D&D 5E (2024) Mike Mearls explains why your boss monsters die too easily

[Maxperson]

At that point, the DM can just save themselves a few hundred bucks and just play in FKR or even go forum/discord RP.

I really don't know how you got there from "a few tweaks," but okay.

 

[Maxperson]

To add in some derailment: Brotherwise Games game Call to Advengure is about using cards to build a fantasy character with a full story arc, and has expansions for Name of the Wind, the Stormlight Archives, and full-on D&D ("Epic Origins").

They even have conversion documents so you can take the resulting character and fill out a 5E character sheet (or the Stormlight RPG sheet for the Stormlight game).

I have a few of those. The Stormlight Archives one and another that I can't remember. They were fun, but not so much fun that I wouldn't rather play D&D or a better board game.

 

[nevin]

It does.

The current D&D Fans want to press reset on their digital character sheet at the session start.

Just like their video games.....which was the reason for the current rules

 

[Mort]

Can you please quote the thread that discounts the DMG's advice.

The biggest one was the one you quoted right after me, and other posts from that poster.

 

[Parmandur]

I have a few of those. The Stormlight Archives one and another that I can't remember. They were fun, but not so much fun that I wouldn't rather play D&D or a better board game.

I'm intrigued by it as a Session Zero instrument.

Also shows "being a board game" and being "invested in a narrative" aren't contradictions.

 

[tetrasodium]

Unless the party is evil, it's going to matter to them some way, some how. If the party is evil, the hero(not villain) getting away is going to matter to them in a different way, because an evil party has different priorities.

Why did you quote my post asking for the point where it will actually matter and simply restate the empty assertion? I'll use a picture

Phase 1 is a narrative consequence ignored. The specific consequence is irrelevant to the discussion because there is no disagreement over the idea that narrative consequences are possible for the GM to use.

Phase 2 is a later scenario where the failure to avoid that phase1 narrative consequence when taking a long or (usually) many short tests to sustain nova loop video game mindset style play. Once again the specifics are not particularly important because there is no disagreement that it's possible for players to encounter a scenario where earlier earned narrative consequences come up in play

Phase 3 is the critical part because the question you quoted was asking for the obviously unlikely mechanical bite that goes with carrying those narrative consequences. So far multiple people have given purely narrative examples of step 1&2 or in your case simply restricted the original flawed assertion I asked about but the only example of step 3 in the thread was an absurd "oh no, the bounty hunters who are out to capture those now-illegal adventurers specifically carry around scrolls of anti-tiny hut dispell magic? It’s the consequences of your inactions!".
@Scott Christian The answer to your question is yes I was being serious. I say that because the bit you questioned was taking about how 5e stripped away the mechanical elements that would once have been central to phase3. The systems failure there is pretty obvious given that so many posters have bristled in defense of the 5e ruleset by reusing the original assertion or giving a narrative example of phase2/3 while claiming it to stand in for phase 3 or simply refusing to accept that narrative consequences are not the same as mechanical consequences.

 

[Zardnaar]

Interesting. If we were to adjust the dials on encounter creation so that every fight (especially boss fights) assumes the PCs are at 100% power, what should we do differently?

Design new monsters

 

[Maxperson]

Why did you quote my post asking for the point where it will actually matter and simply restate the empty assertion? I'll use a picture
View attachment 419967
Phase 1 is a narrative consequence ignored. The specific consequence is irrelevant to the discussion because there is no disagreement over the idea that narrative consequences are possible for the GM to use.

Phase 2 is a later scenario where the failure to avoid that phase1 narrative consequence when taking a long or (usually) many short tests to sustain nova loop video game mindset style play. Once again the specifics are not particularly important because there is no disagreement that it's possible for players to encounter a scenario where earlier earned narrative consequences come up in play

Phase 3 is the critical part because the question you quoted was asking for the obviously unlikely mechanical bite that goes with carrying those narrative consequences. So far multiple people have given purely narrative examples of step 1&2 or in your case simply restricted the original flawed assertion I asked about but the only example of step 3 in the thread was an absurd "oh no, the bounty hunters who are out to capture those now-illegal adventurers specifically carry around scrolls of anti-tiny hut dispell magic? It’s the consequences of your inactions!".
@Scott Christian The answer to your question is yes I was being serious. I say that because the bit you questioned was taking about how 5e stripped away the mechanical elements that would once have been central to phase3. The systems failure there is pretty obvious given that so many posters have bristled in defense of the 5e ruleset by reusing the original assertion or giving a narrative example of phase2/3 while claiming it to stand in for phase 3 or simply refusing to accept that narrative consequences are not the same as mechanical consequences.

It wasn't empty. It was open ended deliberately. Unless the group has agreed to play a boardgame instead of a roleplaying game when they play D&D, narrative consequences will almost always matter in some way. How will depend on the party and the details of the scenario.

The consequences may be mechanical in nature, such as a paladin knowing that stopping to rest will cause the deaths of innocents becoming an Oathbreaker. They may have no mechanics attached whatsoever. Being banished from the kingdom with all properties taken by the state. Or they may be a combination. The king hires bounty hunters/assassins to get the party.

 

[Maxperson]

I'm intrigued by it as a Session Zero instrument.

Also shows "being a board game" and being "invested in a narrative" aren't contradictions.

Yes, and it's not the only board game with narratives. Runebound is another one where it's both a board game and a narrative is happening. And Arkham Horror.

 

[Parmandur]

Yes, and it's not the only board game with narratives. Runebound is another one where it's both a board game and a narrative is happening. And Arkham Horror.

Arkham Horror is almost as good as playing a straight RPG, flavor wise.