D&D General Things That Bug You

[Oofta]

Sharpshooter + Crossbow Expert = 3 attacks per round at Tier 2, ~18 damage each and you can stay away from thick of combat. GWM is good, but it's worse than hand crossbow

If I was going sword-n-board, I'd say Str-builds are better. Yeah, Dex is a useful stat, but being able to shove and grapple effectively is better than +2 iniative.

I'm well aware of sharpshooter cheese, it's one of the other things that bug me but I just put it under dex being too good.

As far as shoving and grappling, if you allow a shove with shield master before the attack it does help. However, the "official" rule is that the shove has to happen after all attacks and I think the feat is practically pointless. As far as grappling, I don't think I've seen it used by a PC in 5E.

 

[loverdrive]

As far as shoving and grappling, if you allow a shove with shield master before the attack it does help. However, the "official" rule is that the shove has to happen after all attacks and I think the feat is practically pointless. As far as grappling, I don't think I've seen it used by a PC in 5E.

Hm, I'm kinda surprised, honestly. Shove someone and then grapple'em to prevent them from standing up is a thing I see fairly often.

 

[TwoSix]

Which I've done. But it doesn't solve the issue with the predominance of dex is to make everyone dex based.

I have a house rule that you can use Str in place of Dex for AC calculations whenever you're using a shield or if you have a light weapon in your offhand. It's worked to make Str more feasible for classes with medium armor.

 

[fearsomepirate]

I don't have a problem with dex based characters being effective per se. But when dex based is effectively equal or superior 90% of the time, it's a problem.

I agree. My go-to positive example is the Rogue. He's what I consider a fairly good DEX-based character design. His skills & saves are badass. But he's pretty squishy, a fair bit easier to hit, somewhat limited in his choice of targets, crumples if he gets multiattacked, and his offensive damage is, in real games, on the lower side of the martial tier, doing 10%-15% less damage than a warrior class with a good weapon.

I think that, in general, should be the model. A DEX Fighter should be sacrificing damage for skills & saves. Not a huge chunk, more like 10%. Currently, it's 0%. I definitely don't think that having the option of heavy weapon fighting makes up for it. I mean, it's nice to have that option, but a STR-based Duelist or Two-Weapon fighter is not going to be using greatswords much, if at all.

 

[jasper]

I don't like spiders or snakes but And that ain't what it takes to game with me

 

[Oofta]

Hm, I'm kinda surprised, honestly. Shove someone and then grapple'em to prevent them from standing up is a thing I see fairly often.

Well, different people have different theories of best tactics. But by-and-large I don't see giving up two attacks (which may both fail) in order to make an opponent prone is particularly worthwhile. Both the attacker and target are now prone, so attacks between those two are normal while anyone attacking from more than 5 ft away is at disadvantage. Oh, and the person doing the grapple has to have a free hand to make the grapple. I would also rule that you need to continue using that hand in order to maintain the grapple (although it's not clear).

I guess you could rule that the grappler isn't prone, can still use both hands and so on, but that's not how I read the rules.

Might be useful to stop someone from running away I suppose but it doesn't come up often.

 

[loverdrive]

I guess you could rule that the grappler isn't prone, can still use both hands and so on, but that's not how I read the rules.

Well, RAW you need to have one hand free to grapple, but there's nothing in the rules that says both you and the target are prone. There was something like "both are restrained" in 3E, but I'm not sure.

It becomes useless when there are only one melee-oriented character in the party, though.

 

[Oofta]

Well, RAW you need to have one hand free to grapple, but there's nothing in the rules that says both you and the target are prone. There was something like "both are restrained" in 3E, but I'm not sure.

It becomes useless when there are only one melee-oriented character in the party, though.

I agree the rules are vague. When we don't have clear rules I fall back on visuals and what "looks" right. If I'm grappling with someone, holding them down, I have to be holding them down somehow. It doesn't just happen by magic. Watch any video of a person trying to hold someone else down: you can't do it while standing with both your hands free.

But I'm not going to argue about it. It's never come up in any of my games, how I would rule doesn't affect your games. Different strokes for different folks and all.

 

[Lanefan]

I never saw it as the very act of being a spellcaster twisted you. That feels like a Warhammer thing.

It's a DCCRPG thing.

I mean, have you seen what that system does to its casters?

 

[Mind of tempest]

It's a DCCRPG thing.

I mean, have you seen what that system does to its casters?

I do not get this joke?