MAD is baked in because AC and HP matter for everyone, but Int matters for Wizards only. Some classes don't have any hard choices in stat spreads, others are always stretched. 4e having your defensive values be based on the best of a pair of stats was *great*, and I wish it had stayed into 5th. - ThreadSky

robertbrydon.bsky.social • 16 days ago

MAD is baked in because AC and HP matter for everyone, but Int matters for Wizards only. Some classes don't have any hard choices in stat spreads, others are always stretched. 4e having your defensive values be based on the best of a pair of stats was *great*, and I wish it had stayed into 5th.

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mnemex.bsky.social•16 days ago

Yes. They actually had some DNDNext ideas for making every stat matter, which would work better for every stat having a defensive use, but they dropped them--I've thought of putting some back in; you don't want "every stat is critical" but having every stat matter somewhat rewards player choice.

mnemex.bsky.social•16 days ago

For instance, off the grid, Str adding 1ft to speed per plus would help melee characters stay relevant as higher tiers made the board bigger.

I also liked the "3 stats for defense" model and "6 stats" is stretched and some associations are forced (and Int doesn't get used enough)...

mnemex.bsky.social•16 days ago

But "3 stats" meant that archetypes that doubled up on related stats were defensively weaker for basically no reason; you either need the feats that let you move one stat into another defense group (which works worse with 5e's fewer feats) or need to also give a benefit for investing in paired stats

robertbrydon.bsky.social•16 days ago

D&D is never going to get rid of the six stats, but the way each is tied to disparate mechanics in different ways is awkward. AC and HP are broad abstractions already, and its weird that "My mental discipline in focusing on magic" is directly correlated to "How high a fall can I survive"

robertbrydon.bsky.social•16 days ago

But if you have to start with these six stats and every mechanic needs to tie back to one of them, and you want different mechanics between classes you're going to have issues somewhere.

I mean, it works, but you're not going to have it as clean when you design for outcomes to be balanced.

mnemex.bsky.social•16 days ago

Yes. The rough edges, lore, and anticipation of fun combinations and the resolution of achieving them is what makes it work, and different from a game like Fate or Good Society where the mechanics lead you directly back into the narrative.

But they're also why editions become glorious messes

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