D&D 5E What Does a Strength 20 Look Like (In Real Life)?

Cadence

Legend
Supporter
Yup only spell casters are allowed to be legendary

Stunts/Skills are effectively the martial spells and if skills and attributes both become very nearly static like they have there is no foundation for any kind of real advancement we have stalled progression

Holding ones breath for three days while swimming because you're a really great warrior seems a bit beyond what's needed for advancing things. :::Shrugs:::
 

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CleverNickName

Limit Break Dancing
Chess is anything but boring to me and randomness is not rewarding to everyone... in fact I do not feel like I accomplish anything playing a game of craps. It seems to me your characters skills and your design choices AND even your action choices have significantly less meaning than random chance because of bounded accuracy. That is only part of my issue (i am fine with random having some impact its a matter of degree).
Well, D&D and Chess are both games, but that's about where the similarities end.

Bounded Accuracy is one of those game design terms that comes up all the time in these threads, especially when people try to compare the effectiveness of character classes with each other. I'm not a game designer, so I don't really know a whole lot about it. But I do know enough about statistics to say that if the linear distribution of a single d20 has too much swing, there are options...you could use the optional rules for 3d6 in the DMG, or create your own system (2d10, 5d4...) until you find the curve that feels right for your table.
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Yup only spell casters are allowed to be legendary
I mean, sure? In D&D that's certainly possible. But here in the real world, spellcasters don't even exist at all...the closest I've ever seen to an actual magic-user in real life was my grandmother: she could cure whooping cough with herbs, and her biscuits were nothing short of divine.

Stunts/Skills are effectively the martial spells and if skills and attributes both become very nearly static like they have there is no foundation for any kind of real advancement we have stalled progression
You remember 3rd Edition, and how it used Skill Points per Level to allow characters to improve their bonuses over the course of their adventuring career? There were also synergy bonuses, competence bonuses, enhancement bonuses, and about 13 other flavors of bonuses to track nearly every circumstance...I'm not sure if that's what you're looking for.

I don't think the 5E game would be improved by going back to that system, but don't take my word for it. If you ever house-rule them back in, I'd love to see your notes. Personally, I'd rather just play either 5th Edition or 3.5E...not some blend of the two.
 
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MPA2000

Explorer
The comparing what a person with STR X can do compared to the world record holder in strength-related event Y strikes me as a bit problematic in that it often seems like the person with the maximum strength is expected to be at the human maximum in every such Y (or even multiple Y).

Long distance swimmers/runners don't typically win the short distances. Single athletes don't typically win every even in the de/heptathalon. Olympic long jumpers don't typically win olympic high jump. Weight lifters don't win wrestling. Fencers don't typically win gymnastics. etc...

I agree. STR alone doesn't always do it, since there are rule and certain techniques can win points or draw penalties. That and some of those mentioned, are more CON or DEX based attributes.
 

Garthanos

Arcadian Knight
Well, D&D and Chess are both games, but that's about where the similarities end.
I did not claim great similarity however Chess was a war game ahem, It was mentioned to demonstrate that games do not need high flux random to be interesting and craps is not much like D&D either but they demonstrate that high end dice impact is not necessarily "exciting" to everyone
I actually played a modified chess with dicing added it had a different flavor but it also was not as good
Bounded Accuracy is one of those game design terms that comes up all the time in these threads,
its why a skill you are trained in is only 4 points higher at endgame than it was early on instead of being like 3e or PF with 20 levels and 4e with close to that, its why random chance has a higher impact than any of your choices, and why there is no room for improving skill. I
It is also why attributes only advance half as much as they did in the previous edition

especially when people try to compare the effectiveness of character classes with each other.
Martial types are kind of dependent on skill for versatility outside of combat and the impact of bounded accuracy is to make the d20 far more impactful on things controlled by it... but its also says that you have a good chance of doing the most extreme thing allowed
I'm not a game designer, so I don't really know a whole lot about it. But I do know enough about statistics to say that if the linear distribution of a single d20 has too much swing, there are options...you could use the optional rules for 3d6 in the DMG, or create your own system (2d10, 5d4...) until you find the curve that feels right for your table.
I have played GURPS games that uses 3D6 (how would that work with advantage??? and disadvantage it sounds contrary to a lot), One negative of that is that you reduce human ability to umm understand/predict the meaning of DC in terms most understand for both DM and Player. Linear odds are surprisingly understandable for most people.


I mean, sure? In D&D that's certainly possible. But here in the real world, spellcasters don't even exist at all...the closest I've ever seen to an actual magic-user in real life was my grandmother: she could cure whooping cough with herbs, and her biscuits were nothing short of divine.
LOL Sure but we are talking about D&D and honestly right now to build a character who feels legendary you basically need a caster or a sympathetic DM creates a highly magic item dependent character for you (see it feels like the DMs character when all /most of your interesting and powerful bits come from his largess and that is to me quite sad.

You remember 3rd Edition, and how it used Skill Points per Level to allow characters to improve their bonuses over the course of their adventuring career? There were also synergy bonuses, competence bonuses, enhancement bonuses, and about 13 other flavors of bonuses to track nearly every circumstance...I'm not sure if that's what you're looking for.
There are people that would like that I am sure but I think classic heroes are more generally competent is something I am more interested in though having more specific skill specializations also has some appeal if they enable at high levels well accomplishing legendary things I still think stalled attribute and skills undermines things quite a bit,
I have only played a few sessions of 3e but I am sure huge numbers of flavors of bonuses is not something I would find interesting.
I don't think the 5E game would be improved by going back to that system, but don't take my word for it. If you ever house-rule them back in, I'd love to see your notes. Personally, I'd rather just play either 5th Edition or 3.5E...not some blend of the two.
The blend does not sound good my current baseline 5e starting point is Level Up which I have actually purchased,
 

Garthanos

Arcadian Knight
Holding ones breath for three days while swimming because you're a really great warrior seems a bit beyond what's needed for advancing things. :::Shrugs:::
Somehow I bet a spell that allowed one to breath water would be a level 3 and even affect 10 people..
guess we can ditch every spell above level 2?
 
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Cadence

Legend
Supporter
Somehow I bet a spell that allowed one to breath water would be a level 3 ,,,,
guess we can ditch every spell above level 2?
Sure. One could also have non-magical human fighters throw beams of electricity by swinging their swords really fast, shoot fireballs by lighting their farts*, animate the dead by yelling really loudly at their corpses and inspiring the shadows of their.departed souls to arise, blink in and out of combat by running really fast, and conjure animals from thin air instantaneously by whistling and having them zoom in at near the speed of light.

When you allow these all as options for your non-magical human fighters and NPCs in 5e I assume it winds up with some really fun situations and stories! (Any fun play reports to share?)


* This one is a joke. I bet doing it by breathing alcohol through a torch is probably in some movies or cartoons though. (I mean the fart one is almost certainly in some too, but seems a bit low brow for my tastes).
 
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