Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback Stop using percentages for "chance to hit" in the combat tooltip

Hear me out.

As someone who has played Dungeons & Dragons since I were a young'un, I see BG3 as a funnel for a lot of folks' interest into the TTRPG/D&D scene.

The game uses a somewhat clunky d20 roll UI for skill checks (and while we're on this topic, why is the dice animation so... ugh? Why not use something more realistic, like Dice So Nice in Foundry VTT?) While skill interactions in the dialogue are clearly based on the tabletop experience, why is the combat tooltip obfuscated behind percentages?

It is doing a disservice to those who might be interested in stepping into a tabletop game. Show the target d20 DC for an attack in the tooltip, as opposed to a percent chance to hit (or, give the players the option to choose what the tooltip shows, if anything. Players rarely know the target DC for rolls in combat, let alone skill/roleplaying interactions at the table.)

I like the percentages, but I often also wonder "why this?" and would prefer having three options actually: percentages, rolls (incl. all the bonuses, etc...) and both.

I think the percentages work very well for everyone who’s new or not-so-experienced in DND tabletop. Removing the percentages alltogether would alienate a big chunk of players. Instead, maybe give the option to toggle them off for people like you who’d prefer not to see them.

I don't understand your logic in saying using d20 target DC's in combat would alienate players when the dialogue UI uses d20 rolls to determine success.

Easier for people not used to dice systems to understand. It’s immediate and obvious, most non dnd players can grasp it at a glance.

I repeat my point: you could have the option of toggling it off. Both types of people would be happy, then - those who don’t like percentages and those who do.

And I repeat mine... If someone is interested in playing D&D at the table, as BG3 will undoubtedly foster for many, showing the target d20 DC in the combat tooltip, which is essentially the same exact thing as what the dialogue UI is doing, will (most likely) ease the pain of understanding how attack rolls work for a tabletop game. Showing percentage to hit in combat and a target d20 DC in dialogue is inconsistent and more confusing for people looking to play at the table.

I like knowing which target I'll have a higher chance to hit without having to think and do the math myself.

It's a video game, not a tabletop game.

Add it as a toggle I guess. Just don't get rid of it.

You seem confused about what the game actually tells and shows you.
You don't know the DC of a dialog check before you choose it. That's why you're only told what your flat bonus to the d20 roll will be and if you have advantage or disadvantage. In combat you know everything you need to calculate the percentage success rate: Targets AC / saving throws, your attack roll mod / spell save DC, whether you / the target have advantage / disadvantage.
If you want to know what your attack roll or spell save DC is, just look at your character sheet / inventory or whatever. The green/red chevrons tell you if you or the target have advantage/disadvantage. Everything you want is already available?

I'm really not confused about it. We're talking about the tooltip, not the character sheet, chat log, combat log, or anything else. And the idea here is to foster an experience that eases the burden of people who are interested in a tabletop experience to transition into the scene.

Let me paint a picture for you.

Mikey has been playing BG3 for about 2 days. Mikey sees an arbitrary percent to hit and wants to know how that percentage is calculated, because he wants to increase his chance (like any normal player would want to!)

Sometimes Mikey sees advantage (from high ground, being hidden/invisible, etc.) and that obviously bumps the hit percentage. Great! But there are underlying mechanics going on that should be elucidated in the tooltip, much like in the dialogue UI, that are decided by a d20 roll and the commensurate DC. Understanding these mechanics is fundamental to being able to play a tabletop game of D&D 5e.

That's my argument. Players at a tabletop game aren't going to know their "hit chance". They're going to have to understand the underlying mechanics to make informed decisions about combat. So Mikey can say, "I get +3 to hit. I think that kobold has a 14 AC, so I need to roll an 11 to hit." These numbers shouldn't be buried beneath inspection layers of the UI. They should be shown in the tooltip for combat, JUST like they are shown in the dialogue UI.

I didn't realize Mikey was training for a future hobby in tabletop gaming.

Anyway, I prefer the percentages, myself. I'm sure if Mikey wants to join a tabletop session he can figure it out.

I think Mickey is unlikely to wonder how he can increate his chance, or even think it is possible. More likely, if he can't power through an encounter through attack rolls he will reach for the multitude of other ways that Larian prepared for one to go through encounter - thunder arrows, granades, push. If all fails, he might google ownbear trick and jump on enemies from high up.

And if he really wants to understand D&D he will ask google. I don't think BG3 is a game that tests your understanding of D&D systems much. The philosophy seems to be that whatever you decide to do, you should have "fun". I woudn't be surprised if a person who doesn't quite understand how things work will enjoy the game more, than someone who does. I know BG1&2 worked that way for me - a lot of magic evaporated, once I realised how shallow that system really was.