[D&D5e] Advantage and Disadvantage
Though I expect I will be discussing 5e a lot less than I discussed 4e, as the mechanics raise a lot less new ideas for such discussion, there are a few topics that are worth looking at further.
The first is the mechanic of Advantage and Disadvantage. Though I think this is less important than 5e's concept of Bounded Accuracy, it seems to have become the jewel in 5e's crown in terms of mechanical improvements.
The mechanic is intended to bundle up the external modifiers that plagued both 3e and 4e into rolling two dice an taking the highest or lowest. This binary state of affairs is simple, but it also does a number of other clever things:
1. Its simplicity is not only in the reduction in modifiers, but it also allows a player to use the same base bonus at all times. Ability and proficiency bonuses will be same regardless of whether advantage/disadvantage applies. This makes it simpler to apply than even a universal modifier.
2. It ties into the concept of Bounded Accuracy. Though the mechanic gives a modifier of +/-4 on average, it doesn't alter the upper or lower limit of the roll. So, it doesn't change the range of results, just the likelihood of getting a better (or worse) result.
3. The mechanic manages away the detail. This is something about it that I personally like the most. Its not too dissimilar to the use of positive and negative dice in the FFG's Star Wars RPGs. They allow the GM to simply make a call that something is easier or harder than it should be for some reason. Then the dice, rather the GM, measure exactly how much easier or harder it is. A GM can be a remarkable processor of all circumstances to achieve this measure, but its actually a burdensome task that is trickier than it seems. Not only does the measure need to be accurate but it also needs to be consistent. Though a universal modifier could also do this to an extent, the result tends to make the game feel bland, like with FATE's +2 for any Aspect. The roll two dice and take the result of one maintains a level of randomisation.
4. The mechanic is more flexible in its operation than specific modifiers. There are no charts of modifiers for different tasks. Though there are times specified in the mechanics where advantage/disadvantage applies, the GM is encouraged to use this at any time it seems appropriate.
5. You get to roll more dice.
The first is the mechanic of Advantage and Disadvantage. Though I think this is less important than 5e's concept of Bounded Accuracy, it seems to have become the jewel in 5e's crown in terms of mechanical improvements.
The mechanic is intended to bundle up the external modifiers that plagued both 3e and 4e into rolling two dice an taking the highest or lowest. This binary state of affairs is simple, but it also does a number of other clever things:
1. Its simplicity is not only in the reduction in modifiers, but it also allows a player to use the same base bonus at all times. Ability and proficiency bonuses will be same regardless of whether advantage/disadvantage applies. This makes it simpler to apply than even a universal modifier.
2. It ties into the concept of Bounded Accuracy. Though the mechanic gives a modifier of +/-4 on average, it doesn't alter the upper or lower limit of the roll. So, it doesn't change the range of results, just the likelihood of getting a better (or worse) result.
3. The mechanic manages away the detail. This is something about it that I personally like the most. Its not too dissimilar to the use of positive and negative dice in the FFG's Star Wars RPGs. They allow the GM to simply make a call that something is easier or harder than it should be for some reason. Then the dice, rather the GM, measure exactly how much easier or harder it is. A GM can be a remarkable processor of all circumstances to achieve this measure, but its actually a burdensome task that is trickier than it seems. Not only does the measure need to be accurate but it also needs to be consistent. Though a universal modifier could also do this to an extent, the result tends to make the game feel bland, like with FATE's +2 for any Aspect. The roll two dice and take the result of one maintains a level of randomisation.
4. The mechanic is more flexible in its operation than specific modifiers. There are no charts of modifiers for different tasks. Though there are times specified in the mechanics where advantage/disadvantage applies, the GM is encouraged to use this at any time it seems appropriate.
5. You get to roll more dice.