dnd-discussion

[woven flint]

I almost killed a Drow Matron Mother all by myself today lol

In one turn

[knotty vine]

yeah but what do dont copy is the thing that says you cant fly in medium armor/heavy

[tribal night]

Or just accept the rules and embrace stupidity, MONK SALAMI SLAP! BARB RAT THROWER!

[feral fulcrum]

Whereass Homebrew is generally always "Yeah that looks about right to me."

[vale kettle]

Dnd encourages you to play Raw Rai and raf

[tribal night]

Barrelmancy.

[vale kettle]

In healthy balance

[knotty vine]

I prefer RAI

[errant crag]

Depends on if your DM lets you start with a race that was replaced

[knotty vine]

Remember this is RAW not Dm fiat

[tribal night]

Orc monk salami build just works

[knotty vine]

It says your allowed to do it so you can

[tribal night]

Same with halfling barb rat

Now why would I do halfling? because I can still throw rats

[knotty vine]

So if you pick an arakoca with a fly speed of 50ft and replace it with dhampier you now have a 50ft fly speed and a 35ft walk/climb speed

[errant crag]

What is Halfling Barb Rat

[tribal night]

Halfling barbarian thrower build with rats

Dwarfs would be better but nah

[errant crag]

I mean if you're talking strictly RAW to the letter yeah

[knotty vine]

I think without racials and all that arakoca is the fastest race we have ever gotten in dnd

Before mordekns

[errant crag]

But it's like how if you're trapped in a net, RAW you can't use a Dagger to cut your way out because it does piercing damage and the net needs to take slashing damage to break

[tribal night]

I should make a dwarf barbarian rat thrower char in baldur's gate later

[knotty vine]

ive never seen someone use a net in dnd

[errant crag]

Any DM who actually runs it that way is gonna get funny looks

[vale kettle]

Literally

[errant crag]

So it's a BG thing, not an actual 5e build

[knotty vine]

Also you can still cut your way out of the net just by attacking it

[tribal night]

Rats exist in dnd...

[vale kettle]

They can its RAW but that is iust bs

[knotty vine]

objects have ac and hp too

[errant crag]

BG3 and D&D 5e have very different rules

[tribal night]

I guess throwing doesn't exist in dnd

[errant crag]

Something working in BG3 does not mean it works in D&D

[knotty vine]

Yes and no

the main reason being is cause BG3 is a video game

[glass granite]

Oh it does

[knotty vine]

but it takes heavy inspo from 5e

[severe rampart]

Many weapons are thrown

[tribal night]

Yeah I know, but they're saying you can't throw rats in dnd

[errant crag]

This is like saying that because something works in surgeon simulator it would work in actual surgery

[knotty vine]

Im pretty sure giant barb can throw almost anything

[glass granite]

Oh yeah that doesn’t have rules

[knotty vine]

including creatures and players

[errant crag]

Yeah RAW there's no rules for throwing living creatures

[severe rampart]

I mean, you can, but there's no written rules for it

[knotty vine]

Giant barb can

[glass granite]

Improvised attack prolly

[errant crag]

Congrats

[errant crag]

Good job you were correct

[tribal night]

Exactly

[knotty vine]

Your connection to giant strength allows you to hurl both allies and enemies on the battlefield. As a bonus action while raging, you can choose one Medium or smaller creature within your reach and move it to an unoccupied space you can see within 30 feet of yourself. An unwilling creature must succeed on a Strength saving throw (DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier) to avoid the effect.

[tribal night]

I literally should be allowed to throw rats

[knotty vine]

but you can

[severe rampart]

You can

[tribal night]

Good, glad that's cleared up

[severe rampart]

No one runs 100% RAW

[knotty vine]

its impossbile

[errant crag]

Congratulations good job

[tribal night]

That's scary, never ever

Lemme just do dwarf rat throwing

[severe rampart]

"Ooh sorry, they didn't actually write rules for that specific thing you want to do, guess you can't do it, too bad"

[tribal night]

As much as I want to be giant, throwing rats wouldn't be fun as a giant

Has to be small

[severe rampart]

Throw humans

[tribal night]

The rat must fit my hand

[humble cairn]

In the 2014 rules this would be an Improvised Action.

[tribal night]

Thought so, I was confused when someone said you can't throw rats

[humble cairn]

Player: "I throw the rat"
DM: "Ok let me quickly come up with how I would adjudicate that."

[knotty vine]

Foundry is so complex

[tribal night]

Would rats do pierce damage or bludgeon damage? Guess it depends how aggressive the rat is

[humble cairn]

Uhh well, an Improvised Action is bascially something that no rules cover and thus requires the DM to homebrew something, basically on the spot. So it's not like there's an official "throw rat" action, it's basically a catchall Action for anything the rules otherwise don't cover.

[errant crag]

I said there is no RAW ruling for throwing creatures at a base level. Yes Giant Barbarian subclass has a feature that does this but there isn't a baseline rule for throwing living creatures RAW.

[knotty vine]

CRUSH

er

[tribal night]

Just let me throw the damn rats

[humble cairn]

So Pink is correct, there is no specific rule that covers trying to throw a rat.

[knotty vine]

1d4 damage

[tribal night]

Yeah, then again it's nothing crazy

[tame estuary]

1d4

[humble cairn]

Yeah, say you throw the rat and then basically let your DM rule on that Improvised Action.

[knotty vine]

thats about it +2 if giant barbarian

[errant crag]

You throw the rat 20ft and do 1d4

[tame estuary]

+proficiency of you have proficiency at throwing rats

[humble cairn]

It's not, but just because it's not anything crazy doesn't mean the rules cover it.

And just because the rules don't cover it, doesn't mean you can't do it.

[tribal night]

Must be a healthy rat if it doesn't deal poison damage

[knotty vine]

If you wanna do something thats not in the rules you better have a good reason how works and why

[tribal night]

Yeah of course

[knotty vine]

Not how poison damage works but ok

[humble cairn]

Not necessarily. A player describes what they do, the DM is responsible for coming up with what happens.

[tame estuary]

I knew a DM that made that action worthless though, I throw a rat, it used my action, doesn't contribute to the battle at all and my turn is skipped

[tribal night]

Mb, uhh toxic damage? I suck at the disease related damage thpes

[knotty vine]

that also depends does the rat live or die after the throw

[errant crag]

Players like y'all are exactly why I have an iron grip on rool of cool at my table

[humble cairn]

And that is a valid result. Maybe not the fun result, which the DM could take into consideration for the next time, but still valid.

[knotty vine]

Disease isnt a damage

[knotty vine]

I do things only by the book mainly

[tribal night]

Not literally disease, I meant acid toxic necrotic or poison

[knotty vine]

Toxic isnt a damage either

[tribal night]

Ah oops

[knotty vine]

Where is necrotic coming from 😭

[feral fulcrum]

Bludgeoning, Peircing, Slashing, Force, and too many Elemental damage types I care to list, Thunder, and Poison, and Psychic.

[knotty vine]

acid cold fire lightning thunder?

[tribal night]

Pretty sure necrosis is a disease

[feral fulcrum]

Thhunder's not really elemental

[tame estuary]

Kan, please try not to ragebait

[feral fulcrum]

It's more pure sonic damage

[knotty vine]

represents decay, corruption, and the siphoning of life force. Often dealt by undead creatures

[knotty vine]

Oh then think about tiamats heads i guess?

[tribal night]

If I was this conversation would've lead to nothing

[knotty vine]

Fire lightning cold posion

[errant crag]

I'd argue it has

[tribal night]

Besides I already got my answer

[knotty vine]

Diseases are usually a con save and they arent even used that often in 2024

[humble cairn]

A player can always try to throw a rat. The DM has to come up with what happens. That doesn't mean that what they come up with has to be set in stone forever, it can be different each time since it's not a set rule. And it doesn't always have to work out in the player's favor.

[tribal night]

I hate how people think the way I talk is ragebait...

[knotty vine]

Also Necortic damage is a "special" damage type

You wont find it in day to day life

[tribal night]

Ah I see

[tame estuary]

It's just a shame though that it does nothing, while the other party member is dealing 211 damage

[errant crag]

If my players wanna waste a turn throwing a rat they're free to

[inner silo]

It's a different rat and a different target eich time, most likely

[tribal night]

I thought it was related to something like necrosis

[knotty vine]

I know non magical necortic exist but I refuse to acknowlage that agrument

[errant crag]

If you're choosing to do something useless you're not owed some special payoff just because the other players aren't wasting their turns throwing rats.

[humble cairn]

I mean every class has plenty of options that are legitimately useful in combat. "I throw a rat" isn't generally one of them.

[knotty vine]

Since it is stupid rare

[tribal night]

Makes sense, necrotic is it's own element

[flint ledge]

Doesn't she also have acid

[humble cairn]

Unless "throw rat" is flavor for one of your actual abilities.

[tribal night]

Monk salami slap

[errant crag]

Ray of Sickness

[tame estuary]

Me when I don't get to make throwing rats my specialty and don't get anything from throwing a rat because I didn't pick the rat thrower subclass

[humble cairn]

Yeah, like that.

[inner silo]

Rat is a reflavoured sentient dagger with legs maybe?

[humble cairn]

Flavor your spells and abilities as thrown rats.

[errant crag]

Returning weapon maybe

[tribal night]

If I don't get to do something stupid, I should quit the campaign imo.

[humble cairn]

Fireball is a rat injected with volatile chemicals.

[errant crag]

Worth considering

[inner silo]

A ratturning weapon that just runs back to it's owner after getting thrown

[tame estuary]

There's systems more suitable for that kind of roleplay

[tribal night]

Ratking staff, summon rats to throw

[knotty vine]

Theres the physical damage types: Bludgeoning Piercing Slashing
The elementals: fire lightning cold acid poison and thunder
Magical/Energy: Force Necrotic Psychic Radiant

dont ask me why poison and thunder are elemental they just are

[inner silo]

Pretty sure poison isn't an elemental damage type

[tribal night]

Yeah I didn't know necrotic was magical

[tame estuary]

Dragons

[knotty vine]

Its under the elemetnal damage types

[tame estuary]

But that means necrotic should be elemental too

[knotty vine]

Thats magic/enegry

[tribal night]

I mean, sound and I guess poison ivy

[inner silo]

Elements monk should've had it

[knotty vine]

Pretty sure they do?

Oh wait im thinking of dragon

[tame estuary]

Elements monk uses the genie elements if I'm not mistaken

[errant crag]

It's special damage type like radiant psychic and force

[tribal night]

So yeah they're elements, I get it

[knotty vine]

Pretty much

[inner silo]

Yup

[tame estuary]

Your elemental power is green

[knotty vine]

Again Loud noise (thunder) is also an under element

[inner silo]

Isn't acid being an element also a bit funny?

[tribal night]

Acid comes from bugs you inow?

[knotty vine]

Prob cause they dont fit anywhere else

[tribal night]

I believe elements are just stuff that exist in nature

[tame estuary]

Long history of people arguing over acid and poison

[inner silo]

Still it's not a whole element but technically fire even though often viewed as one is also not an element but rather just a chemical reaction

[tame estuary]

Does plutonium exist in nature?

[knotty vine]

No

[inner silo]

So trying to make elements in fiction make sense is probably a lost cause

[knotty vine]

I cant eat it either

[tame estuary]

Aw shucks

[tribal night]

No, it's manmade from uranium

[inner silo]

I'm surprised water isn't very represented as a power in dnd tbh

[tribal night]

We got ice, good enough

[knotty vine]

Druid cant wear metal armor 🎲

[feral fulcrum]

There are trace ammounts produced by nature.

[inner silo]

Yeah we do, ice is more like stone then water though

[inner silo]

They can in 2024

[tame estuary]

Ice is not like stone

[knotty vine]

I know

That was even the full cast in 2014

[inner silo]

It's more similar to stone then to water

[glass granite]

Tbf, what sort of damage would water even do?

[feral fulcrum]

It's got an entire plane dedicated to it, and multiple water based gods

[knotty vine]

Druid see wearing/using metal as taboo

[feral fulcrum]

Bludgeoning

[knotty vine]

Bludeoning

[inner silo]

Bludgeoning/slashing/piercing depending on the ability probably

[glass granite]

Indeed, which is why it’s in the game already as bludgeoning

[knotty vine]

Slashing if you pressure was someone

[flint ledge]

Plutonium elemental

[tame estuary]

Next you're telling me lava is wet because water is wet and water is melted ice so melted stone is also wet

[glass granite]

Hence this.

Also there are water based spells

[knotty vine]

I wish there were more rock based spells in dnd

I wanna be an earth bender

[grim valve]

Starting to think I should've waited a while on the D&D survey I just got.

[knotty vine]

Or a melee sorcerer

[inner silo]

That is very cool, and the new sea druid is goated, but overall there aren't that many abilities to play a water bender which I'm not saying is bad, just i find it surprising

[feral fulcrum]

There are definitely better systems to try and mimic Avatar's element based fighting styles.

[tame estuary]

Are there even any earth based subclass? Maybe the giant ones

[inner silo]

There are a bunch, it's just not as prominent as it's often opposite, fire and most times does cold damage. I'm not saying it's bad though, stone also doesn't get much, even less probably

[inner silo]

I think there was a stone sorcery

[minor cargo]

Don’t forget steam is fire damage! Just to keep things fun. Ice knife is also piercing. Fun fun!

[knotty vine]

It was UA

It was really bad

[inner silo]

Would be cool if it got buffed and released i think

[knotty vine]

about steam damage I can say that it does fire damage indeed

[inner silo]

Tbh fire damage should be renamed as hot damage

Or rather fire damage is hot damage

[knotty vine]

I think the main issue about it was there just arent enough spells that rock things this is SUPER true for level 1-3

[tame estuary]

You said it twice

[inner silo]

They could add more rock spells

[knotty vine]

They could yes but as it is not there just arent enough

[errant crag]

DM, I cast Find Familiar and summon the CR 0 Giant Fly from the DMG as my Familiar.

It's Large with a 60ft Fly Speed.

[knotty vine]

The giant fly you speak is from magic item

[errant crag]

It is a CR 0 Beast

[knotty vine]

That is true but its still from a magic item

[past blaze]

isn't it being CR0 more a caveat of DNDBeyond's database and not an actual ruling

[errant crag]

If you could find anywhere saying that the Giant Fly can't be summoned with Find Familiar please let me know

[knotty vine]

Another issue is getting your hands on an exotic saddle

[errant crag]

That's not that hard to do

[knotty vine]

its 60gp

[errant crag]

Yeah that's not a lot

[knotty vine]

You cant start with it I bet as well

the only reason id say no is because the giant fly belong to thishttps://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/9228621-figurine-of-wondrous-power

[humble cairn]

Any DM can deny the use of any particular statblock as a valid familiar. And I can see why they might with the Giant Fly. So it's an "up to your DM" decision.

[severe rampart]

made my second paladin ever today

[humble cairn]

Allowing Find Familiar to basically replicate a Rare magic item does devalue that item.

[errant crag]

Nothing in that description says that Find Familiar cannot summon the Giant Fly or that the figurine is the only means for the Giant Fly to exist.
Nothing in Find Familiar says that the CR 0 beast stat block can only come from specific source books or cannot come from specific source books.
So RAW, you can summon the Giant Fly.

Of course though, most DMs would understandably not allow this.

I certainly wouldn't allow it.

[severe rampart]

I mean, figurine of raven exists and you can summon ravens as a familiar (I think?)

honestly, just let them ride on the giant fly, you can just shoot 'em down anyway, it's not that big of a deal in my opinion

[humble cairn]

That's an Uncommon item and also has another spell built into it.

[severe rampart]

Ohh, thanks for clarification

[humble cairn]

Slightly different than a Rare item with no other spell function.

[errant crag]

The real play is Spellwrought Tattoos of Find Familiar in games where you can start with common magic items.

[knotty vine]

Im not sure why they gave the giant fly a CR to begin with

[errant crag]

Because it's a creature

[knotty vine]

hardly

[errant crag]

No its definitely a creature

It has HP and ability scores.

[humble cairn]

I feel like it's not a balance issue of Find Familiar to allow that function, it's a rarity issue when compared to a magic item that's supposed to be Rare.

[errant crag]

And a creature type it's certainly a creature.

[knotty vine]

It doesnt even have an attack

[errant crag]

There's a few creatures that don't have attacks

Familiars can't attack anyways though unless you're pact of the chain

[errant crag]

You're 100% right, I would never allow a player to use the Giant Fly as their Familiar.

[knotty vine]

Im pretty sure most creatures can attack

[errant crag]

I said "There's a few creatures that don't have attacks"

"a few" is a term that implies a small amount, not a lot

[knotty vine]

I cant think of a crature that doesnt have at least 1 attack

[humble cairn]

Ok, no need to squabble over this.

[knotty vine]

besides the fly

[errant crag]

People fighting tooth and nail to be technically correct about tiny things has been the flavor of the day

[hot marlin]

Isn't it more, like, the flavor of the server since always?

I'm willing to fight you tooth and nail to be technically correct about that tiny thing

[errant crag]

Nah you're right

Does anybody know if carry weight is tracked in Adventurers League games?

[tame estuary]

I'm not sure it's a mindset that should be normalized

[hot marlin]

I don't think any mindset should be normalized! Burn all norms.

Hi, did I ever tell you I'm not a fiend?

[tame estuary]

yes, you are friend

[hot marlin]

Thank you

[severe rampart]

Subtle Spell: Dispel Magic

[hot marlin]

Brb, I need to tuck my tail beneath my pants, trim my horns and claws go to the bathroom.

[minor cargo]

Uhm actually. Unless you have a natural attack, PCs don’t have teeth or nails RAW. 🤓/jk

[cobalt owl]

That's a good one

[humble cairn]

Intense and thorough debate isn't always a fight. I fully advocate for the former, but not for the latter.

I have participated in many an intense debate here and I like it, it helps me work out the puzzle that the rules can sometimes be. But I don't like it when people start getting hurt about stuff.

"I think you're wrong about X point" isn't, and shouldn't be considered, a personal attack.

"You're stupid if you believe X about Y" is a personal attack.

[grim valve]

I'm really starting to worry about the state of Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro in general. We really aren't getting a new adventure until September and I'm really hoping they're just figuring out the groundwork for putting out good work. If Deadfall isn't a home run then things are looking incredibly dire for WotC.

[tame estuary]

"but chudda what if-"

"it won't"

[flint ledge]

I think within recent times setting books have just been popping off better

[grim valve]

I think within recent times we haven't had any really solid adventure books to compete with settings books.

Not from WotC anyway.

[flint ledge]

I meant it more as in they've been more worth it for wotc

[grim valve]

I'm not sure I follow.

[humble cairn]

Remember that they're putting a bigger focus on Third Party producers. So they're outsourcing a lot of the innovation, the volume, and the risk to third party companies like the ones who did Griffon's Saddlebag.

The bigger influx of Partnered Content on Beyond is not an accident.

[flint ledge]

They might be traumatized from everyone dunking on spelljammer

[covert root]

Isn't Arcana Unleashed: Deadfall intended to be a full-length adventure?

[prime pewter]

The supplemental tables in xanathers are fun

[grim valve]

It is. The first in quite some time.

[covert root]

Isn't it the first full-length for 5.5E?

[grim valve]

Yyyyup! First since they let Chris Perkins go too.

Which is why I hope it's a good one.

[covert root]

Based on the epic magic mentioned in the connected book, I'm hoping it's higher level. I'm a little tired of the same old 1-11.

[grim valve]

Same.

[covert root]

I was excited when I heard Vecna: Eve of Ruin was higher-level, but then I read the reviews.

[grim valve]

I need more late game books to make epic heroes with.

Don't believe all the reviews, Eve of Ruin is pretty cool. At the same time, it's also not perfect.

Still, for a book that goes to level 20 without an enormous megadungeon? It's not bad.

[fiery nimbus]

Let's be real, majority of players are never seen level 6

[grim valve]

I don't think I want to believe that.

[minor cargo]

It’s more a comment on how hard it can be to keep a group together for a long time rather than a comment on the game itself.

[hot gate]

Most of my games get up to past level 11 or so, but I rarely go beyond that. Official adventures also rarely do, so that's part of the reason.

But after that much time it's often also time for a breather and something else.

[twin stag]

The only time that I didn't see at least level 6 was when the pandemic first struck and my FLGS shutdown the in-store AL games. Otherwise every game went to at least level 9 - and there were A LOT of games.

[hot gate]

They didn't let him go, he left, just fyi!

[flint ledge]

That's not true I'm very sure

[minor cargo]

I don’t have data on it, but I’d believe someone if they said “on average, 50% of players never play more than three games before the group falls apart”. Scheduling is just hard. 😩

[hot gate]

And it depends on whether or not you include people just trying out the game once (think convention games or local game store one shots) and then never being able or having the desire to follow up on that.

[minor cargo]

I guess on the other hand, I bet a lot of active people on THIS server have seen multiple levels haha. But yeah we’re a small minority of all D&D players.

[severe rampart]

well, I reckon it'd be 12+

[cinder timber]

Amazing album'

[severe rampart]

level 6 is more common but once you start getting into the double digit levels that's when it starts to fall apart

[tawdry sentinel]

It's like a year of being the same character.

[fiery nimbus]

If you start getting into double digits

The big if

[hot marlin]

That feels very, very extreme. Had you said the same thing about level 12, or even level 10, I would have agreed, but this pushes things a bit too far

[fiery nimbus]

Leveling takes time and groups tend to dissolve

[vale kettle]

Cant really relate

Unfortunate that it happens but life is life

[crystal hatch]

the 1 oneshot ive done was at level 6 lol

[limber trail]

The majority of games I've played either reached level 6, or started above level 6. It's the minority that didn't reach it

I also made sure to get my players familiar with high level dnd real quick, relatively early on I ran a three shot at level 16 for them

I wish more folks had opportunities to play at higher levels every now and then but I do get, it's tough

a lot of the balancing ideas at low levels do not work at high level in the same way

[ripe nimbus]

the highest level ive played is 10

but the highest level in a longer running campaign is 7

that said i just don’t play much

[limber trail]

My highest level played is 20 in a one shot, as far as actual campaign play goes though it's level 9

[lethal bobcat]

What if a College of Dance bard invented dabbing and the griddy back to back?

[mighty wharf]

Imagine you do a super serious, super edgy campaign like Curse of Strahd, and at the end there is a treasure room. In the treasure room, there is...

||A SKULL TOILET! TIME FOR A SPOOKIE DOOKIE!||

||AND IT'S A MIMIC||

[lethal bobcat]

The Barbarian skibidi they toilet

[fiery nimbus]

If you do I will in fact just straight up kill you off in an unfortunate dice related accident

[mighty wharf]

In the game, right?

[fiery nimbus]

[lethal bobcat]

Hatred always scales with age it seems (I love emphasising 6 7 in MtG to piss off people over 40)

[fiery nimbus]

If it doesn't fit the setting I do not want it

[lethal bobcat]

I can tell

[fiery nimbus]

DND is by all means a game of compromise

[limber trail]

To be fair, some folks want to come to DnD for a “serious” (or I guess, a tonally consistent) experience which meta jokes sometimes detract from

A serious griddy joke in my campaign would definitely be a bit of a tone killer

[solar narwhal]

Is there a Discord that helps players and DMs connect on a local basis? Something for those of us who would prefer to play in person but, need help finding local players?

[fiery nimbus]

I can not understate how bad of an idea this kind of discord would be, check your local announcement board

[lethal bobcat]

I don't think older people react this strongly when someone mentions funny voices or faces, least from my experience

(Which would detract just the same for sure)

[fiery nimbus]

It's called hyperbole and can also be used as a form of humor

[lethal bobcat]

... I am aware

I had some uncs do them at a Commander table, literally The Mask style without any reason, but then 67 was beyond taboo

[fiery nimbus]

Well, it is a crime

[lethal bobcat]

Get back to your bingo

[limber trail]

Not really, mainly just because that’s a logistical nightmare to set up - so many local areas. Even if you reduced each country to its states/equivalents, that’s literal thousands of channels needed. (Assuming roughly five per country, because there’s definitely enough countries with more than 5 that can offset that)

[still plover]

Look for Facebook groups and the like, perhaps?

[fiery nimbus]

Correct, local announcement boards for the win

[limber trail]

Facebook groups, a local game store if you have one, libraries often host them, and other local forums and message boards

[still plover]

For an in-person game you're best off looking for boardgame shops, hobby shops, school groups, libraries and social sites.

[solar narwhal]

I'll take that as a, "No," and continue my fruitless search. I don't think my town has a local announcement board.

[lethal bobcat]

I feel like bigger countries like Canada needs provinces but you can just take the train in Germany. Based on what I hear from US people, commuting for 4 hours isn't too weird anyway

Now this makes me think too much so nvm

[fiery nimbus]

Worst case scenario you can always check out library or local supermarket with a board

[limber trail]

It varies but I don’t imagine folks are super keen to train for 4 hours to find a game. It’s possible, but it’s not the optimal solution

[lethal bobcat]

Commute for 4 hours, play for 16, finish that one drawn out battle and go home

[hard thistle]

A 4 hour commute for DnD is some crazy stuff.

[fiery nimbus]

Ah German trains, I can tell you no German will recommend Deutsche bahn

[solar narwhal]

All of the game stores near me aren't really near me. They're all close to an hour away.

[lethal bobcat]

Jealous of our Dutch trains? At least it isn't Austrian lol

[limber trail]

I’m not even German or European and I’ve heard the horror stories of Deutsche Bahn

[lethal bobcat]

I really never had much issues there

Well NL and UK are just comf

But you can do MUCH WORSE

[fiery nimbus]

Having a ticket for DB is a stress sentence

[lethal bobcat]

I'll take my good time as a blessing then

[fiery nimbus]

A horror story
You get ticket... FOR Deutsche Bahn. Dun dun dun duunnnn

[fiery nimbus]

If you use it inside of a city it's great, it's going between cities that's unnecessarly stressful, do even mention going between lands

[lethal bobcat]

International does suck everywhere

[fiery nimbus]

Using trains to go between cities is also economically not viable since ticket would count into your cost per session

It's simply not viable in a long time if you have to drop 60€ each session

Especially if it's also a paid session

[minor cargo]

One of my groups is a hybrid remote/in person - so that might be a good option too!

We play weekly remotely - but every month or two, we do the extra planning to play in person. Helps to ease things like travel stress.

[wicked mulch]

D&D Question of the Day (D&D Beyond: Playing the Game):

Which action would you use to quickly read a sigil’s meaning during a fight?
A) Study
B) Search
C) Influence

[glass granite]

A) Study
I think

I mean it’s reading I’d hope so

[limber trail]

Likely A) Study

[ripe nimbus]

Study, provided the sigil itself is easy to see

if it’s not then you might have to Search for it and then Study it

[limber trail]

If I was to be technical, the magic action to cast Comprehend Languages would also be a valid option, provided the sigil is written letter

[hot smelt]

Anyone have any space for a noobie player?

[limber trail]

you can check out #looking-for-players to find games with open spots

[halcyon bison]

whatever do you mean, you can just talk to the sigil and ask it what it means :3

[cobalt owl]

That assumes the sigil is sentient

[lethal bobcat]

I just realized there's no Soap in the Player Handbook? Did I just dream that item existing?

[woven flint]

No baths for you!!!!

[lethal bobcat]

Why oh why would I pay for a better lifestyle if I always stimky?

Seriously tho, was it from another book? Or did I hallucinate it? (Am I an AI?)

[stuck shuttle]

Nah it was an item in 2014

It’s mainly a flavor & RP thing

[fair plinth]

Every setting that doesnt explicitly state soap exists means everyone is stinky lol

[woven flint]

Prestidigitation users

[stuck shuttle]

Ditto for lifestyle. Your expenditure mechanically is up to you. Narratively would your character pay to sleep in barn stables or a warm tavern if they have a choice?

[woven flint]

Listen, folks, in a world where magic exists, why the hell wouldn't soap exist or why wouldn't people use magical services to clean themselves.. or just.. bathe anyway? Lol

[lethal bobcat]

So post-pandemic Wizards decided soap isn't needed

[woven flint]

It's still obtainable in the rules
It just wasn't updated

[stuck shuttle]

It didn’t really do anything special in 2014 so I see why they might not have reprinted it. Wasn’t something that was explicitly needed to be had

[woven flint]

Imagine..
Soap Simulacrum

A simulacrum made of soap instead of snow

[lethal bobcat]

I see, soap is 2CP and has no weight?

[stuck shuttle]

What a slippery slope that would be

[lethal bobcat]

Now I know what I'll use to stockpile infinite wealth (assuming coin weight options)

[woven flint]

Soapulacrum

[lethal bobcat]

I just realised this is the funniest enemy with some long range dex saving throw or go prone attack

[limber trail]

The fact that they aren’t in the phb doesn’t necessarily mean it doesn’t exist

Just that it’s not interesting enough to be printed and given mechanics

[lethal bobcat]

RAW toilets aren't a thing

I naturally asked about soap so it's interesting enough for at least one player

[stuck shuttle]

Fun to think about doesn’t always translate as fun to mechanically play out

[limber trail]

For one player yeah but not for the entire player base

[woven flint]

Oh, Knome, I don't know if you saw, but remember that Drow Matron Mother I was freaking out about?

[lethal bobcat]

You can say that but I'll soon have infinite soap if the DM approves

[limber trail]

I do

She died in one round right?

[woven flint]

My Warlock almost killed her on his turn alone
2 Mace attacks, an Eldritch Smite and A Blade of Disaster Strike and then a Crit Blade of Disaster hit lol

Our Rogue, A Scion of The Three Rogue, finished her off when she was bloodied with their Blookthirst Reaction

[lean wigeon]

smells good

yay

[woven flint]

My Warlock felt immensely guilty because that's the first time killing his own people in the campaign, because he was able to solve other issues with some diplomatically, but he absolutely Zenin Clanned that house at the same time lol

It was one of the Lesser Drow noble houses

[lean wigeon]

the ost used for the sendai colony stuff just got released in spotify

[wind dawn]

We need to kill everyone

Anyways good morning chat

[buoyant oar]

On the topic of toilets

In most cities in the Realms, buildings had indoor toilet rooms that connected to the sewers. In the case of grand houses and castles, these toilets were known as garderobes. In most other cases, toilets were known by the less formal name of "jakes." Outdoor toilets were known variously as gloryhouses, thunder thrones, and privies. Most cities in the realms also employ the use the Float Valve by Burlan Almaether, so that if liquid levels in an enclosure ever reached a certain point, the flow of water would be shut off, thus protecting cellars from sewers backing up.

[woven flint]

Hello, Lord Kas, You offered to turn me into your vampire spawn yesterday

[buoyant oar]

I deny everything

[woven flint]

But you did!
(In a campaign I'm playing in Kas offered to turn me into a vampire spawn and I'm still considering it)

[main torrent]

Astarion whispers "Don't"

[woven flint]

It's tempting admittedly.
My Drow gave up most of his lifespan to ensure help in defeating Strahd with a deal an Arcanaloth and only has 20 or so years remaining

[main torrent]

Yeah but

Consider your possible master

[lean wigeon]

yay

[woven flint]

I'm considering..
Dm says my Alignment will shift down by one if I choose to become a spawn
So, I'll be Neutral Instead of Good
BUT
The dm says I can also Drink Kas' blood to become a TRUE vampire in which I'd become Evil.
BUT
He's still allowing me atonomy with my character because its a high level campaign and this is his first time offering a character the evil option.

Becoming his Spawn ensures us that we somewhat have an ally, yes, he's the betrayer, but he doesn't have his sword at the moment and I REALLY want his help to fight the Whispered One later on

Vecna existing is the main reason he's even considering working with us

[main torrent]

But the key thing is will Kas let you drink his blood?

You may want some sort of pact before you agree

Something where he can't double back

He is at the end of the day, evil and a vampire

[woven flint]

Yeah, I'm aware of that problem
However, the DM said he's keeping a repuatation system for me with Kas
He says if I'm able to get it high enough, Kas will allow it

I didn't choose to do so yet, he's allowing me to have a bit before we decide, in the meantime we're going to possibly fight Acererak

[main torrent]

DMs lie

It's known

[woven flint]

Mine is pretty good at not lying

He was straight up with me, this is the first time he's ever offered a player the "Evil" option

The dm has been pretty straightforward with me with it lol

[rough basalt]

Also Kas is probably one of the most "reasonable" vampires

He's a former military commander so he knows when someone is worth promoting or worth keeping a grunt

He was a good one too

He pretty much did everything Vecna the Bum claimed to have done

[woven flint]

Last night I had a private talk with the DM, plaung as my character and him as Kas, and my Quest for Vengance against the spider queen really seemed to intrigue and interest him
(I was able to tell with a decent insight)

[rough basalt]

Also Kas probably figures "even if i make them a true vamp, they're still nothing compared to me so whats the threat"

Since he's one of the dnd figures to have Him status

[woven flint]

Nealen told me that out of everyone in D&D
Kas has the second highest stat total besides Zariel lol

[fossil shuttle]

Kinda like how out of all the Archdevils, Bel is one of the most reasonable because he values aid when offered because he just cares about doing his job as effectively as he can.

[umbral girder]

That I know of yes

There could be some outlier I’m unaware of but Kas so far has one of the biggest stat totals next to Zariel

[woven flint]

He's simply goated

Hell, I'd trust Kas THE Betrayer over Strahd Von Zarovich ANY day.

[umbral girder]

: )

[rough basalt]

Tbf he did betray a bum he carried to godhood

Justified

[waxen locust]

Hi hi!! I don’t know exactly where to put this but I’d love to do dnd character sketches for anyone!

[stiff rock]

i'm not sure if there actually is a channel for advertising commissions, but you could always advertise on social media

[blissful dragon]

if it commison based #dnd-advertisements

[stiff rock]

ahh i had no idea that channel existed lol

[blissful dragon]

yeah you have to choose to say you want to see it in the channel toggles

part of the idea of trying not to overwhelm new users and let people filter out stuff they not intrested

[severe rampart]

If it's like, for samples, you can just reach out here probably (pls don't randomly DM people)

[crimson gulch]

https://discord.com/channels/516367331358801950/573191697622761512

[waxen locust]

Oo thank you!! (And I won’t reach out I know that’s really rude to but it’s also mainly just for free ones) but thank you all!

[severe rampart]

Yeah, no worries!

[umbral girder]

Wild that Zariel is only 18 ability score points away from having 30 in every stat

[rough basalt]

She's got Her status.

[severe rampart]

What's the strongest being we have a statblock for?

[umbral girder]

Asmodeus

Being able to summon an archdevil as a lair action and a pit fiend as a legendary action and having Wish is crazy good

[lavish flame]

oooh whats happening in the game? how is the climax turning out?

[stiff rock]

tiamat, asmodeus and tarrasque share the highest challenge rating (30) - but yeah, as naelen said, being able to summon archdevils is quite strong

[flint ledge]

And also just straight up reviving if killed

[severe rampart]

I think out of those three, the Tarrasque is the weakest

[cedar bane]

I do find it humorous that the highest statblocks are: god of the nine hells, ancient god of evil dragons, and then just really big dinosaur

[severe rampart]

I think Tiamat would take offense if you called them a dinosaur /j

[cedar bane]

Sorry, really big lizard

[lavish flame]

I mean, you would describe it using the same language you would Godzilla, thats not just a dinosaur anymore

[stiff rock]

i've never fought any of them, but yeah tarrasques seem kinda weak compared to a literal god, and a literal god

[severe rampart]

a biological creature empowered and mutated by radiation?

is that what the Tarrasque's lore is?

[umbral girder]

Yeah two gods and a weapon made by the gods

[stiff rock]

from what i remember the tarrasque is just a giant force of nature

[cedar bane]

Hey godzilla was pretty equally matched by the really big gorilla

[lavish flame]

"earth-shaking force of nature" is what I'm aiming for. also, like "living form of god's wrath"

afaik Tarrasques have nothing to do with radiation

[limber trail]

"Among the most devastating creatures in existence, the tarrasque is an engine of catastrophe and a ruiner of nations."

[short brook]

Is Asmodeus for the new cr?

[limber trail]

pretty cr 30 of it

[bronze wave]

its like space godzilla force of nature world ending apocalypse

[severe rampart]

King Kong, also known as "The 8th Wonder of The World", or "The Ruler of the Hollow Earth"

[cedar bane]

A very big gorilla

[stiff rock]

the most recently updated cr30 is the tarrasque, which was included in the '24 MM. tiamat is from a 2014 adventure, as is asmodeus

[bronze wave]

who needed a special weapon of godlike power to stand a chance

[stiff rock]

so technically the tarrasque is the most powerful if you're only considering 2024 content

[lavish flame]

Asmodeus from Chains of Asmodeus? Thats not even official content

[stiff rock]

it's a wotc produced book, but it isn't available on ddb and was written by an external team

[limber trail]

the "most official" CR 30s are Tiamat and the Tarrasque

Others are varyingly official

[stiff rock]

i'd love to get an Ao statblock one day just for kicks

[limber trail]

I know another CR 30 is the AL Szass Tam from memory?

[limber trail]

I don't know if that's even possible while continuing to respect bounded accuracy

[bronze wave]

maybe an aspect of and even then

[pliant sapphire]

That man is too broken

[lavish flame]

AL's Szass Tam is like CR 21 or something, he's just tough enough that you can't True Poly into him

[pliant sapphire]

He has low HP at least

[stiff rock]

i doubt he'd even get a cr as he could just will you out of existence

[limber trail]

Pmuch

[pliant sapphire]

Its CR 30 iirc

[cedar bane]

what a good diet and regular exercise does to a man

[limber trail]

Szass Tam has neither of those things

He's a lich

which speaking of;

[limber trail]

I wouldn't think it'd be CR 21 since that's already the CR of a regular lich

[severe rampart]

Liches are fun

[short brook]

Aside from the tarrasque is there any other creature that could potentially be CR 30?

[cedar bane]

hes a lich with healthcare

[pliant sapphire]

yeah he is CR30

[lavish flame]

I stand corrected, I couldve sworn there was a conversation yesterday about Szass Tam Transposed being weirdly low CR

[limber trail]

Aspects of Gods mostly, and then whatever other foul creations a DM dreams up

[cedar bane]

likely some form of really ancient dragon

[limber trail]

CR 30 essentially means "The strongest in the setting"

[lavish flame]

Tiamat is already CR 30, then we have Aspect of Tiamat and Aspect of Bahamut and thats it

[limber trail]

Greatwyrms exist ranging from CR 26-28 but none recorded are CR 30

[bronze wave]

an anicent greatwyrm... hmmmm

[cedar bane]

wait til this guy heres about greatestwyrms

[limber trail]

greatwyrms are ancient already

[bronze wave]

cr29

[limber trail]

I'm putting this in the valazands and it's gonna be your problem

[lavish flame]

get this guy on Fizban's 2

[cedar bane]

there can only be one greatest wyrm and we all know who that is

[severe rampart]

Do you have a character that you think would turn into a lich, given the chance?

[limber trail]

Thrush-Kar....

[cedar bane]

he wishes

[pliant sapphire]

27AC and inmune to lvl 6th or lower 💀

[stiff rock]

is fizban's treasury of dragons just a bunch of dragon lore and statblocks?

i've literally never heard anything about what's actually in it

[lavish flame]

Yup

[short brook]

Dragons are cool 👌

[limber trail]

Actually to be fair, the chromatic greatwyrm at least, with its chromatic awakening, is worth 210000 XP, which is enough XP to be over CR 30

[stiff rock]

would've gone great with my tyranny of dragons game

[short brook]

I remember hearing about a dragon that can hold two concentration spells i don't remember which one it was though

[limber trail]

Niv-Mizzet but it's 3rd party iirc

Wait we forgot one of the CR 30 stat blocks

The Aspect of Bahamut

[lavish flame]

the table of contents is:

• Character Creation
• Dragon Magic
• Dragons in Play
• Lairs and Hoards
• Draconomicon
• Bestiary
  I used it yesterday to fill up a Young White Dragon's hoard, buncha fun stuff in there now

[stiff rock]

okay the lairs and hoards section actually sounds really useful lol

i usually just fill it with gold, magic items, and some trinkets

[lean wigeon]

im a dragon

[lavish flame]

They break it out into currency, gems, art objects, nonmagical objects, and magic items with pretty solid tables for randomly discovering a hoard

[cedar bane]

your unfearful presence says otherwise

[bronze wave]

whats your cr?

[humble cairn]

A little bit of lore, mostly plot seeds. Then subclasses, magic items, dragon related monsters.

[lean wigeon]

it's in my server nickname

[bronze wave]

woah

[stiff rock]

what subclasses are included in it?

dragon-themed i'm guessing

[buoyant oar]

Drake Warden Ranger is the stand out

[humble cairn]

Monk: Way of the Ascendant Dragon
Ranger: Drakewarden

[flint ledge]

Oh yeah that's technically true

[humble cairn]

Way of the Ascendant Dragon is also really very neat.

Feats as well.

[humble cairn]

TBH as a Beast Master player I've always thought Drake Warden to be pretty underwhelming.

[stiff rock]

also sort of unrelated but what's the verdict on the new heroes of faerun book? i've heard it's a little unbalanced and i'm not sure if i should allow it in my games

[buoyant oar]

If you are an enjoyer of the Forgotten Realms it's a good buy

[limber trail]

it seems pretty cool, most of the stuff in there isn't too bad.

[humble cairn]

Ooh, it's pretty fun, not sure about balnce.

Oh Circle Casting.

[stiff rock]

i've heard that some of the feats are a little overpowered. i don't care all too much about the circle casting stuff

[humble cairn]

Maybe allow everything but Circle Casting, and then think real hard about allowing that one.

[limber trail]

It's all optional rules, you can choose to disallow it

[buoyant oar]

Adventures in Faerûn is also a good buy. Probably their best setting book since Rising from the Last War.

[limber trail]

I would maybe think long and hard about sylune's viper too

[humble cairn]

The new Bastion Facilities are quite good.

[humble cairn]

Which ones have you heard are OP?

[buoyant oar]

And when it comes to over powered. Yes it is. But they are billing Faerûn as the setting of Legendary Epic Destinies.

[rough basalt]

I've had/have people using FR feats and they've been fine.

[stiff rock]

some stuff about dragons i've heard is a bit crazy, and i had a player in a game last week who had one of the feats from it that allowed them to make a reaction counterattack that did a truckload of damage

[lean wigeon]

i kinda stopped caring about balance in 5e tbh. i dont think it matters for the average table in the playerbase

[stiff rock]

i only care for balance when one player is obviously more powerful than the rest of the party, and also as a whole for knowing how to balance encounters

[rough basalt]

That doesn't sound like any of the feats I'm looking at

[buoyant oar]

As for circle casting. The amount of times a player can use it will be very low. It's meant to be a DM tool mostly.

[ocean comet]

Anyone else like initiative rolls being used for reaction speed on things that don't involve combat?

[lean wigeon]

i think balance starts to matter alot more design-wise when it comes to a specific subgenre of TTRPGs, like Lancer and stuff

[stiff rock]

i may have been getting lied to, but i asked what book it was from and got told it was the new faerun thing

[cedar bane]

most of the feats are powerful but they require taking a previous feat beforehand no?

[short brook]

It has Karlach

[woven flint]

I circle cast the spell that makes you SILLY!!!!

[rough basalt]

Yeah you need the origin feat for most of the general feats

[limber trail]

...mythal touched?

[cedar bane]

its a super cool mechanic if used right though, allows for campaign defining events

[lavish flame]

I've had circle casting in my game for its entire duration, the game has 3 full casters and an Eldritch Knight. Nobody has ever done it or even considered doing it yet

[humble cairn]

It does have something like three different Feats that debuff enemy saving throws, which I think was something that was missing from a lot of kits.

[woven flint]

Purple Dragon Commandant doesn't need the previous feat
Only Proficiency in martial weapons 😎

I have it on my battlemaster

[humble cairn]

Street Justice is a great Feat! I love anything that helps make grapple builds good.

[limber trail]

actually it might be zhentarim tactics

[stiff rock]

doesn't look like it. i may be completely wrong, but their ability was that if an attack hit or missed them, they could spend their reaction to make an attack against the attacker and it did a crap ton more damage

[limber trail]

That doesn't sound like any feat I know of

[stiff rock]

yeah that looks like it. don't know where the guy's extra damage came from, but he did like ~40 in one weapon attack at 4th level

[rough basalt]

You can make one opportunity attack if someone tries to attack you within melee range.

If he did 40 in one attack, there's something going on.

[limber trail]

Is it class features at all?

[humble cairn]

Sneak Attack?

[stiff rock]

it was a oneshot at a lgs so i'll likely never see them again, but it's nice to know the new book isn't insane

[rough basalt]

Cause even a max damage rogue crit with the highest damage melee weapon they can use would only be 34

[stiff rock]

they were playing a spellcaster iirc

[limber trail]

Sneak attack maybe, or barbarian rage?

[rough basalt]

Yeah somethings up.

[cedar bane]

did they smite?

[stiff rock]

nah

[rough basalt]

Unless they also had Warcaster

[halcyon forum]

I think you kinda need to build around it as a party to some extend to make it really problematic. chose the right spells, classes etc

[limber trail]

Can’t have, it was a reaction

Too low level for eldritch smite either

[cedar bane]

true

[rough basalt]

If they have Warcaster they could use Zent Tactics to cast a spell

[limber trail]

Forty damage with a level 2 spell?

[cedar bane]

oops you missed finger of death

[rough basalt]

Also they'd have 2 feats at level 4 in that case.

[stiff rock]

it was either a bard, druid, ranger or warlock since they had and used speak with animals - the 40 damage came from a weapon attack but i'm really not sure

[cedar bane]

maybe it was the power of friendship

[limber trail]

Maybe some shilleghlagh true strike nonsense?

[stiff rock]

probably

[rough basalt]

Regardless that's an outlier

Battlemaster gives you the same thing as a maneuver.

[limber trail]

If we’re struggling to reverse engineer the build it’s not too strong

They’re fun feats for a FR game

[stiff rock]

yeah i did ask them to clarify where their abilities came from a few times but they either dodged the question or i was too tired to remember what they said

[cedar bane]

high chance they were just making stuff up then

[stiff rock]

like i said, not much chance i'll see them again - but thanks for clarifying that it didn't just come out of an official book lol

i will look upon heroes of faerun more kindly

[rough basalt]

Ye the FR feats are fair

They're strong but there's drawbacks for the strong ones.

Such as needing origin feats to get the general ones.

[cedar bane]

and they all play to specific mechanics

[rough basalt]

Ye like Street Justice was made for people who like to grapple.

[cedar bane]

rather than being generally useful (from what i remember of them)

[rough basalt]

Ye they're specialist feats

[blissful ibex]

Grappler + Street Justice is <3

Have been getting good use out of Cold Caster on my Fathomless warlock;
Potential for 1 use bane application on a bonus action is kinda good

[rough basalt]

Like Purple Dragon General feat is a feat that gives you advantage on attack rolls while bloodied

[cedar bane]

stabbing myself to get advantage

[rough basalt]

But since Monsters hit like trucks now, being bloodied means you're gonna go down more than likely

And also you need Purple Dragon Rook origin feat for it

[woven flint]

Wait til Orizontas gets bloodied

[rough basalt]

Or martial weapon prof I missed that

But that's a pretty notable need.

Like Rogue doesn't get martial weapon prof they get prof in martial weapons with the finesse feature.

[limber trail]

It does mostly just lock it to the classes who would already get value out of it to be fair

[buoyant frost]

Yo folks is playing a winged tiefling in tyranny of dragons to much or nah?

[limber trail]

The classes who want that feat are the ones who get martial weapon prof

[rough basalt]

Playing Tyranny of Dragon's is too much
Uhg uhg uhg.

I'd ask your dm

Some DMs know how how to handle flying species, others don't.

[severe rampart]

Turning my Changeling into a lich, fun

[rough basalt]

Yep.

[cedar bane]

guys trust me im actually a lich

[rough basalt]

And it's not like advantage in 5.5e is something hard to get either.

[stiff rock]

probably won't cause too much of an issue but yeah always ask your dm before doing something you're not sure of

[rough basalt]

Paladins can make all attack rolls against a target have advantage for 1 minute with their new Shining Smite.

[stiff rock]

i ran tod with an aarakocra in the party and i think they only did like two things with flight

[woven flint]

My Drow Warlock might go down the Vampire pathv

He's a Celestial Warlock though 💀

[rough basalt]

Flight really isn't that OP when the DM isn't handwaiving a lot of stuff.

[cedar bane]

can recommend, climbing walls is fun

[woven flint]

Brothers really considering it because he could live Forever and continue his plot against Lolth

[cedar bane]

most creatures have ranged options so its not even much of an issue

[buoyant frost]

I asked, he approved. We are starting at level 3. I am playing warlock, fiend patron, pact of the tome with yhe outlander background

[rough basalt]

In 5.5e they do

[cedar bane]

other than some beasts

[noble cave]

guys i have a question if im raging as bear totem warrior and my opponent uses breath weapon that says "ignores fire resistance" will it ignore my resistance ?

[rough basalt]

But in early 2014 it was rare for monsters to have ranged options

Which is why Aarocokra was banned in AL for some time.

[blissful ibex]

yes?

[rough basalt]

And the "ban flying species" sentiment was fueled.

[stiff rock]

pact of the tome ❤️

[woven flint]

His Patron is currently Eilistraee.
If he goes the full Vampire route, I can see him swapping to Vhaeraun

[blissful ibex]

You have resistance, it ignores resistance, you take straight damage

[noble cave]

rlly but gemini says smtg else

[blissful ibex]

AI cannot differentiate between older editions, 5e (2014), 5.5e (2024), homebrew, other similar systems, and random people on the internet posting basically whatever they want on the topic that the bot happened to scrape up, and as such AI should not be relied on for rules questions

Ask your questions in the appropriate channel here to get more accurate information and to avoid being lied to while burning clean water and electricity on halucinations c:

[cedar bane]

dont hate on tome that thing is my jam

we love ritual spells

[rough basalt]

Then the Rogue (me) will snitch on him.

[noble cave]

alright tysm

[stiff rock]

no i said it 100% sincerely i love pact of the tome

[rough basalt]

I wish Tome had more unique invocations.

[woven flint]

Snitches get Stitches, Sora..

[cedar bane]

oh i thought it was the broken heart, nm you know ball

[vague geode]

just a question, but i’m playing a necromacer for the first time is there anything i should know?

[rough basalt]

This is a heroes party, villian. /j

[cedar bane]

itd be so cool if you could get a late game invocation that let you store a number of scrolls in it like a wizard

[woven flint]

Sometimes to be a Hero, you must be as much as a villain 🧐

[blissful ibex]

other than Aspect of the moon, the others are kinda meh

[rough basalt]

Make sure you take a reliable source of damage thats not Necrotic or Poison damage as both can be very commonly immune in a lot of games.

[vague geode]

oh alright

[cedar bane]

make sure to have many bone related puns on hand

[rough basalt]

As the enemy category most dms use a majority of the time is Undead and they're immune to poison always, and resist/immune to Necrotic a lot of the time.

[vague geode]

already do :)

[vague geode]

thanks

[cedar bane]

nobody expects the necromancer to pull out lightning bolt

[rough basalt]

It's just smart to have a little bit of variety in case something comes up

[vague geode]

true true

[rough basalt]

Like last Monday session the Wizard whose biggest hitting spells are Cold spells from his Staff and Fire spells from his spellbook and he ran into a creature that was immune to both.

[vague geode]

ahhh

[rough basalt]

Thankfully for him he had Lightning Bolt prepared tho

Unfortunately the poor Bard only had 1 damage cantrip and it was Firebolt so he started using his -1 strength arms

[vague geode]

lowkey would an artificer necromancer be great (although requiring so much effort)

[rough basalt]

Depends on what you're going for.

[woven flint]

Luckily they have a Fighter and Rogue 😎

[vague geode]

is that a smii7y ref

[rough basalt]

In June they're actually coming out with a Necromancer subclass for Artificer.

[blissful ibex]

I've got a healthy mix of force, cold, bludgeoning, slashing, fire, lightning, and radiant c:

[rough basalt]

They have a Fighter and a Rogue.

[woven flint]

No, but I like the Smit boye

[vague geode]

i meant the uh

[rough basalt]

My Rogue only does Piercing damage really

[vague geode]

what’s it called thing on your profile

[woven flint]

Hmm?

[rough basalt]

A metric ton of piercing damage tho

[vague geode]

is your status a smii7y ref

(sorry if i suck at english)

[woven flint]

Sovis only does Radiant, Fire and Force lol

Force and Radiant are pretty solid tho

[rough basalt]

Killing a matron mother in a quarter of a round was hilarious.

[flint ledge]

Well that's like rogue's thing

[woven flint]

Yea

[vague geode]

ahh

[woven flint]

That ain't me 📫

[rough basalt]

Yep

I'm a Scion rogue so my sneak attack is a minimum of a 27 atm.

[flint ledge]

I think force is the least resisted damage type

[rough basalt]

54 on a crit.

Force is the least resisted.

[woven flint]

And we absolutely CLOWNED on a Matron Mother

Rowan and Sovis are a force to be reckoned with lmao

[flint ledge]

Dang what level

[rough basalt]

17

[woven flint]

17 now

[stiff rock]

i had a DM who put us up against a (for no apparent reason) force-resistant boss right after learning that my horizon walker ranger dealt majority force damage

[rough basalt]

I also get one of my teleports back on short rests now.

[flint ledge]

Ah that tracks

[woven flint]

My Warlock is effectively the groups Fighter equivalent lol

He's also a Celestial Warlock

So like

Off-brand paladin

[flint ledge]

Are you like the biggest dps in the party or sum?

[stiff rock]

no, we had a monk. i did 1d6+2d8+5 at 3rd level, which was quite good damage but took my entire action and ba

horizon walker has a BA that adds 1d8 to an attack but converts all the damage of an attack to force, so i was pretty useless in that fight once i'd burnt through my spells

[flint ledge]

Yikes, why'd the DM do that?

[stiff rock]

not sure if it was shitty planning, a bad statblock, or spite, but i'm not in that campaign anymore so it's not a problem

[limber trail]

I assume a little bit of all three

Resistance to force is a weird one to pull out like that

[stiff rock]

i was understandably a bit confused/irritated that my effective usefulness was removed, all the while the cyclops targetted me for most of the fight - and the DM removed me from the campaign the next week

[limber trail]

Sounds like spite then yeah

[stiff rock]

my thoughts too. either way, gave me more time for my own games so turned out pretty well

it sucks though because i really loved both the characters i'd played in that game

[turbid vessel]

DMs like this piss me off honestly. People need to take a page out of the "shoot the monk" book of theory

[stiff rock]

it's so weird because he always preached that. we discussed DMing a lot, as we were both running different games, and he'd always tell me about the shoot the monk theory stuff

guess it's tough to practice what you preach sometimes

[rough basalt]

"Only shoot the monk when I feel like it"

[turbid vessel]

Before the "shoot the monk' thing got more traction online, I was calling the same phenomenon "fireball the tiefling"

I might like my name better

[stiff rock]

lol yeah. he's by no means a bad dm (at least when it comes to running stuff) but we certainly didn't have similar ideas on how we ran our games so i assume spite built up

i'm guessing it was mostly just crappy encounter design though, as there was a similar issue involving a medusa. the general rule of the encounter was that there were pillars we could hide behind, and we'd have to shut out eyes and perform dex checks to get between pillars (or be turned to stone). obviously the barbarian who dumped dex didn't make it very far

[short brook]

Shoot the monk, is that you enable a class's features right?

[stiff rock]

yeah, the idea is that if the monk has 'deflect attacks', you should shoot the monk

make the monsters play into the characters features, rather than trying to find ways around them

[short brook]

gotcha, yeah that's a lot more fun

idk why you wouldn't 🤔

[stiff rock]

some people get it in their minds that it's DM vs players, and that killing their characters as expeditely as possible makes it 'fun'

[rough basalt]

The encounters in my games go off a random table so it's a bunch of nonsense.

[stiff rock]

same here, i only really prep ahead for plot related encounters

[flint ledge]

Usually I just play it in a way that makes sense or play into people's features. Like if the monk just bodied an important enemy of course the minions will start focus firing him

[turbid vessel]

I love curating battles, really lets me play with the push and pull of narrative in a satisfying way

[short brook]

Yeah, you'd go for the most dangerous first that makes sense

[stiff rock]

'the monsters know what they're doing' is a good resource for that kind of thing, i do the same but always narrate why they're doing what they're doing

"seeing the monk overpowering their boss, a few of the minions go to attack him"

[turbid vessel]

To me, sometimes you have to abandon the idea of doing "what makes sense" for a combat encounter to feel fun and balanced. Not always! But sometimes

[short brook]

true

[stiff rock]

yeah it's definitely tough to find that balance though

[rough basalt]

I wish I'd voice and narrate more enthusiastically but energy levels and the fact I live with people and have thin walls

[turbid vessel]

Indeed, it comes with experience and how much you know and trust your table

[stiff rock]

i hardly voice characters mid-battle (as i find it kind of awkward) but i do narrate what they're doing and why

[rough basalt]

I just run games as I run them

[frozen remnant]

🧙‍♂️

[turbid vessel]

I feel like people really underplay the importance of building up a good rapport with your players. As a DM, some of the best table moments come from presenting risks that your players are willing to buy into. But you can't expect players to trust you if you haven't given them a reason to trust you

[rough basalt]

I don't really adjust to the table too much unless it's something that causes out of game harm like CW stuff.

[flint ledge]

One of the things I generally can't do is voices, they just always seem like really silly (and sometimes zesty according to my friends) so I've stopped trying for the most part

[rough basalt]

My games are late on weekdays so I don't voice as much as I'd like.

[turbid vessel]

Lean into the zest!

Kill not the part of you that is cringe, kill the part of you that cringes.
~ Socrates probably

[rough basalt]

Can confirm

People who enjoy performing arts and can do them in front of others are people that killed their inner cringe. Or learned to harness it.

[turbid vessel]

If you allow yourself to have internalized cringe, people are going to feel that in your performance. An authentic performance means believing in the performance and the tone

[short brook]

I'm not an actor so describing what my character does is much better for me

[stiff rock]

if i mess up while roleplaying an NPC i usually lean into it rather than pretend it didn't happen

i got a phone call from my family mid-dialogue in a oneshot, and suddenly the barkeep was actually talking to his parents via a sending stone

[short brook]

That's pretty funny

[stiff rock]

same with voices. if i'm messing up a voice/personality, that's the NPC's new voice/personality

[rough basalt]

My upcoming game I'm gonna do during the day so I can use voices as much as I want.

[stiff rock]

lucky!

[rough basalt]

If it manages to happen.

I still can't muster any energy.

[stiff rock]

i run games in a soundproof room at my LGS, or online when nobody's home, so i can mostly do whatever i want

[knotty vine]

Foundry has a learning curve as deep as the marine trench holy

[rough basalt]

It's actually one of the easier indepth VTTs

[knotty vine]

yeah but theres just so much you can do with it

[turbid vessel]

One of my players favorite NPCs was when I basically made Werner Herzog into an NPC, doing his voice and mannerisms and everything. They laughed, finding it humorous, because it was!

That campaign is passed. They still talk about how they felt after that NPC was the arbiter of one of the most profound betrayals in the entire game.

I tell this to say, don't uncommit just because your players have a different reaction than you expected. Lean in! Confidence in your performance is 90% of the battle

[rough basalt]

Yep. It's a moderate skill floor with a very high skill ceiling.

[knotty vine]

like adding walls and lighting sounds custom boreds even importing custom homebrew

it has a mods tab!

[rough basalt]

Yeah Foundry is like skyrim

You can mod the living crap out of it.

[knotty vine]

Not to mention it supports over 200 TTRPG game systems

[turbid vessel]

You could probably run doom in foundry

[rough basalt]

Difference is, it's not made on spaghetti code.

[knotty vine]

def worth the 50$

[rough basalt]

Oh yeah. Especially since it's a one time purchase.

[short brook]

I want to learn Foundry ngl

[knotty vine]

This could have easily been a sub yeah

[short brook]

but also I don't have 50 bucks

[rough basalt]

Ye foundry creators iirc said "it's cool if players have the best VTT for one purchase only"

[stiff rock]

owlbear does all i need it to but yeah i've heard foundry has a lot of cool bells and whistles

[rough basalt]

Nah from what I've read off their communal texts they're a lot more humble.

[turbid vessel]

Yeah, I'm not the type of DM that really needs all those bells and whistles. But I recognize that they have some of the highest quality bells and whistles for a DM that is on the market for those

[knotty vine]

For my next trick im gonna spend 45$ on Heliana & Ryoko's Guide to Mythozoology

[rough basalt]

They don't need to be told they have the biggest bang for your buck paid vtt.

With a learning curve that doesn't drive most people insane. Cough cough Fantasy Grounds

[knotty vine]

Only reason I dont like owlbear is cause its.. too bear bones as times

[split dagger]

If i take 1 level in warlock as a level 5 sorcerer leveling up into level 6
Does my spell slot remained the sorcerer one or what? How would it work?

[knotty vine]

you would get 1 pact slot

[stiff rock]

i'm pretty sure spell slots are tracked separately for multiclasses

[knotty vine]

They arent

[short brook]

I backed Heliana's and Ryoko's, very excited for it

[stiff rock]

oh right

[knotty vine]

Only warlock is becasue its a pact slot rather then a spell slot

[rough basalt]

I'm trying to muster some creative energy but it just ain't working

[jolly canyon]

Take my energy ✨️

[split dagger]

So my original normal sorcerer spell slot will remain and id just get 1 extra pact slot separate from the spell slot?

[knotty vine]

yea

through the pact slot can only be used to cast warlock spells I think

[split dagger]

Okay thanks thats reassuring because level 6 spellfire is pretty not good

[knotty vine]

I could be wrong

[woven flint]

Spellfire Sorcerer is kinda mediocre tbh

[split dagger]

Spell absorb is pretty underwhelming

[prime basin]

its like a solid b tier sorcerer

I just don’t understand why they didn’t actually use the spellfire spells for their sorcerer spell list

[dense forge]

When you think about it, coffee shops are modern day taverns

[fiery nimbus]

no you are right, pact slots are different than regular spell slots

[knotty vine]

I thought so

[fiery nimbus]

pact magic is not spellcasting, ergo different feature different resource

[knotty vine]

Pact magic it is but also isnt spell casting

[frigid garden]

Booster Gold is an oath of glory paladin, change my mind XD

[tawdry sentinel]

You can get extensions that do most things.

Ambient sound, lighting, weather etc.

I think the main black marks against Owlbear are it not linking to beyond, it not having support for the vast majority of games that arent DND, and that unlike foundry where I get the impression you can just download all of a published module and all the set up is done; you often have to do it yourself.

But in terms of functionality Owlbear can do ALOT if you start playing with the bolts ons.

[valid geyser]

That’s fair. I think owlbear is fine because it’s not trying to be anything other than maps and dice

[split dagger]

I found something saying it can be used to cast spells from my spellcasting feature

"If you have the Pact Magic feature from the Warlock class and the Spellcasting feature, you can use the spell slots you gain from Pact Magic to cast spells you have prepared from classes with the Spellcasting feature, and you can use the spellslots you gain from the Spellcasting feature to cast Warlock spells you have prepared."

[short brook]

Devils or Demons, which is usually harder to deal with for PCs?

[lean wigeon]

owlbear doesn't have support for non-D&D games? i thought it was just map and dice?

[fossil hollow]

it does as extensions iirc

[split dagger]

And if i multi into warlock my sorcerer can use armor right?

[fossil hollow]

both have monsters varying in cr and power levels, thats a bit like asking if humanoids or undead is harder to deal with

[lean wigeon]

me
i'm harder to deal with

[short brook]

I know, but this is like a personal question

Devils for me, have usually been tougher

[fossil hollow]

if its personal, wouldnt that rely on what your pcs are capable of doing?

oh you meant us in server personal

[short brook]

yes

[split dagger]

Huh i only get 1 invocation huh for levl 1

[fossil hollow]

devils cuz i am shit wtih words

[split dagger]

I guess im making the warlock level 2

[fossil hollow]

i mean, in 2014 they didnt get invocations til level 2

[short brook]

actually true though, last session i was essentially strung along and had to make a deal or we die 🫩

[split dagger]

True

Level 5 spellfire sorc and level 2 warlock

[fiery nimbus]

Spellcasting is spellcasting
Pact magic is entierly different feature using the similar mechanics

[woven flint]

Pact Magic is indeed still just spellcasting lol

[turbid vessel]

Pact magic is spellcasting but it's not Spellcasting

Come on, it's simple 😤

[knotty vine]

but it also isnt

[rough basalt]

I did the financial math of what I got left to complete my 5e collection and oof.

[onyx haven]

Depends on what use case we're discussing, really. If it's just general gameplay "I cast X at Y level." they're the same resource.

[knotty vine]

Are there any effects for goblinnoids 5e

[past trout]

What’s all ur fav spell? From any class

[fossil hollow]

bless

[rough basalt]

Ottos Irresistable Dance

[turbid vessel]

Suggestion. A little creativity goes a long way

[past trout]

Mine is the best ever it’s the amazing….

[past trout]

F I R E B A L L

[knotty vine]

Tasha's hidoues laughter

[umbral girder]

Consider tho.

Fire Bolt.

[rough basalt]

The boss fight gets more intense when the Ancient Red Dragon just starts busting a move.

[past trout]

Nice

Who here is a fan of fireball?

[knotty vine]

another favorite of mine ismagnificent mansion

[umbral girder]

He gets the moral victory immediantly /jk

[knotty vine]

I give up

[rough basalt]

I can't wait to use one of my worlds liches

[knotty vine]

Remember that old dm who tried to make me roll a DC 19 with nothing so my spells could just work

[rough basalt]

The sheer shock when a Lich just says "Domain Expansion." Is something I await.

[knotty vine]

Today I decided to give it a second chance and he said "roll a 1d4" and I rolled a 3

he said get rid of 3 level 3 spell slots

[rough basalt]

Might give it to Archmages so I have an excuse to use it more often.

[umbral girder]

Reminds me I have stat blocks for Dead Three Liches

Might use that for a Baldur's Gate campaign.

[turbid vessel]

A conversation in the villainous UA chat got me hooked on a lich death knight

Like a phase 1 phase 2 thing, the first phase is the lich in his protective arcane bubble, casting spells and being a normal archetypical lich. Then the bubble breaks and they actually wound him physically. That's when he throws off his robe and reveal, instead of a decrepit withering body underneath, he's clad in wrathful plate armor and a great sword of souls

[rough basalt]

I think I should add it to the next mage boss my Wednesday group fights

[umbral girder]

So just Vlaakith

"I'm just an evil spellcaster... don't get close! I totally don't have a 5d6 +3 soul destroying sword with me."-Vlaakith probably

[rough basalt]

I think a party of level 3s can handle a Domain Expansion.

[turbid vessel]

I'd imagine vlaakith with a 5d6 sword that also lowers HP maximum on a con save

[umbral girder]

It doesn't.

[turbid vessel]

No I'm not saying she does, I'm saying it'd be cool

[umbral girder]

Instead she makes 2 attacks as a bonus action and three paralyzing attacks with her action.

So her bonus action sword swings are auto crits.

[rough basalt]

Doesn't she have a Vorpal Sword too?

[umbral girder]

I don't know if it's vorpal.

I just know its a +3 greatsword with an extra 3d6 psychic

[turbid vessel]

See I didn't even know she had official statblocks. I was ready to kit her out myself lel

[rough basalt]

Looks like she does have a silver vorpal sword in lore.

[umbral girder]

Yeah her statblock was in Dragon magazine when it was still around.

[solemn quiver]

black logo kinda neat

[umbral girder]

Dragon magazine also made Jarlaxle and Lae'rel silverhand stat blocks that got put into modules if memory serves me right.

[solar crow]

Y'all I got the 2nd session of my BBEG fight tomorrow, and one of our players is currently at 1 hp and we don't get a heal- I'm scared lol

[woven flint]

Yeap!

I just left the fate of one of my characters up to a coinflip today

They got the worst possible result for their future.
But, I can't wait to see how their fall from grace plays out

[umbral girder]

Or if anyone can pull them out of it

[woven flint]

A noble heart becomes inured to cruelty to prevent more cruelty from befallen others

[rough basalt]

He saw being evil gets you more aura so he wants that

[sterile scroll]

Do anyone have a game

[woven flint]

Slowly realizing that you don't have much to live for, but also not long left in the world really does something to a fella

[sterile scroll]

I think I need stats first lol

[rough basalt]

Don't worry, I'll PWK Nealen tonight to bring Sovis justice /j

[woven flint]

Bring Sovis justice because the dm temped him lmao

[umbral girder]

Cool I’ll play a rogue or a bard after Hadarai

[rough basalt]

I feel like if Hadarai ever ended up in a situation he could be PWK'd itd be from his friendly disposition

[umbral girder]

Bro believes “I got 40 hp I can handle bad people”

[still plover]

Check out #dnd-newcomers to get started, then #find-a-game when you feel ready.

[umbral girder]

Probably hasn’t face those giant threats in the world is the thing

[rough basalt]

Hadarai gunned down in the back alleys of Al-Zashn

[celest spire]

Man, they still haven't updated their international site for D&D beyond. How are folks suppose to pre-order the newest book. So annoying...

[umbral girder]

When Hadarai resists the pistol’s 1d10 piercing

But yeah his over confidence he’ll be fine is gonna be his undoing at some point

[rough basalt]

The unclothedables when the bullet crashes against him only leaving a flesh wound

[umbral girder]

In a timeline that isn’t rewritten

[rough basalt]

Hoping my creativity comes back to me before my horror games session 0

Cause in a few days ive only come up with a better fleshout for the intro adventure

[umbral girder]

Flesh is gonna be out for the adventure?

Nice

[rough basalt]

There'll definitely be flesh thrown out

Think CoS but suffering believes in equal rights.

[severe rampart]

everyone is suffering equally?

[rough basalt]

Yep.

[severe rampart]

Sounds interesting!

[rough basalt]

My Domain is akin to barovia, but instead of ||the women and children suffer first|| its everyone suffers first

Notably theres a wandering witch who tries to ease the suffering. Carrying adventurers around in her carriage that got dragged to the domain, to deal with problems she finds.

Cause "yall got nothing better to do right? I wouldn't wanna be walking on foot out here"

Welp, can't do anything for that game or my game later now

[fossil hollow]

#find-a-game

[knotty vine]

fog cloud is such a underrated spell since you can get it from a background

can you can cast it up to 3 times per long rest

[fossil hollow]

#dnd-advertisements

[knotty vine]

Can a bear wear plate armor 😭 ?

[fossil hollow]

if its barding yes

[feral fulcrum]

If it's specifficaly made for them, sure.

[fossil hollow]

Now i want Bosco in armor

[feral fulcrum]

You can armor anything if you've got enough money, and it's got enough strength to you know, handle all that weight.

[cloud bison]

odd question, but what stat block would be closest to a seagull?

[knotty vine]

I hate mirror illusion

so much

[quiet star]

are..you making a seagull?

[fossil hollow]

crow/raven

[cloud bison]

no...

[quiet star]

....

are you sure about that?

[cloud bison]

yup

[feral fulcrum]

You mean minor illuision?

[cloud bison]

i think he means mirror image?

new question... What spell could I use to summon a crow?

[feral fulcrum]

Find Familliar

[cloud bison]

huge, thanks gang! <33

[feral fulcrum]

Or Summon Beast, or that Conjure Animals spell I can't recall the exact name of

[cloud bison]

find familliar was closest to what i wanted

now i just need to understand mummy dust

[feral fulcrum]

mummy dust is just the dust of a mummy.

[cloud bison]

nah the spell, not the item 🫡

[feral fulcrum]

ah the Epic spell that's definitely not in 5E?

[unkempt atlas]

My dm had us run a deathnote dnd game, and it probably was the worst game of dnd ive ever played

[bronze wave]

i mean ya sounds right