D&D 5E What are the "True Issues" with 5e?

[Gammadoodler]

Again, some people are going to care if you have a tent or shovel. I want my D&D to be reality adjacent, similar to an action movie. That doesn't require detailed (or the totally FUBAREd rule we had for digging a tunnel) rules.

But it could have some lightweight rule support beyond "nothing at all".

Give people some reason to pack a tent or a shovel beyond, "well it was something I could buy".

 

[overgeeked]

Again, some people are going to care if you have a tent or shovel. I want my D&D to be reality adjacent, similar to an action movie. That doesn't require detailed (or the totally FUBAREd rule we had for digging a tunnel) rules.

Maybe we just have different tastes in actions movies. Because I wouldn’t want an action movie to bother with things like cubic feet dug per hour by hand with a shovel. Maybe some scientist mentions it in the background as the action rolls through, but it should never actually matter to the story.

 

[Cadence]

Maybe we just have different tastes in actions movies. Because I wouldn’t want an action movie to bother with things like cubic feet dug per hour by hand with a shovel. Maybe some scientist mentions it in the background as the action rolls through, but it should never actually matter to the story.

I assume it impacts how they escape from a prison cell or the like. Or how long the time lapse is while they do it.

 

[overgeeked]

I assume it impacts how they escape from a prison cell or the like. Or how long the time lapse is while they do it.

Right. But that’s handwaved. It doesn’t matter how long it actually takes in the real world because the bad guy shows up either one minute before it’s finished or one minute after it’s finished so there can be a big fight then an escape or a chase and a big fight. The actual time to dig is irrelevant. Because action movies are pushing drama and tension not the physics of shovels and dirt.

 

[Cadence]

Right. But that’s handwaved. It doesn’t matter how long it actually takes in the real world because the bad guy shows up either one minute before it’s finished or one minute after it’s finished so there can be a big fight then an escape or a chase and a big fight. The actual time to dig is irrelevant. Because action movies are pushing drama and tension not the physics of shovels and dirt.

I mean, if we're going full action movie, then the heroes in a franchise (campaign) don't really need rules for dying either do they, because I don't think that happens much anymore?

 

[overgeeked]

I mean, if we're going full action movie, then the heroes in a franchise (campaign) don't really need rules for dying either do they, because I don't think that happens much anymore?

Exactly. At most it’s a dramatically appropriate self-sacrifice. Rules for complications or setbacks, sure. Damage, maybe. Death and dying, not for the PCs at least.

 

[Cadence]

Exactly. At most it’s a dramatically appropriate self-sacrifice. Rules for complications or setbacks, sure. Damage, maybe. Death and dying, not for the PCs at least.

I think I'd like a dash of spaghetti western thrown in, where there is some pause between action scenes, time passes, and sometimes important people die.

 

[Baron Opal II]

As far as the mold earth dimensions, I'm genuinely curious whether any of those questions have actually come up for anyone, and more pointedly, whether anyone's actually done the math to prove a result one way or the other.

Separately, I think you agree with me here that if those questions did come up and get adjudicated using game rules and math, that a symmetrical level of understanding would be useful for mundane equipment and labor used to accomplish these tasks.

It's come up for me when the party wants to excavate a collapsed tunnel in a dungeon or break through some walls. Also, I often run a "Seven Samurai" style adventure for lower level parties. The party needs to make decisions as to building earthworks, training peasants, &c. You can have the fighter dig out defenses, a team of peasants, or have the fighter train the peasants to be men at arms. How do you want to plan your defenses and spend the character's time?

If you have tools that do a thing, and weak spells do a thing, and strong spells do a thing, I find it useful to delineate the differences. And, yes, this information should be available to players and DMs.

 

[Vaalingrade]

I mean, if we're going full action movie, then the heroes in a franchise (campaign) don't really need rules for dying either do they, because I don't think that happens much anymore?

Or at least alternatives that don't ruin the story by randomly adding and replacing characters for no reason.

I want to Come Back Wrong, or be sent back with a mission from God.

 

[Oofta]

Maybe we just have different tastes in actions movies. Because I wouldn’t want an action movie to bother with things like cubic feet dug per hour by hand with a shovel. Maybe some scientist mentions it in the background as the action rolls through, but it should never actually matter to the story.

But when they need to dig up something they're using shovels and/or pickaxes.