't have disadvantage.

 

[ezo]

I have considered, not specifically 5d20, but stacking advantage and disadvantage. That is you might have advantage from 2 sources and disadvantage from 1 letting you roll 2d20 and taking the highest, 3d20 if you didn't have disadvantage.

Both my groups have always allowed advantage/disadvantage to stack. Frankly, it isn't that hard to do so I never understood by WotC didn't allow it to stack in the first place.

 

[mamba]

Both my groups have always allowed advantage/disadvantage to stack. Frankly, it isn't that hard to do so I never understood by WotC didn't allow it to stack in the first place.

I like how Shadow of the Demon Lord solved it. They stack, and you get a d6 for each advantage / disadvantage.

You then roll your d20 and however many d6, but only add / subtract the highest d6, not all of them.

5e’s advantage / disadvantage and 1d6 from SotDL have a very similar average impact mathematically (+/-4 for 5e, +/- 3.5 for SotDL), with the stacked advantage then not becoming totally crazy, but slightly better.

 

[Morrus]

IIRC, "d20" is trademarked by WotC for use to denote system of RPG.

I don't know if "5d20" would be considered infringing on that trademark. Unless that was clear, I don't know that publishers would adopt the term officially.

Modiphius doesn't seem to be having issues with 2d20--I think, but am going totally off hazy memory, that the actual trademarks are the d20 System logo and the term "d20 System".

 

[GMMichael]

. . . I never understood by WotC didn't allow it to stack in the first place.

Wouldn't it be a bit ironic if 5RD's solution to stacking bonuses involved, itself, stacking?

I like how Shadow of the Demon Lord solved it. They stack, and you get a d6 for each advantage / disadvantage . . . You then roll your d20 and however many d6, but only add / subtract the highest d6, not all of them.

That's fun. I'll have to try it sometime. But first, I'm going to run my next 5RD game with 5d20 instead of d20, and see how that goes. I'll set up a wall around the game table, so none of the d20s get away. PCs rolling without advantage must take the nearest result rolled. PCs with disadvantage take the furthest result rolled. PCs with one advantage take a poll of the five dice, subtract the three extremes, and choose the highest of the remaining two. Those with an advantage and a disadvantage take the middle result, but only if the highest and lowest results don't tie . . . hmm. I'm starting to see why we're not proposing a 5d20 system here . . .

But I think I'm on to something. Take note, MCDM!

 

[ezo]

I like how Shadow of the Demon Lord solved it. They stack, and you get a d6 for each advantage / disadvantage.

You then roll your d20 and however many d6, but only add / subtract the highest d6, not all of them.

5e’s advantage / disadvantage and 1d6 from SotDL have a very similar average impact mathematically (+/-4 for 5e, +/- 3.5 for SotDL), with the stacked advantage then not becoming totally crazy, but slightly better.

SotDL does work well, but it has the issue of raising the floor and ceiling as well, which for the bounded accuracy in 5E would mess things up (or not, if you feel it is a good thing?). It isn't a huge raise, but it's there.

 

[Tonguez]

I was really hoping that this thread was gonna be about uses for the range of numbers created by rolling 5d20.

Yeah me too - I was thinking oh a percentage system but it’ll be missing the bottom 5%

 

[mamba]

SotDL does work well, but it has the issue of raising the floor and ceiling as well, which for the bounded accuracy in 5E would mess things up (or not, if you feel it is a good thing?). It isn't a huge raise, but it's there.

yes, it is there, but stacked advantage does that regardless of which approach you take. At least SotDL keeps that pretty bounded while rolling more d20 and picking the highest gets out of control pretty fast.

If you do not want stacking advantage, stick with the standard. This was just meant as an improvement over using more d20s while stacking

 

[ezo]

yes, it is there, but stacked advantage does that regardless of which approach you take. At least SotDL keeps that pretty bounded while rolling more d20 and picking the highest gets out of control pretty fast.

No, using multiple d20's only raises the average, not the floor/ceiling (your roll minimum is always 1 and maximum always 20).

Compared to SotDL, you minimum becomes 2 and your maximum 26, for just thed d20+d6 rolls.