D&D 5E Leveling up and meta knowledge

[daimaru42]

During our lest session my character (Erdan, a half-elf ranger) leveled up to 4 ~and~ picked up some magical items.
A +3 shortsword
Studded armor resistant to force damage
An increased dexterity bonus, boosting his armor class and attack and damage bonuses (all of his weapons are finesse)
A lucky roll with a d10 giving him 10 more hit points
My first thought was, "Wow! I can play Erdan much more aggressively now!" But then I thought, "Wait, does ~Erdan~ know this?" Or was I using meta knowledge here? Some of it he certainly knows, some of it I can think of a logical reason for him knowing, and some of it I'm not so sure.
He cast detect magic before he picked up the sword and armor so he knows they're better than his old stuff. Reasonably the sword ~feels~ better in his hand. While he doesn't know just ~how~ the armor is enhanced he might reasonably trust it more.
My logical reason for him knowing his other improvements is that he didn't ~really~ (for certain values of really ) have them sprung on him full blown. He has been gaining experience points for months (real time) so I can assume he's been getting better incrementally all of that time. So he ~knows~ he's been getting better with his weapons (even if the ~game~ couldn't show it before now) and he knows he's been getting better at dodging blows.
The one I'm not sure about is hit points; just what are they as seen by Erdan? Is it toughness? Would he notice that he's getting better at shrugging off damage? Probably?

So, comments anyone?

 

[Dan Chernozub]

+3 sword at level 4 is WAT?!
I suggest my players to play leveling up and gaining new abilities (spells, feats) as having them to strive for something for a time prior to the moment of leveling up and finaly suceeding.

Imagine a powerlifter training to get a new weight - when he gets there he knows it. When you are doing something on a regular basis you can usually figure when you finaly become better at it.

 

[FrogReaver]

Arghhhh!!'n. Not another what is hp thread!!!

 

[iserith]

You, the player, determine how your character thinks and acts, based on whatever criteria you find reasonable. All that really matters in my view is that it's fun for everyone and helps contribute to the creation of an exciting, memorable story. If you're doing that, then you're all good. I wouldn't worry too much about "meta-knowledge." The best sorts of players in my experience use "meta-knowledge" to make the game better anyway.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

I don't get hung up on it like that, at the core its me playing a game so I'm always going to know stuff the PC wouldn't. And he's not shrugging off damage as much as avoiding solid hits. So he's getting more skilled at avoiding the worst of hits.

 

[jaelis]

I agree, you are overthinking it. Just play the character the way you want to play him, don't worry about "doing it right."

 

[Tormyr]

+3 sword at level 4 is WAT?!

My thoughts too.

What Dan said. PCs get better at stuff, the point at which it is noticeable are levels because that is how D&D and many other games work. Other games are more granular, but it is not what we are playing here. HP is overall getting better at not dying. From being able to take more damage to surviving longer falls to resisting disease to fate (because that 1 extra hp kept you conscious long enough to deal the finishing blow).

 

[daimaru42]

+3 sword at level 4 is WAT?!

Oh yeah, that sword is great! With his dex and proficiency bonuses it's +9 on attack and +7 on damage. When he gets to use Colossus Slayer it's another d8 on damage.

 

[Warpiglet]

Oh yeah, that sword is great! With his dex and proficiency bonuses it's +9 on attack and +7 on damage. When he gets to use Colossus Slayer it's another d8 on damage.

Maybe the DM will take that into account when designing challenges. Hopefully?

Either way have fun. Do what you want. Surely though a skilled warrior would know both that his sword sings through the air but also that his throat can still get cut by an enemy with a blade.

 

[cmad1977]

Over thinking it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk