D&D 5E What is +1 Strength worth?

[Maxperson]

Agree with all of that (except that Action Surge is noticeably less impactful than +1/+1...and that's in a single fight.)

In the white room combat you set up it's less impactful. In actual gameplay that action surge will allow additional movement that will often put the fighter in position to make more attacks and/or be in a more effective position. It's more powerful in actual game play than the white room combat indicates. Is it equal to +1/+1? That's going to be subjective opinion, since you can't really quantify all of the other circumstances action surge can help with.

 

[James Gasik]

It depends on how you use it. I've seen a lot of combats where that extra movement isn't being used, and it's just another hit on an enemy to try and burst them down. But that's anecdotal- it has more potential use, and you may have seen that.

Just as in games with more or less combat, a 20 Strength vs. an 18 Strength is potentially a big deal or barely worth mentioning. All anyone can do is point towards trends, but even if we were to run a whole campaign, from 1st to 20th level, with two characters who are clones of each other, save one has 18 Strength and the other 20, and come up with actual numbers of how that mattered over the course of the game, no matter how great or small the effort, that's still not what happens in your game.

No one can predict the future. Maybe Starsky is played by that one guy who should go to Vegas every weekend, and Hutch can't roll above a 7 to save his life.

All anyone can say is "in general, this is probably better from a pure math standpoint". The player has to make the individual choice, and live with the consequences.

 

[NotAYakk]

Agree with all of that (except that Action Surge is noticeably less impactful than +1/+1...and that's in a single fight.)

The fights where 5 - 13 rounds long. An extra turn on a 5-13 round fight, vs a 35% boost in per-turn effectiveness...

The problem, as I said, is that the impact of accuracy is massively magnified on hard to hit (high AC) foes. And you accidentally made pretty much the highest AC target a L 1 fighter would ever attack, +1.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

In the white room combat you set up it's less impactful. In actual gameplay that action surge will allow additional movement that will often put the fighter in position to make more attacks and/or be in a more effective position. It's more powerful in actual game play than the white room combat indicates. Is it equal to +1/+1? That's going to be subjective opinion, since you can't really quantify all of the other circumstances action surge can help with.

Yep. An active feature which allows you to be extra killy when you need it and/or when you're in optimal position is in practice much better than a passive boost that makes you always a bit better whether you need it or not.

 

[James Gasik]

Yep. An active feature which allows you to be extra killy when you need it and/or when you're in optimal position is in practice much better than a passive boost that makes you always a bit better whether you need it or not.

I can see this. It's probably why a Bard's floating dice are so well loved by the groups I've played with, when Bless for a whole fight is a better bonus, numerically speaking.

 

[NotAYakk]

Yep. An active feature which allows you to be extra killy when you need it and/or when you're in optimal position is in practice much better than a passive boost that makes you always a bit better whether you need it or not.

It is also more fun (up to a certain limit). Being able to "turn on the awesome" gives the player agency.

 

[James Gasik]

It is also more fun (up to a certain limit). Being able to "turn on the awesome" gives the player agency.

The weird part is that it's better for non-traditional Fighters. I often wonder if Extra Attack should be allowed with it (I know, that's a question for another thread), since I've seen Eldritch Knights and multiclassed Fighters get some serious mileage out of Action Surge (a friend of mine plays a Devotion Paladin and went Fighter 2 just so they can enchant their weapon and attack with it in the same turn).

 

[Bill Zebub]

It is also more fun (up to a certain limit). Being able to "turn on the awesome" gives the player agency.

I completely agree with the agency. However, the flip side is when you keep saving it for a better moment and end up not used by it. (Which is the primary reason I don’t like “X uses per rest” mechanics.)

 

[James Gasik]

I completely agree with the agency. However, the flip side is when you keep saving it for a better moment and end up not used by it. (Which is the primary reason I don’t like “X uses per rest” mechanics.)

You run into similar issues as a spellcaster though. Know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em. Know when to walk away, and know when to run. It applies very well to the D&D experience.

 

[Bill Zebub]

You run into similar issues as a spellcaster though.

It's probably the main reason why I really don't like playing spellcasters.