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Message: <blockquote data-quote="mmadsen" data-source="post: 5782927" data-attributes="member: 1645">This issue of how the numbers progress has come up <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/269789-more-realistic-advancement-d-d-4.html#post5040857" target="_blank">before</a>, and I actually believe that many of the numbers don't progress nearly enough -- at least if we want them to match "realistic" expectations.In many ways, characters (in 3E, at least) aren't competent enough, given how the d20 combat system and non-combat skill system work. Should a typical young American Indian hunter or Roman auxiliary archer -- presumably a 1st-level Warrior, Fighter, Ranger, or Barbarian, with a +1 BAB -- really only have +1 to hit. If he grew up bow-hunting, he hits a target 55 percent of time rather than 50 percent? And a great archer -- let's say 5th-level -- hits that target 75 percent of the time?If a 5th-level Fighter is a great knight (or samurai, or whatever), and a 10th-level Fighter is the greatest knight (or samurai) in the land, then I wouldn't find it "unrealistic" for the 5th-level Fighter to more-or-less always hit and always kill 1st-level Fighters, and for the 10th-level Fighter to always hit and always kill 5th-level Fighters -- without magic weapons, magically boosted strength, etc.I also wouldn't bat an eye at a 10th-level Fighter who was effectively unhittable, even without his magic armor, as long as he had his sword or shield.What elements of the D&D progression are unrealistic? Really, there's nothing "unrealistic" about a 10th-level thief in AD&D -- except his 10d6 hit dice. And there's nothing "unrealistic" about a 10th-level fighter either -- except his 9d10+3 hit dice. His +10 to-hit isn't implausible at all.When we look at how (old-school) D&D characters progress, it's fairly odd. Let's look at the fighter:To-Hit: +1/level Damage: +0/level Armor Class: +0/level Hit Points: +1d10/level, until 9th levelIf we were starting from scratch, we might just as likely come up with something like this:To-Hit: +1/level Damage: +1/level Armor Class: +1/level Hit Points: +1/levelA 10th-level fighter might be even more powerful under that progression, but he wouldn't seem "unrealistic".On the other hand, increasing his hit point total is the one thing practically guaranteed to make him seem "unrealistic" -- at least as long as hit points remain tied to physical toughness and taking damage.</blockquote>

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