Monday 30 January 2023

An Era of Standard RPG Terminology

Now that the core of Dungeons & Dragons has been effectively open sourced, a lot of retro-clone designers are breathing a sigh of relief. You can't copyright mechanics, but that hasn't stopped numerous lawsuits in the past. Those days seem to be over!

I thought it might be nice to look at some of those now-free core mechanics that have been with the game since its very early, dungeon-centric editions.

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First up is the Hit Die. This is really the heart of Dungeons & Dragons. The image of this iconic, twenty-sided die is almost synonymous with the game itself. You roll the hit die every time you want to see if you hit something, which is often. After all, this is a game about hitting things!

Next we come to the classic Hit Points. Like many D&D terms, this has been pulled into many other games, tabletop roleplaying games, boardgames, and even video games. The hit point is the location on your enemy where your blow has landed, crucial for understanding if you've poked the bulette in the eye or just bounced off its thick armor yet again. Most ordinary humans have a d6 for hit points, but larger creatures with lots of limbs (looking at you, hydra!) often have many hit points.

Another immediately recognizable term is Armor Class. Right after determining the hit point of an attack, you will need to look up if the target is an armor class or not. Fighters, Paladins, and even Clerics are all armor classes, but Magic-Users, and Thieves are not.

Dungeons & Dragons is a game with no take-backs. If your character dies, your progress is lost! Sad as it is, this is part of the game. Savor the experience! But the game does give you one last chance: if you have a sack of gold or treasured magic weapon, you can make a Saving Throw to try to pass it on to another character.

If you do survive the dangers of the dungeon, ask the DM if you reached any Experience Points. Experience points are the backbone of any long term campaign, allowing the PCs to grow and evolve their abilities. Many DMs like to situate experience points all throughout the adventure. Some prefer to have an experience point after each major accomplishment in a campaign. Some prefer having only one, and require that you go back to town to level up. Neither is better, they're just different play styles!

These are the basics, but as time goes on, successful adventuring groups will have to pick up some clever tactics if they want to maximize their chances. Chief among these is making a good choice about who is standing where, the party's Alignment. Parties with good alignment have a significant advantage when dealing with surprise traps or encounters. Chaotic alignment is much riskier, but can be fun in its own way. Make sure to discuss this with your group before entering the dungeon, as mismatched alignment can be a total party kill.

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Like it or not, the world's most popular role-playing game has seeded the industry with terms that affect the very thought process of game design. By embracing this, instead of constantly renaming the wheel, I look forward to a decade of games that can move past the arguments of the past and use common terminology for the benefit of all.

10 comments:

  1. Hit Die? Come on, dude. That's the die you roll when you level to determine your new hit point maximum. It's also a resource you roll during a short rest to recover HP. I don't think there's a phrase for the d20 you roll to determine the outcome of an attack or skill check other than, "d20."

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  2. Haha you had me for a moment! Don't forget that DMs can always put a couple of beermats under one end of their map if they want to make a dungeon level.

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  3. I have always thought of "hit dice" as the dice you roll to get your hit points. e.g. https://www.dndbeyond.com/classes/cleric "Hit Dice: 1d8 per cleric level"

    So, I guess there's exceptions even in core terms. That doesn't take away from your larger point, though.

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  4. Ah, geez. The Curse of Unconscious Skimming! I now see that this was a joke. Sorry about that!

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  5. Honestly, FUCK, I feel like I could get some distance out of some of these concepts that you've laid out.

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  6. I've come to be informed and was entertained instead. No regrets. :D

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  7. And let's not forget about INITIATIVE! Many characters choose to take up projects or causes outside of personal enrichment and sharpening their martial or magical skills on dungeon denizens. Taking the initiative to build a castle, temple, library or spy network often brings an additional sense of fulfillment and improves the lot of the average peasant.

    Well done Michael ;-)

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  8. I know it came out a bit later, but don't forget that spell slots mechanic! Yep, those three spinning wheels that roll around to determine how effective your magical casting is. I remember when I got three cherries against a lich the first time I used fireball, what an amazing experience (point!) that was.

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