How important is stat accuracy to you?

[Lord Mhoram]

I would rather have half the number of creatures/NPCs ect, with perfect accuracy, than lots with mistakes.

I consider the accuracy of the builds of things in books to exmplify the concern that the writers/publishers have for the people buying the books. If there is a monster/NPC that is breaking the rules (whether by design or mistake), to me that is just cheating.

 

[Voadam]

Blackdirge, your sig is huge without a line break so it stretches out the width of the whole thread past what I can read on one screen without scrolling. Is there a way you can please condense that?

 

[BLACKDIRGE]

Blackdirge, your sig is huge without a line break so it stretches out the width of the whole thread past what I can read on one screen without scrolling. Is there a way you can please condense that?

How's that.

BD

 

[Mercule]

Stat blocks in an adventure or other solitary write-up get a bit more leeway from me.

What I'm talking about being an issue is when you have a monster book, or other origin source that's off. A few skill points out of whack for Strahd or one of his minions is no big deal. The inability to reliably flip open a Monster Manual and use the ogre as printed is a huge deal, even if it's just skill points -- granted, BAB is much more significant than skills, but the base source should still be accurate.

 

[DM_Jeff]

>>Do accurate stats play a big part in your game?

Enough. As in, I've targeted 3rd party publishers that were grossly violating every rule and blowing stats away and I've sold off those products and now have a cadre of 3 or 4 publishers I trust, whose minor errors have never once contributed to game trouble for me or my players. The kind of mistakes reported is actually somewhat laughable, when I wonder how game-breaking it is that the dragon has a Knowledge (the Planes) score of 30 instead of 28 as is proper. Pul-eeze.

>>Also, do you download the official Wizards errata?

For the PHB and DMG, sure. Nothing else, however.

-DM Jeff

 

[Wombat]

Stat accuracy is almost an oxymoron.

First of all, the stats themselves are abstractions. Oh sure, we know how much something with a given Strength may lift, but what of the other stats? How does one map Dexterity 13 as opposed to 14?

Then there are the creatures. Barring human beings and animals, we are unable to actually test any of these creatures, since they exists only in our imaginations.

So we are trying to determine for imaginary beasts how well they fit on an abstract scale.

This is sorta like that book that talked about the strategies and tactics used by King Arthur in his campaigns -- if only we knew when he lived, how large his armies were, how large his opponents' armies were, what equipment each side used, where the battles took place, how many other "non-recorded" battles took place, what the actual outcomes were, etc., we could judge the book. Barring that, it is simply a matter of an odd thought-exercise.

 

[hong]

Stat accuracy is almost an oxymoron.

I do not think this thread means what you think it means.

 

[Odhanan]

Do accurate stats play a big part in your game? Also, do you download the official Wizards errata? I know a lot of DMs that don't bother. What are your thoughts?

I'd like to say it's really important for me, but this isn't the case. I like the mechanical components (feats, PrCs, spells) to be nicely balanced, mainly because I don't want some options to become obvious choices or just discarded because "they stink" while bringing potential flavor to the game.

The stats, however, are supposed to be accurate, sure, but if they aren't, I just don't bother (barring any outrageously bad mistake, of course). A point missing here or there, a stacking bonus missing to AC, etc, don't really change a whole lot in the game as it's being played. I don't download Wizards' errata, and rarely have a look at them. I'm always interested in accuracy, read John Cooper's reviews like tons of other gamers with great interest, but that's about it. For me, stat accuracy is just not that important as far as the gameplay itself is concerned.

 

[Voadam]

How's that.

BD

Works great now, thanks!

 

[KB9JMQ]

I don't really care if they are accurate or not.
I don't consider them code, more like guidelines anyway

I do download the errata for completeness sake but we never use it.