Would you use or allow average damage to speed up gameplay?

[Lord Rasputin]

A thought ... if you're looking to speed play, why not use average dice for part of the roll? Say, if you're rolling a 10d6 fireball, make it 4d6+21. If you pre-record the dice as such, this should speed play.

 

[Abraxas]

When the PC is at 10% of his hp, does it really make much of a difference at that point? He's already gotten himself into hot water by that point.

Yes, yes it does make a difference - with average its a given, with rolled its not.

The dice work both ways. If the player had 20 hp and the creature attacks for 4d6 there's a chance he could drop if you rolled the dice. In the long run whatever adds more randomness to the game is going to end up screwing the PCs, because they're the ones who have to survive. Even then, at this level of the game there's going to be more than 4d6 between the player and the enemy, and IME the minor flucuations in damage results just aren't worth the amount of time as demonstrated above.

Different strokes for different folks. IME - I find rooting for the min damage from the critter trying to eat your character's face exciting - does it always work, no, but thats a risk I am willing to take. Average damage also mucks with things like the massive damage save rules (Assuming a x2 crit weapon, unless your character averages 25 points of damage per hit you will never force a massive damage save and this really favors the monsters in a use the average type game) and sunder/attacking objects.

Not to long ago I had a character involved in a melee consisting of 3 PCs vs 24 critters that got 3 attacks each. Didn't notice the slow down - and watching my DM throw 24 d20s at one time was fun - especially when he had a string of bad luck and was only averaging 6 hits out of 72 attacks
YMMV

 

[Infiniti2000]

I disagree with this. I don't see how the poll is biased.

Not biased? It's clearly biased with 5 differently worded options basically supporting 'yes' and only one for 'no' and one that as far as I'm concerned is undefined because it has an undefined acronym (you should at least define it in your question). So, if I want to say 'yes' I get a choice of five different ways to express my opinion. If I want to say 'no' I can either choose an option saying I have too much dice or an option of which I don't know what it means.

Please explain how that is not biased? Or, perhaps you just don't want opinions from people like me (obviously this makes it biased).

 

[takasi]

Not biased? It's clearly biased with 5 differently worded options basically supporting 'yes' and only one for 'no' and one that as far as I'm concerned is undefined because it has an undefined acronym (you should at least define it in your question). So, if I want to say 'yes' I get a choice of five different ways to express my opinion. If I want to say 'no' I can either choose an option saying I have too much dice or an option of which I don't know what it means.

If you understand that there's a "yes and no" then what's the issue? If you can simplify it to that point, just pick no. The "why did I buy all of these dice" response is perfectly valid if you don't like average damage, as people have clearly shown you. If you want to expand on WHY you want to use your dice feel free to respond here, but there is no bias in the question that I can see or that you have shown so far.

 

[takasi]

Yes, yes it does make a difference - with average its a given, with rolled its not.

You can see my point though right? If you've lost 90% of your hp so far, that's 9 times that you've already been hit. If you didn't use average damage, there's a chance that you might not even have those 12 points left.

And this is just one character in one encounter. Over the course of hundreds of encounters eventually you're going to have monsters deal max damage when the table least expects it. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but to say that average damage hurts PCs is just not true at all.

Yes, with one it's a given (if the enemy hits) in that one scenario. However, it's also a given in many scenarios that you will survive. As a DM you get a better idea of what you're sending up against your characters. It makes it easier to strategize as a player when you see what the enemy is hitting you for.

And I also enjoy rolling dice, I'm just saying that there's a threshold where it starts becoming more of a chore than it's worth, and IME it's around 15th level (especially in melee combat against lots of monsters).

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

Absolutely. God, what an improvement.

I'm used to and prefer console RPGs where damage varies perhaps 100-200 points on a 5000 point attack (barring crits, of course) and where 'hitting' is rolled into the total abstraction of hp.

The speed would just be an added bonus.

 

[Infiniti2000]

There is no 'yes' and 'no'. There are five 'yes, but' and (from what I can tell) two 'no, but'. I don't agree with any of the 'buts', so which should I choose? The fact that it's 5-to-2, however, will bias the result.

Anyway, my answer is 'no'. It is not 'no' because I want to use all my dice (I would be happy to let someone else roll). It is also not 'no' because of 'DDM', whatever that is (and you still refuse to tell me?)

 

[demiurge1138]

I loves me the dice.

I've used average damage from time to time when there's a lot of dice flying, mostly high level spells and breath weapons. But only occasionally. I wouldn't consider using it for all damage.

Demiurge out.

 

[Storyteller01]

I'm looking into it as a proactive measure. Looks like I'll be dealing with mass combat withing 4 or 5 levels, so average damage will definitely help.

 

[Abraxas]

You can see my point though right? If you've lost 90% of your hp so far, that's 9 times that you've already been hit. If you didn't use average damage, there's a chance that you might not even have those 12 points left.

And there is an equal chance you'll have more than 12 hps left. I see your point, I don't agree with it

And this is just one character in one encounter. Over the course of hundreds of encounters eventually you're going to have monsters deal max damage when the table least expects it. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but to say that average damage hurts PCs is just not true at all.

But to say that it doesn't hurt PCs isn't true either.

Yes, with one it's a given (if the enemy hits) in that one scenario. However, it's also a given in many scenarios that you will survive. As a DM you get a better idea of what you're sending up against your characters. It makes it easier to strategize as a player when you see what the enemy is hitting you for.

Knowing exactly how many hits your PC can take is a change in combat dynamics that I wouldn't enjoy at all.

And I also enjoy rolling dice, I'm just saying that there's a threshold where it starts becoming more of a chore than it's worth, and IME it's around 15th level (especially in melee combat against lots of monsters).

The games I'm in all involve 6 to 9 players per session and at current levels all are getting 3 or 4 attacks per round (just like the NPCs and critters I throw at them). I havn't experienced dice rolling as being a chore yet - it must be the vegas effect, gotta roll them bones and the sound of 24d6 hitting the tables sure does freak out the players