Hello there!

oh hi, sorry, I didn't hear the ding

@eddymage sorry for not hearing you

@Eddymage sorry

no problem

Hi, what was your concern about my Eldritch Blast question?

It seemed too much to handle in the comments

What is the relation of this change to other spells with ranged spell attacks?

@TREB Yes, after 3 interactions within two users a chat room will automatically activate

@TREB I was wondering why you need this change to make the player's life easier, since the mechanic does not differ from others very common in the game

such as other spells that uses spell attacks, or weapon attacks

I mean, the mechanic is d20 + proficiency bonus + ability mod

This is for a player considering playing a Warlock, a class which doesn't have a huge number of spells or spell slots to keep track of, and quite reasonably NONE of them have spell attack rolls

The concern has been raised to me is they just mix up the different dice and which numbers to add to which dice

a lot of them have, actually

dndbeyond.com/…

are they going to make a weapon attack?

or rolling a saving throw? Doing an ability check?

my point is that the mechanincs are all the same, it is a d20 roll, so I am quite confused on how this change will make the game easier

That's a good point on saving throws and ability checks

but I will address the most common ability check - initiative - separately

I am offering this houserule because they are put off by attack rolls anyway, they get jumpy and throw the dice across the table and then they get socially awkward. They wouldn't chose to use a crossbow, especially as they as individuals have aversions to weapons, but not spells. It's a personal preference. They think spells are cool, they don't think swords and bows and guns are cool.

Though they can of course change their mind

They may decide one day "I'm gonna use a crossbow, I've changed my mind" but they're not FORCED to. They always have the option to depend on Eldritch Blast.

Particularly, even if forced into close combat, they are going to tell if a melee character refuses to close within 5ft of them just so they aren't in the position where EB is ineffective and they have to use a dagger or something.

EB being ineffective because it's a spell attack, different if it's a dexterity save.

*ineffective within 5ft

They may chose a warlock spell that has a spell attack, but there's only 4 warlock spells that have a ranged spell attack. One of them is Witch Bolt which is a notoriously bad spell that I'd recommend they not take

@TREB Sorry if I ask, but I must: how old are they?

They are adults,

someone pointed out a 7 year old could handle this and I agree, kids can learn, this is a very shy and difficult millennial.

but they're a good friend and I don't want to make them feel excluded

@TREB that's not true, even with disadvantage there is a chance to hit, and there are several way to get rid off of disadvantage

@TREB and chapeau to you for this

Yes, I hear you can pick crossbow expert to make any ranged attack (including ranged spell attack) when within 5ft of an enemy

Though this seems a waste of a feat as most of the features aren't used

But it seems to me, from what you wrote, this a problem of the player rather than game balance, since I think that there is little difference in changing EB from spell attack to DEX save

And since it is the main motivation, I think that framing the question in this sense makes the answer more on point

True, I could make the game easier, the problem is I have groups of quite varying skill ability, some are quite hardcore and some need handrails

I think that it could be a good idea to open a chatroom with all the other users, to see if most of them think the same, i.e. reframing the question putting more focus on the needs of the player rather than on the balancing

Ahh, right, I did phrase it as "is it balanced" rather than "is this a suitable accommodation for certain players"

Thank you for helping me realize this Eddymage, I will take that on board and work on reframing the question from power balance -> appropriately accommodating specific player needs.

@TREB Glad that I was of some help!

I suggest to get some feedback also from other users, to check if they are on the same page, anyway

I'll invite some others into this chat so they have an opportunity to see and respond.

good!

I bumbled through inviting you, how do I invite seriousBri, KorvinStarmast and Tiger Boi? there's no options on their profile to invite them to this chat

I figured it out

Welcome @SeriousBri @KorvinStarmast and @ Tiger Guy. (sorry for getting your name wrong earlier Tiger Guy) this chat may be of interest to you.

Well as a help for a user with what I would call social issues I think it's fine. You have done a good job at trying to help someone play the game who needs things a certain way. Well done.

thanks

@TREB Hello, TREB, as you describe your players I am not convinced that they are cut out for D&D. There are so many other RPGs (have you tried out Golden Sky Stories?) that don't create anxiety by simply rolling dice. I suggest looking up diceless games, RPG, and see what you find.

Having played this edition for about 10 years, the vast majority of players I have played with and interacted with prefer cantrips with an attack roll, not a saving throw. You do your players no favors by changing Eldritch Blast.

When I see someone ask about a bad idea, I feel bound to point out that it is a Bad Idea. (I come from the aviation profession, and bad ideas can kill people, so for me it's a bit of a reflex).

You issue is quite an edge case, but thankfully we have some members who can offer you a few ideas to work with.