Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer Creatures
Frozen Sick
D&D Beyond Basic Rules
Basic Rules (2014)
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Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer CreaturesFrozen SickD&D Beyond Basic RulesBasic Rules (2014)Sign in to view your library & saved favorites.
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I have 3 cantrips that deal damage.
Which is a better chance to hit? Dex 14 save or a +6 to hit?
(If I add one to an ability score) it will then be Dex 15 save or a +7 to hit (Does that matter to the chance of hitting?)
Previously I was conservative and always chose based on assuming the worse and picking highest minimum damage. I want to change that so which has a higher average damage roll?
2d8
1d10+3
1d6+4
Well, it's impossible to know whether the attack roll or the Dex save is better without knowing the target's stats, because the chance to hit depends on that too. Attack rolls will do better against targets with lower AC, while Dexterity saves will do better against targets with lower Dexterity. But yes, increasing the save DC or the attack modifier does increase the chance of success.
As for the damage rolls, to calculate the average roll on a die, you add together the highest and lowest possible values and divide by 2. If there's more than one of the same type of die, you multiply that result by the number of dice. Then add any modifiers to the result.
So, for your examples:
pronouns: he/she/they
First of all, the differences between numbers have to get pretty large before "what you like better" isn't more important. In most games, you don't need to care about your exact damage numbers, and figuring them out gets complex quickly.
The average of a simple die is (min + max)/2. So, the average of 1d6 is 3.5. For multiple dice, you add them up, so 2d6 averages 7.
For save vs attack roll, it's complicated, but the designers have set things up so that, as you progress, monster saves and ACs go up at rates that mean your average character remains about as effective with both. Different monsters are balanced differently for variety, so having a variety of attacks is useful. The big and slow monster is more vulnerable to the dex save. The fast but unarmored one is probably easier to hit with the attack roll. (But dex save vs AC is probably the most correlated -- most monsters with good dex saves will also have good AC, so your choice is heavily "probably doesn't matter much".)
But attack rolls can crit, and saving throws can't, which probably makes direct attack spells slightly better overall.
The tradeoff there is that (at least once you get past cantrips) most spells that involve a saving throw still deal half damage on a successful save, while almost all spells that involve an attack roll do nothing at all if you miss.
pronouns: he/she/they
I agree, but I do not know those stats. I am asked to attacked X, and many times I don't even know what X is let alone it's stats. Ergo, which is a better chance to do damage on.
Thank you for the help on determining average damage. I was calculating it wrong.
There is no way to know for sure. Low DEX creatures can have good AC, making a DEX save a good bet or a lower AC creature makes attack roll spells more attractive.
I handle it by having different saves for spells if I can, and an attack roll spell as well. Different damage types can be crucial, it doesn't matter if you attack or cause a saving throw with a fire based spell if they're immune to fire.
To follow up JI8e above, I always prefer to have the dice ijn my hands. I don't want the DM rolling saving throws if I can roll attack spells, that way hit or miss I was responsible for the roll. I can't do it all the time of course, but when I can, I do.
If a creature's AC minus it's Dexterity save is 14, the save and the attack are equal odds; if higher, the save is better, if lower, the attack is better. Against most low tier enemies the attack is a better bet, though there are some heavily armored targets where the save is better (rule of thumb: use the save against a humanoid enemy wearing heavy armor).
Also, there are some solid attack spell options even if the damage is inferior. For example, things like Magic Missile hit multiple times and can force a single target to roll multiple Concentration saves.
I would think everything with a high Dex save will have at least a decent AC, but not everything with a high AC will have a decent Dex save. That is a gut assessment and should not be relied upon; I had tex-mex today and anything could go wrong.
These articles are dated because they analyzed the 2014 DMG rules and monster sets in the SRD, but they might still be useful. The principles are probably still valid:
It is generally good to have a variety of options so you can react to different encounters.
How to add Tooltips.
My houserulings.
A decent rule of thumb is to have multiple “suck or save” spells that target different stats so you can use whichever one targets the foes lowest stat.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
For those that are not able to do math (I have a friend with a learning disability that makes math extremely tough for them), here's another way to calculate average damage that might be easier.
Take the name of the die involved, divide by 2, add .5; a d8 has 8 sides, half of 8 is 4, add .5 = 4.5 is the average roll of a d8.
That's because if you look at all the possible outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 the average will be exactly in the middle. In this case the middle is between the 4 and 5 (4 numbers to the left of the middle, and four numbers to the right of the middle), hence 4.5.
Do this for every die you are rolling in the attack, then add your modifier. 2d10+4 has an average roll of 5.5 + 5.5 + 4 = 15.
Figuring out the odds for attack rolls and saves unfortunatley require info that you don't have, to properly figure them out (as you have already learned from above). Attack rolls and Saves are exact opposites. In an attack roll, you roll a d20, add modifiers, and need to equal or exceed a number on the target's character sheet.
With a save, if you are the caster, your character sheet determines the target number, and the creature you cast the spell against gets to roll the d20, add their modifiers, in the hopes of equalling or exceeding that target number on your character sheet.
Since we are talking about Dex saves, the general rule of thumb is that the larger the creature, the worse its Dex save is. The smaller the creature, the better its Dex save will be.
In the end, however, as others have said, it's really up to you as to which you prefer. Remember, D&D isn't a game of needing the best stats - its a game about helping to create the best STORY, that you and your friends will be remembering and talking about for years to come. I would suggest focusing not so much on whether you do a slight bit of damage a bit more often, and instead focus on creating the best visuals and story telling elements.
Most of my most memorable characters, the ones that people still talk about 40 years later, aren't the ones that put up big damage numbers - they're the ones that came up with the unique idea that saved the day, the ones that had the awesome one-liner comeback to the villains monologue, they're the ones that did things that helped the other characters succeed where they would have otherwise failed.
People remember:
In the end, no-one remembers who rolled what.
My advice, focus on the story, not the die rolls.
Playing D&D since 1982
Have played every version of the game since Basic (original Red Box Set), except that abomination sometimes called 4e.
For attack rolls, RPGBot's DPR calculator is pretty good. In most cases, you will have a 65% to hit on level encounters which translates to a 60% chance to hit and a 5% chance to critically hit.
Their analysis of the 2014 SRD Monsters should still be roughly applicable and includes a breakdown of saves by CR and shows Int or Dex saves being fairly consistently low at the high end. Int is the winner at low end. Having a mix of defenses to target is good.
How to add Tooltips.
My houserulings.