Values of basic class features (Part 3)

Part 1 is here and Part 2 is here.

Summary: Basically just adjustments to the way FP costs are distributed based on the math. FP at level 1 is now 12. Every level PCs gain another 12FP.

MATH MATH MATH Skip this blog post if you hate math.

In this section, I realize my previous folly when I attempt to confirm the true values of AC, hit dice, damage and attack bonus.

I assumed for the purpose of calculating Feature Points that 1AC = 1 hit-dice increase = 1 damage = 1 attack bonus. This was terribly wrong, of course.

For one, 1 hit-dice increase (say from d6 to d8) is worth so much more at level 1 than it is at every level thereafter. Because you get max hit dice roll in HP at level 1 (+2HP) then an average roll on every level thereafter (+1HP). Whooops.

The rest is failure to do the math. But first, an assumption.

ASSUMPTION 1: Every % increase in effective hit point (EHP) has the same worth as every % increase in average damage output.

Does that make sense? The best example of this assumption holding true in 5th edition is a fighter switching from a shield to a greatsword.

Without a shield, let's estimate the fighter in heavy armor is hit about 40% of the time. If his HP is 100, his EHP is then 100/0.4= 250. With a shield, his chance to be hit drops to 30%. So his EHP is now 100/0.35= 333.33 . Using a shield has resulted in this fighter's EHP to increase by 100*[1-(333.33/250)] = 33% .

Now let's have this fighter switch from Longsword+Shield to a greatsword. With a longsword, the figther's damage at level 1 is 1d8+strength mod = 4.5+3=7.5. With a greatsword it is 2d6+3=10. The % increase in average damage = 100*[1-(10/7.5)] = 33%

To summarise:
Fighter with Longsword+Shield, EHP increased by 33%
Fighter with Greatsword, Damage output increased by 33%

I hope you're convinced that Assumption 1 (%EHP same worth as % average Damage) is accurate.

So Assumption 1 is generally true, we can calculate the relative value of HP, AC, damage and attack bonuses are.  First we need our baseline, the weakest of the weak in HP, AC, damage and attack bonuses. This would be the wizard, of course.

We're going to be comparing one-handed melee weapons for the purpose of this calculations.

One-handed melee weapons the lowly wizard can use are daggers (d4) and quarterstaffs (d6). Best is d6, strangely.
The other simple weapons the Wizard cannot use are include the handaxe, light hammer, mace, sickle, spear. These are our simple proficiency weapons. Best is d6.
Best one-handed Martial weapons include the longsword (d8), battleaxe (d8), and so on.

To my surprise, quarterstaffs do 1d6 damage one-handed in this edition of D&D, the same as other one-handed weapons used by the rogue and cleric like the shortsword (1d6) and mace (1d6). The entire discussion is rendered moot if there is no improvement in damage moving from wizard to simple weapon proficiency, so it's best we leave out the quarterstaff. Anyway, most wizards should use daggers since they'll want the AC from their dexterity, not strength. I guess the game is somehow rewarding the odd wizard who decides that strength is better than dexterity and decides to clonk people on the head with quarterstaffs (really, 5E devs?).

So daggers vs mace vs longsword. Assume best ability mod (+3)
Dagger: d4+3 = 2.5+3 = 5.5
Mace: d6+3 = 6.5
Longsword: d8+3 = 7.5

And now calculate the % increase in average damage compared to the lowly dagger.

Mace: 100*[1-(6.5/5.5) ] = 18.2%
Longsword: 100*[1-(7.5/5.5) ] = 36.4%

Huh. I was expecting lower.  If we were to assume LESS than optimal ability scores for the wizard, these numbers make simple and martial weapon proficiency even MORE valuable.

Now let's look at the % increase in EHP from AC. Assuming 50% chance to hit an unarmored PC with 100HP,

	AC_	EHP___	EHP increase
no armor	13	200
light/medium	14	222.2	11.11
medium (bulky)	15	250	25
heavy	16	285.7	42.9

I had forgotten that additional AC gets more valuable once it's already quite high. That's how the math is. So moving from medium to heavy will be worth quite a bit more than moving from unarmored to light.

Let's look at HP at level 1. Assume Con 14, of course.

Hit dice (level 1)	HP_	%EHP increase
d6	8
d8	10	25%
d10	12	50%
d12	14	75%

Well, as I said earlier I forgot that at level 1 they get 2HP per hit dice increase not 1HP.

What about the value of archery fighting style which gives +2 attack bonus?

In 5E, if the PC has a 65% chance to hit, then with archery he'll have a 75% chance to hit. 75/65=1.154, so 15.4% increase. Much less than I expected! If I assumed the chance to hit without archery is 60%, then it's 70/60=1.167 or a 16.7% increase.

So anyway, it seems clear that 1 point of damage is worth so much more than 1 point of accuracy and 1 point of hit points. It seems like we can give each % increases of 10-14.9% a value of 1FP.

From this data, we can conclude 1 damage = 2 accuracy = 2HP. I never knew each point of average damage had so much worth! But that is because I'm used to comparing damage to the longsword, which starts of at 7.5 average damage. For a Feature Point system, we have to compare to our baseline wizard which has a mere 5.5 average damage with that dagger.

At level 1, hit dice increases = 2FP each since it gives 2HP. Simple weapon prof costs 2FP, Martial weapon prof (which includes simple) costs 4FP. I have to rework my table in my earlier posts.

I've been flip-flopping between light armor having the same value as medium armor or not. I had forgotten than medium armor also comes with shield proficiency, and that gives medium armor more value over light. Murgh. So light armor costs 1FP, Medium(which includes light and shields) costs 2FP, heavy (which includes medium, light and shields) costs 4FP since higher armor values have escalated enough for it to be worth that much more.

Fighting style just barely ekes out at 2FP.

Fighter has heavy armor+martial+d10hit dice+ fighting style = 4+4+4+2 = 14
Wizard spellcasting is now worth 14. Hrm.

Clerics have heavy armor+simple+d8 hit dice+spellcasting=4+2+2+x=14, x=6? Cleric spellcasting is worth less than half of wizard spell casting? Seems wrong to me. If I define clerics as medium armor users, then 2+2+2+x=14, x=8.  Average between those two value is 7, so still somewhere about half the worth of wizard spell-casting. Close enough anyway. I think cleric spells are stronger than the game makes them out to be, so I'm leaning to 8FP for cleric spellcasting.

14 is a weird number to work with honestly. Murgh. Anyway, we also want players to start with a bit more for cool features. How much is second wind worth? I'd say compared to our other numbers, about 4FP. So 18 is the new FP limit. Gah.

Every level up, the fighter has to gain +2 to damage, worth 4FP, and 2HP, worth 2FP. 6FP so far. We want more points for cool stuff... another 3FP? 4FP? It's the same cost as a fighting style. 9-10FP every level? Seems like wizard spell-casting is going to cost 7 every level up, cleric spell-casting 4 every level up.

This has been really tough. I have to revisit this again later.

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Well, that's 5E anyway. For our system, I've changed the way PCs progress in order to fit our encounter building system better.

1) PCs gain full hit points and damage every level.
2) Armor proficiencies are gone, armor/shield Strength requirements are in.
3) PCs gain full FP every level (equal to what they get at level 1)



Previously,
Weapon damage + health + armor proficiency + weapon specialization = Wizard spell casting
or 4+4+4+2=14

After level 1, the cost of wizard spell-casting then drops to
Weapon damage + health = Wizard spell casting
or 4+2 = 6

In this system, PCs gain slightly more than 14FP at level 1 and 6FP every level thereafter.



We've removed armor proficiencies. We've also changed the amount of health PCs have and can gain via FP (Basic 10HP, can buy up to 14HP with FP)

So at level 1:
Weapon damage + health + weapon specialization = Wizard spell casting
or 4+4+2=10

Hrm. Weapon specialization is a one-time cost however.  And we want the cost of wizard spell-casting to be more consistent since PCs now gain the same amount of FP on level ups as they gain at level 1. So let's remove weapon specialization from the equation.

Weapon damage + health = Wizard spell casting
or 4+4 = 8

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So at level 1 and every level thereafter, players gain slightly more than 8FP. Let's say... either 10 or 12 FP total so players can get additional features. I'm leaning to 12FP per level. So most of the non-basic features should cost around 4FP.