D&D General New Interview with Rob Heinsoo About 4E

[TwoSix]

What if extra Advantage/Disadvantage was just a bonus (or penalty) smaller dice (d6 or d8?) instead of another d20 and you just can keep piling them (or taking them away) but you still just apply one of them instead of all of them?

That’s the boon/bane system from Shadow of the Demon Lord.

 

[Undrave]

That’s the boon/bane system from Shadow of the Demon Lord.

Great minds think alike then

 

[Umbran]

So do we really need to put this on spin cycle?

Spin cycle requires continuing engagement from you, you know.

If you are tired of arguing, then stop, and there is no more cycle.

 

[Clint_L]

Advantage/Disadvantage seemed like a good idea but it really kneecapped any subtlety in terms of support moves.

I have to hard disagree here. Advantage/disadvantage is the single best innovation in 5e, IMO. It speeds the game up immensely, is instantly understandable, keeps the focus on consequential dice rolls, which is just fun, and provides meaningful consequences without adding extra math. It definitely improves my games. A lot.

Edit: but then, I'm generally anti-modifiers. 3e, for example, was very problematic for me in how many modifiers you had to track and stack, and at higher levels modifiers easily outweighed the dice rolls a lot of the time. Advantage/disadvantage, combined with bounded accuracy, is so much more elegant to run. I have a lot of players with math challenges, and I don't think I could get nearly the uptake if I presented them with a system like 3e.

 

[Undrave]

I have to hard disagree here. Advantage/disadvantage is the single best innovation in 5e, IMO. It speeds the game up immensely, is instantly understandable, keeps the focus on consequential dice rolls, which is just fun, and provides meaningful consequences without adding extra math. It definitely improves my games. A lot.

Edit: but then, I'm generally anti-modifiers. 3e, for example, was very problematic for me in how many modifiers you had to track and stack, and at higher levels modifiers easily outweighed the dice rolls a lot of the time. Advantage/disadvantage, combined with bounded accuracy, is so much more elegant to run. I have a lot of players with math challenges, and I don't think I could get nearly the uptake if I presented them with a system like 3e.

I'm not denying all these upside, I'm just bemoaning the implementation.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

What if extra Advantage/Disadvantage was just a bonus (or penalty) smaller dice (d6 or d8?) instead of another d20 and you just can keep piling them (or taking them away) but you still just apply one of them instead of all of them?

not 5e's biggest supporter here but the frame work is there...

take the 4e base and add in adva/disad roll2 take high or low, with effects like bless/guidance/bane that add or subtract a die and make it a little more rounded and it sounds better then adding up +1 from this +2 from that...

somethings give advantage/disadvantage some a die...

 

[Chaltab]

not 5e's biggest supporter here but the frame work is there...

take the 4e base and add in adva/disad roll2 take high or low, with effects like bless/guidance/bane that add or subtract a die and make it a little more rounded and it sounds better then adding up +1 from this +2 from that...

somethings give advantage/disadvantage some a die...

Like A5E.

 

[Zardnaar]

Well 4E at least had sone interesting concepts and identified problems.

Fixing a broken toe by cutting the foot off though was the big problem.

 

[Clint_L]

I'm not denying all these upside, I'm just bemoaning the implementation.

I find the implementation very elegant. There's a lot left to DM discretion, which I like, but there are also plenty of opportunities that players can control. For example, they can opt to assist on most actions, put themselves in a flanking position, successfully stealth, and so on

 

[Undrave]

I find the implementation very elegant. There's a lot left to DM discretion, which I like, but there are also plenty of opportunities that players can control. For example, they can opt to assist on most actions, put themselves in a flanking position, successfully stealth, and so on

Flanking is not a thing in the base rules and assist is always the less optimal action.