dnd-discussion

[humble cairn]

Not every character can meaningfully shine in every challenge, that's why it's a team game.

[glad ferry]

Ive seen barbarians solve puzzles doing stupid stuff when everyone was trying the smart way

Ive done it by accident with mine before

[brazen wasp]

Helloo everyone, im new to DnD and is looking to learn more about it. That's why im here

[woven flint]

Also a -1 Int modifier is just below Average intelligence, I don't get why people play those types of characters like dummies 😭

[rough basalt]

Well yeah but if every thing that's imo mistakenly called a puzzle uses investigation then it's just an Artificer and Wizard thing mainly.

Bard and Rogue potentially.

[woven flint]

You can have an 8 in intelligence and still somewhat have wit and smarts, just maybe not as learned as other people

[umbral girder]

Yeah it’s only 1 of the mental scores

[reef tundra]

I don’t think it’s definitely one way or the other. It’s not “the DM must always describe what emotions a PC is feeling” and it’s not “a DM must never describe what emotions a PC is feeling” because both are flawed when entirely one or the other.

Like if I always asked a player how their characters are feeling and never said they were feeling an emotion, they could just have a character never react with fear even though it should. But at the same time if I went the other way entirely and always described a PC’s emotions, a player can find that I’m playing their character for them a little bit and mischaracterising them, like if I said “this group of thugs has you trembling” when the PC’s backstory has them facing thugs like this all the time

[glad ferry]

Theres puzzles meant for different characters. Sometimes by odd luck the one you wouldnt expect solves it

[humble cairn]

Investigation is the skill meant for trap type stuff, so if it's a brainy type deductive solution that is needed, then that's the go to by the definition from the books.

[rough basalt]

So a puzzle that relies on brawn to move stuff around you would use investigation for? You investigate so hard it moves out of fear

[woven flint]

My Bugbear Ranger is a fun example
He has 8 intelligence, but his Wisdom is pretty high so he has enough common sense and, I'd say, experience to understand situations even if he doesn't have the highest intellectual faculties...
He also works for the Zhentarim, so he takes buisness very seriously and understands certain political workings

[humble cairn]

Other Skills might apply to different types of puzzles. One set by Celestials might require Religion, but yeah Investigation is kind of the default for deductive stuff.

[glad ferry]

If it uses brawn it would use multiple people in the party to interact

[humble cairn]

Figuring out the solution doesn't mean being able to implement it.

[glad ferry]

The 8 strenght character cant move it. They can tell the strong one how to

[rough basalt]

I thought your point was one skill check to just do it all.

[humble cairn]

No?

Multiple different types of rolls is a great way to build a challenge to include everyone, but the part about figuring out stuff is Int and Investigation.

Asking for this is against server rules.

[onyx flicker]

ok so I am sorry

[glad ferry]

Have them do a strenght roll aftet the investigation if done right see if it moves or not

[rough basalt]

And set the DC based on how good the check was or give advantage or something on a much higher success.

[glad ferry]

Or have processes that will either increase or decrease the DC to the point their at

[rough basalt]

Like a "I think if you move it over this way, it should move easier.

I was under the impression the intent was that puzzles should just be "you find puzzle, roll Investigation, next room."

[glad ferry]

And puzzles can be hints for others if they catch it

[rough basalt]

Well if it's a hint that's something the player would get

Unless like subsequent checks are easier cause "you think back and think this mightve been a clue"

[humble cairn]

That depends on how much of a scene I want. What you described is something I would use to let the Int character flex while on the way to a bigger challenge. It's the minor challenge that this character was hired to solve in the heist and that they knew they were going to face. How much of a mechanically involving thing I make something depends on how much weight and tension I want to put into that scene.

[onyx flicker]

Do anyone is using Heliana's guide to monster hunting?
I would like to ask few thing about that content please?

[humble cairn]

It would be different if it were a cypher that had to be solved in the middle of a pitched battle with a god and was a callback to all the things they've learned in their adventure and upon which the fate of the world rested.

[errant whale]

My orc fighter has 6 wisdom and pretty good intelligence which i’ve found fun to roleplay

[rough basalt]

Wouldn't that be a player puzzle too? Well nah cause players don't remember what happens in games that much.

[humble cairn]

Then I might make it a multiple roll thing with Advantage or Disadvantage based on how many clues they are able to add up to stack the odds in their favor.

[woven flint]

Wisdom is a stat I refuse to dump because all the scary saves live there /silly

[stray atlas]

question

are there any deities/spirits for oathbreaker paladins?

[woven flint]

I will, at minimum, at least have 10 wisdom on any given character
Or, I'll dump Charisma or Strength for it lol

[woven flint]

Paladins don't need deities

[stray atlas]

ik

[humble cairn]

Somewhat, maybe, but in the sense that it's meant to be a callback and homage to the characters themselves. So if the players remember the stuff that's great, but I would probably supply at least some of it because it's meant to be a big cinematic reference to past adventures.

[stray atlas]

but there are other classes that don't need a deity but do have one

[lethal bobcat]

Is there a specific channel (which I prolly missed) for game objects or is this good as any?

Does anyone have experience with buying lots of metal coins in bulk (500+ or 10kg+) and how does that usually go?

[humble cairn]

I mean I do, and I often save tidbits of information and bring them back up in later games.

[woven flint]

I mean, I don't think any Deity in particular is an Oathbreaker, but I can assume any REALLY Evil Deity would be chill having their worship

[stray atlas]

e.g. eilistraee for bards and gond for artificers

[woven flint]

Oghma is more of the Bard god, really..

[humble cairn]

They can probably help you more over in #third-party

[woven flint]

Oghma has Bards and Wizards under his belt
And he's a greater Deity too lol

[humble cairn]

Milil is a very specific Bard god. But that's really only in Faerun.

[woven flint]

He's not the only one, but I associate him the most with bards

[errant whale]

At the very least I plan to take mage slayer feat and fighters at some level can reroll a saving throw and add a bonus equal to their level iirc

[lethal bobcat]

I like assuming everyone has a few gods or a pantheon they worship and anyone more religion-coded has one very specific deity they're devout to

[rough basalt]

Idk I don't think I'll ever fully comprehend the puzzles thing.

[humble cairn]

Most of my characters don't really worship any gods.

[rough basalt]

My head hurts and I'm ready for a nap trying to.

[woven flint]

But like, also, just because you're a Bard doesn't mean you need to worship a God associated with Bards
Same with other classes

[spring barn]

What's up party people :)

[stray atlas]

ok I feel like I need to add more to my question

[humble cairn]

Mostly I think the disconnect is that I think of my characters as different people from me.

[lethal bobcat]

I'd say treat it like your appearance, personality and backstory. Not everyone has those written as well

[stray atlas]

is there a god who's sphere could reasonably include oathbreakers?

[rough basalt]

I'm middle of the road.

[unkempt iris]

Does any one have a campaign I could join?

[rough basalt]

I can't be as smart, and well spoken as some of my PCs

[humble cairn]

No, it's not that it's just not written. It's that they specifically don't worship any of them. They know they exist, and they know they're powerful, but they don't pay specific respect or devotion to them.

[lethal bobcat]

Any god the Paladin strayed from can work

[stray atlas]

actually

[proven mountain]

Check out #looking-for-players for open games looking for players

[woven flint]

Literally almost any evil Deity.
I don't think there's anyone in particular that's specifically about Oathbreakers as I mentioned way earlier

[stray atlas]

I wonder if Cyric could fit

[woven flint]

Cyric and Bane are good fits

[humble cairn]

I want my character to solve the puzzle. Not me. Because requiring real life me knowledge or skill to solve the puzzle feels like metagaming in a way I don't like.

[rough basalt]

Idk how my character can solve stuff I can't.

[humble cairn]

The same way they can cast magic or shoot a bow and I can't.

[spring barn]

Is it just me or are druids really being left out in terms of 2024 subclass expansions?

[rough basalt]

Just you

[woven flint]

Literally Preservation and Titan are the only new subclasses they're getting that we know as of now 😭

[rough basalt]

They got Sea in the core rules.

[woven flint]

They've got Sea, but like

[spring barn]

It feels like all the others are getting way more attention

[woven flint]

I feel Druids and Barbarians are getting the least love rn

[rough basalt]

Rangers been needing new subs

A lot of their subs were just unexciting

[lethal bobcat]

Druids?

[rough basalt]

Artificer deserves another new sub too.

[spring barn]

Are druids confirmed to be getting a subclass in Arcana Unleashed yet or no?

[woven flint]

... yeah? Druids? You know.. the class about nature magic

[rough basalt]

Nah their next sub is in the Dark Sun book

[humble cairn]

Cartographer is great!

[crimson gulch]

Nothing is confirmed for that yet

[spring barn]

Is that a 2027 book?

[rough basalt]

End of the year

[spring barn]

Gotcha

[lethal bobcat]

I always hate seeing a lack of Druid subclasses but then it feels like they added a trinket, 2 spells and 5 Beasts (or a furry/Fey Species about nature) in every edition anyway

[rough basalt]

Druid has plenty of decent to good subs especially with the new rules.

[spring barn]

That's a fair point, passive content

[rough basalt]

Druid does have 8 subs and only 1 doesn't work so it's not like they're starving either.

Big thing is Druids are the least played class in 5e

[spring barn]

Not in 2024 tho right?

[woven flint]

I think the complaint was specifically about the lack of NEW Druid content

[rough basalt]

Well content has to come out

[lethal bobcat]

(I am kinda hoping for a Tasha-style book for 2024 adding things they removed from the PH and DMG like a new Giant Eagle and foraging mechanics)

[spring barn]

I just don't want the class left behind compared to all the others, that's all. Doesn't have to have the most or anything

[woven flint]

Well, yes, but the fact they're only potentially getting two newer subclasses is a bit stinky.
They could've done something for Evil or Horror for them

[rough basalt]

Titan is in the Evil UA

[woven flint]

Hell, Barbarians got it worse, it's upcoming subclasses are just remakes

[woven flint]

Sorry, I meant Mystic lol

[unkempt iris]

Where should I look for a campaign to join?

[rough basalt]

Think the problem with Druid is they're probably nearly out of things to do with it

[spring barn]

Real, I feel bad for Barbarian lovers lol

[woven flint]

Barbarian and Druids DO have good subclasses.
But that doesn't change the fact that they feel like the least loved classes by WOTC lol

[rough basalt]

They got a Fey Druid
A wild shape Druid
A land Druid
A sea Druid
A fire Druid
A space Druid
A mushroom druid.

[lethal bobcat]

Also I'd like to bump my question about bulk metal coins if anyone so happens to know

[rough basalt]

Animal summoner druid

The Druid subs cover a crapload of what they could.

[spring barn]

Yes, but I'm talking about 2024 because that's what I am invested in now

[normal canyon]

#find-a-game

[woven flint]

I would like..
A Parasite Druid subclass
Sapping life energy from others

[lethal bobcat]

Druid feels like Bard in that you can pick any subclass and fulfill all of these

[halcyon forum]

A proper Plant based druid (I'm thinking Poison Ivy) would be nice.

[rough basalt]

Ye there's a few ideas they could do left Preservation and Titan being 2 of them.

[woven flint]

Yeah!
Even though circle of Preservation is coming potentially, it still doesn't have the feeling of being THE plant Druid subclass

[rough basalt]

Part of 5es well endowed amount of subclasses is just how much of an umbrella they can cover.

[halcyon forum]

and of course the animal summoner druid is in desperate need of an update

[spring barn]

True

[rough basalt]

My guess is it'll be next year.

[woven flint]

I, admittedly, don't think we need more Cleric subclasses.
Just updates.
While I'm excited for it, Pestilence Cleric was NOT needed.

[rough basalt]

I think we need 20 more Ranger subs.

[spring barn]

I'm just happy that they listen to the community and keep new content coming. I appreciate what we get

[lethal bobcat]

I feel like Moon and Titan might be similar to each other already (only experience with Moon of course) but a Druid subclass with Action Surge-style ability would be fun

[rough basalt]

A lot of third party for 5.x actually showcases my point.

[woven flint]

We need more Ranger subclasses

We need Rogue subclasses with less Intelligence based bullshit going on

We need ACTUAL interesting Wizard subclasses.

[rough basalt]

A lot of third party classes and subclasses are "he just does what I do but better"

[halcyon forum]

Land druid is just extra spells so a dedicated earth/stone druid would be cool too

[spring barn]

Wizard benefits from having a massive spell list anyway so they feel fresh just based on your spell list sometimes

[rough basalt]

Doubt that'd happen unless they wanna go the 3.5e route.

Where there's a billion things that all do almost the same thing as each other.

[delicate owl]

I just want my Stone Sorcery to be real 🙁

[rough basalt]

I think the actual answer is Pathfinder.

[spring barn]

I wanna be Toph in dnd lol

[woven flint]

I also think Monk needs new subclasses that aren't Tattoo or frankly Mystic

[halcyon forum]

isnt it always lol

[delicate owl]

Hissssss

[woven flint]

I love the idea of the Mystic Monk, but then I feel it brings more of a headache to the class overall

[rough basalt]

If you want streamlined umbrella you play 5e. You want hyperspecific builds and options you play 3.5e or Pathfinder.

[spring barn]

Monk is always in an awkward place I feel

[halcyon forum]

I just want Kensei to be updated (and allow me to use a glaive please)

[woven flint]

Subclass-wise?
Yeah
As a whole class?
No.
Monk is super strong in 2024 which is what people were wanting from it the most

[spring barn]

Right, I agree

[rough basalt]

Ye the third party options meant to replace Monk getting updated are gonna be gigabroken

[spring barn]

I'm glad it's useable now, just the subclasses are always a little strange to me

[rough basalt]

Since rules for third party are it has to be better than its official counterpart or complete bumgo.

[halcyon forum]

Its a shame they nerfed ranged monk so much but the core fantasy is much stronger yeah

[woven flint]

Elements is probably the most interesting subclass they have right now tbh

[delicate owl]

Eh?..

[spring barn]

Elements is pretty cool, I appreciate how different it seems

[halcyon forum]

playing an elements monk at level 12 rn and its a blast

[woven flint]

To reclarify, I mean the most interesting mechanically in 2024 rules.

[spring barn]

Right

[lethal bobcat]

I feel like third party is often a bit lacking in creativity tbh when it comes to homebrew of the rules

No subclasses with serious downsides (like halving your damage) in dmguild bestselling, no modular basis for multi-turn or multi-creature spells, no non-Commoner or non-meatgrinder level 0 rules

Unless you count free 5-page pdfs with 30 downloads, good luck finding more creative ideas

So any argument using third party content may need a grain of salt

[woven flint]

I'm actually excited for.. "intoxication" monk, even if that's a horrible name lol

[halcyon forum]

third party content sells better when it looks and feels like official design

[rough basalt]

Third party is mainly "we wanna make our favorite class overpowered, but we'll change it up a bit so you don't notice." And we still notice.

[spring barn]

Drunk monk lol

[umbral girder]

For some reason my brain just thought of an Elemental Cataclysm as “TEMUmat the (not) Dragon Queen”

[spring barn]

Lol, kinda real

[halcyon forum]

I found that the vast majority of third party on DnD beyond is super safe and kinda underpowered

[lethal bobcat]

I don't think they're mutually exclusive, and there ARE singleplayer rules and alternative resting and XP rules in bestselling so I doubt a lack of interest

[umbral girder]

Valdas moment

[rough basalt]

Doesn't Valdas have a bunch of broken stuff in it

[delicate owl]

Weirdly enough id say elements is the least interesting overall. It just makes you not have to worry about monks weaknesses such as range, proper aoe and flight. But thats just me

Im late to reply 🙁

[rough basalt]

I remember a guy in a game I was in using stuff from it and it was ridiculous

[umbral girder]

Obijima moment

[spring barn]

It helps with the downsides and its cool because elements lol. I will always think punching out fire is cool

[reef copper]

Fair, but sometimes you find some crazy stuff. Like a feat that makes blunt attacks give exhaustion levels on a failed save

[rough basalt]

I remember Ti allowed only some Obojima stuff in the Theros game cause other stuff was too broken

[umbral girder]

So super safe

[halcyon forum]

I was mostly looking at subclasses, so might have missed broken feats and stuff ^^

[umbral girder]

Valdas subclasses meanwhile

[lethal bobcat]

... You know what? This sounds amazing as a very limited ability and is already beyond what is most third-party content I went through

[rough basalt]

Me when I allow pugilist and it starts one shotting monsters 10 times their level.

[woven flint]

As someone who plays new Pugilist..
They are definetly not doing that lol

[rough basalt]

Thought they had an ability that let's them just max out all their damage on an attack once per turn

[steel bane]

Hi

:3

[reef copper]

👋

[woven flint]

They do, but, also, only on unarmed strikes, iirc
Which you can only get so high.

[rough basalt]

Ah I thought it was like you got like 8d8 Fists and could max damage every round.

[umbral girder]

They aren’t doing Monk levels of foolery

[spring barn]

That would be insane lol

[umbral girder]

64 is barely one shotting Cr2 monsters

[woven flint]

Also, if they miss they lose a Moxie point, so, it's not always the best thing to use.

[rough basalt]

That's when they bring in a feat from Junk Junks book of everything

That makes attacks over 50 damage do an additional 1000

[spring barn]

...Excuse me, what

[rough basalt]

The lowest rated homebrew on ddb is hilarious

[woven flint]

Pugilists actually have it pretty rough
Majority of their abilities are Recharge abilities.
And one has the cost if giving them exhaustion levels to use more, when they use that ability it ignores exhaustion in combat, but they can only use it so many times before they're swamped

[umbral girder]

They also rely a lot of Temp hp

Which is a rough resource to rely on.

[rough basalt]

Like a feat I saw where if you die using a feature you get sent to hell

[umbral girder]

Sora has first hand example in fact in my Eve of Ruin game

I’m sure Acererak’s dungeon won’t have Max hp drain /jk

[rough basalt]

Yeah fun

[woven flint]

I don't need a feat for that, I'm going there anyway

[umbral girder]

It’s just all Hp delete abilities /jk

[rough basalt]

I'm gonna stock Sovis on diamonds.

[flint ledge]

Are you like comically evil...

[woven flint]

Sovis is the groups Revivify mule now? 😭

[rough basalt]

The Great restoration mule

He turned to the darkside

[woven flint]

Ah, then yes, buy me diamonds for that
(I'll also throw in money of course lol)

[umbral girder]

Cheaper than the Elixer of Health I suppose

[woven flint]

Just because Sovis MIGHT become an Evil person doesn't mean he'll betray Rowan, at least /silly

[umbral girder]

What if Rowan was betrayed and locked in a Demiplane for 10000 years /jk

[steel bane]

How do I build a paladin???

[woven flint]

Oh my god, not those videos 😭

[rough basalt]

Rowan getting thrown into Kas's Domain of Dread as the new Dreadlord

[umbral girder]

Boost Strength, Charisma, and Constitution. Now you’re good

[woven flint]

Being a Celestial Warlock Is HELL
my party members expect ME to spend MY spellslots on THEM!!! /joking

[delicate owl]

Cosmo will totally dazzle the lich, yep

[steel bane]

Ok thx, I’m gonna have fun spamming divine smite

[umbral girder]

Good luck on that

[lethal bobcat]

That's why Warlocks have Cantrips though, that does most of the work

Eldritch Blast them any time they open their mouth

[woven flint]

We're level 17
I'm really not that worried about it lol

[umbral girder]

Also why Tokii has a Staff of the Magi

And a Staff of Power he rarely used

[lethal bobcat]

(Still Eldritch Blast them)

[steel bane]

Wait what about spells??? I got divine smite

[umbral girder]

2024 has a table that shows how many spells you got by level

2014 is Charisma mod +half the Paladin level I think

[woven flint]

Also, I play with Pact of the Blade and only use Cantrips when I need to...
But also never Eldritch Blast because that's BASIC and BORING and for Basic Boring Babies!

[lethal bobcat]

Wait, I've never seen a plain vanilla Warlock at level 17 including every pod I joined for a session. Is it actually good?

[umbral girder]

Very

[rough basalt]

Nothings bad at level 17 tbh

[woven flint]

If you use Eldritch Blast, you're a coward, simple as

[lethal bobcat]

Is there a reason why no one I came across did so then?

[umbral girder]

Every class contributes well at tier 4

[humble cairn]

Eldritch Blast is so highly reflavorable, though. I love making EB into other things.

[woven flint]

I dislike Eldritch Blast being the claimed warlock staple, I like hitting things more

[steel bane]

So should I pick divine favor, cure wounds, or detect magic?

[humble cairn]

Thrown daggers made of moonlight, swordbeams, animated hair lances.

[steel bane]

Or command?

[woven flint]

Divine Favor is nice

[umbral girder]

Sure

[lethal bobcat]

What about 11 pages of text describing the shape, carvings, symbols etc of their items in their inventory?

[humble cairn]

Paladins can change their spells out, so don't worry too much about it.

[steel bane]

Thx ^^

[humble cairn]

Sounds obnoxious. If they want to have that for themselves, that's fine, but I hope no player expects me to read or care about that.

[steel bane]

What about background? I’m on the fence between acolyte, noble, and soldier

[woven flint]

I mean, my Warlock almost one rounded a Drow Matron Mother (a creature with over 200 HP) all by himself, so...
(Wanted to mention this lol)

Blade of Disaster is one hell of a spell lol

Killed a CR 20 with the help of my Rogue before it could even act

[lethal bobcat]

God I need players like that

[glad ferry]

Sneak attack plus your damage?

[umbral girder]

Yeah the Rogue got 2 sneak attacks

On their turn and their reaction

[glad ferry]

I thought you only get one sneak attack per round

[rough basalt]

Per turn.

[onyx haven]

Blade of Disaster is one of my favorite 9th levels.

[umbral girder]

No you get it per turn

[glad ferry]

Per turn i mean

[umbral girder]

Yeah that’s why I said reaction

[rough basalt]

You can sneak attack off your turn with abilities that let you attack off your turn

[umbral girder]

Because it was Tokii’s turn not the Rogue’s turn

[glad ferry]

Ah

[rough basalt]

Like OA. Commanding Strike. And Scion Rogue Teleport.

[umbral girder]

So it was a new turn for Sneak attack

[lethal bobcat]

20 DPS at level 10 is what my friends seem to be capable of at most (except for the Ranger player who actually got experience)

[woven flint]

My Warlock is just a different breed. /silly /joking

He's built so different Kas offered to turn him into a vampire

[rough basalt]

My damage dice and whatnot if I hit on both attacks is
1d6 + 6 + 2d4 + 5 + 2d6 + 9d6

[umbral girder]

Up next Sovis vs the other 65 Matron Mothers

[woven flint]

Sovis gonna run them like Maki did the Zenin Clan

[umbral girder]

All of them ressurecting each other as a legendary action

[woven flint]

"To kill the spider queen, you must first cut off her legs!"

[umbral girder]

Dispel Magic blade of disaster as a Legendary action

Level 20 clerics after all

[woven flint]

Man, I dunno how Sovis would feel murdering more Drow
They're his people, afterall 😔

[rough basalt]

2 more levels till I have a guaranteed 30 on sneak attack damage.

[lethal bobcat]

I don't want to wish ill will to people but someone wanting to play a Rogue so they can sneak up on people with a Greataxe (no Proficiency) is a pain to balance encounters around

[rough basalt]

Yeah that does sound like a pain

[lethal bobcat]

I envy people with players who even just cast Fireball constantly

[halcyon forum]

You can tell your players that you need them to make functional characters

you dont have to say yes to everything

[woven flint]

I mean..
A Rogue can't sneak attack with a Heavy weapon anyway lol

[umbral girder]

Or most melee weapons. It’s only finesse melee weapons

[woven flint]

Then don't do it as it's not how the game works RAW anyway

[lethal bobcat]

The easiest would be to say no to them at all as they aren't the best players but making up stuff is still too fun to fully forego it

[rough basalt]

Only gonna make a bigger mess when you eventually gotta hit them with reality

[lethal bobcat]

2 people are loud and obnoxious already...

[rough basalt]

Or they join another table and get hit with reality.

[woven flint]

Then.. kick them from your table?

[lethal bobcat]

1 on 1?

[woven flint]

If you don't enjoy them, don't have them around

Find new party members

[lethal bobcat]

I enjoy the prep and running it too much to believe in "no D&D is better than bad D&D" and I have no friends

[woven flint]

I know the second part can be hard, but you can still try!
It's not a fun game if the dm isn't enjoying it either.

[lethal bobcat]

Oh I am still getting some enjoyment even if I complain here or I never would've

[woven flint]

That's a very poor mindset to have and can definitely take a toll on your mental health.

[rough basalt]

Yeah sometimes no dnd is better than sometimes good dnd

[lethal bobcat]

Still happier than when I was suicidal

[umbral girder]

Just find new players.

[lethal bobcat]

Ye I know it can be easy when doing so online but I dislike it enough to not follow up on that advice

Also didn't mean to make it a bummer, just wanted to complain about off-meta builds lol

[rough basalt]

Off-meta would be more like a throw only or something. Not someone literally doing jack crap.

[fierce flower]

Hello

[lethal bobcat]

Hmm I wonder what using only items would fall under actually

[rough basalt]

Off-meta at best

[lethal bobcat]

OK, that sounds bad enough that I won't annoy DMs with that lol

[rough basalt]

20 damage a round at level 10 is just crazy in a bad way.

[lethal bobcat]

A Paladin with basic gear would have better AC and damage than the 2 worse players I think at level 4 and do some healing and control

That aside, I was surprised at how good a Ranger can tank and how much damage it can do in 2024

I remember Rangers starting off bad and then not improving

Never played one but that was the sentiment

[sleek cloud]

Low rolling rogues be like

[humble cairn]

Internet really over hyped that point, it was never true.

[tawdry sentinel]

Ranger at low levels with dual wield and hunters mark does solid damage.

It does taper off quite significantly though.

[lethal bobcat]

I got into AL quite recently or I would've had a much broader group of players to find out myself

[lethal bobcat]

Better than Rogue at 10 with a Crossbow anyway

[red steppe]

How would you guys port xianxia cultivators into dnd lorewise?

[hot reef]

Forgotten Realms, or another setting?

[thorn wedge]

I wouldn’t, but if someone else was going to it’s just a new kind of magic.

[red steppe]

Forgotten Realms

[hot reef]

I believe anything Asian gets plopped into Kara-Tur

[thorn wedge]

Can be from another plane like psychic stuff is or just a different branch of magic.

[lavish flame]

As far as I understand, cultivators are people seeking immortality and enlightenment, right? I figure this is either the Monk class, some kind of Psionic tradition, or Positive Energy-based Lichdom.

[red steppe]

They strive even past immortality, basically getting strong as much as possible(like how they go up a cultivation realm)

[tawdry sentinel]

I'm currently living the thief dream and firing a million daggers at people with the bracers from Waterdeep dragon heist. Haven't yet used the "bonus action daggers, ready action fire more daggers double sneak attack" as it's not really that kind of table.

[lethal bobcat]

I need that

Where do I find people like that

Well apart from online

[atomic moat]

I always wonder if a lot of those crazy classes from 3.5E like incarnum or binders actually exists in lore in the Forgotten Realms.

[lavish flame]

Idk the significance of a Cultivation Realm, but I figure you've got your options before you. Its probably a Monk or Psionic or Positive Energy type thing, thats probably the easiest way to marry D&D to xianxia cultivators.

[red steppe]

I agree with Monks being the base class, it makes much more sense tbh

[high jolt]

This might sound like a clickbait title but I’m genuinely wondering. What’s something for 100 dollars or less that improved your DnD experience the most? Got a tiny bit of extra cash I want to throw at this silly hobby

[umbral girder]

The Dungeon Master’s Guide

[buoyant oar]

Many of those random 3.5e classes were made for the realms.

[lavish flame]

If you havent already: PHB, MM, DMG, Dungeon Master's Screen. Probably gonna total to more than 100USD, but those are all needed

[high jolt]

I’ve got the books and a screen and minis lol. Looking for something extra

Terrain seems too expensive for what you get. I don’t mind squiggly lines on a battle mat

[buoyant oar]

If you are online, Foundry VTT

[atomic moat]

If you are DMing a new campaign I find starting with an adventure book is easier than homebrewing everything from scratch. I've used Rime of the Frostmaiden and I'm now doing Tomb of Annihilation, but basically find something that sparks your interests and be willing to change things to make it work better for your group. Think of the book more as a skeleton to build on.

[lavish flame]

One of those adventure anthology books, like Dragon Delves or Tales from the Yawning Portal can offer you a variety of smaller adventures you can drop into whatever game you'd like

[hot reef]

it's pretty easy to get by with the basic rules
Local libraries or friends might also already have the books
and there are a lot of things you can use as a screen

[buoyant oar]

A good setting guide if running in a pre made setting as well.

Also Don't underestimate the power of a good back and leg support for your chair.

[lavish flame]

Additionally, I'm gonna sing the praises of Monsters of the Multiverse, Fizban's Treasury of Dragons, and Bigby's Glory of the Giants.

[hot reef]

For in person, a small speaker for music may be nice

[tawdry sentinel]

I DIY all my terrain it's pretty easy to turn out like an entire cemetery in a weekend using printed textures and cardboard from a supermarket.

If I could buy anything guilt free, for in person, it'd be a silhouette cutter for making paper minis fast. I love them, I have hundreds, cannot sing their praises enough. Real minis are great but they cost a fair bit and you have to paint them.

As a book I really like Flee Mortals!

[split dagger]

If my character is a sorcerer and his spell focus is a crystal that he stuck on the end of a wand
Would the spell appear from the crystal or would it be possible for the spell to appear on his other hand?
(Just a flavour question)

[still plover]

Bah, do them with decorative frames for borders and cut them rectangular!

[tawdry sentinel]

Never!

[hot reef]

afaik the source of the spell is the person and that's as much as is specified. So it can come from anywhere on your person

[split dagger]

Ah okay then thank you

Guess he will just wave the wand around and the spell can appear even from his forehead huh

[hot reef]

Unless the spell specifies otherwise

[split dagger]

The character knows he's a sorcerer
He just love wands

Thinks its cooler to cast something using a wand

[fiery nimbus]

I gave our party paladin full permission to murder my character when it comes to this

[slender mason]

even a Sorcerer needs an Arcane Focus (or Component Pouch)

[fiery nimbus]

What they need is : ✨ style ✨

insert naoya gif

[last marlin]

I realise I never chose to attempt rolling intimidation out of fear of thrusting the party into combat or, worse, delving into murderhobo territory.
Is there a general agreed etiquette on when you should avoid trying to intimidate? Anyone else have the same problem?

[fiery nimbus]

Intimidate is a social roll like any other, it works the best when NPC is in unfriendly territory

[stiff rock]

as long as "if you don't give us the macguffin we're going to kill you" isn't your immediate opener to everything i wouldn't really worry about being a murderhobo, but i agree with mastercookies

[fiery nimbus]

Go with your gut, so long you don't intimidate a clearly friendly NPC it should be fine

[turbid tinsel]

System agnostic, fantasy RP encounter idea.

The Backdungeons

When the party is traveling through a forest have them roll a survival check followed by a perception check. If they fail they unknowingly set up camp inside a fairy ring. When they wake up they find themselves in an endless maze of constructed stone tunnels lit every 20 feet by nonmagical torches that when found lit don't seem to ever run out of the fuel they are burning as long as they are in their sconces. If removed they burn out normally, but they can also be put out by normal means. Not all sconces have torches, and not all torches will be found lit. When they encounter rooms that are larger than what torch light would cover they may find tables with candelabras made of cheap, worthless pewter holding lit candles made out of tallow.

The DM can decide how the party finds a way out of this dark, dangerous, medieval liminal space.

[knotty vine]

faster purple worm everyone dies

[buoyant oar]

Fun fact. The "Backrooms" as an endlessly shifting liminal space have existed in Dungeons and Dragons since at least 2008.

[knotty vine]

Huh?

[buoyant oar]

The Backrooms are a part of the World Serpent Inn an extra planar tavern that exists in the Forgotten Realms.

[turbid tinsel]

You can also use Intimidate to deescalate a potential encounter.

Just a month or so ago my character (1st level) was in an altercation, 6 NPCs approached our party of 6 PCs due to one of them (the ring leader) knowing one of us. The ring leader was causing issues and rabble rousing the other 5 to incite them to violence. My character pointed out that while the numbers between our parties were equal, and while they may win and beat us all, there was a rather high likelihood that at least one or two of them would die before the six of us were defeated. Did they really want to roll the dice that they wouldn't be one of those deaths?

The DM had me roll Intimidate. I am /not/ a charismatic character, but thankfully I rolled a natural 20. It caused half of the hostile group to turn tail and run.

[knotty vine]

I see

[severe fox]

I lowkey thing there should be a sorcerer whos body is the arcane focus

[buoyant oar]

Leading off from both floors of the common room were about a half-dozen passages. From there the World Serpent Inn became a maze of twisting hallways, occasionally broken up by a number of doors or staircases to other levels. This area of the Inn was known as the "backrooms". The backrooms were uniformly dark and gloomy, with construction varying. Some were made of wood, while others were constructed of plaster or stone blocks. They also differed in appearance, representing the tastes and sensibilities of many different cultures and races.

[slender mason]

her name is The Psion

though a Sorc Sub that also could do it wouldn't be that out there I guess

especially since Psionic Spellcasting implies they're willing

(Abberant can Subtle cast more frequently, but not quite the same)

[severe fox]

THe psion is more then using the mind rather then the body

[turbid tinsel]

does 5e not have a 3.5 Eschew Material Components analog?

[severe fox]

The who and the what now

[knotty vine]

Its better not to worry about it

[slender mason]

you skip Material Components with an Arcane Focus

if they don't have a cost and/or aren't consumed

[crimson gulch]

an arcane focus, or supplant circle magic for costed things

[knotty vine]

Circle magic is really bad when it comes to the cost thing 😭

it only takes off like is it 50gp worth of costly Material

it could have at least been 100 and not been game breaking

[slender mason]

though if anything needing Material is technically a buff because it saves you ever needing Warcaster

Artificer W

[knotty vine]

Warcaster is an amazing feat through

[slender mason]

hire extra Spellcasters for like 40GP and you're in profit

[turbid tinsel]

Bleh, that's kinda boring. I picture Wizards waving a magic wand around while chanting Bibbity Bobbity Boo to cast a spell. Sorcerers just hold up their hand, make an arcane gesture with their fingers, speak the magical words that enforce their will upon the Tapestry of Creation, and the magic happens. No tools needed.

[slender mason]

(each)

Wizards don't really need another Focus since they have their Spellbook

if a Sorcerer wants to do that they can use Subtle

[knotty vine]

Alright even for the cheapest costly M thats like a free cast of chro orb

[turbid tinsel]

You got me smoking crack if I'm bringing my tome out to wave it in the air to cast my spells.

[knotty vine]

the second one is Summon beast at 200gp

so you need to hire 2-4 extra spell casters

[slender mason]

you don't wave it

[turbid tinsel]

I'm not popping it out in combat period..

[knotty vine]

revivfy 300gp

2-6 extra

[turbid tinsel]

that's asking for it to be taken away from me and tossed in the nearest lit fireplace.

[knotty vine]

See how bad circle casting really is

[crimson gulch]

who hurt you?

[knotty vine]

Costly wise at least

Your better off buying the componet

[rough basalt]

Circle casting sounds OP until you realize how costly it can be in time and money.

[slender mason]

hmmm has to be a Slot of the same level too so it can't just be nobody casters

Expand etc can iirc

hire some cheap wannabe mages to massively amp you

[knotty vine]

A few of them a little op like the distance one

[slender mason]

Moonbeam but bigger is always fun

or shared Conc Bless

[knotty vine]

But the one to replace costly componets is laughable

[turbid tinsel]

My second DM, the one that I gamed with from the age of 19 to the age of 38 began his DnD career playing Chainmail. I started playing with him in 3.5. For the next 10 years when he gave us our XP total he first halved it..

[rough basalt]

Ye Circle Casting is only for the honored ones. /j

[slender mason]

stand further back then 😛

[rough basalt]

I do doubt I'll ever see it in action on the playerside of the table.

[slender mason]

i've seen players use it

[crimson gulch]

oh my

[knotty vine]

When you cast a spell that requires at least one Material component with a specified cost that is consumed by the spell, you can reduce the minimum cost of one such Material component by 50 GP per each secondary caster contributing to the spell
ITS so bad

[slender mason]

mostly in combo with the ready action

[rough basalt]

Guess it does prevent shenanigans tho

[knotty vine]

I mean Prolong is great

can make a spell last for 1 hour instead

[rough basalt]

No full caster parties just spamming simulacrum

[slender mason]

having one additional Caster for that is amusing cause like, do we shave something off the diamond, how do we know when it's worth the right amount

[knotty vine]

beyond that you need 4-6

[slender mason]

does the spell cut it for you, leaving behind your "change"?

[knotty vine]

this one is funny
When you cast a spell with a range of at least 5 feet, you can increase the range of the spell by 1,000 feet per secondary caster contributing to the spell, up to a maximum of a 1-mile increase.

[turbid tinsel]

In a 3.5 game we were level 15 in a Forgotten Realms game. We had to fight a Gulguthydra that he had advanced in size to the point that it had 800 hitpoints, and even a natural 20 wouldn't save against it's nauseate aura. It was surrounded by a swarm of softball sized beholder kin with 3 eyestalks. There were several thousand of them that had created a symbiotic relationship with the Gulguthydra eating it's scraps.

we fought it in a subterranean artic mushroom swamp in the Underdark.

[slender mason]

Scorching Ray Sniper Rifle

just for something stupid and simple

[knotty vine]

Bomb

[rough basalt]

I wanna have a circle of casters be bad guys and just periodically attack the party with spells.

[turbid tinsel]

So yeah, as a player, and as a DM, I fully expect a smart enemy capable of disarming a martial character being more than willing to disarm the wizard of their spellbook and then destroy said spellbook.

[fair plinth]

Is hypnotic pattern any good when ive also got shatter but no other aoe effects

[rough basalt]

Midfight with Bandits and suddenly a fireball comes out of nowhere

[slender mason]

big bad just air dropping you spells to taunt you

[glad ferry]

Circle chant multiple fireballs on a camp from distance at once

[knotty vine]

The party just traveling: "roll a dex save"

[slender mason]

that doesn't really happen

[crimson gulch]

i usualy find it easier to just kill pc's than mess with their stuff

[rough basalt]

Speaking of kill. I almost tpkd last night

[slender mason]

an enemy that can grab you book is probably one that has you captured because it doesn't help them otherwise

[glad ferry]

What did you do sora?

[woven flint]

BUT WE LIVED!

Woooo!!!

[rough basalt]

Adult White Dragon was planning on having the party kill another dragon so he could take over. But party realized he was up to something, however, fighter gave up too much info to just walk out of it.

[woven flint]

True, my fault

[glad ferry]

Shoulda just gone into the belly of the beast and killed it

[rough basalt]

He gave up their names, addresses, bank numbers.

[glad ferry]

Dimension door into its stomach

[woven flint]

The funny thing is, the white dragon could only speak draconic and my fighter was the only one who could speak draconic

[glad ferry]

Shoulda just said you'd help it kill the other dragon then have the other dragon kill it or assist you

Thkugh that would be a smarter character i use

[woven flint]

I begged them to give me guidance and bardic inspiration to help me decieve. But they didn't for whatever reason 😭

[turbid tinsel]

shrug A smart group of badguys try to go for the spellcasters first. Kill the healer, kill the spellcaster. If a sorcerer has to have something like a magic wand out to cast their spells, disarm and break the wand. If a wizard has to have their spellbook out to cast their spells, disarm and destroy the spellbook. Then you can worry about the Martials and their armor and hitpoints.

[woven flint]

No, the dragon was lying about the other dragon stealing his layer and we potentially would've killed an innocent individual.

[lethal bobcat]

what's the most complicated (sub)class using only the 2024 PHB and which is if including any legal and updated 5e content? I find Fighter hard to play but that doesn't seem to be a shared opinion

[rough basalt]

Yeah fighters the easiest class in 5e.

[glad ferry]

Have the innocent individual help you thwart the plan

[rotund thunder]

Probably either moon druid for needing to learn a bunch of beast statblocks, or wizard just for the amount of spells you can pick

[lethal bobcat]

basically I feel like I didn't contribute much when I played Fighter

[glad ferry]

I like my barbarians

[silk hare]

sure, but a smart group of bad guys would also have some magic items, all sorts of traps and ultimately would lead to no/ a lot less fun at the table

[woven flint]

We couldn't have walked away because the evil dragon found out I was deceiving him.
So we ended up fighting, almost dying and killed him, the situation I already over lol

[errant crag]

Stocking my dungeon is pretty tough

[silk hare]

at least of they are ACTUALLY smart

[rough basalt]

Now they're level 7

[turbid tinsel]

I'd say Moon Druid outweighs the Wizard cause you only have what's in your spellbook to worry about as a wizard VS "all the beasts"

[glad ferry]

Get free goodies from his lair at least

[silk hare]

what u got so far

[rough basalt]

Nah he had a loot box on him that they paid 9.99 irl for

[woven flint]

(He's joking)

[celest spire]

Ohhh just pulled a rare dice set out of the Welcome to Barovia treasure pack.

[fair plinth]

True
I also think that a dumb group of enemies might be fearful of spellcasters, and that may determine if they even want to fight or not

[errant crag]

I rolled up this dungeon using the random dungeon tables in the 2014 DMG, I rolled that it was constructed bt chaotic evil Human Rogues and that it was conquered g invaders. I suppose I oughtta decide what invaded their dungeon.

[glad ferry]

A free.99 box with tickets to his next show in the afterlife?

[woven flint]

It was 200 dollars, not 9..
Each /silly

[silk hare]

an aboleth

[rough basalt]

Nah he kept a chest of his most valuable items on him when he leaves the lair cause he doesn't want someone coming in and stealing them.

[errant crag]

Don't aboleths need water?

[turbid tinsel]

Yes. But after all the traps have been triggered/circumvented, but before they start using any sort of consumable magic item that costs gold to replace you first do the economical thing and first kill the healer, second stop the wizard/sorcerer from being able to cast spells.

[fair plinth]

Classic beholder

[errant crag]

I already rolled the layout so don't know how well I can fit water into it

[glad ferry]

Let's go fight an underwater creature in a horror themed dungeon

[silk hare]

I mean years of wear and there and water accumulating in the dungeon would/ could work

[silk hare]

"oh fun! Im getting punished for playing a certain class"

[glad ferry]

Release the kraken!

[silk hare]

yeh!

[rough basalt]

Reminds me for my upcoming horror game I should have some wet dungeons

[silk hare]

I mean if its underground just flood it

[rough basalt]

Plenty of difficult terrain

[turbid tinsel]

Yup. But I'm talking about a group of combatants that /are/ going to fight your party, and the leader, or one or two of the group has an intelligence of 10+.

[rough basalt]

Hazards.

[fair plinth]

Yeah i agree i was just adding on to what you said by including what dumb enemies may do

[silk hare]

fyi, in lore magic is usually rare enough that training usually doesnt take it into account

[glad ferry]

Warlock of orcus with a wisdom of 23

[rough basalt]

Looking forward to making Dungeons again.

[turbid tinsel]

What's good for the goose is good for the gander. You can go after the DM's wizards and sorcerers and take their wands and spellbooks and destroy them to take them out of the fight just as much as they can do it to you. Your character has a very clear, highly exploitable weakness.

[glad ferry]

Thats attuned to the wand of orcus and survived it

[knotty vine]

I will never not understand how chrono wizard is allowed under AL play

[molten onyx]

hi everyone 👋😖

[errant crag]

It really depends on the creatures and how able they are to recognize or even care about spellcasters

[silk hare]

sure, in my eyes this would jsut devolve into "alright, Ill just play a cleric (min maxed twilight or whatever) with a holy symbol tattoo that cannot be removed

immediate spirit guardians action etc etc

[silk hare]

aint no way

[rough basalt]

Looking forward to running my horror game.

Taking a few pages out of CoS's book

[silk hare]

did u homebrew the creatures?

[glad ferry]

Nobody can survive attuning ti the wand if orcus

[silk hare]

or if not, what kinds of creatures did u go for

[rough basalt]

I'm making some homebrew creatures yeah.

[turbid tinsel]

I'm not going to play the NPC's as stupid if they're not supposed to be stupid just to avoid your character from having to deal with having a weakness. The same way if you start walking down a dungeon passage and don't have a rogue looking for traps you're gonna find yourself sporting a couple of hidden crosssbow bolt sized holes in your torso.

[feral fulcrum]

No horror game is complete without a Hook Horror

[silk hare]

I mean at a high enough lvl u can I think if hit like 17+

[knotty vine]

why not?

Anybody can survive that lmao its only 10d6

[rough basalt]

Making some Humanoid enemies that hunt Mistwalkers and those who are dragged into domains.

To eat them mainly

[silk hare]

I mean sure you do you
but if thats a common occurence imo it would slow down play a LOT or lead to even more careful behavior than what is usually the case

[turbid tinsel]

I'm talking more humanoid, enemies VS a Behir, troll, or goblin.

[silk hare]

"only"

[knotty vine]

The humble death ward:

[buoyant oar]

As long as the DM is applying the tactics of villains without regard to specific players but rather abilities its fair game.

The Monsters want you dead, and they know what they are doing.

[turbid tinsel]

IF a tattooed holy symbol is enough for you to invoke your gods magics, go for it. You're still a cleric and the healer. You'll be a target of any intelligent enemy that can recognize you as "The Healer" or "A spellcaster"

[knotty vine]

Anyone can survival the wand the necrotic damage doesnt even bypass resistance or immune either

its also only a DC 17 con save

[silk hare]

I mean, "clerics are healers" is pretty outdated

they CAN heal, but they are crazy in terms of consistent damage

[knotty vine]

Which if your maybe level 10-16 you would most likely had rel con

[rough basalt]

Looking forward to the intro quest to that horror game as well.

[silk hare]

I mean yeah but if u fail the roll you just die lmao

[buoyant oar]

What is that call out in the Witcher 3?

"He's conjuring boys! He Conjurin'!" To most magic is very deadly so it makes sense to focus fire them all.

[turbid tinsel]

It being common or not depends on how hard it is to actually remove the wand from the sorcerer or take the spellbook from the Wizard. Same with the Cleric being the first target of a group of say, bandits. Not everyone is smart enough to go after the things that can make their fight easier. But there is a more than 0% chance that a group in a game DM'ed by me /will/ discover enemies that /are/ smart enough to attempt, and potentially succeed in those sorts of tactics.

[rough basalt]

Players wake up in a "hospital" where said Humanoids are harvesting people and they gotta escape.

[knotty vine]

death ward is still a spell so not really that big of an issue

[silk hare]

ohhh I like it

any "zombie" experiments?

[knotty vine]

Its only a 3rd level spell

[silk hare]

I mean yeah, assuming that the party actually identifies the staff before trying to attune to it lmao

[lethal bobcat]

The easiest thing to do against a Wizard is multiple smaller rooms with just a guy or two where expending a spell slot is a waste and a huge diner room you can use for one encounter with spread out monsters. The easiest thing you can do against a Cleric is let them shine and be a genuine savior the whole way through with them using their slots on healing spells and maybe one Greater Restoration cast the third fight in. Basically, the most popular modules already solved the issues of spellcasters being OP and you can steal their design.

am I too late with this response? Yes

[rough basalt]

There's gonna be a zombie type enemy.

[knotty vine]

and the average of 10d6 is 35

[turbid tinsel]

You're still making the argument for me. Take out the more versitile and dangerous character out first.

[knotty vine]

Ah yes we killed this demon lord we should check this staff before we do anything rash

[rough basalt]

I'm using Bloodborne and the CoD Zombies map Verruckt as inspiration for the map.

[knotty vine]

Brother

[silk hare]

I mean Im not saying its not the smart thing to do, but more so that it could get unfun real fast

[knotty vine]

IF you die to the wand of Orcus thats just fate at that point

[silk hare]

I mean Ive seen plenty of people just attune to "cursed" / weird looking things bc "it looks powerful"

[silk hare]

fair enough lol

[silk hare]

but you do you 👍

[feral fulcrum]

Some people are more fast and lose with their lives then they should be.

[knotty vine]

https://www.dndbeyond.com/spells/2152-identify?srsltid=AfmBOor3ycz8RrwGysChWwk_nYHv36P0FXm36U8XQpkmn1TXwwWCoxtL

[rough basalt]

Looking forward to putting all sorts of terrifying and spooky ambience into foundry

[turbid tinsel]

Ehh. My old group that played under the DM that hit us with the 800hp Gulguthydra would work out group ways to help prevent or make it harder for those sorts of tactics to work against them.

[silk hare]

yeah yeah yeah xD

[turbid tinsel]

We wouldn't think of it as unfun and consider it a challenge in need of being overcome and/or mitigated.

[rough basalt]

I should get started I'm getting kinda fired up now.
Tho I'm gonna have to be very good with my recruiting of the game.

[knotty vine]

If you cant wait an action/10 mins for a wizard to see what a magic item that you got from the DEMON lord of death can do then idk what to tell you

You know the same guy who most likely tought Vecna the way to become a arch lich

His magic item totally isnt cursed

[civic bridge]

so urm i know its weird but im new so can someone tell me how to play with ppl online

[turbid tinsel]

I wouldn't say you were too late. The discussion is more about your party encounters an enemy that's smart enough to know they need to deal with the healer and the wizard first to lower the force multiplier of the PCs. I would say your comment is a bit.. whiplashy. "here's how you punish the wizard" followed by "you don't punish the cleric but give them opportunities to be the big damn hero of the group"

[proven adder]

I’m making a funny ass character, he is a half-elf fighter failed entrepreneur that went broke and owes loan sharks (actual sharks by the way) a metric shit ton of gold. Can any of you suggest the business he was in? Just for shits and giggles lol

[lethal bobcat]

paperclips

[proven adder]

That’s going on the top of the list

Mass paper clip producer

Selling to all dimensions

[lethal bobcat]

"mass" is a big word with medieval tools

[rough basalt]

My players in that game when they hear "tonight gehrman joins the hunt"

[lethal bobcat]

Bloodborne Kart

[turbid tinsel]

@lethal bobcat If the party has really pissed off the BBEG and he's got the time and resources to create a bespoke encounter designed to affect the party based on the tactics that they use that he's aware of as well as being aware of what their party's composition is. That's a whole different thing and generally is the capstone of a campaign.

And even then, as a DM I would be VERY careful to only have the BBEG's preparations be built around actionable intelligence that he was able to get because someone in the party is loud and boastful when at Inns and taverns, the bard of the party is writing songs about their encounters and performing them while on the road, some underling was left alive or managed to run away and report back to the BBEG, or eye witnesses were able to be abducted and questioned, though there's a good chance the intel gained from the interrogation isn't very accurate.

That's all if I'm DMing a BBEG that knows THE RULES™

[remote wadi]

Tried to get a loan for his own tavern with 3 card monte and succubi. Ended up forgetting the taven

[lethal bobcat]

oh ye I was speaking much more generally as in homebrew games I played in where dungeons are much shorter and unable to challenge people with their limited resources (most likely spellslots)

I kinda went worst-case

[proven adder]

lol that’s also a good idea

[lethal bobcat]

BBEG being the second fight is a good way to have all casters nuke the boss with their highest level spell slots regardless of specific defenses you meant to pose a specific challenge to them

[oak geode]

Is movement speed and flight mostly worried about in Grid combat and less in Theater of Mind? I’ve noticed some people seem to feel like the 50 ft flying is less powerful if GM kinda hand waves and just says “eh yeah you can reach that guy” or “sorry you’ll have to wait a turn” depending on narration instead of looking at a battle map

[lethal bobcat]

I feel like it's negligible in both cases, people just cluster around and don't move out on battle maps

[errant crag]

I wish there were more high CR beasts, most don't seem to go above CR 8. Which I suppose is fair if the beast creature type is staying limited to purely realistic animals.

[valid geyser]

it can be, but it's dependant on the context of the scenario. But generally in theatre of the mind youre less likely to have positioning be a major factor

[lethal bobcat]

hoping for more dinosaur reprints and flying beasts tbh

[valid geyser]

For sure. I also just wish more beasts were at a higher CR
Since owlbears are the supreme bear, and are at the mighty CR of 3, regular bears gotta be below that

[turbid tinsel]

I once ran a printed adventure, a graveyard that was causing a lot of problems for the nearby town. There was a Lich under it controlling the undead. You know those video games where after a boss fight there's a ladder, or a door that lets you exit the place without having to go back through all the rooms/hallways/stairs that you took to get there? This adventure had something like that written for the lich's chambers. Had the DC for how hidden it was, how hard it was to open, whole nine yards.

The party found it, got past it, found the Lich, and between smart tactics, good dice rolls, and useful spell selection they managed to kill the Lich without dealing with the rest of the dungeon.

[lethal bobcat]

that is actually really funny tbh

if they had a good time, then any cheesy is a big plus

[turbid tinsel]

ohh, we all had a great time. To this day we still chuckle about the time they backdoored an entire adventure.

[rough basalt]

totm is easier to do flight in imo

But as someone who doesn't play totm anymore, flight hasnt been too bad

[lethal bobcat]

I don't wanna ever say that such experience isn't valid but what I like to do with bosses is give really good loot in some other room that works well against the BBEG of the week. Never had a party face a lich because of level (and player skill) but I assume killing them and finding the phalectory could be two fun seperate missions to complete it if I ran one custom

[turbid tinsel]

Depends on the DM. I would say movement speed, spell distance, and maneuverability is more forgiving in TOTM than with mapped play because with mapped play you can see what is in the way, what the shape of the room is like, and if there's room for your character to fit somewhere. TOTM it can work for, or against you because something you should be able to do given the encounter might be denied by the DM or something you shouldn't be able to do is allowed. It all really depends on how good of a mental map of the situation the DM doing TOTM has in his head for where people are located.

[errant crag]

I'm not a big fan of TotM

I am fine with it for non combat scenes

But I hate when we run combat with TotM, unless it's like a completely negligible combat

[mighty wharf]

As a spellcaster I hate TOTM even in noncombat situations because it affects things like scouting. Even things like the optional accelerated movement rule that DMs have, I don't like very much because if my party members dash ahead 200ft without any precaution, that might trigger an ambush or something I could have prevented with scouting measures.

[errant crag]

I could not imagine doing something like a dungeon crawl in TotM but I suppose TotM heavy games aren't the games with a lot of dungeon crawls

[mighty wharf]

I also dislike ToTM and non-turn oriented noncombat scenarios because it limits what preparation I can do if I'm not given the opportunity to speak, unless I do the preparation on my sheet without announcing it which feels like cheating almost.

If my party member yaps the entire time during downtime, how am I supposed to cast a ritual? It's annoying.

I mean yeah, these are issues I could potentially resolve by communicating about them but I shouldn't have to make a request for something that should be integrated and enforced into the game by default. I have like, major social anxiety when it comes to confrontation, and being difficult, and I'm sure it's not fun for my party either.

[turbid tinsel]

If that works for you, then you do it. Personally I dislike the video game quality of something like that. You find a room filled with healing potions and magic items right before you get to the boss fight.

Personally if I'm running a campaign I give the players information as they play that lets them start building up their gear and magic items to help fight the BBEG. If they play smart like actively looking up information about the BBEG, who he is, what he is able to do, what his past was the fight at the end is easier, if they play stupid expecting me to pull my punches. Well, play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

In one Pathfinder 1e game I played in, our group highly expected that the BBEG at the end of the adventure was going to be an Avatar of Orcus. So we bought a dust of dryness, 2 gallons of holy water, and a 5 gallon bucket made of pure silver. Empty holy water into bucket, drop in dust. Then we attached it to the tip of a blunt arrow. The next undead we came across our archer used the arrow. The pearl breaks, the water comes out all over the vampire we were fighting. This was to test and see if the dust would leave the holy behind when it absorbed the water.

It didn't. The vampire melted like the Wicked Witch of The West.

We never finished the campaign, but the plan was to buy another dust of dryness, 800 flasks of holy water, and a 100gallon barrel made out of silver.

As for Liches. They're great badguys. You kill them, then need to find their phylactery. If you don't find it in time, you have the lich to deal with all over again. I generally would increase a lich's treasure value by 175% using the 75% as their backup stash of equipment hidden with their phylactery so when the party fights the Lich again, or finds and destroys the Phylactery there's a second reward.

[lethal bobcat]

I guess one-shots allow for going a bit more wild but that story is amazing as well

my best story (as an example of what I mean too) is a store room with cannon and heavy cannonballs. They got the first hit with a huge cannonball going through a wall before having it blown up

[feral fulcrum]

Someone talking doesn't magically prevent your from just doing a ritual in the background.

[mighty wharf]

So I can just cast spells without even telling my DM? That feels kinda wrong. What if they don't agree with how I'm using the spell?

[frail wasp]

if they say something wrong though I HAVE to correct it

[turbid tinsel]

It wasn't a one shot. It was an entire campaign. We got to about 12th or 13th level before the DM had an accident that while it didn't kill him, it did disable him to the point that he couldn't DM that campaign any more. Then I moved away.

[frail wasp]

and then rip ritual

[sudden hollow]

Am I back?

Sweet im back

[turbid tinsel]

@lethal bobcat had we finished that campaign we would have been level 20.

[feral fulcrum]

"DM I'm going to cast X as a ritual." Boom, done in five seconds.

[mighty wharf]

Yes but I still have to interrupt

That's the issue, it's rude to interrupt

[turbid tinsel]

not in dnd.

[feral fulcrum]

And you're not going to be immediately killed by a firing squad if someone has been talking nonstop without a breath for ten minutes

[flint ledge]

I mean tbh a single person shouldn't be the only one yapping in downtime anyway. Although that's a seperate thing

[mighty wharf]

My party doesn't understand that, everyone is new and not well researched into TTRPG culture. They didn't understand it and were even slightly offended when I used a reaction/dropped concentration on their turn.

[turbid tinsel]

DM: The wizard holds his hands aloft and starts to chant, he's not noticed you yet and dark magics are swirling abou---

Me: I cast silence on the rogues arrow.
Rogue: I shoot the wizard in the back.

DM: Reacts to the parties interruption.

[feral fulcrum]

Then have a conversation with your party?

[frail wasp]

is this online or in person

[rugged tiger]

Hello people!

[lethal bobcat]

what works somewhat is have people who tend to be louder be furthest away at the table. Of course this depends on the people how well it works

[mighty wharf]

In person

[lethal bobcat]

just to remove some feeling of rudeness

[turbid tinsel]

If you hold your turn when it's your turn, and then the DM is in the middle of narrating what the badguys are doing. It's expected that you'll interrupt to announce what you're doing if you're going to do something to interrupt the actions of the badguys.

[frail wasp]

in AL we've done a raise your hand kind of affair for large tables to manage DM attention span

large table meaning 7 players at the table

it's otherwise easy for the DM to lose track of someone

[thorn wedge]

I dont think its rude to interject a quick hey Im gonna do this. If possible wait until someone’s done but if you cant or theyre long winded thats just the game.

[frail wasp]

cause three people can absolutely take all of the DMs attention span unintentionally if a particular discussion shapes out that way

[turbid tinsel]

@mighty wharf If you're still uncomfortable, have a chat with your DM. get a cheap disposable chopstick from your local chinese food place. Grab a bright orange or red postcard and tape it to the chopstick. IF you need to interject that you're doing something in the middle of the DM's narration hold that up aas a nonverbal signal that you need the floor.

[mighty wharf]

I work at a local chinese food place! That could work

[lethal bobcat]

usually raising hand means the ability to skip some topic you REALLY dislike where I played but I guess it can work for both

[frail wasp]

we use the x card for that

[turbid tinsel]

That 100% needs to be a conversation that You (and they) may have things that their character can do in the middle of someone elses actions/turn that needs to be addressed at the time it's happening, not after everything has been narrated and then in need of being retconned.

[mighty wharf]

The thing is my DM treats raising your hand like it's a classroom and not a ttrpg, where you wait until someone is finished speaking til you can cast Sanctuary after they're already attacked 💀

[turbid tinsel]

My table never really got into topics that needed skipping, we didn't mind others interjecting if their character was doing something that needed to interrupt what was being done by others. Our only 'sign' was placing a hand on the top of our head to denote talking out of character and not in.

[lethal bobcat]

I feel like this convo is one I need to take notes of

great ideas tbh

[rough basalt]

Got into a 3.5e game, im excited

[frail wasp]

we had a similar hand motion where you pretend you have a name tag on your shirt, and you cover it with your hand to signify ooc chat ... but it was largely unnecessary in practice

[turbid tinsel]

nice! I miss 3.5 and Pathfinder 1e.. 🙁

[rough basalt]

I've only played a few sessions of it in the past so I'm looking forward to trying it again

[turbid tinsel]

I played 3.5 from 2001-2010ish with Pathfinder 1e being mixed in from 2009 to 2019.

[fossil shuttle]

Gods I love the stuff my DM let's me do sometimes. Last session I skimmed through a massive book and (while I didn't find anything I was looking for) I am now proficient in playing the steel drums and my changeling can shapechange into both a member of an amazonian bee woman race and a moth woman race despite the fact I shouldn't be able to create the extra arms and wings because I found a hyperdetailed section describing their anatomy.

[turbid tinsel]

neat

[lethal bobcat]

PF2e goes so hard tbh, it's hard to look at 3.5e

[turbid tinsel]

I'm currently playing in my first Pf2e game. I'm not a fan.

[lethal bobcat]

honestly fair then. least I hope it wasn't a big investment to try it oh no

[turbid tinsel]

I've not quit the game, nor am I. I'm giving it a fair shake. But so far I feel it's too restrictive VS PF1e.

I don't own any PF2e books. I'm using the Archive of Nethys SRD and we're playing on Hero Forge so I don't need to own anything to play it.

[lethal bobcat]

the SRD confuses me as there's a lot of content there not in the core book for example

but tbh I can say the core book isn't very different so I'd not give it a try

[turbid tinsel]

that's because any suppliments that came out that are SRD content are also added.

[lethal bobcat]

oh I didn't know tbh

imagine if something like "artificer" existed in dnd's

not sure what that word means so maybe not. doesn't exist. illegal to sell without permission

[turbid tinsel]

Yeah. It's like if Warlock wasn't a core 5e class and came out in a later publication and you went to a 5e SRD like website. It would have the Warlock and all it's stuff there.

not sure what word means what?

[lethal bobcat]

I assume they'll bring out a new version of the core book as there's some erratas but I still assume those supplements wouldn't be added

tho it's also not relevant anyway if you didn't like it

[turbid tinsel]

The suppliments are the suppliments. They're not part of that publication.

if there's updates to the players handbook, they'll print a new version of the players handbook with that content. If something is in the players handbook II it won't go into the PHB, but would be put in the PHB II.

[lethal bobcat]

artificer and I now the puglin basically are impossible to use in commercial homebrew

[turbid tinsel]

If you rDM allows 2014 content, you can still play it.

[lethal bobcat]

god I wish they did. still waiting for soap to be added back in

[turbid tinsel]

They do.

if something was removed and they're not returning it, it's not going to go in there.

But if on page 144 of the PHB the second paragraph should have (insert sentence here) as the third sentence. Then the 2026 printing of the PHB will have that in it.

[lethal bobcat]

between errata'd versions of 5.5e? yes

[turbid tinsel]

yes. They're not going to add an entire new class to it. That would go into a supplimentary publication.

[lethal bobcat]

I'd instantly buy a book called "Volo's Guide to Running a Tavern" to get the roleplay features they removed in 2024 back

[turbid tinsel]

Bedknobs and Gearheads: Introducing the Artificer coming in 2031

If it's just roleplay fluff and content that doens't alter combat there's nothing preventing you from using the 2014 content.

[modern knoll]

oh man, a DM gave me the ability to bypass immunity to the frightened condition and my god is it so fun

[turbid tinsel]

2014 5e Soap, costs 1cp a bar. You can wash your stinky self with it.

Nothing about that does anything to make you more powerful in combat. So there's no reason to not just say a bar of soap costs 1cp and you can use it to wash your stinky self in 2024

[fiery nimbus]

so since we are at the topic of Soap, how does Higiene works for underwater species like Locatah, Merfolk or Tritons?

[lethal bobcat]

the Ancient Dragon is gonna run around like a Minecraft sheep you punched

[modern knoll]

hmmmm I feel like it's way easier fo them than the average species

[lethal bobcat]

clear water tends to just clean scales and skin. irl oil would be an issue but if you survive it, even that'll soak off (and still likely poison you)

[modern knoll]

EXACTLY, it's so fun being able to scare the hell out of these battle-hardened warriors who are centuries old, or these immortal beasts that have long since forgotten fear itself, just for me to reintroduce it to them

[turbid tinsel]

There is a lot of 2e, 3.5 , and 4e Forgotten Realms stuff. Just because you're playing 2024 5e doesn't negate all of the world building and lore printed in those earlier editions unless something happening in a later edition retconned, changed, or negated something. Like how the death of the first Mystra and the ascension of the second Mystra changed how magic worked between 2e and 3.5 limiting spells to 9th level. And while that is a mechanical change, it's also a change in the world. Wizards used to be able to cast 10th, 11th, 14th level spells. Some Wizards might even be old enough to remember when they could access such power in the weave.

[fiery nimbus]

so... they are just clean by default or do they have to scrub their bodies off with some sea sponge

[lethal bobcat]

please tell me you're a Small species too saying BOO

[frail wasp]

they'd probably just use a strigil to get clean

[modern knoll]

aww unfortunately not

[fiery nimbus]

that would mean they have metalworks underwater

[lethal bobcat]

following irl, you can basically assume the creatures are clean of simple dirt but any structures break down in record time

[frail wasp]

was that in doubt...? they got tridents after all

[modern knoll]

my character is to put it bluntly, imagine Scarecrow from DC hooked up on steroids and in a full plate of armor

he's the slowest thing imaginable and his initiative and dex is trash

[fiery nimbus]

kind off

[fiery nimbus]

i forgot how good of a solvent water is

[lethal bobcat]

( how permissive is your DM? Smoldering Armor )

[modern knoll]

very

[fiery nimbus]

How indeed
https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/27045-dread-helm
Dread Helmet

[lethal bobcat]

YES! which of the capes however?

[modern knoll]

oh my god these are perfect

[fiery nimbus]

the choice is only one im afraid

as all the roads lead to rome, all the capes lead to billowing

[turbid vessel]

so many smoldering parts of the outfits that you have to bring box fans if you want to aura farm, otherwise the smog just engulfs you lol

[lethal bobcat]

ignoring AL pods where DMs do actually listen to wish lists often enough, the main pod where I'm a player has a DM who DARES take away my ability to aura farm. 0 magic items, including a Staff of Flowers\

[modern knoll]

true aura farmers know how the wind blows and will always perfectly position themselves in the right spot just so the wind blows against their chest

[errant crag]

If I cast Meld Into Stone, it says I can cast spells while inside it but can I use somatic components? It says I can use 5ft if movement to leave the stone but that I can't otherwise move

[turbid vessel]

"can you guys just like, move left a few paces? yeah, just enough to make me turn a few degrees... perfect. NOW AS I WAS SAYING-"

[modern knoll]

it's even better if you're facing away from the enemies or if you're on a rooftop

[lethal bobcat]

there's a guide on creating magic items in the DMG and there's nothing stopping you (as a DM that is) from creating a Billowing Dreadcloak of Many Fashions and Protection (with 1 charge "until the next dawn" to cast the Prestidigitation cantrip)

[fiery nimbus]

Dread Helmet, Dread Armor, Dread Cloak
I am Dread Man

du du du du du du du du Dread Man

[feral fulcrum]

"I am....the law." -Dread Man, AKA The idiot who stands around in the middle of gunfire with his hands on the hip. Played by Sylvestor Stallone.

[lethal bobcat]

make sure to make it an Artifact so you can add this Detriment:
"Creatures with a challenge rating of 0, as well as plants that aren’t creatures, drop to 0 hit points when within 10 feet of the artifact"

The Dreaded Dread Dark Man (of Dread)

[turbid vessel]

okay Cain the Butcher

[turbid tinsel]

Or, he's the terror that flaps in the night.

[fiery nimbus]

also makes sure your character wears Doublet of Dramatic Demise

yes i know third party content

this one if you roll nat 1 on death save you instantly die, but in a very dramatic fashion

you swoon with a loud gasp and die instantly.

[lethal bobcat]

honestly that feels very Bard

[obtuse maple]

Fr

[turbid tinsel]

I'd play it out like the long death scene from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfMayIzLhqw

[restive blade]

for my one shot i'm playing, i have a dragon slayer great sword which does 3d6 extra damage against dragons every attack, if i roll a crit, do i roll 6d6 for that attack?

[lethal bobcat]

yes, or rather all the damage's dice

just to be sure:

"Roll all of the attack’s damage dice twice and add them together. Then add any relevant modifiers."

[feral fulcrum]

Crits double the dice you roll, so, yes.

[lethal bobcat]

if it's extra as in on top of the great sword, then don't forget those

[feral fulcrum]

Anything that adds dice to the attack roll gets doubled. Spells, added dice from the weapon, so on, so forth.

[restive blade]

wanted to make sure

[feral fulcrum]

Relavant Modifiers, are just the Flat Bonuses, like +3 from a +3 weapon, your usual damage bonus from your stat, the occasional feat like Great Weapon Master

[fiery nimbus]

2d6+6d6 for a total of 8 damage because this game is a hellspawn and a thief of joy

[lethal bobcat]

wait... I never had this happen but as a seperate question, how do you handle critical hits from monsters if you want to use static damage?

[restive blade]

a good thing on one table im on we always do the max damage + an additional damage roll

so we dont end up with 2 damage for a crit lmfao

[rough basalt]

Crit rule changes can get very swingy which is why I don't particularly like them personally. It does suck when you roll min damage crits tho.

[lethal bobcat]

not 4d6 slashing? it dupes those too no?

so 10 damage on your roll

[fiery nimbus]

i forgot what dice was sword -_-

[turbid vessel]

double the dice and calculate the median (round down). for example: 4d6+3 damage is 17, a crit would be 8d6+3, which the median is 31

[lethal bobcat]

14 and 28 damage before modifiers? for maths ease, is it enough to duplicate it and remove the modifier? (34-3=31)

actually it's close enough even if not RAW. or can it get really off?

[knotty vine]

Spihex of wonder!

[turbid vessel]

that works too! there are multiple ways to get the same answer

[lethal bobcat]

NEOPET

[knotty vine]

I love how people can use eldritch adept to get pact of the chain now

[fiery nimbus]

#eldrichadopt

[knotty vine]

Wait you can make a skeleton?!

[lethal bobcat]

for legal reasons, my Deer Familiar is mint blue and has cream coloured flowers in its fur.

[knotty vine]

God I wished pact of the chain worked with flock familiars

[lethal bobcat]

OH GOD

[turbid vessel]

i had a DM let me do that once for a one-shot. it was nutty

4 imps

[knotty vine]

legit animate dead but with a 2nd level spell slot

[feral fulcrum]

Stole it from the Feywild did ya?

Ponders a Critical Fish enemy

[lethal bobcat]

per RAW I'm unable to choose any other creature type no matter how I'd cast the spell (Druid moment)

hopefully soon anything Infernal will be fluffy and red/black to complete the chart

[errant crag]

Are there any spells that create an emanation which pushes all creatures within range away from the center of the emanation?

[feral fulcrum]

Not to my knowledge, closet you get is THunderwave

[knotty vine]

I cast Acid Splash on asdx

[feral fulcrum]

Insert Wicked Witch gif here

[knotty vine]

Im gonna start adding my name after every spell I cast now

[errant crag]

My dungeon has a room with no floor and a bunch of ropes hanging from the ceiling, I'm wondering how mean it would be to have a random one of these ropes be coated in Sovereign Glue

[knotty vine]

thats evil

Thats the glue that can only be unsticked by a universal solvent

[feral fulcrum]

Perfect oppurtunity for a Roper

[errant crag]

Or Wish or Oil of Etherealness

A roper would be cool but the pit that makes up the absence of a floor is hundreds of feet deep

I say after pondering covering one of these ropes in sovereign glue

[turbid vessel]

just put in the Long Roper

[tranquil crane]

dear god im still awful with writing backstory

yup

[rough basalt]

Backstories for a PC are my bane

[tranquil crane]

I am starting a brutal campaign

[shy bane]

Hello Beautiful people. I am looking for some advice for my next session. My players are exiting a very dangerous area, and doing so in a hurry, after which they will be ambushed by an enemy force (because of plot reasons). I tried finding a rule or set of rules for something like this but I couldnt find anything like it, so I made it. There are other benefits along the way that I have planned, so its not all punishment, but I want it to feel like a challenge they have overcome. The players are all at 11th level, and will be leveling up at the end of the next combat. Are these rules fair ish?

Dangerous Travel Rules
Each room has a DC that must be beat in order to overcome its trial. This check must be a relevant check made by a player. The starting dc of this check is 30, and players can reduce the DC by interacting with the environment. Each player can only interact with the environment once, either using abilities or rolling checks. At the end of a real world 15 minute timer, a player must decide to roll a check, or the party will become delayed in exchage for another 5 minutes Irl.

Room Roll Effects:
Success (0-4 above) Nothing good happens, but you exit the room successfully.
Success (5+): One legendary resistance is removed from the next combat
Failure (1-5) Players take a combined 25 damage, or the next combat gets another legendary reaction
Failure (6-10) Players all take one level of exhaustion (5.5 Exhaustion), or the next combat gets a second lair action
Failure (11-15) Players all take two levels of exhaution or the next combat, the main boss gets another legendary action

Delay 1: Add more basic enemies to the combats
Delay 2: Enemies get a surprise round at the start of combat.

[tranquil crane]

Like this dm has run the campaign multiple times and no one has got the good ending yet

[cinder timber]

Keep it simple and stupid

[tranquil crane]

8 pc's level 8

[shy bane]

Treat your backstory like a set of knives you are giving the dm to use against you. Give them things they can use to pull you in. Family thats having a hard time. A disease that is secretly inflicting you. I know there is a video (dagger theory or smth) that is a good description of this. Ill try to find it.

https://youtu.be/jWtDBHYl06E?si=CBrdZM7f7PfjtRZA

[rough basalt]

Ah yeah Mystic DM makes some good vids

[shy bane]

I always hope my players give me something like that lol

[cinder timber]

Oh that is smart. I never really do stuff like that for my pcs

[lethal bobcat]

Thusfar all my own characters basically have wanting to be in a tight-knit group or similar as a motivation to go through the adventure. It is a bit of a vice for me and I love my Chaotic characters

Props for dms to be able to use that as a knife and even if you got the worst backstory, the current campaign can add a few

(Though you can ask your DM, if even required, and rewrite your backstory later. Hopefully that causes them no headaches tho)

[primal estuary]

shake shake

[limber trail]

A few other thoughts on backstories:

• they don’t need to be a cohesive, finished short story. It’s a list of things that have happened to you and people that are important to you. I’ve had amazing backstories that are essentially dog points
• you can ask your DM for help. That’s completely fine and fair - there’s absolutely no expectation that the final product will appear in their hands completely written by you

[glad ferry]

Use chains that keep all the players 1 ft apart at most in a dungeon, snd they're magical. Can't be undone in anyway until the completion of the dungeon

Chaotic characters are so much fun

[limber trail]

I don’t agree with that. You can write a pretty simple backstory that still has some open hooks. Some games also don’t utilize those kind of plot hooks in them and that’s fine

I have tons of opinions on the ideas that are and aren’t fitting in my particular campaign setting. It’s often the ideas players are least confident in that I think are the most fitting

[glad ferry]

Ill create characters that fit the campaign and sideline others until a good fitting campaign comes up

[hard finch]

hekko

guys anyone have a advice for warlock ?

[fair plinth]

Waht part of warlocks do u need advice on

[hard finch]

spells

I choose hex and misty steps

armor of agath

[fair plinth]

Ive been told warlocks tend to specialize in different magic aspects
You dont have a lot of spell slots so save them for good moments
Eldritch blast is a must in 5e, idk about 5.5e
Hex is pretty good, great for long-game damge output which warlocks struggle with sometimes

Honestly you could pick whatever spells you want, as long as you enjoy them

[hard finch]

u know there is alot fo spells

and I am new so I am getting confused

[fair plinth]

I see
I recommend looking through the spells that stand out to you on their list and to take a balance of different spells, ie not doing all combat spells or utility spells

It can be a little overwhelming but the prep pays off

[hard finch]

how many games u played bro u look pro

I didn't play a singel game yet

[fair plinth]

Lmao thanks ive been playing for like 4-5 years ish? Idk

[fair plinth]

Everyone is still learning and makes mistakes, youll be fine

[hard finch]

did u play online before ?

[fair plinth]

Ive tried it before, but i prefer irl games
But both are valid ways to play

[paper portal]

irl is just so much harder to find games for

[fair plinth]

Very true

[hard finch]

u know I am from egypt so I can't play it irl because the game aren't famous

[cosmic roost]

Ready to play Dungeons & Dragons?

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

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

[hard finch]

so the only way to play is online

[fair plinth]

The find a game channel can help you find an online game

[hard finch]

u know how we play in online or not

[fair plinth]

It doesnt come to mind immediately but #find-a-game should have instructions for that

[harsh hinge]

?tag new online

[cosmic roost]

https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/750-new-players-guide-how-to-play-d-d-online

[fair plinth]

I always forget those commands

[buoyant frost]

Bruh, is it like just me or do players seem less bity. Like I have only caught the interest of two with my one shot that I was hoping more people would be interested in

[rough basalt]

One shots ime get less traction

I think more people are looking for traditional long term games.

[buoyant frost]

To bad I am not sure if I can run one of those yet

[fair plinth]

If a paladin has an oath to a kingdom/king that is long gone and forgotten, do yall think it is still valid?

[rough basalt]

Which is fine. You'll wanna find other places to advertise to broaden your umbrella for a one shot if you're short on time.

[scenic zinc]

Could be played as an oath to bring back that kingdom or line of kings?

[still plover]

They can stand by their oath by adhering to the ideals and principles, even if the organisation behind them is gone.

[empty thicket]

can still carry their symbol//flag//name and follow their ideals. Even if its a dead place if there is a Knight capable of carry their name, they wont be extinct.

[tender flame]

Does anyone here use Foundry?

[fossil hollow]

#third-party

[shadow ether]

where can i find a free campain for my oc?

[fossil hollow]

#find-a-game

[broken imp]

everyone dies whoa, lemme try to find the most op build and not die 😛

[paper portal]

yep hi thats me i know those :3

[mighty wharf]

So my DM had this list of generated magic items from Beyond, one was like a crown with a +1 to int iirc. Does anyone know which item this is?

[crimson gulch]

That's a homebrew thing for sure

[viral kraken]

if you had an 18 already it could have been headband of intellect

[mighty wharf]

Nah, it didn't change it to 19, it added +1 to int

[severe rampart]

Don't know that

Maybe Homebrew?

[normal canyon]

thats kinda strong.

[severe rampart]

Not really

Most magic items give +2 to int

Instead of +1, I actually don't think there's a magic item that gives just +1

[normal canyon]

Bunny didn't say it required attunement tho

[mighty wharf]

I don't know if it did or not...

[severe rampart]

As a DM, if such an item existed I'd say that they could only have one at a time, even if it didn't require attunement

[rough basalt]

session starts with a kraken fight

[severe rampart]

I feel like that's fair

[viral kraken]

there's a rule in the phb called Wearing and Wielding Items and talks about only being able to use like 1 headwear at a time for instance

detect poison and disease

[mighty wharf]

I feel like some strong spells you could use would be like Tiny Servant and Unseen Servant, flavored as like farm helpers, sickening radiance flavored as UV light for plants, Flesh to Stone flavored as turning people into scarecrows I suppose.

Leomund’s Tiny Hut. What kind of magical farmer wouldn't take the rest spell? They could just camp out in their massive fields

You never specified "low tier starter" was the conditions.

[quick swallow]

Tiny Hut mentioned 🔥

[mighty wharf]

Hut is like a bowl covering you. It doesn't interfere with crops on the ground.

You don't add spells with backstory you add spells through leveling up.

Unless it's like a Ravnica background or whatever background it is. Maybe racial traits at best but those you don't get to pick typically.

[errant crag]

Sometimes I don't wanna run a super story heavy game

Sometimes I just wanna make a dungeon and run a dungeon with little narrative stuff going on

Sometimes I wanna set up targets to be knocked down by my players and just give them something to play through

[quick swallow]

Valid that's what I do mostly

[tall forge]

I love super story heavy games…

I cant do the lil narrative ones, i lose motivation so fast 😔

[quick swallow]

Some story is good, but when i try n do a lot, my players start stabbed random people 🙁

[tall forge]

Player issue

[quick swallow]

Ye

But I love them all the same lol

[tall forge]

Talk with em to see if you can compromise or run something more narrative

Im lucky, i have insane players

[rough basalt]

Our 3 man troupe showed a kraken why it wasn't built for these streets

[tall forge]

I told one of my players he couldnt level up bc of story reasons and went “hell yeah”

Truly, masochists

[rough basalt]

I did around 150 damage total in a little over a round.

Gonna miss these damage rolls on my next character after this campaign ends lol

[mighty wharf]

How'd you manage that?

What level is this even

[rough basalt]

Scion Rogue with a +3 handcrossbow and one attack had a +2 bolt and a vicious dagger.

Level 17

[mighty wharf]

That explains it.

[rough basalt]

The npc got it just bloodied so I teleported out of its grapple bopped it then my turn came up and I bopped it with my crossbow and dagger.

It came over to get some easy food and realized it's the prey in these waters. (We're gonna be gone from this world within 24 hours)

I'm looking forward to my first crit after we hit level 19

Rolling the 20d6 sneak attack is a dream

[mighty wharf]

That is insane

I can't wait to microwave

[past blaze]

I don't think a kraken is built for any streets

[fossil hollow]

what if the streets are underwater

[rough basalt]

True, he wasn't built for these waters

[mighty wharf]

Why would there be streets underwater, and not something like water channels?

[fossil hollow]

flooding, aesthetics

[rough basalt]

Sunken city

[mighty wharf]

Ig bro

[peak pecan]

I think they call those “waterways”

[empty thicket]

something like venecia but with underwater buildings and more.
Even some buildings would have underwater entrances and sections for fish people//water races

would be the best possible way to make a mixed town of water//land people

[remote onyx]

What is yalls hot take in dnd

[severe rampart]

It would depend on what you consider a "hot take"

[rough basalt]

People need to learn their sheets

Which is an ice cold take in this discord but everywhere else, lava hot one

[woven flint]

The hells are overrated in D&D

[fossil hollow]

cr works

[rough basalt]

CR does indeed work

[mighty wharf]

There should be turns out of combat. Not the same structure of combat turns, but turns every scene so that every player gets their action.

Long rest? Everyone gets a turn for their 2 hours of light activity. Prep before setting out for adventure? Everyone gets a turn saying how they prep.

[humble cairn]

Alignment, in regards to player characters, is actively detrimental to the game and should be ignored or abolished.

[rough basalt]

Dungeon actions are nice but can be very tedious and boring imo

[rough basalt]

So cold they made an adventure about it in Icewind Dale

Cause people are very slow

Especially if they got the talking stick

[severe rampart]

I feel like some people in this server don't actually play D&D and just enjoy the idea of playing D&D

[remote onyx]

Thats crazy

[paper portal]

oh yeah absolutely

[wide portal]

We use Alignment as a guidepost to start the with but as crap happens during adventures Alignments change

[rough basalt]

Rime of the Frostmaiden cold take

[errant crag]

People who like talking about it more than playing it

[severe rampart]

I don't really have anything else, most of my opinions are considered cold here

[rough basalt]

It is a fact that a lot of people in the 5e community dont actually wanna play 5e they just want an occasional time to roll dice

[errant crag]

Rangers should be Intelligence based instead of Wisdom based

[remote onyx]

Now thats a hot take

[errant crag]

I am not willing to discuss this take

[peak pecan]

Hotter take, they shouldn’t be casters at all

[normal canyon]

Homebrewing to the point of no return is still d&d as long as it's very balanced

[errant crag]

Lukewarm take

[severe rampart]

God damn what else do you want to take away from them😭

Being a caster is their saving grace

[wanton dirge]

guys how do I play dnd

[fossil hollow]

#dnd-newcomers

[paper portal]

yeah 5.5 really hit them hard lol

[remote onyx]

Feel free to dm me and i can help you

[dire pelican]

Druid is the better support compared to cleric

[paper portal]

truth nuke

[peak pecan]

Make them like spell-less bards or more martial rogues; Jack of All Trades, bonuses to all wilderness survival checks while outdoors/within one of their favored environments, and can study monster lore between adventures to get bonuses on history and tracking a number of quarries equal to Proficiency Bonus + 1

[rough basalt]

Hotter than the Plane of Fire

[odd valley]

idk how hot of a take this is but it’s also a personal opinion: 5e blows as a system, compared to others i’ve played

[remote onyx]

uhh holy

[odd valley]

specifically casting

[hard finch]

Hello

[dire pelican]

lmao

[odd valley]

i really dislike the casting of this system

[rough basalt]

cozy warm take

[paper portal]

ngl only other one ive played is pf2e and i think it sucks in comparison to 5e 😭

[rough basalt]

More pathfinder fixes this

[severe rampart]

Would vary from table to table, from terrible to mediocre😭

[odd valley]

not hot enough…

[paper portal]

ive heard 1e is by far the better one so maybe

[peak pecan]

If the exploration pillar was properly invested into, it wouldn’t be too bad

[severe rampart]

That's a massive "if"

and you having to say "wouldn't be too bad" supports it

[lyric idol]

My OSE group disbanded today. Our DM dropped out and with that the strings holding our group together died. 😢

[paper portal]

just revert rangers back to tashas icl

[odd valley]

what if my issues lay not with the scaling of martials (though that also isn’t great) but with how much i hate vancian casting in this system

[fossil hollow]

what

[rough basalt]

pathfinder fixes that by making you like vancian

[wide portal]

This may sound weak but there are classes I haven't played because I am too intimidated

[severe rampart]

Lol true

[peak pecan]

Weren’t there alternative casting rules in the 2014 DMG somewhere? I wonder if those were any good

[severe rampart]

I will never play Barbarian or Druid

[odd valley]

vancian casting blows.

that’s my take

[dire pelican]

in the hands of the right person druid is op

[lyric idol]

This is why I'm glad I played DND before watching tierlists and guides. I'd have never played Rogue or Ranger based on YT content.

[errant crag]

Vancian is where you prepare a number of casts of specific spells right?

[wide portal]

I have never played Monk, Sorcorer, and Wizard

[odd valley]

yes so technically i’m not using the right term

[errant crag]

YouTube slop is so harmful to this game

[odd valley]

it’s semi vancian casting

[severe rampart]

Oh, they're pretty nice to play

[fossil hollow]

the only classes i havent played are: bard, druid, ranger, sorceror, artificer,

[severe rampart]

Why not Bard?

[fossil hollow]

never had the chance, an unga bunga speaks to me more often

[paper portal]

to be fair from an optimization standpoint rogues arent doing so hot 😭 but yeah those channels have no idea what theyre talking about

[remote onyx]

So all of yall are in here and half of yall dont want to play dnd????

just discuss it?

[severe rampart]

You can be an int dump Bard

[lyric idol]

Honestly. Classes like Monk and Rogue get abused by sloptube when theyre each a lot of fun.

[wide portal]

I am in my friends current campaign and playing a Life Cleric. We are 13th level and I am having a blast

[fossil hollow]

i wish i was playing dnd rn, but i dont have a game and i have food poisoning

[severe rampart]

Not half. But close.

[severe rampart]

I wish I was playing D&D right now, but my router just self destructed and I have to wait a day for it to be fixed

[fossil hollow]

why my stomach no like medium rare patties

[remote onyx]

if anyone wants to play dnd i might run something

well i am running a one shot

[severe rampart]

I can't prep for my session oh my

[odd valley]

my main issue is with vancian casting

[remote onyx]

Interesting

[errant crag]

I love 5e

[severe rampart]

I might just buy a notebook and write my session notes there like a caveman /j

[fossil hollow]

you dont use notebooks?