Numbers

Bounded Accuracy is great, but...it's actually not. Flattening the curve is a good idea, and removing boring number buffs is the best way to go about it. It feels much better to have your Strength go from 4 to 6 than it does to find a +2 sword. Gaining a +2 to hit from your class feels okay, I guess, but it's mechanically confusing.

The monster numbers are going to be completely rebalanced to make the game deadlier anyway, so let's not worry too much about upsetting the existing numbers. Let's start with something that's working fine for now, and think about tweaks later. Thus:

Numbers will be higher at low level, comparable until nearly epic, then trailing epic (using non-standard rules). Best solution for that is to introduce new ability score rules at epic level. Naturally, Enhanced characters will tend to exceed 5e norms at all levels; this is expected, and countered by their lack of maneuvers and powers (hopefully).

Saves

Saves work fine in 5e, I guess, but they're a little weird when it comes to multiclassing. Option A: leave it alone. Option B...

Option B

Eliminate save proficiencies altogether. However, you can make an argument for using any proficient skill, weapon, or tool to save in place of an attack's designated save. If the DM allows it, use that check instead.

Examples:

Certain skills will probably lend themselves to saves better than others, such as

Take 2

Of late, I'm disenchanted with ability scores in general. This is probably something I'll laugh at later, but for now, the reasoning is this:

I think the theory of ability scores, originally, was that a great deal of the actions taken by PCs will represent some generic, freeform thing that wouldn't have been well-predicted by the system. That is, a PC might come up with some complex, cockamamie plan, and the DM needs some sort of roll to decide if it works or not, and that roll has to take into account the PC's relative strengths and weaknesses. Originally, D&D only really described combat, so, in essence, ability scores covered everything outside of combat. Which makes a certain kind of sense, since at least half of them have nothing to do with combat for non-casters.

Skills were a late addition to the game, not achieving first-class status until 3e--before that, they existed in various forms, but were still just ability checks. 5e has reiterated this status, but retains 3e's numeric bonus for proficiency (if much more numerically simple). PCs seem to prefer this--generally, they like it when the system recognizes and rewards the choices that make their character unique (and 5e offers very few customization choices besides skills).

This approach leads to some problems, though. It creates two classes of numbers: those meant to be achieved with the help of a proficiency bonus and an ability score, and those achievable with just an ability check. I'm not sure the latter category really exists, FYI, because combat is entirely balanced around the former, and non-combat DCs (if they can be said to be balanced at all) are as well--and even that challenge is nearly nullified by the entire party getting a crack at nearly every skill check, sometimes multiple times.

Now, numbers are numbers, after all--neither special nor unspecial. Those are just the numbers we have, right? Well, we still have to deal with the second class of numbers, which don't seem to have much of a place in the system. Let's list them now:

The fact is, if you want a good skill check, or attack roll, or spellcasting ability modifier, you have to add your proficiency bonus to it. And yet, you also must have at least a reasonably good ability score! I mean, sure, 5e is less punishing than previous editions in this regard, but why on Earth would you spend resources gaining proficiency in something if you have a crappy ability score?

And there's no way to win here by tweaking proficency bonuses. If proficiency bonus is too high, it drowns out the effect of a high ability score. Of course, you're still going to want the highest numbers possible, but you also won't really notice them. If proficiency is too low, cross-class abilities are overpowered, and the effect of your character's training doesn't feel well-described by the system. And either way, you're going to max out your best abilities--you'd be stupid not to.

The problem here is that (at least in my reckoning), people want two things out of an RPG:

In theory, ability scores cover the first one, and proficiency covers the second, right? Well yes, but they also detract from one another. When the numbers are carefully balanced across the level curve (as in the case of Bounded Accuracy or Oblivion), your level doesn't really impact your power, only your choices. I mean yeah, if you attack monsters half your CR, you'll crush them, but when does that happen? This tends to reward min-maxers and people who are best at gaming the system to pump up ability scores and other build-based numbers.

However, when level keeps scaling your numbers forever, eventually the ability scores become harder to notice. If my 20th level Pathfinder character has +25 to hit, an AC of 32, and does 4d8+40 damage...is that good? Bad? And, of course, if numbers don't matter, because it'll all wash out, then...why have a build at all? Why have any crunchy numbers in the first place?

Other systems usually try to circumvent this by dialing way back with numbers, and trying to bound them fairly simply; i.e. 1d6 is a bad skill, 5d6 is the best ever, or -1 is shitty, +3 is god-like. Okay, but...that's literally the same solution as deciding everybody in D&D is level 1 forever. Is it any wonder the most common problem with these systems is the lack of meaningful progression?

This is a pretty long-winded way to say that I'm frustrated with the lack of interesting approaches to building PCs, vis-a-vis determining ability scores, skill knowledge, proficiency bonuses, etc.

Maybe there's something to be said for a completely different approach? Just some thoughts:

files
  • (up)
  • (cur)
  • Advancement
  • Bounded Accuracy
  • Choices
  • Classless Classes
  • Damage Model
  • Decoupling Skills from Ability Scores
  • Hits v2
  • How many specific abilities should each trait grant
  • Inspiration
  • No More Mana
  • Range
  • Superclasses
  • The Blorg System
  • thoughts designing characters