Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Traits and Disadvanrages
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Umbran" data-source="post: 163352" data-attributes="member: 177"><p>I want to pipe in with a slightly different opinion...</p><p></p><p>I think one can balance power with role-play, but you cannot depend on a rules-set to manage the balance alone.</p><p></p><p>Having Dependants is a fine disadvantage, so long as the GM puts the character in the position of having to protect Hommlet <em>and</em> Aunt Mae, rather than only one. Being hunted is fine, as long as it is <em>in addition to</em> the normal problems within the campaign.</p><p></p><p>The point being that no rules set can strictly define how much such disadvantages are worth, as their implementation is in the hands of the GM, rather than in the dice. But then, it's the GM's job to make sure the dice rules are used properly too. If the GM doesn't double-check the player's math, they can cheat with rule-based disadvantages as easily as they can with role-based ones. </p><p></p><p>I hardly see such things as "a nightmare". They are no more a nightmare for the GM than any other part of the story. In fact, they can be a lot of fun. </p><p></p><p>The real reason why merits and disadvantages are difficult to implement in D&D in a balanced manner is simpler - it isn't a strict point-based character generation system, which can make balancing a merit/disad system hairy. You don't have an objective measure of the value of a thing, so comparing stats to skills to feats becomes troublesome.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Umbran, post: 163352, member: 177"] I want to pipe in with a slightly different opinion... I think one can balance power with role-play, but you cannot depend on a rules-set to manage the balance alone. Having Dependants is a fine disadvantage, so long as the GM puts the character in the position of having to protect Hommlet [i]and[/i] Aunt Mae, rather than only one. Being hunted is fine, as long as it is [i]in addition to[/i] the normal problems within the campaign. The point being that no rules set can strictly define how much such disadvantages are worth, as their implementation is in the hands of the GM, rather than in the dice. But then, it's the GM's job to make sure the dice rules are used properly too. If the GM doesn't double-check the player's math, they can cheat with rule-based disadvantages as easily as they can with role-based ones. I hardly see such things as "a nightmare". They are no more a nightmare for the GM than any other part of the story. In fact, they can be a lot of fun. The real reason why merits and disadvantages are difficult to implement in D&D in a balanced manner is simpler - it isn't a strict point-based character generation system, which can make balancing a merit/disad system hairy. You don't have an objective measure of the value of a thing, so comparing stats to skills to feats becomes troublesome. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Traits and Disadvanrages
Top