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I posted this as a suggestion to a player concerned about summoners who take up a lot of actions rolling their creatures attacks and such and taking up a huge chunk of combat.
Besides the usual "Separate d20 for each attack" thing, something I started to do in high level 3.5 edition was using the average damage over the rolled damage.
Basically, for exmaple, a fighter does 2d6 (greatsword) + 1d6 (electrical) + 14 (enhancement, str, and weapon spec) in damage so instead of rolling those 3d6 it was simply 21 damage for the attack (7 weapon average and 14 normal) plus average +4 electrical damage (average is 3.5 i know but for opting to do this I went ahead and pushed it over). I keep elemental stuff separate in case of resistances.
Anyway, with 1 attack per round, it's hardly a bit deal to roll but after say 4 or 5 attacks (haste or speed weapon) instead of rolling, it was easy to just add it up quick.
3 attacks hit? 63 normal, 12 electrical.
This started to really show increase in speed for the TWF rogue who kept backstabbing (i'm not going to do an example here but I'm sure you get the idea) or any fireball flinging person out there.
Now granted on spells and sneak attacks depending on how it was I would sometimes favor 2 points or so higher than average (10d6 fireball average is 30 so I'd usually let it be like 34 if they opted this way. DM discretion of course) as a reward for helping to speed up combat by doing so.
I guess I'm curious if anyone's ever done anything similar and how it went for them. I've never really had a problem yet. Most things with high dr they run into their average usually hits over it anyway and no one in my group ever complains.
Anyway, let me know.
EDIT: I also forgot to mention I always kept things separate that might matter, not just elemental but sneak attack as well. I said I wouldn't do this BUT ... for example.
a rogue attacks 4 times with sneak attack while flanking and dual wielding short swords of frost.
his sneak attack damage is 5d6
so it would normally look like 1d6 (weapon) + 1d6 (frost property) +5d6 + 4 (mainhand with a 14 str and a +2 weapon)
then the same thing but +3 with offhand
So mainhand average would look like +8 normal, +4 frost, and + 18 sneak attack with the offhand being the same thing but a +7 normal.
So two main hand attacks hit and one offhand.
quick math shows 23 normal, 12 frost, and 54 sneak attack.
I play in a high level Living Greyhawk spinoff campaign and we use average damage, but usually only for things that require rolling more than, say, 10 dice. Disintegrate, etc. We just use normal average. It's also worth noting that everyone is on board with this idea, and players are never required to take average. For critical situations such as a PC low on hp the DM will roll so as to keep the tension high ("well I've got 30 hp left and I know the BBEG does 27 average, so I'm not worried yet.")
Zo
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I play in a high level Living Greyhawk spinoff campaign and we use average damage, but usually only for things that require rolling more than, say, 10 dice. Disintegrate, etc. We just use normal average. It's also worth noting that everyone is on board with this idea, and players are never required to take average. For critical situations such as a PC low on hp the DM will roll so as to keep the tension high ("well I've got 30 hp left and I know the BBEG does 27 average, so I'm not worried yet.")
Zo
I hadn't thought about starting to roll in crucial situations but that's a pretty cool idea. Usually the players were scared enough when I just rolled to hit at all in higher levels as things hurt so very very badly ...
I might give that a shot next time to see if it adds anything.
If the player knows the BBEG does 27 damage, and he has 30 hp left.
So that he can take a hit still. That's MASSIVE metagaming, and your players aren't as freaked out as they should be.
Good to know though, ya found a smart way to remove all dice except the d20 lol
Average Fireball damage at level 10 is 5*7[average of 2d6] = 35
I like the rolling of the dice. It's part of the game. I know combat can get slowed down at higher levels, but really at this point you've taken most of the 'game' out of Roleplaying game.
I tend to agree with Wolf.
I'd be rather disappointed when that 4th attack finally hit something that wasn't a brick wall (which you still miss sometimes lol) just to get some ave damage and move on. If your group is having truoble with the dice, color code them and roll them all at once and such.. but i'd not really be much in favor of just doing away with the rolls altogether.
There's just something fun about rolling lots of dice and seeing the DM frown at all the 6's or 8's that came up :)
(as well as the player frowning at all the 1's and 2's)
-S
I do like the system, but, I am going to continue using the dice.
Reason, well, much like what Wolf and the other guy said.
No I am not following in pace, my decision was made before Wolf and the other guy Posted. Also, sorry other guy, but Wolf has a name that I remember >< I'll try and get your name.
Anyway yeah.
The rolling of dice give us something that is evident in the real world. Chance and Circumstance. I like realism and randomness.
I wouldn't be opposed to using it on my Monsters though... That is specifically Bosses. >.> Mwauhuhauhauauha or am I joking.
That's MASSIVE metagaming, and your players aren't as freaked out as they should be.
Yes, yes it is. Which is why I stated that we DON'T do that. As I said we use it to avoid having to roll more than 10 or so dice in order to speed things up EXCEPT when it would result in, as you said, metagaming. I personally am opposed to power-gaming in any form.
Zo
As a DM generally if i am throwing a fireball or sneak attack or similar multiple dice effect I will say for 10d6 roll 2d6 and multiply the result by 5. I like keeping randomness in the game, but it definately helps to speed things up. I dont think i would ever take straight average damage, especially for weapon attacks where adding up the damage dice really doesnt take much time (adding up dice from other sources like power attack usually takes longer).
If combat is ridiculously slow, go for it.
But there's nothing like the grin on a rogues face when his TWF-Sneak combo kicks in and he can load op on d6 and spread them out over the table.
Hell, even the 2d6 greatsword gets thrown like a '2' would be the end of the world.
For my epic level game, I created a chart of different dice rolls (10d6, 15d6, 20d6, 1d8+2d6, 5d4+5, etc.), spread out statistically into another dice roll.
For instance, 1d6 to roll 10d6 might end up as:
This kept the curve of results as close to normal as possible, allowing almost the same level of fluctuations, with a single roll. The very low and very high ends disappear, but that's usually not too vital.
I'll see if I can find the chart and link it.