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Post by Finarvyn on Aug 18, 2014 4:56:50 GMT -6
Quick question for anyone already running 5e. I've been looking the Basics over and one thing i have not seen addressed is Monsters Reactions/Morale. How are others handling encounters where older editions would sometimes use the reaction table to determine what happens next? For instance, if the party decides to flee how are you determining whether they will be pursued? Am I missing something in how the mechanics of 5e work in these situations? Or are others randomly adjudicating on the spot on a case by case basis? This always been a role-play situation for me. Is there a reason for the monster(s) to fight to the death? To parlay? To give chase? To surrender? The DM can make these decisions on the fly based on (1) how he wants things to go, or (2) what makes the most sense. I have traditionally ignored things like the "XP budget" for encounter building. That said, the game will work just fine if you want to roll on the Reaction Table of your choice, be it 0E, 1E, Labyrinth Lord, etc. Easy house rule. This is the way we do it. As DM I get to decide what the monsters would do, so I look at the reason (if any) for the monster being in a particular location. If it makes sense for the monster to run, I go with it.
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EdOWar
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 315
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Post by EdOWar on Aug 18, 2014 16:02:30 GMT -6
This always been a role-play situation for me. Is there a reason for the monster(s) to fight to the death? To parlay? To give chase? To surrender? The DM can make these decisions on the fly based on (1) how he wants things to go, or (2) what makes the most sense. I have traditionally ignored things like the "XP budget" for encounter building. That said, the game will work just fine if you want to roll on the Reaction Table of your choice, be it 0E, 1E, Labyrinth Lord, etc. Easy house rule. This is the way we do it. As DM I get to decide what the monsters would do, so I look at the reason (if any) for the monster being in a particular location. If it makes sense for the monster to run, I go with it. This is the way I usually run things as well. However, I think there's a certain appeal in preserving some surprise for the GM, too. Reaction rolls and morale checks allow that. After all, history is replete with examples of people who didn't do the sure and logical thing, and that can be simulated with randomness.
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Post by bigjackbrass on Aug 19, 2014 2:47:46 GMT -6
I'm currently playing in the adventure from the Starter Set, which seems decent enough, and a few odds and ends from the Basic PDF are creeping in. Releasing the PDF for free is a superb move, I think, but I can't really see myself spending money to get any deeper into this edition. The reason, apart from the fact that I'm not exactly flush with cash, is partly because I rather dislike extra classes, sub-races and the like (if you're constantly adding new classes to make a game work for you then I have to wonder whether it ought to be class-based to start with) but mainly because Wizards have given me the single best part of the game already: the advantage/disadvantage mechanic.
It's brilliant. Simple, easy to remember with no unfamiliar jargon, endlessly adaptable to other systems and situations. It also, for me at least, means that I don't need a lot of the extra rules and options, because this rule fits perfectly with the way I've generally run games. Want to play an adventurer who ran away to sea as a youngster? Cool, that's your background so you'll get Advantage when dealing with nautical matters. Taking your woodsman into the bustling metropolis? Expect to be at a Disadvantage sometimes because of the crowds and the unfamiliar rules.
I hope that this edition does well, because a strong D&D brand helps the hobby as a whole, but they've already given me more than I hoped to get from it.
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joseph
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 142
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Post by joseph on Aug 22, 2014 7:56:53 GMT -6
Here it is: All-Around Slower Recovery: At the end of a long rest, you regain no hit points, you regain a number of Hit Dice equal to 1 + your Constitution modifier, and you can spend any number of them without using a healer’s kit use. Thank you very much. This seems to be a good option, I was planning to do something similar. I found this much better for my campaign style than the standard rule, which basically allows for full healing every long rest period. I think that the healing rule used helps dictate the style of play in the game. Heroic vs. Gritty vs. Ultra realism. I'm wondering if this optional rule made it into the final version. I suspect we won't see it again until the DMG releases.
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Post by jeffb on Aug 22, 2014 11:37:34 GMT -6
The thing to remember about the Hit Dice recovery in a long rest is that you regain 1/2 your spent hit dice. Not all of them. Essentially you need to take two long rests to be back up to full hit dice, and you cannot benefit from more than one Long rest in every 24 hour period.
That still may be too much for some folks, especially compared to O/AD&D, and I understand. That said, I have enjoyed the benefit of this curbing the dreaded 15 min adventuring day (or just the desire for the group to turn it into such, even if I make sure it is not feasible by adventure conditions), without the Cleric turning into the Combat Medic or putting Healing potions in every nook and cranny, or the opposite extreme overload of healing IMO, that is present in 4E and 13th Age. 5E is a nice middle ground, IME.
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Post by Finarvyn on Aug 23, 2014 4:59:53 GMT -6
...the opposite extreme overload of healing IMO, that is present in 4E and 13th Age... I can't attest to 4E, but I certainly agree that 13th Age has a lot more healing than 5E. Each character gets 8 "recoveries" which are essentially hit dice heals. Now, in 13th Age it's also possible to lose a recovery in other ways than simply healing, but that's still a lot of potential hit points out there. The "what is a hit point" question is one that we've discussed for decades and I doubt that we'll resolve it here, but if you assume that a character with a pile of HP can't take a dozen arrows to the head then you assume that an HP is more of an ability to dodge than actual injury -- except that it takes weeks to recover from being tired. The 5E version is a lot better than this in that it assumes that you can recover being tired in a day or so, but doesn't fix the issue of a long-term lingering injury. Seems to be a decent balance in play, however, as long as you accept the fact that characters don't get serious injuries. After all, how many characters in fiction get lingering injuries that hang on from book to book? Moorcock's Corum character loses an eye and a hand. Zelazny's Corwin of Amber loses his vision but it doesn't last more than one book. Most characters in fiction seem to be back at full strength by the next scene...
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Post by tkdco2 on Aug 23, 2014 17:17:35 GMT -6
Re: serious injuries: There is a discussion on another forum about critical hits, especially from MERP and Rolemaster. Some of those can give a character a lasting disability, assuming they don't kill you off instantly. Lots of varying opinions there, although my group incorporated the MERP critical hits and fumbles into our AD&D game.
Of course, you don't need to port over another system. The tables on the article "Good Hits, Bad Misses" from Dragon also included losing limbs. And I had a halfling thief lose an arm to green slime once.
I haven't seen that happen in 5e yet, but it's still a new game.
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Post by Porphyre on Sept 1, 2014 6:51:18 GMT -6
I used to play extensively to the MERP back then. I really grew tired with the Critical Hit Tables for various reasons, and I think that they don't mix very well with the logic of Hit Points.
lately what I came with is that PC at 0 HP are "near death" : without proper tending at the end of the combat turn, they're dead. If magically healed, they're back and fine . if tended otherwise, they stay "out of combat" and must make a Saving roll against Death. if failed, they lose 1d6 points in one ability score (randomely determined). The player can figure out the "cosmetical" affect of this loss: lost hand, lost eye, limp, post traumatic stress disorder, brain damage, whatever.
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