dnd-discussion

[tall forge]

Frankly CR can be incredibly innacurate, high CR can go down easy to lower level parties while low cr can decimate higher level parties

[faint thicket]

Did no one use the help action?

[crystal latch]

CR is less important than the lock-and-key aspect of 5e encounters

[atomic kayak]

The other PCs were all dead or stable at 0

[rough basalt]

Dang, that is some hall of fame inability to roll better

[tender fossil]

That's when the stable ones wake up as captives

[valid geyser]

5.5 has slightly better encounter balance mostly because XP numbers were better tuned, but also CR is a less helpful guideline because the bunbers have been bumped up and the dmg no longer provides an official numerical baseline

[atomic kayak]

It was on both ends of the table

[faint thicket]

Ah I misread but still, there are ways around attacking

[atomic kayak]

Not in this scenario, for a variety of reasons even aside from the fact they were fighting a bunch of monsters (bulettes namely)

[rough basalt]

After that many rounds I'd probably wonder "if we were just gonna narrate it dead why'd we wait this long"

[crystal latch]

Every monster ability that makes it harder to trivialize is a lock, every tool the PCs use to negate those locks is a key
It matters less what CR the encounter is and more whether your party has the locks for all the keys

Or failing that, enough damage to just kill the monsters before they kill you

[faint thicket]

Honestly I would have had the monster leave

[tall forge]

Or failing that, a strategy that can overcome whatever the encounter it is

[atomic kayak]

Partially investment to see how bad it could get. Partially because I had started rolling openly for that duration because it was so absurd

[drifting zodiac]

Sup

[tall forge]

I play monsters with general strategies and behaviors in combats that players can exploit

[faint thicket]

I once saw a player turn 15 nat 1s into a character development moment

[warm shore]

Somehow, despite having a 22 ac, I feel like it folds like paper

[rough basalt]

Yeah I would've probably suspected fudging at some point if an enemy keeps missing for several rounds against a low hp target.

[tall forge]

If they either fought them before or researched them before fighting, they know those behaviors and play around em

[crystal latch]

Case in point, an enemy like Zariel fought at level 11-12
Locks: High flying speed, teleport 120 ft (line of sight variant), "if she hits you you will likely die soon" levels of melee damage
Keys: Wall of force microwave, block line of sight, initiative

[tall forge]

Makes more difficult combats a little easier

[atomic kayak]

No, the PC wasnt low HP. The PC was a monk at about half HP and could very easily have tanked a few rounds of damage from the last bulette standing.

[rough basalt]

Ah mightve mixed up Urizts and yours

[atomic kayak]

The bulette was at like. 10 hp or something and the PC kept missing

[warm shore]

I feel like a good way to fudge without outright killing pcs is just having enemies knock the characters down to 0 but not finish them off and move to active threats , no?

[atomic kayak]

3 attacks per round. For a statistically improbable number of rounds

[frail wasp]

nobody thinks thats fudging

[atomic kayak]

Thats not fudging, thats a very different sort of scenario

[rough basalt]

Depends on the enemy

[crystal latch]

Initiative - as in high init mods - is pretty much always a key
Line of sight blocking is another common key
Difficult terrain
Teleport denial
Speed reduction (ray of frost, lance of lethargy)
etc.

[rough basalt]

If a T-Rex doesn't just eat me while I'm down, then I want off this ride.

[halcyon forum]

teaches the value of guaranteed damage

[uncut zenith]

Generally “fudging” is a community term used specifically for lying about the result of a die roll

[frail wasp]

I think you might be an outlier sora

[jovial shadow]

That's not fudging, that's actually in DMG part about PC's and death

[crimson gulch]

executing players is essential, powerful monsters know that they could get back up with a single word otherwise

[valid geyser]

Fudging is a lot like necromancy, is what I’ve been thinking
It’s a tool that isn’t outright evil but does have some hoops to imp through to use it effectively

[atomic kayak]

You would think after so many rounds 3 attacks per round would guarantee some amount of damage and yet

[crystal latch]

Big damage is an "alternative key" in that you may not need other keys if you have it but the damage you have to be doing for it to be a worthwhile substitute is so high that it's pretty much only available to the classes that have all the other keys too

[rough basalt]

I like immersion.
So when a predator that would eat prey its taken down or run off with it just walks by then I'm taken out of the game.

[halcyon forum]

my take is that monsters only start executing PCs if they know the party can get them back up and can comprehend how that works

[atomic kayak]

100%

[woven flint]

Oh yeah, I gotta change Orizontas into a battlemaster tonight lol

[crystal latch]

Necromancy - understood here as making undead - is evil (with a handful of specific exceptions) as far as I'm concerned but that just means evil is optimal

[crimson gulch]

for me that is any monster capable of downing an adventurere, because if they were strong enough to bring one down, its likely not their first encounter with a party

[torpid hound]

Why are the tool proficiencies for Soldier, Acolyte and Sage so trash? That's 3 out of the 4 backgrounds in the free basic rules

[halcyon forum]

I meant like half damage on success stuff or magic missile

[atomic kayak]

And even if they do understand it - a lot of the time it doesnt make sense for them to "waste the time" executing someone who is no longer an active threat

[rough basalt]

Learn maneuvers from the shield guardian.

[valid geyser]

And that’s fine. I think it’s part of the GM social contract that there must be some sort of consent to an action’s resolution being from the dice to DM arbitration

[halcyon forum]

lots of wild beasts or mostrosities might never have encountered an adventurer, or many undead dont have the capacity to understand

[atomic kayak]

A lot of humanoid enemies fall into this category - bandits being a common one. City guards another

And both those groups usually have additional reasons to not execute immediately on top of that

[halcyon forum]

yeah enemies dont exactly "see" your HP. as far as they know, their next hit on you could take you down

[crimson gulch]

i usually run undead with the explicate intention to extinguish life, and wild beasts to kill and eat the adventurers, Some rare times an inteligent humanoid may want to take a hostage but the vast majority of the tactics are to make sure the foes are dead dead

[valid geyser]

I don’t really fudge. I know it’s a tricky subject players might not often want, but there are cases where a player might not want a cheap outright death due to bad luck either. It is a balancing act to be able to consent to that and not have its effects take one out of the game
Best case, it would be done so it’s not too different from the concept of failing forward

[lavish flame]

Tool proficiencies are rarely used. Being good at card games is fun flavor as a soldier.

[crystal latch]

Tool proficiencies are really useful with XGE rules

[atomic kayak]

Like sure, the bandit might like to make sure that the guy who was sneaking around with a knife is down for the count

But he's also got a 7ft tall lady with an axe breathing down his neck

[halcyon forum]

but even with that premise, the other adventurers are an immediate threat, the one bleeding out is not.

[torpid hound]

What's XGE?

[crystal latch]

Xanathar's Guide to Everything

[lavish flame]

Yeah, Xanathar's made Tools and Downtime neat. They also do some neat sutff in 5.5e, but by and large, they're not really used

[frail wasp]

and killing a PC doesn't stop the cleric from revivifying them in combat :S

[torpid hound]

Mine is good at Dragonchess

[tall forge]

I run 4 different encounters

Wild animals will fight for food ( a downed pc) and run if needed

Monsters (specific thing in my setting) fight to the death and fight to kill

Npcs will either fight in formations or fight panicked depending on the situation

Bosses fight smart.

Then minor strategies on specifics of each ones

[atomic kayak]

I have to do it on a case by case too much

[drifting zodiac]

What about a natural disaster encounter

[tall forge]

It helps to categorize

[halcyon forum]

yeah I just look at a statblock and the "metadata" of a monster and decide what it should do

[tall forge]

Thats not gonna be combat, it’s environmental. Pure random

[valid geyser]

Yes, PC death should always be a risk, and I’d rather have the players have their own means of avoiding death, but if something was just really bad luck and that death can’t be undone, I’m not opposed to a redo of sorts

[feral fulcrum]

Depends on the Tool Proffiency, XGE does tend to provide some pretty useless things to do with Tool Proffiencies.

[atomic kayak]

For example with my earlier mentioned encounter. In most scenarios bulettes are basically just beasts and would try to flee after a point. But the encounter was taking place in a nest with eggs (which the PCs had broken one of by accident), so there was no chance they were gonna do anything but go to the death

[tall forge]

It helps to have a hb creature type whose existence is to destroy everything

[tender fossil]

You could always steal from Star Wars and have an Obi-Wan character scare away the monsters and then send them on another quest

[halcyon forum]

yeah like even a dragon might fight to the death in its hoard too, especially the more prideful ones

[rough basalt]

I'm all out for execution of PCs if it makes sense.

[tender fossil]

Or invoke a mystery where they wake up and no idea who their savior was

[tall forge]

Had a pack of blink dogs kill a pc, and straight up try to take the body and run

[atomic kayak]

Younger dragons especially for sure

[tall forge]

Theyre categorized as wild animals, so thats why they did that

[rough basalt]

I despise this kinda stuff so I'd never do it personally.

[tall forge]

Monsters woulda kept killing

[tall forge]

maybe as a session 1 hook?

[rough basalt]

Ye that'd be an exception

[atomic kayak]

Reminds me of an encounter i had where the PCs were traveling down a river with a bunch of NPCs. Aquatic lion pride attacked the three boats, dragging people overboard and into the river

[tall forge]

I dont mind cutscenes involving stuff like bbegs or important npcs early on

But they better stop like, at MOST halfway through lmao

[atomic kayak]

The PCs were of a level where they were unlikely to be at threat of death unless they got pulled super far from the boats - the same could not be said for all the NPCs (who the PCs had incentive to protect)

Lotta ready actions happening that encounter

[woven flint]

Part of me is very concerned about how to approach that encounter
Because it LOOKED trapped, but also it could've been just powering up
Orizontas wouldn't know, he's a farm boy lol

[umbral girder]

Regigigas moment

[drifting zodiac]

I decided to watch The Mighy Nein

[lavish flame]

I think I go roughly by "Intelligence Score" and use their Creature type to modify that. Animals and other unintelligent monsters will target all living opponents before killing unconscious ppl (to make low level animal fights survivable). Intelligent monsters might kill someone, but that'll be where I reference Creature Type. Fiends would, but maybe Giants wouldn't.

[tall forge]

Homebrew setting is why my monsters kill people

[woven flint]

I love Regigigas

[tall forge]

Got lore reasons and stuff

[atomic kayak]

I tend to let Wisdom influence that sort of thing generically personally. I see the argument for Int but Wis just feels better for it personally

[tall forge]

Int and wis for me determines how effective the monsters/animals will be

[rough basalt]

He might be chill

[minor cargo]

Same. And of course, that decision influences the next scene.

The bandit that uses intelligence to spare the PCs probably is coming up with another plan (ransom? leverage? etc.)

The bandit that uses wisdom to spare the PC probably intuited that there's something else going on (interrogation/intimidation?).

[atomic kayak]

So stuff like Zombies will just tear into whoever is closest even if they are downed, but wolves and the like care more for active threats

[umbral girder]

Yeah INT score isn’t the whole deal. For example did you know White Dragons have the most perfect memories of all dragons but the lowest INTs?

[tall forge]

It also matters how you want the encounter to feel

[atomic kayak]

Ofc

As helpful as a lot of general encounter advice will be, if you want an encounter to be meaningful (note: not every encounter has to be or necessarily should be), you've gotta engage it a bit more deeply

[undone rain]

Question, as thri-kreen. Can i technically have a 2 handed weapon in one pair of arms and the other a shield?

[frail wasp]

the thri-kreen feature makes it clear what your secondary arms can do, and wield a shield or a 2 handed weapon is not one of them

[undone rain]

Agh shame

But fair enough

[torpid hound]

Rule 1 of D&D: Don't be insecure. The other players won't think you're stupid, they'll be stupider

[lavish flame]

Basically everything you do in D&D is stupid to some varying degree

Most people wouldn't enter the city sewers to go deal with the Otyugh problem, that'd be stupid.

[stray atlas]

hey y'all, is there a spell like prismatic wall that only has the effects of its violet layer?

[minor cargo]

Thank you 😭 Also just learned that another player is having really bad cramps today, too. So... yeah haha, sometimes D&D falls on really inconvenient nights.

[lavish flame]

You'd need to combine the spells Blindness/Deafness and Banishment

[jovial shadow]

But these aren't ordinary people. They are adventurers, mercenaries, guns for hire etc. Who do that stuff in real life.

[stray atlas]

damn

thanks

[lavish flame]

Yeah, adventurers do stupid shit is my point

Stupid shit is also fun

[severe rampart]

I feel called out

[woven flint]

We'll just be chill with him

[severe rampart]

Tried scamming a powerful wizard merchant

[still plover]

"We're not just doing it for the money. We're doing it for a shedload of money!"

[severe rampart]

Now either I have to get a magic item deep within Avernus or get strong enough to be able to kill the wizard in a 1v1

[swift wren]

Transform the whole Party into Crabs and they have to do one session as Crabs🦐

[severe rampart]

I am praying that hold person + modify memory will work on the wizard...

[undone rain]

Well i might just play a thri kreen

I like their designs and racial abilities

[lavish flame]

Oh man I'm stealing this so hard

My character is a former outlaw from a wandslinging cowboy troupe. Thats their motto now

[jovial shadow]

What kind of magic item? Anything less than Legendary is a nope.

[undone rain]

Hmm i kinda want to play an oath of ancients but i want some race to fit the oath

Any suggestions

[marble lion]

Ancient is weird

Im not sure what its meant to really be about

[undone rain]

Think tree huggers but knight

Seeing as they gain a few spells that druids and such have

[halcyon forum]

the inspiration are sort of elven protectors. Knights, but in tune with nature

[undone rain]

A green knight

[atomic kayak]

Less about nature specifically necessarily and more about the preservation of life

Obviously a lot of them are nature heavy but still

[still plover]

Kinda. Swampellow is closer to the mark.

Kindle the Light. Through your acts of mercy, kindness, and forgiveness, kindle the light of hope in the world, beating back despair.

Shelter the Light. Where there is good, beauty, love, and laughter in the world, stand against the wickedness that would swallow it. Where life flourishes, stand against the forces that would render it barren.

Preserve Your Own Light. Delight in song and laughter, in beauty and art. If you allow the light to die in your own heart, you can't preserve it in the world.

Be the Light. Be a glorious beacon for all who live in despair. Let the light of your joy and courage shine forth in all your deeds.

[undone rain]

But anyway races, hit me

[halcyon forum]

i was referencing more where the idea of the oath came from. they had to make it a bit broader (hence preserving life) so characters from all walks of life could easily explain why they take the oath

[still plover]

There are their tenets. Nothing about nature. It's true though, their capsule description does say "green knights" and such.

[still plover]

Wood elf.

[atomic kayak]

Oh yea, forgot all about the Light stuff they have going on too

[severe rampart]

... Hill Giant's Gauntlets (Grants 23 Strength to the wearer)

[severe rampart]

Changeling!

[undone rain]

Hm, perhaps

[severe rampart]

IIRC, a stat above 20 is almost godlike

[lavish flame]

eh, its definitely supernatural, but I wouldn't suggest that 23 strength is "Godlike"

Hill Giants have a 23 strength, hence why those gauntlets would bring ur strength that high

[halcyon forum]

21 str

[burnt valley]

whos the wizard in question

[severe rampart]

Not any particular wizard, just a wizard merchant in Sshamath

[echo meteor]

does this thing cast "power word: kill" XD

[jovial shadow]

Yep almost. Titan is god strength

[burnt valley]

i'd suggest going for a Bloodshed Blade then try to win initiative to one shot him in 1 turn

[severe rampart]

I'm a bard

[burnt valley]

o h

[severe rampart]

I'm going stealth for ambush, then hold person, he succeeds? cutting words, then modify memory

[lavish flame]

oh is it stone giants with 23 strength?

[severe rampart]

Now... there might be some holes in my plan...

[halcyon forum]

I think so

[severe rampart]

If I don't restrict him immediately he can use a bonus action to lob off my ring finger and deal 4d8 damage and inflict bleeding on me

[severe rampart]

Why wouldn't I just... wear it myself... that's so much better than a ring of spell storing

[jovial shadow]

Yeah you should. Although there is no such thing as guantlets of Hill giant strength: just the belt or potion. Unless it's home brewed.

23 strength is Frost/Stone giant

[severe rampart]

There is a risk that if I do wear it, it might potentially teleport to him(?) Though with the wording of the contract, I doubt it

[lavish flame]

get me a Gauntlet of Power for that sweet sweet 25 Str

[tawdry sundial]

Hello folks, I wanted to learn about wood elves

where can I find good deep info on their society not just their race?

[harsh hinge]

It depends on what setting you're referring to, but the Forgotten Realms wiki is a pretty good springboard. And it has references if you wanna fall down some rabbit holes! https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Wood_elf

[umbral girder]

Notably a lot of societies in D&D are becoming less and less race bound.

[south prawn]

Also I’m sure there are people in #dnd-lore that would love to deep dive with you on it

[tawdry sundial]

thank you!!

[tawdry sundial]

I'll check out the wiki and then see if there's anyone there who wants to yap with me on them, thanks guys!

[dense parrot]

A D20 die with 1 on all sides

[umbral girder]

So a build with big modifiers or avoids making rolls.

[severe rampart]

A d1 is just a perfectly smooth ball

[wispy vector]

Gotta get a D1 for unarmed damage

[umbral girder]

It's sphereical.

[tall forge]

Ive kidnapped players into a non-dnd game

Evil, i know…

[jolly agate]

What the hell is the Order of the Gauntlet

Are they like Magic animals hunters or smth?

That's cheating
(And I usually like to find out about things through human interaction)

[umbral girder]

They are one of the build factions in Faerun I know

I think they are Knights. I actually only know them tangentially.

[jovial shadow]

I never heard of a Gauntlet of Power, but the only PC who can get a 25 strength withough magical enhancements are Barbarians. Others have to wait until after 20th level to take Boons/Feats repeatedly. In fact only Barbarians and Monks can raise their scores to 25, in the exact same way. Takes forever though, and for the monk, I doubt they would turn down a Belt of Giant Strength

[feral fulcrum]

There are Gaunlets of Ogre Power, but that just sets your strength to 19.

[rough basalt]

Might be thinking of Giants Belts which go up to 29 strength, one of which is 25

[lavish flame]

Gauntlet of Power is an older name for what became the Gauntlets of Ogre Power. Their effect also got lessened. The Gauntlet of Power brought ur Strength to 25 in... 1e? maybe OD&D, afterward, it only brought ur strength to 19 and has remained that way since.

[rough basalt]

Ah

[jovial shadow]

Nope neither AD&D 1e, Basic D&D or Rules Cyclopedia

[severe rampart]

My DM is a baldur's gate player, so, gauntlet of hill giant strength is in the campaign now and I have to find it, and/or kill the wizard that is making me do this

[rugged hawk]

Or, you could just put the wizard under a geas to go find the damn thing himself

[feral fulcrum]

The Echo's are communicating among themselves, foul Wizardry is afoot.

[severe rampart]

... I got a better idea... I have two bags of holding.

[rugged hawk]

That's only a good idea if he can't planeshift.

[severe rampart]

... Sigh, well, better do Wall of Force, or just Hold Person+Cutting Words then modify memory

[feral fulcrum]

Steal his tuning forks and they're helpless.

[severe rampart]

I can't exactly use silence, since A. Concentration, B. I'm a Bard

[rough basalt]

Bard has silence.

[feral fulcrum]

Techniclaly speaking Bard has everything.

[rugged hawk]

Any wizard worth their spell slots has Silent Spell and Still Spell anyway

[rough basalt]

Well it also has Silence on their spell list too

[feral fulcrum]

Though I don't think anyone would waste a Magical Secret on a low level spell.

[jolly agate]

Alr so i might be cooked cuz they are basically Beast and Fiend Hunters (aka they are goin to kick ma arse)

[severe rampart]

Yeah, I mean, if I cast silence I also cannot use spells that have somatic components

[rough basalt]

Oh right

[severe rampart]

If I'm in the radius

[rugged hawk]

So pre-cast Vocalize on yourself, duh

[severe rampart]

That's a 1e spell no?

[feral fulcrum]

Also in 2cd and 3rd Edition I beleive

[severe rampart]

I do think if I just ambush the wizard and use Hold Person I can just modify their memory

[jovial shadow]

Silence is a ranged spell you do not have to cast it on yourself. You just target the area of the caster.

[severe rampart]

Yeah, then I can't use Conjure Minor Elementals

[jovial shadow]

Why?

[sleek cloud]

Concentration

[rugged hawk]

Sure you can, cast it from outside the radius. Oh, right.

[severe rampart]

Concentration

[jovial shadow]

Ah well. You have to pick your poison.

[tender fossil]

I don't recommend that That is the absolute worst saving throw

[severe rampart]

Hold Person, he succeeds on the save? Cutting Words or Silvery Barbs, then Modify Memory

[rugged hawk]

Or, you could just slip a Medusa's head into one of your Bags and show it to him

[severe rampart]

I could come up with a way to kill this guy instead... but I don't want to seem like a murder hobo, I did try to scam him

[severe rampart]

CME is generally better no? Silence just prevents his spells, but what's the use if I can't damage him

[jovial shadow]

Why can't you damage him? You don't have any offensive spells/cantrips?

[torpid hound]

What would your ability scores be if you were in D&D?
Mine would be 8 STR, 12 DEX, 8 CON, 15 INT, 11 WIS, 8 CHA

[severe rampart]

My build is made for maximizing hits and activate CME, so yeah, I have scorching ray, etc.

[jovial shadow]

8 strength? So you can lift a 120lbs barbell above your head and carry it?

[torpid hound]

What

[tall forge]

Carrying rules in 5e are insane

[sleek cloud]

11 str, 12 dex, 11 con, 9 int, 10 Wis, 12 cha

[tall forge]

Mostly bc it was made by a bunch of nerds who guesstimated a buncha stuff

[jovial shadow]

yes

[echo meteor]

dam.. 15 int? you think ur pretty smart dont ya 😛

[torpid hound]

It might be the only thing I'm good at

[severe rampart]

5 strength 3 Dex 5 con 8 int 4 wis and 3 charisma

I am a civilian, that is it

[echo meteor]

ur an animal with those stats

[torpid hound]

Bro a commoner is 10 in all ability scores

[severe rampart]

Aren't we all

[torpid hound]

10 is average

[echo meteor]

nahhh

i aint no animal

[jovial shadow]

That's a D&D commoner, they are apparently superior to us Earthlings

[sleek cloud]

3 dex, tripping over a slight breeze

[echo meteor]

even gods have 5% chance to trip when they roll a nat 1

[severe rampart]

And commoners can lift 150 lbs according to the rules

[sleek cloud]

That’s what they have legendary resistances for lol

[tall forge]

Technically not anymore

[torpid hound]

Carrying rules is a trash way to estimate strength, it's inconsistent

[tall forge]

They stopped statting gods

They dont roll, they just do

[torpid hound]

If you're a god a nat 1 isn't stopping you

[severe rampart]

Correct, still, you said what stats I'd get if I were in DnD, I don't got no magic, no class, or anything, so I'm not getting anything equal to or above a 13

[echo meteor]

if a nat 1 isnt gonna stop u, u shouldnt be rolling in the first place

[torpid hound]

13 just means you would be able to become that class with enough experience (literally and figuratively)

[jovial shadow]

It's like when I was reading the Xmen teens. I forget what they were called. Somehow they got stuck in Asgard, and they found that even the youngest Asgardian was stronger than any of them. They had hard times lifting forks and spoons. lol

[torpid hound]

And the mental stats don't directly correlate to whether or not you can cast spells

[glossy vigil]

Do you have to spend a full action to equip or unequip a shield?

[torpid hound]

There's a post on r/dndnext that explains ability scores titled "DnD Ability Scores Explained (Again)"

[sleek cloud]

Yep

[echo meteor]

tbh most adventurerers are pretty "special" with lopsided stats.

because they are good at one of the 3 mental while also being good at physical they arent well rounded at all their stats are hyper skewed

you dont want a charismatic AND intelligent AND wise bard

[torpid hound]

That's because a 4d6-1d6 usually gives you above 10

[echo meteor]

you just want a bard that is super charismatic, bard and you always dump intelligent

[glossy vigil]

thanks!

[torpid hound]

And 10 is average

[echo meteor]

rolling for stats is gross

[torpid hound]

Why

[jovial shadow]

You actually "don" a shield to wield it or "doff" to stop. And both takes an action to do.

[echo meteor]

cause some guy just brings god amongst men characters to the table with a 20 in a stat at level 1

or cliam they rolled three 6s on every stat

[sleek cloud]

There’s no such thing as a 20 in a stat at level 1 even with rolled stats

[swift wren]

What kind of tables are you at?

[torpid hound]

At that point you know they're lying

[echo meteor]

proof?

[torpid hound]

background

[jovial shadow]

I never roll. I always use Array, because rolling according to the rules can give you bad scores all around. Purchasing points isn't much better, unless you max your best scores at 15, and get 8's in others. Sounds great until you are forced to do saves or checks in that particular ability.

[severe rampart]

No... that's not how probability works

[torpid hound]

It basically is
Ain't no way anyone's getting that lucky

[sleek cloud]

Never mind I’m an idiot.

[severe rampart]

It could happen, it's possible, not plausible

[torpid hound]

If you don't want to be accused of lying you roll it in front of everyone

[echo meteor]

its not impossible

[sleek cloud]

My poor poor math today, lol

[glad arch]

Rolling an 18 on a stat with 4d6 drop lowest isnt even that unlikely

[jovial shadow]

True if you roll an 18. But multiple 18's that's sus

[echo meteor]

.oh sry, i rolled 3 18s and 3 16s my bad

[severe rampart]

A player of mine rolled their stats in front of me, holy crap what a stat spread, not a single bad stat, 18, 17, 17, 16, 15, and 12

[jovial shadow]

That's great. I never in my life of playing ever rolled such numbers

[torpid hound]

One of my characters has at least 13 in every ability
I hope the DM believes me

[echo meteor]

or.. "oh srry, i actually rolled two 18, two 16, one 14 and one 8 totallly

[glad arch]

Roll in front of the party and noone will need to believe you

[glad arch]

Atleast the dm

[torpid hound]

I created the character before the party

[glad arch]

Then its not guaranteed you can play with those stats

[severe rampart]

... okay, then reroll?

[echo meteor]

wahts a "believable" piont spread for u?

[torpid hound]

Only if they don't believe me

[echo meteor]

point buy is better lol

[severe rampart]

3d6 in order

[glad arch]

D20 in order

[severe rampart]

Blackjack against the DM.

[jovial shadow]

Everyone wants to start off as superheroes, but this isn't Champions/Heroes rpg. You are fantasy players, who start off weak and eventually become godlike in some capacity

[glad arch]

Oowh ive seen that too

[sleek cloud]

Unless your dm really really trusts you, they will have you roll with them from proof. Even if you really did make those rolls, no dm has to accept them because you said you got that. It’s a collaboration but it’s still their rules to decide what’s what especially for game setup

[echo meteor]

some more godlike than other

[inner silo]

can a beast masters beast be a giant slug

[tender fossil]

I would prefer a racing snail but sure

[glad arch]

Idk i feel like predetermined stats arent gonna fly with many dm's. Either youve rolled them after knowing the campaigns starts or theyre reproducable stats e.g. standards array/point buy

[severe rampart]

Yeah, just not snails /j

[jovial shadow]

Aren't slugs beasts?

[echo meteor]

lol point buy ftw

[inner silo]

why not snail?

[tender fossil]

Just got to get permission from your DM

[severe rampart]

Last session snails dealt 30 damage to my character, had to step up my game to kill 4/5 of them

[echo meteor]

what if i dont like my rolls, so my character decides to stay behind and "take one for the team"

[sleek cloud]

Point buy is nice too. The only thing I clown on is standard array 😛

[inner silo]

dam. Beast masters beast has a set stat block though, its mostly flavour

[echo meteor]

its fine, its what my character would do, he is a kind hearted soul that will sacrifice himself for the greater good

totally not related to his horrid stats at all

[jovial shadow]

There used to be term of that called, '"hopless" characters in 2e, but I don't remember what they said to do to rectify it. I think a last resort was to reroll.

[inner silo]

maybe its because he knows hes not that great at anything that is why he decided to stay behind

[severe rampart]

Ussop from one piece energy

[inner silo]

nah

[echo meteor]

nope, he just believes in good and dont want his friends to die. he is charging ahead to the front lines

as a wizard

[inner silo]

bladesinger?

[severe rampart]

Wizard?! Hold Person

[echo meteor]

nah, just a normal wizard without any mage armor

[jovial shadow]

A poorly rolled character is not the end of the story. Remember that's why there are plus magic weapons and other magical items that offer enhancements (rerolls, advantage, etc. )

[inner silo]

ig if he really rolled horrible stats it would also match his int

[severe rampart]

Is this a hot take? Opportunity Attacks aren't that bad, you can eat most opportunity attacks anyway

[jovial shadow]

As long as you have a smart DM, who understands that you will need magic items to survive, more so than the group

[echo meteor]

no! thats what he would do! he had a traumatic past.. he lost is lilttle sister.. now he feels like he has to make up for it by going ahead so no one else has to suffer

[inner silo]

i feel like rolling stats in a campaign that isnt 90% rp is not very great because how capable your character is depends on luck

[atomic kayak]

People wanting to be petty and dishonest when creating their character isn't an issue with rolling stats

[echo meteor]

people want their character to be able to be a wizard 😛 or a fighter, or any other class

wat u mean? thats a valid back story

hows it detrimental to the table anyways?

[inner silo]

i feel like if theres a chance that your character is just weak or straight up useless just because you got unlucky, its not the best system

[still plover]

If you said I could have 4d6 drop lowest with two retries, or standard array, I'd take standard array.

[echo meteor]

but 4d6 on average rolls higher

[severe rampart]

I hate standard array

[jovial shadow]

I mean that's true, but that's also why magic items exist.

[still plover]

On average.

[atomic kayak]

the key thing is its functionally impossible for any character in 5e to be "straight up useless"

[jovial shadow]

Not at all. It's still 5.5 per die

[echo meteor]

eyy, my next character will be better

[glass granite]

Imo, what’s the point of rolling for stats if you don’t want to take the consequences of bad luck?

[echo meteor]

how do u calculate the average valuie

[sleek cloud]

Let’s just stop playing into all this, pickle is clearly out to get a rise out of everyone here at this point.

[echo meteor]

idk, it seems to me that some peopel are deadset on rolling for stats -_-

[inner silo]

the dm having to give a player a bunch of magic items just to make up for bad rolls doesnt seem great. or if one person like a paladin rolls max str, con and cha while everyone else rolls average and just ends up being stronger then everyone else. It may be a fun system but i wouldnt play anything a bove a oneshot with it

[echo meteor]

if you give me an option where i can roll for stats or point buy, i will roll for stats every time because its mroe likely to roll good stats

its just that on the off-chance, it might not then i have to build ti differently then i intended

[tender fossil]

My table always rolls. We end up with less stereotypical characters where you can predict whar everybody's stats are before they even assign them

And 3D6 straight down can be an absolute blast if you have a creative group

[echo meteor]

why wouldnt they? on the average they'll get better stats if they roll

[echo meteor]

until some guy brings in a character that rolled 13,14,15,16,18,8

and starts with 20 in a stat

[tender fossil]

Oh you do it at the table in front of everybody. And yeah we've had characters roll gods. And everybody was good on them

[sleek cloud]

You know what, I’m gonna roll 3d6 straight down and tell yall what I get

[echo meteor]

what do u mean? my gripe is that rolling for stats sucks, just do point buy.

it creates a stupid environment where you are incentivized to roll for stats even if u dont want to

[atomic kayak]

Last time we had this discussion, they automatically assumed that everyone would automatically lie about the stats they rolled as the basis of their argument

[echo meteor]

because you KNOW you'll get better stats most of the time

[sleek cloud]

11,8,11,11,13,13

[echo meteor]

no you roll for stats because if its an option, you will more likely than not get good stats

but theres the small possiblility you will roll a dud and you have to account for that too

[tender fossil]

We had a guy could do 3D6 straight down ended getting a three in constitution and a six-indexterity. He played a double amputee Wizard with an advanced case of tuberculosis and we had a blast

[inner silo]

tbh these stats wouldnt be that horrid on a rogue if theres no combat

[echo meteor]

just play an average joe

[glass granite]

That is rough

[echo meteor]

commoner, go become a baker

adventuring is not for you man

[inner silo]

commoner is all 10

[tender fossil]

Then pick up a frying pan and go out and hit people with it because you're tired of being a baker

[echo meteor]

its pretty close to being a commoner

[sleek cloud]

With 8 dex? It’d be a nightmare

I wouldn’t wanna do a no combat game though

[south prawn]

The "if there's no combat" clause kinda kills it for most groups lol

[sleek cloud]

Your turn

[echo meteor]

if i was in a D&D world with stats liek those, id just become a magic initiate and become an innkeeper or somthing

[tender fossil]

A character is about their personality. It's how they play their stats. So this guy doesn't have a plus two to hit, he's got a minus 10% chance compared to a guy with a strength of 15

[inner silo]

ah theyre also auto assigned? still though just be a mid skill monkey and avoid all combat

[glass granite]

Currently turning, what am I supposed to do (getting dizzy)

[south prawn]

I'd play a 3d6 straight game just for fun

[inner silo]

thats kind of why i think rolling stats is bad for a long term campaign

[echo meteor]

ya i wouldnt play it seriously, at all..

its good for a 1 shot for the lulz

[sleek cloud]

Roll 3d6 in order stats

[glass granite]

Bet

8, 14, 18, 6, 12, 12

[echo meteor]

yo thats not bad at all

[glass granite]

Could be a rogue? Maybe a monk/ranger
nah not monk

[echo meteor]

you coudl be anyting wth that

[sleek cloud]

Just depends, I just do the 3d6 in order for fun, I would hate to do that in actual games. But generally my group does rolled with 4d6 drop 1, 8 minimums on stuff, and 1 free reroll

[glass granite]

The stats are in order

[echo meteor]

then be a fighter

[glass granite]

Dex fighter could work ye

[echo meteor]

ur dumb as a rock tho

[sleek cloud]

I was gonna say dex fighter

[inner silo]

thats alright ig, but theres still a chance someone comes up with an increadible character and then just rolls horridly

[inner silo]

rogue or fighter could work

[sleek cloud]

Exactly true

[amber horizon]

That’s why Mercer’s rule is good. If the stat total is below 70 you get to reroll everything

[tender fossil]

I got 5, 12, 7, 12, 5, 13. So I'll be a halfling slinger who got talked into a life of adventuring by his friends even if he's underweight and gets winded easily. Challenge accepted

[inner silo]

sounds great!

I still feel like rolling requires to go through a lot of hoops to achieve what point buy does on base

[tender fossil]

You just see what you roll and then justify it in a character

[tall forge]

Is dex fighter not common?

I find its like, the most common fighter

[tender fossil]

Dexterity is the one stat that rules all

[tall forge]

Strength based fighters are the rare ones to me

[crystal latch]

Dex fighter is also just better

[tall forge]

Well, yeah

[inner silo]

fighter is one of like three classes that can viably use strength while there are much more classes including almost all gishes that work best with dex so most people who actually want to play a melee fighter partially want it for access to strength weapons i think

[tall forge]

It can totally use strength

[glass granite]

I’ve used both, and Dm’ed for roughly the same amount of both

[tall forge]

I just never see anyone (but me) do it

[echo meteor]

its not, better.. just diffferent

strenght fighter deals more damage.. and you can easily just get 17, 16, 14 8, 10, 8

[tall forge]

Problem is shield

[echo meteor]

and be good at melee AND ranged

[tall forge]

Having a shield is just better, usually

[tender fossil]

The issue is dexterity has more functions than just about everything else in the game. Initiative, armor class, finesse attacks, ranged attacks, one of the best saving throws and links to a lot of skills

[inner silo]

you can also throw spears and javelins

[echo meteor]

no? you can just use a great sword + bow

[sleek cloud]

Till ac stops making enough of a difference

[echo meteor]

longbow is better than javelins

[tall forge]

Magic shield

[crystal latch]

Ranged is just innately more advantageous than melee for a variety of reasons

[inner silo]

I`m pretty sure sword and board falls off much harder then great weapons unless youre using a polearm

[normal junco]

after watching Predator: Killer of Killers, shield is best.

[echo meteor]

good thing is, if they are melee, you can use your great sword, if they are ranged you can use javelin, if they are far away, you can use longbow

[tall forge]

Sword and board my beloved

[inner silo]

javelins will scale with your str. there are also tridents which have topple

[echo meteor]

so you use both

[tall forge]

But nah, i simply go int

[inner silo]

the strength of fighter

[tall forge]

Eldritch knight funny

[echo meteor]

THEN u can pick up headband of intellect

[clever relic]

Trying to find my first game is more intimidating than I initially expected.

[tall forge]

I mean, nah

[sleek cloud]

What’s intimidating you about it?

[normal junco]

probably because they don't know you.

[tall forge]

An attunement slot for int being high doesn’t seem worth

I can just have cooler stuff

[glass granite]

Experiencing some difficulties?

[echo meteor]

as dm or player? its easy as a DM

[echo meteor]

getting +11 to int is pretty cool

[inner silo]

it gives you a decent dex and con in exchange which is worth it for most the first 10 levels i think

[autumn thistle]

same

[tall forge]

Not to mention eldritch knight kinda doesnt need int im pretty sure

[echo meteor]

it doesnt NEED it, but its nice to have

[clever relic]

Trying to find a group of people that's a good fit for you is... difficult. There are a lot of filled parties as well.

Yeah, I could DM, and I'm very open to the idea, but I wanted to at least play once before trying that.

[sleek cloud]

Depends on the spells you pick but yeah

[inner silo]

they can use int, they just dont have the ability points to afford it usually

using stuff like hold person as a fighter can be very useful

[idle oar]

Depends on the topic? Check #channel-guide

[clever relic]

Now thankfully half of this community is queer and the other half is being hit by trans beams, so, I don't have to worry about that part too much. Funny.

[tall forge]

Could be, but ehh

[tender fossil]

You can always ask it here and we can either answer it or direct you to the correct channel

[sleek cloud]

Hold person would need good int for that save dc

[tall forge]

Me when im homophobic, so my boyfriend scares me

[inner silo]

thats why headband of intelect

[echo meteor]

19 int is nice

[sleek cloud]

Yep, good for eldritch knights

I’d use an attunement for it and then just use whatever feats I want for all the rest of my fighter stuff

[inner silo]

or maybe on a melee focused bladesinger

[normal junco]

furries, jocks, tech bros, jerks, drama majors, etc... people of all walks of life play if it interests them.

[echo meteor]

melee bladesinger is a trap, crossbow + toll the dead

sit in the back

[inner silo]

melee is the main appeal of the subclass i think

[echo meteor]

the appeal is the ac and extra attack

[inner silo]

any wizard can do that

[fast latch]

You can Technically start off as a DM, but it’s REAL frigging hard

[glass granite]

I personally started as a DM.

[echo meteor]

other wizards don’t get +4-5 ac, nor can they extra attack

[tall forge]

I also did, go for it

[undone rain]

Oh boy going from paladin to nature cleric is gonna be weird

[tall forge]

Jumping into the cold water no prep is how you adapt fast

[undone rain]

No more greatsword😭

[clever relic]

A lot of people.
So, finding a niche is already difficult.
Maybe I should just learn first how to DM and get a couple of friends over instead, I don't know

[tall forge]

Or uh… drown ig

[sleek cloud]

Total class switch or multiclass

[clever relic]

I'm certain it is.

[echo meteor]

warhammer isn’t a thing?

[undone rain]

I for some reason am not profiecent in it

[clever relic]

I've hosted my own board game before though, so I have a molecule of experience at least.

[inner silo]

thats exactly why you go melee with bladesinger. its the thing they can do effectively that others cant. you can do ranged with a bladesinger, of course, but its not the main subclass fantasy

[normal junco]

you could check the Altrole discord. they have actual scheduled free lessons for playing or DMing.

[clever relic]

I'll check it out for sure. Thanks for pointing me to a direction.

[undone rain]

Ill just take the weapon master feat later

[fast latch]

DnD hosting is definitely harder

[echo meteor]

what u talking about? bladesinger is a wizard first

[normal junco]

or there's KoboldCon, they've got some online one-shot games coming up later this month

[glass granite]

Is this 2024 or 2014?

[inner silo]

wizard that can go in melee, yes

[clever relic]

I don't have a shadow of a doubt that it is. All I'm saying is that I'm not completely in the dark.

[glass granite]

It’s called a bladesinger after all

[echo meteor]

they dont have to, it’s more optimal to sit in the back and do wizardy things

[tall forge]

Forcing attacks against your high ac instead of AOE saving throws is pretty good also

[inner silo]

its similar to swords bard. its still best at ranged but its main class fantasy is melee

[fast latch]

I can help you out if you want

[tender fossil]

Or play a fighter that dresses up like a wizard. Throw a robe over your plate mail and wait for the goblins to mob you

[echo meteor]

why wouldn’t u play it optimally?

[tall forge]

Its harder to fireball you if youre in the middle of all the minions, after all

[inner silo]

they dont, theyre probably better at ranged as ranged is just superior. but its not the main class fantasy

[clever relic]

I'd appreciate a few pointers, if it isn't too much trouble.

[inner silo]

i dont like ranged combat as much as melee

[tall forge]

Also a good point

[echo meteor]

fireball isnt the scary thing to bladesinger wizards because absorb elements

[sleek cloud]

I meant that as a question my bad

[inner silo]

if everyone only played optimal there wouldnt be characters except chronomancy wizards

[echo meteor]

its stuff like poison breath

[glass granite]

I’ve found #dm-discussion an extremely helpful resource. Also, I recommend you start with a module.

[undone rain]

No your good dw

[tender fossil]

Ask me the questions bridgekeeper I am not afraid

[sleek cloud]

Vinn I see what you did there

[amber horizon]

Some people like to base their combat decisions on a role play perspective of what their character would do rather than what is optimal from a meta perspective

[echo meteor]

bladesinger is better at the back, and if need be take out a sword.,, but swinging swords isn’t the “main” thing

[tall forge]

Also melee is fun

[inner silo]

its in the name

[tall forge]

Gonna go shadowblade a guy

[drifting zodiac]

Hi

Bladesinger or bladeswinger???

[glass granite]

Bladesinger
Bonk but smort

[echo meteor]

bro, just because you CAN use a sword doesnt mean you HAVE to use a sword. you just have the OPTION to use a sword

having that option and flexibility is good

[sleek cloud]

SmartBonk

[inner silo]

like i said, its not what you have to do at all, but its the main class fantasy and why most people choose it

[tall forge]

SmartBonk go brrrr

[echo meteor]

going into melee every time just because you CAN doesnt mean you should

[tall forge]

What about…. If i want to

Go mr smartbonk, GO

[tender fossil]

Cue Sir Lancelot at a wedding

[tall forge]

im jk, ofc. I dont play bladesingers

[echo meteor]

sure, but don’t go telling me that your suposed to go in or your playing the class wrong

[echo meteor]

ofc, u ban them

[drifting zodiac]

So correct me if I am wrong
If I CAN use a sword
Can I just use a Great Axe

[tall forge]

Oh i still believe you play bladesinger melee

[echo meteor]

sure

u can use both

[inner silo]

the only way to play anything wrong is if it removes fun from other players or the dm tbh

[drifting zodiac]

But what if wanted to use no weapons as a fighter??

[glass granite]

Unarmed fighting style

[severe rampart]

Is it just me or I keep on getting random DMs from people in this server? probably just bots, but man is it a lot

[inner silo]

theres unarmed fighting style

[tall forge]

Theyre bots

[echo meteor]

do fighters even get prof in unarmed fighting???

[tall forge]

Everyone does im pretty sure

[glass granite]

Nope, not just you. Block and move on unless it’s a good reason.

[tender fossil]

Do they tell you that they love you? Cuz I've gotten the same DM from three different people all with the same profile picture

[echo meteor]

what’s wrong with unarmed fighting fighter

[tall forge]

Everyone knows how to punch in dnd

[sleek cloud]

That was me, call me back sometime

[severe rampart]

What's funny is, one of them isn't a bot lol, they saw my bio saying "Pickles are cool" and wanted to set the record straight

[tall forge]

Besides the no magic weapons, not much if you build into it

[sleek cloud]

Tell that to my 8 str warlock who does 0 damage with unarmed strikes

[drifting zodiac]

Idk

[fast latch]

By… Saying pickles aren’t cool?

[inner silo]

i mean, there is

[severe rampart]

they know how to punch, they just don't know how to punch good

[drifting zodiac]

Ah amazing

[echo meteor]

what if you find yourself without a weapon in a jail cell

[inner silo]

its pretty fun i think. you can also be a good grappler

[echo meteor]

and need to get out?

[glass granite]

You need to use your fighting style, no weapon masteries, lower damage. But it’s not terrible

[tall forge]

I did just say theres not much issue so… go for it?

[severe rampart]

Quote
"Pickles are cucumbers 🫥
They taste bitter 99% of time"
End Quote

[drifting zodiac]

You eat the bars
(Rolls a d20 for Constitution cus teeth may break)

[tall forge]

Personally idjust play a monk or barbarian

[inner silo]

could ask the dm to give you nick or something

[tender fossil]

You can always disguise a sling as a piece of clothing. Or even hide it underneath your clothes. And finding sling stones aren't hard

[echo meteor]

multi attack thoo

[cold violet]

Does anybody know a spell that can make words appear on a surface. I have an idea for a sort of villan but I don’t know what spell I could use

[tall forge]

Are you the dm?

[glass granite]

Monks get more attacks than fighters for the first ten levels anyway

[severe rampart]

Minor Illusions, etc

[inner silo]

mold earth i think

[echo meteor]

but action surge

[glass granite]

Even with action surge

[tall forge]

Cause if youre the dm, your magic doesn’t need to have an actual spell behind it

[cold violet]

Yeah I’m the dm, but I also wanted it to be able to do dance

[tall forge]

You can just have your guy do magic

[cold violet]

Damage*

[severe rampart]

Handwritten vicious mockery then

[tall forge]

Make a custom spell for your dude or flavor an existing one

[glass granite]

Monks get 4 attack with 1 focus, fighters get 4 once per rest.

[fast latch]

Homebrew it

[severe rampart]

lmao, bard engraving their ink to make the reader suffer vicious mockery damage

[cold violet]

Okay, I thought I would have to but just checking

[tall forge]

I make stuff up for my villains all the time

[sleek cloud]

Some day I’ll get to play my halfling monk, doing yoda-like acrobatic martial arts attacks will be such a blast

[cold violet]

They do use a lute so I could just flavor vicious mockery

[tall forge]

Kensei monk with a green flametongue sword….

[vagrant parcel]

hihih hello hihello hi

[sleek cloud]

Nope, unarmed for me

[tall forge]

Yoda but punch?

[severe rampart]

observant, you are

[tall forge]

Then again, if you wanted 1:1 yoda youd play a goblin

[amber horizon]

Catch these hands, you will

[echo meteor]

observant is a silly feat

[sleek cloud]

Punches, kicks, elbows, full body launches, knees, headbutts depending on the situation, yes

[severe rampart]

is your name perchance Yuji Itadori

[drifting zodiac]

Pinches

[sleek cloud]

I don’t want a 1:1 yoda, just a mental visual of the acrobatic potential of a small but mighty guy that can keep up with enemies bigger than him, but martial arts

[sleek cloud]

And twists.

[drifting zodiac]

Bites

[severe rampart]

...so... Yoda, but no Yoda

[sleek cloud]

Whomst

[tall violet]

Hello

[tall forge]

Yodnt

[sleek cloud]

Yep

[severe rampart]

I hate it when people are funnier than me

[tall forge]

Yknow, you arent the first whose told me that

[jolly agate]

Hello

[drifting zodiac]

Olleh

I killed the chat

[vagrant parcel]

man this game finding this is really hard when youre anxious ;-;

[still plover]

Oh dang. Get the boat rules ready. One Piece S2 drops tomorrow.

Eh, on that note: where are rules for ships that aren't Saltmarsh?

[severe rampart]

it'll go away in a few weeks of looking, hard to believe I was afraid to speak at first

[true monolith]

What are everyones thoughs on using the command spell to force someone to walk into lava/off a high place since it doesnt restrain you from using harmfull commands

[still plover]

Heh, no sale. I'd rule the target would consider the harmful area a block to their movement.

[severe rampart]

you gotta be specific with your command. "Flee" doesn't mean they'll immediately walk into lava

[tall forge]

2014 not allowed, 2024 not how it works

[severe rampart]

Just "Grovel" and then push them off

[still plover]

Push them into the lava yourself, murderer.

[fast latch]

You’ll be fine

[severe rampart]

The blood on your hands is something you won't lose

[drifting zodiac]

Season two?? Shit time for some One Piece DnD

[true monolith]

Approach. The target moves toward you by the shortest and most direct route, ending its turn if it moves within 5 feet of you.
Shortest route can lead through lava

Flee. The target spends its turn moving away from you by the fastest available means.
Jumping off is the fastest means possible

Too op for a t1 spell tho? Use thunderwave to push multiple enemies off the cliff or use push weapon mastery passively

[still plover]

Asked and answered - but one to check with your own DM before you try it. Aligning expectations and all.

[true monolith]

Thats the perfect answer, i absolutely agree with you, just wanted to have some friendly dnd discussuion about 2024 content this evening

[fast latch]

Of the anime or Netflix?

[rough basalt]

It'd be a bad faith ruling situation if insisted on while dm says no

[true monolith]

Much love and respect to you though, thank you for productively answering my question. It was more of a opening debate in this case though, your answer was otherwise amazing

[still plover]

I'd have to imagine it would depend on the target's perception of the lava. A fire elemental is going to skidoo right across it. A regular commoner isn't going to see it as a valid path, on account of being personally flammable.

[fast latch]

But why would you want a FIRE Elemental to come Closer to you?

[rough basalt]

Hug

[still plover]

Yeah.

[true monolith]

2014 specifically mentioned the command to not be harmfull, removing that restriction was an interesting change. They did many interesting tweaks for 2024

[jovial shadow]

Nice warm and crispy hug

[true monolith]

you could also use approach for someone to walk through spike growth then, but only if they failed to notice it?

[tranquil temple]

Has anyone seen the picture of the primal tree in the 2024 5e dm’s guide i think? you can also see it if you search up primal tree. I’m curious if anyone knows anything about it because it looks really cool.

[still plover]

Or a hidden pit trap, sure.

[true monolith]

that would be the old restriction of not having "direct harmfull effects"

[jovial shadow]

Natural 1's affect all beings the same. There's no rule or description that excludes gods.

[severe rampart]

Halflings

[halcyon bison]

Welllll there’s also legendary resistances for saving throws, advantage, and the wish spell to retroactively change a roll that gods probably have regular access to
Also most of the time a god probably wouldn’t need to make a roll in the first place

[jovial shadow]

And when those legendaries are gone then what? They still fall victim to Natural 1's.

[halcyon bison]

Sure if they roll enough of them in one day

But they still have defenses against them that not everyone else does

[torpid hound]

Crit failure is only for attack rolls

A god probably has +25 ability modifier

[tender fossil]

You've also got that God's in pretty much every addition are immune to mortal magic. You need artifacts or similar

[torpid hound]

They were talking about tripping

[rugged hawk]

Nah, crit fail your athletics while using the stairs and you fall down them

[uncut zenith]

Worth noting that at least in 5E gods don’t have stats

[tender fossil]

They're also probably not phased by mortal level narcotics either.

[torpid hound]

Actually, you don't need to roll to walk down the stairs in the first place
Do you also roll constitution to breathe and suffocate if you roll a 1?

[torpid hound]

I was half expecting this joke

[uncut zenith]

They may have some aspects and physical forms, but their godly selves don’t have forms. Meaning they don’t have have stats, meaning you can’t completely kill them

[jovial shadow]

It doesn't matter what their ability modifier is, if they roll a Natural 1, they miss. It doesn't matter how many legendary features they have, they are limited in use.

[rugged hawk]

Nonsense, of course you roll to use the stairs, that's why you sometimes miss a step or trip on a step.

[uncut zenith]

Also meaning we don’t officially know what their “true self”’s modifiers are

[torpid hound]

Real life ≠ D&D

[fast latch]

Gods don’t, but their avatars do

Tiamat and Bahamut, for example

[uncut zenith]

See here: #dnd-discussion message

Yes, they may have temporary physical forms, but their “natural” divine forms don’t. So ultimately there’s nothing you could do against the divine form unless the DM decides to assign stats to said divine form

[jovial shadow]

Pretty sure that the Tiamat in that one adventure was the real thing and not an Avatar. Not Fisban, Fizban or whatever the name

[uncut zenith]

Nope

Confirmed that Tiamat in Tyranny of Dragons is also an “aspect”, even if she wasn’t referred to as one 10+ years ago

[lavish flame]

I think thats the World Tree, leading to The Beastlands in Chapter 6: Cosmology. You may be talking about some other artwork tho, so idk.

[jovial shadow]

Ah well in any case. In 5.5 Avatars don't exist.

[fast latch]

Yeah that makes sense

[tranquil temple]

the world tree sounds like it would be the name of the gargantuan glowing tree, so probably. Thanks!

[torpid hound]

Is 5.5e Grappler OK? My character has 19 STR, 13 DEX and 13 INT so ASI won't even them out

[fast latch]

But I wish they did, they were awesome

[jovial shadow]

Grappler is always okay in 5.5

[lavish flame]

then yup! it gets detailed a bit in that chapter. Yggdrasil the World Tree is one of the main ways to get around the multiverse.

[worn lagoon]

approach works, the rest do not

flee is generally a much better command though, because how often do you fight with a stream of lava between you and a sentient enemy

flee lets you and all your friends get oppurtunity attacks

[jovial shadow]

Does it? I thought you have to move on your own accord for an Opportunity Attack?

You can't be compelled. Hm

[hot gate]

Forced movement, like you getting shoved, doesn't work. But a spell that makes you run away? Works

[worn lagoon]

it works lol

dissonant whispers also works btw, so it can do the same thing, albeit single-target

you can very much be compelled. just not blown away

[uncut zenith]

There might be an art piece for it in the World Tree Barbarian too

[weary raft]

My DM want to start a campaign at level 20, and plans on trying to level us higher.
-# help me

[true monolith]

what makes u think that flee wont work to get someone off a cliff?

Good evening to you btw ^^

[torpid hound]

Spell concept: The Game
Range: 60 feet, Casting time: Free Action, Components: Verbal, Duration: 1 minute
You say "The Game". Anyone that can hear you enters a state of Rage, gaining resistance to Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing damage, damage bonus, and Strength advantage, but becoming unable to maintain Concentration or cast Spells

[worn lagoon]

I forgor

[jovial shadow]

Did you read the spell description?

[worn lagoon]

directly harmful commands aren't auto fails anymore

[weary raft]

Go to #homebrew for that

[torpid hound]

THX

[weary raft]

2024 rule set?

[true monolith]

Indeed. Flee. The target spends its turn moving away from you by the fastest available means.
Fastest available way includes jumping off

[jovial shadow]

That's not what flee does

[torpid hound]

Wait that was a joke

[jovial shadow]

No it doesn't. That's ridiculous. lol

[weary raft]

It can be genuine, anything can be possible, so. Go to homebrew

[jovial shadow]

Not if it means harm

[true monolith]

How so? Too strong for a t1 spell?

[worn lagoon]

Flee can be directly harmful. Falling is also potentially among the fastest available means. In other words, a flying dragon can spend its entire round falling before it can fly back up to you.

[true monolith]

Sir, i believe u are talking about the 2014 version

[worn lagoon]

Again, for the third time, 2024 description removed this.

It also removed command not working on undead

[weary raft]

@torpid hound, I know you was joking, but I wasn't. You can genuinely make that a spell, just get help for scaling

[worn lagoon]

Just comparing the two descriptions as written, 2024 command is tremendously buffed

[true monolith]

I also think he is talking about the 2014 version from his statements

[jovial shadow]

Not at all. No one is going flee from you by jumping off a cliff, they will just run in a different direction from you. Your concept is funny though

[severe rampart]

Shhh let him allow it, he's my DM, I want to be able to use this against him

[halcyon bison]

how often do you people fight by cliffsides?

[worn lagoon]

You can interpret it differently on your table, but this is how it really works now

[severe rampart]

Almost always never, actually almost always in hell (Avernus)

[true monolith]

You can use thunderwave to throw multiple enemies off, or just use the push weapon mastery passively

[halcyon bison]

or grapple someone and throw them :3

[worn lagoon]

I could have a demon command you to flee into the river styx

[true monolith]

For a t1 spell it works perfectly imo

[severe rampart]

I can succeed on the wisdom save probably

[true monolith]

Exactly xD Or in any river actually if the current helps him to gain the highest distance to you possible

[worn lagoon]

I really like command, it can let you chain reaction spells with war caster

[severe rampart]

Why not dissonant whispers?

[worn lagoon]

Just need a party where my dissonant whispers/command:flee results in something getting decked with 3 booming blades

[halcyon bison]

I mean whats further away from the caster than the Fugue Plane?

[worn lagoon]

command can target more people, so if you and your friends aren't all surrounding one enemy about to face the wrath of three war casters, it can be better

[true monolith]

and aproach into 3 polearm masters

[severe rampart]

oh interesting, does command also use the reaction like dissonant whispers or no?

[worn lagoon]

polearm masters with also war caster

[worn lagoon]

command wastes the enemy's own turn

[severe rampart]

they'll still have the reaction then...

that darn counterspell

[true monolith]

I mean, you can always optimize into most spells if you are commited xD

[undone rain]

Hey so im gonna play a fighter and i want to see if if theres any feat that may give me an extra attack?

[jovial shadow]

You don't need a feat. Just a weapon with the light property

[severe rampart]

you get extra attack on your own iirc?, or just use action surge, two weapon fighting, etc.

[worn lagoon]

great weapon master

[undone rain]

Oh ik, i just want more attacks lol

[worn lagoon]

you get to attack again with your bonus action after each kill OR crit

[jovial shadow]

Two weapon fighting doesn't give an extra attack, it just allows you to use your modifiers for damage

[undone rain]

Thats pretty good

[worn lagoon]

not to mention the rest of its perks

[severe rampart]

"When you take the Attack action on your turn and attack with a Light weapon, you can make one extra attack as a Bonus Action later on the same turn. That extra attack must be made with a different Light weapon, and you don't add your ability modifier to the extra attack's damage unless that modifier is negative."

[rugged hawk]

Cloak of the Wolf lets you additionally make a Bite attack (or maybe it was letting you trip enemies when making a Bite attack?), along with transforming into a wolf.

[severe rampart]

you can make one extra attack as a bonus action later on the same turn.

[true monolith]

Check polearm master alongside great weapon master

[jovial shadow]

You just described the Light property, not two weapon fighting

[severe rampart]

Yeah but it's called "Two-weapon fighting"

[jovial shadow]

No it's not at all

[severe rampart]

I can't tell if you're trolling or not

[jovial shadow]

Two weapon fighting only allows you to add your ability modifier when using the Light property to attack

[undone rain]

Oh dang thats some alr stats ngl

Ill pick it up

[jovial shadow]

I don't troll. If you read the rules correctly you will see I am right

[halcyon bison]

You're looking at dual wielder

[severe rampart]

Yeah, for the second attack no? the bonus action?

[jovial shadow]

read the feat and then you tell us

[severe rampart]

I'm not talking about the feat

[halcyon bison]

ohhh i get it now nevermind

[severe rampart]

Thank you

[undone rain]

Oh damn i can do a crap ton of attacks as a level 5 fighter.

[halcyon bison]

There's too many things with similar names 😔

[severe rampart]

It was frustrating to know I'm right but they think I'm wrong

[severe rampart]

Yeah, too many

[jovial shadow]

Your problem Echo, is you are using the wrong names for what you are talking about.

[stiff rock]

This conversation happens like weekly - there are at least 3 different names for different features that describe holding/using weapons with two hands

It is very easy to get them mixed up

[final turtle]

Hi how was everyone's day

[severe rampart]

😐, that is how it's called in DnD beyond I do not know what to tell you man.

[halcyon bison]

Haiii I wasn't great earlier but I'm pretty good now

[undone rain]

As a battlemaster i grabbed Brace, then i also have action surge and then at level 5 i get an extra attack and with polearm master i get ANOTHER

[final turtle]

Good glad your happy

[jovial shadow]

What youd described is not Two weapon fighting. Two Weapon fighting is a feat used only by the Fighter, Paladin and Ranger

[final turtle]

Polearm master doesn't grant an extra attack

[undone rain]

I love fighters now, 2nd fav class

[true monolith]

This guy feels kinda passive agressive, aye? You also asked two other people already if they read the spell/feat we are talking about while everyone guessed you are the one talking about a different eddition

[wanton quest]

Alright so i have a silly question. Im looking for a dm to help me test out a character but not sure how to go about asking for help

[severe rampart]

I'm talking about Two-Weapon Fighting... y'know... when people use two light weapons on each hand, and can use a bonus action to attack with the second light weapon if they used their attack with the light weapon on the other hand.

I'm not talking bout no feats, no fighting styles, no nothing

[undone rain]

When i attack with a polearm i get to use my bonus action to attack with the blunt side, d4 blunt damage

[final turtle]

Just ask someone you know or he'll if you need to i can dm a one shot for your test on a call

[stiff rock]

Fighting with two weapons is a basic thing that anyone can do, and it is as echo described. You can make a BA attack with your off-hand weapon(if your main hand is a light weapon).

Dual-wielder and two-weapon fighting (the FIGHTING STYLE) add on to the base feature in different ways

[severe rampart]

Thank you, holy moly I felt like I was going insane

[jovial shadow]

Yes that is called the Light property, not Two weapon fighting: LIGHT
When you take the Attack action on your turn and
attack with a Light weapon, you can make one extra
attack as a Bonus Action later on the same turn.
That extra attack must be made with a different light weapon

[final turtle]

Ok that makes more sense thats not an extra attack thats a bonus action utilization

[stiff rock]

At least I think

[undone rain]

Yeah lol i shouldve clarified lmao

Anyway, its useful

[jovial shadow]

Two-WEAPON FIGHTING
Fighting Style Feat (Prerequisite: Fighting Style Feature)
When you make an extra attack as a result of using
a weapon that has the Light property, you can add
your ability modifier to the damage of that attack if
you aren't already adding it to the damage.

[final turtle]

Your good I just mis understood

[crimson gulch]

It's made possible by the Light property but it's still two weapon fighting as a bonus action

[stiff rock]

The idea of two-weapon fighting and the fighting style called two-weapon fighting are different things. The wording is just awful

[jovial shadow]

I literally posted the Two Weapon description, and it only adds your modifier, nothing else.

[crimson gulch]

Bonus action : two weapon fighting is a basic action option that anyone can utilize with the right equipment in hand

[jovial shadow]

The issue is he is confusing Two weapon fighting feat with the Light property.

[crimson gulch]

You posted the fighting style feat

[jovial shadow]

It's literally the only thing called Two weapon fighting.

[crimson gulch]

Two-Weapon Fighting
When you take the Attack action and attack with a light melee weapon that you’re holding in one hand, you can use a bonus action to attack with a different light melee weapon that you’re holding in the other hand

That's been in 5e the whole time

[severe rampart]

The Light Property is merely the pre-requisite for using Two-Weapon Fighting no?

[jovial shadow]

We aren't discussing 5e, we are discussing 5.5

[halcyon bison]

I feel like this discussion is becoming rather circular

[severe rampart]

This is 5.5e

[undone rain]

All of this cuz i just asked how to get more attacks

[final turtle]

No the light property is a property of certain small weapons like daggers or shortswords

[stiff rock]

I'm gonna circle back to this. It clarifies the entire argument, as i literally have my 2024 phb next to me

[severe rampart]

And it is an extra attack, I don't know why Monk is so insistent that I'm wrong.

[jovial shadow]

Then you would know Two Weapon Fighting is a Feat and does nothing more than let you add your ability modifier. It doesn't give you extra attacks. This is pointless, and I feel you are trolling along with Urizt

[crimson gulch]

The name two weapon fighting still is used to refer to the bonus action attack

[stiff rock]

It's just crappy wording from the books

[true monolith]

important question tho, more attacks mean more fun

[undone rain]

Idk tbh, but i might use it i do believe i have 2 handaxes

[halcyon bison]

sometimes mechanics have similar names to colloquial ways to refer to things

[undone rain]

That i can agree with! Thanks everyone

[true monolith]

Have u checked the weapon mastery cleave?

[severe rampart]

As I've said before. I'm not talking about a feat. I'm not talking about a fighting style. If you're so insistent that you are right and everyone else is wrong, maybe try to look it up instead of telling me that I'm wrong?

[halcyon bison]

I love making lots of attacks :D

[final turtle]

If your powerbuilding yes if you like doing story telling more its eeeehhh

[stiff rock]

I don't think your argument is going anywhere

[severe rampart]

Urizt is also a very well respected member, I do not think that they would troll

[true monolith]

Agreed, powerbuilding is ehh in general. If you have many attacks, there are other ways to tune down your char. With stats maybe

[undone rain]

I just checked beyond. Yeah echos right

[severe rampart]

Thank you, thank god, I was losing my mind

[crimson gulch]

the 2024 core books have ofuscated a few things, and that guy was being extra about that

[stiff rock]

Best i can think of prior to level 5 is just attack action and then one of the million ways to make a BA attack.

Scimitar (nick) + any other light weapon, you get 2 attacks for one attack action cus of nick mastery. BA offhand light attack

[final turtle]

Yeah absolutely if you wanna tune down your character as long as your DM agrees you can totally mess around with your stats

I've done that a couple times myself

[true monolith]

If you use cleave property, you can get the 2 for 1 special when you hit enemies which are close to each other ^^

[undone rain]

Hm thats alr, my main weapons are maul and halberd rn tho

[stiff rock]

Nick allows you to make your off-hand attack for free as part of your attack action. If i understand it right, you can still make a 2nd offhand attack as long as you actually spend your BA for that one

[true monolith]

Maybe that is even combinable with the polearm master feat as a reaction?

[undone rain]

Ohhh that sounds fun

[severe rampart]

could also get nick if I remember correctly?

[crimson gulch]

hes been in the server for less than a month and is hitting us with an um actually real hard here

[stiff rock]

Ah fairs. Polearm master for the OA attack? Then you also mentioned earlier you can BA to hit them for a d4

~2 or 3 attacks per turn is good until level 5

[undone rain]

True true, ill definetly nab that

[true monolith]

possibly ^^

[undone rain]

D4 might be little for some but sometimes even that can make all the difference

[stiff rock]

If you were a WM barbarian and got the surge that makes your weapons light, you could technically dual-wield greataxes and make a bonus action greataxe attack

[true monolith]

Yeeeeh, we usually just hand items to the weaker playerbuilds and after 2 sessions everyone is at the same powerlevel

[severe rampart]

I do not care for the damage of the attack, for everything is the same Conjure Minor Elementals...

[undone rain]

Daaaang, ill note that down for the future

[rough basalt]

Tonight I get my next tpk

[stiff rock]

Please don't - it would not be viable in the slightest lol

[undone rain]

Oh lol

[rough basalt]

Or I make my fighter pay 200 years worth of unpaid taxes

[halcyon bison]

it would be funny though

[stiff rock]

It would be

[turbid vessel]

it would be so awesome
it would be so cool

[undone rain]

Anyway we start at level 3 so just another level left and i get a feat

[stiff rock]

If you REALLY wanna know how to get as many attacks as possible #optimization may be of help

But that's only if you're really set on it. 2 a turn is fine at level 3

[turbid vessel]

for many builds 2 at level 3 is above the baseline

[stiff rock]

My HW ranger makes 1 a turn but it does like 2d8+2d6+5 force if i'm lucky

At 3rd level

Which sounds impressive but usually I do like 8 damage because i'm ridiculously unlucky

[halcyon bison]

you can't even do 8 damage with those dice, you must be really unlucky!!

[worn lagoon]

one of my party members is planning to build 4 wizard 4 monk

[undone rain]

Hmm your right, i dont want to take ALL the fun after all.

[stiff rock]

my math is awful!! it's midnight!

[worn lagoon]

aughhhh

I have no idea how not to come off as rude when I tell them that is the worst thing to happen since league of legends

[undone rain]

I just simply wish to help the team by targeting the strongest so it dosent damage the squishier teammates

[stiff rock]

I actually don't think I've ever played or ran for a multiclass in my year of playing

[severe rampart]

( 🧽 + ⭐ = 🦪 )

How does that even work

[stiff rock]

I tried out the interceptor fighting style (or wtv it's called) yesterday. It's really good for a protector character

[worn lagoon]

i do 1-2 level dips regularly but i only do it if i'm not missing out, and i'm knowledgeable enough to benefit from it

this campaign i'm going pure bard since no point in delaying magical secrets

[severe rampart]

I do not want to dip in Warlock for now... I need me my level 5 spell slots

[stiff rock]

You can spend a reaction to reduce the damage someone within 5 feet of you takes by 1d10+level

Felt really fun shielding our poor wizard from a breath attack lol

[worn lagoon]

it doesnt
no extra attack
no lv3 spells
3 different stats for attacking

[severe rampart]

makes me feel good about my Bard

[undone rain]

Ohhh ill check it out

[worn lagoon]

your bard is fine the two month long harassment campaign bore fruits

[severe rampart]

I killed 4 snails!

[worn lagoon]

oh that is true, you got 3 kills out of 5 didn't you?

[severe rampart]

4, the first one, the one at the corner, then the last two at the end, took 30 damage though

[worn lagoon]

huh, could've sworn the kobold killed one of those

two lv3 inflict wounds, back to back, for a 3 hp bone whelk hurt to watch

[severe rampart]

oh yeah, he did cast inflict wounds at 3rd level twice

[minor cargo]

I gave a similar prompt a few days ago but throwing it out again!

Tell me about a cool lesbian/sapphic NPC/PC in your game!

[jovial shadow]

I'm back. I had to step away and get some air.

[south prawn]

DMs and Players - Anybody have strong opinions about DMs casting suggestion on PCs? I’ve never done it but have been brainstorming some ideas. I googled it and found mixed thoughts. Any good stories to share? It seems ok if done thoughtfully, but I can see it getting a little out of control too or not fun for the player.

[wooden cedar]

Hey guys, quick question, what is y'all's opinions on the chronurgy and divination wizard subclasses? And which one do you think is "stronger" in and out of combat?

[crimson gulch]

I do it frequently, mainly as a control spell, I told the paladin to eat sand

So there they were eating sand while the yuan ti were poisoning the rest od the party

[halcyon bison]

My spore druid is a lesbian :3

[south prawn]

*sends Denzel “my man” gif

[rough basalt]

I think any spell is fair game.

Even spells like Fold Person

[south prawn]

I think so too, but there was a Reddit post or two that made me question how others might play it

[rough basalt]

Well some people think that using CC effects on players makes you a bad dm.

[minor cargo]

It's a Session Zero situation for my groups. For example, if we have a player who has been the victim of abuse (including gaslighting which a lot of enchantment might feel like), we can cut it out entirely.

There's a big spectrum on how we might handle it, so I generalize the handling of it with conversations and openness. Safety tools help to grease those wheels.

[amber horizon]

The goddesses Diavella (Maiden of Madness, god of murder and insanity) and Makura (Lady of Spiders, god of fear and manipulation) are lovers. They are without a doubt the scariest power couple in all the lower planes

[true monolith]

You can Suggest the most influential player at your table to recommend a specific course of action (maybe through a curse) once in a while. When players tend to just follow the most experienced PCs plans, even when his plan is logically flawed you can incourage your players to make their plans together and check for flaws. And your experienced player gets to lie and troll them the first time

[south prawn]

Ah yeah that’s good! It’s my home group and we’re all close. I think we’ll have fun with it

[true monolith]

Could be a nice way to get them all together for future planning. And they got each other's backs then

[halcyon bison]

they sound like friendly people :3

[south prawn]

Inspiring, thanks man

[true monolith]

make sure to ask the experienced player beforehand tho! Might have a positive effect in the aftermath, but in the moment he is missleading his fellow companions who trust him. Could feel like betrayal even tho its suggested

[rugged hawk]

Speaking of friendly people.... I didn't notice one when I was looking, but there isn't any particular deity in D&D whose portfolio is Contradictions, right?

[south prawn]

True true. That guy you speak of is showing interest in DMing our next campaign (or a campaign at least) so he might dig that a lot

[marble lion]

Yeah there is

Pick any of the emotional selfrighteous hypocrits

[rugged hawk]

No, like, specifically a deity of paradox and contradiction.

[marble lion]

Probably a demon tbh

Look up some demon princes

[rugged hawk]

No need. If there's no pre-existing deity of a portfolio, it's open for whoever can claim it.

[marble lion]

No im saying there might be

A demon prince who has that

[rugged hawk]

Demon lords don't count toward deity portfolios, or they're not a demon lord anymore

[marble lion]

So wait

How are deities defined?
I thought it was just powerful entities with domains and worshippers who are tied to an outer plane like abyss limbo elysium or the hells

Is it only specific outer planes?

[rugged hawk]

Ao's whole thing is that deities can't share portfolios with significant overlap. But if there's no actual god of impossibility, paradox, and contradiction, that slots open for a new god to rise.

[marble lion]

Or is it just coincidence that they all rule some outer plane part

[rugged hawk]

Deities are specifically those ascendent beings who work for Ao, basically.

[marble lion]

Ah

[amber horizon]

It depends on your lore. In my campaign, demons and celestials are more or less the same thing, just defined by their allegiances

[graceful crescent]

Hi.

[marble lion]

Forgotten realms setting

[rugged hawk]

Yeah. So even if there's a demon prince of paradox, that's still an open portfolio if it isn't claimed by an actual god.

[marble lion]

Your own lore can be whatever

[rugged hawk]

I know. I was just curious if I'd overlooked a deity or if there wasn't one.

[graceful crescent]

Isn't Ao all about cosmic order? I'm pretty sure he was featured in pathfinder: wrath of the righteous

[rugged hawk]

No, Ao's strictly D&D. He's basically the Middle Manager for the gods of the Realms.

[graceful crescent]

Oh. I haven't looked into each of the deities specifically.

[rugged hawk]

Ao's masters sent him to oversee development and maintenance of the Realms sector, which he does by making sure the deities under him do their jobs properly.

Ao virtually never deals with mortal affairs himself, that's what the deities are for. And when there's trouble among them, it's him who handles it. So even becoming a god isn't really that big of a step, considering how far beyond them Ao himself is.

And even if you could somehow raise a deific army against him, there's still other overseers who could come in and flatten your asses.

What I don't know is if Ao's boss has bosses above that, however.

I just know Ao has at least one.

[graceful crescent]

Are there creatures that are related to Ao?

[halcyon bison]

I remember reading somewhere that master is vaguely implied to be the DM

I dunno if that’s true

[rugged hawk]

I always assumed Ao was the DM

And WotC Ao's boss?

[graceful crescent]

wrath of the righteous featured a deity that granted the power to time travel in order to prevent a catastrophic event. The way you've described Ao sounds nothing like it.

[rugged hawk]

No, that's the uhhhh.... name escapes me for the moment. A precursor Power. Not actually a God, something weirder.

[graceful crescent]

aeon?

[rugged hawk]

No, Aeons are its servants, parts of it.

[turbid vessel]

two fellow players in a game i'm playing in are locked in a sapphic "we both respect and care each other deeply but neither of feel deserving or prepared for love so we're just gonna vaguely yearn in each other's direction for now"
many such cases

[rugged hawk]

AHA! The Monad.

https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Monad

[graceful crescent]

Oh, it was a name that was never disclosed during the actual gameplay. I just got the names mixed up.

[minor cargo]

Oh you might like this.

I have a PC who is ace and femme presenting. She trauma bonded with our muscle mommy paladin NPC.

Their relationship is intimate but fully non-sexual. They touch foreheads but don’t engage in physical expressions of attraction.

There’s a B plot where the NPC is allosexual and does have a lingering yearning for a previous relationship. So together they have to progress through to “a new future” even if it’s not perfect. The NPC works through wants and needs, and leans on the PC to help better understand that boundary, as fluid as it can be (even hour by hour).

[turbid vessel]

so much of romance media is dedicated to the buildup and the "explosive confession" part of love, which is all fun and good!

but there's so much storytelling that can be done with navigating a partnership and all that comes with it once its already established

cause becoming partners doesn't mean y'all suddenly are two puzzle pieces perfectly fitting together. people are people with different wants and needs

[swift silo]

What is the difference between survival and nature checks

[minor cargo]

Yeah exactly. That’s exactly what I was designing and the player was EATING it up.

[graceful crescent]

Nature checks are your knowledge about.. biology.

Survival is essentially your ability to track prey, hunt and forage for items enabling you to survive in the wilderness

[minor cargo]

A survivalist and a naturalist IMO have a lot of overlap. The results might be the same but the learning and logic might be different.

Both for example might be able to discern if berries are poisonous. The survivalist maybe learned through trial and error or a patient mentor. A naturalist might has studied morphology and recognized the signs of poisonous fruit.

[swift silo]

Yeah tbh it seems like everything you can do with nature you will be able to deal with survival and vice versa

[graceful crescent]

I feel as though nature checks are uncommon, when compared to survival

[fast latch]

If you could take two subclasses in the same class once you got to a high enough level, what would be the most broken combination?

[amber horizon]

More divine lesbians hehe: I have a WIP myth for my setting in which the goddesses of the past and future were in love, but unable to meet face to face, so Ifrevetis, the god of time, forged a pair of rings for them, linked by an ethereal thread that would let them exist in the same space through a sort of astral projection. Ifrevetis presented the two with the rings and wedded them, and it is said that all prophesies and glimpses through the past and future travel along the thread between their rings.

[fast latch]

That’s so cute

[fast latch]

I have two monster…lover lesbians that are married

One is a Mind Flayer Illusionist Wizard and the other is a Drow Order of The Therian (Werebat) Blood Hunter

[kindred solar]

A DC one shot due to our regular DM not being there somehow evolved into Batman X Superman yaoi

[fast latch]

HAH

[amber horizon]

Thanks<3

[minor cargo]

I actually love this. It feels like an old, ancient text. And obviously songs. Love it.

[tall forge]

Superbats best ship

Everyone knows this

[fresh panther]

Both are peak!

[final turtle]

Wtf is superbats

[fresh panther]

Superman n batman

[final turtle]

Oh ok yeah honestly based

[tall forge]

Bromance turned romance frfr

Friends to enemies to lovers

[severe rampart]

Depends on which iteration

[amber horizon]

Rereading my notes on it, it gets better. The couple’s first kiss changed the fabric of reality to entwine the past and the future inextricably, and essentially made all divination possible

[jolly agate]

Hello chat

[tall forge]

In the iteration of general idea of Batman, and general idea of superman

But thats an entire comic book rabbit hole

[severe rampart]

The idea of a superhuman alien who tries to do what is right and just and the idea of a vigilante with the same ideals however diffferent methods?

I would say then yeah, that is a pretty good recipe for romance

[tall forge]

Nah, the idea of the goodest boy and the darkest goober