Much of this is an artifact of the EA game being low level. 1d4 fire damage per tick feels a lot more consequential to a 10-HP goblin or a 16-20 HP level 2 player, than it does to a higher level character. At level 4 it already feels less consequential, and I expect by the time you get to level 7+ it'll become much less relevant.
D&D as a ruleset isn't great at low levels in most games. I actually think 5E/BG3 are a bit better than many games(including BG1/2E) in this respect, but the problem of small HP pools remains and is particularly relevant with fire/surface mechanics.
That said, yes - this should be tweaked for the early game. I have a feeling that once you get to a couple levels past the end of EA, HP pools will be such that fire surfaces are more of a nuisance than a combat-defining mechanic.
Last edited by Celnathor; 14/10/20 11:17 AM.
