PhoenixPhyre
2018-10-17, 04:34 PM
Many people take the principle of bounded accuracy to mean that anything that scales with level is wrong. That is not so.
Bounded accuracy is the principle that the game math should not assume that statistics that influence the success or failure of an action should scale strongly with level. Not that those statistics can't scale, but that the default is that they don't scale. This holds--the only level-scaling to affected items is by proficiency, which not all characters have in each thing. An easy set of calculations show that level-appropriate monsters maintain a very close level of "are hit by" to "can hit" PCs without magic items.
Things bounded accuracy cares about:
* Defenses. Specifically AC and saves. Neither of these scales by default--AC has no direct level-scaling component (although higher CR creatures have weakly-higher ACs on average) and people are not proficient in most saves. Monsters are not proficient in any save by default, although you can add that in.
* Attack bonuses. These scale only weakly with proficiency, at almost the same rate as AC scales with CR.
* Save DCs (the save version of attack bonuses). These scale exactly like attack bonuses.
Things that are weakly bounded
* Ability check bonuses. Here there's more variability, but only by explicit exceptions (expertise). But the math does not assume that these exist--it doesn't even assume that proficiency is allowed for an ability check. Raw ability checks are the default, not Ability (skill) checks.
Things that are not part of bounded accuracy:
* HP.
* Damage output.
* Action options (versatility).
Increasing these things with level is the design, it's not counter to bounded accuracy. Technically, no class or item-specific bonus can "break" bounded accuracy, because it doesn't change the underlying design. In practice, however, the things with most effect are those that increase AC, Attack bonuses, or save DCs. Giving +X to damage is much less of an effect than +X to AC, Attack bonuses, or (worst of all) save DCs. Because not being able to hit is boring. And not being able to make a save against things is worse (being no-save-possible taken out of a fight before you act is horrible for a player).
Bounded accuracy is the principle that the game math should not assume that statistics that influence the success or failure of an action should scale strongly with level. Not that those statistics can't scale, but that the default is that they don't scale. This holds--the only level-scaling to affected items is by proficiency, which not all characters have in each thing. An easy set of calculations show that level-appropriate monsters maintain a very close level of "are hit by" to "can hit" PCs without magic items.
Things bounded accuracy cares about:
* Defenses. Specifically AC and saves. Neither of these scales by default--AC has no direct level-scaling component (although higher CR creatures have weakly-higher ACs on average) and people are not proficient in most saves. Monsters are not proficient in any save by default, although you can add that in.
* Attack bonuses. These scale only weakly with proficiency, at almost the same rate as AC scales with CR.
* Save DCs (the save version of attack bonuses). These scale exactly like attack bonuses.
Things that are weakly bounded
* Ability check bonuses. Here there's more variability, but only by explicit exceptions (expertise). But the math does not assume that these exist--it doesn't even assume that proficiency is allowed for an ability check. Raw ability checks are the default, not Ability (skill) checks.
Things that are not part of bounded accuracy:
* HP.
* Damage output.
* Action options (versatility).
Increasing these things with level is the design, it's not counter to bounded accuracy. Technically, no class or item-specific bonus can "break" bounded accuracy, because it doesn't change the underlying design. In practice, however, the things with most effect are those that increase AC, Attack bonuses, or save DCs. Giving +X to damage is much less of an effect than +X to AC, Attack bonuses, or (worst of all) save DCs. Because not being able to hit is boring. And not being able to make a save against things is worse (being no-save-possible taken out of a fight before you act is horrible for a player).