Tank mechanic? You mean the "taunt" ability?
Contrary to WoW, in DnD they did in a smarter way : cover system + attack of opportunity and other warrior feats that allow to protect the nearby mage. BTW, for some classes they do have "taunt"
Yes, I was being sarcastic.
DnD doesn't have "tanking" in the traditional sense. As you say, it is more about standing next to enemies and using attacks of opportunity to threaten NPCs into not running passed you. Or just doing so much damage the DM reasons that the enemies will focus on you over the backline.
It was a joke to point out that DnD doesn't adhere to strict class roles in a group. You can get by without a healer or without anyone to do the tanking. Party composition more boils down to covering one another's weaknesses and making sure you have tools to deal with different threats.
After reading these forums for a while I'm getting a sense there's a couple different mindsets of people here:
People who played BG1+2 and who want this game to be the same
People who play D&D and want this game to be the same
People who haven't played either, but have played similar games and don't really have a strong opinion one way or another
I think it's clear that this game is meant to be D&D 5e online as a way to bring gamers into the tabletop community just like how Critical Role brought non-D&D nerds into it. That's why Larian is making a lot of the decisions they are, like the 4-man party, nondistict party roles, and emphasis on story rather than combat. Every time someone says the word "tank" on these forums I have ro remember that not everyone here has played D&D and so they don't understand they can have a party of clerics and be just fine.
