dnd-discussion

[humble crypt]

real

[humble cairn]

This: https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/phb-2024/equipment#PoisonersKit50GP

[inner silo]

Thanks!

[inner silo]

doesnt sound too bad with a bit of homebrew

[rough basalt]

I got an idea that might be kinda dumb but I think it could be fun.

[knotty basin]

Tell us

[humble cairn]

What do you need to homebrew?

[rough basalt]

So to playtest my rendition of a Gunslinger I wanted to run a nautical game initially

[inner silo]

making the poison be applicable to your weapon using a bonus action and stuff

[rough basalt]

And it was gonna be about undersea ruin delving for treasure and dealing with threats on the seas

[humble cairn]

That's the Poisoner Feat, no need for homebrew.

[rough basalt]

But I got a further thought, to have the game about pursuing a sea legend in-world and surviving threats on the seas and delving into undersea ruins would be apart of it.

And said legend if it were uncovered might have some permanent effects on my world.

[knotty basin]

Sounds cool

[rough basalt]

But unfortunately it's December.

[knotty basin]

Just pull a subnautica below zero

EZ

[rough basalt]

Nah what I mean is tabletop games enter a lull in December generally

[inner silo]

Alrighty

[knotty basin]

So what’s the fun/dumb idea?

[obtuse salmon]

i have a question abt my homebrew rules (i wonder if my players would like it and want feedback)

While downed

• You can fail 2 death saves to do an action and stabilize yourself. But until you get healed, if you get hit once you die

• If you exhaust yourself to do a crit in this state, you can fulfil your action dealing max double damage but you sacrifice yourself to save the party

• Temp hp stabilizes and you back by one
• Death saves are made in secret
• After combat is over, initiative keeps going till you are either dead or stabilized

Coming back from being downed does two things

• DC 10 CON save. On a success you get the “Adrenaline” effect. Doubles movement and ADV on all rolls until end of combat
• Player takes one level of exhaustion until the end of combat

[knotty basin]

#homebrew

[obtuse salmon]

OHH

[rough basalt]

Well the fun but dumb idea is ||The "treasure" is a people that survived a Cataclysm due to an artifact that shielded their palace (whole area not just the building). And they managed to survive and thrive off pure will, determination. So it would be less a material treasure and more of a "the real treasure is the power we have inside ourselves to survive and thrive even in the worst of times", and that species would become playable.||

But if anything just a fun thing to add to my world

[burnt valley]

Just had a funny thought, is it allowed to multiclass into commoner?

[hot gate]

It's a fun thought, but since commoner isn't a class, no.

[hollow stone]

1d4 hit dice 😭

[burnt valley]

2 Warlock/18 Commoner 🔥🔥

[knotty basin]

Yes, actually. It’s called being a ranger

[woven flint]

....
How does one equate a ranger to a commoner?

[cerulean monolith]

I believe it’s a “Ranger sux” joke

[ivory shale]

"Why not just take the flavour of Call of Cthulhu and Cyberpunk Red and mash them together into DnD through reflavouring and homebrew, instead of inventing a new system for something that is much easier to homebrew? It sounds like a waste of time."

Damn, people really hate the idea of playing another system lol

[ivory shale]

does ranger really sucks tho?

[cerulean monolith]

No

[limber trail]

may I ask why you want to make your DM tweak

[ivory shale]

because they still have the dm vs player mindset

[limber trail]

Well I know that much, I wanna unpack it

[shy stirrup]

So your solution is a PC vs DM mindset?

[ivory shale]

its interchangeable

[limber trail]

I wanna figure out why they have that mindset and help find a way to move past it

[shy stirrup]

You're seeking a peace treaty, whereas it seems the OP wants to escalate the war by opening a new front

[burnt valley]

Pathfinder for martial fantasy

[marble lion]

Where did you get dm vs player from

It looks like a random contextless complaint about dnd-only rigidity

Gigi said 2 things and neither imply a conflict with their dm

[ivory shale]

nah the guy was saying that 5e was easy to homebrew so why have other system

[marble lion]

What guy

[ivory shale]

not from this server and @limber trail is not talking about me

[marble lion]

Do you know who knome is talking about?

[minor cargo]

As a general question, no right or wrong answer, just curious:

In your opinion, what's the most iconic D&D spell that isn't fireball, lightning bolt, or wish?

[ivory shale]

mate you can literally scroll up

[limber oriole]

Silvery Barbs for the memes maybe?

[ivory shale]

shittt

sorry, the guy deleted it my badddd

[burnt valley]

Web, Sleet Storm and Nystul's Magic Aura

[marble lion]

I did

[shy stirrup]

One of or any of the spells named after a PC, Bigby's, Mordenkanen's, Tensor's

[marble lion]

Ah deleted i see

[humble cairn]

Magic Missile - It has even penetrated other media in reference to D&D

[ivory shale]

yea my bad.

guy basically said " give me top 3 spells beside silvery barbs to make my dm tweak "

[humble cairn]

See "Magic Missile the darkness" memes and even the tv show The Magicians.

[limber trail]

counterspell has always been iconic to me

[minor cargo]

Yeah, I think that's what I think of when it comes to "iconic". Like do people recognize it as "yeah, that's a D&D thing".

Magic Missile is definitely a top contender. Whereas I personally feel like something like "web" feels generic enough that it doesn't just scream D&D? I think the named spells are also a good choice since they're definitely deeply rooted in D&D.

I think maybe more people know of "magic missile" than say "Tasha's hideous laughter" or "bigby's hand".

[burnt valley]

Y'know what, I misread that sentence as "what's your favourite spells that isnt lightning bolt, fireball and wish"

my bad

[cerulean ivy]

I'm trying to decide if I want my soulknife rogue to be a halfling or a small human, what do y'all think would be more optimal?

[reef tundra]

Depends on which you’d prefer the benefits of

[knotty basin]

Mage hand

[knotty basin]

Halfing

[karmic pendant]

probably small human

[reef tundra]

Would you like an extra feat, skill proficiency, and free inspiration every long rest? Or advantage against being frightened and able to reroll Nat 1s?

Both have their benefits

[knotty basin]

Sorry, thought this was 2014

[cerulean ivy]

My b, 2024

[reef tundra]

If it was 2014 I’d pick halfling in a heartbeat

But I can’t help but love 2024 human. Their underdog nature stole my heart

And the extra feat and skill proficiency

[cerulean ivy]

The main benefit of halfling I’m considering is actually their ability to hide behind larger creatures.

[knotty basin]

Trust me, it doesn’t come up that often

[viscid sand]

Playing a goblin Beastmaster ranger that just hit 4th level. He rides beast and use pike (try to knock enemies prone with beast and/or hit and push away with pike). In terms of wanting to add to these abilities that restrict enemy movement, should I take sentinel or polearm master first and take the other at 8th? Also I sure there is likely another build/class/spell combo whatever that does what I want better, but I am looking for advice for beastmaster ranger.

[cerulean ivy]

Oh does it not? It sounds pretty good to me but if it’s largely irrelevant then I guess I’ll go with human.

[cerulean ivy]

I’d say polearm master, it’s so strong that I can’t see taking much of anything else first.

[viscid sand]

That is what I was thinking. If beast and ranger hit enemy, then he is prone and pushed back. When it start turn it has to waste move to get up, and then can potentialy be hit again by pike reaction and pushed back again (might not be able to attack at all or at the very least no move far).

[knotty pasture]

The main advantage of being small is that a lot of animal based summons from Druids are now rideable mounts

[thick lotus]

If you were a Druid and had high strength would it be possible to throw your summon at something-

[knotty pasture]

Yes but then you're a Druid with v high strength

[hollow stone]

yea you could but they aren't STR casters, they're WIS, so like, don't dump that

[knotty pasture]

I mean if you came across a potion of hill giant strength go drink it for funsies

But its better off if you give it to a martial character instead

[hollow stone]

you could dump INT for better STR

[knotty pasture]

And tbh I don't think you need high strength at all to throw stuff like rats

[hollow stone]

or dump CHA, which would make sense because throwing animals at people is a bad look from any perspective

[karmic pendant]

i guess it depends on if the summon disappears when wild shaping but you probably could throw the summon with the right wildshape

[knotty basin]

RAW throwing summons isn’t possible unless they’re dead

Even then they only do 1d4 damage

[knotty pasture]

iirc a Druid's summoning spells aren't concentration so you don't lose them after wild shaping

[hollow stone]

i don't know how DND does throwing but i know this isn't lore accurate, humans are a very unique sort of animal because we are one of few species with the structure to throw things accurately

[knotty basin]

Summoning animals above people’s heads, though…

[thick lotus]

that would technically be a heavy object falling…

[hollow stone]

our bipedal semi-climbing design structure is specifically a really good platform to throw things from, because our shoulders have better motion range than other quadrupeds, and our bipedal nature lets us plant our feet in a way that provides a good platform for using that upper body chain from

[knotty basin]

I’m pretty sure Tasha’s has rules for falling on people

Speaking of which, a level 9 conjure animals (2014) can do 672 damage if you drop the animals on people’s heads

Assuming all saves fail

[knotty pasture]

Save the world by dropping a rothe onto a greater god's head

[knotty basin]

Sorry, 336

With the best roll.

[hollow stone]

my DM outlawed goomba stomping people bc i had a climbing speed :(

[crimson gulch]

I mean aoe damage like that is wild when you have enough targets

[limber trail]

goomba stomping is the sorta thing where, I'd personally allow it to work once because it's cool, with the stipulation that future attempts won't work the same

just because it's not as fun if it's repeated

[hollow stone]

yea i mentioned it and they just said what i reason to be "i'm not allowing it specifically because i know your plan and the other players wouldn't be able to do a similar thing so it wouldn't be fair to them"

[snow agate]

i would allow it but it needs an acrobatics check to avoid a problematic fall

because landing on creatures tends to be messy if you look at wrestling

[hollow stone]

yea, that makes sense

[knotty basin]

I allow anything RAW

That doesn’t mean the monsters won’t try to stop you, though

About to jump on a goblin? Ok, he readies his action to move out of the way

[hollow stone]

well see that DM doesn't have Tasha's so we didn't have any preexisting rules for trying to fall on someone

there wasn't a rule to as written, so we didn't

[clear lark]

Not really. Greater gods don't have a real body. They sometimes manifest phsyically for one reason or another. So you can kill that form, but never the Greater god itself.

[knotty pasture]

Aw damn it would have been funny

[buoyant oar]

If your god can die by a mortal's hand how powerful were they to begin with?

[bronze wave]

eh pretty powerful prob, just cause it can occur doesnt mean its easy

depeneds whats helping the mortals is it other greater gods lol

[lost flicker]

Very broad question here

[valid geyser]

Very broad answer incoming

[glad arch]

very narrow answer also incoming

[lost flicker]

And I'm posting it here because I want potential answers from everyone willing not just from a specific channel

[bronze wave]

very tailored answer that only fits what I like incoming

[lost flicker]

How does one, write a campaign

[valid geyser]

With a pencil or Microsoft word

[lost flicker]

Y'all are funny

[bronze wave]

I know

[lost flicker]

You know, that.. was a broad answer

[bronze wave]

think of a plot, write it down, dm it

[shy stirrup]

Start with an idea

[bronze wave]

its like writing a book?

[glad arch]

thats like #1 advice not to do

[shy stirrup]

A story is not a campaign

[valid geyser]

But more serious answer. I more often do sandbox campaigns because that’s easier than doing a straightforward story

[glad arch]

ever heard of the dm that should have just written a book?

[bronze wave]

im not saying it is, im saying the idea is similar in you have an idea and write the idea, then dm it

I genuinely dont know what the question is? like wdym write a campaign

like a specfic one? or how we make ours?

[lost flicker]

Ehhh okay, this is mostly used for DM's who railroad,

Mercer and the folks that built up Exandria absolutely could have just written a book.. I mean have you seen some of the lore for the forgotten realms? It's extensive

[glad arch]

you write the setting, continents, cities, towns any big conflicts in the world. think of what your plot is in the biggest of strokes, e.g. big bad guy x is trying to do y you need to stop him

[rough basalt]

It depends on how linear you want it to be

[lost flicker]

You shouldn't write a book, and expect your campaign to go like that- I remember someone who put it as "write the campaign how it would go if the players weren't there"

[glad arch]

fair

[lost flicker]

I just mean like, the broad strokes,

[glad arch]

not a dm but how is this for advice, write the world first then write the next session after the previous one ended

[lost flicker]

To be distinct my main issue is major writers block

I'm stuck on concepts for villains and conflicts and absolutely nothing in between

[glad arch]

obviously theres some stuff that needs to be planned out long term but this way you dont get this

[rough basalt]

Speaking of, I need to start writing the second game I wanna start

[lost flicker]

I could, and most likely I will, but I want to have a framework atleast

[rough basalt]

Since it's kinda linear

[lost flicker]

Branching paths in particular seem so complicated to me

[glad arch]

power of improv

[lost flicker]

Trying to weave everything together, and then the concept of cohesive arcs

I know how to do improv that's so not what I'm talking about though

I can improvise if things don't go as planned, but I'd like there to be a plan

[glad arch]

i can understand your struggle

[rough basalt]

Tbh with you, a lot of players won't notice plot holes

[lost flicker]

But I'll notice them

For context, this campaign I'm writing is a rewrite of an old one I did where I did essentially improv the entire thing with nothing but a vague idea in mind, a campaign that my players said they really enjoyed, but one that I wasn't happy with

[snow agate]

so i basically create an abstract theme of the game, i maybe create an endgoal, and then i just populate the world and local area with people, events, terrain, structures, etc. i think its better if stories flow naturally, and the way to make them natural is to not have personal investment in an expected arc or prewrite many interactions, but rather to just set up a fantasy world that does stuff that the players can make and follow objectives within

[lost flicker]

This rewrite is mainly to prove to myself that I can write a good campaign and not just focus entirely on giving my players everything they want

Like obviously I'll still focus on giving my players everything they want but I don't want my campaign style as a DM to boil down to "she's fun cause she let me play a dragon"

[shy stirrup]

Then perhaps ditch that campaign remnant, and start over from scratch with a new concept

[lost flicker]

It is meant to be a rewrite though

[shy stirrup]

One that you're clearly struggling with

[lost flicker]

I suppose my main focus is the world building right now, it's what I find the most interesting at the moment and what I've gotten the most work done on

[snow agate]

mix good luck with bad luck and have limits

[lost flicker]

So I could just, run a campaign in the world, and write something new

[shy stirrup]

That you're struggling to develop an idea could be a sign it's doesn't have much potential

Otherwise, like I said above, start with an idea:

• a world overrun by zombies
• a world where magic is illegal
  etc etc

and go from there

Also a reminder that a story isn't a campaign
Worldbuilding is not a campaign

[lost flicker]

It absolutely has potential

I just dont- in the original campaign the players were fighting gods

But fighting gods is iffy, because either the god feels under leveled, or the party feels punished

I'm trying to figure out how I could ground the threat, while still making it feel fantastical

[gentle bay]

hello! so I have a question

if someone will make a deal with God does this make them cleric or warlock?
I mean, he made a deal so he must be warlock, but he getting powers from God so he is a cleric, but he is not worshipping it, just work on it, so he is a warlock.... And its also kinda dont feels like multiclass

[hollow stone]

Greek gods type, "yea it's called a god but impactfully it's just a magic dude with a cool sword that does things"

[lost flicker]

But at the same time, I'm not even sure who I want the main villain to be

Do I want heralds of these titans?
Do I want a single arch druid?
Do I want an Empyrean of the mother of all?

Is the threat that the titans are going to destroy the world by reverting it to it's primordial state, or is the threat that the sheer act of escaping their former jail would crash the world down into the hells?

[hollow stone]

paladin, the deal is an oath

[lost flicker]

You don't make deals with gods

Maybe minor deities

[hollow stone]

a warlock would also work tbf

[lost flicker]

But making a deal for power makes you a warlock

[hollow stone]

you can if they want to deal with you, tbf

[lost flicker]

Paladins are devoted to an oath, and clerics are devoted to a domain

[gentle bay]

thanks

[lost flicker]

You can, but that raises that other thing I said about making gods feel too...small

I'm not sure if I even want the campaign to be centered around the titans, rather than centered around the acolytes of the twin gods

I could make it even smaller and just make it like a boss rush monster hunter style thing

[shy stirrup]

This isn't writing a campaign, this is worldbuilding - when you address how a party of Level 1 nobodies fit into all that, then you'll be writing a campaign

[lost flicker]

Hhhh there's so much to think about

[lost flicker]

Thank you, Dunnik, for summing up the issue

Though, actually, thinking about who the villain might be and what the conflict is is still absolutely part of writing a campaign

[hollow stone]

idk how to define what i have planned, i have a world that needs a bit more building but i have the exact spot where the people fit

[lost flicker]

There's no point figuring out how the players fit into the conflict without a conflict

[snow agate]

maybe start small instead of world ending

[shy stirrup]

At first their conflict will be with 10 rats in the inkeeper's basement, the world-spanning conflict comes later

[hollow stone]

i have the conflict already, i have the beginning and middle and end and now i need connections

[snow agate]

if you want a conflict but dont know what you could start with something basic like a supernatural incursion or maybe a civil war

[rough basalt]

God's at level 1, rats in basement at level 20

[hollow stone]

oh no i have that, there's a faction of what i've been calling terrorists but are pretty much just the common association of what a viking does who are attempting to ascend their leader to godhood via widespread fear and belief, and i have where the people are, which are the counterterrorist group trying to make sure that the leader is killed, captured, or otherwise stopped before that plan comes to fruition

[snow agate]

was referring to the person who doesnt have a conflict and was asking for one

[buoyant oar]

Dungeon Master of 25 years here.

Here is what I do. Which is not a universal answer.

Answer the following questions, who, what, when, where. About your antagonist.

Who are they?
What do they want?
When are they going to achieve it?
Where is that happening?

When you have those answers go to the next stage. And ask.

How do they achieve it?
And why do they want this outcome?

This works for antagonists of all tiers. And imo the best campaigns are the ones with compelling antagonists. Especially ones that are present within the Narrative. i.e. Strahd.

[reef tundra]

Sometimes I forget that people have been playing this game longer than I have been alive

[mighty dove]

Does anyone, off the top of their mind, have a weird, alien/eldritch/cosmic/whatever name for a woman that can be shortened into a normal female name?

[buoyant oar]

Most of your campaign and adventures will be informed upon the How question.

[hollow stone]

DND has outlived multiple people and that's scary, isn't it?

[reef tundra]

Nah I find it funny

[buoyant oar]

Æmanshaznarbamon

Aema

[hollow stone]

nah, but you can work backwards and call them Ana and then turn that into anything else

[mighty dove]

[*] to P., who has played a warforged warlock named Toad

[hollow stone]

is it possible to play a DND character with no name at all?

[mighty dove]

Yeah

why not?

[reef tundra]

Someone’s gonna give you a name

[mighty dove]

we had a player who was a dragonborn encased in a full plate armour and we just called him whatever made sense in the context

[shy stirrup]

We will call you
Noname

[hollow stone]

idk i figured it'd be difficult to refer to them

[buoyant oar]

I once went through the desert on a horse that had no name

[reef tundra]

I keep making NPCs who have no name and the party make nicknames for all of them

[valid geyser]

pretty universal experience tbh

[hollow stone]

yea cause i had a concept for a warforged warlock and it'd be fitting to their aura farm to have no name at all

[mighty dove]

The words used to refer to him were, for example, "armour", "big guy", "horns", "he", "the one who got knocked out by a handshake", "friend"

[buoyant oar]

It just felt good to get out of the rain honestly

[valid geyser]

There was like a multiple year period where i just accidentally had a bunch of characters with M names. Marin, Marayna, Mirion, Mysterio (i guess that one wasn't my fault I was playing the marvel RPG)

[snow agate]

can you say? my name? is the memory gone are you feeling numb

[hollow stone]

idk how to add to this reference but i want you to know i get it

[shy stirrup]

A Horse With No Name, by America (1971)

[golden carbon]

Is this the server to look for tables to play in or is this mostly just discussion?

[mighty dove]

Oh gods no

[hollow stone]

it is mostly to discuss but there is an LFG here

they used to host games here but nobody did that so now they don't do that

[mighty dove]

#looking-for-dm #looking-for-players #find-a-game

[buoyant oar]

Got a new player in my paid game that has been going on for 6 months and got a very long and sweet message about the effectiveness of my onboarding and how excited they are to continue

[mighty dove]

That's nice

[shy stirrup]

Onboarding is obviously crucial, clearly you're doing it right

[snow agate]

what is the appropriate length of elf ear

[fossil summit]

@shy stirrup btw i saw you on a YouTube comment section

Kinda crazy style, it was about commoners in dnd

[hearty bay]

Man, I wish I could have psychic spells on another warlock subclass, that seems absurdly fun to play with, but great old one isn't really a kind of warlock that I see as someone who'd play around with illusions

[hollow stone]

rabbit /j

[shy stirrup]

Heh, yea BECMI Berserker's channel

[snow agate]

ask ur dm

[fossil summit]

As much or as little as you want.

[hearty bay]

He'd deny it, and I'm not even a spellcaster

I just look at the text and imagine what could've been

[fossil summit]

Elf with comically large ears:

[snow agate]

dodging the question

i think it has to be at least knife sized

so the joke makes sense

[hearty bay]

Just make it the size of an open palm

[mighty dove]

But what kind of knife

[buoyant oar]

Butter

[hearty bay]

So it fits a slap properly

[fossil summit]

The joke is there because the ears are pointy and most people don't use spears anymore.

Spear ear

[snow agate]

the ears arent on long sticks...

[mighty dove]

Wouldn't a larger knife be a butter option, so they'd hear better?

[fossil summit]

Butter option

[mighty dove]

Not with that attitude they aren't

[snow agate]

please do not cut elf ears off

[limber oriole]

How else do i get the bounty?

[ivory shale]

btw guys, talking about other rpgs are prohibited here right?

[humble cairn]

That'd be for #non-dnd-topics

[mighty dove]

Bring the whole elf

[buoyant oar]

I see so much tiefling with a clipped ear and I always am like.

"Girl are you OK?"

[mighty dove]

that's 100% more bounty per bounty

[snow agate]

ngl looking for character art is always wild because of the random stuff you see

[mighty dove]

Is a clipped ear for a tiefling the same as a split tongue for a human?

[ivory shale]

okie dokie

[buoyant oar]

Now I just make my own art now. Or take art from DnD Books. Searching for character art without getting AI slop is so much harder these days.

[snow agate]

IRL you clip ears to show that animals are neutered or spayed

[mighty dove]

I didn't know that. The more you learn

[buoyant oar]

Hence "Guuuurl you good?"

[mighty dove]

Understandable

[knotty basin]

I use the portraits from dnd beyond

[buoyant oar]

Yeah. Those are all from the books I believe

[crimson gulch]

i make heroforge tokens for a bunch of charicters

[north bane]

In the game Ive been playing there’s been like a player character death each session for like the last 5-6 sessions

[buoyant oar]

Awesome

[humble cairn]

Sounds like you're in a Meatgrinder campaign.

[north bane]

Most of them have been like 80% their fault

[shy stirrup]

Self-meatgrinder then

[north bane]

Like this one guy saw this blood trail leading into a cave from where some other guys left their horses

Went into it and then light up the space briefly and was really quickly dispatched by the thing living in there

The same guy attacked this npc with his previous character in town Im front of a guard

[glad arch]

If the dm describes a blood trail youll be hard pressed to find players not catch on to that plot hook

[north bane]

And he got executed for attempted murder

[north bane]

They had no proper light source

[snow agate]

how does an adventuring party have no proper light source

[buoyant oar]

I have Executed PCs for crimes before. It gets a realistic world across very quickly.

[north bane]

They have firearms in the system so they fired a few rounds to get a look at things

[glad arch]

Like half the classes start with a dozen torches

[north bane]

We’re very poor

[humble cairn]

Is this a gritty realism game, but the DM didn't tell the players it was going to be?

[snow agate]

torches are literally a copper 😭 wdym

[reef tundra]

Also none of them had dark vision?

[north bane]

no

[shy stirrup]

I have Darkvision

[reef tundra]

Everything under the sun accept humans and for some reason cats have darkvision

[glad arch]

Dm, i have darkvision

[snow agate]

baffling

[reef tundra]

Show off /j

[shy stirrup]

Did I mention I have Darkvision?
In case not, I have Darkvision

[buoyant oar]

Dark vision should be less common

[humble cairn]

This feels like the DM wanted to run a gritty realism game, but either didn't tell the players or didn't explain to the players what that meant.

[snow agate]

dm actually...i have superior darkvision 😎

[reef tundra]

“The room is da-“
“Dm I have darkvision!”

“The lights go out and-“
“Dm I have darkvision!”

[glad arch]

Playing with a twilight cleric, who needs inate darkvision

[reef tundra]

Benefits of faith

[snow agate]

remember to pray to ilmater to keep the demons out of your sleep

[glad arch]

"So what benefits do you get from your god(dess)"
"Bravo six, going dark"

[reef tundra]

“Suddenly you’re encased in darkness-“
“Dm I have darkvis-“
”Magical darkness mofo”*

[reef tundra]

Glows like a glowstick

[glad arch]

Need me some way to get tremorsense or truesight

[shy stirrup]

"A darkness is spreading across the lands of-"
"I have Darkvision."

[north bane]

It’s been established for a while

[glad arch]

Congrats, you can see the darkness coming at you at mach 2

[snow agate]

ive had the opposite a few times where the dm describes something dark and im like "im a human id obviously have a light source out instead of stumbling around blindly"

[humble cairn]

So you all know it's somewhat of a hardcore game and ... ?

[shy stirrup]

Darkvision is so powerful, it can see through metaphorical darkness as well

[glad arch]

Best part is if youre the only one without it

[snow agate]

too bad for them

[glad arch]

Just hold your dwarfs hand and trust they wont walk you against a wall

[north bane]

It got worse because the one guy could speak to the creature and he pled for his life by offering up their other horse to eat

[snow agate]

the dwarf isnt sneaking around in his clanking plate armor im using my light cantrip

[north bane]

So now we’ve lost all our horses

[ripe vessel]

Where can I join campaign? (I just joined this group)

[snow agate]

#looking-for-players #find-a-game

[glad arch]

Sneaking is overrated, noone can hear you if everyone is dead

[snow agate]

im a fan of the diplomatic route and you cant do the diplomatic route if you're being a rat, so im more want to walk up to the gate and say hello

[ripe vessel]

Where to # it? (Can't do it on the #looking-for-players )

[hollow stone]

meanwhile, the warlock about to pipe up:

[snow agate]

idk what you just said

[glad arch]

Playing a paladin rn so im more tending towards the diplomatic route too

[ripe vessel]

Where to ask to join?

[glad arch]

Helps that i couldnt sneak in if i wanted to

[snow agate]

you look for an advertisement that interests you and you message the person who posted it

[solar elm]

I mean you can always try and sneak in

[hollow stone]

go to #find-a-game and do the / command that fits what you're doing

[ripe vessel]

Thank u

[hollow stone]

:D

[glad arch]

+0 stealth and disadvantage, i dont like those odds

[solar elm]

YOU CAN AWALYS TRY ONCE FOR THE BIT FOR THE COMEDY OF IT

[glad arch]

Dc 15 is a 1/16 to pass

[solar elm]

Well those aren’t super fun lmao

[snow agate]

i think its better to try to have a diplomatic resolution or an honorable combat with an enemy rather than intentionally fail a check to get caught

[glad arch]

Actually its 9/100 not 1/16

From 6% to 9%, upgrades people

[solar elm]

This is True and depends on the situation idk the what context the sneaking is in I just like a good bit

[solar elm]

And upgrades an upgrade

[glad arch]

Havent had a good chance yet, i most definitally will try

[glad arch]

Okay but have you considered, its funny as hell

[solar elm]

Exactly sometimes we gotta do a silly bit

[hollow stone]

we need a Rogue who can mitigate stealth disadvantage with armor

[solar elm]

Even if it might kill our characters

[hollow stone]

or like 12th level Ranger, high level Rangers get like, nothing lol

[glad arch]

Just fyi we also have a cleric with disadvantage on stealth checks. And we do have a rogue, who i imagine if she wasnt very new to the game would hate us

[snow agate]

i would rather my party do literally anything else than be intentionally counterproductive

[glad arch]

Different seriousness of campaigns, we dont mind throwing ocasionally if its really funny

Im in a dnd group with friends

[solar elm]

Exactly sometimes a but is fun not when it’s a serious plot element

[glad arch]

Ofcourse

[hollow stone]

actually, there's a spell to silence movement, "Pass Without A Trace", would that help you?

[glad arch]

Yes, its a flat +10 to stealth thats always very usefull

We dont have anyone to cast it though 😂

[hollow stone]

could you unequip and smuggle your armor in?

that'd take like 10 minutes tho

[solar elm]

This is also a good solution

[glad arch]

We'll cross that bridge when we get to it

[solar elm]

Exactly

[pearl isle]

Hello

[glad arch]

Hello

[solar elm]

Hey hey

[hollow stone]

hi!!! :D

[glad arch]

Btw is your pfp a fairy frog or frog in a flower

[solar elm]

Fairy frog

[glad arch]

Cute

[solar elm]

Thank ya

[glad arch]

Lot of frogs here

[pearl isle]

How are yall?

[pearl isle]

I’m not a frog

[solar elm]

Good wbu

[glad arch]

Not yet

[pearl isle]

I’m decent

[hollow stone]

i am!!

[pearl isle]

I don’t like frogs personally so I think imma stay a puppy

[pearl isle]

Heck yeah! Good for you!

[solar elm]

Froogggs

[hollow stone]

I strive for a future where any man can make their profile picture whatever species they want - without being questioned for their choice of animal, choice of drawing or photograph!

[pearl isle]

exactly

[solar elm]

This is real

[hollow stone]

personally i use a photograph of a frog because it seemed way too overdramatized to be such a silly looking animal

[humble cairn]

Frogs are cute. Also kinda of terrifying in their all consuming hunger.

[hollow stone]

all that shadow just to be ○ _ ○

[humble cairn]

They would absolutely eat you if they could. They try to eat humans, despite not being anywhere large enough to handle it, they just. don't. care.

[hollow stone]

have you seen that clip of a guy pulling a frog out of the mouth of another frog and then points them at each other like that didn't just happen? lmfao

[humble cairn]

Nope, but I believe it. Hmm ... maybe Kirby is just a pink frog.

[solid echo]

How do you play a character that has something already? Like a business, or a job they have to do?

[snow agate]

make sure it actually fits the campaign

[humble cairn]

Relegate it to downtime.

Have it be a Flaw, so when things from your day job come and interfere with the adventure, you get Inspiration.

Obviously that needs some discussion with the DM.

[snow agate]

in the shadowrun system being employed actually gives you extra stat points because its a drawback

[solid echo]

I’m wanting to play a doctor, and while I would love for him to like have a clinic already I feel like I need to push that into a goal. Rather than something he already has, maybe he is working at one but wants to start his own?

[solar elm]

You can do like a travelling doctor sort of deal

[solid echo]

That’s the other option

[solar elm]

So like the character has a business but it roams around

[snow agate]

as a suggestion, maybe you're just a class with access to healing spells, or you have proficiency with herbalism/alchemy/medicine, or perhaps the healer feat, or maybe all of them at once, and you could be like a hedge mage or a temple priest or hospitaller

that way it can be past experience but you can also use it in the future to help people when you have the time or when its in demand like a big hero

[solid echo]

I actually already have the plan of healing without magic, I’m gonna be playing a homebrew class for him (already okayed by DM)

[buoyant oar]

Normalize downtime usage

[snow agate]

i dont know why you'd avoid using magic for healing but alright i guess

[solid echo]

I just wish a single potion of healing didn’t take an entire day of work.

[humble cairn]

How about using the Bastion system?

[buoyant oar]

In 99% of settings a potion of healing is a miracle drug

[solid echo]

That’s a good question to ask actually

[humble cairn]

You could have your Bastion be a clinic that levels up and gets bigger as you advance, also it can make you potions while you're out adventuring.

[solid echo]

Wait can it? Or are those hirelings that will work for me?

[minor cargo]

It might make more sense that “healing potions” only heal HP, which are NOT meat points.

HP, being an abstraction, can be “healed” lots of ways. A hot cup of coffee can be a healing potion.

[marsh oasis]

Yo guys, just getting back into DND after not playing it for years

Joining my friends’ game as a loxodon monk

[humble cairn]

Yeah they will work for you.

[snow agate]

it is also perfectly reasonable to still invest in learning medicine in the "normal" sense, considering that magic is a limited resource that is expended quickly

so you can combine the two without infringing on the doctor concept

[solar elm]

Hell yeah I’m just starting this journey of dnd

[solid echo]

Yea for more context I’m playing LaserLamas Savant class

[humble cairn]

At level 5 you can choose to have a Garden, which can produce both healer's kits and potions of healing.

[lost flicker]

I feel like creating a compelling villain isn't my issue, its just deciding on who I want that villain to be, and their wants would be ingrained into the conflict- so I also need to figure out what I need that to be

I really do appreciate the advice, don't get me wrong, it just doesn't really help with the issue i'm currently having

[marsh oasis]

Nice, you made a character yet or just working on concepts?

[lost flicker]

maybe i'll just take some magic cards, get some randomization out, build off of some rolling tables

[solar elm]

I’m playing a warlock half elf we’re just starting lol

I also have like 15 character concepts running through my brain at all times lol

[humble cairn]

Actually as a doctor you'd probably want two gardens at level 5 so yuo can produce healing potions, healers kits, antitoxin, and poison.

[marsh oasis]

Nice you can’t go wrong with a warlock

also YEAH SAME i had an idea for a pirate campaign that i wanted to do and now my brain just keeps spamming random characters at me

[solid echo]

Going back to the topic of magical healing, why would someone in the field not learn magic, especially if they are smart enough for it

The Savant is an intelligence based class without magic and is focused on gathering information

I was just thinking of like what if my character hates magic

[humble cairn]

Are you asking me a question? Or are you answering it?

[snow agate]

that would be like hating wind or thermodynamics

[buoyant oar]

Also in many settings magic is not something everyone can do regardless of how smart they are.

[solid echo]

Both

[solid echo]

That could also be the case

[snow agate]

i suppose it is true that he could lack the faith to become a cleric for the sake of healing

[humble cairn]

I assume Savant has it's own skills, why do you need to justify it? Just say this is the path you've chosen.

There's no reason to assume that magical healing is commonplace.

[buoyant oar]

Take the Realms for instance. There is the concept of the Gift.

If you don't have the Gift at birth or are given it by an entity such as a outsider or patron. You can never cast magic.

[solid echo]

Oh funny idea, “it was the simpler path, I like simple” as if getting a PHD is easy

[humble cairn]

I don't think that everyone who chooses to go into the healing arts just somehow gets to learn magic.

[solid echo]

Also true

[humble cairn]

So you don't have to come up with some sort of explanation, because it's not assumed that you will just get magic.

[glossy otter]

Wait, is this about explanations on how one gets magic?

[humble cairn]

Remember that nobody else in the world gets Player Classes. That's only for Player Characters.

[solid echo]

Sort of? We are talking about my healer character who doesn’t use magic

[glossy otter]

Ah

[humble cairn]

NPCs don't run on the same rules as PCs.

[thin radish]

Hello everyone I've been playing dnd for a while and can any just explain to me the concept of the dice when different dies are meant to be used?

[umbral girder]

Most times it’s a d20 for rolls, but the ability, item, spell, etc usually tells you what dice is used

[thin radish]

Ohhh thank you so much!

[glossy otter]

I mean isn't it possible for npcs to gain character levels/abilities from classes but not to the extent of PC's

[glad arch]

Anything is possible but its not the default

[glossy otter]

Fair. I know it was experimented with for death domain and oathbreaker in 2014

[buoyant oar]

Mechanically NPCs should not be built like PCs. Narratively do whatever you want. The character sheet is an imperfect translation of this fictional person into the Rules of the Game.

[snow agate]

because the concept of wizards and sorcerers flat out just exist, i just say that classes are real

[glad arch]

Ive heard a couple of mentions of using class abilities like rage on enemies

[glad arch]

You can still call them sorcerer and give them spells without the mechanical players sorcerer

[glossy otter]

Tbh I just believe adventurers are commonplace, what sets them apart are achievements and the power they wield

[snow agate]

what would be the point of that

[old sluice]

Some NPC profiles are given thoae features but they're not given class levels. Most likely for the sake of simplification

[buoyant oar]

In the Realms the classes themselves do not exist.

[snow agate]

the realms dont have wizards? the more you know

[clear lark]

Druid in the MM?

[buoyant oar]

Not all clerics are Clerics. Not all Berserkers are berserkers. Not all wizards are Wizards.

[snow agate]

that is a separate statement from them not existing

squares dont exist, not all rectangles are squares

[glossy otter]

I suppose its why wizards for the most part are classified as mages as npc's

[buoyant oar]

The idea of "oh that person is a Cleric™"

Does not happen in the realms.

[humble cairn]

It might be called a Druid, but it is not a PC Druid.

[buoyant oar]

As for wizards. In the realms the term exists but the usual term for spellcaster of any kind was Sorcerer

[solid echo]

A cleric could be a priest in world

[snow agate]

ah yes, the sorcerer's tower, the sorcerer's spellbook, the sorcerer's hat

[glossy otter]

Warlocks I could see being the few by name

[snow agate]

also druids absolutely exist, they literally have a language called druidic

[old sluice]

A priest is someone who leads prayers. Anyone can be a priest.

[buoyant oar]

Druids do exist. But 99% of druids are like the same as IRL druids. Not wildshapers

[glossy otter]

Rogues wouldn't be rogues but based on their archetype like scouts, swashbucklers

[solid echo]

Fair

[snow agate]

why not

[humble cairn]

NPC Druids aren't PC Druids, though they're similar. PCs and NPCs are built differently and exist for different reasons.

[snow agate]

ok, why

[humble cairn]

Because they are not run by players.

[old sluice]

The same as IRL druids? Extinct? /j

[snow agate]

i dont drive my moms car but its still a car, i dont see how the distinction matters

[humble cairn]

The whole game exists as a way for Player Characters to experience the story with Non Player Characters as backdrops and antagonists.

[buoyant oar]

As a druid. Rip me I guess

[humble cairn]

NPCs are there to tell the story PCs are there to be the main characters.

[snow agate]

NPC wizards existing doesnt impede the PCs being the main characters of the story...

[minor cargo]

Is this just another excuse to fight for no reason?

Do we need to just cut it at "you can run it at your table however you want"? That sucks, but maybe it's the best use of everyone's time and energy.

[buoyant oar]

NPCs wizards do exist. But they don't follow the same guidelines and in a setting like the realms they aren't the same as PC wizards.

[humble cairn]

No, and that isn't what I'm saying? I'm saying they don't exist for the same reason and thus don't run on the same rules.

[old sluice]

"Suppressed by the roman empire" may have been a better version of that joke. I hesitated between the two.

[snow agate]

your reason is they dont exist because players arent using them, how does that make any sense

[humble cairn]

I .. what?

[snow agate]

did you mean something else? because thats what you're telling me rn

[buoyant oar]

If I am from Waterdeep and I call someone a mage a Wizard. That is not at all the same thing by definition as a PC Wizard.

[humble cairn]

"They don't exist for the same reason" = "they exist for different reasons."

[snow agate]

tbh just sounds like a lot of effort to make things more complex than they have to be , instead of saying classes exist

[buoyant oar]

The same way the Paladin when it comes to Fantasy TTRPGs is very different than the Historical basis for Paladins

[glossy otter]

Honestly the big difference between them is power scaling

[humble cairn]

Classes exist, I'm not saying classes don't exist. They're just for players.

[glossy otter]

There be a reason why players can't be NPC builds

[snow agate]

right, so sorcerers and druids and wizards arent for npcs

npcs arent sorcerers and druids and wizards

[humble cairn]

Not in the same mechanical way they are for PCs, no.

They are NPC statblocks, not character sheets.

[snow agate]

is there a reason why....? beyond "because they're not"

[buoyant oar]

Bingo. What the PHB defines as a Wizard or a sorcerer is not how someone in Neverwinter would.

[snow agate]

or is this entirely circular

[humble cairn]

Something seems very obvious to me so I'm not entirely getting what the question is.

[buoyant oar]

If you see a man fighting in the Roman arenas, you don't call him a Fighter.

You call him a Gladiator

[minor cargo]

One piece of evidence that supports Ophid and Lord Kas' view of this is how things like "druids" have a monster statblock: https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/5194976-druid

And you can see here it "echoes" what a PC druid is, but it doesn't have everything.

[old sluice]

A simpler way to put it is that the language we use extra-diegitically is very different from the diegetic language.

[snow agate]

if you see a man fighting in the UFC you call him a fighter

whats your point

[glossy otter]

Wizards you'd probably address them by mage or by their school of study

[humble cairn]

PCs have character sheets and character classes. NPCs have statblocks and titles that sometimes make them similar to classes, but are not because they are NPCs.

[buoyant oar]

You call them Mixed Martial Artists.

[glossy otter]

I mean I could see fighter being used as a term

[snow agate]

alright, this just reads as the logic being circular, that npcs cant be druids because npc druids arent druids because druids are pc classes and npcs arent pcs so npcs cant be druids

[humble cairn]

Right, and an NPC "Druid" does not work on the rules of a PC Druid, exactly!

[umbral girder]

Like lack of prepared spellcasting, and wild shape

Even ArchDruids only got long rest Wild shapes

[humble cairn]

Mechanically they do not run on the same rules. I'm treating Character classes as specific bundles of rules that work in a specific way. NPC statblocks do not run on those rules, therefore are not those classes.

[trail meadow]

Anyone starting a game I could join?

[snow agate]

alright, you can have npc druids not exist at your table if you want, just seems odd

[umbral girder]

This isn’t the channel to ask. #find-a-game is where you go for that.

[old sluice]

Diegetically, they're the same of course.

[trail meadow]

Oh my bad

[old sluice]

There is no difference from an in-universe point of view between the archdruid NPC and the druid PC.

[umbral girder]

But yeah it’s kinda like how Bard the Job exists and Bard the Class exists and Bard the NPC stat block exists

[meager fractal]

Things were better when you built npcs like you did pcs in 3.5 dnd imo

[umbral girder]

They just share a title

[humble cairn]

No, this Druid NP does exist and I would use it, but it mechanically is not a PC Druid: https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/5194976-druid

[buoyant oar]

And having different terms of the mechanical classes versus what they are called in-world can serve to build a lot of Verisimilitude

[snow agate]

aside from the entirely different abilities that they would recognize if they actually interacted with eachother...?

"wow, you can turn into birds! i cant do that, how do you do that?"
"cuz im a druid"
"but im a druid"

[umbral girder]

Mainly by level of power granted/accessed to them and ArchDruid is also just a title too

[old sluice]

What I mean is that to an outsider they are both druids, perhaps even of the same order. Might be master and apprentice.

The nuances of their powers are minute details.

[humble cairn]

So again I'm defining a "Class" as a specific bundle of mechanics and rules.

[snow agate]

skip this outsider nonsense. why can a player druid wildshape and an npc druid cant? why can their peers not do what they do?

[humble cairn]

The "Druid" name is shared by an NPC statblock and a PC Class, but the NPC is not a member of the "Class." Class is a metagame concept.

[buoyant oar]

Take one of the most famous DnD characters of all time. Minsc. The man is from the Land of Berserkers. His home has a fighting force so powerful they repel the red wizards regularly through rage and deadly close combat.

Yet people don't call all members of the Rashemaar Berserkers barbarians. Minsc himself is not even a barbarian.

[snow agate]

the red wizards. interesting

[old sluice]

Because the PC druid learned wild shaping and this specific NPC statblock represents a druid that didn't learn wild shape.

[snow agate]

who did the PC druid learn it from if their peers cant learn it

[humble cairn]

Because everyone in the world is different and has different capabilities, it is only for the purposes of the game that players have to pick a "Class" which is a metagame thing, and which restricts them to specific rules.

[uncut zenith]

iirc not all the Red Wizards are wizards either

[buoyant oar]

No one said that the words don't exist. But a Red Wizard can be a sorcerer, an Eldritch Knight, a Paladin, a Warlock.

[umbral girder]

Volo is a well known Bard but very much is not a Bard in the class sense (he even has wizard spell casting)

[old sluice]

Who said they can't?

[minor cargo]

For what it's worth, this feels like one of the least constructive ways to discuss this. It really sounds like arguing to prove who's right rather than try to seek understanding.

Maybe like... hitting the pause button would be worthwhile if we wanna keep doing this? Like we've all got time. Why not just write things out fully in as clearly as possible? And then ask for more clarity if needed?

[uncut zenith]

I think the new FR books say that you don’t have to be a Wizard class character to be a Red Wizard

[buoyant oar]

Never had to be.

[snow agate]

#dnd-discussion message

[buoyant oar]

Just someone trained in the Art.

[old sluice]

I don't see a "can't" anywhere. Did you link to the wrong message?

[snow agate]

oh so we're being pedantic now

alright im out have fun

[old sluice]

No I was being sincere

That's a very defensive fellow.

[buoyant oar]

What we are saying is like not all diviners in worlds get Portent they are not Mechanically Diviners.

I am not going to call a tactical commander a Battle Master.

[normal junco]

i get from the game sense why PCs and stat blocks are significantly different from each other. but in world lore is where things get off-track interacting with the disparity. especially when it comes to NPCs that used to be adventurers.

[humble cairn]

The Druid Player Class and Druids in world might share a name, but they are not the same thing. They are both Druids, but the NPC is not of the Druid "Class" because "Class" is a metagame thing for Players.

[hollow stone]

i mean you can 1:1 import the mechanics of giving levels to an NPC, it's just a little not how the game is supposed to be balanced

[meager fractal]

Dude said he was out why are people still going at him?

[raw ocean]

Could a full party of every max level class beat like the strongest characters in fiction? (No wish spell)

[old sluice]

Depends. Who is the writer of their fight?

[raw ocean]

Someone completely unbiased and goes off of facts alone

[old sluice]

And what kind of story is the writer trying to tell?

[buoyant oar]

I for one love adding a lot of the details to make the world feel as alive as possible. I am the anti Hand wave DM.

[raw ocean]

(Both sides have prep time)

[raw ocean]

A fight of great proportions where the mightiest wins, no underhanded methods

[buoyant oar]

Well. Considering that many of the fictional characters in published DND Settings have the backing of literal gods. I doubt the PCs will survive that.

[hollow stone]

this isn't to say you should or would because the game is not designed this way, but you could, or also just... write in for the Druid NPC that it can cast Wildshape and give it the charges to do so

[old sluice]

Oh. Then that person doesn't write that fight and goes to make something better with their time and the fight doesn't get written.

[normal junco]

Fan: "Who would win in a fight between the Hulk and the Thing?" Stan Lee: "Depends on who's writing the comic."

[raw ocean]

You lowkey right 😭

[umbral girder]

Strongest in Fiction is broad

[raw ocean]

Dumb question, writers favorite will always win

[buoyant oar]

Take 100 level 20 characters.

Lady of Pain: Looks

All dead.

[old sluice]

Not necessarily. Sometimes writers put their favorites in losing situations

[raw ocean]

I was thinking death match YouTube videos where they actually analyze strengths and weaknesses then compares

[hollow stone]

yea strongest in fiction can quite literally refer to mary sue tier abrahamic gods in universes where nothing goes wrong bc it's a kids show

[old sluice]

And moreover you are forgetting the rule of fictional fights: The underdog is more likely to win.

[raw ocean]

Let’s make this less broad, Demi-god level of characters

[old sluice]

So the stronger of the two parties in a fictional battle is actually the loser

To win a battle in a fictional fight you need to be weaker than your opponent

[normal junco]

for that you would need to port over the fictional characters into the exact same system using the rules of the system. then run the numbers and see.

[tawdry pecan]

It's a good question . It's a question design to create a specific discussion. People responding with 'the writers favorite' or whatever aren't smart for saying it, and seem to be unable to grasp context and the point of things.

[raw ocean]

I think most characters would get stumped by force cage

Not alot of them have the specific power of teleportation

[umbral girder]

Also very broad as Demigod is varied as well in stories

[old sluice]

What kind of demi-god?

[raw ocean]

Let’s say Kratos for a base

[umbral girder]

Like Hercules and Vecna are both demigods after all

[old sluice]

Exalted demigods? Greek demigods? D&D demigods?

[teal scroll]

I don’t understand the character sheets 😭

[old sluice]

The seven sisters are demigods. They're just wizards.

[normal junco]

what do you need help with? on DnDBeyond or pencil and paper?

[umbral girder]

They more or less just show your work for abilities and weapons

[teal scroll]

Pencil and paper

[normal junco]

okay. which rules do you have access to?

[teal scroll]

I just have the players handbook

[old sluice]

Which Kratos?

Is it Kratos at the start of a game with the fight he mandatorily loses to establish the stakes?

[normal junco]

if you go step by step in the creation process it really helps you figure out where things go and what the numbers come from. it took me like four times of manually going through until i had the "aha!" moment and i finally grasped where things came from.

[old sluice]

And prepare for the inevitable endgame rematch

[raw ocean]

GOW: Ragnarok, end game

[timber crystal]

Crazy how this server doesn’t allow server tags

[old sluice]

Oh he loses. The first time. In that case the D&D party is an optional boss fight in a hidden area, and optional bosses are harder. Nobody beats them first try

[raw ocean]

I think in 1v1’s he would stomp the melee classes, but I feel like the spell casters could have something new every time

[teal scroll]

If im a cleric, where would i write light armor, medium armor, shields?

[raw ocean]

This is assuming that the spell casters just don’t use some cheese spell for an instant win

[old sluice]

Nah. Nobody beats optional bosses on their first try. Kratos loses.

[raw ocean]

True

[normal junco]

there should be an area on the page that allows you to write language proficiencies, tool proficiencies, and weapon/armour proficiencies. i think bottom left-ish.

but i might be thinking of the 2014 character sheet instead.

[violet rain]

how do i get a free online dnd game to play with my friends

[glossy otter]

#find-a-game

[harsh hinge]

You don't need to buy anything to play D&D. You just need friends, a way to roll dice (digital is fine), a way to track character info, and an adventure (which can also be had for free).

[umbral girder]

I dont think that's the answer to their question

Sounds like they already have a group

[glossy otter]

oh, I see. My apologies then

the basic rules should be available

[umbral girder]

D&D Beyond.com occasionally has free written adventures on the site. So one of you should be able to run it. The basic rules also provides a few guides on making your own adventures as well!

[glossy otter]

I think it comes with the starter adventure dragon of stormwreck isle (the beginning part)

[stray atlas]

y'know

I just realized something, I'm thinking of mind flayers as xenomorphs

where they take adapt a little bit from the person they were born from

but idt they work like that

[normal junco]

if you are playin in person, DMsGuild and DriveThruRPG have a bunch of free adventures of varying quality. but you don't even have to go that far. DnDBeyond used to have a bunch of Encounters of the Week. these were free adventures or encounters you could run, but they have not been incorporated into the character builder or vitual tabletop. they exist only on their posts

[stray atlas]

wish they did but they don't

[normal junco]

its been a while since i've seen encounters of the week. i'm trying to figure out how to search through those posts

[harsh hinge]

I got you: https://www.dndbeyond.com/tag/encounter-of-the-week

[minor cargo]

The above is definitely what I'd suggest first - but if you are looking to do a bit more tinkering and/or you just need some general ideas, the way back machine / archive should have the old 3.5E adventures. There were like... 30ish of them? At one point, they were all hosted by WOTC and I don't think I ever read one I didn't like (though I definitely had favs).

[glossy otter]

slaad are more closer being literal chestbursters

[stray atlas]

I wasn't thinking the actual chestbursting part

[stray atlas]

I was thinking this

[turbid olive]

Yoo

[solar elm]

Yooo

[turbid olive]

Do any of y'all do Warhammer

[umbral girder]

This is a D&D server, not a Warhammer server.

[solar elm]

Nope

[turbid olive]

Jees just asking

[opal wharf]

#non-dnd-topics would have better results

[fair plinth]

Im thinking about getting a new dnd book, what should i get if i already have the 3 2014 core books and the 2024 phb

As a player

[glossy otter]

depends on what you're looking for

are you more on the player side or DM side?

[fair plinth]

Player at the moment

[glossy otter]

2014 I'd reccomend tasha's, xanathars or mordenkainens

2024 the only one I could think of are the new FR books

[umbral girder]

Monsters of the Multiverse specifically.

Because we got 2 Mordenkainen books

[glossy otter]

the other ones practically extinct no?

[umbral girder]

I've seen them in LGS

[glossy otter]

it's out of print and I haven't seen stores selling them around me unless its more than $100 can

though I would reccomend tome of foes for DMs

[valid geyser]

i swear i see copies on like facebook marketplace like all the time

[buoyant oar]

Tome of Foes is such a good book for DMs. Tbh. So is Volo's.

[valid geyser]

yeah, i doubt we'll get books like those again at least for a while

[glossy otter]

i'm kinda sad the orc stat blocks were straight up wiped

[knotty basin]

Weren’t they renamed?

[valid geyser]

yeah, I think the only chance for humanoid blocks like those again are in setting books (see forge of the artificer with gnoll statblocks) but i doubt a setting book really wants to spend that much page space on such a specific topic

[glossy otter]

not that I'm aware of

[valid geyser]

the only DM sourcebooks i think we'll get are setting books and books laser focused on a big specific thing like an iconic creature type. There's little room for the smaller monsters anymore

[glossy otter]

the orcs were straight up removed, drow were made so that they could be any alignment along with duergar

[buoyant oar]

Truly the last Splat books

[valid geyser]

i think setting books can get away with some of them, as long as they're tied to a faction such as Adventures in faerun specifying drow of Lolth as the villainous drow faction

and even then we dont get the same amount of writing on them that books like volo's would. A couple paragraphs is the most you get

[buoyant oar]

Hold up a min. Is this the first year without a Big Campaign adventure in a while?

[glossy otter]

i have a feeling Orcs will never get that treatment again

[glossy otter]

yep, eve of ruin was the last big one

[buoyant oar]

I am surprised there wasn't one to go with the FR Books.

[valid geyser]

like, there's the very slight possibility of it since people were very excited to hear about the new many arrows kingdom. But even then that was only in the book because the artist for the map added it

[buoyant oar]

And Many Arrows didn't invent the "Peaceful Orc" when Salvatore created it. The sad part is that a lot of this pulling and twisting over Drow and Orcs are based on assumptions players and DMs make.

[glossy otter]

I'm just thinking we're gonna see Venger and the Red Wizards team up

[buoyant oar]

They'll just make him a red wizard

[valid geyser]

true, it's just the only example of orcs doing something in the forgotten realms as of right now

[buoyant oar]

We are talking about the team that put amethyst dragons with the Dragon Slaying knights because purple purpled.

[glossy otter]

Perhaps venger's just temporarily aligning with them for power in FR

[valid geyser]

2026 is 4 weeks away and we still have no idea what wotc is planning to do that year for d&d

[buoyant oar]

That mentioned in the 5e Books the Ondonti Orcs have been leaving peacefully in the Ride for centuries. The mostly half Orc town of Palischuck in Vaasa is one of the better places in the whole nation.

[valid geyser]

i think wotc cares more about the lore for the cartoon than any of their other settings. Venger will be fine

[humble cairn]

Humanoids of all kinds got statblocks in the new MM. Specifically Drow statblock were reintroduced with the Faerun books, wasn't it?

[buoyant oar]

A cartoon that aired 20 years before the primary demographic was born lol

[glossy otter]

the orc ones werent

they cease to exist after volo's

[humble cairn]

Orcs are humanoids. Thus the humanoid statblocks are also orcs.

[buoyant oar]

Drow are also humanoid tho

[fair plinth]

Will we get a 2024 version of tashas caudron?

[humble cairn]

Yes, and they are also included in the humanoid blocks. Though the specifically Faerun culture Drow got reintroduced for the Faerun setting.

[valid geyser]

yeah i'm sure i have a biased point of view as someone with no attachment to the cartoon, but it really is some pandering to a target audience im not apart of

[hot reef]

I believe that’s just the 2024 basic rules now

[buoyant oar]

If they reprint a 2019 book for the updated rules. It'll be the worst cash grab ever.

[glossy otter]

I meant with the ones like the hand of yutrus and the other named orc pantheon ones

[valid geyser]

yeah adventures in faerun has some statblock for drow of lolth, trying to specify that those drow are the ones that are bad guys, not drow in general

[humble cairn]

I don't believe the 2024 Monster Manual has any specifically Drow statblocks.

[buoyant oar]

I like how WotC did this big announcement on a Drow lore update and then proceeded to do absolutely nothing with it.

[valid geyser]

i mean there was a drizzt novel about it

[glossy otter]

at most all we got last were the new drow settlements to show off non evil drow

[humble cairn]

It's basically lore from the novels, right?

[valid geyser]

but i feel like in the setting books themselves, they probably shouldve spent more time explaining the aeven and lorendrow to people who havent read 30 something drizzt books

[buoyant oar]

About one of the two cultures. The Aevendrow. The Lorendrow has a city. Somewhere.

[humble cairn]

Ahh, that's true, those were very interesting.

[uncut zenith]

A lot of the options in TCOE still hold up in comparison to the 2024 rules imo, so I’m not really chomping at the bit for them to get updated/reprinted with minimal changes

[buoyant oar]

They announced the creation of the Aevendrow and the Lorendrow prior to the Way of the Drow Trilogy as this big thing on the old DnD website. And renamed Lolthite Drow as the Udadrow. And then just didn't touch it again.

[glossy otter]

ngl my headcanon on those two kinds of drow was that they were Lolthite but fled and found each other to start building

[valid geyser]

this is also just the first time theyve touched drow in the books, so it's not a great first impression. I remember seeing someone very confused about the just random loredrop about it

[buoyant oar]

And here is the thing. Non Lolthite Drow communities have been around in the realms since the 80s

[valid geyser]

if we had like, another drow/underdark adventure that wouldve been cool, but thats not gonna happen

[buoyant oar]

One of Mystra's Daughters is a Drow

[valid geyser]

also doesnt help out of the abyss is half underdark adventure and half demon adventure

[glossy otter]

ngl that gives me an idea for a campaign where it starts out that the group are uadrow but realize Loth's evil and begin changing to the point they side against her

[buoyant oar]

The thing about the Aevendrow and Lorendrow that made them interesting is they are Drow who were never under Lolth's thumb. They were dark elves of old Ilithyir that rejected her call and went into hiding.

[flat crane]

How do yall run Feats in 5.5e?

Like the non-2024 PHB feats, do you treat them as origin feats or just not use them at all?

[rough basalt]

As general feats

[knotty basin]

Origin feats are their own thing

[red steppe]

Bears are fish

[buoyant oar]

IIRC this was also in the weird time where WotC hired Benedict Cumberbatch to narrate a Drow Lullaby and then less than year later unlisted the video

[valid geyser]

i remember that

[flat crane]

yeah I know, but with the feats that are no longer in the 2024 stuff, like XGE, are they still obtainable?

[valid geyser]

i think i do like the cult of lolth as an evil group. They're a pretty uncommon case I think in these settings of bad guys that have basically won. I think that's very fun

[buoyant oar]

5e realms did that a lot which I enjoyed. It leaves a lot of room for adventure.

[valid geyser]

yeah i think as a whole they've done a pretty good job at not just making them intrinsically evil bad guys while also keeping them as interesting bad guys

[rough basalt]

Yeah? It's not a new edition.

Only downside is older feats don't have the big qol change that started with Tashas

That being feats being half feats so you get ASI points as well as the feat

[buoyant oar]

In the Old Empires, Unther crushed the Dragonborn.

In Damara, the Tyrant King still is in power after somehow surviving his death.

In Tethyr, Queen Ysabel Linden is Bad News in the worst possible way

[glossy otter]

I wont spoil where but I find it suprising when they try having non drow worshipping lol

[valid geyser]

yeah i do get a little scared of neccessary removals of lore things might not get anything new in return

[knotty basin]

Isn’t there a lore channel

[glossy otter]

isn't lolths whole thing shes a hardcore racist to non drow?

[rough basalt]

Also sexist

[glossy otter]

that too, a huge mysandrist

[buoyant oar]

yea. I am not a realms grognard who gets mad when things update.

I get angy when. Things are just removed and nothing replaces it.

[valid geyser]

like, new Calimshan is really cool, I just feel like there's less room for conflict there than previous the way the books are written. Songal is such a benevolent and good ruler as written idk if i really love her

[uncut zenith]

Yeah, she’s basically a bigot in every sense of the word

[flat crane]

yup but this would go in rules not lore

[rough basalt]

She's top of the bigotry ranked ladders

[knotty basin]

Why?

[glossy otter]

if she's not a bigot somewhere I'd be amazed

[buoyant oar]

Songal is very good. But they got very very close to Mary Suing. I love her as a character. But she needs a good old fashion conflict she can't fix alone.

[uncut zenith]

Because it’s a question regarding rules and mechanics, not lore

[valid geyser]

yeah i think she exists for a good meta reason. It was a good choice to change up Calimshan to give it a new twist and remove the very prevalent slavery stuff

[knotty basin]

I’m not talking about you

[rough basalt]

But yeah old feats aren't just gone.
They're just not reprinted yet

[flat crane]

Because it's a question regarding rules and mechanics, not lore

[uncut zenith]

Well you’re in a general public server

[knotty basin]

I was talking about skittle as kas

[valid geyser]

i think also the fact that she's still a relativelty new ruler who practically invaded and conquered Calimshan, there should be a good bit more instability written out

[rough basalt]

Whenever we get a Lolths Web of Everything we'll probably see a lot of feats reprinted

[buoyant oar]

Yeah. I get the update. But. "She is the best all of the time everywhere and also rich, and everyone loves her." Is not engaging narratively.

Would have loved a book trilogy on her rise to power.

[uncut zenith]

The question may not have been directed at me, but if I have the answer to try and help you, I’m gonna provide it

[knotty basin]

I wasn’t even talking about your discussion

[buoyant oar]

Baby girl Songal deserves a treat of character development and more art than one spell art lol

[knotty basin]

You didn’t have the answer

[valid geyser]

or a calimshan Adventure where Songal is a primary NPC. Seems like the story given to her would totally fit a higher level AP

[buoyant oar]

A 5-15 adventure of the events described in FRAiF would have been much better than most 5e hard backs where nothing really changes in the end.

[crimson gulch]

oh there is art of her? where?

[buoyant oar]

At her spell

[crimson gulch]

puts down pencil

oh fantastic

[glossy otter]

ngl after going through some old movies, the fabrication machine in 9 would make an interesting villain for dnd

[buoyant oar]

I require more lore on Songal WotC or The Eberron setting gets it

[crimson gulch]

Thank you very much Kas, my calimport campaign tonight needed that

[left trail]

Woah Urizt, full time pro DM?! For real ! Damn

[crimson gulch]

yes, im currently running 5 professional campaigns and many extra premium one shots

[woven flint]

I awoken from my SLUMBER
Today is EXTRA GOOFY day!!!!

[left trail]

How do I get onboarded?

[glass granite]

What about your other days?!

[woven flint]

Those were just practice...!

[glass granite]

For what? The Ragnarok of Silly?!

Dam

[woven flint]

I ascend from lord of silly today..

TO BECOME LORD OF GOOFY!!!

[glass granite]

Congrats on the promotion

[bronze quiver]

the first message i see when i join the server 😭

[woven flint]

Hello.
Tis I...
The goofy man.

[bronze quiver]

ok spongebob

[woven flint]

I'm no mere SPONGE, Mortal.

[bronze quiver]

ok

[rough basalt]

drawing up this 2nd game i wanna run, i feel bad for whoever plays in it

there gon be lots of traps and puzzles

[lusty tendon]

Ooo add the magic missile room as a punishment room

[bronze quiver]

two of my favorite words

[lusty tendon]

A room of nothing but magic missile glyphs and only one other a counter spell glyph for shield spell

[woven flint]

Don't give this man ideas!
He killed my Fighters childhood horse in LAVA!!!

I don't need more torture

[bronze quiver]

rip 😢

[lusty tendon]

Also if i play in a minecraft campaign and i choose artificer can i make a redstone machine?

[woven flint]

He's a Cavalier without a Steed now 😔

[wooden patio]

When it comes to playing dnd online, assuming you want maps and stuff, is Roll20 the best way or are there other better ones?

[bronze quiver]

buy a new horse trust

[harsh hinge]

I prefer Owlbear Rodeo.

[bronze quiver]

I didnt know that existed

[woven flint]

It's not as easy as that for him
He could buy another horse, but the horse that perished has been his friend ever since he was a young farm lad 😔

[bronze quiver]

fair point

[rough basalt]

theres a few good VTT's it depends on what you want

ddb maps is integrated with ddb and i think is easy to use so if you own a lot of ddb content could be best

Roll20 is good if you play a lot of different systems

Owlbear is as complicated as you want it to be, can just slap a map and tokens down at its base

[north lake]

Finally got my hands on the 2024 books! Now I just wish I had a group

[cosmic roost]

Ready to play Dungeons & Dragons?

Visit #find-a-game for everything you need to start your search, including:

• Instructions for finding a game here on the server (including how to post in our #looking-for channels).
• Suggestions for finding a game outside of this server.
• Basic advice to help you in your hunt.

[bronze quiver]

🙋‍♂️

[wooden patio]

If I just want let's say character sheets, and a relatively simple program that's free or has a free version that offers at least all the basics?

[rough basalt]

Owlbear, and use ddb or docs for sheets

[wooden patio]

and also, I want it to be one that does not limit the amount of characters and campaigns you can have

[harsh hinge]

Not sure what the limits for Roll20 are, but given those stipulations, maybe that will serve you best. Unless you want to look into the score of paid options out there.

[rough basalt]

Roll20 will be very ad heavy and its sheets are kinda eh

[wooden patio]

does owlbear follow this as well?

[rough basalt]

but i dont think it has game amount limits

[harsh hinge]

Owlbear doesn't do character sheet management.

[wooden patio]

Nice. Also, couldn't you just use the official digital fillable character sheets?

[rough basalt]

yeah that too

I've never had a good experience with roll20s charactermancer tbh

[wooden patio]

what about foundry? I've seen that one being mentioned a bit

[rough basalt]

its a 50 dollar buy-in

[harsh hinge]

Folks love Foundry, but it costs money and is resource-intensive.

[rough basalt]

and if your players dont have decent pcs they wont be able to load maps sometimes

a modern pc is pretty much a must

[bronze quiver]

yo unrelated question
ive been tryna make a physical character sheet but im too used to dndbeyond
how do i calculate the hp?

[harsh hinge]

What level and class?

[bronze quiver]

level 3 bard

[rough basalt]

How is your game handling hp

[tropic sun]

Are you Guys more,th more powerful the better or more of a the better Lore the better?

[bronze quiver]

im not joining one,im js making it for the future

[rough basalt]

you dont wanna make sheets prematurely, usually

[bronze quiver]

lore is better imo

[tropic sun]

Oh yeah kinda self Promo i guess But i Draw stuff for free

[harsh hinge]

For level 1, it's max HP for your class's hit die (HD) + CON modifier.
For every level after that, you can either roll your HD and add your CON modifier, or you take the average of your HD (then add your CON mod).

[rough basalt]

but if the game was running average hp on level up and you got say a +2 to con your HP at level 3 would be 24 (the actual math ^)

[bronze quiver]

k thx

[reef tundra]

I tend to have my enemies be "lore accurate" with their power

[glass granite]

I do so to a point. Because I have some people who I have to buff slightly or need slightly to balance an encounter

[rough basalt]

man i wanna run something

[reef tundra]

You know I have no limits when making stat blocks...

[glass granite]

Clearly you do, else you would’ve kept the self heal

[rough basalt]

hate december when it comes to dnd

[glass granite]

My schedule frees up in early December, so I’m happy

[reef tundra]

Hey! That wasn't a limit that was a choice!

[rough basalt]

December be like a void where games go to die

[glass granite]

What are limits to a god? You are the ultimate deity in your campaign, the limits are your choice.

[wind sparrow]

I think that becomes the limit. Are you a god or the world?

[glass granite]

“Yes”

[reef tundra]

Damn

[solar crow]

I have 22 AC now in my campaign lol

[rough basalt]

Got a one shot ima be doing, but it just makes me want more.

[reef tundra]

Playing a tank is always fun

I still think fondly of my paladin super tank build

[solar crow]

Lol

We're on our last floor of this dungeon which is all we've been doing this campaign lol

[reef tundra]

Plate armour, +1 shield, +2 AC from haste from the wizard, +2 AC from cleric's shield of faith, and then some other thing I can't remember

25 AC... it was bliss

[solar crow]

Jeezus

[umbral wraith]

Im excited...my group has its first official session today and we got a new member. New person plays a artificer fighter insectnoid.

[pearl isle]

What’s y’all’s funniest dnd memory?

[glad arch]

Got a paladin at 19ac no spells with +0 shield and chainmail who has access to shield of faith and the shield spell, this is gonna get fun

[hot gate]

The party sledding down a slope using the petrified wizard as a sled.

[umbral wraith]

Punting a dragon the size of a football across a village. We have a barbarian dragon born in the group

[uncut zenith]

Our party druid getting backhanded by Strahd so much that he should have theoretically died

[old sluice]

The BBEG having absolutely no recollection of killing a PC's family.

[reef tundra]

"You killed my father"
"Do you understand how little that narrows it down?"

[glass granite]

Im literally doing that to my barbarian next session 😭

[fair plinth]

A fellow player decided to draw 10 cards from the deck of many things
He made a new character next session lol

[pearl isle]

Mine was when our dwarf ended up on a stick

[reef tundra]

You evil son of a-

[glass granite]

Thank you

[old sluice]

Basically

[glass granite]

My funniest memory would be my player that’s playing the vessel from Hollow Knight having his character name mispronounced from “Aspid” to “Aspirin”. He then proceeded to be flipped upside down, thrown and then be temporarily stuck with his horns stuck in the snow.

[leaden scroll]

Is there a joke term in the D&D community to refer to people who are instinctively DM's even though they don't want to DM? Because I may be that person

[rough basalt]

My Ranger crossdressing to get info from a gang boss on where their hideout was.

[glad arch]

me knowing the rules better then my dm

[blissful dragon]

Forever dm is one

[rough basalt]

Ye some people will just choose someone to be the dm and if they won't dm they won't play

[leaden scroll]

The way it happens to me is that I tend to worldbuild instinctively. Like my friends and I just propose it and I'm already drawing the continents and nations

[umbral girder]

Legend of Drizzt moment

[rough basalt]

I really need to get back to reading it

[blissful dragon]

In a dragon heist game I was in the dm let us have a magic button that summoned muffins then we learn it actual just stole them from a random person somewhere in the world and was left their by a bored mage

[rough basalt]

I like doing goofy stuff with magic like that

Like I have a boss who has a magic music deck that forces everyone who hears him playing it to be under the effects of Otto's Irresistible Dance.

[limpid wadi]

Who wants to chant bard?

[umbral girder]

You could survive the planet exploding with that /jk

[rough basalt]

But he doesn't take advantage of it with his mooks

His mooks gotta dance too

[blissful dragon]

Another time the dm tried to set a cool fight against a werebear criminal in the field ward but the warlock he gave a buff that helped with intimidation rolls scared the boss so badly it combined with a calm emotions and a persuasion check from the paladin let to the werebear giving up crime and later on helping us out

[limber oriole]

So a pro wrestler build? I’m thinking a bard/monk multiclass

[knotty basin]

Why bard?

That seems like a full monk thing

[lavish flame]

Pro Wrestlers are actors is why

[umbral girder]

So?

Just get the entertainer or gladiator background

[knotty basin]

Yeah, but they don’t typically have magical powers

[lavish flame]

Nobody does what

[knotty basin]

Or actor feat

[umbral girder]

I mean. You can’t see John Cena notably /jk

[knotty basin]

Wizards are fictional, and typically do have magic powers. Pro wrestlers happen to be real, and don’t have magic powers

It makes sense for a fictional wizard, not a fictional wrestler

[blissful dragon]

I have seen subclass themed around the wrestler style combat for barb

[old sluice]

Monks also have magic powers. Go with barbarian or fighter

[loud tendon]

But you could say that they are storytellers and actors. Bards arent only music based.
If you wanted to be an athletic bard that's totally acceptable

[lavish flame]

The fiction of pro wrestlers absolutely includes magic. The Undertaker is a lich

[old sluice]

Take proficiency in performance.

[limber oriole]

I mean i was basing it off of Ric Flair

[old sluice]

Yeah the fiction. In real life the Undertaker is just a dude. Sp you play a fighter pro-wrestler, get proficiency in performance, and mention that part of your character's act is being a lich or whatever

[uncut zenith]

Yeah, like the Eloquence bard was designed to be an orator

[limber oriole]

Watch that guy in his pomp and tell me his CHA isn’t super high

[knotty basin]

Of course, but it’s kind of jarring to have your wrestler shooting fire bolts, or whatever bard cantrips they get

[uncut zenith]

Bards are artistic, but not inherently musical

[knotty basin]

Might want to look into the UA “feats for skills”

[old sluice]

Note that anyone can be artistic

[knotty basin]

And play as a monk

[knotty basin]

They have what I think you’re looking for

[loud tendon]

Many pro wrestler enter to pyrotechnics and lighting effects.

In a game of fantasy confining a real life profession to its real life parameters seems a little overly literal.

[limber oriole]

I mean bard makes sense to me, i mean it’s also The Forgotten Realms. A pro wrestler that is actually wrestling people would definitely cast vicious mockery

[rough basalt]

Well if you're wrestling for entertainment you're not gonna be casting spells that can kill people, least not usually.

[blissful dragon]

Personally I feel barb fits better as a base as since strong feats and physical power and control is required for wrestling a bard can do the performance side sure but it’s less suit fir the core

[loud tendon]

There are probably a dozen builds across different classes that could easily fit the bill of "pro wrestler"

There is not a set "one"

[knotty basin]

When did I say I was confining them? I’m suggesting that if they want to play as a non-magical wrestler, then don’t use magic

Be my guest, make a magic wrestler guy. seems like a cool concept

[umbral girder]

I mistakenly read “anyone can be artistic” as “anyone can be autistic”

[knotty basin]

Ok, that’s not really what I was envisioning, but go ahead

Sounds fun

[old sluice]

The question when we say "pro-wrestler character" is what are we talking about? A character that does the exact same thing as pro wrestlers for a living? A character that does what pro wrestlers are pretending to do?

In the first case that's just an ordinary fighter with performance. In the second case... There could even be an actual lich in the pro wrestling scene in Waterdeep

[knotty basin]

Why fighter over monk?

[old sluice]

Because monks do magic stuff. Not in the spell sense but they walk on water, run on walls...

[umbral girder]

Because fighter is top tier

[knotty basin]

You can reflavor it as being non-magical. Maybe this wrestler guy is just really fast, it’s fantasy

[old sluice]

There is no way to just be fast enough to run on water with a human build. That is just magic.

[knotty basin]

Again, fantasy

[old sluice]

Yes. Therefore it's magic

[umbral girder]

When we see the pro wrestler go up a 135ft wall that is a 90 degree angle in 6 seconds

[south salmon]

Whats good yall?

[knotty basin]

Just say he’s climbing/swimming quickly

[old sluice]

But he is not. A monk running on water is not swimming. Their clothes are still dry on the other side. If it's not water but acid, for example, the monk took no damage and therefore was not swimming. If the monk attacks something while running over water, the monk does not have disadvantage

[knotty basin]

✨flavor✨

[old sluice]

You cannot "just say" he's swimming. Because everything else about the fiction indicates that no, the monk is not swimming. Because the monk is immune to every other thing that would happen if they actually were swimming

[knotty basin]

Also, fighters can swing a sledgehammer 8 times in six seconds. D&D characters do not abide by real-life human limits.

[hidden spindle]

Make it 9 for Bonus Action (Light Hammer)

[umbral girder]

Actually swinging a hammer 8 times in 6 seconds is very possible

[knotty basin]

Sorry, a crossbow in 6 seconds

[old sluice]

In the same way that you cannot flavour a character's spells as being mundane gadgets they have. Because those gadgets suddenly require vocal components and don't work in an area of silence, can be counterspelled, dispelled, and don't work in an antimagic field. Flavour cannot do away with that

[old sluice]

Actually you can swing a hammer eight times in six seconds. More in fact.

[old sluice]

Also possible!

[umbral girder]

Interesting goal post shifting right there

[woven flint]

Slowly looks over at Artificer

[knotty basin]

Ok, fair

[knotty basin]

As if you aren’t doing the same thing

[old sluice]

No Nealen is not.

[snow agate]

guys do you think its better to have personal bonds at chargen or do you think its better to just come together professionally

[woven flint]

The vocal component could also be activating the gadget, you know :p

[old sluice]

That is a good point. Everything else remains.

[knotty basin]

Right, sorry, I forgot the fun police would show up to my door if I even as much deviate a tiny bit from the stereotypical wise old sorceror

[south salmon]

Hey does anyone here have a campaign vacancy? Ive been trying to find a group to join and play a character in because my old group is mostly gone. Preferably without having to pay to have character art done.

[old sluice]

Oh. Now we're... what's the word? Strawmanning?

[knotty basin]

Guess I’ll rot in fun jail

[snow agate]

not currently but you can look in #looking-for-players

[knotty basin]

Am I?

[woven flint]

I can't wait for Psion to drop

[hidden spindle]

I was just thinking that with Firearms and casting Artificer Spells through'm like... 👉 👉

[knotty basin]

It is a fantasy game. Fantasy. Fantastical. Unrealistic.

Not bound by logic

[old sluice]

Is that not the word for that rhetorical process where you invent another version of the argument made against your position or another argument entirely and answer this invented argument instead of the thing the other person actually said?

[knotty basin]

Yes, it is and I see your point

But like… fantasy!

[old sluice]

Therefore figuratively making a straw man, hitting it and pretending you actually hit the person.

[knotty basin]

I don’t play D&D to play as “normal dude” or “stock character #198274728”

[old sluice]

I don't see why you would. Nor do I see anyone saying you should.

[knotty basin]

You kind of are though

Putting arbitrary restrictions on how classes can be described?

Pigeonholing them into their stereotypes

[woven flint]

It's not arbitrary, it's literally saying how Monks run over liquids

[bronze quiver]

what are we on abt gng

[knotty basin]

Sure, but why can’t MY character just be good at running over water?

[turbid vessel]

a debate that's as old as dnd itself, probably older

[woven flint]

Just cast water walking, ig 🚶

[tough cradle]

Yo I’m new

[old sluice]

You do not see that there is something of a gap between "putting arbitrary restrictions over how classes can be described", "pigeonholong them into their stereotypes" and "forcing you to play normal dude or stock character"?
Not that I or anyone is actually doing any of those things. But even if someone was doing one of those things, those are three very different things.

[clear lark]

they can certainly practice. lol

[old sluice]

Your character is good at running over water. Because they're a monk and use magic to do it.