5E Monster CR - why it's FUBAR. It's not a be-all, end-all solution but provides a few bits to consider. I think it addresses some of your concerns about your 'deadly' encounter gettin' walked over.
The arrogance of that guy and his condescending tone put me off in the first 30 seconds. Another brilliant game designer who has never published anything, will never do so, but is of course (at least in his personal opinion) way better than the designers of the best edition of D&D ever (and extremely critical of them). And of course, it's a loooong video instead of a simple paragraphs on a web site that you can skim across and at least see what it's about. Not for me, thanks.
Like all things in 5e, it's way more fuzzy than the two previous editions, which by the way both failed in providing the deterministic battle difficulty computation that rule lawyers dream off. But it's because it's a role playing game and not Warhammer Fantasy Battle. No system is ever going to be perfect, and so far I've not seen one that takes into account the situation and roleplaying factors which are in the end at least as important as the raw power of the monsters and characters, like the synergies between participants on one side, the specific abilities that affect one side more or less than average (like fire resistance/immunity when there is a fire sorcerer on the other side), the environment and the advantage that it gives specific sides and, even more important, surprise and preparation, which can easily flip an encounter from really easy to TPK depending on which side has it.
All of this to say that, like 3e and 4e found out, it's pointless to be ultraprecise and anal about computing tons of microscopic modifiers to stack on top of each other when you are unable to factor in the most critical factors like the ones that I listed above for CR and the simple fact that a single d20 has a huge range compared to +1 or +2 modifiers.
Of course, the system is far from perfect and yes, the assumption that there will be 6 to 8 encounters in a day is too much for most tables. But once you understand that and factor it in (and, once more, it's really hard to design for spikes and nova in a general manner), with a bit of experience (which a system will never replace considering all the factors above), you can design entertaining and challenging encounters and never get a TPK (unless probably deserved). Our groups have done this for years now.
The problem with a lot of videos that are critical of the current state of D&D, in whatever capacity, is that they tend to be bulky due to Youtubes algorithm. With everyone aiming for maximum monetization, they tend to try and be long to cram ad revenue in. It'd be nice for a synopsis on a website or an alternate source, but sadly we arent that lucky. Blogs werent ALL bad. Lol
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Currently on Version 1 of a custom Bard Subclass. Would love to hear your feedback! Give a look in the link down below!
I think I'm going to stick with BRP. I prefer Chaosium's system in general, but I love D&Ds 'stuff' (like this website).
Be well, friends, and thank you very much for the civil and helpful conversation. I hope 2021 finds you all healthy, happy, and rolling dice with your friends!
So, for anyone that is interested, I ran a BRP/CoC campaign with a dark fantasy feel (the party was in the Dreamlands, if any of you are familiar with that setting). I cobbled together a combat flow chart that took some of the best ideas from various supplements, and it came out great. Combat was varied and exciting. It was fun.
Lately, I've been running a D&D 5e game with first level characters. I allowed them to take two hit dice at 1st level just to give them a little grit. So far it's going well, but I have one guy running a Goliath fighter, who, even at first level, is devastating. The Goliath also has some innate healing abilities. Another PC is a dwarf who can release electricity or something when he gets hit. The druid creates good berries that can give him back about half his HP. My observation is, even at 1st level, these are very sturdy, resilient characters.
I'm not sure if D&D 5e characters are balanced with the challenges of the game. I think they are just too hearty. One man's opinion.
So, for anyone that is interested, I ran a BRP/CoC campaign with a dark fantasy feel (the party was in the Dreamlands, if any of you are familiar with that setting). I cobbled together a combat flow chart that took some of the best ideas from various supplements, and it came out great. Combat was varied and exciting. It was fun.
Lately, I've been running a D&D 5e game with first level characters. I allowed them to take two hit dice at 1st level just to give them a little grit. So far it's going well, but I have one guy running a Goliath fighter, who, even at first level, is devastating. The Goliath also has some innate healing abilities. Another PC is a dwarf who can release electricity or something when he gets hit. The druid creates good berries that can give him back about half his HP. My observation is, even at 1st level, these are very sturdy, resilient characters.
I'm not sure if D&D 5e characters are balanced with the challenges of the game. I think they are just too hearty. One man's opinion.
Not sure what class the dwarf plays but any 1st level character has about 8-12 HP, at the most 15. That's not really "hearty" considering it only takes a few hits to bring them down to zero. Goliaths can't heal but they can soak some damage between short rests.
I tend to adjust monster HP based on how well the battle is progressing and reinforcements mid-combat can change everything. I also sometimes attack a PC's weakness. That 20 AC doesn't help the cleric much when they have to make a save with their 8 Dex. I use Kobold Fight Club for a rough idea of how difficult an encounter can be but challenge ratings vary widely depending on the monster. Shadows are only CR 1/2 but they can TPK a low level party. I have also been incorporating more environmental hazards and traps lately to spice things up.
Goliaths are pretty hardy but they can only use Stone's Endurance once per rest. Lightning is all fun and games until you run into a black pudding. Goodberry is a great spell, but a player can only eat 1 berry as an action which gives them 1 HP. During combat it would take the druid 10 rounds to eat all of them. If it seems like they are breezing through encounters there is nothing wrong with tossing something unexpected at them. Just being in an area that is too dangerous to even take a short rest makes things even more challenging. It's kind of hard to rest for an hour when it's stirge breeding season!
The problem with a lot of videos that are critical of the current state of D&D, in whatever capacity, is that they tend to be bulky due to Youtubes algorithm. With everyone aiming for maximum monetization, they tend to try and be long to cram ad revenue in. It'd be nice for a synopsis on a website or an alternate source, but sadly we arent that lucky. Blogs werent ALL bad. Lol
Currently on Version 1 of a custom Bard Subclass. Would love to hear your feedback! Give a look in the link down below!
College of Ancestral Balance
Links will open in a new page. Comment HERE with feedback! Thank you!
I think I'm going to stick with BRP. I prefer Chaosium's system in general, but I love D&Ds 'stuff' (like this website).
Be well, friends, and thank you very much for the civil and helpful conversation. I hope 2021 finds you all healthy, happy, and rolling dice with your friends!
OK, I know I'm just blanking here but... BRP?
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
So, for anyone that is interested, I ran a BRP/CoC campaign with a dark fantasy feel (the party was in the Dreamlands, if any of you are familiar with that setting). I cobbled together a combat flow chart that took some of the best ideas from various supplements, and it came out great. Combat was varied and exciting. It was fun.
Lately, I've been running a D&D 5e game with first level characters. I allowed them to take two hit dice at 1st level just to give them a little grit. So far it's going well, but I have one guy running a Goliath fighter, who, even at first level, is devastating. The Goliath also has some innate healing abilities. Another PC is a dwarf who can release electricity or something when he gets hit. The druid creates good berries that can give him back about half his HP. My observation is, even at 1st level, these are very sturdy, resilient characters.
I'm not sure if D&D 5e characters are balanced with the challenges of the game. I think they are just too hearty. One man's opinion.
Not sure what class the dwarf plays but any 1st level character has about 8-12 HP, at the most 15. That's not really "hearty" considering it only takes a few hits to bring them down to zero. Goliaths can't heal but they can soak some damage between short rests.
I tend to adjust monster HP based on how well the battle is progressing and reinforcements mid-combat can change everything. I also sometimes attack a PC's weakness. That 20 AC doesn't help the cleric much when they have to make a save with their 8 Dex. I use Kobold Fight Club for a rough idea of how difficult an encounter can be but challenge ratings vary widely depending on the monster. Shadows are only CR 1/2 but they can TPK a low level party. I have also been incorporating more environmental hazards and traps lately to spice things up.
Goliaths are pretty hardy but they can only use Stone's Endurance once per rest. Lightning is all fun and games until you run into a black pudding. Goodberry is a great spell, but a player can only eat 1 berry as an action which gives them 1 HP. During combat it would take the druid 10 rounds to eat all of them. If it seems like they are breezing through encounters there is nothing wrong with tossing something unexpected at them. Just being in an area that is too dangerous to even take a short rest makes things even more challenging. It's kind of hard to rest for an hour when it's stirge breeding season!
https://kobold.club/fight/#/encounter-builder