dnd-discussion

[glass granite]

I cast dispel curse, and move on

[silent estuary]

i am creating a character in D&D Beyond and its getting pretty laggy, is it normal?

[crimson gulch]

It's been lagging alot since the updatw

[raw ocean]

"Erm but in raw, you need blah blah blah to dispel it!"

[glass granite]

RAW also states that the DM has the final ruling, and as I am the DM (no one has claimed it), I rule against it

[frail wasp]

thats why you always cook your rules

[vale sage]

Hello

[raw ocean]

I am actually hasbro, prepare for another extremely unbalanced book

[jolly venture]

The update makes it so that I must click to confirm when I roll anything. Do you know how to make it like it was before?

[raw ocean]

[200$ price tag btw]

[fossil hollow]

i dont think any book, not even the sets, have reached 150

[crimson gulch]

No idea

[idle oar]

You’re probably using Beyond20 a third party browser extension. DnDBeyond does not support that extension. Please get support from its developer

[crimson gulch]

The books work fine, it's when folks change things that we have issues I find

[fossil hollow]

actually, theres that book set for the expanded rules that came out with the white covers

no idea how much that is going for though

[raw ocean]

Only Mammon himself would charge such prices

[fossil hollow]

which is why hes always poor

[clear lark]

Yeah I only care about the Core rules, anything else is just more money to spend

[raw ocean]

QOL is the main selling point of D&D beyond

[fossil hollow]

i do have to say that nowadays i prefer physical sheets and books compared to ddb

[crimson gulch]

This is the way

[final haven]

Hello. I am new to dnd and am trying to find a group. Where am I looking

[south plank]

have any of you guys had success in joining a play-by-post game? ive joined six so far, but none of them have actually lasted beyond a few days. is this just a medium that just doesnt work?

[south plank]

#find-a-game

[stuck shuttle]

I’ve never had one work either, but I think it’s not necessarily the medium that doesn’t work, more so that most players that think they need PbP don’t actually need nor want to play PbP

[frail wasp]

last successful one I was in was decades ago, no idea these days

[final haven]

Bois if a few more people join this convo yas having and are chill form a group

[stuck shuttle]

There’s the slower speed which means a lot of wait time. There’s also a lot less social “pressure” to respond expediently or consistently compared to being in a regular session

[frail wasp]

most folks here are already in full groups

[final haven]

Ack. All I can say is form one and wait

[glass granite]

Some are in multiple

[final haven]

I have a group but we meet on Fridays. Need more dnd though to fill the hole

That channel for finding groups is hella confusing to me

[gleaming lodge]

Question: do you think there's room for changing certain classes' mechanics so their spellcasting methods are more unique? If so, how would you go about it?

[fossil hollow]

#homebrew

[final haven]

Not sure. You’d have to give me a run down of how the magic guys operate then I’d have something for ya

[gleaming lodge]

I more meant it as a hypothetical rules update, since we were talking about creature classifications and whatnot earlier.

[stuck shuttle]

I think there’d be some difficulty in stepping on metamagic’s toes, since that already modifies spellcasting a great deal

I guess you could go for a more structural change like with Pact Magic, but differentiating that significantly as well would be a challenge

[fickle heart]

(Get more screens, lul)

[glossy narwhal]

I gotta work on my character drawing. It started out great, botched the hand and screwed up the entire thing

[gleaming lodge]

I more just meant how druids and wizards and warlocks all cast spells in basically the same way, despite having vastly different origins for their abilities.

[glossy narwhal]

I wanted to base my character on my Skyrim character, but that may be easier said than done. Technically he was based on my original Skyrim character, but I switched over to an Arcane Assassin and haven't gone back

The first Skyrim character was basically a high elf Bladesinger mercenary, but being an Assassin got more gold

[lavish flame]

Sorcerers having the Spell Points system from the 2014 DMG is a good start

[gleaming lodge]

How did that work? I'm pretty new to D&D.

[sleek cloud]

I have returned to the land of the living

[vale sage]

Sorcerers should be Con casters. I will die on this hill.

[gleaming lodge]

Whichever stat is closest to "individual will", I reckon.

[still plover]

Warlocks should be Intelligence based.

[blissful quail]

I have a question for you guys. I wanna start making terrain and all that stuff for my table. For a glass land, should I make a big sheet that’s grass or just use some sort of green table cloth?

[limber trail]

Story wise it does make some sense but putting a casting stat on con is so strong

[vale sage]

100%

[still plover]

Green cloth. A flocked or textured battlemap will shed if it's used more than once. You don't want that happening regularly. Fleck some brown ink here and there to break it up a little, like twigs and such.

[vale sage]

Bladesingers should be Dex-based casters... I'm only half-kidding 😄

[blissful quail]

Does anyone make one with a grass texture? I would think a base green would look bad lol

[lean wigeon]

i don't think we're gonna see "vanican" casting being the defacto "caster thing" go away. though, pathfinder does a pretty decent job i'd say when it comes to establishing caster identity despite all casters using the same vancian spellcasting rules
like, psychics are generally defined by their cantrips, witches are defined by their focus spells, bards are defined by their compositions, clerics are defined by their font, wizards get to manipulate their spell slots in a way no other casting class can, etc
if we have to keep vancian spellcasting in the game somehow, then i feel like the route PF2e goes with caster design is close to being ideal for me. ideally though, i'd just get rid of vancian spellcasting, or at the very least make vancian spellcasting be a wizard exclusive thing

[still plover]

I mean, the cheapest way is to just get a nice stretch of green felt and tap some details on with a marker pen. The more expensive way is to search up vinyl battlemaps and go from there. They'll cost you, though.

[sleek cloud]

I would be okay if sorcerers were con casters if they had some way to make up for that affecting their skill selections

[gleaming lodge]

Arcane casters could have the standard preparation and slots method, whereas divine casters could use a points-based system with greater flexibility - take the spells you can afford at any time - but a reduced overall spell amount, meant to symbolise being gifted a set amount of power by a higher, erm, power.

[vale sage]

Monte Cook had some good ideas around spellcasting in his Arcana Unearthed 'Variant PHB' for d20 awhile back

[still plover]

Integrate metamagic to sorcerers, give them the mana pool/ spell points system as a default.

[storm quest]

i made a suggestion in tater the bard / mateo’s dms with this suggestion and look at his latest video 🥹🥹🥹

[minor cargo]

Not that I thought it was necessarily a good system, but in 3.5E, psionics were point based rather than Vancian.

I liked it because it mechanically showed that these supernatural effects were by their nature very different.

[gleaming lodge]

In my opinion, the only class where the slots system makes thematic sense is the wizard, given their reliance on memory. You could probably give variations on the points system to most other spellcasters - sorcerers rely on innate strength, druids and clerics channel nature's/a god's power, etc. It doesn't really make sense for these forces to dole out magic in neat little packaged spells.

[limber trail]

I do see a world where, if different casters gain different casting styles, it'll make it harder for players who have learned one class to swap over, or rather they might not want to swap as much. I already know players who get tied up in the warlock pact magic system, making that even more complex sounds potentially rough and could for at least some players keep them locked into specific classes.

I don't disagree that these systems could be better but I don't know that it matters enough for all of the confusion, at least for 5e.

[lean wigeon]

my hot take is that the wizard is a problematic class fantasy, specifically the idea of being a generalist magic-user. the entire premise of the wizard is "i have access to the biggest spell list with the same potency as other casters with smaller spell lists while facing little-to-no drawbacks"

[snow agate]

i disagree. the sorcerer is a specialist analogue to the wizard, and the other full casters have their own strengths, mainly being more durable (all of them have d8 hd) and more physically capable (all of them have decent weapon and armor proficiencies, and druid has wild shape)

[minor cargo]

I feel similarly. But also if you told me a core fantasy D&D tries to fulfill is “brains is always better”, I’d believe you.

[torpid ocean]

who's the most famous villain in dnd?

[snow agate]

subjective really

[umbral girder]

Recently Vecna.
Previously? Maybe Acererak

[snow agate]

we cant poll the entire dnd playerbase so you wont know

[torpid ocean]

my thoughts are vecna, strahd, acererak, tiamat, xanathar and the dead three

[umbral girder]

Oh wait no it’s Tiamat

Yeah it’s 100% Tiamat

[torpid ocean]

hasn't strahd been around since 1E?

[knotty basin]

What about the one from the movie?

[valid geyser]

i guess id say i dont disagree, i just also feel like this is a problem that's so ingrained we probably can't fix that easily, at least thats how i see it

[umbral girder]

Not used that much

[knotty basin]

What about curse of strahd?

[valid geyser]

so have all the others you mentioned

[umbral girder]

I feel like most media that involves DnD use Tiamat specifically

[knotty basin]

The movie didn’t

[umbral girder]

In fact when Hasbro did the logo animation to show off their brands D&D’s was just Tiamat

[snow agate]

yeah, id also say its an overblown issue too. i've yet to see a wizard who really dominated the rest of the party in terms of what they were capable of and achieved during the campaign

[minor cargo]

Oh. How about Jeremy Irons’ character in the first D&D movie? I’ll go with that.

[umbral girder]

We have that Secret level animation, the D&D cartoon, the first big adventure of 5th edition.

[gleaming lodge]

That's fair. I suppose the structure of the game makes it quite hard to "try out" a class like you might in a video game.

[minor cargo]

LET BLOOD RAIN FROM THE SKYYYYY

[valid geyser]

yeah i think in the grand scheme of things, it is just an issue of wizards having lots of exclusive spells while some other casters get peanuts
like, is there a reason telepathy (the spell) should be wizard exclusive?

[fickle heart]

I'm a certified Wizard hater, and I think the primary issue is more systemic, being that the restrictions that normally serve to check stuff like Wizards are mostly gone.

[snow agate]

that's a pretty valid point. i do think some exclusivity makes sense (im pretty sure all the classes have exclusive spells) but certain things like that ought to be more broad (at least give it to bard, right)

[valid geyser]

and also just "how do we let the wizard have an actual mechanical advantage if its advantage is at the detriment of other classes"

[low ferry]

Hi I am new to this server and just wondering if am going to be a dm to two of my friends that never played and only played a bit of bg3 how do I make it fun? And also its my 3rd time being the dm I made a campaign but should I use a pre made one?

[umbral girder]

Wizard “I study and understand the system”
Sorcerers “I am part of the system”
Warlocks “Crawling in my skin these wounds cannot heal!!!

[valid geyser]

like, the "pathfinder fixes this" people would say that the multi-class spell lists solved it (which is a feature i do like, its quite elegant and futureproofs most caster classes) but a lot of people also think wizards are a boring class now (which I semi-agree when sorcerers can access all four spell lists and get tons of good feats while the wizard's main deal is getting extra spell slots and being 10% better with some stuff like familiars and staves if opted in)

[umbral girder]

Well what do you and your friends want?

Modules tend to be longer than expected when playing.

[humble cairn]

What if? Access to all spells, but everything is Ritual. (mostly joking)

[still plover]

1. Premade is fine
2. If you're doing your own, I suggest looking up the Five Room Dungeon method first
3. Make three adventures linked together, it's a campaign
4. If you are using a premade adventure, give them a sidekick and take out a goblin

[low ferry]

I just know i helped one make a character they went for a champion fighter that hates magic and the other friend hasn't disided

[low ferry]

I made a paladin sidekick

[umbral girder]

Interesting, but not what I asked. What do you guys want?

[fickle heart]

(I'd try it, lul)

[gleaming lodge]

I think it also helps that a lot of Pathfinder's spells are just more fun. You can shape metal darts out of a suit of armour, or conjure five hundred toads from thin air.

[umbral girder]

What kind of story or adventure you want to try out? Or what kind do the player’s want?

[low ferry]

They don't mind

[snow agate]

as a pathfinder player (talking 1e) I think wizard is weird, because in that system the spells and how you can use them are significantly stronger; but they are still almost always the most killable thing on the field, and particularly easy to abuse if you catch them off guard or with the wrong spells prepared, as they dont even have backup cantrips to rely on, they have much lower relative AC, and if you take damage greater than your con mod when you drop to zero (very easy if you get hit hard or crit) you just straight up die, no death saving throws.

its simultaneously stronger and weaker; but in 5e they have much more resilience and there's less real resistance to magic, outside of specific types of creatures or legendary resistance. so they end up more reliable

[valid geyser]

i totally agree, my teeny pf1 experience as an arcanist tells me that it can be rough out there

[umbral girder]

Still isn’t an answer of what they mind about, it’s a matter of what they and/or what you want.

[low ferry]

Just to have fun?

[valid geyser]

also in pre 3e editions, the magic user was deliberately challenged by the exponential, uneven leveling system, which meant that they grew a decent chunk slower than say a thief or a fighter

[umbral girder]

Do you want to do big social roleplaying with lots of characters?
Dungeons filled with traps and puzzles?
Complicated fights for the players to survive and thrive?

[snow agate]

ill also throw in that misty step alone changes things entirely. if a wizard in pf1e (just as an example) gets approached by a melee, they might struggle to break distance. and if they get grappled, they basically have to pray the fighter saves them in time

[umbral girder]

If it’s a module do you want a specific plot to be followed? Something more free form? A bunch of big dungeons? Short adventures? Long adventures?

[still plover]

Yeah, some Five Room Dungeon style adventures will do you for mucking about and getting started.

It's a situation in a location facing opposition and a complication. Easy enough to put together and play. Don't worry about making it complicated.

[valid geyser]

oh yeah, low risk spammable utility spells gives them a way bigger quality of life. Shield becoming an easy reaction, mage armor lasting basically all of an adventuring day, the list does go on

[snow agate]

yeah it definitely helps a lot in survivability

[fickle heart]

That and spellcasting used to be brutal to try to succeed on.

[valid geyser]

i wonder how 5e would operate differently if by default spells allowed for an opp attack, with some exceptions like touch spells and melee spell attacks

[snow agate]

it would certainly be very different

[fickle heart]

This is a rule I've long wanted to test lol

[valid geyser]

yeah idk if itd be better or worse, but its a fun thought

[snow agate]

ngl im kinda terrified because im gonna play a lvl 1 wizard in pf1e tomorrow xD hopefully i survive but if the goblin crits me with an arrow its gg

[rough heron]

Omg dnd reminds me of stranger things

[umbral girder]

That is what Stranger Things was based on a good bit

[rough heron]

Oh

[fickle heart]

It would be interesting in the sense that you could reasonably slightly reduce the damage monsters do to compensate.

[still plover]

Total cover. Move out, cast, duck back.

[torpid ocean]

xanathar's been around since 1E?

[snow agate]

you cant do that, you can only move once. itll be fine, probably

[valid geyser]

hes existed as long as waterdeep has existed

[atomic kayak]

from the handful of times I've played with that... not as much as you might think

But that was with any spell that has a range of 5ft or less (including touch spells) not provoke, so I imagine those also provoking would matter more

[valid geyser]

I can see that happening, where it just makes casters already scared of being in melee extra scared

[atomic kayak]

Main reason its not as much as you might think is b/c of positioning

The only instances it really had any notable impact is in the case of teleportation spells - specifically Misty Step in the games that had it in play

[valid geyser]

also it might have extra perks since most monsters just get one opportunity attack, and more chances to use it means more chances for other party members to flee

[atomic kayak]

People who aren't melee characters are usually trying their best to avoid being next to an enemy in general

So it doesn't super change their gameplay

admittedly there weren't any real gishes in the games I was in with it - only a paladin (but I don't imagine it changing too much with a ranger or anything else)

[valid geyser]

yeah i think it would have to be balanced about having more of the really valuable spells be touch range
like it might be worth risking it if a spell like slow or hold person was touch range

but itd also mess with concentration a lot more

[fickle heart]

It's definitely something reliant on more of a constrained environment and/or asymmetric movement speeds.

[atomic kayak]

In most of the scenarios where a caster got "caught out" they just chose to try and walk away before casting anyways (if they chose to try and still cast anyway)

still an OA but way less impactful due to no interuption of casting

The usual "change of plans once it becomes your turn" was as prevalent as ever

[fickle heart]

Making constrained maps is honestly one of the best ways to force difficult decisionmaking in combat, with the best example being the juxtaposition between AOE as really effective damage while requiring melee combatants to hold back enemies. You can't blast the enemies when your melee is there, and you can't be in a position to safely blast the enemies unless melee is out there, if that makes sense.

[valid geyser]

yeah i do like cramped dungeons

[atomic kayak]

yea the maps were the reason why this was the case as usual

[gleaming lodge]

Not just that, but layered maps. Balconies, climbable pillars, overhanging bridges, and so forth.

[fickle heart]

On a grand scale, as soon as you allow freedom from difficult decisionmaking, you allow players to control combats significantly more than they otherwise could and tip the scales towards them in a significant manner.

[atomic kayak]

yea luckily the games were all with good (and varied) maps and not just white rooms

which is why its not as much as you might think

[old sluice]

It's a bit like the ranged problem. I've seen people complain that ranged is "too strong" and... Well, yeah of course in a plain the archers are on their bests. But as soon as things become cramped, or there are trees for cover, it becomes better balanced

[valid geyser]

my college game is switching online during winter break, and i think we're using owlbear so I'm definitely happy to have some mapping space,a slo some hard combats

ive got a dual wielding rogue build yet ive been doing most of my killing with only one of my three attacks

[fickle heart]

The amount of D&D issues solved by simple dungeons is staggering.

[atomic kayak]

the melee vs ranged dynamic is one of a lot of talk as well yes, I am generally in agreement with you

the white room strikes again

[atomic kayak]

"this thing is overpowered in combat"

"have you considered: a single wall or obstacle"

"no you don't get it this is totally overpowered and has to specifically be accounted for in every single combat"

[lusty tendon]

Ok im finally inspired by critical roll how does one play a casting component wizard in dnd

[atomic kayak]

Mechanically? You take a component pouch instead of a spellcasting focus. Thats all

[lusty tendon]

I deadass thought their was more too it

[valid geyser]

and we've also just gotten, really lucky. Our crew took over a super duper armed trade frigate with twice as many cannons as ours via just having our cannons side pointing at their stern while they dealt with a missing captian (two of us got easy swimming and one of us has easy flight)

ten thousand gold bounty on that ship and more trade goods than we can carry without shedding a single drop of blood

[knotty basin]

I mean, you do need the actual components too

[fickle heart]

Admittedly, the stuff that's the most egregious is often stuff that can take advantage of cramped spaces, too.

[atomic kayak]

Nope, they've made the components in the animated show a more central aspect but its not complicated in the actual game

[atomic kayak]

Component pouch is (mechanically) assumed to have all non costly/consumed spell components - near identical function to a spell focus

[old sluice]

Yeah some stuff is stronger in a cramped space. And then that stuff is weaker in a non-cramped space. And that's balance.

Something being dominant in one situation is not being too strong if that situation is conditional

[atomic kayak]

sometimes, but the most common things are all aoes that require stuff like the PoO not being blocked by anything and getting 1/2 or more of the area blocked off ""to be good""

[knotty basin]

Wait, what? You don’t have to collect them throughout the campaign?

[fickle heart]

I'm mostly referring to the stuff that is both good in cramped and non-cramped spaces, for different reasons.

[atomic kayak]

Nope

[old sluice]

What are you thinking about?

[atomic kayak]

This is my favorite though. The classic "yea its fine if its strong. Just vary your encounters"

[old sluice]

Well you can. But you could just buy a component pouch. If your pouch is destroyed or the contents lost, yeah sure you will have to forage

[lean wigeon]

the component pouch already abstracts that part

[fickle heart]

The first one that comes to mind is Twilight Sanctuary because in cramped quarters it can be very easy for said Cleric to get at least Half-Cover while still affecting allies, and in open quarters it has such a large radius that you will almost always be able to fight primarily within it.

[delicate owl]

Are talking about why twilight cleric is so strong?

[fickle heart]

I think high-skill/tactical uses of stuff is a-okay, generally, as rewarding system mastery somewhat is an admirable goal. The features I find a bit more disappointing is stuff that doesn't really ask you to play into it or invest much to reap a sizable benefit.

[old sluice]

Ok true I can't think of a good counter for twilight sanctuary

Or a situation where it is not as useful

[fickle heart]

I also find that conversations about stuff being too strong or not can trend towards minimization of nuance, when I think the opposite is more beneficial.

[atomic kayak]

A simple wall or obstacle also affects twilight sanctuary in largely open spaces incidentally

As it does any aoe

[old sluice]

Wait really? "emanates from you", does that actually mean that the emanation is stopped by obstacles?

[fickle heart]

Absolutely, but you can largely play around that due to how massive it is. I find that TS is a great example of a feature that allows freedom from difficult decisionmaking.

[lavish flame]

an emanation is a sphere thats effected by objects afaik

[wet trail]

isnt emanation just straight lines from all directions

[old sluice]

Do people count as obstacles? Or just objects?

[atomic kayak]

Aoes are blocked by obstacles yea, including twilight sanctuary

[old sluice]

And it doesn't have the "spread around corners" thing that fireball has

[atomic kayak]

People can be obstacles yes

Note when I say "wall" I mean anything of the sort. Literal walls, trees, large furniture pieces, etc

[wet trail]

wait can fireball be blocked by obstacles as well like trees n stuff

[atomic kayak]

(Notably that text has never. Well. Done anything actually mechanical in 5e. So much so it was removed in 2024)

[fickle heart]

Debatable with a framework to avoid nullities in wording, but they did definitely remove it.

[valid geyser]

yeah, i think that's kind of why I have such a personal distate for pushing effects. I feel like it's a lot of work and strategy for usually at best(in a scenario with no cliffs to bottomless pits), stuff like letting allies escape without opp attacks. It's a very strategic ability without much reward not counting stuff like burning legendary resistances (which prone is usually better for) and with unexpected downsides like letting a monster use their ranged attacks

[fickle heart]

Funny enough, I actually think pushing is a really good example of a tactical effect that can get a lot of rewards, because it basically enables the "melee was able to hurt them, but now I can blast them" that should be a difficult decision normally, without the push effect itself unbalancing the game.

Theoretically, I think the community hasn't really fully digested how best to use mastery properties (and features with similar effects) within play, and once they do, there will be a decent amount of shifts in approaches to combat.

[valid geyser]

yeah and thats fair, I don't ever wanna say pushing is bad, i just find it hard to get a ton of value (forceful blow is what id consider the cream of the crop of push effects)

[fickle heart]

(I was originally a huge mastery hater, for context.)

I thought they were too simple and wouldn't have many meaningful effects, but the longer I thought on them as a whole in 5e's ecosystem, I realized they'd probably end up more impactful than I initially thought those years ago.

[old sluice]

I kinda like pushing actually! It requires good tactics and synergy, but you could push someone into an AOE, away from beneficial effects, in a place where the ranged characters can more easily hit, or, you know, out of a cliff

[valid geyser]

which I do agree, i like a lot of the saving throw effect masteries, gives martials a really nice niche of reliably forcing enemies to make saves, thus burning LRs

[old sluice]

It's all very situational but I think the best systems are situational, in the sense that they force you to pay attention to the situation and create the beneficial situation

[grim wadi]

I hate being in gmt cus i can never find any games, and when I do find good ones its usually quite late (which is usually fine) but never the style i want, like I wanted to play some one piece dnd recently, found two but they both start at a ridiculous time

[still plover]

Cast your net wide. DDB forums, LFG on Reddit, Roll20.

[atomic kayak]

as a (very) rough visual for a generically spherical effect (whether that be something like a fireball or a twilight sanctuary) https://imgur.com/a/vrRpWbD with the yellow triangle as the PoO

despite the "true" aoe being the red, only things centered within the blue lines would actually count due to the two gray walls

[grim wadi]

Mmm yeah, (reddit ain't an option unfortunately, got perman banned cus i was a dumb teen)

Like really dumb, and I say teen more like tween

But yeah thanks for the suggestion, ill be sure to go for that

[valid geyser]

like I think if i had to rate all the masteries right now, factoring what weapons are on it, it'd be

1. Topple (Since it's on mauls, it's so easy for a 2h martial to use, and on tridents for thrown tripping, prone is very nice)
2. Nick (build defining, made dual wielding go from meh in 2014 to pretty damn good)
3. Push (see my opinions on pushing earlier, it at least has a melee, reach and ranged option and saving throw oddly makes it strong)
4. Vex (I swear almost every weapon has this it feels like, pretty good if you don't have consistent advantage)
5. Graze (you're always gonna miss every now and again, might as well chip, only on two handed weapons though)
6. Sap (dont think this is bad, but it gets worse when enemies roll more attacks per turn, and disadvantage on an attack is easy to give out)
7. Cleave (situational, but can do some good damage, only on two handed weapons though so super limited)
8. Slow (it's just really hard to justify this i think unless you're also pushing and proning them at the same time, a 10 foot speed reduction does almost nothing especially once monsters become mobile, but theoretically if you use this on a longbow it could be fine if you move before the enemy)

likely subject to change

[glass granite]

My list is identical except switch vex and push, personally

[grim wadi]

Also what are ddb forums?

[glass granite]

Well, except I like Nick more, but I acknowledge Topple is likely better

[valid geyser]

yeah id say the two might be interchangeable for me as well, i think vex extra annoys me because if you're not dual wielding, your melee dex options are both vex, or whips

[atomic kayak]

Push is probably my favorite, followed by Nick and then Slow.

I like slow because its a soft taunt in melee and a dehabilitating control effect at range

Vex is personally pretty low for me

#4 would probably be topple, but it just feels so limited in options with it that makes me sad

[glass granite]

I just don’t often used weapons with slow, so I don’t have much of an opinion on it

Which is why it’s low for me

[valid geyser]

i think topple being on tridents, battleaxes, and mauls is enough for me, and i can admit it'd be awfully strong on a high range weapon, at least making slow a lot less desirable, but i can see a save making a difference

[atomic kayak]

Longbow and Javelin are the two I've seen the most. (shoutout that one TWF Shillelagh Club user)

I do personally wish the Greatclub also had Slow

[vale sage]

Shillelagh cast twice on two different clubs? If so, err... I have some bad news...

[pallid haven]

is pathfinder ttrpg more difficult?

[atomic kayak]

I don't believe thats what I said? They were using a nick weapon alongside the club (idr which)

[atomic kayak]

Its a fundamentally different game system that isnt very similar to dnd, and whether or not its more difficult to learn is subjective, but thats #non-dnd-topics

[old sluice]

Well technically it is extremely similar, to the point of being borderline identical, to D&D 3.5

At least in its first edition. But yeah, off topic

[delicate owl]

Imo, though I am late, Graze should perhaps scale a bit better. It has nothing on cleave at all, cleave is just so prominent, as is ves/topple/nick. Those 4 I see the most, the rest? Eh.

[valid geyser]

i think the fact that graze is only on two 2 handed weapons doesnt help its case, and the fact that on average you're expected to hit more times than you miss, 3-5 damage is better than zero damage from an attack

[raw ocean]

I feel so free playing fighter after running a spell caster, is this what it feels like to eat a double glazed apple fritter?

I don't have to think on every spell I can possibly use, I can just hit stuff and protect the casters

[valid geyser]

Yeah I love making less choices every now and again

[tawdry sentinel]

I'm thoroughly enjoying thief rogue where every turn is throwing huge quantities of random stuff at people.

And out of combat is just jumping really well.

[autumn mantle]

I'm doing my first dnd compain and i'm playing a cleric domain of knowledge, we just hit level 5, what spell do you suggest me to keep prepare for battle?

[little ocean]

anyone else notice dndbeyond is different? did they update something? cause its goofy as hell now

[untold ember]

Is it rare for people to play campaign with DC text?

[glass granite]

No, I’m in one rn, and starting one soon

[hushed mason]

What is "DC" text?

[untold ember]

Discord text

[hushed mason]

Oh. I used to play on mIRC all the time. We used ascii maps.

[old sluice]

Detective Comics text? I mean, I guess some people quote a Batman line they like /j

[cinder timber]

Hello

[glass granite]

Hallo

[wise mica]

Hi I am new here and want to make friends. 🤟

[glass granite]

Goooood morning afternoon evening!
You fren now

[stuck shuttle]

Welcome!

[umbral girder]

Looks the same to me

[sleek cloud]

They did actually do an update just the other day

I’m glad they did too since it fixed one of the main issues I was having

[lavish flame]

I know I'm not tweaking right, where's the 2026 roadmap

The Events tab is Virtual Weekends are we cooked

[vague jolt]

Does anyone know what book has the stat block for demogorgons or vecna

[craggy summit]

I know that vecna eve of ruin has vecna's stat block, I'm not sure where the Demogorgon would be

[tranquil gazelle]

Hey so if a creature is charmed by another creature could the charmed creature make a grapple against the charmer?

[craggy summit]

My interpretation is no

A charmed creature can’t attack the charmer or target the charmer with harmful abilities or magical effects.

[fresh patrol]

Has anyone decided to RP their worldbuilding (for, y'know, integrity once you run DND) by writing short stories with OCs or is it just me?

[knotty pasture]

That's just a backstory isn't it

[vague jolt]

I'd say its a thing a lot of people do

[lavish flame]

Demogorgon can be found in Out Of The Abyss and Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse. Of the two, I'd recommend buying Monsters of the Multiverse, as it also comes with 30 Species options and a few hundred other Monsters.

Vecna has only appeared in Vecna: Eve of Ruin.

[snow agate]

do you think its better as a wizard to look like a wizard for rp benefits, or is it liable to get you shanked because people aim for wizards first?

[cobalt owl]

push is an easy way to get out of opportunity attacks\

Oh lol I didn't reply to the guy ig nvm

[fallow onyx]

do you find in combat with your DM that they're smart with it and do go for the wizard first?

how tactical are the enemies youre facing

[snow agate]

moderately

[cobalt owl]

This person

Depends on their int score for me

[umbral girder]

Yeah Vecna was originally just the Vecna Dossier on dnd beyond then they put him in Eve of Ruin

[fallow onyx]

are wizards known in universe as being "squishy"? i always thought of it as a more meta approach to the situation

[cobalt owl]

yes

[snow agate]

yeah

[old sluice]

For Vecna you want either Vecna: Eve of Ruin or the Vecna Dossier. For Demogorgon, you want either Out of the Abyss, Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes or Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

[cobalt owl]

Meta or not its pretty easy to tell whos weaker than who

And generally most wizards aren't known for having great physicals

[humble cairn]

I generally feel like it's best to look like your unique character. Even Wizards can look different from each other so I'm not sure there's a unique Wizard look. Of course if you're an Illusionist it's probably in character to disguise yourself in some way.

[old sluice]

What does it even mean to look like a wizard?

[snow agate]

a robe, a hat, a staff

[cobalt owl]

I have a mob boss wizard

[old sluice]

And what would the RP benefits of that actually be?

[cobalt owl]

mDepends on D

[snow agate]

people will believe you wholeheartedly when you say you can turn them into a toad, or you can ponder your orb mysteriously and bs

[lavish flame]

They aren't exactly known for being bodybuilders

[fallow onyx]

Clearly being a wizard. Aura perhaps

[lavish flame]

blue robes with stars on them. big pointy hat, also blue with stars. long beard if applicable

[umbral girder]

A lot more book knowledge than taking care of the body is why

[old sluice]

I mean... Thing is, everyone wears a hat when it's raining. And everyone has a staff when they're walking long distance. The whole "hat and staff" thing is just normal accessories if you're travelling on foot.

[humble cairn]

I had a Wizard with the Soldier Background who dressed in army robes.

[snow agate]

the image has a very wizardly aesthetic :p

[idle oar]

Can't forget the staffs and wands and books... maybe the familiar perched on their shoulder

[cobalt owl]

I had a wizard who was always in a suit

[fallow onyx]

mm yes

[humble cairn]

She was part of the Magister Corps, serving reconnaissance duty.

[old sluice]

With stars on them? Who would ever wear such a fashion disaster?

[lavish flame]

I've got a Wizard with the Guard background who is a Wandslinger in Eberron. She's just straight up a cowboy

[cobalt owl]

A wizard

[cobalt owl]

Billy the kid but slinging wands

[humble cairn]

Wizards don't all look the same.

[snow agate]

regardless of what wizard drip is or isnt, is it better to advertise to the world that you ARE one, or no

[fallow onyx]

True, but we are talking sterotype

[humble cairn]

I mean they're probably not wearing heavy armor?

[lavish flame]

Genuinely. I watched a handful of Westerns recently and was inspired

[old sluice]

To you maybe. But in-universe, people just wear hats as normal clothing, and people use a staff because it helps when walking. So would people in-universe really associate those things with wizards?

[humble cairn]

Ahh that's a slightly different question! I think that depends on whether your services are for hire or not.

If you are trying to garner a reputation, then it behooves you to be known as a mage.

[snow agate]

that makes sense

[humble cairn]

If you are trying to operate secretly, then don't advertise.

[old sluice]

I guess Ophidimancer is right. What is your purpose? Are you for hire or not? Generally I'd just recommend wearing practical clothing.

Also wanna know something about pointy hats? Originally, they became associated with witches and wizards because of antisemitism. In many places during the middle ages, jews were required to wear different types of identifiers. One of those was the pointy hat. Which eventually became associated with evil magic in art.

[undone fable]

can i play a ranger with a pointy hat?

[cobalt owl]

I did not know pointy hat had that negative connotation

[undone fable]

I really like pointy hats. And rangers lol

[humble cairn]

Ooh, nice history there! Thank you!

[cobalt owl]

I'm just gonna put that to the back of my mind and not think about it

[snow agate]

i suppose they are a far traveler and also trying to stay out of trouble - so im indeterminate on whether looking more "mundane" would be good to not come off as a threat; or looking more "mage" would be good to scare away threats, more or less. also differences on accessing places (its very easy to make up believable reasons if you look wizardy)

[humble cairn]

The world is full of meaning, don't be afraid of it.

[stray atlas]

been wondering, who is hadar?

[undone fable]

i think thats the last name of the guy who voiced fear in inside out

[valid geyser]

nope. the hat police will get you

[old sluice]

Then the german renaissance happened and representations of Odin gave the pointy hat another connotation. Since Odin is said to disguise himself as an ordinary traveler, they represented him as wearing practical traveler's clothes. So a staff, and a cloak heavy enough to be a robe and of course a hat. While the ideas of witches having familiar precedes the german renaissance, Odin with a raven on his shoulder gave it slightly different connotations. And of course, from Odin, you get Gandalf

[humble cairn]

The Hunger Between the Stars, a dark entity that basically lives out in space.

[cobalt owl]

Oh its not that, I just dont think I need the moral ambiguity or whatever around it and I quite like pointy hats so I'm just not gonna think about it\

[stray atlas]

are they actively evil or?

[lavish flame]

Imagine the things you could store in there. Squirrels, a swarm of bees, a second quiver.

[idle oar]

someone who found a way to get their tentacles across the planes of existence

[idle oar]

dark entity suggest that they don't have your best intentions at heart

[stray atlas]

are they just out in space doing whatever it is they're doing?

[cobalt owl]

They have their own business

[stray atlas]

I mean this game has weirder things

[old sluice]

Hadar is an elder evil mentioned for the first time in 4th edition. A dying, sapient star that sends its heralds to other worlds to feed on people to avoid dying

[humble cairn]

It's called an Elder Evil. It's a dying star that sends it's servants out to find things, people, and magic to eat. Yeah, by mortal standards is pretty evil.

[stray atlas]

huh.

sounds to me like it's just struggling to survive

[old sluice]

Well it is just trying to survive.

[cobalt owl]

Multiple things can be true at once

[old sluice]

But if its survival depends on killing you, it doesn't really matter if it's good or evil. You'll just defend yourself.

[stray atlas]

kinda wonder if it could be a warlock's patron

[old sluice]

Deers don't care if wolves are good or evil, you know?

Yes it absolutely can. It was created explicitely for that.

[stray atlas]

oh

I'm not familiar with warlock patrons much at all

I just know they're stereotypically evil

[humble cairn]

It is a prototypical Great Old One Patron.

[stray atlas]

which doesn't make much sense to me

[humble cairn]

Great Old Ones are generally meant to be incomprehensible to the mortal mind.

[old sluice]

For what it's worth, Hadar has never had a stated alignment in any publication it may appear in. Which is true of many other of the "elder evils"

[humble cairn]

So if it doesn't make sense well ... working as intended.

[stray atlas]

I meant like warlock patrons in general, not just great old ones

[humble cairn]

What about them don't make sense?

[old sluice]

? Patron alignment does not matter for the warlock.

[stray atlas]

why they'd be commonly portrayed as scumbags who try to screw over the warlock

[old sluice]

While fiends are generally evil and celestials generally good, that's basically all.

[stray atlas]

that seems like an awful business plan

[old sluice]

Commonly portrayed? By whom and where?

[stray atlas]

although I kinda wonder

I've rarely seen a case where a warlock and their patron's morals line up

[humble cairn]

The most stereotypical Warlock Patron is a Fiend, usually a Devil who tries to entrap a person into a deal for their soul after death. They don't care what you do with your power or your life, in fact they want your deal to end as quickly as possible so they can get your soul.

So they promise you power, and deliver, but then they trickily try and get you killed so they have to pay out less.

[stray atlas]

what even is a celestial? like an angel?

some type of minor god?

[fallow onyx]

In the most simplified way possible, sure

[humble cairn]

Again, this is the most stereotypical Warlock Patron and deal. It can go much much differently on a case by case basis.

[humble cairn]

Basically an angel. But it can be an angel of different pantheons and/or cultures.

[stray atlas]

wonder what the angels typically get out of the deal

[fallow onyx]

they are divine being who were created/born in any of the upper planes

[stray atlas]

er celestials rather

[humble cairn]

I made an Archfey Warlock who won his powers off of an Archfey in a card game, fair and square. No further obligations going forward. But he had gained the continuing interest of that Archfey.

[old sluice]

The opposite of a fiend. Someone from the upper planes, while a fiend is someone from the lower planes

[humble cairn]

The relationship doesn't always have to be a fair exchange.

[stray atlas]

ik that much but I'd expect something to be-

that gives me a character idea

[humble cairn]

In fact the relationship doesn't have to be an exchange at all. Just a connection. You could have been infected by the power of a Great Old One who slumbers and doesn't even realize.

[fallow onyx]

My one and only warlock was also archfey pact. He had accidentally eaten some dubious shrooms, and found himself in his dreams speakin with an archfey. It found him funny, so it granted him power

[old sluice]

You know, a pegasus is a celestial. The celestial patron can be some great pegasus who gives the warlock their power in exchange for freeing a herd of pegasi or something.

[stray atlas]

well before I go further with that thought

how do living things in dnd become deities?

[humble cairn]

Yes, please type in fully coherent thoughts rather than fragments.

[fallow onyx]

theres many a method

[undone fable]

whats your favorite character concept you want to try

[humble cairn]

There's no set way, though historically the most famous way was killing a god and taking their power.

[stray atlas]

my idea is for a celestial who wishes for their name to be spread in an attempt to become some type of deity

[old sluice]

Assuming they were not born into godhood, there are multiple options. Being granted divinity by another god, killing a god and taking their power, or more esoteric systems of ascensions that might require rituals and sacrifices.

[stray atlas]

not sure how realistic it is but that idea just sprang into my mind

[undone fable]

What is godhood?

[stray atlas]

this reminds me

[fallow onyx]

immeasurable power of a specific domain maintained by worship (?)

[humble cairn]

The state of being a god.

[stray atlas]

is Alyin from bg3 an exception when it comes to the powers granted from being the child of a god?

[old sluice]

I don't understand the question

[undone fable]

can a ranger be a god?

[stray atlas]

Alyin is largely shown to be just a stronger than average paladin

[humble cairn]

#baldurs-gate-3-spoilers for these kinds of questions please

[minor lake]

what's a god to a ranger

[minor lake]

anyone can be a god, theoretically

[stray atlas]

I'm asking if all descendants of gods are usually just better at certain things or if she's an exception

[old sluice]

Prey

[minor lake]

lmao

[undone fable]

lol

[old sluice]

"Exception" would require a rule. There are no rules on those things.

[minor lake]

i activate hunters mark

[stray atlas]

good to know

[fallow onyx]

that one image of the guy writing with fire

Hm, if you were to mark your servants with symbols, (numeration) what would you choose? Im currently thinking a circle for 1, Digon for two, triangle for 3, etc. Thoughts?

[stray atlas]

gods still are largely a mystery to me tbh

[fallow onyx]

as is the point

[stray atlas]

like ik more than a few names but not domains

I've found very mixed evidence of if there's any god related to vampirism

[autumn vault]

DRACULA

[undone fable]

Strahd?

[fallow onyx]

kanchelsis guys

love my boy (i play as a vampire)

of course a vampire would most likely follow a god of its alignment and class

[old sluice]

A rarely mentioned one is Vampyr, Kanchelsis was mentioned a few times in previous editions. Orcus is the lord of undeath, so that counts.

[undone fable]

dhampir is only part vampire?

[old sluice]

Shar is a goddess of night, that counts. Malar is a god of predators so vampires may be included

[fallow onyx]

a vampire just like any other race* can worship whatever god it wants

[humble cairn]

Myrkul is God of Undeath, Vecna is a Lich god, Kiaransalee is a God of Necromancy and Revenge

[old sluice]

There's a long list of gods appropriate for vampires to turn towards

[fossil hollow]

i know theres one vampire who worshipped a sun god of all things

[humble cairn]

Are we looking for a God for a vampire or a God of vampirism?

[crimson gulch]

Crispy Jim

[old sluice]

Idea: A vampire who pretends to be a sun god. "Why don't we see you during the day?" "Because I'm driving the sun. You're welcome."

[fossil hollow]

im calling Jander Sunstar "Crispy Jim" now

[old sluice]

Creepy Jim might also work

[fossil hollow]

is he that creepy though? i feel hes just pathetic

[fallow onyx]

i assumed the ladder, so i suggested kanchelsis as thats my "god of vampirism"

[old sluice]

I was told that he was kind of creepy in the first Ravenloft novel, "Vampire in the Mist"

[fossil hollow]

ahhhh, riiight. i forgot he talked to the incel (strahd)

[meager fractal]

Could Strahd hold his own against Vecna

[fossil hollow]

nope. CR 15 vs Cr 26

[fallow onyx]

omg vecna wipes

[fossil hollow]

and the latter is near godhood. the former is an incel vampire

[craggy summit]

Definitely not

[old sluice]

In general if your question starts with "Could Strahd beat [named character]" the answer is no

[craggy summit]

Also you fight strahd at like level 10ish, you fight vecna at level 20

[old sluice]

Strahd is not meant to be the god-king of vampires. The Hickmans wrote him to be what a normal D&D vampire should be

Despite the fact that some writers have forgotten that.

[crimson gulch]

You could take strahd at 5 and vecna at 15 but yeah

[old sluice]

He did beat Mordenkainen, but that's because Mordenkainen is just a standard archmage.

[calm garnet]

Cleric 3rd level, how many 1st level spells can I have prepared and how many first level slots can I use?

Same with second level?

[old sluice]

... Who attacked Strahd by bringing a horde of peasants at his doorstep. I don't know if he was trying to attack Strahd or flirt with him by inviting him to an all you can drink buffet delivered at home.

[humble cairn]

Here you go, the Cleric section will answer those questions: https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/br-2024/character-classes#Cleric

[calm garnet]

I am looking at the handbook and it's not even helping, but I can take a look. Thank you

[humble cairn]

The answers are definitely in there, just read them again.

[old sluice]

You prepare 6 spells, you have 4 first level slots, 2 second level slots. It's literally all on the table

[calm garnet]

Thank you

[hushed mason]

I wish we could post screen shots in here. It would be helpful to show you exactly where this information is on the page so that you can easily find it for yourself next time.

[hushed mason]

Would you like me to DM you a screen shot so you can find it next time?

Nevermind, I got impatient and just sent it. 😉

[calm garnet]

Sure. My husband had the PHB out for two weeks and the spell section and the Cleric section just sent us back and forth. Neither him or I have played Clerics before, even in his years of being forever dm.

When I told him about what y'all sent, he said okay

I even tried making my character in bg3 to make some sense of it but no luck

[humble cairn]

Is there specific wording that has you confused?

[humble cairn]

Also which PHB are you using, 2014 or 2024?

[calm garnet]

Just spells slots prepared vs how many I can use that day

[old sluice]

Oh, in that case that changes my answer!

You prepare as many spells as your level + wisdom modifier.

[calm garnet]

Well, dang

My wisdom mod is 3

[humble cairn]

"You prepare the list of cleric spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the cleric spell list. When you do so, choose a number of cleric spells equal to your Wisdom modifier + your cleric level (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots."

[calm garnet]

Yeah, the whole spell book I can use

I said that wrong

[frosty spade]

Is there a mage class?

[humble cairn]

So a (3)rd level Cleric with a Wis mod of (3) would be able to prepare 6 spells.

[fossil hollow]

wizard

[calm garnet]

Plenty

[humble cairn]

There is no class specifically named Mage, but Wizards, Sorcerers, Warlocks and Bards are all often called mages.

[calm garnet]

Okay, and how many spell slots can I expend a day?

[fossil hollow]

as many spell slots as you have

#dnd-newcomers

[frosty spade]

Oh alright that’s good to know, I only started getting into dnd recently and the only character I’ve made is an OP dragon born paladin that has 20 strenght and some other decent stats

[old sluice]

Wizard, sorcerer, bard, warlock, cleric, druid, eldritch knight, arcane trickster.

[frosty spade]

Thanks

[old sluice]

Artificer too.

[calm garnet]

Which is what? I have played DND for three years. Sorcerer were easier than this

[old sluice]

It's on the table.

[calm garnet]

So 4?

[fossil hollow]

... it works the same way as sorcs

[calm garnet]

Not really.

[old sluice]

In fact sorcerers are more complex when it comes to spellcasting.

[calm garnet]

Eh. Not really

[fossil hollow]

... all that changed is you dont get sorcery points to turn into more spell slots

[old sluice]

Yes they absolutely are. Sorcerers don't prepare spells, they have a set number of known spells. Sorcerers have sorcery points to make more spell slots and metamagic.

[calm garnet]

Perhaps but I don't get to ask my brother in law this time around

[old sluice]

Sorcerer spellcasting is objectively more complex

[calm garnet]

I preferred set numbers of known spells

Because in this there are too many numbers

[old sluice]

It's the same number of numbers.

[humble cairn]

It's on the table. You get two 2nd level slots and four 1st level slots.

[calm garnet]

We got level 3 or 4 before we quit,

[humble cairn]

Which is the same number of slots a third level Sorcerer gets.

[old sluice]

Just do yourself a favour and read the class from start to finish. Trust me on this

[calm garnet]

I have

[hushed mason]

I think we figured out that she's playing 2014, and that makes the table... redundant?

[calm garnet]

Is the table 2014?

[humble cairn]

2014 table for cleric: https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/basic-rules-2014/classes#Cleric

[humble cairn]

I gave you the 2024 one, but the spell slots question is the same for both, they didn't change that.

[hushed mason]

Ah.

[humble cairn]

Do you see the table?

[calm garnet]

It's the same. Thank you.

I have my spells written down now

[hushed mason]

Yay.

[calm garnet]

I hope I actually complete a campaign with this one, every time we get going, we have to stop by level 4

[hushed mason]

Why is that?

[humble cairn]

Unfortunately common.

[distant cobalt]

Okay so I might get into dnd and I might get one of the books soon any tips?

[hushed mason]

Buy and read the PHB - Player's Handbook.

[distant cobalt]

Yeah I'll probably get that

[old sluice]

The only book you need, and you do need it, is the PHB.

[calm garnet]

Different life events.

My group disbanded the first time, my brother in law passed (who was the only other player besides my husband, the dm), a few sessions with issue players, just random other stuff, but I am having fun and of course, I have back up characters, including a Tiefling paladin

[distant cobalt]

Are races and classes the same or?

[calm garnet]

No

[calm garnet]

Races are the species (human, dragonborn, etc), classes are kinda like your occupation depends on your stats and skill sets (wizard, bard, rogue, etc)

[hushed mason]

A class is like an occupation.

[distant cobalt]

So could I be a dragon born wizard?

[calm garnet]

https://youtu.be/DBoqrSn1GR8?si=4Ttybvbgty9QVisz

Might I recommend JoCat? He breaks stuff down better than I ever could, more funny than I could

[calm garnet]

If you want, YES!

[distant cobalt]

Heck yeah

[hushed mason]

Yes. Dragonborn is the species; wizard is the class/occupation.

[distant cobalt]

Holy swag

[hushed mason]

Not at my table, mind you, since I don't have dragonborn in my world. 😉

[calm garnet]

We do, but they get side-eyed

[old sluice]

I do have to say it for the newcomers: D&D Dragonborn are reptilian bipedal people. Not... The other thing you may be thinking about

[calm garnet]

My sorcerer was a copper dragonborn, she was amazing. I miss that character more and more everyday

Spit acid

[distant cobalt]

I might be a tabaxi bard

[red steppe]

Floppa Bard

[lilac kelp]

Why do I hear drums?

[hushed mason]

Is tabaxi a core race in fifth edition?

[humble cairn]

It's not in the PHB, no.

[calm garnet]

No, but it may be in Tasha's cauldron or a different expansion book

[glossy hedge]

Pretty sure it's in Monsters of the Multiverse

[distant cobalt]

I just searched dnd races screenshot it and looked at every thing

[glass granite]

Ah, but piracy

[calm garnet]

May be. I have no idea

[calm garnet]

I mean DND beyond and legal stuff

DND beyond has homebrew stuff too.

[calm garnet]

My husband says it is

[glass granite]

I wouldn’t consider that 90% of 5e, but I get your point

[old sluice]

Tabaxis were first published in Volo's Guide to Monsters, then reprinted and rebalanced in Monsters of the Multiverse.

[calm garnet]

Pointy Hat has stuff for free and legal under his YouTube videos. I wouldn't doubt he had stuff on Tabaxi

[distant cobalt]

Tiefling druid

[calm garnet]

Ah. You want to know how excited I was when learned Volo was a real person from DND canon??

[old sluice]

For a given definition of "real person".

Did you not know?

[lilac kelp]

Now I learned that too! :3

[calm garnet]

I got into dnd 3 or 3½ years ago, and my husband is now slowly introducing me to dragonlance and the original baldur's gate games.

DND was banned in my parents' house. Super Catholic household

We all have to start somewhere

[lilac kelp]

D&D is not the devil's work, it's magical and rad. 🎵

[old sluice]

Ah, so your first introduction to Volothamp was in the Baldur's Gate games

[calm garnet]

I used all of my brain power for college finals and stuff. I'm tired.

[old sluice]

You'll never D&D as long as you're stuck here with your daaaad

[calm garnet]

Yeah. Waterdeep, Elminster, Mystra all of that stuff

[distant cobalt]

I don't know much about dnd but it doesn't seem very demonic other than maybe the Tiefling race looks like a demon idk maybe I'm dumb but yeah

[old sluice]

Now that song is going to be stuck in my head all day unless I watch the movie again

[lilac kelp]

Haha! You're so welcome xD

[calm garnet]

There are demons and devils in there if your dm chooses to put them in there- you can visit the hells.

But it's not a portal. It won't make me worship Lucifer. Its wild

[hushed mason]

I've got "the pirates who don't do anything" stuck in my head from when someone mentioned pirates earlier.

[old sluice]

The satanic panic started in the 80s in the US and was a moral panic that targetted many things accused of being demonic and evil and corrupting to the youths. Including D&D.

[hushed mason]

Jack Chick! Dark Dungeons!

[distant cobalt]

My class in school is reading the hobbit and I thought that dwarfs were like REALLY REALLY short but now that I'm looking at the dwarfs in dnd (which to me are very similar to each other) I'm just realizing that there only like 4 feet

[old sluice]

By 1985, the face of anti-D&D was Patricia Pulling, whose son, a D&D player, had tragically killed himself. She founded a group called BADD, short for Bothered About Dungeons and Dragons. She accused the game of encouraging devil worship, promoting homosexuality and many other things. Needless to say it was all nonsense.

[knotty pasture]

Praise be, Asmodeus

[prime basin]

Asmodeus?

Lmao PRAISE BE BHAAL

[calm garnet]

Which doesn't help because elves in The Hobbit and LotR were tall, like 6ft. I'm five foot four

[glass granite]

Hi five foot four, I’m Nugget

[calm garnet]

Quack 🦆

[humble cairn]

And D&D elves are generallly shorter than humans.

[old sluice]

Galadriel is about two meters tall. That's not ordinary tall, that's basketball player tall.

[calm garnet]

I usually go for variant human. Feat at first level

Maybe I'll play a bard next.

[hushed mason]

I thought you were making a cleric.

[cerulean monolith]

That’s like… at least 4 bald eagles

[calm garnet]

I am. My mind is always thinking of different characters

I am a writer so whatever I don't play, becomes an NPC in my book

[prime basin]

This is badger type of math

[old sluice]

Americans will really measure with anything but metric.

[calm garnet]

4 freedom units

[hushed mason]

Bald eagles are among the ugliest of the chicken killers. Totally not a fan.

[old sluice]

They have the same right to eat as anyone else

[calm garnet]

Speaking of chicken, I have a turkey in the oven

[frail nimbus]

hey guys, im super new and i dont know exactly what i want, i love the sun and i think sun powers are super cool what would you guys recommend for a class or race

[fossil hollow]

light domain cleric

[cerulean monolith]

Aasimar

[old sluice]

Fire genasi

[calm garnet]

Don't I have a class for you, Goku

[frail nimbus]

is aasimr the dog people??

[proven mountain]

Divine blood people

[hushed mason]

Aasimar are descended from celestials, like angels and such.

[frail nimbus]

me me ??

[keen bloom]

Light cleric or sun soul monk

[old sluice]

No, Aasimar are people with celestial influence in their bloodline

[cerulean monolith]

No they’re the angelic counterpart to Tieflings

[fossil hollow]

no. its the angel version of tieflings

[frail nimbus]

woooooooooooooooooooooooooow

[old sluice]

Any celestial, not necessarily an angel

[fossil hollow]

angel is easier to get across

[calm garnet]

Paladin of Light

That's a thing, right?

[frail nimbus]

BUT CAN IT BE AN ANGEL??

[fossil hollow]

you can be descended from an angel yes

[old sluice]

The character's grandparent can indeed be an angel

[frail nimbus]

theres grandparents??? thats kinda detailed which is good

[calm garnet]

Time I accidentally became a Tiefling by being a descendant of an angel

[fossil hollow]

aasimar are not angels themselves. theyre the descendants

[hushed mason]

It can be much further back than grandparents.

[frail nimbus]

Okay so im decended from an angel and i wanna KILL A DRAGON

[old sluice]

Why?

[frail nimbus]

by using sunliight and a sword

[hushed mason]

I just created a half-celestial that is third generation rather than second generation.

Descended from a lillend rather than an angel.

[frail nimbus]

even better, not tryna be a full blown floaty light guy

[old sluice]

Uh. I thought Lillends had not yet been published for 5e

[buoyant oar]

Aasimar are to the Celestials what Tieflings are to fiends. They can even be distantly related to Gods.

[hushed mason]

I don't play fifth edition.

[frail nimbus]

i think dragons are cool and it would be super impressive to kill one, idk if thats bad its my second day learning about dand ive only seen like 10 3 minute videos

[old sluice]

Although how distant is the question. Technically every living thing is distantly related to gods

Just, you know, extremely distantly

[buoyant oar]

The first Aasimar in the Realms were the Children of Avatars and Humans.

[cerulean monolith]

I mean. Depends on the setting

[frail nimbus]

okay so should i be a light wizard

[old sluice]

So your character wants to kill someone because it would be impressive? Some sort of glory hound then?

[fossil hollow]

not really such a thing as a light wizard

[frail nimbus]

i dont know, ive always loved dragons and thyre precieved as strong

[frail nimbus]

so whats like a light warrior with a sword

[fossil hollow]

paladin

[old sluice]

I mean... I like dogs and dogs are strong but I wouldn't go out of my way to kill a dog

Play a devotion paladin, you'll have all your needs

[frail nimbus]

yea well i feel i really want to fight a dragon, its one of the things that made me get into this game

[frail nimbus]

okay ill trust you

[knotty pasture]

Some campaigns allow you to fight one

[frail nimbus]

is there pvp?

[knotty pasture]

No

It would be dull anyways cuz whoever moves first probably wins

[cerulean monolith]

You can share that with your DM once you have one. For now, I’d suggest you read through the free basic rules (someone on PC drop a link pls) so you can learn how to play the game

[fossil hollow]

entirely up to your group, but it is widely frowned upon

[cerulean monolith]

If you have any questions after that, the folks in #dnd-newcomers can probably help you

[frail nimbus]

okay

[old sluice]

Sometimes

[hushed mason]

Do you think there will be a rush of newcomers after Christmas?

[cerulean monolith]

There typically is

[oak shoal]

👍

[lean wigeon]

bad idea

[old sluice]

I think there will be a rush of newcomers after the second half of Stranger Things' new season

[fossil hollow]

usually is, ive heard of so many people getting dnd starter sets on christmas

[hushed mason]

Ah. Do they play D&D in that show or something?

[fossil hollow]

yeap

and the villians are named after dnd monsters and villians

[frail nimbus]

so if no one brings it up and a player says, i wanna kill me would there have to be a rule change or is it always a lurking possibility

[fossil hollow]

demogorgon, vecna

[fossil hollow]

you discuss it as a group wether or not its allowed.

and what lines should not be crossed

[old sluice]

I think I spent quite a bit of time telling people that Demogorgon, in D&D, is the name of one specific demon, not the name of a species. And that this demon looks literally nothing like the things in Stranger Things

[knotty pasture]

Its usually discussed before the campaign starts, like think of it this way

You're playing a 3v3 basketball game, but just because you can take someone's shoes and stop them from playing doesn't mean most people allow it

And you also just assume people won't take away your shoes unless someone said hey feel free to take away shoes to stop the enemy from defending

[frail nimbus]

ahhhh otchaa that was a really good example lol

[old sluice]

Normally it is a cooperative game. PvP only happens as a result of failure of cooperation.

Or, you know, mind control.

[frail nimbus]

oooo so its possible, thats kinda cool

[hushed mason]

It's really not very cool most of the time.

[old sluice]

Sometimes the party might break because of different ideals or political aspirations or beliefs, leading to the group fracturing.

[lean wigeon]

dnd is built for pve, not pvp

[knotty pasture]

Would you take away your teammate's shoes for no reason in the middle of a match lol

Now apply that to dnd

[old sluice]

But what matters is that you need a valid reason to engage in it

[fossil hollow]

not really, the point praetor is making is that when it happens, there is bad vibes going on in the game

[frail nimbus]

no i meqant uts cool that the risks are high like its scary, i meant about the thrill of it

[frail nimbus]

lol yea okay i get it

[fossil hollow]

eh. its not thrilling, its just annoying

[knotty pasture]

No there shouldn't be any risks, like how you don't play basketball in fear of your teammates taking away your shoes and vice versa

Unless you talked about it beforehand

[fossil hollow]

or shoving you to get the ball

[vale sage]

Hello

[frail nimbus]

hahahahaha lol i love that analogy i get it, ill have more chance of losing if my teammates lose

[old sluice]

I do have to say that sometimes PvP can be extremely well handled

[lean wigeon]

imo intraparty conflict does not necessarily imply pvp. you can have the former without the latter, but the latter makes the former very boring and over quick

[frail nimbus]

so uhhh whats the former...

[lean wigeon]

it also, i think, emphasizes the "numbers and the game" over the dramatic tension and the relationship and dialogue between PCs intraparty conflict

[old sluice]

It depends on the circumstances. I have seen great PvP. Far more rarely than bad

[lilac kelp]

Go into the game with the mindset of cooperating with your party. :3 that's like the point of the adventuring party as far as my newbie self knows. Being antagonistic toward your party isn't really the vibe.

[frail nimbus]

no ofcourse i plan to be good i was just asking but i will be good

[hushed mason]

We once had a fantastic pvp set up, but the ones doing the attacking were displeased with how the one being attacked had cleverly set things up by not going back to his own bed that night.

[distant cobalt]

Okay I've always wondered wtf do bards do😭?

[fossil hollow]

be social, control, support, provide utility

[old sluice]

But there is a point where parties can no longer collaborate. A point where the characters have gone completely against each other and all that's left is brutality

[knotty pasture]

They insult people and somehow they die from emotional damage

[distant cobalt]

So a sort of healer?

[old sluice]

Sometimes that can give you a great story

[fossil hollow]

only one way they can support, but they do have healing spells

[lean wigeon]

they do magic via performance. you sing or dance or orate and that's generally your schtick

[hushed mason]

It could have been a fair/even fight, but once they discovered he wasn't in his own bed, they argued above the table that they would have known and would have gone to the correct room. PVP just isn't fun most of the time.

[knotty pasture]

Tell the enemy thug that his Jordans are fake to make them take damage

[frail nimbus]

hahahahahahhahahaha

[cerulean monolith]

Btw, the origin of the bard insult-to-death meme is the spell Vicious Mockery, which is an abysmally bad cantrip that was, in 2014, Bards’ only damaging cantrip from the core books

[distant cobalt]

I feel like only musicians should play Bard and when they perform the actually play a song

[fossil hollow]

bards are not only musicians

[knotty pasture]

Other classes can be musicians too

[hushed mason]

I charge for my singing.

[fossil hollow]

they can be story tellers, orators, politicians, lawyers, artists, basically anything that relies heavily on being social and/or the arts

[frail nimbus]

like in real life

[glass granite]

Poets

[lilac kelp]

I'm not experienced in d&d, but I am a very seasoned roleplayer (IN WoW) and this kind of OOC "would" arguments happens quuuite often in combat RP. :( I am able to avoid it by just avoiding fights in general, or being the punching bag. If they win they won't complain!

Anyway. A little off topic maybe. Or tangential.

[old sluice]

Now for a good PvP story: The party had been in a bit of a political plot. They were protecting the last surviving son of the previous duke who had been usurped and were plotting with another nobleman in order to mount an attack on the duchy and put the boy on the throne. He was about 14 if I remember correctly. The other nobleman made the paladin an offer that went like "this duchy does not need a boy on its throne, not in wartime. It needs a true leader like you. And it needs the boy to be a martyr."
The paladin and the nobleman killed the boy, and the party fractured in two and from that point onwards, the game divided into two enemy parties trying to kill each other.

[fossil hollow]

danke, another good call

[hollow estuary]

Hello.

I have come with more fun things.

Aarakokra Rogue!!!! NO need to move if nothing can move twoards you!

Fly up into the air! Next turn: Steady Aim! SNEAK ATTACK! Walloping bolt! Bonus action! Second crossbow! Incendiary Bolt!

THATS ALOT OF DAMAGE!

[fossil hollow]

ranged attacks and spells

[knotty pasture]

Yeah uh I don't think that's how that works

[frail nimbus]

bruh your creative

[fossil hollow]

also, steady aim would cause you to fall

[hushed mason]

Is there a range limit on sneak attack? There is in my edition...

[tidal bough]

Command word grovel

[glass granite]

No

[fossil hollow]

you fall if you have 0 speed. steady aim makes your spee 0

[hollow estuary]

noooooooo

[knotty pasture]

Slightly shorter than the max range of your ranged weapon

[old sluice]

I'm not. It's a thing that happened

[frail nimbus]

hey lady slay do you charge for singing irl??

[knotty pasture]

Cuz ranged attacks get disadvantage on super long range hits

[zinc hare]

Hello friends. I've been dming on dnd beyond for a bit now and I'm planning on running an in person campaign in January! I was wondering if anyone has tips on running in person dnd and how it may differ from online? I will also be searching up how to do physical character sheets and whatnot

[frail nimbus]

what.. like in a game this happend?

[tidal bough]

I think getting put prone doesnt let you float down safely either, so its fall dmg as well

[hushed mason]

Yes. I used to be a professional classical singer. I don't do it so much post-pandemic.

[tidal bough]

May be better suited for #dm-discussion but just have fun

[zinc hare]

Ok

[frail nimbus]

whats your role in a dungeons and dragons game, or class

[hollow estuary]

Okay Okay.

Every race (technically backround) in DND has a permanent 60 foot flying speed.

Find familiar allows you to conjure a CR 0 creature.

A Giant Fly is a CR 0 creature. It large so you can mount.

120 foot flying speed if its dashing which, it will be.

And yes. with pact of the chain, warlocks can do it infinitely, so if fly friend dies they can resummon.

[hushed mason]

Currently, I DM a game.

[fossil hollow]

most people already know of the giant fly thing yeah

[hushed mason]

I play an orc sorceress and a mafia-princess elf theif in another game. We each have two characters.

[frail nimbus]

woooooow respec, i think it looks really difficult, how many people are in your dungeon game

[lilac kelp]

So you are the tree! :p

[glass granite]

And me is chicken

[humble cairn]

It's fairly reasonable for a DM to disallow the Giant Fly as a Familiar.

[old sluice]

Yes

[glass granite]

Not to be confused about my cousin, chicken nugget

[hushed mason]

Currently, there are four. But there needs to be one less before we play on Sunday. Sigh. Then I need to find 1-2 new players. Finding the right group of Random Internet Strangers that can place nice together is challenging.

[humble cairn]

Mostly because it's a creature that's only on the list because it had to be created for an item for DNDBeyond.

[frail nimbus]

you guys dont accept newbies right?

[hushed mason]

I don't play fifth edition.

[hollow estuary]

Mosquito Bombs.

You cant cast spells with a range of touch through your familiars.

if you cast shocking grasp, through your familiars, all your familiars will shocking grasp whatever they are touching.

conjure tons of mosquito.

Send mosquito to victim.

Mosquito land on victims back or in armor.

BOOM! 6 shocking grasps!

[frail nimbus]

what edition

[hushed mason]

The version I play has a lot more rules. Or so I've heard. 3.5

[frail nimbus]

ahhh i see

[humble cairn]

You can only have one Familiar at a time. Also 6 shocking grasps is .. not really that powerful.

[frail nimbus]

do the more rules make it funner or just more serious?

[lean wigeon]

subjective

[hollow estuary]

Spellwrought tatoos, and its really fun okay?!

[hushed mason]

It all depends on the kind of game you want to play. Yes, it's highly subjective. Me? I'm just too lazy to learn a new set of rules.

[old sluice]

A swarm is treated as a single creature, and a swarm can't be a familiar and you can't have tons of familiars.

[humble cairn]

Even with tattoos you can still only have one familiar, unless this is six different spellcasters?

[lilac kelp]

Way I heard it explained was just that 5e is more RP focused in its system design compared to earlier versions.

[raw ocean]

Make the mosquito's all have diseases too

[elder scroll]

So I did not know, that muskets exist in DND.

[humble cairn]

You can have three familiars with the Flock of Familiars spell, but that still only lets you transmit one spell at a time.

[raw ocean]

Anti-matter rifles exist too

[hollow estuary]

Rogues with Daggers? Naw.

Rogues With Scimitars: Yes.

Scimitars have the same weapon mastery property.

Can also be dual wielded.

Deal 1d6 instead of 1d4

You dont have the option to just.. yeet your weapon away (bruh)

W.

[frail nimbus]

yeaaa i was offering like yesterday to be peoples apprentices if they just sucked me up till i learnt the rules, alotta people said no hahahaha

[glass granite]

And yet they can’t be thrown

[hushed mason]

The way I heard it is fifth edition is heroic fantasy; 3.5e is gritty fantasy.

[elder scroll]

No, I knew that.

[raw ocean]

Well did you know that dragons and dungeons are in D&D?

[glass granite]

1 more damage just isn’t worth that

[elder scroll]

I did not know that.

[frail nimbus]

sorry for the questions but wym by gritty

[hollow estuary]

Monk rogue multiclass?!??!

Monk start get some levels in monk.

Your dagger deal 1d8 now?!! Goated Dagger?

Can nick. So just a free attack?

Rogue for snek attack?

Can stun with sneak attack?

Super profit.

[hushed mason]

I don't play fifth edition, so it's hard for me to say. It's just what I've heard. "Gritty" in the sense that the baddies can have everything the heroes have, and that death is more permanent.

[lean wigeon]

3.5e is heroic fantasy
3e is kind of where the tone of the game shifted from dungeon crawler fantasy to heroic

[elder scroll]

Ew, min max

[fossil hollow]

at this point its just preaching to the choir

[glass granite]

It’s not even min max-ing

[hushed mason]

There's no 'rule of cool' in 3.5 because there's probably a rule for whatever it is you want to do.

[red steppe]

Better than being dead weight ngl

[frail nimbus]

THATS SOUNDS SIIIIIIIIIIIICK

[glass granite]

Ranger does this but better imo

[raw ocean]

Min-maxing is such a broad term, since when has been making a good character been min-maxing

[red steppe]

Is this why i hear some complaints about it having too many rules? For 3.5e that is

[raw ocean]

God forbid I don't want to be weak in the game I'm playing for fun [No excuse for power building though]

[elder scroll]

Nah I'm joking around, don't worry.

[hushed mason]

There are a lot of rules. Just last session we had to look something up after the game (do wolves get a free trip attempt on an attack of opportunity or not... no, they don't, but finding the answer to that took awhile.)

[raw ocean]

All good, just was saying that to say it

[hollow estuary]

Always Take Two levels In Fighter?!??!

The ability to take a second action is so good for every build!

• SUPER PROFIT++++++ When used right.

[frail nimbus]

one day ill get good and hopefully be a good player and kill a dragon maybe and then i will tryna join one of the gig league games like you and other peoples in here.

[fossil hollow]

again, preaching to the choir here

[frail nimbus]

i wish i could do DND in australia but idk if theres many groups around me

[somber mesa]

the terms "min-maxing," "optimizing," and "power building" are all very vague and broad and have no clear distinctions

[frail nimbus]

take the mic a lil higher

[elder scroll]

Is this based on Milestone, or XP though? Or does it not matter?

[glass granite]

Me is Aussie dm

[hollow estuary]

Dosent matter

[oak shoal]

I played a wizard that was only min maxed due to my terribly rolled stats

[cerulean monolith]

They also imply a ceiling, which there is none. Play to the level your group enjoys

[old sluice]

Don't actually do that. Not only are there multiclass requirements you need to think about, action surge is limited in use and action surge is not worth your next level of spells.

[raw ocean]

Tbh min-maxing and power building isn't even like banned, it's just basic manners to not enter into a light weight league with the mind set of Muhammed Ali

[fossil hollow]

why would how you get xp matter that much?

[red steppe]

Man im ITCHING for a Tier 4 campaign

[tidal bough]

Min maxing is only an issue when someone in the group isnt having fun

[hollow estuary]

For MOST Builds

[frail nimbus]

whats that is that like high difficulty?

[glass granite]

Plus, it’s not often enough to be worth a two level dip, and smt like monk just doesn’t need it.

[hollow estuary]

Yeah sure dont do 2 levels in fighter if your a early game wizard

[lean wigeon]

level 17-20

[red steppe]

No, high level so around Lvl 17-20

[glass granite]

Two levels in fighter is pretty expensive

[hushed mason]

It can be a problem for the DM trying to balance encounters, too.

[oak shoal]

Agreed, isn't very fun when the wizard keeps one shotting everything while the fighter and barbarian are trying to engage in hand to hand combat

[glass granite]

Especially in 2024 when you can’t action surge magic action

[tidal bough]

Dms are considered part of the group also

[old sluice]

Yes. Most builds should not do that. Only a few builds would actually gain from that two level fighter dip

[frail nimbus]

so what a tier 4 campaign, you gunna take me on an adventure with you

[hushed mason]

It's not a question of "fun" though.

[hollow estuary]

Aight I fold on this one

[raw ocean]

Although there is a universal rule: no matter how strong your character is, they will always have the chance to fall short compared to roleplay and interaction with the party as a skill.

[knotty pasture]

Idk if you aren't making a 1/1/1/1 multiclass in every class, you're minmaxing and that makes you a bad person /s

[oak shoal]

Barbarian

[glass granite]

Eh, barbs don’t need it

[red steppe]

It gets mega fun if ur a spellcaster around that level

[tidal bough]

Thats more of a dm balancing issue, casters are good for big burst but can be balanced by having multiple encounters that drain resources before being able to take rests and recover

[bronze wave]

Barb seems a bit meh for 2 fighter lvls

[glass granite]

Agreed

[oak shoal]

If you play a DND class your min maxing and bad person

[bronze wave]

Tbh I don’t think most classes need it. Maybe a full caster if anything for action surge and armor

[glass granite]

Level 0 all the way!

[hushed mason]

Ah! There are no 'short rests' in 3.5. No natural healing in between sleeps.

[bronze wave]

I could see a wizard wanting fighter but also your delaying spell lvls

[red steppe]

A fighter dip is better than going 2 levels into it

[glass granite]

And even then, in 2024 that’s not needed

[old sluice]

So here's why daggers are often more practical: Daggers are lighter, cheaper and more easily concealable. While having scimitars or other bigger weapons is good for a rogue, you still need a back-up dagger.

[bronze wave]

Another 2024 win

[glass granite]

agreed

[tidal bough]

Personally I prefer to just play as a commoner

[raw ocean]

I consider min-maxing to be picking out your specific strengths and weaknesses, similar to how JoJo stands have ability charts. If you’re making a class specifically for no reason other than combat, I consider that power building.

[tidal bough]

No class levels, just the commoner 2024 statblock

[raw ocean]

Min-maxing is perfectly fine in my personal opinion.

[knotty pasture]

Barbs would probably go further, Barb Fighter multiclassing is probably the best Barb has

[red steppe]

Its like the 3rd best option if your DM dont like multiclassing into another full caster but the spell progression delay is still bad

[oak shoal]

Min maxing is mostly fun but I like it when it's done for funny gags

[bronze wave]

I also like wizard without multi class maybe cleric? For stuff like necromancy

[raw ocean]

Im perfectly fine with the barbarian being extremely strong, that's what a barbarian is known for!

[hollow estuary]

Next topic of debate:

Soulknife Barbarian??!?

Psychic Damage Big Stronk?!? Can Throw with Str and STILL sneak attack? Free attack as bonus action on later turns?! + Nick?

Path of giant barbarian make throw good? More throw damage and also returns? (soulknife already makes it auto return but still cool)

Big strong angry sneaky boy with emotional damage knives and 20 feet of range without disadvantage or limit with alot of damage and can sneak attack on str.

[old sluice]

Remember, the weapons are not just balanced by their tags and their damage die. Damage type, weight and ability to conceal are all valuable factors to consider

[knotty pasture]

Also I think that's also the wrong way to look at minmaxing, cuz even minmax guides would dedicate spells and stats towards utility

[glass granite]

What does fighter give a person that’s primarily barb? At least in 2024 I don’t see it as necessary. It’s not bad, sure, but I don’t see it.

[fossil hollow]

at this point, the convo is also better for #optimization

[oak shoal]

Drax from guardians of the galaxy

[knotty pasture]

Besides Barb and Fighter, those classes can't avoid the whole power building thing

[bronze wave]

I like multi classing tho it’s fun

[raw ocean]

Are we really optimizing anything, I thought we were just discussing the definition of the terms?

[bronze wave]

Gives way more cool abilities and interactions

[oak shoal]

Warlock remains the king of multiclassing in my opinion

[red steppe]

Oh you sweet summer child

[frail nimbus]

THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR TALKING TO A NEW GUY LIKE ME I LOVE YOU ALL AND WHEN SOMEONE TAKES ME IN I WILL BE A BETTER PLAYER AND UNDERSTAND MORE AND I CAN HAVE MORE FUN TALKING TO YOU GUYS

[fossil hollow]

oh, i was mostly saying that to 4x at this point

[raw ocean]

Oh, cool beans.

[scarlet elk]

I need a bit of insight. Has anyone used the UA "When Armies Clash"? How does it play?

[glass granite]

Tone down on the cap locks

[fossil hollow]

no need for caps btw, breaks text to speech

[raw ocean]

That’s fair, and I agree that good min-maxing still accounts for utility. My point is more about intent: optimizing around defined strengths and weaknesses versus building solely to maximize combat output. Utility can absolutely be part of min-maxing, but when the focus is only damage or combat efficiency with no other consideration, that’s where I personally draw the line into power building.

[glass granite]

But glad to have you here :D

[hollow estuary]

DM me, I can take you in for a little game. I'm.. not good but I think itl be a decent first time, Im running white plume mountain with some friends online

[frail nimbus]

my bad that was embarrasing lol

[oak shoal]

I like power building my AC because yeah

[bronze wave]

You can send me like 50 bucks and we can call it even

[knotty pasture]

Battle Master has superiority die and Champion has lower crit requirements, action surge works nicely on Barb or any martial in general, later Barb levels don't scale as well either and most classes actually conflict with how Rage works so that leaves Fighter

[oak shoal]

Although usually it's the saving throws that kill ya

[elder scroll]

I think Min-Maxing in general is more fun when designing a character that revolves around a specific niche, y'know?

[red steppe]

I dont recommend crit fishing

[raw ocean]

My party rogue destroyed my chain mail armor, genuinely contemplated selling him to the illithids

[scarlet elk]

Just heard of the armies clash UA today, its definitely fascinating.

[bronze wave]

Yk what would be fun. Having the ability to mutliclass into multiple subclasses I’d love to see that somehow added

[frail nimbus]

ahahhahahahahahahahahahah XDDDD

[knotty pasture]

I totally agree, power building is a blight if put that way

[glass granite]

this
Me want this

[raw ocean]

Exactly, if my character is a cool fighter that want's to defend his team, he's gonna be good at defending his team

[oak shoal]

It sounds cool but it's sounds like a nightmare to balence

[tidal bough]

@frail nimbus All good if I flick you a dm?

[glass granite]

Oh definitely

[frail nimbus]

Y E S

[bronze wave]

Can you imagine a redemption nature Paladin.

Battle master samurai fighter

Assassin soul knife rouge

[raw ocean]

[Personal Opinion] Min-maxing is like picking your role on a football team, such as a linebacker, while power building is trying to be so good that you don’t need teammates.

[glass granite]

Astral self elemental Warrior monk!

[oak shoal]

Rune knight battle master

[red steppe]

Gloomstalker Assassin (ik its a minmax build but it somehow fits)

[bronze wave]

Warlock with 2 patrons

[elder scroll]

Or a cleric who's into history and likes to question things, or anything really. That's where I see Min-maxing really shining

[bronze wave]

Fiend and undying warlock 😭 your patron is an undead fiend

[raw ocean]

Exactly, even backstories are min-maxing if you think about it

[oak shoal]

Assassin is a nice dip for all those badass gloomstalker bros out there

[hushed mason]

How.

[elder scroll]

My goodness, the amount of pressure I felt for some reason-

[raw ocean]

If your character is gentle and smart, that means they’re maxed in being gentle and smart. If they’re big and mean, that means they’re maxed in being big and mean.

If your character is maxed in knowing about one city and lived their whole life there, they will be min'd in other cities?

If I had to explain it

[oak shoal]

If my character is maxxed out on twerking so what?

[raw ocean]

Min'd on finding long term love

Or Min'd on having good knees

[red steppe]

This is true for conjuration wizard where you say "My character has seen this object in their backstory" for Minor Conjuration

[modest gust]

how do i start dnd?, do i star making my character?

[elder scroll]

They like to get around I guess.

[fossil hollow]

#dnd-newcomers

[raw ocean]

No matter how hard you try, you are technically going to have to min/max in D&D

It's basically unavoidable

But that's just my personal opinion, you guys can beg to differ

[hushed mason]

I think the issues is what someone said earlier... there's no set definition of the term. My definition is not in line with what you describe, I guess.

[raw ocean]

Exactly, min-maxing is a really broad subject and everyone has different views

[elder scroll]

I don't know, I always find myself going into a balanced sort of things. Everything is equal or at least tries to be. Even if I want to play something specifically, it ends like that.

[raw ocean]

Max'd into being balanced, so your min'd into being good at things

[fast kayak]

You can build an all-rounder type character but you will fall flat on your face eventually or just become a support character

[raw ocean]

Yep

[hushed mason]

Punctuation really can do wonders. 😉

[raw ocean]

Or just become the utility guy

"How are we gonna open this door!":

[fast kayak]

Thats what I meant by support character

[elder scroll]

Very much so indeed.

[scarlet elk]

Min-maxing isn't broad, its a specific thing. To min-max is to create a build that maximizes your ability to do X at minimal cost, likely to a stat that is of little to no value to the build. Builds are selected based on their tactical advantage rather than any rolepay interest. Its not exactly a term open to much interpretation.

[raw ocean]

Either way aren't we all support characters because we support each others dreams to play D&D and have fun.

[elder scroll]

I subscribe to that idea.

[fast kayak]

I guess so. I like playing a decent utility healer from time to time

Thats why I play Artificer

[marble lion]

i think min-max refers to maximum numerical effect, not flavour

maximising kindness is not minmaxing

[hushed mason]

I see the term being synonymous with 'optimization'.

[elder scroll]

That's kindmaxxing lol

[hollow estuary]

Shield master is... Really cool actually?

You just get a special action when you attack to slam (prone or push) no cost?

+1 Str?

Take NO damage when you succeed a save as a reaction?

Good feat 8/10!

[marble lion]

we kindmax around these parts

[raw ocean]

By “broad,” I mean people have different interpretations of min-maxing. I was even called a power builder for simply having a bard with high Charisma.

[knotty pasture]

Is dude just posting random things and telling chat how cool it is

[elder scroll]

I think so

[raw ocean]

D&D Joy Maxing

[scarlet elk]

Thats precisely what it is. When Min-maxing became something of a dirty word, people started saying optimization. I say this without condoning or condemning.

[marble lion]

somehow this makes me think of a ferengi merchant trying to sell something

"at no cost??"

[hollow estuary]

MIND BLANK MIND BLANK HIM NOW! HE KNOWS

[hushed mason]

Ooo. The goblins in my setting are matrilineal ferengi. 😉

[elder scroll]

Again, it's why I say to have fun with minmaxxing, optimize towards something specifc instead of making the most op character of all time.

[hollow estuary]

wait that spell dosent actually wipe memoris

[marble lion]

use modify memory

[raw ocean]

And doesn't literally every choice make you do a trade off in D&D?

[fossil hollow]

you want modify memory

[hollow estuary]

thanks

[bronze wave]

I like minmaxing. It’s fun to have a strong char

[marble lion]

yep

[raw ocean]

You can give me literally any choice you can make in D&D and I can give a trade off to it

[hollow estuary]

Minmaxxing is simply your friends being unprepared and not having accounted for how good you are.

[fossil hollow]

was about to say, mid maxxing?

[bronze wave]

No my char has 30 on each stat. It’s crazy

[bronze wave]

Wdym?

[elder scroll]

Bacause that's where the issue lies, having a super op character that does everything, and everyone can't do anything because they're not better than the "main character" over there-

[raw ocean]

Trade off = Your DM hates you

[scarlet elk]

I personally think min-maxing is a trap, and true strength comes not from over specialization that is a common pitfall in min-maxing, but in using your wits and creative spirit. But more importantly, whatever works for other peoples tables.

[elder scroll]

BEcause* dang it

[hollow estuary]

what if everyone makes equally overpowered characters that are.. not like equally strong. but equally strong on a level that makes each of them overpowered in their own right? and thats what you call playing alone!

[bronze wave]

I remember when I rolled a nat30 on my d20 once it was crazy man

I beat the bbeg with therapy

[elder scroll]

Then that's having fun.

[scarlet elk]

How do you roll a natural 30?

[hollow estuary]

You dont 🗿

[elder scroll]

Inspiring words.

[raw ocean]

Nat 20 + 10?

[hushed mason]

You use a d100. 😄

[elder scroll]

Yeah, how many modifiers were there?

[hollow estuary]

Natural means without modifiers 😭

[scarlet elk]

Thats a natural 20, Paladin just claimed they rolled a nat 30 on a twenty. Thats like saying you fliped a three sided nickle.

[bronze wave]

You won’t believe what I did one time

[raw ocean]

I remember when I rolled a 32 on Persuasion on a guard to leave me alone. The guard spoke to his other guard buddies, and I had to roll for all of them—and I rolled a natural 1. I’m still angry at that DM for that BS ruling.

[hollow estuary]

When you start a new campaign, roll a D20. whatever it lands on, is the starting level.

Chaos!

[scarlet elk]

Better yet. Have each player roll a d20.

[raw ocean]

If I convinced the first guard, why is he still suspicious

[past blaze]

me when I roll a ten sided d6

[elder scroll]

Ah hell nah twin 🥀

[hushed mason]

Is that an auto-fail in 5e?

[raw ocean]

It's DM to DM I think

[hushed mason]

So it's not in the RAW.

[raw ocean]

Only an auto-fail in combat

[bronze wave]

No but it’s still hard. I think nat1 only counts for attack rolls and initiative

[raw ocean]

I had a +17 to persuasion

[past blaze]

No, it's just attacks and death saves. That's all a nat1/nat20 specifically does stuff for.

[hollow estuary]

Mage slayers Kinda Wicked yo!

You get like.. Advantage on saves against spells?
Opportunity attacks against spells?
A Mental legendary resisitance??!

sorta awesome! 6/10! Use if you really hate liches.

[scarlet elk]

I always ask my players at the first nat20/nat1 skill roll, if they want critical skill rolls.

[raw ocean]

The DM was already throwing like 6 persuasion rolls at me in a roll, you think they would say "The nat 1 is a success!"

And I had a convincing story for the guard to leave me alone too

[scarlet elk]

What were you trying to persuade them to do?

[hushed mason]

I don't use critical fails. A 1 is an auto-miss for combat and saves, but never skills, and there's no fumbling or other such nonsense. I've never heard of anyone finding that fun.

[raw ocean]

To just leave me alone, I was just sitting in a jail cell swallowing a bag of lock picking tools and then I made it look like I was eating

[hollow estuary]

theirs a cantrip that applies frightened. we are doomed 😨

[raw ocean]

"Im not doing anything officer!"

[hushed mason]

Wouldn't that have been a deception roll rather than persuasion?

[raw ocean]

I technically was eating

But either way the DM said either one since I had the same bonus in both of them

[elder scroll]

I have an issue with luck. I can only roll one nat20, that's it. Anytime I roll, I get anywhere below 10.

You put me in a campaign, everyone's luck goes up except for me.

[hushed mason]

Yeah, I don't even play 5e, and I'd say that was a deception roll rather than persuasion. I wouldn't have allowed the 'technicality' to be anything other than a bluff.

[raw ocean]

The 7 wizards with silvery barbs beg to differ