Many rolls in 5e D&D shouldn't be.
Many DCs I've seen in 5e play shouldn't be that high.
As a player, both bother me, as in *not fun.*
Making something hard (or "challenging") for a skilled character means making it impossible for an unskilled one. Consider the ramifications.
— Chris S. Sims (@ChrisSSims) March 18, 2021
What I mean is this: A hard DC (15) is a 70% failure rate for someone with +0 to that roll. Is the task really that hard?
DMG 238 says this, in a way, under Difficulty Class. The issue is that normal, unskilled people succeed on easy tasks way more than 50% of the time. But a lot of DMs also seem to forget that failure is not binary in 5e. See PH 174 under the Typical DCs table there.
This passage combines well with DMG 237 under Multiple Ability Checks and assuming success over time.
— Chris S. Sims (@ChrisSSims) March 18, 2021
PSM: Don’t use contests. As the DMG says on page 239, “Sometimes the randomness of a d20 roll leads to ludicrous results.” Contests multiply the chances of such results n-fold. Set DCs for the stronger competitor to win based, at highest, on the weaker’s passive value. But that PSM has a caveat I meant but forgot to mention: The player should be the one rolling, even if their character is the weaker one. Thanks for the reminder, @ThinkingDM!
— Chris S. Sims (@ChrisSSims) March 18, 2021
Addendum: Roling is fun. Rolling does feel like “doing something” in play. You, as DM, can use rolls to guide narratives even if the success of the roll is a foregone conclusion. The assassin remains hidden but the guards seem suspicious. That sort of thing. Some have interpreted this thread as "things should be easy." That's not what I mean. I mean that rolls should have value and difficulties should be considered for their meaning in the narrative and world, not just the challenge they present to characters or specific characters.
— Chris S. Sims (@ChrisSSims) March 19, 2021
I tend to agree. I also think that outside of combat there isn’t much going on mechanically in dnd if you aren’t rolling dice. I find that players generally like to roll, even for dumb stuff (anecdotal based on my xp). The feel of rolling can be had without the stakes being too high, though. 😉
— Chris S. Sims (@ChrisSSims) March 18, 2021
Agreed. If the character succeeds on a roll of 5+, I don't even bother rolling.
But I also like a table of tiered success. Climbing example:
DC 5 – 2x time, loses 1 HD (wounded)
10 – 1.5x time
15 – 1x time
20 – 1/2 time
25 – 1/2 time, gain Inspiration— Claudio Pozas (@claudiopozas) March 18, 2021
Standardized rulings. DM can modify literally anything as they see fit. DMs should always consider the players FUN factor overall. We’ve been adjusting for years. True. One issue is that the game doesn't teach this skill effectively.
— Chris S. Sims (@ChrisSSims) March 19, 2021
It’s hard when, even in a high level party, individual bonuses can still have a massive spread. The wizard with a +10 INT save and the barb with a -1. Not saying it’s good or bad, just difficult. This is where passive (what you can do or know automatically) comes in for me.
— Chris S. Sims (@ChrisSSims) March 19, 2021
Yeas! I love that stuff.
— Chris S. Sims (@ChrisSSims) March 18, 2021
That idea does work better in the 5e system, where the penalties and bonuses of 3e and 4e don't exist. I guess you could handle advantage and disadvantage as rolling an extra die and taking the highest three or lowest three, respectively.
— Chris S. Sims (@ChrisSSims) March 19, 2021
That idea does work better in the 5e system, where the penalties and bonuses of 3e and 4e don't exist. I guess you could handle advantage and disadvantage as rolling an extra die and taking the highest three or lowest three, respectively.
— Chris S. Sims (@ChrisSSims) March 19, 2021