As muchg as I love D&D, and have done so for many years, one thing bothers me. And Although it is originally a US based game, I and many of my -rest of the world friends- would love to have an option to convert the Ft and Lbs into Meters and Kilograms. At the moment I just use the feet range but it might as well be banana's for scale since I have no real idea of what that is unless I google it all. Not even to mention the pounds option. In all the DND's so far I was in we never used encumberence. Simply because we don't have the slightest idea how much we're lumbering with us.
Would this ever be an option on the site? I know that many of the books will never be reprinted just for that, but a simple toggle option here should be feasable right?
I hope this sparks a nice discussion and that the Devs might one day implement this in this amazing website.
This would be a localisation decision for Wizards of the Coast to make, not an option that D&D Beyond can decide to undertake. If Wizards of the Coast ever decides to provide that option for english localised books, then D&D Beyond would endeavour to reflect that.
It would be interesting to convert. I suppose you could get away with 3 feet = 1 meter. A foot is a bit less than that IRL but it probably wouldn't matter for the game. So then divide all distances by 3. Medium creatures move 10 meters per round, etc. But the hard part is to visualize the 5-foot space each medium creature controls. I guess you could make that more like 1.5 meters, but is that cumbersome?
Weight's easier as it's typically just a unit conversion without much need for visualization.
It's pretty easy to convert, you just need practice. 1kg is 2.2lbs and 1ft is 30cm or 12in. It is just basic math that most people should be able to do in their head.
Because D&D ranges are mostly hand-to-hand and close-quarters, these are the only four ranges that happen.
However, hypothetically, there might be combat at a different scale, such as mass combat, navy battles between ships, and long-distance magical spell attacks. If so, continue the 1-3 pattern:
• 1 m • 3 m • 10 m • 30 m • 100 m (city block) • 300 m (bow shot) • 1000 m (long-distance sniper rifle) • 3000 m • 10,000 m • etcetera
Whatever scale happens to make sense. Because meter and yard are roughly comparable, it is ok to handwaive their equivalence.
I hope gaming rules avoid all references to weight/mass.
For example, telekinesis should refer to Tiny size, Small size, ... Huge size, ...
Even encumbrance can be handwaived, as a Medium creature can carry a Small load without encumbrance, a Large creature can carry a Medium load without encumbrance, etcetera.
It would be interesting to convert. I suppose you could get away with 3 feet = 1 meter. A foot is a bit less than that IRL but it probably wouldn't matter for the game. So then divide all distances by 3. Medium creatures move 10 meters per round, etc. But the hard part is to visualize the 5-foot space each medium creature controls. I guess you could make that more like 1.5 meters, but is that cumbersome?
Weight's easier as it's typically just a unit conversion without much need for visualization.
Everything is in multiples of 5 feet. So just make 5 feet = 2 meters. It's pretty inaccurate, but who cares? It's not like the creators of the game accurately measured the reach of a longsword.
1 meter ≈ 3 feet melee, engaged 3 meter ≈ 10 feet reach 10 meter ≈ 30 feet close, near 30 meter ≈ 100 feet distant, far
But meter≈yard is simplest for gaming purposes.
That makes the game actually play differently. Movement speed is now 10x usual melee reach instead of 6x. Grid-based combat will need more spaces on the grid.
It's nothing too game breaking, but please explain the necessity of accurate conversions.
1 meter ≈ 3 feet melee, engaged 3 meter ≈ 10 feet reach 10 meter ≈ 30 feet close, near 30 meter ≈ 100 feet distant, far
But meter≈yard is simplest for gaming purposes.
That makes the game actually play differently. Movement speed is now 10x usual melee reach instead of 6x. Grid-based combat will need more spaces on the grid.
It's nothing too game breaking, but please explain the necessity of accurate conversions.
It isnt about bookkeeping micro-measurements. It is about ballparking distances for the sake of theater of the mind.
If everything happens within one "move" and is close, near, that is all a player needs to know. If beyond a move, then an action for a doublemove dash or run is necessary. No numbers necessary.
At the same time, these standard distances (melee, reach, close, distant) also conveniently map out to accurate metric or US standard for players who do use a grid or like to bookkeep.
For simplicity’s sake, I say a 5’ = 1 m and 1 Lb = 1 kg. I’m pretty sure all significant distance rules are in increments of 5’ and weights in pounds. I realize this is broadly incorrect, but it makes the math easy and all that really matters is they maintain the correct ratio. If your players know they have a speed of 6(or 5) m and occupy 1 m^2 with a reach of 1 m I think it makes envisioning a battlefield relatively easy. Weight can be a bit trickier, not so much as in calculating encumbrance, but in deciding if an object that’s not on the equipment list be moved by mage hand etc.
Also, for anyone who wants to use metric system in their home game but doesn't feel like meter is "medieval" enough for that fantasy feel - remember that the word comes from ancient greek and means "measure". Just have one of your languages in the world mean the same thing and the feel is preserved ;-)
Also, for anyone who wants to use metric system in their home game but doesn't feel like meter is "medieval" enough for that fantasy feel - remember that the word comes from ancient greek and means "measure". Just have one of your languages in the world mean the same thing and the feel is preserved ;-)
Depending on the locale, an ancient cubit can be precisely 50 cm. So two cubits equal a meter. One might even refer to the meter as a "double cubit" or a "bi-cubit".
This is assuming that the speed of light is something in your universe. It does not have to be. It could be instantaneous. It could be very slow ("The speed of light through a magical aura such as the one that surrounded the Disc was quite slow, being not much faster than the speed of sound in less highly tuned universes."). It could just be the speed of the log of lights' chariot. It could vary over time... :P
In an universe where there are only four pure elements, the principles of physics in our world might not be the right ones. For example, in an extended universe including Spelljammer, we know for sure that gravity does not work like in our real universe...
Our universe has the same four elements: solid, liquid, gas, and plasma (sun, lightning).
Today we call these "states" and reuse the word "elements" to mean something else, but we have these elements, at least as far as medieval scholars (such as Rambam) defined these four elements.
In this medieval view, the "fifth element" is gravity, or "force" generally.
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As muchg as I love D&D, and have done so for many years, one thing bothers me.
And Although it is originally a US based game, I and many of my -rest of the world friends- would love to have an option to convert the Ft and Lbs into Meters and Kilograms.
At the moment I just use the feet range but it might as well be banana's for scale since I have no real idea of what that is unless I google it all. Not even to mention the pounds option. In all the DND's so far I was in we never used encumberence. Simply because we don't have the slightest idea how much we're lumbering with us.
Would this ever be an option on the site? I know that many of the books will never be reprinted just for that, but a simple toggle option here should be feasable right?
I hope this sparks a nice discussion and that the Devs might one day implement this in this amazing website.
Grts,
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It would be interesting to convert. I suppose you could get away with 3 feet = 1 meter. A foot is a bit less than that IRL but it probably wouldn't matter for the game. So then divide all distances by 3. Medium creatures move 10 meters per round, etc. But the hard part is to visualize the 5-foot space each medium creature controls. I guess you could make that more like 1.5 meters, but is that cumbersome?
Weight's easier as it's typically just a unit conversion without much need for visualization.
It's pretty easy to convert, you just need practice. 1kg is 2.2lbs and 1ft is 30cm or 12in. It is just basic math that most people should be able to do in their head.
2 pound are nearly 1kg and 3 feet are nearly 1meter. The problem is temperature and the conversion of Farenheit into Celsius.
Fun fact, the physical definition of imperial measures is done by using the metric system. 😂
Attack: [roll]3d20dl2+6[/roll] Damage: [roll](if([roll:-1:critical], =0, 1d8, 2{1d8}.expand()))+4[/roll] Sneakattack: [roll](if([roll:-2:critical], =0, 2d6, 2{2d6}.expand()))[/roll]Double it and add 30 (C to F). It gets you into the ballpark. So F to C is subtract 30 and divide in half.
The actual C to F formula is to multiply by 1.8 and add 32.
Edit: Temperature by degree is pretty rare in D&D, though. Distances are the big thing.
I want metric friendly rules.
At the same time, more importantly, I want rules that are friendly for theater of the mind.
• "Melee" (1 meter) ≈ (1 yard, 3 feet, 2 cubits) Hand-to-Hand, Engaged
• "Reach" (3 meters) ≈ (3 yards, 10 feet, 6 cubits, 2 paces)
• "Close" (10 meters) ≈ (10 yards, 30 feet, 20 cubits, 6 paces) Close-Quarters, Built-Up Area, Throw, Throwing Range, Near
• "Distant" (beyond 10 meters) ≈ Shot, Shooting Range, Far
Because D&D ranges are mostly hand-to-hand and close-quarters, these are the only four ranges that happen.
However, hypothetically, there might be combat at a different scale, such as mass combat, navy battles between ships, and long-distance magical spell attacks. If so, continue the 1-3 pattern:
• 1 m
• 3 m
• 10 m
• 30 m
• 100 m (city block)
• 300 m (bow shot)
• 1000 m (long-distance sniper rifle)
• 3000 m
• 10,000 m
• etcetera
Whatever scale happens to make sense. Because meter and yard are roughly comparable, it is ok to handwaive their equivalence.
he / him
I hope gaming rules avoid all references to weight/mass.
For example, telekinesis should refer to Tiny size, Small size, ... Huge size, ...
Even encumbrance can be handwaived, as a Medium creature can carry a Small load without encumbrance, a Large creature can carry a Medium load without encumbrance, etcetera.
he / him
Regarding temperature:
• "freezing"
• "cool"
• "body temperature"
• "hot"
• "boiling"
• "red hot" (fire, lava)
• "white hot"
... are sufficient for most gaming purposes.
he / him
Everything is in multiples of 5 feet. So just make 5 feet = 2 meters. It's pretty inaccurate, but who cares? It's not like the creators of the game accurately measured the reach of a longsword.
10 feet ≈ 3 meters is reasonably accurate.
1 meter ≈ 3 feet melee, engaged
3 meter ≈ 10 feet reach
10 meter ≈ 30 feet close, near
30 meter ≈ 100 feet distant, far
But meter≈yard is simplest for gaming purposes.
he / him
That makes the game actually play differently. Movement speed is now 10x usual melee reach instead of 6x. Grid-based combat will need more spaces on the grid.
It's nothing too game breaking, but please explain the necessity of accurate conversions.
It isnt about bookkeeping micro-measurements. It is about ballparking distances for the sake of theater of the mind.
If everything happens within one "move" and is close, near, that is all a player needs to know. If beyond a move, then an action for a doublemove dash or run is necessary. No numbers necessary.
At the same time, these standard distances (melee, reach, close, distant) also conveniently map out to accurate metric or US standard for players who do use a grid or like to bookkeep.
he / him
For simplicity’s sake, I say a 5’ = 1 m and 1 Lb = 1 kg. I’m pretty sure all significant distance rules are in increments of 5’ and weights in pounds. I realize this is broadly incorrect, but it makes the math easy and all that really matters is they maintain the correct ratio. If your players know they have a speed of 6(or 5) m and occupy 1 m^2 with a reach of 1 m I think it makes envisioning a battlefield relatively easy. Weight can be a bit trickier, not so much as in calculating encumbrance, but in deciding if an object that’s not on the equipment list be moved by mage hand etc.
In my Player's Handbook (oficially translated and distributed in my country) metric system is used.
5feet = 1.5m conversion is used and everything else is extrapolated from that.
That is certainly the closest approximation!
Also, for anyone who wants to use metric system in their home game but doesn't feel like meter is "medieval" enough for that fantasy feel - remember that the word comes from ancient greek and means "measure". Just have one of your languages in the world mean the same thing and the feel is preserved ;-)
Depending on the locale, an ancient cubit can be precisely 50 cm. So two cubits equal a meter. One might even refer to the meter as a "double cubit" or a "bi-cubit".
he / him
Heh, musing is amusing.
It is too bad the speed of light was unknown when the metric system was invented.
Where the speed of light is exactly 299792458 meters/second, if known, this universal speed could have been divided up rationally.
Note 10 x 10 is 100, namely a hundred,10^2.
And 100 x 100 is 10,000, namely a myriad, 10^4.
A myriad-myriad (or twice myriad, dismyriad?) is 10^8.
Thus, one myriad-myriad-th of the speed of light is exactly 2.99792458 meters per second.
Or about 3 meters. (About 10 feet.)
This is a useful amount for a unit of measurement.
Of course, using the "second" as a unit of time is itself arbitrary. So there would need to be a better universal standard for measuring time.
And base 10 for a counting system is arbitrary. But using base 2, like the bits and bytes of computers do, is simple and universal.
It seems possible to come up with a truly universal − as in the entire universe − system of measurements.
he / him
Our universe has the same four elements: solid, liquid, gas, and plasma (sun, lightning).
Today we call these "states" and reuse the word "elements" to mean something else, but we have these elements, at least as far as medieval scholars (such as Rambam) defined these four elements.
In this medieval view, the "fifth element" is gravity, or "force" generally.
he / him