Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="FormerlyHemlock" data-source="post: 7712568" data-attributes="member: 6787650">That DMG quote makes my point for me. If there's a meaningful consequence for failure, 5E encourages you to roll. If you just say, &quot;Nope, he's got Str 16 and you're Str 15, so he wins the arm-wrestling match and won't accompany you on your quest--you guys chose the wrong champion,&quot; it feels non-idiomatic. And that's the simple case! You can do something that actually feels like an arm-wrestling match (I've posted examples before) by inventing your own resolution mechanism, but it feels non-idiomatic. Another example: intellect devourers stick out like a sore thumb because they use a 3d6 vs. Int resolution mechanism.Obviously I'm not saying you can't use other resolution mechanisms in 5E because I can and do--but I do it less frequently than I would in some other system, because there's no point in playing 5E if you're not going to abide by its idioms. It is a relatively rare occasion when I will call for N of M DC 10 successes, or ask for an ability check to be made against 3d6, because 5E is so married to uniform distributions and d20 rolls. And that is one of the factors that makes me wonder if AD&amp;D might not be easier to revamp than 5E is.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="FormerlyHemlock, post: 7712568, member: 6787650"] That DMG quote makes my point for me. If there's a meaningful consequence for failure, 5E encourages you to roll. If you just say, "Nope, he's got Str 16 and you're Str 15, so he wins the arm-wrestling match and won't accompany you on your quest--you guys chose the wrong champion," it feels non-idiomatic. And that's the simple case! You can do something that actually [I]feels [/I]like an arm-wrestling match (I've posted examples before) by inventing your own resolution mechanism, but it feels non-idiomatic. Another example: intellect devourers stick out like a sore thumb because they use a 3d6 vs. Int resolution mechanism. Obviously I'm not saying you can't use other resolution mechanisms in 5E because I can and do--but I do it less frequently than I would in some other system, because there's no point in playing 5E if you're not going to abide by its idioms. It is a relatively rare occasion when I will call for N of M DC 10 successes, or ask for an ability check to be made against 3d6, because 5E is so married to uniform distributions and d20 rolls. And that is one of the factors that makes me wonder if AD&D might not be easier to revamp than 5E is. [/QUOTE]

Verification