A Good Way to Simplify Play?

[Epic Meepo]

A d20 System question for the CBG at large: If your goal was to simplify the rules and speed up play, would it be reasonable to round all DCs to multiples of 5? What about multiples of 10? Or would the system lose too much if DCs couldn't be modified in 1 or 2 point increments?

EDIT: Perhaps a better way to ask this question would be the following: How much do you pay attention to small DC modifiers? Would the game work fine you just assign various tasks DCs of 5, 10, 15, etc. on the fly? Or is checking a rulebook to find a precise DC important to the game?

Discuss!

[Stargate525]

I don't think that would really help, and it would screw up so many mechanics, since you've either got a 0 or a 5.

If you really wanted to speed it up, divide everything by 2, and roll a d10.

[Epic Meepo]

I don't think that would really help, and it would screw up so many mechanics, since you've either got a 0 or a 5.

You've got a 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, etc; just the DCs are rounded.

But I see your point. Rounding would affect so many mechanics that it would bog everything down. So I've edited the first post to talk about designing a new system instead of tweaking the existing one. If you're starting from scratch, it's probably more reasonable to consider 1-point DC increments vs. 5-point DC increments.

[Moniker]

Don't round. In that case, you might as well eliminate rolling and let everything rely off of a static 10+ bonuses versus the DC.

If the issue is that you want to simplify the mechanics, take a close look at the Tru20 by Green Ronin.

[Stargate525]

The fastest way to do it is to reduce the factor rolling has. If you decrease to a d10, and get rid of the automatic misses on ones, it won't be neccesarry to roll as often.

[Soup Nazi]

How long has it been since I posted here? Too long I suppose. Hi Eric, what's happening?

A d20 System question for the CBG at large: If your goal was to simplify the rules and speed up play, would it be reasonable to round all DCs to multiples of 5? What about multiples of 10? Or would the system lose too much if DCs couldn't be modified in 1 or 2 point increments?

I don't think rounding all the DCs to increments of 5 would bad at all. Heck, as a DM that's precisely what I already do almost 99% of the time. I simply can't be bothered by looking up the various modifiers during actual game play so I use this general guideline from the PHB:

05 = Easy
10 = Average
15 = Tough
20 = Challenging
25 = Formidable
30 = Heroic
40 = Nearly Impossible

Does anyone actually use all various conditional modifiers in the PHB verbatim at their gaming table? I suppose if I had my laptop open to a hyperlinked SRD at the gaming table I could, but usually I'm using that for my DM notes and the adventure session I have prepped for the evening.

A revision of the skill system to make all the modifiers fall into increments of 5 would be a godsend (for me at least). The I wouldn't have to second guess myself when I make the DC too low or too high (I tend to do that more than I'd like to admit).

Are you actually working on something like this? Because if you are, please post it. I'd be more than willing to playtest it at my gaming table.

-Peace Out-

Nasty Nate

[sparkletwist]

I suppose if I had my laptop open to a hyperlinked SRD at the gaming table I could, but usually I'm using that for my DM notes and the adventure session I have prepped for the evening.

Hey, you can always have multiple documents open. :D
For that matter, automate! computerize!
Maybe the thing can do the dice rolling for you too. :D

[Epic Meepo]

How long has it been since I posted here? Too long I suppose. Hi Eric, what's happening?

I use this general guideline from the PHB... Does anyone actually use all various conditional modifiers in the PHB verbatim at their gaming table?[/quote]Are you actually working on something like this? Because if you are, please post it.[/quote]
I'm kicking the idea around, but only as part of a larger project that isn't very compatible with the d20 System. But if it does end up working with the rest of the existing d20 rules, I'll make sure to post it for you.

By the way, do the general guidelines from the PHB that you mention provide a good basis for setting DCs? And would those rules remain viable if the categories of difficulty were condensed a little bit more?

[Stargate525]

Reading it, I seem to do that quite a bit too...

How long has it been since I posted here? Too long I suppose.

four months, ten days, 1 hour and fifty minutes, but who's counting? ;)

[Pellanor]

Typically while I'm prepping for a session I'll right down any DCs that I know in advanced. So if there's a pit trap, I'll not that a DC 12 jump check will let you get to the other side.

For anything that pops up mid session, I'll either wing it or look it up depending on how confident I am of my knowledge of the rules. For example I know that climb DCs for dungeon walls are 20, and the DC goes up if it's slippery and down if it's in a corner or chimney.
If it's something like the DC for a concentration check to cast a spell in a swarm of gnats while riding on horseback in a storm, then I'll just switch over to the open d20srd.org tab in firefox and double check.

[Xeviat]

Most DCs are multiples of five, are they not? At least not opposed rolls; search DCs and Disable Device DCs for traps are more like opposed rolls with the trap maker.

[Pellanor]

Most non-opposed skill dcs are based on multiples of five. Jump DCs are based on the distance you're trying to cover. Concentration and Spellcraft are often modified by the level of the spell in question. Use Magic Device is often based on the caster level of the item you're trying to activate.

This DCs will often be further modified by any number of +/-2 circumstance modifiers.


Save DCs are based on the attributes and HD or Spell Level of whatever you're trying to resist.