D&D (2024) Inspiration From Nat 20 Will Bog Down The Game

[Bill Zebub]

No, they do not, but when they do not they are making a mistake because when I selected the DC of the check I had to assume that they would use Guidance, because they often do. When they forget they are only hurting themselves.

Wait…seriously? What’s your process for that? Since guidance gives you a d4, which averages 2.5, I’m imagining setting a DC, then increasing it by 2 half the time, and 3 the other half the time.

Do you also increase ACs by 1 when they find a +1 sword.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

We had it bog down last night... We have tried a few times in the last 8 years and the mechanic is not memorable enough for us to keep it up. I have to say that now when we remember it, it cost us time back engineering (rolling back through roll 20) to figure who did and didn't have it,

what is worse more then half our rolls have advantage as is... having a mechanic that is unintuitive and hard to remember for a minor bonus sometimes is annoying

 

[Chaosmancer]

We had it bog down last night... We have tried a few times in the last 8 years and the mechanic is not memorable enough for us to keep it up. I have to say that now when we remember it, it cost us time back engineering (rolling back through roll 20) to figure who did and didn't have it,

what is worse more then half our rolls have advantage as is... having a mechanic that is unintuitive and hard to remember for a minor bonus sometimes is annoying

Honestly? "If you didn't record it, you don't have it."

I will do a lot to help my players, I even have enough mental space to track certain things for my players, but if they didn't bother writing it down, then they don't get it. I'm not wasting table time scrolling back to see.

 

[Chaosmancer]

No, they do not, but when they do not they are making a mistake because when I selected the DC of the check I had to assume that they would use Guidance, because they often do. When they forget they are only hurting themselves.
Similarly, if gaining Inspiration on any Nat 20 becomes a rule I will have to make every fight harder to account for the possibility of them spending it more often. Currently they hoard Inspiration in case they have to make Death Saves so clearly I will have to force them to make more Death Saves to use up those extra Inspirations.

I pretty much never adjust the DC based on the bonuses they may have. And I can't imagine your player's roll hot enough that you need to increase the difficulty of the fights to account for rolling 20's and getting inspiration.

 

[JiffyPopTart]

No, they do not, but when they do not they are making a mistake because when I selected the DC of the check I had to assume that they would use Guidance, because they often do. When they forget they are only hurting themselves.
Similarly, if gaining Inspiration on any Nat 20 becomes a rule I will have to make every fight harder to account for the possibility of them spending it more often. Currently they hoard Inspiration in case they have to make Death Saves so clearly I will have to force them to make more Death Saves to use up those extra Inspirations.

We have fundamental differences in Gaming here which is probably why we view the impact of lots of inspiration differently.

When I set a DC I look at the definition chart and pick a number based on how I judge the task should be. If the task is hard it's a 15. Easy is a 5. The skills, powers, and other factors that the players have does not influence the number of the check at all.

Your process sounds like you are setting the DC by how hard you want it to be for your particular group to achieve it, ignoring the established definitions.

In other words, at your table the DC for Medium starts at 10 and escalates over time to account for character growth, whereas at my table Medium is 10 at 1st through 20th level.

I would find your method exhausting.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Honestly? "If you didn't record it, you don't have it."

okay and when no one remembers including the DM?

I will do a lot to help my players, I even have enough mental space to track certain things for my players, but if they didn't bother writing it down, then they don't get it. I'm not wasting table time scrolling back to see.

so again... what does that mean, when everyone forgets? to me it comes down to "we just aren't useing it" or "We have to bog down looking" and BOTH lead to a bad rule

 

[Bill Zebub]

okay and when no one remembers including the DM?

Poof.

so again... what does that mean, when everyone forgets?

Exactly that. Everyone forgets.

Is it possible that by allowing people to scroll back and recover it, they're learning that they don't have to remember?

 

[Vael]

Well, I'm planning on implementing gaining Inspiration on both a Nat 1 and Nat 20 as a houserule when my campaign starts up again, I'll report back.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Is it possible that by allowing people to scroll back and recover it, they're learning that they don't have to remember?

gee... I have complained about this sub system for 8 years as being forgetable... but sure, the week 2 of trying to use it on roll20 might be the cause of 6 years before I even heard of roll20

 

[Bill Zebub]

gee... I have complained about this sub system for 8 years as being forgetable... but sure, the week 2 of trying to use it on roll20 might be the cause of 6 years before I even heard of roll20

Not sure I’m parsing this correctly, but do you mean this thing about forgetting and scrolling back has only been going on for one or two sessions?

If so, then I don’t find it surprising that people are forgetting. And I also think the solution is the same: no scrolling back, and eventually they’ll remember.