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<blockquote data-quote="Tony Vargas" data-source="post: 6650033" data-attributes="member: 996">That (except for the specific names of the stacking hit &amp; damage bonuses) has been and will likely remain true of D&amp;D as long as it uses hit points.&nbsp; Hit points, which leave an enemy fighting at full effectiveness until it drops at 0hp, just make focusing on enemies and downing them one at a time efficient.&nbsp; Other games, that use systems that impose penalities for being hit, wounded, or even just attacked, make spreading out attacks or using other tactics than just piling on damage more viable.&nbsp; They also produce very un-fun 'death spirals.'&nbsp;The opposite worked pretty well for Gamma World:&nbsp; don't boost stats, have enhancement or other pulled-together bonus accumulation, just have a flat +1/level to everything.&nbsp; Only over 10 levels, but it kept it simple.&nbsp;There's scaling, and there's variation.&nbsp; Compare lowest AC at a given level to lowest AC's at another, do the same for highest ACs.&nbsp; I think you'll see it, then.&nbsp;Scaling is small in magnitude compared to the d20, so if you're off the level-appropriate reservation, the d20's randomness can easily overwhelm the small difference in proficiency.&nbsp; Only magic items really put you /ahead/ of the curve, though.&nbsp;Yes, and save DCs with caster level.There is.&nbsp; Bounded Accuracy accomplishes much the same thing as a fast 'treadmill' running at-level, though it's tuned to hit more often in favor of faster combats.&nbsp; The weakest creatures you can face can still plink at the strongest, for instance - and with great enough numbers, even wipe them (or you) out.&nbsp;&nbsp; The impact on on encounter design is that being outnumbered becomes as or more significant than being out-leveled.&nbsp; So you can't just add creatures to an encounter to make it more challenging based on their CR or their exp value, because the numerical advantage tilts the combat against the party much faster than either of those measures would indicate.&nbsp; That's why 5e added a multiplier that kicks up the estimated difficulty whenever you face more than one monster.&nbsp; In a faster treadmill there's an illusion that you aren't really advancing at all, when you consistently face same-level foes, but it vanishes when you face even somewhat lower or higher level ones, and you find the reality is that you're advancing rapidly.&nbsp; With a slower treadmill, there's an illusion that you're not advancing at all, when you consistently face same-level foes, and a reality that you're not really advancing, much, that is revealed when you face very different level foes.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Tony Vargas, post: 6650033, member: 996"] That (except for the specific names of the stacking hit & damage bonuses) has been and will likely remain true of D&D as long as it uses hit points. Hit points, which leave an enemy fighting at full effectiveness until it drops at 0hp, just make focusing on enemies and downing them one at a time efficient. Other games, that use systems that impose penalities for being hit, wounded, or even just attacked, make spreading out attacks or using other tactics than just piling on damage more viable. They also produce very un-fun 'death spirals.' The opposite worked pretty well for Gamma World: don't boost stats, have enhancement or other pulled-together bonus accumulation, just have a flat +1/level to everything. Only over 10 levels, but it kept it simple. There's scaling, and there's variation. Compare lowest AC at a given level to lowest AC's at another, do the same for highest ACs. I think you'll see it, then. Scaling is small in magnitude compared to the d20, so if you're off the level-appropriate reservation, the d20's randomness can easily overwhelm the small difference in proficiency. Only magic items really put you /ahead/ of the curve, though. Yes, and save DCs with caster level. There is. Bounded Accuracy accomplishes much the same thing as a fast 'treadmill' running at-level, though it's tuned to hit more often in favor of faster combats. The weakest creatures you can face can still plink at the strongest, for instance - and with great enough numbers, even wipe them (or you) out. The impact on on encounter design is that being outnumbered becomes as or more significant than being out-leveled. So you can't just add creatures to an encounter to make it more challenging based on their CR or their exp value, because the numerical advantage tilts the combat against the party much faster than either of those measures would indicate. That's why 5e added a multiplier that kicks up the estimated difficulty whenever you face more than one monster. In a faster treadmill there's an illusion that you aren't really advancing at all, when you consistently face same-level foes, but it vanishes when you face even somewhat lower or higher level ones, and you find the reality is that you're advancing rapidly. With a slower treadmill, there's an illusion that you're not advancing at all, when you consistently face same-level foes, and a reality that you're not really advancing, much, that is revealed when you face very different level foes. [/QUOTE]

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