I am not very good at doing even basic addition in a swift manner. I also happen to like playing the combat types where little +1's and +2's float around all over the place. Now I'm about to play a two-weapon user with an animal companion... oy.
For those else of you who get held up in combat due to the numbers, what strategies have you come up with to speed things up? For any GM's, how do you deal with number-impaired players?
Well I ran a game with a LOT of players (12+) and I implemented 2 changes:
-5 min turns: If your turn takes more then 5 min, stop right there- your done.
That encouraged the 2nd thing...
-Roll before your turn. Know what your gonna do. If you use a dice roller or w/e you can even track your rolls. If you know the AC of a creature as a fighter, roll those hits beforehand. This gives you extra time to calculate the damage and if you hit or not. It makes things go rather quickly by comparison.
Obviously you'll need to consult your GM before doing this.
When I run games, most of my players are in your boat. If they just roll out in the open or tell me what they rolled, I just do their math for them. It's a lot easier.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Precalculate all you can keeping a sheet with ready to use numbers depending upon option taken - instead of one entry for each weapon have a separate entry for single attack, full attack with one weapon, full attack with two weapons, single attack with power attack, full attack with power attack, full attack with buffs you use often and so on.
|
Like Drejk said, keep track of your usual attack bonuses. But I'll add to that: Keep some note paper handy and do the math on paper before it's your turn.
For instance, let's say your normal attack bonus from BAB, strength, magic weapon, etc is +8. Write +8 on your paper before your turn. The party bard starts inspiring you, so you write down the +1 from that immediate, and total it up for +9. Then the cleric casts Bless, so you write down the +1 from that and total it up to +10. Then it's your turn, and you know already that you'll be rolling at +10 without having to do any math. Just roll the d20 and add the bonus.
Do the same with damage bonuses, and keep seperate columns for primary and secondary weapons, and your animal companion's attacks, so you have all the numbers worked out before your turn comes around.
|
This is one I made earlier. It's for a level 10 dwarf specialising in the dorn dergar, with power attack, vital strike, cleave and improved sunder. It's not got many small bonuses, but a few different attack options. Keeps everything nice and neat.
Precalculate all you can keeping a sheet with ready to use numbers depending upon option taken - instead of one entry for each weapon have a separate entry for single attack, full attack with one weapon, full attack with two weapons, single attack with power attack, full attack with power attack, full attack with buffs you use often and so on.
Yep, preparation is the key to speeding up combats. And, for a martial character, having all of your possible attack routines written out is the basis of good preparation.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Bring a simple calculator to the table. Your friends may laugh, but at least your to hit and damage is accurate. Make sure your basic attacks and abilities are clearly written out so you can reference them at any time without getting mixed up. Also, keep a piece of scrap paper around to scribble down whatever bonuses you may have, and just scratch them out when combat is over. Add all these things together and your problem.
As for number impaired players; I have a tenancy to know most of my players characters as well, or better than they do. They roll and I know the outcome before they do. The only reason I can do this is because I am a bit obsessive compulsive about character builds, and frequently theory craft in my spare time so I have a good chunk of the SRD stored away in my brain. But that's just me.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
As a player I use HeroForge to calculate everything. As a DM I use HeroForge imported into D20PRO which rolls everything.
Makes life easy.
These are all excellent ideas. I am going to bring a calculator from now on along with notebook paper. Things can change pretty quickly, such as the person I'm full attacking has now run away, so in those cases I'll be thrown for a bit of a loop. Otherwise I'll be prepared.
Tricky things arise when there are further actions in combat that become dependent on what's before it.
For example, TWF Keen weapons, five total attacks, in an Outflank with an animal companion...
1. Roll, probable miss.
2. Roll, critical threat -> If critical, provoke flank partner AOO
AOO, Roll, hit, trip attempt
3. Roll, +4 if tripped
4. Roll, critical threat -> see 2
5. Roll, probable miss
Oy!
And there's lots of little actions that can really mess up my maths.
Nothing for it but to just have things ready. Either that or play an archer and always full attack.
Back in 2nd edition I played a two weapon fighter in Dragonlance (Shank Sellsword) and sometimes in combat I would go all out attack, or parry and attack (use one attack to parry an attack at me) and go all out total defense or make 2 parry attacks..
It got so confusing constantly explaining to the DM that we made our own nomenclature:
Attack Alpha 1
Attack Alpha 2
Attack Beta 1
Ect...
This speed up combat tremendously.
If you are able/allowed to bring a laptop to the table, you could generate your char in this very helpful program and let it do most of the rolling for you. You can generate different sets of weapons and add different buffs.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Dice, lots of dice. Color coded. A red d20 and red damage die for your primary hand attack, a black d20 and black damage die for your off hand attack, a green d20 and greed damage die for your AC's attack...
I've had attacks where I've rolled more than two dozen dice...
It's pretty satisfying to roll a handful of dice on your turn... And it's lots, lots faster than roll d20, determine hit, roll damage, determine damage, rinse, repeat, rinse repeat...
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I know my opinion will differ here from most people, but have you thought about spending some time trying to get better at basic arithmetic? Get some arithmetic tables, go through basic exercises once a day. Even something as simple as spending 10 minutes doing a quick work sheet will show improvement after a few weeks.
http://www.math-aids.com/images/add-zero-twenty.png
https://www.khanacademy.org/math/arithmetic/addition-subtraction/basic_addi tion/e/addition_1
Or you can write down a few bonuses and sit down with a d20 and roll for like 5 minutes, writing down the total every time. You'll start to get faster.
I understand some people have trouble with math. I never really did so its hard for me to understand so my suggestion may just be way off base. But practice makes you better.
We used to create an index card for each weapon. They were folded in half length wise to create a 'tent'. The name of the weapon was written so that it faced the GM/other players. The side facing the player had all the known modifiers already added together, similar to a character sheet: Atk. Bonus, Str. Bonus, applicable Feats, magic bonus, etc.
It also really helped stop confusion and arguments over which weapon(s) a PC was using. :-)
Player: <whiny voice> "But I switched to Stormbringer..."
GM: "Well, the weapon card I see in front of you reads 'Small cast iron frying pan'."
Oh... And what Ranaul suggested would help you in more than just gaming. :cheers:
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
As for counting lots of dice (the Hero system taught me this :-D ), group them into 'piles' of tens. Count all the tens, add the remaining ones. You're done!
Dice, lots of dice. Color coded. A red d20 and red damage die for your primary hand attack, a black d20 and black damage die for your off hand attack, a green d20 and greed damage die for your AC's attack...
I've had attacks where I've rolled more than two dozen dice...
It's pretty satisfying to roll a handful of dice on your turn... And it's lots, lots faster than roll d20, determine hit, roll damage, determine damage, rinse, repeat, rinse repeat...
Yes, good suggestion!
As a GM I find it incredibly frustrating when my players don't have the right dice for their rolls. For example, if you're playing a 7th level Sorcerer with Fireball you'd better have 7d6 at the table with you! Don't use your 2d6 and your neighbor's other 2d6, roll 4d6, pick them up, roll 3d6 . . . AAAARRRCG! Got a keen falchion? Have 4d4! Enough dice for every conceivable roll your character will ever make in combat costs less than a single Pathfinder book - and if you do need to borrow some, do it at the beginning of the session rather than waiting until your turn in a fight.
Dice, lots of dice. Color coded. A red d20 and red damage die for your primary hand attack, a black d20 and black damage die for your off hand attack, a green d20 and greed damage die for your AC's attack...
I've had attacks where I've rolled more than two dozen dice...
It's pretty satisfying to roll a handful of dice on your turn... And it's lots, lots faster than roll d20, determine hit, roll damage, determine damage, rinse, repeat, rinse repeat...
Yes, good suggestion!
As a GM I find it incredibly frustrating when my players don't have the right dice for their rolls. For example, if you're playing a 7th level Sorcerer with Fireball you'd better have 7d6 at the table with you! Don't use your 2d6 and your neighbor's other 2d6, roll 4d6, pick them up, roll 3d6 . . . AAAARRRCG! Got a keen falchion? Have 4d4! Enough dice for every conceivable roll your character will ever make in combat costs less than a single Pathfinder book - and if you do need to borrow some, do it at the beginning of the session rather than waiting until your turn in a fight.
Absolutely. When I DM, it seems like every sorcerer has plenty of d6 for fireballs, but when they run down to magic missiles, they take up a collection of d4s.
Thanks for the input. I am implementing both the colour coded dice plan, as well as the just plain get better at arithmetic plan. The first in the short term and the latter for the long. I'm actually finding Khanacademy very engaging! Never got that in maths class.