Hit Die and Weapon Die Types

[scottanderson]

This is an embryonic thought. I don't know what I want to ask, I don't know if it's system-specific, I don't even know what board it should go on, let alone which category but it has to start somewhere.

There's a lot of things Dave and Gary got right immediately in the LBBs. Not everything, but a lot. I think they got the hit die and weapon damage die right. They should all be d6s. It feels right to me. A dagger should be as deadly as a sword for instance if they both score a hit. I also really dislike the d4 hit dice for magic users. It's easy to fiddle with the fighting man If you want by giving him a +1 hit point, but d6-1 doesn't work nearly as well.

ON THE OTHER HAND...

Rolling funny dice is fun! People like it. They like the different dice! It's an integral and signature part of the experience. So I make the weapons different Die types, from d4 to d10, even though that doesn't feel right to me. It's not pure (even though in reality this is revisionist history and people played with the funny dice as soonas they had some.)

And when I change the weapon dice, then it follows that I change the hit dice for symmetry.

This is the précis version of my internal struggle. So i invite you to riff on this idea if you have some thoughts or introduce other similar ideas. The question ultimately is: which one is better and why? Am I too far down "the spectrum" on this and should I lighten up? What?

[sixdemonbag]

Interesting ...

So, let's ignore the DM for now. Players typically roll hits, saves, HPs, and damage when using the LBBs. To-hit rolls and saves using a d20 is a sacred cow so let's not even consider altering that dynamic. That leaves damage rolls.

The first, most obvious step would be a simple conversion when the following are encountered in the text:

1d6-1 -> 1d4
1d6+1 -> 1d8
1d6+2 -> 1d10
1d6+3 -> 1d12
2d6 -> 1d12 (optionally)
3d6 -> 1d20 (optionally)

With that done, the funny dice are starting to get some more love. Now, you have to decide how you feel about variable weapon damage and class-damage. Variable weapon damage already exists, so let's skip it. Class-damage could be done using Greyhawk or AD&D hit dice:

M-U -> 1d4
Thief -> 1d6
Cleric -> 1d8
F-M -> 1d10

Initiative can be rolled using 1d12 to get that particular die more involved. Of course, class-damage doesn't solve the problem of rolling multiple die-types in a single session. Players also usually just use whichever weapon does the most damage so that doesn't really help the diversity issue either.

Myself, I like using just d20s and d6s. It's the unique elegance of the LLBs (I know the other types are used, but it's mostly by the DM). But, I understand your feelings for wanting to use all the funny dice more often.

I'll need to ponder some more ...

[scottanderson]

Using just the 6 and 20 feels right to me as a ref and designer.

[finarvyn]

Aug 12, 2017 20:39:44 GMT -5 sixdemonbag said:

The first, most obvious step would be a simple conversion when the following are encountered in the text:

1d6-1 -> 1d4
1d6+1 -> 1d8
1d6+2 -> 1d10
1d6+3 -> 1d12

I often do this, only in reverse. If the AD&D book says that a weapon does a 1d8 damage die I prefer to go with 1d6+1 instead. I know that the 2-7 range doesn't exactly mirror the 1-8 of a d8, but I like the way those d6's bound and roll on the table.

[sixdemonbag]

Aug 13, 2017 7:41:30 GMT -5 finarvyn said:

I often do this, only in reverse. If the AD&D book says that a weapon does a 1d8 damage die I prefer to go with 1d6+1 instead. I know that the 2-7 range doesn't exactly mirror the 1-8 of a d8, but I like the way those d6's bound and roll on the table.

Different range, but identical average values. Oh, and I agree about how satisfying it is to roll six-siders!

[mao]

Look At my variation on weapon types here(I'll wait)linkOk That table can give you what you want dif bonus for dif weapon or as I like to call it"Why can't my fighter use a mace?