D&D (2024) Sacred Cows: Ability Scores

[Steampunkette]

Oh, The term got lost in translation. I was trying to call it an appendix, not an appendage. I hate when two very different words sound alike in english hahahah

Ahhh... I understand.

English is the worst language aside from Esperanto.

 

[Charlaquin]

Any aspect of the game that can be improved should be up for grabs. that said, changing too much at once and you get 4th ed.

Damn, then why aren’t we changing too much at once every opportunity we get?

 

[Micah Sweet]

Mainly way too many "dead levels" where increases had no real impact, and no baked in means of increasing stats outside of magic or magic items. Your rogue as a 15 dex? That's for life.

I'd actually be fine with that. Leave the stat increases up to magic. But I cut my teeth on the TSR editions, so I like to fit in their stuff when I can.

 

[Charlaquin]

Yeah, 6e should be a 'rip off the bandage' edition.

Remove everything that they keep messing around with half measures on, and let the chips fall where they may.

I wish, but they’re too gunshy for that after what happened with 4e.

 

[Bolares]

Ahhh... I understand.

English is the worst language aside from Esperanto.

Try to speak portuguese then. This language makes less sense than still using ability scores!

It's fun when you are trying to learn english. Pull in portugues is "Puxe" and Push is "Empurre". Push and "Puxe" sound EXACTLY the same! So you can guess my confusion hahaha

 

[Micah Sweet]

They w

See, I gave up on rolling stats like decades ago. Rolling to determine stats is in essence rolling to determine class. I would rather as little of character creation as possible be behind RNG gates and leave random outcomes to actual gameplay to maintain a sense of tension and create a possibility of failure.

They will never remove rolling for stats. Its among the most sacred of cows, right up there with level and class.

 

[Charlaquin]

It did throw me a little when playing KoToR (which while not D&D based is very obviously based on 2nd or 3rd (can't tell which due to unfamilarity) DND)

It’s straight up 3.5e, with like no attempt whatsoever made to hide that fact.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I like abilities because they mechanically actualize "aptitudes", things that a character generally tends to be good at.

Skills and class features are highly specific capabilities, and each minutia stands on its own, separately.

But abilities can invite themes and concepts.



Abilities need rethinking, such as consolidating to a more useful, sensible, and balanced four, rather than six.

But abilities as a cluster of things that a character is globally good at, is useful for both mechanics and narrative.

Six ability scores is another thing that will be with us as long as there's a D&D.

 

[Steampunkette]

Try to speak portuguese then. This language makes less sense than still using ability scores!

At least it uses a logical subject-verb-object sentence format.

Meanwhile, in English, we've got:

Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

Which is a grammatically correct sentence. Hell. It's -several-.

As is:

I'm going to fish to fish two fish.

 

[Bolares]

They w

They will never remove rolling for stats. Its among the most sacred of cows, right up there with level and class.

I don't know about never... the vast majority of people have it today as an optional rule, and probably never did it. If this trend continues, maybe in the future it will be just another thing "the old people" did.