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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Chaosmancer" data-source="post: 8053934" data-attributes="member: 6801228">I think the reason DPR ends up coming up so often is because modeling and trying to determine the effectiveness of DnD is a lot like economics. There are so many factors that come into play, that you either have to assume certain facts are static, or you just give up on any analysis at all. And the most static of things to work with is DPR. They are the most raw numbers with the least possible disagreement in their implementation. A longsword with a +4 mod does 1d8+4 if the person is using a shield. No one can disagree with that statement, and a single attack on average does 8.5 damage. But as the Beastmaster just showed us, there are a lot of factors that come up that just can't be measured. Like, whether or not the DM is going to allow your companion to use armor without a penalty. Barding and armor is a classic trope in fantasy (bears get it all the time) so it isn't unreasonable, and since it needs to be specially fitted, it could be like Elven Chain and just have state that you always have proficiency in it, because wearing it is like wearing nothing at all. A perfectly valid view, and one that makes a huge difference in the calculations. Because the Snake having 15 AC or 23 AC is massively different. And then you add in teammates. How much are you getting from the cleric's bless, or the Druid's Faerie Fire? Loot: Are you getting lots of custom magic weapons or not? ECTAnd that is only combat. Social interactions are even more complicated, and exploration can be the same. In fact, I'll go out on a limb and say the social pillar of the game is so complicated that it is literally unmeasurable. I'm going to use a Comic Book Card Game story as an example.We have a massive, multiverse ending threat. A being that warps space and time like you crumple paper. You are a gun toting, powerless individual with a gritty past. Oh, and your mother who destroyed one of your eyes and hates your guts is one of the most powerful supervillainesses on the planet who runs a cult of super-powered villains. And after an impassioned "I know you hate my powerless guts, but this thing will kill everything" you get her to help fight, taking the pressure off the team in a key moment. That may sound like snowflake-ism, but I want to remind people this is supposed to represent a character with decades of comic book history, in the "final arc" of the campaign, who has been dealing with this plot point of their mother for a long time. It was earned, and that is what makes the social pillar impossible to measure. I am playing a character right now who could fairly trivially raise an army (we actually did) because I am the Lord of a recoverying city, and I control the treasury and the food. I could likely (and would never) coup the other players and leaders of the city easily... except that the Barbarian is the High Priestess of the religion, and due to stupid NAt 100 luck rolls and a blessed pool of water has literally beaten a plague to death in front of the town... twice. (I'm not kidding, she is ridiculous and we love her) And you can't measure that stuff, even though it is equally important to the game. So, we default to the stuff we can measure</blockquote>

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