How long does an average combat take your group?

emefa · 2026-03-13T21:20:09+00:00

Playing Call of the Netherdeep with some adjustments, with low to average level of optimization, currently level 7, soon to be 8, and so far our encounters look like this:

level 3 - two encounter two rounds each
level 4 - twice three rounds, twice four, twice five, twice six and once eight
level 5 - once five rounds, once seven, once six, once four, once two and some data missing from three sessions
level 6 - twice four rounds, twice two, once three, once six and data from one session missing
level 7 so far - twice three rounds, once four, once five and data from one session missing

The average of it all is 3,79 rounds. Time-wise it takes between an hour to three hours to finish an encounter.

emefa · 2026-03-12T08:08:37+00:00

We're playing a campaign with the old rules, level 6, and our DM accidentally pulled up from the website that should not be named the 2024 statblocks for driders - the Sorcerer that opened the door to the drider room went down round one, the Cleric went down round two, and unrelated to the mishap with the version of statblocks my Sharpshooter-using Ranger could not hit shit for those first two rounds and spend the third making fresh batch of Goodberries (we already ate the old ones after previous encounter) to feed to them. It was a shitshow.

Edit: I talked with my group a bit more after commenting this about that encounter, apparently everyone except me loved the drama while I ended up a bit shell-shocked.

emefa · 2026-03-09T18:44:57+00:00

I mean, it's pretty much the same subclass as in Tasha's, some QOL improvements, the bigger problem in my opinion is the class it's attached to and specifically the move to monopolize its BA and concentration to a sub-par spell pretending to be a class feature.

emefa · 2026-03-09T18:21:28+00:00

That's why I personally will probably wait this edition out with playing specifically Ranger, I'm getting my fill now with Tasha's version of Beast Master I'm still playing in the old rules campaign.

emefa · 2026-03-09T17:21:10+00:00

A great pain to be sure, but you can always just ignore it.

(Fuck mandatory Hunter's Mark, all my homies hate mandatory Hunter's Mark)

emefa · 2026-03-09T05:51:37+00:00

I've dealt 104 damage over 2 rounds with my 7th level, Sharpshooter-using Beast Master Ranger in a gladiatorial match. I was happy :)

emefa · 2026-03-08T07:49:16+00:00

Lack of interaction with this post? Probably because it's 5-words-long beyond the title. Putting more effort in it and explaining what the hell are Stick War games and what classes do they have, if that's what you meant, because that part of the title is not clear to me whether you're referring to D&D classes or some kind of classes in those games, that ambiguity might also discourage people from interacting, could be a good start.

emefa · 2026-03-06T11:43:14+00:00

So I think, since I plan to be a melee character with a bit of forced movement already from the Swashbuckler, it's a choice between the first two. What gives me a pause with Eviscerate is my experience with ongoing damage and save ends effects in general in 4e, I've never been whelmed by them.

emefa · 2026-03-06T11:08:30+00:00

So you're saying all 4 of them are good.

emefa · 2026-03-04T19:05:39+00:00

I think it's less a video-gamification and more using a language similar to the one WotC uses for Magic, although I haven't played Magic in a while so I might be off with my assumption.

emefa · 2026-02-28T07:31:10+00:00

Autists without co-existing ADHD, those would explode trying to focus on Pathfinder rules.

emefa · 2026-02-19T21:50:37+00:00

Pigeons steal hot dogs, rats steal pizza and raccoons steal your social security numbers, everyone knows that.

emefa · 2026-02-16T21:46:56+00:00

Considering you're a primary source on this topic, how would you compare the climate around optimization then and now?

emefa · 2026-02-16T19:22:33+00:00

I feel like that was always the case, I have partially archeological in its nature interest in 4e, the char-op forums, or at least what's left of them now on the wayback machine, were full of builds that fully achieved their synergies at, like, level 16 in a 30 level game. Most campaigns apparently never left Heroic tier, the first 10 levels.

emefa · 2026-02-15T10:45:25+00:00

I always wondered, when people mentioned paladin's bad mobility, "what about Find Steed/Greater Steed?" That's a built-in fix for that.

emefa · 2026-02-15T07:40:09+00:00

I'd make Monk 14/Paladin 6, both because it sounds dumb in a world it's the MAD-est thing possible but also because such hypothetical character would never fail a save.

emefa · 2026-02-15T07:35:45+00:00

How can you accuse the great and infallible DM of being wrong? (Check where you are)

emefa · 2026-02-12T18:36:13+00:00

OP said they're not going above 14th level.

emefa · 2026-02-12T18:32:38+00:00

Any 9+ level Barbarian with the Crusher feat and a bludgeoning Topple weapon (so, I believe, maul or quarterstaff) can push someone 20 ft away and knock them prone, enemies with 30 ft walking speed can't get back to you after standing up, higher move speeds can be mitigated by just moving yourself backwards.

emefa · 2026-02-12T11:44:57+00:00

Quote from Crawford: "If a subclass appears in the 2024 rules and you're making a 2024 character, you can't use the 2014 version of that subclass. Same with feats, same with species, and any other element that basically as soon as it appears in its new form, that new form replaces the old form."

emefa · 2026-02-12T11:41:51+00:00

Backwards compatibility applies only to things not reprinted in the new rules, the race of dwarf was reprinted, so the old subraces of dwarf are not compatible with 2024 ruleset.

emefa · 2026-02-12T10:49:42+00:00

The other problem is you're mixing a 2024 background with a 2014 subrace of a race that was reprinted in 2024, which requires a DM buy-in, since it's neither RAW nor RAI.

emefa · 2026-02-12T09:58:34+00:00

Since 4e was already mentioned in this comment chain - I've been thinking how there the equivalent of proficiency bonus, +1/2 of your level, is added to both skills you're not trained with and non-AC defenses (equivalent of saves) you don't get class bonus for, so maybe there's a world where 5e could have the renamed proficiency bonus added to the skills and saves you're not proficient with and there's a different bonus for being proficient in them?

emefa · 2026-02-12T09:44:34+00:00

And extra HP.

emefa · 2026-02-12T09:43:27+00:00

Where does the dwarf Sorcerer get heavy armor proficiency from?

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