Line of Sight: Tracing from Center - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Line of Sight: Tracing from Center

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
doc4
Feb 19, 2009 17:58:58 Hello there,

I am a DM of some 25+ years who is now looking to get into 4th edition. I have not played a game yet, just reading through the PHB at the moment.

My group and I are avid players of the Descent boardgame, where your heroes trace line of sight from the center of their square to the center of the target's square to determine if they can be seen or not. We are so used to tracing LOS this way, that we can instantly see the LOS without a ruler or thread about 98% of the time.

As I look forward to future combats in D&D, what game imbalance would be caused by changing the D&D LOS from corners as listed in the PHB to "center-to-center" as we have been doing with Descent.

I'm not asking about rule clarification or validity of the method, just asking your opinions of what a center-to-center LOS change would do to game balance? Most importantly, is your guess that it will it make it more or less fun, or no change at all?

I don't want to fight against what my group has burned into their minds about LOS, so if it's nothing huge will alter it, but you are all experts at this new system compared to me.

Thank you,

Tom / Doc4
#2
dark_lambo
Feb 19, 2009 18:39:20 LoS won't be an issue, although Cover is determined by Corner to Corner. There still shouldn't be much of an issue regardless.
#3
Seeker95
Feb 19, 2009 18:54:49 Center-to-Center will result in a loss of line of sight about 1 in 8 times when it would otherwise not be lost. It will never grant line of sight when it should not have. Similarly, Center-to-Center will fail to grant cover only about 1 in 8 times that it would otherwise have been granted.
#4
malkav666
Feb 19, 2009 19:49:52 As long as you are consistent with how you determine LOS for the monsters and the players (as in they use the same method) then there will be no balance issue. Center to center will affect the averages of when cover or LOS is had, but it will affect the players and the monsters in a symmetric fashion so it won't unbalance anything, just make it different but still balanced.

love,

malkav
#5
nom
Feb 19, 2009 20:19:47 The major difference with center to center is that it will make any character who wants to use stealth and sniping a heck of a lot harder to play.

Example:

A
XXB

Here, cover is asymmetric. B has cover from A, but not the other way around.

Once you use centre-centre you have symmetric cover, which removes such situations.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 doc4 Feb 19, 2009 17:58:58	Hello there, I am a DM of some 25+ years who is now looking to get into 4th edition. I have not played a game yet, just reading through the PHB at the moment. My group and I are avid players of the Descent boardgame, where your heroes trace line of sight from the center of their square to the center of the target's square to determine if they can be seen or not. We are so used to tracing LOS this way, that we can instantly see the LOS without a ruler or thread about 98% of the time. As I look forward to future combats in D&D, what game imbalance would be caused by changing the D&D LOS from corners as listed in the PHB to "center-to-center" as we have been doing with Descent. I'm not asking about rule clarification or validity of the method, just asking your opinions of what a center-to-center LOS change would do to game balance? Most importantly, is your guess that it will it make it more or less fun, or no change at all? I don't want to fight against what my group has burned into their minds about LOS, so if it's nothing huge will alter it, but you are all experts at this new system compared to me. Thank you, Tom / Doc4
#2 dark_lambo Feb 19, 2009 18:39:20	LoS won't be an issue, although Cover is determined by Corner to Corner. There still shouldn't be much of an issue regardless.
#3 Seeker95 Feb 19, 2009 18:54:49	Center-to-Center will result in a loss of line of sight about 1 in 8 times when it would otherwise not be lost. It will never grant line of sight when it should not have. Similarly, Center-to-Center will fail to grant cover only about 1 in 8 times that it would otherwise have been granted.
#4 malkav666 Feb 19, 2009 19:49:52	As long as you are consistent with how you determine LOS for the monsters and the players (as in they use the same method) then there will be no balance issue. Center to center will affect the averages of when cover or LOS is had, but it will affect the players and the monsters in a symmetric fashion so it won't unbalance anything, just make it different but still balanced. love, malkav
#5 nom Feb 19, 2009 20:19:47	The major difference with center to center is that it will make any character who wants to use stealth and sniping a heck of a lot harder to play. Example: A XXB Here, cover is asymmetric. B has cover from A, but not the other way around. Once you use centre-centre you have symmetric cover, which removes such situations.