5d6, throw out the lowest two...

Willie the Duck · January 22, 2018, 07:50:29 AM

Quote from: RPGPundit;1021088Sure, if they want to play easy-mode, that's their right.

You're a game designer. You know that's not true. Up the stats, DM just ups the challenge. All it does is skew distributions and make high stats meaningless.

crkrueger · January 22, 2018, 08:23:33 AM

Quote from: Willie the Duck;1021123You're a game designer. You know that's not true. Up the stats, DM just ups the challenge. All it does is skew distributions and make high stats meaningless.

Unless they don't because the games that do use things like Challenge Levels to craft their level-appropriate encounters usually base on something like Total Level, not stats. Artificially boosted stats there can create Easy Mode.

Even if the GM does adjust the challenge level, that's not going to be meaningless unless he also adjusts the exp level. If you have super-charged PCs and the GM throws super-charged foes at them, what you're going to get is crazyass fights and meteoric rise through the levels in most versions of D&D. Not exactly a meaningless change.

With the slower advancement of something like AD&D it can still take a while to go through the levels.

Willie the Duck · January 22, 2018, 08:30:02 AM

Quote from: CRKrueger;1021130Even if the GM does adjust the challenge level, that's not going to be meaningless unless he also adjusts the exp level. If you have super-charged PCs and the GM throws super-charged foes at them, what you're going to get is crazyass fights and meteoric rise through the levels in most versions of D&D. Not exactly a meaningless change.

Oh, yes, it is going to have consequences. It'll throw off math and (as mentioned) skew distributions, and advancement rates if xp is based off beating specific encounter strengths. No doubt. What it will not do is make things easier. Just like we discovered in the 5e thread, where the jack-in-the-box effect just increases the chance that the deadly encounter is a TPK instead of a loss of one character. There are few ways to make any TTRPG truly easy, except by having the GM actually go easy on the PCs.

RPGPundit · January 24, 2018, 02:08:40 AM

Yeah, in a lot of cases the GM doesn't up the threat level. Certainly that wouldn't be the standard in old-school games.

Willie the Duck · January 24, 2018, 07:10:18 AM

No, but presumably the PCs will do so themselves, just as if they were a higher level.

Kyle Aaron · January 24, 2018, 10:29:43 PM

Quote from: RPGPundit;1021088Sure, if they want to play easy-mode, that's their right.

No, it's not.

Shawn Driscoll · January 24, 2018, 10:50:46 PM

Some players think easy-mode only means leveling up quick or gaining more XP than usual. Easy mode is simply just easy-mode. Try it. Then stop when it becomes boring.

RPGPundit · January 26, 2018, 05:46:48 AM

My players certain prefer hard mode.

Willie the Duck · January 26, 2018, 09:03:33 AM

Quote from: RPGPundit;1022006My players certain prefer hard mode.

So they play with a good DM?

Headless · January 27, 2018, 11:08:40 PM

Wait? The OP was right! This is an imaginary dick measuring contest. On the Internet!

Gronan of Simmerya · January 28, 2018, 05:30:36 PM

"hard mode," hurr hurr hurr...

Spinachcat · January 28, 2018, 10:54:29 PM

The 4e Gamma World had a good solution. You get an 18, you get a 16 and your roll 3D6 for the others.

Players were happy with their 18s.

I was happy with the high mortality combat.

RPGPundit · January 30, 2018, 02:01:18 AM

Quote from: Willie the Duck;1022031So they play with a good DM?

Have I mentioned I got a waiting list?

I'm starting a new L&D campaign this week, and I had to turn several people away because we were full up within 24 hours.

Mike the Mage · January 31, 2018, 08:13:13 AM

Quote from: Headless;1022307Wait? The OP was right! This is an imaginary dick measuring contest. On the Internet!

It's always someone else's conversation that is a "pissing contest" or "dick measuring contest" or whatever belittling language or patronising language is de jour .

Especially when one is uninvolved, uniinvested or simply uninterested, right?

Well pouring scorn on some other person's conversation on *gasp* the internet is hardly the noblest of pursuits, now is it?

Gronan of Simmerya · January 31, 2018, 10:36:02 AM

I think that was a joke based off "hard mode."

If not... eh, we all get grumpy from time to time. Mostly we just ignore each others' bouts of liverishness.