D&D General What Is D&D Generally Bad At That You Wish It Was Better At?

[Micah Sweet]

The mechanics say otherwise and the game is better for it.

Your point of view, obviously (although you implied otherwise).

 

[Micah Sweet]

Well then perhaps you and @Lanefan should find a system (or system add on) that better represents your world.

We do! I have several options that work better for me than WotC's version(s) of 5e.

 

[Voadam]

What setting? The default of D&D even in the novels of 2e was never this.

The mechanics say otherwise and the game is better for it.

I am not sure I am understanding you here.

D&D has had non level or mildly level-based mechanical stuff that can affect high level characters whether 1e percentage disease exposure or 5e bound accuracy things using the skill system or saves.

You seem to be arguing they are not part of the default D&D settings and mechanics.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I am not sure I am understanding you here.

D&D has had non level or mildly level-based mechanical stuff that can affect high level characters whether 1e percentage disease exposure or 5e bound accuracy things using the skill system or saves.

You seem to be arguing they are not part of the default D&D settings and mechanics.

Perhaps they are thinking of a specific version of D&D they prefer. 3e, for example, is more level-based across the board than the TSR editions.

 

[pemerton]

To be fair, I think @Lanefan has expressed criticism for those aspects of the hit point system before.

But then I hardly think it refutes @Imaro's point to say that, if you change D&D so that it is a variant of RQ or RM, then it makes sense for mid-level PCs to die from the flu. Imaro is talking about actual D&D, not some ultra-simulationist D&D variant.

 

[Micah Sweet]

But then I hardly think it refutes @Imaro's point to say that, if you change D&D so that it is a variant of RQ or RM, then it makes sense for mid-level PCs to die from the flu. Imaro is talking about actual D&D, not some ultra-simulationist D&D variant.

How different does it have to be to not be D&D anymore by yours and @Imaro 's judgement? How much homebrew is too much homebrew to be allowed to be called "actual" D&D in this discussion?

 

[Imaro]

You seem to be arguing they are not part of the default D&D settings and mechanics.

No the assertion was that they are trivially easy to overcome or circumvent... and they shouldn't be.

But they always have been... even the bounded accuracy goblin that can still hit you at 5th level is trivially easy to overcome at 5th level.

 

[Imaro]

How different does it have to be to not be D&D anymore by yours and @Imaro 's judgement? How much homebrew is too much homebrew to be allowed to be called "actual" D&D in this discussion?

We are discussing official D&D and whether play of it should or shouldn't include mundane threats being major obstacles for 5th level or higher characters. Not sure how houserules relate to this except so far as anyone who wants to can houseful them to be in D&D.

 

[TwoSix]

But then I hardly think it refutes @Imaro's point to say that, if you change D&D so that it is a variant of RQ or RM, then it makes sense for mid-level PCs to die from the flu. Imaro is talking about actual D&D, not some ultra-simulationist D&D variant.

Fair. But considering the thread topic, I was working on the assumption that people would be presenting ideas that were more hypothetical.

 

[Micah Sweet]

We are discussing official D&D and whether play of it should or shouldn't include mundane threats being major obstacles for 5th level or higher characters. Not sure how houserules relate to this except so far as anyone who wants to can houseful them to be in D&D.

If official D&D doesn't work for you in this area (and it seems to me to be the case that this is true for some here) than ways to houserule the game to better suit you and your group absolutely seems relevant to me. Conversely, if the discussion is supposed to exclusively concern itself only with official rules, and houserule suggestions and comments are unwelcome, I think that should be clarified.