tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post8095389172442924281..comments2023-10-14T03:58:59.333-06:00Comments on The Tao of D&D: The Saving Throw ExperienceAlexis Smolenskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-66435134356572645672015-04-08T12:27:04.513-06:002015-04-08T12:27:04.513-06:00I would guess I lost interest in the idea and went...I would guess I lost interest in the idea and went with a rewrite of what worked. Perhaps, if this idea is good, it will come to the forefront of my mind again.Alexis Smolenskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-81522623233633562732015-04-08T12:10:44.895-06:002015-04-08T12:10:44.895-06:00I suppose I'm disturbing the dead a little her...I suppose I'm disturbing the dead a little here, but I'm curious to know what made you decide to drop this idea and instead go with what you've got on the wiki now: http://tao-of-dnd.wikispaces.com/Saving+ThrowsTimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03496502173819113887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-50536894859074087782011-11-18T01:09:37.613-07:002011-11-18T01:09:37.613-07:00You're logic here is very solid, Alexis... I&#...You're logic here is very solid, Alexis... I've toyed with this idea myself, but I might just steal yours instead!<br /><br />Regarding your statement on having to create multiple tables; well, for those DMs that may wince at the prospect I offer this: while we DMs should keep the game mechanics simple and sleek enough for fast play, we also spend countless hours dreaming up our own freakin' continents with their own terrain, politics, weather, and so forth. So what's a little more number-crunching and printer paper to us?<br /><br />Excellent idea, A. I'm going to work this into my new campaign.colluphidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14477885680032779005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-79276428300363811812011-11-16T11:11:54.320-07:002011-11-16T11:11:54.320-07:00"the fact that the saving throw number is 13 ...<i>"the fact that the saving throw number is 13 for any spell level at the level a wizard would be able to cast it makes it feel very 'right.'"</i><br /><br />Thank you Danny, I'm glad someone noticed.<br /><br />Regarding low-level spells, a few things come to mind: 1) that it would cause the mage to center those spells on the high level enemy's minions and not the enemy; 2) that it would help reduce the overall number of spells of the mage, meaning that a certain number of spells would 'go out of service' as the mage got higher, counteracting something someone brought up a few days ago, Quadratic Wizards; 3) and finally, it would really mean that the higher level 'improvement' versions of spells (phantasmal force, invisibility, protection from evil) were honestly improvements, and not just the same spell with a few added features. I could see a whole host of improvement spells researched by players, who simply wanted a taunt spell, say, that had a chance to affect meaner, smarter creatures.Alexis Smolenskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-43819356708573255412011-11-15T21:54:16.365-07:002011-11-15T21:54:16.365-07:00I see where you're coming from. I put forth, h...I see where you're coming from. I put forth, however, that C&C does have roots in 1E, 2E, and 3E D&D. True, it's save mechanic has more in common with 3E, but the rest of the game seems more like 1E/2E. Sorry, it's late and rambling has set in. I guess I see little difference between C&C and D&D, but that's just my insanity ;-)Anthonynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-41556759258705249002011-11-15T21:11:58.434-07:002011-11-15T21:11:58.434-07:00I appreciate the other systems that exist - it see...I appreciate the other systems that exist - it seems to me, however, that the base numbers for first level saving throws in AD&D are good numbers, familiar and game proven; and I like that there are different kinds of saving throws for different things, each favoring different classes.<br /><br />Once I've opened them up, I may create additional kinds of saving throw. Don't know yet.Alexis Smolenskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-49465843697596838482011-11-15T20:08:54.389-07:002011-11-15T20:08:54.389-07:00This whole issue is why I like Castles & Crusa...This whole issue is why I like Castles & Crusades so much. Thank goodness for the SIEGE mechanic! In C&C, a spellcaster's level is added to the saving throw difficulty of the target. So, say the target has Intelligence as a prime attribute, and therefore has a base save of 12 against a spell like Charm Person. So a 5th level wizard casting that charm spell would add 5 to the target's base of 12, for a total of 17. The target has to meet or beat that 17. Note that the target gets to add his/her level to the save roll. But if said target is only 1st level, they only get to add 1 to their save roll! Therefore, the target would have to roll a 16 or better to beat that Charm Spell.<br /><br />It's stuff like this that constantly make me question why I entertain those notions that I should be playing some other rule set!Anthonynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-22477931843366397702011-11-15T13:29:30.841-07:002011-11-15T13:29:30.841-07:00Scaled saves make some sense but there are few hig...Scaled saves make some sense but there are few high level AD&D spells that have a save that negates the full effect of the spell. <br />High level spells may already be written to account for the odds of a successful save by not offering a target a save or using a nonstandard mechanic for resolution of the spell.<br /><br />Many AD&D spells also scale up with caster level. A fireball cast by a 6th level MU is much more survivable than when cast by a 14th level MU. So there is an improvement going along with MU spells regardless of target that even a saving throw may not entirely mitigate.JDJarvishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07691101939920824546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-15448779299576375732011-11-15T12:50:39.454-07:002011-11-15T12:50:39.454-07:00One of the features that Third edition implemented...One of the features that Third edition implemented that it seems fourth abandoned was something similar to this. Although their system was a bit easier to implement as it was more aligned towards bonuses and penalties. Each level of spell would increase the target number by one.<br /><br />I for one also agree, if it only becomes less and less likely a spell succeeds as you progress that is undesirable. At the least I would think it should break even.Oddbithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12091924105175846386noreply@blogger.com