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D&D 5E What Exactly is Bounded Accuracy?
- Thread starter Syntallah
- Start date
Tony Vargas
Legend
Bounded Accuracy: You don't get much in terms of bonuses (to attack, saves, skills or AC) just for leveling. Instead, you get more hit points and more abilities (like spells).
(Note that originally it was going to be /nothing/, and that got bumped to +3 over 20 levels, then +5 over 20 level, and in the final cut, an extra +1 at first - they also settled on a name for level-based bonuses: proficiency.)
In the OP's context: "Don't worry that your stat bonus only goes up to +5. Level-based bonuses, called proficiency, only go up to +6. So your stat won't be 'overwhelmed' by level."
One of the upshots of the proficiency version of BA, though, is that most classes aren't proficient in most saves, so your worst save - that you have neither a large positive stat mod in, nor proficiency, is going to start off bad, and go down to utterly abysmal relative to high level save DCs. So if you're an 8 WIS fighter and a lich dominates you, you're dominated until you roll a natural 20 - no matter what level you are - for example. Or, if you're an 8 STR wizard, and the DM comes up with an original monster that forces a STR save that actually does something you can't just teleport out of, you'd hypothetically be in a bit of a pickle.
(Note that originally it was going to be /nothing/, and that got bumped to +3 over 20 levels, then +5 over 20 level, and in the final cut, an extra +1 at first - they also settled on a name for level-based bonuses: proficiency.)
In the OP's context: "Don't worry that your stat bonus only goes up to +5. Level-based bonuses, called proficiency, only go up to +6. So your stat won't be 'overwhelmed' by level."
One of the upshots of the proficiency version of BA, though, is that most classes aren't proficient in most saves, so your worst save - that you have neither a large positive stat mod in, nor proficiency, is going to start off bad, and go down to utterly abysmal relative to high level save DCs. So if you're an 8 WIS fighter and a lich dominates you, you're dominated until you roll a natural 20 - no matter what level you are - for example. Or, if you're an 8 STR wizard, and the DM comes up with an original monster that forces a STR save that actually does something you can't just teleport out of, you'd hypothetically be in a bit of a pickle.
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mach1.9pants
Hero
An I love that a battalion of common orcs is a danger to the 20th level fighter now.
Agamon
Adventurer
It would take far less than a battalion. 7 orcs is a moderate fight vs 4 20 level PCs, 13 is challenging, and 20 is hard, according to the encounter building rules released last week. So more like a squad.
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mach1.9pants
Hero
Even better!
Even with fireball, I've not really thought too much about high levels yet?
EDIT: Mmm maybe when you are looking at levels that far apart the encounter math is not 100% accurate
Even with fireball, I've not really thought too much about high levels yet?
EDIT: Mmm maybe when you are looking at levels that far apart the encounter math is not 100% accurate
Agamon
Adventurer
EDIT: Mmm maybe when you are looking at levels that far apart the encounter math is not 100% accurate
Yeah, that might be the case.
mach1.9pants
Hero
I guess that once you get large level discrepancy the extra 'cost' of being outnumbered is not so relevant.
More broadly, the same applies to skill use. A high level character will be better, but lower-level characters will still be functional.
Henry
Autoexreginated
All of a sudden, I just got giddy. Anyone else have those 1st edition experiences where when your 7th level character died, the DM made you start over as a 1st level PC? You gained levels at a much faster rate, but the first 4 or 5 levels you were cowering in the back and hoping to get a lucky shot to say you contributed in the combat, and could get a full share of XP.
Now, it's not that far-fetched! It might still be cruel, but you won't stay there for long, AND you might be able to participate on an even keel!
Iosue
Legend
All of a sudden, I just got giddy. Anyone else have those 1st edition experiences where when your 7th level character died, the DM made you start over as a 1st level PC? You gained levels at a much faster rate, but the first 4 or 5 levels you were cowering in the back and hoping to get a lucky shot to say you contributed in the combat, and could get a full share of XP.
Now, it's not that far-fetched! It might still be cruel, but you won't stay there for long, AND you might be able to participate on an even keel!
Oh, definitely. If your 7th level character dies and you start over at 1st Level, there's only a +1 proficiency difference between your new character and the 7th level party. Probably another +1 or +2 due to ability increases as well, but still nothing too terrible. And in the time it takes a 7th level character to reach 8th level, a 1st level character can reach 5th level, at which point there's no difference in prof at all.
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