Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Enchanted Trinkets Complete--a hardcover book containing over 500 magic items for your D&D games!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Philip" data-source="post: 1850647" data-attributes="member: 10993">Roll first, then calculate if neccessary. Roll first, then calculate if neccessary. Roll first, the calculate if neccessary. Adding and subtracting modifiers usually takes up the most time in the groups I play with. But often there is no need to calculate the final number. If a player with a Fighter PC rolls anywhere from 15 and up on his d20 he normally doesn't check if he hits, he assumes he does. In the rare cases that creatures have insane AC's, only then the DM will ask 'what AC are you hitting exactly?'There is a strong tendency amongst almost everyone I play with the first establish their total modifier on any roll before they toss the die. "Let's see, I got +1 from haste, +1 from prayer, +2 from the bard's song, +2 from charge, -4 from power attack, +2 from flanking..." etc. etc. after a minute of calculating comes to the appropriate total and then proceeds to roll a 1. Go figure.... I often find myself repeatedly saying "roll, roll, roll!" in each combat, or even with skill checks.I don't know about the proposed whiteboard and 'write-it-on-the-mat' methods.  In most low level games we hardly ever need to write something down, because they amount of modifiers are so few. In high level games the situations are often much too complicated to do so.Not every enemy may have been in range when a debuff is cast, nor will every player be in range for a buff. Some enemies are neutral, and are not affected by the circle against evil, while some PCs already have resistance and/or deflection bonusses, and so get none or partial effects. Some buffs may be dispelled on one PC, but not on another. They have to remember the amount of power attack penalty they took on their last attack when an attack of opportunity comes around, which may wel be 10 minutes of real time after the  PC's action. The list goes on and on.The worst offender here is Prayer. It gives just way too many modifiers to way too many targets. I have rarely been in an encounter without something saying 'Heh, did you include the modifier from the Prayer?'</blockquote>

Verification