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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lord Vangarel" data-source="post: 399050" data-attributes="member: 223">I don't know if it's the older I get or just too much time to think about things but I can't stop looking at the mechanics of D&D/d20.As I see it the single d20 roll while an easy concept to grasp has a couple of major holes in the resolution.Firstly, at low levels the modifiers are not very important. This, as I see it is because the d20 roll can produce any result as it is a single die roll so if you have the strongest 1st-level commoner in the world (Strength 18 modifier +4) arm wrestling the weakest 1st-level commoner in the world (Strength 3 modifier -4) the difference is 8. On a d20 roll the weakest commoner could roll a 20 modified to 12 and the strongest man could roll a 3 or less and lose. In reality I couldn't see this ever happening but the system allows it.Secondly, at mid to high levels the situation reverses where the d20 roll becomes unimportant (see Deities and Demigods not even requiring rolls and Epic Level Handbook addresses this problem as well by altering the core mechanics for advancement). This situation occurs because a character with say a +17 as his primary attack can hit most creatures in the book without needing to roll so combat becomes who deals damage fastest. As the bonuses increase the problems continue to the point where Gods don't bother rolling dice anymore!!!So the question I keep asking myself is what is the alternative? Don't get me wrong, I love D&D, I've played for 20 years and don't want to change the rules as such but the resolution of the d20 mechanic just seems a bit wrong! This isn't just 3E of course, it has affected all of the editions, I now know why my campaigns tended to break down at mid-levels upwards.</blockquote>

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