Why are hit chances so low?

[edmek55555]

Hit chances against enemies of the same level seem very low. Almost always hovering between 40-60%. Anyone else find this a little weird?

[Viper]

based on the rules..

[Indure]

It depends on your class and attributes, what are you playing?

[edmek55555]

Originally posted by Viper:

based on the rules..

Are the hit chances always low in 5e? Serious question. I really just don’t understand it

[Aasimar[GER]]

then your build is bad? or you use weapons you cant use?
to hit is Proficincy bonus (+2 or +3) + STR or DEX bonus + dice roll 1d20...
most enemys have aAC of 12-15...

also... what do you expect on level 1-4?

[Redmacinton]

Originally posted by edmek55555:

Originally posted by Viper:

based on the rules..

Are the hit chances always low in 5e? Serious question. I really just don’t understand it

nah its just bad dice roll its all about luck

[edmek55555]

Originally posted by Indure:

It depends on your class and attributes, what are you playing?

I have played a warlock, ranger, and wizard all with proficient weapons. Seems to be the same for all of them. My last fight for example was my party at level 3 vs level 3 harpies and my hit chances with eldritch blast was always 42%

[edmek55555]

Originally posted by Redmacinton:

Originally posted by edmek55555:

Are the hit chances always low in 5e? Serious question. I really just don’t understand it

nah its just bad dice roll its all about luck

I don’t mean missing or hitting, I mean the base hit percentage before you even fire off the attack

[Redmacinton]

well you have to count for enemies AC and such do they have advantage or disadvantage and such.

[Instigator]

Originally posted by edmek55555:

Originally posted by Viper:

based on the rules..

Are the hit chances always low in 5e? Serious question. I really just don’t understand it

Let's break it down. When you roll an attack, you are rolling a d20 + modifiers against an enemy's AC. You must meet the AC to hit.

So if an enemy has 10 AC, without modifiers you have a 55% chance to hit (you must roll 10 or higher). Now, you definitely have modifiers, though without knowing your class and other specifics, I can't say exactly what they are. But, most enemies also have higher than 10 AC. For example, a standard goblin (seen here: https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/goblin) has 15 AC.

So yeah, chances to hit in D&D aren't usually sky high unless you're doing something special. You can increase this chance by getting advantage on your roll via a number of different methods (not sure if this is in game yet), such as knocking down your opponent and attacking from within 5 feet (https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Conditions#toc_12). Advantage on a roll means you get to roll the attack die (d20) twice and take the higher of the two. That greatly helps your odds to hit.

On the flip side, you also may find yourself with disadvantage. For example, attacking a proned enemy from a distance. This means you take the lower of two rolls, and will greatly hinder your chance to hit. It's worth knowing that knocking an enemy prone while ranged can make it harder to finish them off.

[Wraith]

Originally posted by Redmacinton:

well you have to count for enemies AC and such do they have advantage or disadvantage and such.

yep you want to bring a balanced party.
My warlock couldn't hit this one enemy at all but my rogue however was smacking it left and right.

[Indure]

So for warlock their main stat is charisma, so you want to make sure that it is 16 when you create a character because it will give you +3 to hit. For Eldritch Blast you are attacking against their AC, which the harpies must have had a high AC. You can cast hex to make it easier to hit with your spells. You can also make sure you have some alternate attacks that target different saves so that if somethings AC is too high you have some other options.

[jrf773]

Originally posted by edmek55555:

Hit chances against enemies of the same level seem very low. Almost always hovering between 40-60%. Anyone else find this a little weird?

Because your toon is a noob and doesn't (barely) know the point end of the stick from the blunt end?

Wait, whadda ya mean you got a sword? All I got was a stick... Damn Dwarvish salesman...

[󠀡]

Each number on a D20 represents a 5% chance.

At best you have a 95% chance of hitting something. (1 = automatic miss)

At worst you have a 5% chance of hitting something. (20 = automatic hit)

The Average AC is about 12. You have around 45% chance to hit anything in the game.

Some creatures have an AC as high as 18. With a +6 to Attack you still only have a 50% chance to hit.

[Viper]

Originally posted by Redmacinton:

Originally posted by edmek55555:

Are the hit chances always low in 5e? Serious question. I really just don’t understand it

nah its just bad dice roll its all about luck

It is not all about luck. Its probabilities. You increase the factors that determine a hit you increase your chances of that hit happening. Just like any other RPG is existence.

[Aasimar[GER]]

Yeah.. the Harpys fight wasnt nice...
Range modifier... Higher Ground modifier
if you have Astarion with you = get damaged by water
thos damn songs
but still.... 5e deathrules = you almost cant die