For BG3 I just hope for one thing: use the DnD 5E rules.
Most spells deal damage once, only when the description says they create a hazard zone (grease, web, stinking cloud, spike groth, . . .) they should influence the environment. These hazard zone effects should only be removed by stuff written in the description, such as clouds being removed by wind.
Exactly. The fact that the Divinity Engine can support this sort of thing easily is great. That doesn't mean they have to over use it.
This means:
- A fireball causes an explosion that deals damage once to every char and object in the area. It does not leave behind a round area where the ground is burning, especially when the ground is rock or sand.
If a fireball were to consistently create a damage-over-time effect it would fundamentally change the spell.
- A lightning spell cast on a target in a stinking cloud deals damage to the target. It does not electrify the whole cloud and does not stunn everyone standing in it.
Conditions and effects are quite clearly spelled out in D&D. It would be pretty lazy to carry over DOS mechanics and create a lot of unintended consequences (i.e. cascading unbalancing effects.)
- Holding a regular arrow into a fire does not create a flame arrow. In the best case nothing happens, in the worst case you destroy the arrow and the bow. Same thing for melee weapons, just in case.
If they are going to do it (and I'd argue that they don't need to) they need a better consequence/cost for doing it. For example, they'd need arrows that are less accurate and specially prepared to be capable of igniting from a simple dip in fire. And the extra damage caused by such arrows should be fairly low. A virtually no-cost option to increase damage by 50% makes zero sense. That said, there is a place for flaming arrows in D&D and could be strategically combined with some encounters using their "surface system"... they could, for example, be used to ignite some special greek fire, straw huts/piles, ships sails, etc. They just need to be selective about such things so that they don't make somthing special and dramatic seem mundane.
-shove or jump should not be bonus actions any char can do every round. They are actions you can do instead of an attack (unless a feat or class ability says something else) and jump should not avoid attacks of opportunity (you have the disangage action for that)
I really hope they revisit these actions as currently implemented. I think they need to be dialed way back to reflect standard D&D rules. The jumping I saw in the playtest seems more like the sort of thing I'd see from a Jump spell (or Jump Ring/Boots.)
And the 5e rules have "Shove" and "Shove aside" Actions spelled out quite clearly. They are powerful and disruptive Athletics Skill abilities that cost an Action and require an opposed check. Many characters would, as a result, never even bother to try (which is as is should be.)
Among other problems these issues reduce the value of some (sub) classes. Some classes or feats have the ability to do some moves at all, do some things as bonus action or reaction or influence the environment in unique ways. This would be meaningless if everyone can do it.
Correct. Unintended consequences. It's cool to see that some of this stuff is possible (mechanically) but they need to apply the mechanics correctly to properly reflect D&D.
They can do it.
