dnd-discussion

[umbral girder]

Now the Orange Dragon can't make youtube videos

[humble cairn]

Basically dinosaur bog mummies.

[fossil hollow]

didnt annoying orange die several times

[tame estuary]

blazing hot knife dragon

[umbral girder]

idk

[fossil hollow]

i dunno how you always remind me how much of my dino kid self i had locked away

[humble cairn]

Dinosaurs are great!!

[fossil hollow]

time to channel my hyperfixation from dragons back to dinos again

[tame estuary]

dragons are cool though

they're like, long and no feathers but they fly

and they have horns

[umbral girder]

Ran an adventure where a Seer was gaining popularity and money because she kept predicting tragedies before they happened.

[tame estuary]

give up your children, seperate

[umbral girder]

The Seer notably is a shapechanged dragon who was making the tragedies happened

[fossil hollow]

so do dinos

[humble cairn]

I'd make it a sauropod with long reach, the neck and tail. Then I'd make it sticky come into contact and Str save or get stuck to it. Grappled first, but save again or get Restrained from oozing muck. Then I'd make the whole thing flammable.

[fossil hollow]

i also like feathered dinos!

[fossil hollow]

actually, i think heliana's has tar dinos

i could borrow and use them too

[humble cairn]

Does it? I have not seen those, but cool!

[umbral girder]

Better idea

[fossil hollow]

speaking of heliana's might wanna check up on the d4 slimes

[umbral girder]

Wizard Dinorsaur.

[fossil hollow]

already got a dinosakin lich

[umbral girder]

Swarmkeeper Ranger Dinosaur

[fossil hollow]

No

[tame estuary]

dinosaur made out of bees

[umbral girder]

Dinosaur with a lot of Velociraptors

[last marlin]

My bag of holding full of bees should solve this

[umbral girder]

Unfortunatly that was a bag of devouring. You have run out of bees.

[humble cairn]

My Palicos are taking care of them, right?

[fossil hollow]

maybe. unfrotunaely, theyre prone to accidents

(but yeah, theyre taking care of em)

[humble cairn]

Ooh! We might have a Griffon hatchling!

[lament shuttle]

Does anyone have name suggestions for elf women? I need six of them, they are for a portion of my character's family tree

[fossil hollow]

scientific names of plants and animals

[feral fulcrum]

Chrysanthemum Maximum, Mightiest of her Line. Her power is MAXIMUM Cue Broly Theme

[humble cairn]

Lysaniadrelle, Isidorianous, Florindraniabelle, Helenaxanna, Muriandranath

I'm a fan of elven names being long and elaborate, with friends and family and loved ones being allowed to call them shorter nicknames.

[lament shuttle]

Thank you guys!! 🫶

[humble cairn]

Lyselle, Izzy, Flora, Helena, and Muri for short, respectively.

[humble cairn]

Also another favorite hack of mine.

[halcyon schooner]

hiiiiii, im new to the server

[tame estuary]

imagine being named after plants

[halcyon schooner]

my main character is seqouia

[feral fulcrum]

looks at the people named Lillie/Lily, and Rose.

[fossil hollow]

lily

[feral fulcrum]

And probably many more across multiple languages.

[tame estuary]

I don't even know what I'll name male characters, probably a deodorant brand or something I dunno the naming scheme

[humble cairn]

I had a Seagull Shifter I named Larus, because that's the uhh .. genus, I think? .. name for seagulls.

[feral fulcrum]

Offers up Heracles the Hamster of Holding to the chat

[tame estuary]

what is he holding?

[feral fulcrum]

Whatever he can fit into his cheek pouches

[tame estuary]

does he have like a zipper on the back?

[humble cairn]

Anything they can stuff into their cheek pouches?

[tame estuary]

oh it's even funnier

[humble cairn]

Hamsters do like to put stuff into their cheek pouches.

[humble cairn]

I mean ... Axe isn't a bad name for like a barbarian.

[feral fulcrum]

Sasquatch, however is a bit on the nose

[humble cairn]

Oh I think I helped someone make a Fairy character once, he was named Rhododendron, Rod for short.

[tame estuary]

hmm Old Spice

[tough sandal]

In today's segment of "OOPS! I DIDN'T ACCOUNT FOR THAT!" we see a party taking a major character hostage when that character was attempting to run away.

[wild harbor]

Are you guys using the 2024 rules already or still playing classic 5e?

[feral fulcrum]

Should have really accounted for that.

Escape isn't really a Gaurntee unless they have like Instant Teleports and you know for a fact the ground won't be pre-emptively warded against such things. And that the Players can't just instantly shut such abilities down.

One's little legs can only carry them so far, so fast.

[humble cairn]

Definitely switched over to 2024, it's basically better in 90% of the cases.

Maybe upwards of 95%.

[wild harbor]

Was it hard to adjust in your campaign or not

[wild harbor]

Nice if it is better in almost every case so I can see why you switched I should give it a proper look too

[lavish flame]

ive been on 5.5 since it dropped

the thought of looking back makes me shudder

[tough sandal]

I was a FOOL to trust a 13th-level party that I've been with since Level 1 to let them escape. 🤣

[humble cairn]

Part of the beauty of a TTRPG is the ability for you the be surprised by the decisions of your fellow players. Now the question remains, "What are you gonna do about it?"

[fierce trellis]

Is ToA worth the pain your PC's have to go through?

[feral fulcrum]

Always trust your players to Kill or Capture your BBEG if they can't just Instantly leave via Teleportation, and even then be prepared for them to jump them, somehow beat Initiative, and pull out a bunch of spells you didn't consider, and do something absurd.

[abstract jacinth]

I'm super confused by the 2024 rulebook on abjuration wizard's ward. Does it start with its max hitpoints when you initially create it the first time in a day, or does it start at 0 and only gain hitpoints as you cast abjuration spells?

[feral fulcrum]

It helps Acerak ease into Eternal Retirement, so I'd say it's worth it.

Please, funnel more Adventurer's into his Tomb of Annihilation

His Phlactery Hungers

[humble cairn]

I can see why you're confused, but I would read that as intended to start with max hit points.

[fierce trellis]

Oh i meant from the perspective of a player lol

[tough sandal]

Mm hmm, it doesn't uproot any future plans, but enhances the experiences that already were made.

[abstract jacinth]

Alright that makes sense, it felt kind of weak. My DM ruled that it starts at 0 when we were trying to figure out what it meant though, so should I go with that or try and make a case for the intended ruling?

[feral fulcrum]

So do I, tottally, I'm not Acerak in disguise...come now fellow Adventurer, lets go help out an old and needy Lich...

[noble basin]

It feels kind of bad if it doesn't have good hit points during the day to start I'd say.

I would recommend going with the intended rules

[abstract jacinth]

alright

[charred panther]

Question
My DM gave me permission to spent 2/3 artificer infusions on level 8 to give the steel defender all passives of homunculus servant - basically it means fly speed and ability to channel touch spells through him, which sounded awesome until I started thinking about the trade-off of 2 infusions instead of 1 on regular homunculus and which touch spells I have (there is a life cleric in the party, so Cure Wounds is basically reserved for very, very rare situations)

People, who are much more versed in balance, game abilities and so on, how good is this? Is the tradeoff worth it? We play 2014

[stiff jewel]

LOL! D&DB are actually calling it 5.5e now... After so long of people angrily correcting me saying it's 2024, even a year after 2024 was over...

[knotty pasture]

Ikr, how the tables turned

[stiff jewel]

"Fully backwards compatible" is a bit of a stretch though...

[hot gate]

They're changed how DDBeyond calls it, but the books are still the same. This isn't going to make communicating about it any easier.

[hot gate]

That's because that's when the PHB/DMG were released and how it's called inside of the books.

[humble cairn]

How so? I can think of one subclass that simply doesn't work, but everything else does.

[pliant sapphire]

Shepherd druid?

[humble cairn]

That's the one.

Even that is not unplayable, it just has a feature that's almost wholly useless.

[inner silo]

Can a barbarian be a support?

[glass granite]

Depends, define support

[inner silo]

Someone who isn't a damage dealer ig

Who either buffs the party or debuffs/controlls the enemies

[glass granite]

Ancestral barbarian with shield can make attacks against anyone except you have disadvantage and can reduce damage on allies with their reaction while being very hard to kill
So I’d say that

[pliant sapphire]

Some barbarians have support features (Ancestral guardian, World Tree, Wild Magic, storm herald)

[glass granite]

Maybe grab a sap or topple weapon too

[inner silo]

Can any of the 24 barbarians be support too? (Ik 2014 subclasses are compatible with 24 but my dm doesn't allow them fsr)

[glass granite]

Iirc world tree has some, but lemme double check

[pliant sapphire]

World Tree

[knotty pasture]

Keep in mind that Ancestral doesn't make Barb any more tanky baseline

Its closer to "don't punch my team", learned that the hard way...

[inner silo]

Alrighty. What weapons would work best with it?

[pliant sapphire]

As Nugget said a weapon with topple mastery is nice

[inner silo]

Like a maul?

[glass granite]

If you want less damage focused I’d go shield + quarterstaff
Though World Tree has automatic Topple

I’d go spear and shield

[inner silo]

Alrighty

[glass granite]

Sap, + shield, + PAM if you need

[inner silo]

I also thought of going entertainer background for musician feat

[pliant sapphire]

Wild Heart barb have support features too. In Wolf mode you give all your allies advantage for attacks

[glass granite]

Against enemies in 5ft of you iirc

[pliant sapphire]

Yes

[inner silo]

When does world tree barb get topple btw?

[glass granite]

Level 10

You can use a topple weapon beforehand

[inner silo]

Oh. So quarter staff until then and then a switch to a spear?

[glass granite]

Sure that’s one way to do it

[inner silo]

Alrighty, thanks for the help!

[knotty pasture]

Hmm, stereotypically, what fits an Artificer more in terms of damage type, lightning or poison?

[glass granite]

I’d say lightning

Poison is only for alchemist in terms of artificer in my view

[inner silo]

Lightning unless it's the alchemist

Btw do the druids have to turn into animals? (2024 subclasses)

[silk hare]

pretty sure you dont HAVE to + theres still 2014 non ported classes that can use wildshapes to trigger their class features

[inner silo]

My dm doesn't allow 2014 fsr so that's why I'm mentioning 2024 only

[silk hare]

the whole thing about druids is that you have the agency as to what to use them for

oh also circle of the sea uses their wildshapes for emanations iirc, and thats a 2024 class only

[silk hare]

gotcha, will keep that in mind (but the 2014 stuff Im referring to here is technically 2024 content as it hasnt been rewritten for 2024 and therefore is a valid backport)

[inner silo]

Ik, but the dm thinks since it wasn't ported yet it can be unbalanced

[inner silo]

Is it useful outside of water?

[silk hare]

mh I see

[silk hare]

yup, it allows you to play pingpong with enemies (or a singular enemy) at later levels (kind of)

[silk hare]

"As a Bonus Action, you can expend a use of your Wild Shape to manifest a 5-foot Emanation that takes the form of ocean spray that surrounds you for 10 minutes. It ends early if you dismiss it (no action required), manifest it again, or have the Incapacitated condition.

When you manifest the Emanation and as a Bonus Action on your subsequent turns, you can choose another creature you can see in the Emanation. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC or take Cold damage and, if the creature is Large or smaller, be pushed up to 15 feet away from you. To determine this damage, roll a number of d6s equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of one die)."

crazy early game, less strong later on, but still funny

[inner silo]

I might be able to convince them to give it a try if there's a particularly cool subclass though

[silk hare]

I mean spores is one of my favs and as far as Im aware it hasnt been republished? but theres plent of other good ones on there

[inner silo]

Yo that's goated

[silk hare]

• at lvl 6 its 10ft more range + u get a swim speed
• at lvl 10 u get flying speed when its active + 3 resistances

[inner silo]

Would be really cool to try, but two of my party members specifically hunt undead and necromancers so it might cause some trouble

[silk hare]

and at lvl 14 u can make it appear on party members too and you can summon 2 at once if u expend 2 wildshapes

so you can play ping pong with an enemy cought between you

[silk hare]

mh yeah that might be a bit unwise then xD

[undone rain]

Wish i could draw, would be cool to make our dnd party

[silk hare]

you can always learn

[inner silo]

Does this also make a melee druid decent by any chance?

[silk hare]

ehh I mean "decent" is a strong word but with the right feats sure Ig

[undone rain]

I can but i got 0 patience. Besides it takes years to master. Think ill just stick to heroforge

[inner silo]

So it's more of a defensive feature?

[silk hare]

I mean you either have a pretty nice defense against melee monsters/ creatures or you can actively push them back

[silk hare]

you can use it either way I guess, but youd need the right feats too is all

[inner silo]

What feats would you suggest for it?

Sentinel and polearm master?

[silk hare]

probably one of those yeh

I dont really play melee characters so Im not that well versed with their best feats

[inner silo]

Though tbh i have 4 melees on my team so making the druid melee too might be much

[silk hare]

I mean you can help you melee guys tho, they just stand in the emanation, shielding you from enemies, enemies that wanna hit them enter your range, you push them back out

you could also have just stuff like fey touched to get out in a pinch, you teammates take PAM, the enemies have to continously re-enter the range

[inner silo]

So like a mid range kinda?

[silk hare]

and you spam the enemies with cantrips from the middle

[silk hare]

could be 1 way to play them I think

also I realized this goes a bit more into character discussion territory I think, so maybe lets move that there?

[inner silo]

Sure!

Can withers be a clerics patron god?

[pliant sapphire]

It seems to be an avatar of Jergal

[still plover]

Didn't think Old Man Withers was a deity. It seems unlikely, but your DM might allow it. Don't get your hopes up though.

[halcyon forum]

Withers is actually Jergal, yeah

[inner silo]

I think it would be really cool. Also I'd learn to talk similar to him

To ask "what is the worth of a single mortal life" if someone asks for a revive

[still plover]

That makes it more likely, pantheon permitting.

[inner silo]

Is Jergal still a god? I thought he gave up most of his powers to the braindead three

[pliant sapphire]

He serves Kelemvor now

[inner silo]

So he's like a minor diety?

[pliant sapphire]

Hmm more like a demigod i think

[inner silo]

Oki, thanks!

[knotty vine]

"thats Jergal scribe of the dead i didnt think anyone still worshipped him" -Tav

[still plover]

-# "He's just a little guy!"

[rough basalt]

Dude got bored of his work so he off-loaded it all onto 3 no goods and now he gotta work again under a different guy, usually fixing the problems the no goods cause

[tall forge]

Well, not anymore usually

Especially bhaal, that dude isnt even a god anymore iirc

[halcyon forum]

Bhaal is very much alive and a god currently

[tall forge]

Pretty sure he got demoted cause of new god laws

[halcyon forum]

And Bane/Myrkul also are up to no good

He might be a minor deity but he is a god

[tall forge]

Quasi-deity

[eager marsh]

causing trouble in the neighborhood?

[tall forge]

Pretty sure one of the dead 3 is even stuck in a mortal form

[tall forge]

Yep all the big 3 got demoted to quasi-deity status bc Ao posted new rules to the discord

“No more messing with mortals” or something

[rain fox]

heya

[tall forge]

They didnt like that, so they got demoted to avoid it

[rain fox]

anyone avilable for some campaign stuff

[still plover]

Making one, or recruiting for one?

[rain fox]

just kinda wondering about that since im kinda making a few (i use dnd beyond as in our current economy... i cant even buy the actual models and that nearly 176 yen or at least 78

[rain fox]

well both smith sama

[tall forge]

The pain of being Japanese

[still plover]

Put it together first then use

/looking

To look for players.

[rain fox]

im standing right here

[tall forge]

And reading any of that

[rain fox]

and im japanese american so i know english want me to insult you in japanese

[still plover]

What's the headline for your campaign?

[tall forge]

Genuinely worse to know this

[rain fox]

so far... my mind is full of scattered thoughts and ideas and weird stuff, so no idea on a headline yet

[still plover]

Pick one, sketch out three adventures about it to make a short arc. Give each an interesting location, problematic situation, some kind of opposition to the party's goals and some kind of complication that can arise.

[rain fox]

i was thinking something isekai, and japanese fantasy based, but knowing the americans here who seen too much anime its gonna get weird like people asking me in the middle: "please help me phoenix-sama, im kawaii" so thats the end of that idea, and knowing the non japanese in the server it might get to that or something more questionably bad im clawing my eyes out

[tall forge]

It gonna be a homebrew world?

[severe rampart]

What's the strangest object you can put your dice into? I just got mine and I was wondering where to put 'em

[still plover]

Skull with the top sawn off?

[rain fox]

thoughts on the idea so far and my reason to refuse it

[severe rampart]

Well, time to hit up my local cemetery

also that's an awesome idea

[tall forge]

Make mimic chest

Thats what i did

[rain fox]

why so like i said knowing the americans its gonna be a matter of time before someone does their impression of a anime character with the high pitch voice acting and acts like those japanese actresses in the isekai anime

[tall forge]

Play with people who dont do that?

[still plover]

Personally I'm not a fan of the portal fantasy in general. Your players will already be playing roles, I don't feel the need to add another layer of them being regular Earth folk suddenly shunted into a fantasy world and given strange powers.

They can be foreigners in a strange land, that'll do.

[tall forge]

Also i think there are better ttrpgs to fit the isekai fantasy

Dnd might work?

[rain fox]

and like i said as a japanese.. well i gotta make sure it doesnt turn into a laugh session i dont exactly find it comforting when the one guy in my party says "help me im kawaii" i just want to remove my ears after that

[still plover]

That's a very specific concern you have.

[hot marlin]

Depends: What exactly is the isekai fantasy? Are we talking Narnia, Sword Art Online, Overlord or Rising of the Shield Hero?

[eager marsh]

3 of those are teh same thing

[hot marlin]

The magic system of Overlord is basically D&D.

[marble lion]

I think its best to allow some jokes but, in general, yeah japanese games might attract a higher amount of problem players
Just reject them and find a group thats fun

[still plover]

Why don't you focus on the first adventure? What's the problem the party are here to solve?

[eager marsh]

Overlord is literally a transcribed D&D campaign

[rain fox]

either SAO or Naruto or somethin equal

[tall forge]

Generally “in another world with powers”

[eager marsh]

Author admitted it was from a game he and his friends played

[marble lion]

If i ran away everytime someone did a german imitation, id have no friends and no sense of humour

[severe rampart]

Really? I never thought of that at all

[hot marlin]

The spells are literally D&D spells.

[eager marsh]

they even call spells by spell levels they just call it 'tired'. so 5th tier magic, 8th tier, etc

[tall forge]

Yeah it’s very dnd coded

But it might not be direct

[severe rampart]

False Data: Life? Infinity Wall? Bless of Magic Caster?

[marble lion]

Naruto is not isekai

[tall forge]

Could just be a game of telephone

[hot marlin]

Like, I didn't know the author was a D&D player but that explains everything. The magic system is the same. Probably 3rd edition.

[hot marlin]

With some exceptions.

[rain fox]

also.........

[eager marsh]

most likely given the time frame and how much min maxing he does

[rain fox]

anyone want to help out for my campaign ideas at least

[severe rampart]

Ah, understood, but yeah I guess it does make a lot of sense now, the species of his allies and all, I could totally see all of their classes

[eager marsh]

the novels straight up list all the racial and class levels for the characters and his allies

[severe rampart]

Also a lot of spells in DnD are common spells in other magic systems, like Fireball, Magic Missile, etc, so

[granite root]

this is so irritating why is it so hard to find a campaign

[marble lion]

Youll get it eventually

[severe rampart]

It takes time to get a good party

[granite root]

im fine with anything, im stuck at home for 8 weeks because im having chiari 1 surgery for the second time in 2 days. would it be difficult to find a campagin within ill say about a week and 2 days?

[marble lion]

Maybe make a more interesting discord profile with some stuff to look at as a little boost for interest

[still plover]

#dnd-discussion message

[granite root]

fair i should do that, never thought abt it

[marble lion]

Also what after 8 weeks?

[eager marsh]

discord profiles have no bearing on D&D groups most people dont look at those

[rain fox]

specifically this would be. dnd beyond thing

[severe rampart]

As long as your profile picture isn't AI, I don't check any further

[marble lion]

When applying on discord, it cant hurt

[granite root]

in 2 days im having surgery and will be stuck at home for 8 weeks so this is what im tryna do

[marble lion]

Yes but campaigns often take longer than 8 weeks

Do you plan on staying then?

[granite root]

yes i will be able to do after that yk but i got the idea cause of that

ofc?

[marble lion]

Alright thats good

[severe rampart]

Debating whether I just put my dice in a mug and call it a day

[hot marlin]

So anyways: For a first campaign, I always advise simplicity. Players tend to create complexity by themselves, and complexity inevitably spirals.

[hollow stone]

some people i'm sure have seen mine and have gotten no useful information from it because it is exclusively about frogs

[rain fox]

also for the game, just kinda wondering when is best for a campaign as for japan we have a different time zone and we kinda want everyone on the same page

[still plover]

Skull.

[marble lion]

No thats actually a great one

[rain fox]

thats what we call a british diced tea and crumpets, a fine good meal aint it right old chap? tasted like regret innit?

[marble lion]

Its not a blank nothing

[tall forge]

Between you and any future group you get

[severe rampart]

100% recommend trying to make a short adventure first (something that lasts 3-5 sessions) before a full campaign

[severe rampart]

... Sigh I guess it's time to take out the shovel...

[tall forge]

Yeah… going full straight into a homebrew campaign is a little traumatic

[eager marsh]

knowledge of frogs can in fact be useful

[marble lion]

It shows an interest, makes you not just a name

[rain fox]

can i have a shovel or am i better off with a katana

[hot marlin]

On the other hand, the usual advice of "always use a published adventure for your first time" is one I disagree with.

[severe rampart]

you can always flavor a shovel as a martial weapon if you'd like 😭

[granite root]

the find a game channel has too many applying to join a game, any reccomendations on ways to find campaigns anyone?

[marble lion]

Being a firsttimer and worrying about staying accuratw to the book sounds annoying

[rain fox]

good british impression isnt it?

[rain fox]

dnd beyond has stuff

[tall forge]

I had a player have a concept trying to have a road sign as a weapon

[granite root]

?

[marble lion]

Phoenix are you being serious?

[tall forge]

Unfortunately they swapped characters 😔

[rain fox]

which sign the "STOP" sign

[rain fox]

yep, and its fabulous

[hollow stone]

pretty sure there's a Mace and a Warhammer and a Greatclub, all of which deal Bludgeoning for reflavoring into a shovel

[rain fox]

the site has premade campaigns

[still plover]

I feel you can get a starter going with three linked single session adventures.

Get that down. Play it. Does it form its own story with a start, middle and end? Yes. Does it lead into a longer campaign? Brilliant!

Does it not? Write another one.

[rain fox]

OHHH GREAT IDEA!!!!

[granite root]

yeah but im talking to join someones campaign not like that

[rain fox]

usually you'd have to go discord then DM someone

and ask "can i join" they may say no

but they can say yes like me saying yes to having ramen late at night

[still plover]

Check the listings in #looking-for-players for games that want people, read the details, respond as appropriate and cross your fingers.

Type /looking and select the option for #looking-for-dm to advertise yourself as a new player in search of a group. Be sure to include your regular availability!

There are other Discord servers where people gather for games. You can find them in #looking-for-community .

Aside from here, you could also try LFG areas in sites like Reddit, Roll20 or the D&D Beyond forums to get started.

[granite root]

thanks but all of that is a tuff chance, so many people already apply and ive applied to one but that section isnt very helpful

[rain fox]

uhhh

[granite root]

?

[rain fox]

maybe ask someone besides me

[tall forge]

You just sorta keep applying

[still plover]

That's the way of things.

[granite root]

unfortunately. Thanks anyway ill keep on trying!

[tall forge]

Until you find a group and latch on, at least

[rain fox]

also anyone from Japan like me, raise hands?

[tall forge]

Until eventually you become the dm, and the curse spreads

I dream of a world of all dms….

[rain fox]

what curse to be exact? the curse of langauges?

[still plover]

Alternatively, you could run your own game.

Pick an idea, sketch out three adventures about it to make a short arc. Give each an interesting location, problematic situation, some kind of opposition to the party's goals and some kind of complication that can arise.

#dnd-discussion message

[hollow stone]

i mean just because there are other people who apply doesn't mean you can't, i applied to an "empty" thread and joined the campaign and learned there were 10 other applicants who DMed the guy

[tall forge]

If everyones a dm, no one is

[granite root]

i WILL NEVER BE A DM, I ENJOY PUTTING TOO MUCH EFFORT INTO MAKING MY OWN CHARACTERS TOO MUCH

[tall forge]

I also enjoy putting effort into my own characters, we just call em npcs :)

[still plover]

You know how many characters a DM runs in an adventure?

[marble lion]

Its not the same

[tall forge]

Yesnt

[marble lion]

If it is, usually it ends up being a reddit horrorstory

[rain fox]

i enjoy that and making them overpowered for when i need em

[granite root]

NO STOP I KNOW BUT YES LIKE HAISE SAID, ONCE IM IN CHARACTER I CANT GET OUT IM LIKE SHAPING MY OWN PERSONALITY INTO THAT CHARACTER

[tall forge]

Its a different viewpoint, but you can fit a lot of a player experience writing wise

[tall forge]

I also do this, except with multiple characters :)

[marble lion]

I dont think its close

[tall forge]

Personally, i find it about 75% on a good day

[marble lion]

Characters get spotlight
Giving NPCs spotlight is often a sure way to make the game bad

[tall forge]

I dont agree, its about knowing when

[marble lion]

You run a world, not characters

[granite root]

im not becoming a dm. i like I CANT EXPLAIN IT! i just like once im the character i think like it, i just have to be it and solve challenges and actually do things with it that i dont know is happening

[marble lion]

I did say often

[tall forge]

Fair

[knotty vine]

where is he

[still plover]

You just missed him.

[tall forge]

I do agree that multiple dms can end up trying to go for the 100% player experience as a dm

[grizzled lance]

im not gonna lie im the one who fixed ranger

[tall forge]

He went that way

[marble lion]

Hes probably in japan

[knotty vine]

where is Gabriel

[rain fox]

hey im in Japan rn i live there

[marble lion]

Great

[knotty vine]

how is it?

[rain fox]

道ミニきちとなのに

[tall forge]

Ofc there are some things that being a dn cant do

[marble lion]

Japanese

[granite root]

i lowk wanna make a cool character hmmm, ima make a druid. should i go circle of dreams like one of my other campaigns or go for sum more naturelike helpp

[rain fox]

very good

[granite root]

i can only read nikitonanoni

[marble lion]

Yo

[fossil wigeon]

Actually I was thinking to go for an speed build for my character. What are the best option?

[granite root]

waiut i mispelty

[tall forge]

That… i dont think that translates to anything

[granite root]

nikichitonanoni

[grizzled lance]

peach

[granite root]

thats all i got

[grizzled lance]

have you seen my fish

[marble lion]

Considering the behaviour its all pretty logical

[tall forge]

Nah, gonna have to check the theives guild

[humble cairn]

I mean, NPCs are also characters, they're just not Player characters.

[grizzled lance]

you know whats a plus to being a beholder

[tall forge]

Mildly insulting still

[grizzled lance]

we dont stub our toes

[granite root]

hey haise, should i lowk make a druid based on taming animals, circle of dreams, or sum cool with controlling nature

[marble lion]

Im not saying its a good behaviour at all

[marble lion]

Id say wait until you find a campaign, then ask the DM what kind of druid theme would synergise best with that world

Might be some cool settingunique things like biomes

[granite root]

AHH THATS SO ANNOYING I JS WANNA MAKE A CHARACTER

[knotty pasture]

Flavoring is free, pick whichever Druid you like

[tall forge]

I know, but it’s just terrible memories of my japanese class in college 😔

[knotty pasture]

Or roll a d20 to decide what subclass you can go for

[tall forge]

A free A turned into a free nightmare

[marble lion]

Even my highschool friendgroup wasnt this much

[tall forge]

Gives you nightmares about stubbing your toes

[marble lion]

Just assume there is a weird motif behind it considering the completely unnatural disruptive and constant mention of a topic, regardless of ongoing conversation

[charred panther]

Does anyone here have a good understanding of Battle Smith Artificers?

[marble lion]

Not me sorry

[tall forge]

I do, whats up?

[slow crescent]

Hi

[charred panther]

My DM gave me permission to spent 2/3 artificer infusions on level 8 to give the steel defender all passives of homunculus servant - basically it means fly speed and ability to channel touch spells through him, which sounded awesome until I started thinking about the trade-off of 2 infusions instead of 1 on regular homunculus and which touch spells I have (there is a life cleric in the party, so Cure Wounds is basically reserved for very, very rare situations)

I'm just trying to understand how good is this? Is the tradeoff worth it, is it busted while I don't see it? We play 2014

[tall forge]

Wouldnt do it personally

[marble lion]

Id do it if i wanted a flying summon

Do you want a flying summon? Thats how you get a flying summon

[grizzled lance]

AAH

[tall forge]

Flying summon ig is a good choice

But personally i dont find doing that to be that useful

[charred panther]

I have sad restrictions on copy of magic item, so my infusions are repeating shot + repulsory shield + +1 weapon for barbarian

But I have another option of spending just one infusion for just flying, no spell channeling, and I'm leaning this way (because yeah, flying summon)

[humble cairn]

You know beholder nightmares spawn more beholders, right? You wanna be responsible for beholders with toes coming out of their eyes?

[tall forge]

Technically, beholders nightmares of other beholders spawn nightmares

[humble cairn]

Or eyes on the ends of their toes?

[tall forge]

Beholders subconsciously warp reality, so this would give the original beholder toes

If they start thinking about how terrifying that is and think about another beholder, then theyd make a new one

[humble cairn]

Yeah but a nightmare about having toes will make that other beholder. One with toes.

[tall forge]

Only if theyre having a nightmare about a different beholder

[humble cairn]

A Toe-holder.

[still plover]

I'm seeing a lot of strange nonsense here about the regal beholders. Everyone knows they are gifted to the world by the blessings of the cosmos. All this business about dreams is small thinking from folk with not enough eyes.

[humble cairn]

A think a nightmare about themselves with toes they can stub counts.

[tall forge]

Nah, they alter reality more than that

[humble cairn]

It is, after all, a different beholder than themselves.

[tall forge]

Theoretically, a wizard could make a sorta nightmare fueled engine

[marble lion]

Technically nightmares beholding other beholders spawn the beholder

[tall forge]

Using the dream spell on a beholder trapped in it

[tall forge]

Behold, the truth

[tall forge]

Depends on how they view it, or…. behold it

[humble cairn]

Yeah .. you're gonna make Toe-holders.

[tall forge]

If they see it as themselves, they become the toeholder

[tall forge]

This is actually a really cool idea now that i think aboutnit

[humble cairn]

.. and would never go awry.

[tall forge]

Im the dm, i want it to go awry :)

[marble lion]

Holding toes is weird

[tall forge]

Could theoretically cause as bad if not worse consequences than BG3 nether brain

Imagine a beholder that learns to lucid dream

[humble cairn]

Eyes bubbling forth from the earth, erupting from every surface, maws manifesting from every shadow. Behold the end of all is eye.

[tall forge]

God i gotta figure out how to use this

[burnt valley]

printing Beholders?

[hot marlin]

Nothing would guarantee the loyalty of those spawns though

[tall forge]

More so printing life in general, experiment with the dream spell enough and youll find out what makes what

Perhaps even shaping the very world, if a wizard is ambitious enough

At the very least its a great way to gather materials

[granite root]

i just made a character but why the hail does it have so many spells, i chose all teh wisdom things i could and extra spells but i swear it gave me more

[tall forge]

Depending on the class, you get all the spells

You just have to prepare specific ones on long rests to use them

[severe rampart]

are they spells you know or spells you prepared

[hot marlin]

Uh. Using a dream spell on a beholder may be interesting.

[tall forge]

Its gonna be part of my next campaign for sure

[unique relic]

Hey folks, is there an online archive of TSR-era illustrations?

[tall forge]

And as far as i know, theres no real limit to their dream abilities

[steel pivot]

does any dnd edition has fishing mechanics?
Other than survival check

[bronze canopy]

Spelljammer has a fishing table

[steel pivot]

THANK YOUU

[bronze canopy]

Not a very good one though

[steel pivot]

guess its better than nothing 💔

[worn lagoon]

Both wisdom fullcasters know every spell of their class

[grizzled lance]

i hate that dnd changed everyone into prepared casters

cause explaining spell casting is a little more confusing

[steel pivot]

rel

[modern scroll]

Session 1 in 2 days and i get an idea for a whole damn arc so now i have to design like 4 locations, do i got this chat?

Might have to devote my whole day to cooking this up ngl

[bronze canopy]

Do you need all 4 locations set up and fully running before day 1? Probably not. Focus on what you need

[spring light]

you're running a whole arc and 4 locations in 1 session?

[modern scroll]

nah nah

[spring light]

Just focus on what the players will see in session 1

[modern scroll]

just 3 first levels its just that it wasnt initialy a plan

yep , wont be too much of a problem, its mostly just mapmaking

[tall forge]

I just do stuff needed for session

[grizzled lance]

im gonna explode

[severe rampart]

how do you know the players wont throw you a curveball then go to the opposite direction

[marble lion]

About to blow up

[spring light]

steps back at least 30'

[tall forge]

Have vague notes of other stuff, then improv everything else

[modern scroll]

though I do need a bit of help with an idea, say my players have to meet up with a curator which is their quest giver , any cool harmless museum encounters that arent combat ?

[spring light]

sure.

[modern scroll]

this is usuallz what i do

[severe rampart]

Paintings/Portraits where the eyes follow them

[spring light]

they see... a school that is doing a tour in the museum

[tall forge]

But also usually my players are pretty direct in where they are going

[modern scroll]

how have i not thunked about this

[severe rampart]

if they try to attack it they set off an alarm and are fined 100gp (or more, probably more.)

[lavish flame]

Night at the Museum should offer plenty of inspiration.

[modern scroll]

I have the same blessing

[tall forge]

I at least try to end off any session with a “so where are you all heading too next?”

[modern scroll]

that's what i also do yepyep its hella usefull

no prep wasted (mostly)

[limber trail]

An artefact has gone missing. The party needs to track it down / return it by talking to the sentient exhibits

[modern scroll]

Muahahahah

[severe rampart]

my party TPK'ed in a location and they want to go back to the location with their new characters and see their old corpses, so I guess it's time to revamp the area to make it still fresh for their eyes

[tall forge]

I hope my party doesnt tpk…

[severe rampart]

revamp as in change the encounters, etc.

[tall forge]

The combat theyre about to get into is a little rough

[severe rampart]

I did not expect them to TPK, but they ended up splitting and well... the shadows got them

[tall forge]

Happens

[modern scroll]

I have insane rolls specifically when DMing so every session i pray and gotta fudge the roles if its too darn early 😭

[tall forge]

My players have a chance of entering the room where an unkillable vampire isn

Without figuring out the specific way to kill them first

[severe rampart]

One time when rolling saving throws on the enemies I rolled straight up, a 0, a 1, and a 2

it's rough having bad luck as both a player and the Dungeon Master

[tall forge]

Bad luck is easy to work around

[spring light]

last session i kept rolling 20s >_>

[tall forge]

“Good” luck?

[spring light]

i'm gonna use a different set of dice next session

[tall forge]

Now thats where you got problems

[woven flint]

REM pfp 👀

[severe rampart]

Feeling good about the dice I just bought

[tall forge]

Hit the recharge 4 times in a row once

[limber trail]

I don't often roll physically for my online sessions but I rolled physically for a backstory 1 on 1, and rolled a lot of crits

[severe rampart]

and I just rolled a natural 1.

[spring light]

the black die with gold text... that's the one that i should use when i want 20s

[tall forge]

Eat the dice

[severe rampart]

I wish I could friend, I wish I could

[woven flint]

I eated many dices

[tall forge]

Not if i eated them first

[modern scroll]

yes ! the fiend

[tall forge]

Using an ability from the Grazzt statblock for a lvl 9 party

[woven flint]

The friend :3

[modern scroll]

the creature

[woven flint]

If I run a game, I'm gonna send an Astral Dreadnought specifically after you

[tall forge]

Making an npc in my world named tokii who fights the party

They have 4 hp and die immediately

[woven flint]

And dies? :DDD

Yeahhhh, baby! That's what I've been waiting for!!!!
Woooo!!!

[tall forge]

Did that with another friend of mine

[formal seal]

Man, I’m so tempted to set a mini campaign set in Westeros (A Song of Ice and Fire).

[tall forge]

Gave them an entire dramatic opening too

[woven flint]

We're more than friends

We're best friends

[tall forge]

Didnt you threaten me with a dreadnought 2 minutes ago

[woven flint]

Water under the bridge, bygones are bygones

[tame estuary]

tokii you never respond to my DMs

are we friends?

[woven flint]

I read dms
Then I forget sometimes 😔

I've got the attention span of a...

A thingy

[tall forge]

Me fr fr

[severe rampart]

I do not like it when people DM me unannounced, there's like a 50% chance it's a scam

[woven flint]

I will dm you unannounced and you won't open my dms and then it'll be Schrodingers Scam, you won't know if I'm scamming you until you open it /silly

[tall forge]

Can i scam dm you

[severe rampart]

my players' new characters are almost 100% all Full Casters...

I am afraid to be like that one DM who's party had like 6 charges of Silvery Barbs per player

[woven flint]

Put them in a Wild Magic Zone

[severe rampart]

it's Curse of Strahd...

[woven flint]

Make Barovia a Wild Magic Zone

[tall forge]

Well, have you considered

[burnt valley]

oof splitting party moment

[severe rampart]

we got two clerics, a sorcerer, and a bard, and the emotional support monk

[tall forge]

Strahds curse is a wild magic zone

[woven flint]

Wild Magic Zone...

[severe rampart]

They want to go back to the place they died with their new characters...

[tawdry sentinel]

Got 2 and a rune knight and I haven't landed a crit without fog cloud in about 4 months.

[severe rampart]

oh man...

[burnt valley]

RAW?

[woven flint]

I think of parties using Silvery Barbs as a plus
They have a reaction they want to spend.. a LOT..
and it goes through spell Slots real fast-like

[severe rampart]

"Nat 20" "silvery barb!" "18" "silvery barb!" "...15-" "SILVERY BARBS!"

I was shocked when Silvery barbs wasn't "Disadvantage" but a cooler disadvantage

Disadvantage doesn't stack iirc? but you can stack silvery barbs

[marble lion]

If you want the enjoyment of nat20s and nat1s, you can always ban altering those

[atomic kayak]

The ravenloft book is just. The domains of dread? Again? So soon? Why.

[marble lion]

People do it with lucky too
I find it a solid compromise personally

[severe rampart]

or... have the enemies to have access to Silvery Barbs

[marble lion]

That is just raw

But doesnt stop ppl from negating nats

It just means both sides are losing the fun of nats

To me thats a double loss, not a fix

[woven flint]

I want the domain with the Wereshark Pirate, Draga Salt-Biter, in 5e 😔
It was in 2e

He has a fun concept when he dies in his domain
All the sharks in his domain go rampant and fight to the death until one is remaining and then he possesses it and turns them into him

[atomic kayak]

I would hope psion would be coming in the Arcana book but that would be something that would be announced i think, so thats sad

[woven flint]

Agreed 😔

What

Yeah, I can see why

[marble lion]

Yeah i can see why

[woven flint]

We can see...
Together!

[undone rain]

Who tf starts a convo like that i just sat down!

[marble lion]

I see that

Consent is good yall

[icy skiff]

Dude his name was almost fent profen but my dm said take it seriously it’s my whole groups first time playing dnd

[severe rampart]

and you went with... that name?

[undone rain]

And you went with a name that basically makes fun of that topic

That is nothing to joke about

[icy skiff]

Yes it’s fits a blood lusted Goliath

[marble lion]

Its pretty serious arguably

Its just really evil

[severe rampart]

Beyond evil

[marble lion]

No thats what evil is

Evil is doing evil things. Thats exactly what the word is for

[icy skiff]

He is a cloud giant which are really smart usually so he got kicked out for being dumb and having a lower Iq

[marble lion]

But this char is definitely not a topic for here

[severe rampart]

I mean it's really really evil

[marble lion]

This server has children tin

[marble lion]

Im with you there

[severe rampart]

Yeah Tin, I don't think you should go into more detail, really messed up and I don't think that's what your DM meant by "serious"

[woven flint]

What about
Skullbasher? Or.. something like that

[severe rampart]

If they're so smart why'd they name him that?

[marble lion]

I think its best not to dig

[severe rampart]

Haise is correct

[timid anvil]

Let's simply move on.

[woven flint]

Anoth!
Kobold friend :0

[south prawn]

I’m usually pretty open minded and not a lot gets to me. But that’s something…

[woven flint]

Hope thy art doing well

[severe rampart]

Anyway, my players are all weird, they're debuffing themselves on purpose, for lore (not that I mind)

[timid anvil]

I am having lunch right now

[woven flint]

Munchy Lunchy 🧐

[marble lion]

I wanna make a greatsword knight who collects flowers

[severe rampart]

The fire goliath wants to be vulnerable to... fire damage

[woven flint]

That's...
Something

[icy skiff]

I got a displacer beast kitten on my ranger named Larry

[timid anvil]

I am looking forward to then new stuff 👀 The Ravenloft book releases very close to my birthday

[woven flint]

Horpy eorly borthde

[severe rampart]

The lore reason is... it's a... Curse of Strahd...

Roll credits

[timid anvil]

thanks! (Funfact, as I am german, if you wish someone happy birthday to soon it means you wish upon them misfortune over here :P)

[woven flint]

I don't debuff my characters, bit I stick for what's thematic for them

My Bladesinger obsessed with the occult had lots of Weapon Buffing and Enemy Debuffing spells

[marble lion]

Does it actually mean you are consciously wishing that on them?
I thought it was more like a jinx

[woven flint]

Awh hell, I'm sorry 😭

[marble lion]

Like daring fate to kill them before reaching the day

[severe rampart]

Then have uhm... a very okay birthday!

[woven flint]

Here in America "Happy Birthdays" are usually really genuine (which mine always are because I love my friends)

[marble lion]

You can wish a nice party or nice presents etc

[woven flint]

AND YOU, ANOTH!
are a friendo :>

I hope you have a lovely meal on your birthday 🧐

[marble lion]

Very nice and culturally sensitive of you

[tall forge]

“Happy Early birthday” in America is said because of its general work focused culture stopping people from being sure they could even try to say it on the actual day

[timid anvil]

Okay enough about my birthday I already feel the mirrors creaking near me XD

[severe rampart]

what if this secretly meant you want their meal to be poisoned...

[woven flint]

ECHO, Shuddup!
I wish no harm upon the Anoth

[marble lion]

Germany has the same work focussed culture, we just wish it afterwards

Its congratulations in german, not a wish

Thats why it doesnt really work prior to the day

[woven flint]

Pshhh, that just happens when I look on mirrors

[tall forge]

Germany has more laws protecting the workers free time 💀

[marble lion]

Its like "good job on exam" before you know you passed

[burnt valley]

wth just be a frost goliath tryna be a fire giant then 😭

[severe rampart]

It's a Curse of Strahd

[woven flint]

Even then, Frost Giants aren't even weak to fire

[marble lion]

I assume there is some form of lore at work

[tall forge]

Get hit with the mandatory 60 hour work week 💀

[severe rampart]

The reborn wanted to feed on blood(hp) and make them completely unable to eat regular food

[woven flint]

Oh!
I helped a Giant rebuild a farmers windmill that his friend destroyed last night
My Dragonborn Cavalier Fighter has Proficiency with Carpenters tools lmao

I've used carpentry tools TWICE in that game, which isn't a lot, but it's strange that it's happened twice

[severe rampart]

granted they'd need the consent of said blood donator

[woven flint]

An Illusionist Wizard who "Threw" his voice and can now only speak through the Minor Illusion spell 🧐

[severe rampart]

Why not learn common sign language

[tall forge]

Shouldnt have taken that feywild trip…

[pliant sapphire]

Thats a nice concept

[woven flint]

Because not every creature will know Common Sign Language

Also, it'd be more on brand to communicate through your illusion spells (half-way just to show off your skill as an illusionist)

[hollow stone]

Illusory Script should be a cantrip

i have no idea how that spell works i just wanna communicate exclusively through written notes

[still plover]

Prestidigitation.

Ah, wait, verbal component.

[tall forge]

Illusory script is for hiding messages/scamming

[wild remnant]

Yo guys what's going on ???

[swift wren]

Like in general? World is really falling apart tbh

[still plover]

Tokii's wizard lost their voice.

[swift wren]

Or DnD wise?

[tall forge]

Bro i just wanna play my dice games 😭

[swift wren]

Everything is political.

[tall forge]

Never said it isn’t

[still plover]

That's just life.

[tall forge]

I just wanna play my funny dice games and not be obliterated by rich people squabbles

[tall forge]

Theres also a thing about how some creatures might not be able to learn sign language to begin with, at least not the same as humans

On the other hand, such modifications are pretty common irl so its debatable

[burnt valley]

politics fans miserymaxxing

[burnt valley]

True true

[formal seal]

Some days I agree with this, some days I don’t, I have no idea why.

I will say though, fantasy politics is my favourite part of DM’ing.

[swift wren]

We built 0.000% of communism. - Disco Elysium

[buoyant oar]

Red Wizards adventure let's goooo

[formal seal]

Hardcore to the mega!

[glossy otter]

Huh, so the rumours about ravenloft are true

[swift wren]

yes fellow rat of communism

[knotty vine]

what are yalls thoughts on giving players monster abilities through spells

[hot marlin]

There are multiple shapeshifting spells that already do just that

[jolly agate]

I like it

cuz i can just, ram into the enemys like a battering ram

[tall forge]

I have a player who gained a feywild boon to steal monster features

[swift wren]

fork year, i love brave design

[tall forge]

Its super fun (they can have 1 at a time)

[knotty vine]

i mean through spells like Xanther's eye ray

its legit just the beholder eye attack as a spell

or like uh

[remote wadi]

Honestly? I still really enjoy the roleplay elements of a ranger

[knotty vine]

or like "trolls regeneration"

[buoyant oar]

Ravenloft will feature Cthulhu

[knotty vine]

im so happy we also got a road map finally for books

[remote wadi]

Also, question: I'm a little curious why there aren't several shield types in DnD

[buoyant oar]

The new campaign book will feature horror-themed subclasses, species, backgrounds, and Dark Gift feats for players, along with details about various Darklords and their Domains of Dread. There will also be "dozens" of denizens of the fearsome mists, including potential allies like Rudolph Van Richten. Multiple genres of horror will be covered, including gothing, dark fantasy, cosmic, and the occult.

An early preview of the book revealed that the book will contain four new playable species - the Dhampir, Hexblood, Lupin, and Reborn species.

https://www.enworld.org/threads/ravenloft-the-horrors-within-announced-release-date-scheduled-for-june-2026.718153/

[knotty vine]

Lupin are becoming an official race?!

[glossy otter]

So it's Van richtens electric boogaloo

[remote wadi]

I mean, with how common things were like tower shields and bucklers, it confuses me why they stuck to only one shield type

[knotty vine]

we got a dog race

[trail bone]

Probably bc of how AC scales. Theres plenty of magic shields tho

[knotty vine]

i used to pray for days like this

[remote wadi]

Well, sure. But they're still just regular shields

[glossy otter]

The season of champions I'm predicting is the Venger module

[buoyant oar]

For the adventure

A description of the adventure notes that it will be the "ultimate Red Wizards adventure," covering a new Wizard War as well as a deep dive into Thay. No level range was given for the adventure. It will cost 29.99 USD

[glossy otter]

dang it

[knotty vine]

oof my wallet

[buoyant oar]

This book at least has one visible dark Lord stat block. With that dark Lord being Cthulhu

[remote wadi]

I personally like the light homebrew added of 2 extra shield types. Bucklers being lower AC, but can be wielded with a light weapon in the same hand

Tower shields being higher AC, but is much heavier and requires prof in heavy armor as well as shields

[glossy otter]

Wait, Cthulhu is being printed in a dnd book?

[grizzled lance]

It seems so

[buoyant oar]

The Enchanter and the Conjurer will be in Arcana Unleashed.

[trail bone]

Wasn't he always cannon to dnd with him being named dropped as a Warlock Patron option for the Deep One?

[knotty vine]

subclasses or

[trail bone]

And was like the whole flavor of that subclass

[glossy otter]

Yes but dnd's always had a weird history with Cthulhu

[knotty vine]

the enchanter subclass was always really cool

[buoyant oar]

Subclasses. Based on preview images. Showing the pages they are on.

[knotty vine]

hes been kinda hinted at but not an "official" stat block

i mean we do have a 3rd party stat block through

[trail bone]

Isn't he like unkillable?

[knotty vine]

yeah hes a great old one

[glossy otter]

Though that red wizards campaign has me thinking, maybe Venger will be there unless he's reserved for 2026 if this is going to be the year of the red wizards

[buoyant oar]

He appears to be statted out

[crimson gulch]

Neat new books announced

[remote wadi]

Honestly, I have a quick about a weapon that would be fun to add in a campaign

[knotty vine]

The great old one himself coming to dnd 2024 was not on my to do list

[crimson gulch]

that will add some extra spice to my next horror game

[glossy otter]

Was there a direct video for these ones or just the roadmap?

[remote wadi]

Love the idea of the Devil Axe in Fire Emblem being strong, but potential to backfire

[knotty vine]

just the roadmap for now

[crimson gulch]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RotZbO8l4VQ our boy todd came in hot with a peek

[knotty vine]

oh dang nvm

[buoyant oar]

https://www.enworld.org/threads/d-d’s-2026-announcements-roadmap-contains-a-mix-of-new-and-familiar.718171/

Lots of more infor here

[glossy otter]

the irony I think was ed greenwood confirmed ravenloft a good while back

[trail bone]

Ranger is fun flavor wise but imo it overlaps alot with druid

They need to be more distinct imo

[crimson gulch]

cuthulu only has 385 HP in the peek on that book, those are rookie numbers gotta pump those up

[south prawn]

Ohhh roadmap!

[buoyant oar]

Also according to the article the Seasons Concept is meant to refocus Organized play and THANK MYSTRA for that

[glossy otter]

I'm just happy that we're finally getting Sithicus

[knotty vine]

things are prob still subject to change or he has some crazy resistances

[remote wadi]

What would it's stats be in DnD, though?

Probably something like being a magical battleaxe that does 4d8 slashing damage on hit and reduces crit requirement by 1 number

[buoyant oar]

Spell Save DC of 25

[remote wadi]

But you also roll a D4 when dealing damage, with a 1 allowing you to deal all that damage... on yourself

[grizzled lance]

I swear those spells better he can cast them without any components

[glossy otter]

So I wonder how they settled it with Call of Cthulhu

[grizzled lance]

It’s a 3rd party book :p

[remote wadi]

It does, but I think Ranger does have the upper hand when it comes to actually having the upsides of a martial class

Not to mention they do have many of the great spells a Druid has

[umbral girder]

I mean wasn't he stopped by a dude driving a boat in him? Seems fair to me.

[grizzled lance]

Also not to mention call has a lot of broken stuff in the book

[lavish flame]

THE 2026 ROADMAP IS REALLLLL

[crimson gulch]

oh i dont know like any cuthulu lore, i just remember seeing a CR 30 stat block for him with like 800+

[remote wadi]

I keep getting surprised that Ranger has d10s for hit die

[grizzled lance]

Like that one spell that’s just an instant 1d4+2 psychic damage ranged of 120ft

[umbral girder]

Yeaah Cthulu was stopped by a boat

[glossy otter]

Now I just need the Venger reveal

[umbral girder]

So 300ish HP seems over selling Cthulu if anything

[buoyant oar]

If they stat out the Dark Lords and Don't Promise 30 Domains and write a single paragraph about 20 of them it will automatically be better than Van Richtens

You can't say. "You are not supposed to fight the Dark Lords." When one of your most successful adventures is literally fighting a Dark Lord of Ravenloft.

[tall forge]

Tbf he wasnt fully awake

[umbral girder]

I think even a sleeping Lich could tank a boat.

[lavish flame]

I think Arcana Unleashed: Deadfall is our Szass Tam adventure

[glossy otter]

My thessis is we're getting lord soth so I'm theorizing it'll be more nostalgic to older Ravenloft

[south prawn]

New adventure book in the lineup - Deadfall. Going to be interesting to see if they course correct or continue down a bad path in adventure design…

[tall forge]

And more or less cthulu wasnt stopped

[umbral girder]

Wonder if we get Kas in the new Ravenloft book and his Dread Domain of Tovag

[tall forge]

He just reformed and went “eh. 5 more millennia”

[buoyant oar]

This adventure is only 29.99 I would be surprised if it was a full giant campaign book or a shorter more refined adventure.

[umbral girder]

Like an Imp being smacked out of the sky, they were not stopped by hitting them.

[glossy otter]

My only worry is it's going to be like Eberron where this is only a companion to the first book

[tall forge]

Its more so passing through a sentient fog cloud

[umbral girder]

So a Cr3 vampiric Mist moment.

[tall forge]

Except instead of being a different state of matter, its a different state of consciousness

Cthulu just didnt care

The boat and his physical form being damaged was inconsequential to him

[umbral girder]

Sounds like something a guy who lost to a boat would say

[glossy otter]

I feel Cthulhu and Ursula could start a boat therapy group

[tall forge]

Cthulu isnt really a big kaiju monster of destruction

[buoyant oar]

It is being talked about that it is a companion to the first book. I don't think like Eberron. But we will see.

[trail bone]

Lovecraft was just scared of water so boats were the heros in his stories

[tall forge]

He was probably scared of boats too

[grizzled lance]

Lovecraft was pretty insane

[formal seal]

Lovecraft was the first stinkmaxxer of history

[tall forge]

You arent one to talk xanathar

[glossy otter]

my only hope is for more horrific monsters rather than humanoids

[formal seal]

showers?? no thank you

[tall forge]

Lovecraft had the personality of a beholder

[trail bone]

He was scared of AC units

[grizzled lance]

At least my pet fish isn’t named after you know what

[woven flint]

I hate this sentence.

[grizzled lance]

I love that sentence

[woven flint]

It's in the same brand as Pheromonemaxxing

[lavish flame]

I think we can bank on it bringing the Astarion's Book of Hungers content into an actual release. Additionally, One of the big gripes with the Ravenloft book was "no statblocks for Darklords" so maybe they remedy that here.

[trail bone]

Edger Allen Poe was the cooler paranoid Northeasterner

[trail bone]

Druids need to use Druidcraft more to do that

[grizzled lance]

Druid craft is such an interesting concept

[woven flint]

I played a Druid for a year and a half and never once used Druidcraft EVER lmao

[buoyant oar]

I am curious what the Season of Champions will bring?

Martial Love? Probably not but a DM can dream

Watch us get more subclasses for Casters to do Martial things lmao

[trail bone]

Its useful as a lighter or to make ur druid cottage coremax by having flowers bloom in their hair

U can snuff out fires with it

[woven flint]

I'm not gonna lie, friend
The Marial Caster divide is the deadest horse I've ever seen beaten

[tall forge]

Gonna capture a beholder to power my evil machine

[woven flint]

My Druid was beast-manning

[tall forge]

Speaking of….

[trail bone]

Im suprised ppl dont use the light/snuff out torches/campfires with Druidcraft. Its perfect to stealth

[grizzled lance]

WHAT

[glossy otter]

I feel it might be another big module

[buoyant oar]

That was a joke. I think Season of Champions might be Dark Sun

[glossy otter]

oh frowns jkjk

[trail bone]

30 foot range. So just snuff out the lights then use darkvision or a wildshape to ambush

[woven flint]

I just used wildshape to turn into small animals

[tall forge]

How do you feel about being in a machine that completely overrides your dreams :)?

[glossy otter]

Though it'd add up if it was Dark Sun

Though ngl it's funny to see it be backpeddled that we're not getting dark sun

[tall forge]

Gonna call it the nightmare engine, a terrible machine powered by beholder nightmares

[grizzled lance]

Dude is gonna harness my nightmares..

[trail bone]

U can also ruin someones charisma by making them smell bad

[glossy otter]

This sounds like some 40k levels of heresy

[tall forge]

The dream spell can shape your nightmares for me!

[woven flint]

I don't think that's how it works lol

[marble lion]

thats evil

[woven flint]

Beholders are Mid

[tall forge]

Never played 40k but my current next idea for a campaign has been called extremely 40k coded

[trail bone]

U can make a harmless effect like a smell of a skunk. It just has to fit in a 5ft cube

[tall forge]

A royal capital who hoards all. The sci fi tech capture a beholder, and use said scifi to force it to have specific dreams

[somber mesa]

The alt art is so cool for each book

and the new Strahd art is amazing

[trail bone]

I assume the opposite is also true so u can just make urself smell like flowers or smth sweet

[woven flint]

Yeah, but, I don't think that's going to ruin someone's Charisma
Maybe give them disadvantage on checks but like.. that's DM Fiat

[fading summit]

where can i find a lot of dungeon maps? i need like 30 of them and im awful at making maps

[tall forge]

30s a lot

[fading summit]

yeaa im trying out new kind of session purely in dungeons

[trail bone]

Make them smell like a corpse flower...

[glossy otter]

yeah, I'm going on a crusade for that one XD

[bronze canopy]

Play Enter the Gungeon and use the procedurally generated ones as inspiration

[tall forge]

Not a bad idea

[marble lion]

a corpse flower?

[woven flint]

A flower that literally smells like a decaying body

It's what the pokemon Vileplume is based off of too lol

[trail bone]

Its the worst smelling flower ever that smells like a rotten corpse to attract flies to pollinate it

[marble lion]

oh i thought you meant the japanese spiderlily, also named after corpses sometimes

you mean the aaracea or whatever

[trail bone]

Also whats the definition of a campfire? Can Druidcraft just light a random piece of wood on fire?

[fading summit]

i played it and it dont fit the style of the sesion i know those maps are good but not that good

[marble lion]

i assume it has to be in a camp

a fire for cooking and warming people in a camp

[tall forge]

Cantrips like that are mostly built to be a “catch all” and are vague for flavor and fun reasons

[trail bone]

Well it also says it can light a torch/candle on fire so can it be any wick or any stick

[tall forge]

So the answer to that is “vibes”

[woven flint]

I assume it can't potentially light an entire forest, building or etc on fire .. because that's not a campfire lol

[tall forge]

Well it can, eventually

[trail bone]

It dose take an action to cast in combat so ig u cant spam it

[tall forge]

Make enough campfires and the forest will def burn down

[trail bone]

But maybe if some guard or smth has their torch sticking out of their backpack, u could light it and then hope it spreads

[marble lion]

it creates a flame big enough to ignite a camp fire is how id interpret it

where that fire is placed is narrative and can have any number of consequences

[tall forge]

^

[trail bone]

Probably only like a flame as big as a lighter. Its scaled to be the same as to light a candle

So maybe u can also use it to light a fuse as well

[woven flint]

Also, it's magical fire, it doesn't necessarily say it Spreads

[tall forge]

Its a narrative spell

[woven flint]

(Keep in mind that not all magical fire spells spread)

[bronze canopy]

What style are you looking for?

[trail bone]

The least useful part is the weather ball that Druidcraft makes

[fading summit]

more like all diffrent rooms no simularities at all

Edit : i was thinking about ETG but not rooms more of flores

[marble lion]

considering it starts a campfire, the initial fire may be magical

but the fire following the ignition should probably be spreadable

[trail bone]

Tiefling druids have both Druidcraft and Thanaturgy. They masters of making guards go insane

[marble lion]

thaumaturgy, thanatos is death

[stray sage]

what D&D afterlife would you say is the best as a place to actually stay in?

[marble lion]

best one ive heard is probably the highelf place

[somber mesa]

many more people would side with Strahd if that art was in Curse of Strahd

[stray sage]

i feel like the more lawful upper planes are better than the chaotic ones simply because the chaotic ones are more dangerous

[hot marlin]

Whichever one best suits your temperament

That's the thing, nobody is really punished in the afterlife in D&D. You go to the place where people like you go. If that place is bad, it's because people who are like you make things bad.

[woven flint]

I dunno, I don't think I'd ever align with the worst person possible

Strahds Evils are ... much more realistic than most other villains in D&D

[buoyant oar]

I would love to be in Mount Celestia which has the Protection of the Celestial Hebdomad which is like the Angelic version of the Lords of the Nine.

[hot marlin]

To support Tokii's point in no uncertain terms: Strahd as a character is defined by violence directed towards women.

Strahd is a misogynist. This is what he was created to be. He feels entitled to women, he seeks to own them, brutally punishes them for refusing him.

[marble lion]

does he not feel entitled to getting what he wants in general?

[hot marlin]

A fair point though women are his usual victims

[marble lion]

hes straight, so he cant really ask that of men

[woven flint]

Actually, Strahd is Bisexual

[marble lion]

but i assume in any other field, he still takes what he wants from them too

[woven flint]

He's had Male Consorts just as he's had Women

[marble lion]

oh really? that does make this different then

[glossy otter]

debatable according to Van richtens

[marble lion]

so is he less entitled and demanding of them?

[glossy otter]

It could be argued he's more Pan

[marble lion]

if hes interested in both, but only treats one like objects of his desire without agency, then my point falls flat

[woven flint]

Doesn't make Strahd any better of a person, but, yeah.
He's just incredibly misogynistic

[hot marlin]

He takes men as his consorts too, though the way he treats them is different

[marble lion]

ok then yeah my point is negated

i was trying to say that rather than a misogynist, hes just a trashbag in general

but sounds like its selective in this regard

[somber mesa]

he's absolutely terrible but way too many people see a hot vampire and go "I can fix him/her" regardless of their crimes

[glossy otter]

honestly I thought he neglected his male consorts

[glossy otter]

"I can fix him/her"

The person you're trying to fix:

[woven flint]

My Dm, Nealen played Strahd pretty into character
My Warlock was the most charismatic person in the group, very polite too, so they played chess together and talked a bit
Strahd wants men who are defiant though, Sovis was too kind lol

[somber mesa]

Vampires are the epitome of predatory nobles/aristocrats/rich people, but people keep falling for them

[woven flint]

My Warlock is also the one who ended up putting Strahd down .. with a Guiding Bolt 😎

[buoyant oar]

Hey Community Managers.

Tell the Art Team and the Person doing CSS coding on your new official website.

That they rule. Holy crap it's a pretty site.

https://www.dungeonsanddragons.com/

[glossy otter]

Then there's twilight

[woven flint]

"How's THIS for Defiance, Strahd Von Zorovich?!"
Was the last thing Strahd heard before getting blasted with my HOLY Celestial Warlock light 😎

[hot marlin]

Oh not necessarily, I played vampires that were definitely anti-aristocratic in theme in VTM.

But in D&D, Strahd is indeed the epitome of aristocratic predation.

[buoyant oar]

And on this new website WotC officially calls it 5.5e

[marble lion]

bold move

[glossy otter]

The Orzhov I'd argue is another good example with vampires

[woven flint]

The game Deadlock has a Vampire fella named Drifter
And he's not nobility, he's only participating in the ritual to kill people too lol not to become more powerful

[marble lion]

plenty of vampires are more street now

[woven flint]

(He's also voiced by Matt Mercer.)

[marble lion]

"now" as in "the last few decades"

[cerulean monolith]

Not even in VRGtR, he’s explicitly queer in CoS.

[marble lion]

but the old idea of it i think was absolutely aimed to be aristrocrats, the elite, people entitled to anything they wanted from the masses

[glossy otter]

I forgot that guy existed

I say that guy to avoid spoilers

[somber mesa]

site doesn't seem to work on desktop

[cerulean monolith]

Yes of course

[woven flint]

Hello, Samathan

Samamathon

[hot marlin]

Though one need only look at the ponderance of youtube AI videos about the millionaire meeting the poor girl to see where this is coming from

[glossy otter]

wait huh?

[somber mesa]

Last time I played CoS, half the party sided with Strahd and bought his bs long enough to help him escape

[severe rampart]

Interesting... as someone who's DMing curse of strahd for the first time..

[somber mesa]

DM had to homebrew a new end because far more players fell for Strahd's manipulations than the DM expected

[woven flint]

Ah, blissful ignorance

[marble lion]

thats great

[severe rampart]

They do know that Strahd was... evil? right?

I feel like just by how he speaks you can tell he's evil

[marble lion]

being evil doesnt mean youre bad!

[somber mesa]

Somehow, they became convinced that "Curse of Strahd" meant we had to free Strahd from the curse on him that kept him trapped in the Domains of Dread

[proven mountain]

Yes, but I can fix him

[hot marlin]

Well yes. By killing him

[swift wren]

Strahd is a comically evil abuser and perpetuates his violence throughout all time, by literally making his realm a blender for souls to keep his victims in eternal torment. Like how can you side with that.

[marble lion]

thats definitely an interesting thing

[cerulean monolith]

Samanuel, you mean

[severe rampart]

Kill him and free him from his fate

[buoyant oar]

Try to fix a vampire worth fixing, Like Jander Sunstar the Goat who was mistaken for Lathander by a boy thus bringing the religion of the Morning Lord to Ravenloft

[hot marlin]

Oh please Jander is just as vile

[marble lion]

strahd is just a boi

[woven flint]

Samamamanathan, how are you? :3

[severe rampart]

wait what, one of my players is devoted to Jander

[hot marlin]

I've read Vampire in the Mists. The only difference between him and Strahd is that he feels sorry for himself.

[somber mesa]

Because the DM is very good at playing up the manipulator characters as properly manipulative, and half the party fell for the manipulations. It's kinda like buying into Odin's bs in God of War Ragnarok

[marble lion]

since the DM is the only window into the world for players, it can also be quite tricky to see through deception, since you might just think the DM is acting it out weirdly, or the DM forgot something etc

[woven flint]

No Vampires are worth saving

Becoming an Undead in the realms actively takes away the best parts of a person and turns them more vile than they potentially were in life

[severe rampart]

Time to write this in the campaign...

[marble lion]

DnD can have a LOT of leeway in terms of credibility and judgement calls

[swift wren]

There is evidence throughtout the whole book that is kind of irrefutable and at least a dozen victims that are glas clear regarding Strahd. Meh.

[woven flint]

The best way to "Save" a vampire is to destroy them 🧐

[marble lion]

"this cave decorated with skulls seems dangerous.... but im sure the DM knows what hes doing, it will be balanced for our level, i really wanna do some combat too after waiting 2 weeks to play"
is a very valid thought process when playing DnD

[swift wren]

Some people run it as "Gothic Vampire Slayer", and that is something.

[woven flint]

And, no, I don't mean this in a "Yeah, you're saved alright!" way
But quite literally just putting them to rest is the best salvation you can offer

[hot marlin]

Or resurrect them

[severe rampart]

There's a funny little comedy vampire movie here where a vampire family learned to live with community by drinking and eating raw animal meat and blood, so if they don't mind the taste of animal blood, maybe that's another option

[buoyant oar]

Read up on Jander Sunstar. He was forced to be a vampire. And actually handled it pretty well. He was still a holy follower of Lathander. Given a special place by the Goddess Eldath. He was only rejected by her when he broke her rule of leaving her grove.

He only left because his friends were in danger.

[somber mesa]

It's been a few years since this campaign so the details are fuzzy, but I think he convinced the illiterate barbarian to bring him the evidence in secret with promises of food and power, so the barbarian delivered without realizing what was so important about the documents

[marble lion]

wouldnt the nicest thing for them be to just let them be evil and do what they want?
ofc you shouldnt do that as it hurts many others
but wouldnt that technically be the best outcome for the vampire?

[buoyant oar]

He tried to Save Strahd. To Mentor him. Very S-Tier Tragic character.

[woven flint]

I feel no sympathy for the Undead, only the people they once were 🧐

[severe rampart]

wait, what does Lathander have to do with Barovia? and why are they also called the morninglord

[marble lion]

why do they need salvation?
others need to be saved from them

[woven flint]

I do feel Sympathy for trapped spirit though

[severe rampart]

Every time I think I know the entire plot of Curse of Strahd I encounter another thing

[woven flint]

I don't think you understood what I meant

[marble lion]

i agree

[woven flint]

Salvation as in freeing them from their undead state.
Not every undead CHOOSES to be undead, afterall.
So long as they're bound, I don't feel they can truly rest or be freed

[somber mesa]

I think one of the party members who helped Strahd realized Strahd was lying but became curious what would happen if they did free Strahd, and another was convinced by Strahd that he was the reincarnation of Strahd's brother (I don't remember how much that player believed it but the PC ended up going along with Strahd's plans)

[buoyant oar]

In the Novel Vampire of the Mists Jander Sunstar a Vampire Elf from Waterdeep who is a paladin of Lathander goes to Barovia. And he saves a small boy from Strahd.

The morninglord religion is born from this meeting.

[severe rampart]

so, the morninglord religion worships Jander? or Lathander?

[woven flint]

Elvish Vampire?!
Now it most CERTAINLY must be destroyed!
/joking

[marble lion]

elven vampire implies a horrible fate

wouldnt that mean the elf will be denied elven cycle because he spent however long as an evil vampire even though hypothetically that was against his will?
or would it consider the years before the transformation the "worthy deeds" thing?

[buoyant oar]

Lathander. Martyn Pelkar who was the boy who started the faith had visions of Lathander because he was from Faerûn. The light coming to save him.

When Strahd ran him down a Paladin of Lathander with golden skin saves him. That Paladin is Jander Sunstar.

The faith is for Lathander but the visage would be Sunstar. Who looks a lot like Lathander's official art

[severe rampart]

... I see...

is Jander still alive while the main Curse of Strahd events were happening?

such as ||The players keeping you know who away from Strahd||

[old escarp]

I wish they allowed us to choose any types of damage for draconic transformation

Not just force

[buoyant oar]

Yes and no, Jander escapes from Barovia . And in Mordent he gets accidentally cloned and spread through the Mists. The main one though returns to Fearun and helps start the Hell Riders of Elturel. After the horror of Zariel's Descent he stayed behind and his nature was discovered. He could not bare his guilty and stepped into the sunlight praying Lathander would accept him.

Lathander did not. He arrived in Avernus in front of a changed Zariel whom he abandoned. The rest occurs in Descent into Avernus.

[severe rampart]

I... think I understand!

[buoyant oar]

During the development of DiA he was going to be the guide to Avernus. But he was replaced by Lulu. Some of Jander's Concept art can be found at the back of the module.

[woven flint]

That could've been cool
A Vampire trapped in the hells guiding the party to Avernus

[buoyant oar]

Especially one that for all intents and purposes was good. And had personal history with Zariel.

It would have painted Lathander in a very different light if this guy who was cursed through no fault of his own was in the Nine Hells simply because of who he is.

[glossy otter]

Huh, so it is true. Our boy Cthulhu's finally back in a dnd book

[valid geyser]

yup. from the snippet weve seen people are guessing him around CR 25

[glossy otter]

Im just questioning how a god was imprisoned in a domain of dread

[tall forge]

I mean, gods get imprisoned all the time

[valid geyser]

it does say the statblock is a weakened version of him

[tall forge]

Plane of dreads not a terrible prison

[buoyant oar]

Vecna was imprisoned in a domain of dread for a long time.

[daring ledge]

Maybe it’s “weakened” like how the Overlord stat blocks from Eberron are implied by Keith Baker to be them only partially released and not at their full power?

[buoyant oar]

There is a whole module about it. Vecna Reborn.

[valid geyser]

i do feel a little bad that im kinda dissapointed with the news. I've been asking for the roadmap for a while, but maybe its just that I was hoping for something more unique than ravenloft 2 and red wizards adventure 5

[buoyant oar]

Have we gotten a Red Wizards Adventure in 5e?

[daring ledge]

It looks like they are doing the Red Wizards adventure after all, but it sounds like it might be a shorter and smaller book if the price is anything to go by

[buoyant oar]

Sure there was the AL Campaign but did 90% of module players play that?

[timber cairn]

Since we're discussing Domains of Dread, I would like to humble brag that I've been part of a 5.5 year weekly play Curse of Strahd campaign that is now operating in 3 different timelines across 3 different parties and it's the best group ever.

[daring ledge]

I think we got a free DnDBeyond adventure, but not a full module like they suggested

[valid geyser]

theyve been major players in a lot of them

[crimson gulch]

i wanted more full campaign books, but im going to be eating good with these new ones too

[valid geyser]

yeah deadfall isnt a full campaign book, rather advertised as an "adventure expansion"

[halcyon forum]

I dont get why we get another Ravenloft book so soon.

[glossy otter]

Could be during season of champions with Dark sun

[halcyon forum]

Van Richten's guide is not that old

[glossy otter]

I think its only 4 1/2 years old

[buoyant oar]

I mean strip the spells, setting gazetter, player options, and new items out of a campaign book and how many pages are the actual full campaign books?

[jolly agate]

Ma DM told me he made dis silly "Ring of Human Embodiment" and ima have the chance to find it next session, im happy af ngl

[crimson gulch]

Because Curse of Strahd is the most popular Book of 5e and giving people more of that is a safe choice, and the new designers need to come into their own a bit

were probobly going to see it played safe for the next few years

[glossy otter]

I mean dark sun is anything but safe

[buoyant oar]

Also Van Richten's like SCAG was a bit of a dud.

[glossy otter]

I just hope they bring back the og dark lords

[valid geyser]

i think its safer than most are making it out to be

[buoyant oar]

And we don't have DS confirmation yet,

[glossy otter]

Fair, tbh the fact they kept saying they were never going to do it was a tad bit extreme

[daring ledge]

I personally beg to differ, but agree that they could have done so much more

[glossy otter]

True about the confirmation, though the evidence does teter towards it

[valid geyser]

i think sales wise its gonna do well because wotc has built a reputation for it
I could just believe that they didnt announce it to drum up hype

[buoyant oar]

When a manager says. "Something is never happening" It means.

"Something is never happening while I am here."

All of those people are gone.

[glossy otter]

Fair

[blissful ibex]

The horror subclasses UA had a lot of really solid options at least