D&D 5E (2014) Poll on the Reaper: is damage on missed melee attack roll believable and balanced?

[Obryn]

Reaper: You gain advantage on attack rolls against creatures with 5 or less hit points.

I suggested that one, too. It would have to scale with level, though, IMO - keeping it at 5hp would make it quickly useless just like the current feat.

-O

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Here's a question for the playtesters. Is the automatic damage mechanic fun?

TBH it doesn't sound fun, but I can't knock it till I've tried it.

yes and no... in our first game our fighter had the most fun with it, in our second it was a little boreing.

Erm... How is that? I think you have it backwards. All it takes to take something out is a pencil drawing a single line. Especially if the game's as modular as it seems.

I am getting to the point were I wonder if every feat and every skill needs to be modular..and every race and every class, and every wepon and every spell... becuse everything sets someone off

Elves can not have blue hair in my games
Elves must have blue hair in my games

Because the guy with the magic and the guy with the axe should both be awesome? "Just a guy swinging an axe" is basically the #1 thing I want to avoid. Try "guy swinging an axe who's incredibly good at it." Fighters shouldn't get the short end of the stick just because MAGIC.

-O

yea the whole "You are a glorfied town guard, and I get to rewrite reailty" is not the part of classic D&D I want back... My fighter is just as Awsome as your wizard

 

[YRUSirius]

It in no way helps me widdle down the dragon, and by the time it matters who cares...

Yeah, but do 3 automatic points of damage every round really help... that much more to widdle down a dragon? We look at 30 hit points in 10 rounds.

The reaper feat seems to be a minion killer (1-5 hp), this seems to be its intent. Against stronger enemies with medium hp (10-50) it helps to widdle them down a bit in the long run. Against very strong enemies with A LOT of hp it doesn't seem to matter much at all in the long run?

-YRUSirius

 

[I'm A Banana]

Here's a question for the playtesters. Is the automatic damage mechanic fun?

TBH it doesn't sound fun, but I can't knock it till I've tried it.

I've had no problems with it during actual play. Very positive psychological reactions: that is, it FEELS awesome because you cannot effectively miss. Loss aversion is one of the strongest instincts in people, and the reason this works in actual play is because it avoids triggering that feeling that everyone else gets when they roll a d20: I might fail.

Now just like I can grok those who play a wizard who want that feel, I can grok that not everyone wants to get rid of that fear. Which is cool, and I'm totally in favor of it, and that's why putting it in a swappable feat is a good idea.

 

[YRUSirius]

I suggested that one, too. It would have to scale with level, though, IMO - keeping it at 5hp would make it quickly useless just like the current feat.

-O

Oh, great minds.

-YRUSirius

 

[herrozerro]

Yeah, but do 3 automatic points of damage every round really help... that much more to widdle down a dragon? We look at 30 hit points in 10 rounds.

The reaper feat seems to be a minion killer (1-5 hp), this seems to be its intent. Against stronger enemies with medium hp (10-50) it helps to widdle them down a bit in the long run. Against very strong enemies with A LOT of hp it doesn't seem to matter much at all in the long run?

-YRUSirius

Here is the thing though, 10 rounds imo is already entirely too long. Sure in the long run its more hp but how does that make any difference? If the thing is still standing after 10 rounds the fighter deserves to kill it with auto damade for standing up to it so long.

 

[YRUSirius]

Here is the thing though, 10 rounds imo is already entirely too long. Sure in the long run its more hp but how does that make any difference? If the thing is still standing after 10 rounds the fighter deserves to kill it with auto damade for standing up to it so long.

I was comparing the effects of 'my' reaper feat to the effects of the reaper feat as written.

-YRUSirius

 

[shamsael]

I don't like it at all...it wrecks my willful suspension of disbelief. In my brain, a miss means a failure to deal damage. If a creature takes damage (of any kind, for any reason, however it is defined), it somehow got hit. Therefore, the attack was not a miss. Therefore, my disbelief shatters.

Maybe I'm "doing it wrong." But that's how I'm always going to do it.

You could just tell yourself that the reaper always hits and is rolling a d20 to decide whether or not he hit really hard, or just a glancing blow/wild swing.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Yeah, but do 3 automatic points of damage every round really help... that much more to widdle down a dragon? We look at 30 hit points in 10 rounds.

The reaper feat seems to be a minion killer (1-5 hp), this seems to be its intent. Against stronger enemies with medium hp (10-50) it helps to widdle them down a bit in the long run. Against very strong enemies with A LOT of hp it doesn't seem to matter much at all in the long run?

-YRUSirius

well I look at it this way. in a 6 round fight, where the rogue hits half the time for 5d6+10 damage, the wizard throws 5d6 save for half, and you throw 2d6+7 or 4 and get 2 attacks per round hit a little more often then 1/2..

rd1 save vs the wizard (8), rogue hits (25), fighter hits both times (27)
rd2 no save (15), rogue miss (0), fighter 1 hit 1 miss (18)
rd3 no save (22), Rogue miss (0), Fighter 2 miss (8)
rd4 Save vs wiz (11), rogue hits (39), fighter 1 hit 1 crit (32)
rd5 Save vs wiz (7), rogue hits (22), fighter 1 hit, 1 miss (20)
rd6 no save (17), rouge miss, Fighter 1 hit, 1 miss (21)

wizard did 80
ROgue did 86
Fighter did 126 with the feat, or 106 with out.

if the dragon has 190 hitpoints it did alot in 6 rounds (about 20hp) if it didn't it doesn;r help till round 7, inless someone else kills it inbeteew it having 5hp and you going...

 

[El Mahdi]

Erm... How is that? I think you have it backwards. All it takes to take something out is a pencil drawing a single line. Especially if the game's as modular as it seems...

That's generally not true. With something as simple as a Feat or Ability you don't like, sure. Just line through it and you're good to go. But if this design idea becomse common throughout the core system...well that's a horse of a different color. And when you get to more complicated or far reaching mechanics, simply lining through them isn't an option. The ramifications may be interlaced throughout the rules in ways and places one hasn't discovered. Like trying to pull a weed, but roots get left behind...

In general, it is easier to add to a game system than subtract. At the least, with adding something you always know where the roots are.

I can't find the quote right now, but one of the 5E designers said the same thing in one of their blogs. If I find it, I'll post a link.