• Thistlewick@lemmynsfw.com
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    1 day ago

    As a DM, once initiative is rolled, I do not keep track of player AC, or any number on their sheet for that matter. I have a vague idea of their hit points, but I have a lot more going on on this side of the screen. Remembering if the fighter is holding their shield, or if someone has some special modifier applied to them is taking up unnecessary bandwidth. So I can take a guess that 29 hits your AC, but I always want to make sure.

    • mnemonicmonkeys@sh.itjust.works
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      16 hours ago

      Same. All I know about my party’s AC is that one of them is tickling 20 right now, and I have no Idea which it is. Granted, I run PF2E, so even if it’s a sure hit, I still need to know if it crits

  • macniel@feddit.org
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    1 day ago

    Well that’s a crit then, besides cover and other temporary bonuses could influence the AC.

    • SolOrion@sh.itjust.works
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      1 day ago

      Depends on your system. I’ve not actually played a TTRPG where that’s how crits worked. I believe that’s how it works in PF2E, though, which I really wanna try. Just can’t manage to convince the nerds I play with.

      • mnemonicmonkeys@sh.itjust.works
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        16 hours ago

        PF2E’s pretty fun. The Remaster makes things a pain to look things up, but that’s more on WotC and should be largely fixed in a year when Archives of Nethys finally gets caught up

      • Lemming421@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        Pathfinder. For people that play D&D and think “I wish this had more complicated rules…”

        But yes, that’s how crits work in Pathfinder - if you beat the target number by 10, that’s a crit success. Conversely, if you miss the target number by 10, that’s a crit fail.

        • Kichae@lemmy.ca
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          23 hours ago

          For people that play D&D and think “I wish this had more complicated rules…”

          2e generally has rules that are on par with 5e, or even simpler in many cases, just written in a way that makes them sound like a software development reference text. The number of times I’ve been “Ohhhh, they mean X! Why didn’t they just say so?!?!?”

          • Lemming421@lemmy.world
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            1 day ago

            I could try and get into a semantic argument about the difference between “more complicated” and “more complex”, but I won’t 😉

            Full disclosure: I play Pathfinder. I haven’t touched D&D in years…

        • Pooptimist@lemmy.world
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          1 day ago

          Or pathfinder: for people who wish DnD had more balanced rules that they don’t have to houserule/homebrew to make it good

    • Alinor@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      Depends on your system. D&D 5e has no rule that this would be a crit, as far as I know.

      • macniel@feddit.org
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        1 day ago

        Pathfinder 2e actually.

        Nat 20 increases the quality of a check

        Nat 1 decreases the quality of a check

        +10 above DC increases

        -10 below DC decreass

        Add item, status, circumstance (e.g. flatfooted which adjust your AC by -2 or cover which increases it) bonuses and you get the actual result of a check.

  • finitebanjo@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    Reminds me of a Lich concept in DnD I saw a while back where the Lich owned a couple of Manual of Quickness of Action, which raise dexterity by 2 but can only be used once every century. So the lich read them every century to max out Dexterity at 30. Thats a Modifier for AC.

    The name was Messorum Praecucurrit which is latin for “He Ran Ahead of the Harvest”

    It has base 40 feet/turn movement, Mobile feat: +10 ft, Longstrider spell: +10 ft., optionally unarmored movement for either +25 or +10, Boots of Speed: Double speed, Haste spell: Double speed, and can use Wind Walk if needed so max 340 without dash or wind walk. If they use Dash with Bonus Action, action, and haste action then it’s another x4 modifier so 1360 feet/round, and if a round is 6 seconds then that’s 226.666 feet per second or actually even less if you consider the round split between first party taking their turn and second party taking theirs then it becomes 453.333 which isn’t close to mach one but it’s not bad for feet on the ground until somebody invents a gun.

    Wears his phylactery on a gold chain around his neck, doesn’t give a Fuck.

    If they fire an arrow at him, have them roll dice as if it even matters, then compare numbers and go on a long tangent about how the arrow travels 8 feet in 0.04s at which point the party has to roll a DEX and PER check to see lich stand up and casually walks at 210 feet per second or 8.4 ft in 0.04 seconds to place the arrow gently back into the archer’s quiver, then sit back down. If they fail the check, they blinked and missed it. Party has no idea what his stats or abilities are and have to figure it out what is happening via passing a check or guessing.

    Lich is a passive, true nuetral, doesn’t kill the party, gives them each some sort of boon and sends them on their way, because you don’t live to 2000 by making enemies. Basically runs an adventurer casino where they make it to the end and receive loot or they become loot for the next party.