D&D 5E How many rounds do most of your combats last?

[CodeFlayer]

I'm told that, from the standpoint of history (of which I claim no mastery, only interest), the true power of the longbow came from plunging fire. A storm of arrows would rise up as a cloud, peak, and rain devastation much as an area of effect spell might at a high angle of incidence.

Are historical references welcome in pursuit of that chimera, 'realism' ? I must admit a weakness for that, as well as probability tables.

Regards
--CodeFlayer

 

[Flamestrike]

Yes there are magic users and people that have supernatural abilities. On the other hand without magic even at 20th level a fighter isn't superman. Captain America maybe, depending on the version.

A fighter is almost Captain America at 5th level. He can beat a Great White Shark or Grizzly bear to death with his bare hands. Probably more akin to the Punisher or Daredevil.

 

[Flamestrike]

That's a good performance benchmark! A list of those by level would be interesting for conceptually placing the power level of warriors. What can a guard, noble, or tribal warrior accomplish, versus a 1st level fighter, 2nd level, etc.

Compare a 5th level Fighter to a Commoner (your average Joe), a Guard (baseline trained professional warriors, including professional bodyguards, soldiers, and members of the city watch) or a Veteran (a professional soldier who has been in the caper a decade or multiple military engagements).

A Commoner has no chance against a Grizzly or Great white shark. It almost certainly kills him in seconds.

Guards can reliably take down multiple Commoners. They have twice the HP (and HD), training in at least shields, light armor and spears, and better ability scores than your average Joe. They're professional soldiers.

A Grizzly bear or Great White shark almost certainly kills one within 2 rounds.

An armed Veteran can take on dozens of Commoners, multiple Guards and a Grizzly or Great White, and likely win. Unarmed and unarmored against the Grizzly or Shark, he dies after around 30 seconds of struggling.

A 5th level Fighter can mow down scores of Commoners and Guards, and should mop up a Veteran, Great White or Grizzly with ease in a few rounds at most; and he could do it with his bare hands. At this level he is on par with Miyamoto Musashi, Daredevil, the Punisher, or similar low level fictional superheroes and historical legendary warriors.

At level 5 he is literally in T2, and a newly minted 'Hero of the Realm'. He is likely the greatest warrior in his Kingdom, or his name is mentioned among them. In Marvel terms, he may not have Avenger levels of power yet, but he's a candidate for the Defenders.

 

[Asisreo]

Do you have a point? Any point at all to make, much less one that's at all relevant to anything I've posted or to the topic?

Yes there are magic users and people that have supernatural abilities. On the other hand without magic even at 20th level a fighter isn't superman. Captain America maybe, depending on the version.

A barbarian at level 20 can possibly destroy a 6-inch thick wall of stone within 6 seconds using an axe. A fighter's second wind can give them more resilience than a whole ape has from the get-go. A rogue can dodge a fireball's explosion while being literally in it's center.

I mean, this is the reality a martial character gets. They are superhuman in all capacity.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

I mean, this is the reality a martial character gets. They are superhuman in all capacity.

Yes and no.

I think a point that almost never gets brought up in this sort of discussion is that for one side, the details of how that superhuman-ness works are irrelevant, and for the other side they are highly relevant. When they implausibly break something with their bare hands, is it because they literally have strength beyond what a human body should be able to have (such as Captain America), or it is because they have skills at applying what they do have (such as a real-world martial artist breaking boards and such)?

It needs to be acknowledged that the fact that this difference matters to some people is a meaningful thing that cannot be ignored. Heck, it's kind of the basis of half of the debates that happen related to it.

 

[Oofta]

People used to hunt grizzly bears with nothing more than a spear. Heck, some idiots still do.

That doesn't make them superhuman.

Action heroes take out multiple opponents on a regular basis. That also doesn't make them superhuman. Unrealistic plot armor, better training and often better equipment? Sure. How many bad guys does James Bond take out? That's not even getting to 80s action movie levels.

So I stand by my action movie logic.

Want to view all PCs in D&D as superheroes? Feel free. Doesn't mean you can leap tall buildings in a single bound.

 

[Tallifer]

In both 4E and 5E, I find that a LOT can happen in 3 or 4 rounds.

 

[Flamestrike]

People used to hunt grizzly bears with nothing more than a spear. Heck, some idiots still do.

That doesn't make them superhuman.

Action heroes take out multiple opponents on a regular basis. That also doesn't make them superhuman. Unrealistic plot armor, better training and often better equipment? Sure. How many bad guys does James Bond take out? That's not even getting to 80s action movie levels.

So I stand by my action movie logic.

Want to view all PCs in D&D as superheroes? Feel free. Doesn't mean you can leap tall buildings in a single bound.

Until they can leap tall buildings in a single bound. Or fall from the moon and walk away unharmed.

 

[Oofta]

Until they can leap tall buildings in a single bound. Or fall from the moon and walk away unharmed.

I don't know what system you're playing, but leaping a tall building in a single bound without use of magic has never been a part of any game I've ever played.

 

[Phazonfish]

I don't know what system you're playing, but leaping a tall building in a single bound without use of magic has never been a part of any game I've ever played.

I mean, how tall is tall? I get the feeling you guys are talking skyscrapers, but FWIW a 7' tall PC in 5e with the right build could grab the ledge of a 42'6" roof, no magic involved.