D&D 4E Mike Mearls on how D&D 4E could have looked

OK on this "I would’ve much preferred the ability to adopt any role within the core 4 by giving players a big choice at level 1, an option that placed an overlay on every power you used or that gave you a new way to use them."
Basically have Source Specific Powers and less class powers. But I think combining that with having BIG differing stances to dynamically switch role might be a better idea so that your hero can adjust role to circumstance. I have to defend this NPC right now vs I have to take down the big bad right now vs I have to do minion cleaning right now, I am inspiring allies in my interesting way, who need it right now.

and the obligatory
Argghhhh on this. " I wanted classes to have different power acquisition schedules"

And thematic differences seemed to have been carried fine.

 

[Garthanos]

My suggestion re: Ring Wraiths is that they really are not that challenging if you have a way to by pass their damage reduction.

Otherwise how could Aragorn drive them off?

Not a horrible explanation Except using fire in battle is mighty common unless its "some how" the ability it was applied with??? I have nothing.

 

[Shasarak]

Does that explanation extend to dragons like Smaug as well?

It is very convenient that Smaug had that one weak point where he could be instantly slain.

 

[Shasarak]

Yup that is so something someone said.... luck is a bit like or divine protection etc magic shield maybe if you squint and want it to be. There are so many things mentioned contributing to hit points.


Nobody ever said that was never happening but what you are saying is never happening is that his skill is never ever ever turning an accurate attack into a miss because his AC is static AND that makes utterly no sense.

I did a very small amount of Karate when I was younger and at one point the Sensei who was training me asked me to hit her in the stomach as hard as I could. She did not dodge, she did not use any kind of magical force field to protect herself, she just stood there and took that punch with no appreciable effect that I could see. And that is the type of Fighter that I want my character to be, one who has trained and toughened themselves to the point where yes you can hit them and they can just shrug it off. Someone who is tough as nails.

 

[Imaro]

A super uber crit on a bad guy does seem different.

In many games the hero could have reliable offensive luck he could save up and use on such a super thing.

Yes in games other than 5e it could be... though I thought we were discussing this in relationship to bounded accuracy and thus 5e...

Ultimately though it's showing that what many would consider lower level heroes/monsters viably threatening and defeating much higher level challenges, while not necessarily common place, does seem to pop up often enough and it is something that both supports and is facilitated by 5e's use of bounded accuracy to achieve similar results. I understand you may not personally like the aesthetic of less powerful heroes/monsters being viable threats to more powerful ones but claiming the aesthetic doesn't exist in alot of fantasy just isn't true.

Here's another Sam Gamgee mortally wounding Shelob, most powerful of the primordial spiders offspring... He's not even on par with Aaragorn or Boromir in combat but is able to pull a feat off like this.

Yes all these examples could be the result of a critical hit but when examining the D&D mechanics and hit points it seems highly unlikely a single crit is going to allow the attrition necessary for such creatures to be defeated mechanically by lower level adventurers and vice versa (high level adventurers to be defeated or killed by enough low level creatures...i.e. Boromir). Bounded accuracy seems like a much more viable mechanic for allowing the possibility of these moments to occur in game.

 

[Garthanos]

I did a very small amount of Karate when I was younger and at one point the Sensei who was training me asked me to hit her in the stomach as hard as I could. She did not dodge .

There are a dozen locations that 5 lbs of pressure will kill you (and you cannot tough it out) but that is realism fortunately most arent trivial to hit accidentally.

For me you have many styles of combatant and many styles of defense the tough guy model is just one, the lucky guy is another he sometimes starts sweating but it seems like he isnt actively doing it fairly often and the really skilled at defending is another and its usually visible as fatigue, heck even the mages/or divine types advancing hit points are entirely workable as an aura or hastily raised desperate shield.

Some monsters can be even more extreme of tough guy usually that will be gashes and blood streaming.

 

[Imaro]

It is very convenient that Smaug had that one weak point where he could be instantly slain.

Eh, a narrative one could easily overlay on a fight with a dragon in D&D... only striking the killing blow in a weak spot once they get past all the hit points. The point is there are numerous examples of this through the stories and movies, irregardless of the narrative justification for it.

 

[Garthanos]

Yes all these examples could be the result of a critical hit but when examining the D&D mechanics and hit points it seems highly unlikely a single crit is going to allow the attrition necessary for such creatures to be defeated mechanically

Which to me means critical hits are more extreme like in RQ game not D&D hp attrition ie unless you let weapons generate old school save or dies.

 

[Garthanos]

Eh, a narrative one could easily overlay on a fight with a dragon in D&D... only striking the killing blow in a weak spot once they get past all the hit points. The point is there are numerous examples of this through the stories and movies, irregardless of the narrative justification for it.

Or this actually because Smaug ran out of luck... Convenient for the hero?

 

[Garthanos]

But you can't have hits bouncing off armor..... Like they were misses... Cause that isn't a hit... Ask Shas

 

[Imaro]

Which to me means critical hits are more extreme like in RQ game not D&D hp attrition ie unless you let weapons generate old school save or dies.

Eh it could be either or... you can prefer one method or the other but ultimately it is a trope that can be simulated with both. Crist with massive damage or attrition with bounded accuracy.