D&D 5E Roleplaying in D&D 5E: It’s How You Play the Game

[HammerMan]

I think there is a dragon chess tool set prof... I would think Int would go with it most times (maybe wis) so it would be an apposed tool kit check... and on a d20 a half orc with a -1 against a skilled wizard with+7 (4 int 3 prof) it still isn't going to be every game the wizard wins...

on the other hand the 11thlevel rogue with a 19 (headband) Int trained and expertise for +8 min roll of 10 is going to beat both most times

and boy would I love to see the look on the rogue and the wizards faces if the half orc beat them both (cause nat 20s happen)

 

[Bill Zebub]

If your PC has STR 8 and CON 10, it's not appropriate to imagine them as having the mighty thews and physical prowess of REH's Conan!

"Not appropriate" is imposing a lot of subjective opinion and personal preference. I'd be ok with "kind of weird" and "difficult to maintain".

 

[Bill Zebub]

and boy would I love to see the look on the rogue and the wizards faces if the half orc beat them both (cause nat 20s happen)

Or that half-orc is a 20 Int Wizard/Rogue.

 

[clearstream]

I have to admit one of my least favorite things about 5e (and D&D in general) is the absence of degrees of success.

It occurs to me that it is within the scope of narrating result (in the basic pattern) to narrate a degree of success or failure.

 

[HammerMan]

Or that half-orc is a 20 Int Wizard/Rogue.

I mean thats cool too

 

[Oofta]

and boy would I love to see the look on the rogue and the wizards faces if the half orc beat them both (cause nat 20s happen)

I once was in a game where we had to do a performance to audition to get into a production. My PC at the time was a very low charisma dwarf, I just went along with the the bard because we didn't know if there would be a potential fight or not. Since I was there, I decided to audition as well and rolled a 20. The bard rolled a 1.

From that point on my PC thought he was a great performer because he had a successful audition when one of the best performers he had ever known did not.

 

[Swarmkeeper]

I have to admit one of my least favorite things about 5e (and D&D in general) is the absence of degrees of success.

Some of the published adventures hint at a way to do this (this one from Curse of Strahd):

A character must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to traverse the roof. The check succeeds automatically if the character crawls. If the check fails by 5 or more, the character slides off the edge of the roof and falls 40 feet to the castle parapet


I've done this for specific saves in our game for certain environmental effects that I've included. Failing is one degree, failing by 5 is another, and rolling that nat 1... uh oh.

 

[Oofta]

Some of the published adventures hint at a way to do this (this one from Curse of Strahd):

A character must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to traverse the roof. The check succeeds automatically if the character crawls. If the check fails by 5 or more, the character slides off the edge of the roof and falls 40 feet to the castle parapet


I've done this for specific saves in our game for certain environmental effects that I've included. Failing is one degree, failing by 5 is another, and rolling that nat 1... uh oh.

If crawling meant automatic success I would let the PCs know that crawling was an option when I describe the scene, and let them know what the possible cost is. In this case taking twice as long to cross the roof and being prone.

 

[Voadam]

From p 35 of the Basic PDF:

Give your character two personality traits. Personality traits are small, simple ways to help you set your character apart from every other character. . . . A useful place to start thinking about personality traits is to look at your highest and lowest ability scores and define one trait related to each. Either one could be positive or negative: you might work hard to overcome a low score, for example, or be cocky about your high score.​

So an optional suggestion.

This is the latest in a long line of such remarks in D&D rulebooks. The 2nd ed AD&D PHB suggests building a PC's personality/character out of the ability scores. And the 4e PHB says (pp 16) that "Six abilities provide a quick description of your character’s physical and mental characteristics. Are you muscle-bound and insightful? Brilliant and charming? Nimble and hardy? Your ability scores define these qualities - your strengths as well as your weaknesses." The stats are clearly intended to operate as a constraint on imagination.

If your PC has STR 8 and CON 10, it's not appropriate to imagine them as having the mighty thews and physical prowess of REH's Conan!

My warlock looks like Fabio, but it is all just looks, he's really not strong at all.

 

[Swarmkeeper]

yup character doesn't matter to some

Including yourself, right? And, just to be clear, this is in the context of setting a DC for an attempted action.

I 100% agree. a DC 19 for the rogue should be a DC 19 for the wizard should be a DC 19 for the paliden...

now if the rouge has +12, the wizard has +5 and the paliden has -1 with disadvantage I wouldn't bet on the pally making it.

Or did you not mean what you said?