No, because hits are still probabalistic. You don't know if you're going to get hit or not. All it does is reduce the "spikiness" of damage against players, which in my experience, I have found players don't really find very fun. Difficulty can be adjusted by modifying stat blocks or by increasing/decreasing number of monsters, or by using more difficult monsters. The change does nothing more than even out incoming damage so you don't get sudden, unexpected spikes.
I find those sudden and unexpected spikes of damage often add drama and tension to combat encounters, which makes for suspenseful gameplay. The very thing you are eliminating is part of what makes otherwise uninteresting combat encounters into nail-bitingly thrilling moments. It’s the risk of suddenly getting waffle stomped that I find more interesting. The very predictability that you are going for is what I find most boring about combat encounters. It’s the risk of losing my PC that makes it worthwhile for me, otherwise I tend to find combat rather… dull.
But to each their own I suppose, as long as the players at each of our tables are having fun then that’s all that matters in the long run.
I could see an argument to capping monster damage on a crit if you're running something which could outright swat a PC on an exceedingly good roll. EG if a monster does D12 damage and the PC's have a max health of 20, then capping damage on a crit to 18, even if you roll higher, can add that suspense without denying the players a chance to react to such a hit!
I find those sudden and unexpected spikes of damage often add drama and tension to combat encounters, which makes for suspenseful gameplay. The very thing you are eliminating is part of what makes otherwise uninteresting combat encounters into nail-bitingly thrilling moments. It’s the risk of suddenly getting waffle stomped that I find more interesting. The very predictability that you are going for is what I find most boring about combat encounters. It’s the risk of losing my PC that makes it worthwhile for me, otherwise I tend to find combat rather… dull.
But to each their own I suppose, as long as the players at each of our tables are having fun then that’s all that matters in the long run.
I mean, I don't. For me it's more about the 'accumulation of errors', not sudden risk of permanent death from RNG, that makes combat thrilling. That kind of RNG just robs players of agency in my opinion, since their fate ultimately boils down to luck rather than skill. They die to a die roll, rather than to some error they made.
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No, because hits are still probabalistic. You don't know if you're going to get hit or not. All it does is reduce the "spikiness" of damage against players, which in my experience, I have found players don't really find very fun. Difficulty can be adjusted by modifying stat blocks or by increasing/decreasing number of monsters, or by using more difficult monsters. The change does nothing more than even out incoming damage so you don't get sudden, unexpected spikes.
I find those sudden and unexpected spikes of damage often add drama and tension to combat encounters, which makes for suspenseful gameplay. The very thing you are eliminating is part of what makes otherwise uninteresting combat encounters into nail-bitingly thrilling moments. It’s the risk of suddenly getting waffle stomped that I find more interesting. The very predictability that you are going for is what I find most boring about combat encounters. It’s the risk of losing my PC that makes it worthwhile for me, otherwise I tend to find combat rather… dull.
But to each their own I suppose, as long as the players at each of our tables are having fun then that’s all that matters in the long run.
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I could see an argument to capping monster damage on a crit if you're running something which could outright swat a PC on an exceedingly good roll. EG if a monster does D12 damage and the PC's have a max health of 20, then capping damage on a crit to 18, even if you roll higher, can add that suspense without denying the players a chance to react to such a hit!
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I mean, I don't. For me it's more about the 'accumulation of errors', not sudden risk of permanent death from RNG, that makes combat thrilling. That kind of RNG just robs players of agency in my opinion, since their fate ultimately boils down to luck rather than skill. They die to a die roll, rather than to some error they made.