dnd-discussion

[errant crag]

Yesterday was Barbarian Paladin which honestly ended up being so much better than I think anybody could have expected it to be, albeit not amazing but still better than expected

[chilly narwhal]

That’s amazing. Would you mind if I do that exercise as well? It sounds like great fun!

[errant crag]

I don't mind do whatever you want

[chilly narwhal]

Thank you!

Warlocks make me shiver

[cobalt owl]

Eldritch blast go brrrrr

[chilly narwhal]

The worst dnd class (personally)

[woven flint]

Skill issue /silly

[errant crag]

Barbarian Rogue, Barbarian Wizard, Barbarian Cleric, and Barbarian Paladin are all wrapped up

Barbarian Monk is today and it's definitely a bit rougher than the others have been but still has potential I feel

[cobalt owl]

Yeah no they go pretty hard

[severe rampart]

That is certainly an opinion

[errant crag]

I genuinely think Barbarian Ranger is going to be the worst

[cobalt owl]

Why torture yourself

[errant crag]

Far worse than Barbarian Wizard mainly because so much of Ranger spell list's combat spells are concentration, hell their core class feature is concentration

[errant crag]

This has been a ton of fun

It a challenge/thought experiment

[chilly narwhal]

In my head, I hear "eldritch blast" creeping up on me.

[cobalt owl]

Lol my original word got blocked

[chilly narwhal]

That’s all they do

[cobalt owl]

Self distaste

[errant crag]

Barbarian is my favorite class and this is a great way to further familiarize myself with its mechanics and how it interacts with other classes

[cobalt owl]

Blame wotc for making it the best damage scaling cantrip

[chilly narwhal]

Short rest, eldritch blast, short rest, "oh hey guys let me do eldritch blast again"

[cobalt owl]

Barbarian is among my lower liked classes but I respect your ranking

[glass granite]

I personally don’t much like wizards

[chilly narwhal]

That’s really my main issue with it. I just don’t like how one trick pony it is designed to be

[severe rampart]

No they regain pact slots back on a short rest

[cobalt owl]

There's other things you can do lmfao

[severe rampart]

It forces you to be creative, imo

[chilly narwhal]

I’m mostly exaggerating, but it often feels like warlocks are just resting and blasting

[severe rampart]

Also... There are a lot of things you can do

[cobalt owl]

It's just easy to blast, it's not as easy to do other things so most resort to EB

[severe rampart]

You can be a martial, you can EB, you can use your familiars even

[chilly narwhal]

I mean when other people in the party are warlocks

[cobalt owl]

W

[severe rampart]

Pact of The Tome, Chain, and Blade

[chilly narwhal]

I don’t mean as in "I dislike playing it" but that warlock pcs just rest and blast

[cobalt owl]

Lesser W

[severe rampart]

... Name one spell class that doesn't need to rest to be able to use their higher level spells

[chilly narwhal]

I’m not wanting to bicker with you. It’s my personal feeling that warlocks do one attack

[thorn osprey]

oops, wrong reply! Sorry

and:

Which resource books have the best necromancy spells? Third party or not

[chilly narwhal]

It’s fine that you enjoy them, and my opinion is very biased

[errant crag]

The rules for this barbarian multiclass challenge are:

1. I can only put levels in Barbarian and one other class at a time, no dips in a third class to enhance the other two.

2. I must stay strictly RAW, no homebrew or third party content, and no asking the DM to rule anything differently.

3. I must use the 2024 options, but can use the 2014 options that haven't been reprinted yet.

4. I must put at least 3 levels in both classes.

[severe rampart]

Eh, sure, whatever you believe in I suppose

[chilly narwhal]

I am mostly silly when I rag on warlocks, I know they can be fun

On silly campaigns I do love me mysterious characters. There’s so many funny ways it can go and good bits

[final cove]

I have a bard named captain blax, he has an eltric guitar, hes a pirate

[chilly narwhal]

Sounds amazing

[final cove]

Thanks what do you play?

[chilly narwhal]

Currently, my only character is a lore bard + drow

I was writing the rest, but I’m only consistently playing her right now lol

[severe rampart]

soon it'll turn from one... to ten... to twenty

[molten glade]

One time, I read about a guy who had a stereotypical edgy looking guy, black hooded cloak with a big sword
Then it turns out it was a socially awkward owlin

[chilly narwhal]

Once had a party member who had a super mysterious past, and occasionally npcs would go "how expected of you, edge name I forgot,” and we learned his parents were florists and he was actually named Jim

Unfortunately that campaign was really short and happened a long time ago

[paper portal]

No relation to jim's magic missile I assume

[steady zephyr]

Today is a great day to be a DM chat

[severe rampart]

How so

[steady zephyr]

Just finished my initial prep, and I'm feeling pretty proud that the visual novel medium idea I proposed to my friends is working

" It's actually possible outside on paper! "

[rustic zephyr]

Sounds awesome, hope you have fun and your session goes without a hitch!

[steady zephyr]

Thank youuu! I hope my players enjoy themselves since it's a romance campaign sorta like a "date everything" situation

[rustic zephyr]

Lmao I imagine them all being in a polycule or something by the end of it

[glad ferry]

Then you have that one character that is really bad at talking to people

[woven flint]

I step in with the Aro/Ace character

[steady zephyr]

It'd be funny if they were yes

Though they're all invested in their own character

[severe rampart]

It's the one that'll succeed

[steady zephyr]

Well!

There's platonic routes too

So a-okay

[severe rampart]

Sign me up /j

[woven flint]

I have an Aro/Ace father of two Harengon Bladesinger

He's raising two wyrmlings

[stoic haven]

Oh yea

[woven flint]

One was created after he drew from the deck of many things...
The other is the reincarnation of a Dragon deity the party slayed

[glad ferry]

Those would be expensive to feed

[severe rampart]

Dragons usually have human forms, no?

[fossil hollow]

At adult stage

[severe rampart]

Ah, gotcha

[fossil hollow]

Both Slate and Ouroboros are still a few centuries away from being adults

[woven flint]

He retired from the the party to take care of them because he didn't want to die and leave them fatherless

Responsible father pog

[fossil hollow]

says the man dragon in jail and in trial

[woven flint]

That's not because of being an irresponsible parent, that's because Giants are Bigoted against dragons

[fossil hollow]

having to hide away for 2000 years after 1000 years of war builds up a looot of resentment

[rustic zephyr]

I'd imagine

if it DIDN'T, you'd have to have a few screws loose

and if it did, congratulations, you now have some screws loose

the illusion of choice

[woven flint]

They're just lucky Malaketh is the chillest wizard alive

[steady zephyr]

I just doomscrolled oops but that's cool asf!

I might run this campaign for the public in a few months when it's developed fully

[fossil hollow]

Their normal reaction is slay on sight, but word of one of the slayers of Ouroboros spreads

[steady zephyr]

Also a little more yapping about my campaign: this is my love letter to D&D for being such a huge part of my life!! So I thought I'd put it on my passion project list!

I wish I could stream it but yeah no success

Anyways, if this goes well I'll try to learn coding to make the romance aspect a real game but hey let's see

[rustic zephyr]

All the best, hope it all goes well, it's nice to hear DnD's been a big part of your life

[steady zephyr]

Ouiii

There is a tiny twist but it's gonna make things more interesting

[paper portal]

the characters or the players

[rustic zephyr]

characters 😭

[slate lion]

Hello

[paper portal]

booooring

[ember bough]

How do I make a looking for players post

[severe rampart]

instructions in #find-a-game

[ember bough]

Thanks

[errant crag]

I don't like 2024 Boots of Striding and Springing

As much as I like the 2024 Jump spell, I preferred the boots tripling my jump distance

Like don't get me wrong it's a mechanically good effect and is generally better for most characters

But I liked taking them on a character built around jumping and being able to just jump super far on my turn

[scenic zinc]

The issue was that they didn't do that, though.

The jumping effect on the old version of the boots was the same as the '14 jump spell, which also didn't really just let you jump around like people wanted to.

[errant crag]

"While you wear these boots, your walking speed becomes 30 feet, unless your walking speed is higher, and your speed isn't reduced if you are encumbered or wearing heavy armor. In addition, you can jump three times the normal distance, though you can't jump farther than your remaining movement would allow."

They tripled my jump distance so yes they did. If I'm building a character around jumping I'm building to have the movement speed to jump farther.

So yes I could build my character to have big long range jumps

And yes I know the old effect was the 2014 jump spell. I said I don't like the new version of the boots not that I don't understand where the change came from.

[scenic zinc]

So you like interacting with the jumping rules?

[errant crag]

Yes

[steady zephyr]

HELP THAT'D BE FUNNY

[rustic zephyr]

imagine LOL

man I thought I'd be playing by now like an hour ago lol but this DM has been offline, I hope they're doing okay and nothing bad happened

[hollow bluff]

Sup yall

[feral fulcrum]

I'm looking forward to seeing where my campaign goes, after we wrap up the eldritch horror that's been trapped inside an old wizard tower, and the Evil Wizard Gnome that plans to breach said tower.

[small heath]

Chat, in your opinion, should Warlocks get more pact spell slots?

[fossil hollow]

People should use more Short Rests

[frail wasp]

nah

[small heath]

My hot take personally is that D&D isn't designed for short rests

[hot reef]

It's more like the way D&D is often played it isn't designed for short rests

[fossil hollow]

its the opposite. Most people just dont do how the game is designed (multiple combats and short rests a day)

[crimson gulch]

You are wrong about that that's for sure, they are required when you run properly challenging adventuring days

[paper portal]

Yeah D&D needs more attrition than recommended to see any real difficulty but even just sticking to the normal 6 encounters 2 short rests fixes a lot of the issues people have with the system

[scenic zinc]

If that were the case they simply wouldn't be in the design.

[craggy summit]

I can kinda understand the take. Some classes benefit from it more than others

[valid geyser]

i think short rests are from a ludonarrative point shouldn't be an hour. thats too long to really justify in a lot of scenarios. should be 10 minutes

[scenic zinc]

That doesn't mean it's not designed for it

[paper portal]

That's intentional

[craggy summit]

True true. I'm just saying I can see why they'd think that

[paper portal]

Warlocks and monks need short rests because otherwise they're playing at a huge disadvantage

Especially monks lol

[fossil hollow]

Fighter, Druid, Cleric, Monk, and Warlock all have core features that reset on SR

[scenic zinc]

Many classes benefit from sr

[paper portal]

True but the most important ones are definitely pact magic and ki/focus

[fossil hollow]

at least, Cleric and Druid did. They got one regen of CD/WS now

[scenic zinc]

Wizards have arcane recovery

[hollow bluff]

Does anyone wanna talk about d&d wit me I'm lowk lonely and bored

[fossil hollow]

Fighters had Action Surge.

Rogues didnt have any resources unless its a subclass one.

Ranger didnt really have SR stuff either, unless its also subclass stuff

[scenic zinc]

Barbarians get rage back

[paper portal]

Yeah rip 2/sr twilight sanctuary

[paper portal]

Yeah that's what we're all here for :3

[hollow bluff]

Ik

Just your the first one that spoke to me

[paper portal]

Yep I'm just so cool like that <-(sweaty nerd)

[hollow bluff]

Huh not cooler than my DIVINE SMITE!

[undone rain]

So what is a rogues role in fights. Are they like a temporary front liner

[paper portal]

Actually divine smite is a bad spell because if you look at my spreadsheet it clearly
/silly

[severe rampart]

High Burst Damage

[lost estuary]

What should I ask my dm so I can find out more about the world and find more side quests

[undone rain]

I dont really know what you mean could you explain further

[severe rampart]

Get them to focus on a single strong enemy they'll be taking insane amounts of hp

[hollow bluff]

It's not that bad

[undone rain]

Hm well ill give em a try in bg3. I end up liking em then ill try em out in dnd too

[rough basalt]

Very high damage once per round.

Or twice if you have an enabler.

[hollow bluff]

What's the most damaging class

[rough basalt]

Like Battlemaster Commanders Strike or Scion of the Three teleport.

[severe rampart]

Thief Rogue with Scrolls of Fireball

[paper portal]

Kinda depends on how you measure it and the version you're playing but I'd say warlock

[severe rampart]

Depends.

[rough basalt]

Having an enabler to OA for another sneak attack is fun for rogues.

[paper portal]

ebarb is definitely the best resourceless dpr source

[severe rampart]

ebarb?

[paper portal]

Eldritch blast with agonizing and repelling

[severe rampart]

...Elite Barbarian

[blissful ibex]

Eldritch Blast, Agonizing/Repelling Blast

[hollow bluff]

I play 5e and arcane and I'm talking just straight up easy damage

[severe rampart]

I need to scrub the Clash away from my brain

[paper portal]

It works especially well on dao cus they get spike growth

[blissful ibex]

Create Bonfire is a contender if placed on a point/line
issue is Concentration, if you need another conc spell up at least

[severe rampart]

Hunger of Hadar too yeah?

[paper portal]

Kinda but that doesnt damage per 5 feet moved

[severe rampart]

...Create Bonfire is a cantrip no?

[blissful ibex]

yep

[severe rampart]

Is that really a contender

[blissful ibex]

as is Eldritch Blast

[blissful ibex]

For resourceless damage outoput? ye

[paper portal]

No it's 1d8 compared to ebarb's 1d10 + cha with knockback and better scaling

[blissful ibex]

1d8 covering 4 squares if placed on a point though
+wis on a level 7+ druid with Potent Spellcasting

[paper portal]

Even if you do rule it that way eldritch blast is the best cantrip by a long shot

It's still just 1d8 per turn and it takes your concentration (and thats assuming they stay in the cube)

[blissful ibex]

at max level and assuming maxed Spellcasting Ability Mod:
Eb maxes at 4x (1d10+5) (42 avg)
Create bonfire Maxes at a potential 4x (4d8+5) (92 avg); though this assumes you catch 4 enemies with it, though it only takes 2 to outscale (46 avg)

[severe rampart]

There is a ruling that says 5ft is 5ft no?

[blissful ibex]

https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/sae/sage-advice-compendium#SAC-Spells-CloudofDaggers1

[paper portal]

I think it's kinda vague but it does tend to get ruled like that

Even so assuming you're catching 4 enemies with create bonfire is ambitious to say the least

[blissful ibex]

it is, but you only need 2 for it to surpass EBARB in DPA

You can take both though, so not really an issue

[paper portal]

Eldritch blast also has the advantage of repelling blast and being able to hold concentration spells at the same time which is very very important

Honestly the knockback is more important than the damage

[severe rampart]

just realized three of us in a campaign accidentally named all of our characters as jojo references on accident.

[blissful ibex]

it really is
doubly so if paired with Grasp of Hadar

[errant crag]

What the hell is EBARB

[blissful ibex]

Eldritch Blast, Agonizing/Repelling Blast

[errant crag]

I've seen that term like 20 times the last few days and not a single time before that

[blissful ibex]

you see the term a lot more in #optimization

[errant crag]

Well I never go to that channel so I guess it makes sense

[paper portal]

Huh I had no idea that wasn't just what people called it ngl

[severe rampart]

I totally thought of clash

[blissful ibex]

I mean I call it that
but it's the sort of shorthand people not as familiar with the game will very likely miss

[paper portal]

Yeah I've definitely seen people use it in other places a lot too

[blissful ibex]

ye, just have seen the most instances of it in that channel as EBARB comes up quite often

[paper portal]

Cus it's an insanely good cantrip :3

[severe rampart]

Oh my god I just got that

[paper portal]

People really underestimate warlocks ngl

[severe rampart]

Eldritch Blast And Repelling Blast = EBARB

[errant crag]

I don't think I've ever seen people underestimate warlocks

[valid geyser]

i think the A is agonizing

[blissful ibex]

close, Eldritch Blast + Agonizing/Repelling Blast

[severe rampart]

Shhh... it's And now

[paper portal]

Idk new people in optimization are always shocked to see it ranked as the 2nd best class

[errant crag]

I never go to optimization like I said so

[paper portal]

They are dragged down a lot by the questionable spell list though lol

[severe rampart]

One person here just a few hours ago said it was the worst class

[modern knoll]

I bought the Illrigger class and my party all called me a Pay-to-Winner😭

[paper portal]

???

[errant crag]

I saw that

[modern knoll]

can't have anything😔

[paper portal]

Lmao illrigger isn't even that strong

[severe rampart]

Quote "I feel like they just rest and blast, that's all they do"

[blissful ibex]

tbf, it's a bit intimidating of a class to tackle do to their unique spell slot structure, limited spell list, and the Eldritch Invocation system, adding a lot of complexity; but the complexity is exactly why I like it

[paper portal]

Even if they did that would put them far above the worst tbh

[modern knoll]

I chose the Hellspeaker subclass, and seeing someone hit an autocrit out of nowhere is a bit daunting😭

[blissful ibex]

especially as part of a deeper MC with another full caster

5+ levels of warlock is just really nice

[paper portal]

Hmm like druid perhaps

[blissful ibex]

Druidlock is the best 'class'

it's MAD as hell, but they cover rather well for eachother's weaknesses

[paper portal]

Fun fact from a combat/optimization perspective druid is ranked above sorc as a multiclass for warlocks and pallies

Although that's in 5e, idk if it still is in 5.5

[blissful ibex]

bit tougher due to you needing to 3 dip I assume; unsure if that was due to a specific subclass or not

[paper portal]

Nah they're just built like that

It's also partially because 5e druids barely use their casting stat which ik isn't quite as true in 5.5

[errant crag]

This is like the "walk forward and attack" stuff with martials

[blissful ibex]

tbf, go 20wis/16cha and make up the difference in Spell Attack Mod with a Staff of the Woodlands/Staff of Power and/or Robe of the Archmage depending on tier c:

[paper portal]

Well you see 13wis/20cha a lot

[blissful ibex]

issue is lower dex and con

[severe rampart]

I've rolled... three natural ones in a row.

[blissful ibex]

10 dex 14 con (after resilliant: con), but her AC is decent due to being able to use a shield so

[blissful ibex]

we had the party do that once, followed by 2 crits from the monsters q_q

all in a row

[errant crag]

I get so exhausted by this stuff

People running the game in ways that ignore the very rules of the system then wanting the game to be changed to fit how they're running it instead of just running it differently or running a different system

[blissful ibex]

tbf, "3~6 encounters" doesn't necessarially mean combat encounters; just anything that eats up resources

[paper portal]

Well that's when you can think about taking a cleric level for heavy armor prof and just eating the movement penalty

It's not generally a good idea but shhh I think it's cool

[blissful ibex]

mostly with lower Encounter rates and completely handwaving the Exploration Pillar

[severe rampart]

Fourth nat one.

[blissful ibex]

eeh, I end on like 22~23 AC anyway in deeper levels, 14~15 in tier 1, and around 18~20 in tier 2

[errant crag]

I don't want to have more than one combat per long rest
I don't want to have more in depth combat environments
I don't want to put thought into my encounters
I don't want to track spell components
I don't want to track light levels

I want the system to bend over backwards to work no matter how many rules and recommendations I ignore

[severe rampart]

I'm never using martials again. /j

[paper portal]

Lmao last session I was just rolling dice for fun and got three nat 20s in a row but then didn't get above a 5 the whole time for any actual rolls

[blissful ibex]

gods forbid they have to roll weather

[idle bone]

Who would win? A pound of feathers or a pound of steel?

[paper portal]

Pound of steel, steel's heavier than feathers

[blissful ibex]

*furiously casts druidcraft at the start of every adventuring day

[errant crag]

There are so many rules I want to start tracking but can't because my group is just entirely closed minded to new things

They'd rather learn a whole new system than try tracking a new mechanic in 5e that we didn't before

[blissful ibex]

meanwhile, I'm over here adding more rules to lean on for my character/equipment/spell mechanics every other week

[agile hemlock]

I am making my own world with gestalt rules and stuff

I am making 13 species

[hot reef]

A kilogram of steel weighs more than a kilogram of feathers. However, a pound of steel does not weigh more than a pound of feathers. This is due to atmospheric pressure

[paper portal]

Ngl I should do more stuff with like weird house rules around levelling

[agile hemlock]

I think you mean the difference is a matter of density, since that's the compactness of matter in some defined boundary, i.e. volume

Also - kill Jestah

[severe rampart]

... you know, maybe being a martial just isn't for me (5th nat 1.)

I'm starting to consider using my action surge to just try to attack again

[blissful ibex]

I love gestalt games

[agile hemlock]

yem

[blissful ibex]

would love if people ran more of them in general

[agile hemlock]

It's because my world is meant to be like almost excessively high fantasy, kinda like WoW in some ways

[paper portal]

I need to make this conversation about optimization /silly

[agile hemlock]

Literally everyone has magic

[blissful ibex]

except weight =! mass; presumably both are being weighed and measured out under equal conditions

[severe rampart]

Please do. Pulls out bingo card

[agile hemlock]

All species get cantrips

[paper portal]

We need to actually make the bingo card at some point

[limber trail]

People have

[severe rampart]

... you guys don't actually... have one?

[errant crag]

There literally is one

[limber trail]

It was a thing for a while

[errant crag]

There is literally a bingo card for the server

[paper portal]

Oh there is? I just saw people talking about making one and never making it lol

[errant crag]

It's kinda exclusionary

[paper portal]

wdym

[agile hemlock]

But yes, the world is also metal as hell since it's created from the remains of gods that all indiscriminately tore into one another, and the few that survived had to sleep for so long to forget

[fossil hollow]

not by choice 😭

[agile hemlock]

Then ushered in the cosmos by using their fallen brethren

Their bones and stuff becoming rock

[fossil hollow]

So, normal fossils

[agile hemlock]

And then stars emerged to be a symbol of hope

But that entire conflict is why there's a psychic wound and metaphysical anti-world called the Harrow and it makes mortals violent or conditions that make mortals violent

It demands that more things die

[fossil hollow]

might be a better convo for #dm-world-building

[agile hemlock]

ok

I cast magic missile

[errant crag]

I just really hate clubhouse servers

[fossil hollow]

huh?

[severe rampart]

Mickey Mouse?

[errant crag]

Sure

[severe rampart]

Michael Mouse has also offended me once or twice.

[fossil hollow]

just curious what you mean by clubhouse servers??

Im fairly sure thats against server rules

[scenic zinc]

You'd be correct

[fast nova]

Hello 👋

[woven flint]

Howdy

[keen basin]

heyyy

[errant crag]

Sorry my mind is wandering I'm not really sure what I'm talking about here

Got too much on my mind

I think I was thinking of something else

[empty thicket]

what humans get? a free choice of cantrip¿?

[agile hemlock]

nu; that's reserved for the Twinblood race

Which is the half-(blank) race

More specifically, a true half race, as in any two halves instead of human + something else

[empty thicket]

i love the humans being the principal bridge between races

but now the question is, what they get for cantrip?

[blissful ibex]

5e(2014) truestrike c:

[empty thicket]

mmmm....that bad....

i expected something versatile ngl

for the concept of human, being the versatile race

[normal canyon]

Hello, has anyone fought a tarrasque before?

[empty thicket]

not yet, fought some stuff kinda dangerous

an owlbear with more HP than a tarraske one time

[fossil hollow]

I fought an owlbear that used the tarrasque statblock and an actual tarrasque

[empty thicket]

Its okey because its something we have in our campaign, enemies have lot more HP but lower AC so we can hit more and frustrate less

[fair summit]

One of our sessions ended up being cancelled right at the playing time few years back, so me and a friend just did a small one shot, whipped up level 20 characters and beat up a tarrasque 😛

[empty thicket]

still some enemies will have high AC so we can feel some pressure against them

[empty thicket]

lvl 20 characters can against a tarrasque without problem

hell i would say that you would need to upgrade the tarrasque a lot for making it a challenge against them

Almost Godzilla tier kind of monster

Shin godzilla better said.

[fossil hollow]

Tarrasque is supposedly godzilla tier. Theyre city destroyers

[paper portal]

Yeah tarrasques are way easier than their cr would suggest

[empty thicket]

"supposedly", the thing is, godzilla is more than just a big chunk of HP and damage

[fossil hollow]

i think its less that and more WotC gives too much to spellcasters at that level

[fair summit]

I mean yeah, but it was literally just us doing something for fun we just put together when the session got cancelled, so it's not like we put up much thought into it. Heck it was just 2 players, and the tarrasque almost killed the wizard in a dramatic moment, so it all worked out!

[paper portal]

That's true but there a fair few monsters that are harder than tarrasques too

[fossil hollow]

To put it into perspective.
A commoner has 4 HP. Buildings usually are given 100 or so. And players are just freaks of nature

Tarrasques also double damage against objects and structures

including their ginormous roar

[empty thicket]

Yep, but i said shin godzilla later because it have a lot more emphasis on his breath

[fossil hollow]

When i hear Shin, i dont think of the breath weapon. I think of the pain, and also the back lazers

[empty thicket]

Yep and a lot more of things

[fossil hollow]

His theme is called "Those Who Know" for a reason

[empty thicket]

i just feel the normal tarrasque lack of some of that stuff

[fossil hollow]

in 5e and 5.5e, yes

It used to need a wish for a chance to kill it

[empty thicket]

for its regeneration?

[blissful ibex]

with every new edition ,they nerf they tarrasque more and more q_q /hj

[fossil hollow]

No, you needed a wish while it was at 0 for a chance to make sure its dead

[agile pulsar]

In your opinion, what is the better name for a special move an Evil Wizard Judge would do in DND

Death Sentence or Death Penalty

[fossil hollow]

6e making it have no statblock and saying: run it like a natural disaster"

[fossil hollow]

-# Divine Skeleton Death Blast

the former, Death Sentence

[empty thicket]

Depend, death sentence sound like something with a time // turns

[agile pulsar]

I was actually basing it off Doom from Final Fantasy!

But I do like Death Sentence more

[fossil hollow]

Doom?! DOOM?!?!

[low heart]

Someone called?

[fossil hollow]

oh my god, its Doom guy

[empty thicket]

I would do it like some kojima thing and let the name explain the spell itself

[odd valley]

SKELETON DIVINE DEATH BLAST!!!

[low heart]

I really wanna get into a game of DnD as a player but my schedule is so bad for it I’m actually suffering

[jolly canyon]

mood

[low heart]

I work 4 days and then get 4 off, one month I’m free every Monday and the next I work every Monday

[empty thicket]

fortunately i didnt had to suffer this at all when i was working

because i got weekends free and sessions were there

but today had a session and stuff happened, life is weird

[low heart]

Tbf if I’m willing to sacrifice sleep between shifts I might be able to find a group

[sterile wren]

sleep is overrated anyways!

[empty thicket]

Please dont, isnt that serious.

The best option i would say is play oneshots or find some bi weekly group who dm build up really well the stuff

[bronze wave]

I concur you will not enjoy it lol youll be tired

[bronze wave]

I cant play one shots or biweeklys myself cant get into it

[sterile wren]

as a sleep deprived human, I can say it's not that bad. Just git used to being tired and overworking yoursel- Oh wait... that's not a good idea. Yeah I see what you mean now.

[empty thicket]

its okey, i say because Doom have a giga special schedule

[bronze wave]

always get 7-8 hours

[fossil hollow]

*laughs in 5 hours from time to time *

[empty thicket]

i got some problems with my schedule in its moment, i arrived the weekends and slept like 14 to 16 hours because i was a pair of weeks adapting my sleep times

[low heart]

I get the benefit of sleeping at work during my breaks so I can likely catch up on sleep then

[empty thicket]

Yeah, 30 minutes sleep help to get that lovely recharge for the rest of the shift

[sterile wren]

is this what's it's like to have a job?

[fossil hollow]

unless youre lucky, usually

[bronze wave]

idk if thats how that works lol 😭

[empty thicket]

Depend of many factors.
But at first yeah

[bronze wave]

I love dnd idk if Id sacrfice sleep for it

[empty thicket]

until you adapt your times to it

[sterile wren]

I have a one step guide on making money.
Step one: Get money.
Okay done.

[odd valley]

nope i wouldn’t

[empty thicket]

na, never do it

DnD is good, is funny but always prio your needs please

[low heart]

My work is flexible enough I get to sleep through half my shift tbf

[bronze wave]

I mean if you say so, just dont over do it tbh lol

[empty thicket]

wish mine was that, but meh. I knew what i chose to work on

[sterile wren]

Human condition? Nah... Human condition? Yeah that's what the companies want but don't care about, depending on the context!

[low heart]

I do private security in a 3 man team so we take turns, while the other two are alert I get to sleep and we just rotate

[empty thicket]

that is a really fair way to handle it and more with such deal between workers

[sterile wren]

Guys, we need sleep multiplayer mode.

playing dnd in dreams with friends

why god not update life?

[low heart]

I’ll go send an inquiry up to the big dog himself

[empty thicket]

He made the game and left the development

[low heart]

Yeah he said he won’t be updating the game cos the player base is just too toxic

[cobalt owl]

Thats his fault

[rough basalt]

Thinking it might be smart to actually start interviewing prospective players

[empty thicket]

depend of the religion
In some there is one developer so we can expect some errors
In another there is too much developers and its expected loosing data and making mistakes for miscommunication

[empty thicket]

prospective players?

[errant crag]

Why would you not do this

[rough basalt]

new players

[errant crag]

You just let people join your games without asking any questions?

[rough basalt]

For the most part, I ask them something like favorite character, favorite memory

[errant crag]

What

[rough basalt]

How they respond typically gives me a trial run kind of mindset

I'm not smart, and not good at interviews so I usually just go by trial and error

[empty thicket]

oh those, yeah

[rough basalt]

I dont wanna spend 20 minutes interviewing someone whose gonna ghost

[paper portal]

Hey don't be mean to yourself >:c

[empty thicket]

that its totally okey, respect your time and others time

[paper portal]

See I'm a perfect player I make fun of everyone for their build and then use something really stupid myself /silly

[rough basalt]

Tho ima have to start doing so cause its smart

[fair summit]

Half my questions are stuff like "can you play at the listed time" or "do you agree to the rules I run my game by", basically the "obvious" stuff, and even those alone tend to eliminate over half the prospective players applying when their answers directly go against the game lol

The rest for me is also vibes based. My favourite question is asking what kind of character they are wanting to play, which tells me

• Their interest (mechanical, roleplay, geberal vibes)
• Their level of enthusiasm, how much they write and what they go into detail about

[rough basalt]

I should find like a list

[empty thicket]

a check list and then when you get a new player do those questions

[rough basalt]

Considering my upcoming campaign has a shopping list of content warnings I should especially be more vigilant.

[paper portal]

Eh I agree it should be mostly vibes based ngl

[empty thicket]

vibes are tricky sometimes

you can vibe with someone a lot but they can be someone that either forget the sessions or just enter later without caring too much

[rough basalt]

How they interact in the server up till the game also tells me a bit

[mighty wharf]

Have you ever had someone go into detail about something super specific about their character that was just like really odd?

[paper portal]

You'd let me in your campaign right bats eyelashes

[flint ledge]

Good Timezone

[rough basalt]

Dunno

[paper portal]

I have an awful timezone lol

[rough basalt]

It's during the day for me

Cause I want one game where I can really let loose

[flint ledge]

Good Timezone as in good whatever time of day it is for you

[paper portal]

Yeah I'm +11 lol

[rough basalt]

Letting loose with my voice just makes me happy

And part of the drawback of my usual sessions is I need to be a bit conservative.

[mighty wharf]

"So let me tell you about my character: so they were an assasin from a very young age and they had such an obsession with beans, but they only took cases that were live captures no killing because they swore an oath of pacifism, not out of obligation or anything like that just didn't feel like killing, and the way they capture their targets is by planting magic beans beneath their beds before they sleep and having the plants entangle them. They have quite the bean collection.

Oh and they're a Rogue."

[empty thicket]

x2

Im already playing with people that have around +6 hours difference with me

Fortunately i have a really big window of time that i can give to play DnD

[rough basalt]

Same

[paper portal]

Well my current table has really long sessions anyways idk how the others stay up that late tbh

[mighty wharf]

Their name? Killer Bean.

[paper portal]

We've had an 8 hour session before

[errant crag]

I would love an 8 hour session

[empty thicket]

Yep, my 2pm is their 9pm sometimes
My 7am is their 2pm so, i kinda work with that one the weekends

[flint ledge]

I think an 8 hour session in my current campaign would give me madness

[empty thicket]

i tried once... we all burned out a lot to the point that friend dont want to try dming anymore with us

Or in general

[errant crag]

I wish more people would just run modules

[empty thicket]

people have ideas for campaigns, one cant blame them

i even have like 4 in my head taht i would love to do in a future

but first, experience and learn how to dm

[errant crag]

Show me who blamed them

[empty thicket]

They arent in this room with us, they exist but i cant point out where

[errant crag]

I wish more people would run modules because there are official adventures I want to play in and they're generally less stressful to prepare than homebrew games.
I said "I wish more people ran modules"
Not "fewer people should run homebrew games".

[obtuse aurora]

I love the concept, but how do they handle targets that don’t sleep?

[empty thicket]

some will sit in some chairs for long times
Others will be in constant activities

[mighty wharf]

They feed them the beans. Either by deception... or by force.

[obtuse aurora]

Ohh interesting so for the constantly active ones, how do you even get the beans in place without them noticing?

[obtuse aurora]

Do you have different types of beans for different situations, or is it one ‘does everything’ kind of magic?

[empty thicket]

1, Relax. Dont need to be so defensive.
2) Yeah that its totally okey
3/ Sometimes the concept of modules dont let people to be so creative they would like to
-4 I want to make more of these numbers to put more marks
5|| im getting out of things to put numbers!!
6]Okey that it is

[empty thicket]

They wont be in that spots all the day, some will have to take a bath, eat, etc. etc.

[mighty wharf]

They have an extensive bean collection. An entire demiplane dedicated to their beans.

[obtuse aurora]

I see ...

[flint ledge]

That's a lot of beans

[mighty wharf]

They even have the all-powerful Ring of Beans

[empty thicket]

Bag of holding full of beans

How you managed to fill a whole Bag of holding? Yep.

[obtuse aurora]

An entire demiplane just for beans is insane , what does that even look like? Is it like endless shelves, a garden, or something more magical/chaotic?

[mighty wharf]

Beans.

[steep dew]

Just baked beans

[mighty wharf]

It's a ring. Of beans.

[sullen mantle]

Yo I got a genuine question

Which handbook do I get

[obtuse aurora]

now I’m imagining your rogue standing in their bean dimension like some kind of plant overlord

[sullen mantle]

And how many player handbooks are there

[empty thicket]

Yes.

[sullen mantle]

Which ones used the most

[empty thicket]

Player books 2014 or 2024 mostly
Monster manual
Dungeon master guide

[strange karma]

Hi everyone! It’s so lovely to meet you all!

[cobalt owl]

And if its a pre-written, the campaign book

[sullen mantle]

Aight I’ll get both just cuz but what’s the monster manual

[cobalt owl]

Its a manual of monsters

[sullen mantle]

I’m jus tryna be a player not a DM

[sullen mantle]

Aight bet

[empty thicket]

a book full of the stats of each monster//features, etc. etc.
It help to build up stuff

[errant crag]

Then just get the PHB

[strange karma]

Oooh it shares relevant information about creatures and monsters in dnd, explaining the mechanics and functions of these beasts

[empty thicket]

Know them and other stuff

[errant crag]

For whichever version you're going to be playing in

[empty thicket]

DnD Beyond have some of that stuff and would save you some pennies

[limber trail]

Oh I would not get the monster manual if you’re a player. It’s generally frowned upon to look at stat blocks ahead of time as a player

[errant crag]

5.5e PHB is much better for learning the game as a new player

Old PHB can be a little obtuse

[cobalt owl]

And verbose

[sullen mantle]

Aight bet thank you

[errant crag]

Obtuse and verbose baby, just like yours truly

[strange karma]

♥️ I’m hoping to make friends and possibly join some campaigns and learn more about DMing

[sullen mantle]

So all I need is the 5.5e phb and some dice

[errant crag]

Well

[sullen mantle]

I have the old one somewhere

[errant crag]

Most importantly you need a group

[sullen mantle]

I have a group

We just need a DM

[limber trail]

Yup. (And, I’m gonna be very honest, if a couple people in your group have the PHB you might not even need that.)

[sullen mantle]

We’re working around it

[limber trail]

You really need a couple PHBs floating around and more are nice to have but if there’s 1-2 at the table most of what you really need

[sullen mantle]

I see I see

I’m excited to play this game

[rough basalt]

An 8 hour session would probably kill me.

[sullen mantle]

I deleted 2 of my characters and had one premade to understand it a little better

[sullen mantle]

God no

Max I’d do is 2-3 hours

But 8 hours??? Nah jus kill my character

[cobalt owl]

I run 3 hours normally

Too much DND isn't good for people

[sullen mantle]

3 hours is reasonable

[cobalt owl]

At least in one sitting

[flint ledge]

That's the maximum? My average sessions are at least that

[paper portal]

Yeah I'm always pretty tired by the end lol

And I'm not even the dm

[rough basalt]

My max is 4 hours as dm or player

[paper portal]

We kinda just keep going until someone wants to stop lol

Idk how my dm can keep it up for that long though

[sullen mantle]

Earlier today I was talking about an ice wasteland type world for a campaign

Something quick

[rough basalt]

Realize I have a lot of work to do for my upcoming campaigns.

[sullen mantle]

What do you have in mind

[flint ledge]

Usually we end after about 3-4 hours mostly cause by that time it's 12-1 AM

[sullen mantle]

And if it’s ok can I slide some ideas?

[rough basalt]

I gotta basically fill the land and try and get some direction.

[paper portal]

northeast!

[sullen mantle]

Ahhh

Magic compass

[rough basalt]

All I got so far is the players start in an asylum and need to escape.

[obtuse aurora]

What part are you working on right now worldbuilding, encounters, or story?

[rough basalt]

Everything.

[sullen mantle]

Don’t burn out

[paper portal]

So much for an "unrealistic fantasy world" that's just tuesday

[fiery skiff]

Is the song of ice and fire trpg any good

[rough basalt]

I got 11 days for one.

And a week for another.

[paper portal]

Don't push yourself too hard

[rough basalt]

I did just cut one campaign

[obtuse aurora]

What kind of campaign is it? Might help narrow things down.

[rough basalt]

Cause having to run 3 full on homebrew campaigns, and one module two for two different systems might be too much.

[obtuse aurora]

Did you finish stuff like character setups and maps yet, or still working on those too?

[rough basalt]

I got 2 maps of the asylum done out of 6

Idk about character setups

I might push the start date.

I cut out another activity I had planned.

[obtuse aurora]

Are you going for a horror vibe with the asylum or something more story-heavy?

[rough basalt]

Horror

[obtuse aurora]

Wow

If you want, I can help brainstorm layouts or creepy details for the remaining maps

[rough basalt]

The asylum part I'm pretty solid on.

[obtuse aurora]

Great

[rough basalt]

It's the rest of it that's getting to me.

Tho there's the possibility they don't even escape the asylum.

[fiery skiff]

I feel bad for some of my players

[obtuse aurora]

are the characters already decided, or are you still figuring out who’s actually in the asylum?

[rough basalt]

Not really. They're all locked up there for some reason or other by a group of Hunters called Wraithwalkers

Maybe a push it forward another week won't be a bad idea.

I didn't eat today cause of dealing with my current tabletop stuff along with irl stuff needed done.

[paper portal]

ok definitely go eat >:(

[rough basalt]

I also gotta have basically a redirection for my Monday game as well as some homebrew done up by next monday.

[paper portal]

Taking care of yourself is more important than dnd

[fiery skiff]

True personnel wellbeing is the most import thing

[obtuse aurora]

That’s a lot on your plate at once 😭 I’d say a delay is better than burning out before the session. Also go grab food real quick if you can.

[rough basalt]

Least my birthdays Tuesday so I got
Monday then birthday then deadline to have my one campaign ready.

[obtuse aurora]

Health comes first dude

[rough basalt]

I'm also quite sleep deprived. Don't worry I'm charging my ult.

[paper portal]

You definitely shouldnt be stressing out about dnd on your birthday also wow we're so twinning mine is like right after

[rough basalt]

Well the campaign to be done by the 13th is a PF one.

But yeah ima push the horror one a week or two

So theres more time for me to get everything situated and for people to workshop their ideas more.

Then focus on the more immediate concerns.

Tho I already have the redirect idea for Monday thought up, it's the homebrew part I need to do.

[obtuse aurora]

sounds like a solid call tbh

[rough basalt]

I'll just relax tomorrow maybe.

[obtuse aurora]

Yes sound good

[obtuse aurora]

Good luck

[rough basalt]

Doubt it but I'll try

[obtuse aurora]

Yes

[rough basalt]

I'll relax for like 5 minutes that'll be good

[sullen mantle]

Exactly

[tranquil briar]

Heyo! I want to say hi to all you beautiful souls! 🫂
What's up?

[lost estuary]

As a dm what do you wish your party would ask about your world

[stray sage]

what are some ways you can reflavor a broom of flying for a naga-style character?

[idle bone]

Goodnight everyone. Hope everyone has a bad night or day. ❤️

[stuck shuttle]

Pretty much I'm happy with anything. Best case I have a detailed answer they can delve into, worst case I have only a little and get to make up new stuff

[reef tundra]

It’s so fun picking out a main theme song for a casual campaign! Such a small element but it just makes it feel bigger

[violet flicker]

@obtuse aurora just gonna reply here to not bury other people's advertisement :D
typically I will present at the very least one immediate consequence to "visualize" the result of the choice, then if the impact is more long-term I would just make a note for it to be showcased later. In that specific context for example, if you save the stables and let the granary burn, right away you might just see people despairing or asking how they will survive the winter but fast forward a few months if the players come back or stick around the countryside will present abandoned houses and malnourished farmers for example. Viceversa if you let all the horses die, come the time for spring joust the even itself will feel more sober as only a couple of riders are present.
In general much like D&D says that if failure doesn't have consequences, avoid making the player roll the dice, I think actual RP choices should be meaningful and have consequences otherwise it's kinda pointless.

for example if the party hears two rumors "A nomad tribe is plotting to drain the local oasis" and "A giant scorpion has been attacking and killing archaeologists expeditions near the ruins". If you decide to go fix the scorpion problem, and then come back and the nomads still haven't done anything and you can go and fix that problem easily too, that isn't really a choice imo.

but ofc there are nuances

[rough basalt]

Yeah only problem is when you get surprised by a player being someone who can't handle consequences.

[austere reef]

I was given a knock off version of A Wish, I tried to exploit it then my DM changed the rules, very fun.

[hot gate]

Given that you use that particular verb, I'm not particularly surprised. Rules rely on good faith interpretation.

[rough basalt]

Well trying to exploit a Wish is only gonna end badly

[sonic vessel]

Hello

[austere reef]

Well it was just wishing upon a star, but my DM said all it will give me is hope instead of the actual wish. Though fair because I was trying to summon a meteor to make said star.

[austere reef]

hello

[violet flicker]

haha well that's a whole other problem, but in general I always found positive reactions to consequences cause players feel like they actually have an impact in the world and can't do whatever. I'm personally a big proponent in removing a layer of "gamification" from the world

[rough basalt]

Yeah I just have trouble with doling out consequences cause some whiners hide in plain sight

[austere reef]

My DM just describes their life and death in detail when I killed. We still went down the passive route but I didn’t want to fight anymore after that.

[reef tundra]

Oh damn

That sounds… pretty bad tbh this game has a big focus on combat

Was this any enemy you’d fight?

[austere reef]

Well it was the king.

[hot gate]

Oh, that kind of game

[reef tundra]

Well, did he deserve it?

[austere reef]

I mean he did pancake a knight by falling on him, and he kidnapped children. But like he had a child of his own.

I only found out he kidnapped children very later on but I still felt the weight of killing a father that was so proud of his son.

[obtuse aurora]

I agree with that. Consequences, even small ones, really help make choices feel real. Otherwise it just feels like the story resets no matter what the players do

[austere reef]

Oh yeah my DM has like routes so if we do the wrong things we stray from the best path possible which sorta makes a consequence system.

[violet flicker]

that's interesting, can you elaborate on how that actually plays out?

[austere reef]

Well, I assume the best path is all of us in a happy ending, or atleast better than other endings.

But if we stray from that, it get’s much more horrific for us, like straying to kill everything, or being slaughtered ourselves.

[violet flicker]

sounds a bit like punishment for not following the planned path? Or maybe I'm understanding this wrong

[austere reef]

Yeah, consequence for our actions like I was in hot water for killing the king, because it ticked our chances of going down the route.

[hot gate]

I find the framing of the "route" a bit strange. Is your group big fans of Undertale by any chance?

[austere reef]

It is a consequence to its core but I can understand if it doesn’t feel like a real consequence but it follows the precipice of changing the world or adventure based on your action.

The route is based off of Undertale yeah.

[reef tundra]

That was my thought too

[austere reef]

What were your consequences based on?

[blissful dragon]

Was in a curse of strahd game where the dm had create two different general story paths a good path where we fought against strahd and a evil path if we accepted stand offer to work for him

We went good path

[austere reef]

Did anyone choose the evil path?

[blissful dragon]

Nah we ended up getting strahd made at us and no one was interested anyway

Was more a general party possible arch

We also had custom item upgrades that had a possible evil upgrade option if we failed one of the two good upgrade quests

[austere reef]

That’s very unique

How would you fail though?

[violet flicker]

were you aware of this before doing the upgrade? Would be kinda funny if you ended up with a random cursed items like whoops, surprise

[blissful dragon]

Depends on the quest one quest had the upgrader be trapped as a tree if the quest had ended with the woman dead then she could give the upgrade

[blissful dragon]

Wasn’t curse just would have given a more evil theme upgrade

[austere reef]

Imagine the curse that it clinks apart and just like, when you have some loose screw and it constantly makes noise when you have to be stealthy.

oh.

[violet flicker]

that's fair enough, cursed items can be a problem if not well designed

I think they should be interesting to use and not just feel like penalties

[blissful dragon]

Nah I think he explained later on their was three options to unlock it with two needed to get full upgrade

[austere reef]

Maybe my idea of clinking apart, but given to someone else you hate so they get caught?

[blissful dragon]

The custom items only work for that player

Idea was it a item that grew with the legend of the char

[regal finch]

quick question for the chatroom

is there any sort of magic item that could give a character the shape water cantrip or would you just need to homebrew that

[static frigate]

spellbound tattoos maybe?

sorry spellwrought

[regal finch]

oooo wait

[narrow moss]

i did read an idea of a wizard's tome being tattoos he could reshape but idk about the spell itself for an item

[hot gate]

Enspelled staff or weapon would work

[regal finch]

oh i love you i forgot about that

[regal finch]

ive heard of this and want to make a character like that

[narrow moss]

what is spellwrought btw

[regal finch]

tasha's cauldron of everything magic item, attune it to yourself and gain a special magical effect, whether it be a spell, cantrip, or attack like with the coiling grasp or eldritch claw tattoos

[narrow moss]

oooh

[hot gate]

Notable though that it's a one use item.

[narrow moss]

also the tats idea gave me an idea to use rings

a new ring for new level of spells lol

[regal finch]

not true actually, at least for the lower level tattoos, if you un-attune the needle re-appears

[hot gate]

The tattoo glows faintly while you cast the spell and for the spell’s duration. Once the spell ends, the tattoo vanishes from your skin.

Can't un-attune if the tattoo disappears

[regal finch]

ohhhh i see

[narrow moss]

idk my brain went overboard when listening to a d&d campaign and they mentioned a spell book didn't have to be a book for wizards

[regal finch]

mb

[hot gate]

Actually, spell wrought tattoos aren't even attunement items

[regal finch]

theres an entire video on that and cool spellbook concepts by zee bashaw iirc, super neat

[narrow moss]

zee is great tbh

[static frigate]

yeah alas it's a one-time use 😔 the suggestion for enspelled items would work better if homebrewing the tattoo to be permanent isn't allowed

[regal finch]

yeah its called "spellbook mechanics in d&d 5e"

[rough basalt]

So far for my upcoming game I got a Beast Barb and an Inquistive Rogue.

Will be interesting to see the rest

[paper portal]

All martial party incoming?

[rough basalt]

Gods help them if that happens.

[dim schooner]

can i take the skulker feat even if im not a rogue?

[granite moat]

Hi everyone, I just joined. I’m an illustrator and I’d like to sell some Dungeons-themed content on ACGGOODS, but it’s asking me for an ‘invite code’ from Discord. Does anyone know how to get it?

[wintry spindle]

Yes you just need to be lvl 4 and have minimum 13 dex

Gloomstalker for example use it

[dim schooner]

what about fighting styles?

[wintry spindle]

Fighting styles are tied to classes that specifically say you gain this feat its its own type of feat

[dim schooner]

ok

[wintry spindle]

But the fighting intitiate is a feat that lets you pick a fighting style feat

[fiery skiff]

I found the back story for my first dnd character

[still plover]

Great! Why not share it in #character-discussion?

[fiery skiff]

It’s not all safe for work

[still plover]

O-kay, well, how about a summary?

[fiery skiff]

I tried to post it and it got flagged for spam content 😭

[still plover]

See if you can boil it down to three sentences. You can have more between yourself and the DM, but you want something that fits on a business card to introduce your character to the other players.

[stuck shuttle]

If you’re having trouble posting it due to a spam flag that’s incorrect you may want to contact #moderator-support about the issue

[prisma prairie]

It may be a long text so the bot probs flagging it as too large = spam

[fiery skiff]

Yea it’s long

[stuck shuttle]

Yup that would do it

Like Mr Smith said try to condense it to a 3 sentence backstory. If it’s your first go at condensing it maybe shoot for a 2 paragraph backstory

[still plover]

Here's Nyra, again. As bullet points:

• As a child, Nyra was kidnapped by a cult
• They did the Winter Soldier treatment on her
• She got out before it fully took (she thinks) and uses her powers to hunt monsters, hoping one day to remember where her home is

Which becomes:

Nyra was abducted from her commune at a young age by a mysterious cult. After years of experiments and conditioning she broke free with a number of others, but quickly found herself lost and alone. Now she uses the powers the cult gave her to hunt monsters as she searches for a home she can barely remember.

[stuck shuttle]

Try to answer 3 essential questions (many have different sets, these are just mine):

• Who is your character?
• How did they get their skills and/or powers?
• Why are they risking their life to adventure?

[fiery skiff]

Well it starts with my character great grandma x 10 going to slay a dragon she gets captured and her and the dragon have a child

Then a noble man comes saves her and after that it takes about his direct family then it gets to him

[stuck shuttle]

One of my characters as an example:

Ghan Madrynn was a devout Paladin of Tymora, tirelessly hunting and outsmarting those who would tempt the innocent onto fiendish paths. All was well until his most recent target sought refuge in ||Elturel, right before it fell into the Nine Hells||. Steadfast in his mission, Ghan prepares for the long journey into the lion’s den… (spoilers for an official adventure)

This was for a high level backup character so his exact origins aren’t as detailed

[fiery skiff]

My guy was a draconic sorcerer Viking man

[granite moat]

Hi, do you also enjoy creating characters that aren’t very consistent between race and class?
For example, in one run I made an orc wizard, in another an elf rogue.
Or do you prefer to be a bit more consistent when building your character, like an orc barbarian/warrior and an elf ranger?

[reef tundra]

Nah I like the variety

[flint ledge]

This sounds like we're about to get an ad

[still plover]

Focus on your character. What's most important in their backstory? What made them who they are?

[fiery skiff]

Hate

[errant sonnet]

Excited for my DND game, I'm running a Curse Of Strahd game that's heavily reworked and rewritten

Huge emphasis on psychological and supernatural horror

[reef tundra]

But do you know what classes I really like? The classes provided in this messages sponsor, learntree! /j

[errant sonnet]

Gonna spook my players

[torn lion]

Hey peeps! Good timezones Everybody!

[errant sonnet]

My timezone is better than your timezone 😈

I'm not gonna spoil CoS, but I'm making Strahd more like Count Orlok from the new Nosferatu movie

Also, he's gonna cast Armor of Agythys, but it's gonna be a shroud of vermin so it's gonna deal poison damage

[still plover]

On the one hand, I'll say I'm happy for it to be basically irrelevant save for features, and yet I seem to have hewed fairly close to what most would consider the standards.

Zola's a drow rogue, Mani's a half-orc gladiator, De Vor is a tiefling warlock. Nyra is a wood elf barbarian, I think she's the major stand-out there.

[torn lion]

Quick question from my part, I have trouble finding the forge adept subclass on dnd beyond. Does anyone know if it is even on there? And has anyone played it before?

[hot gate]

It seems to be in the "Exploring Eberron" partnered content

[errant sonnet]

I forgot how hard DND homebrew is

Balance is kinda just ballparked, the system is very narrow in where its power comes from

I definitely vibed more with homebrewing for World Of Darkness where strength is largely narrative

[wintry spindle]

Flavor is free

[errant sonnet]

Flavor is free, but RP shouldn't be worthless

I get that DND is a heroic fantasy game, but I definitely vibe more with social, exploration and mystery gameplay. It makes me a bit sad that DND is largely a combat sim, especially since its combat rules are kind of worse than something like Pathfinder. But DND is really accessible and popular, so I'm running a game and still going to have a blast

God 3-action combat is a drug in 2E

[wintry spindle]

You can RP in combat as well

[errant sonnet]

You can, but IME talking breaks the flow significantly

The rules are somewhat built against it

[wintry spindle]

Rp isnt just talking

Its how you attack for example

[errant sonnet]

That's just flavor and fluff, and doesn't really fix any of my issues with the system

[wintry spindle]

Thats fair

[errant sonnet]

I mean I love DMing

Probably the best thing about DND to me is just how much my players enjoy it. I got a lot of people who were interested in my game, and it's great having a good selection of passionate players.

And I'm still going to be having a blast writing

I do need to learn how to create simple monsters in DND though.

CR sucks as a mechanic, and I'm dreading using it again. It's going to be hard going from the excellent monster creation rules in 2E

Oh cool, I found a monster maker on Github

[reef tundra]

Tetracube is what I use for homebrew monsters

Others are too complicated for me :(

Now what I’m going to say might be a tad controversial but…

Alignment and CR are similar in the fact that they’re useful in getting you in the right ball park

It won’t describe exactly what a creature’s morals or power are, but it gets you in the right sort of place. And I find it helpful

[spiral fox]

i have a doubt

under 2024 rules, do you add your ability mod to the damage of firearms by default? for example, a musket, or do you still need the Gunner feat for that?

[reef tundra]

Pistols and Muskets are just considered regular martial ranged weapons now in 2024, so yes, you add your ability modifier to the damage

[spiral fox]

but give me official 2024 Gunner

the loading property does not let me make a renaissance gunslinger duelist

[hot gate]

You can still pick 2014 Gunner

[errant sonnet]

Alignment is kind of useless from a writing perspective

[reef tundra]

If it hasn’t been rewritten, you can still use it

[errant sonnet]

At least for me

[reef tundra]

Or at least I think that’s the saying

[errant sonnet]

Sorry I'm being grouchy

[reef tundra]

Hey no worries, it’s alright to disagree with me. We don’t have to agree on everything

[hot gate]

Alignment is sort of vestigial and I think it can be useful for npcs, but most of the time I just ignore it.

[reef tundra]

And I agree that it isn’t everything, and when writing characters they will tend to be more complicated than the alignment system suggests

I’m just saying it’s useful for getting you in the general ball park

[hot gate]

It helps me if I'm running prewritten stuff and need to quickly understand an npcs basic behavior.

[reef tundra]

Like this, for NPCs. I don’t need to write a bunch of sentences for my NPCs to write their morality, I can just write their alignment

[reef tundra]

Exactly what I was gonna say!

And for CR, I’d rather I have a number that indicates the general level area that the players should be as opposed to like… “really strong enemy” or “slightly weak enemy”

[spiral fox]

yea but those pesky 2024 only tables T_T

[reef tundra]

Although, it would be fun to hear people’s suggestions for alternate systems of difficulty calculation

[errant sonnet]

It mainly just comes down to the issues with how DND does its math

[hot gate]

Huh, alright. Not even expanded books? Can't say I've played at a table that goes that far.

[errant sonnet]

Things don't scale linearly, and part of the reason the game falls apart at higher levels is that things just don't progress correctly.

Pathfinder adds level to everything, so a level 20 character adds +20 to a check. This makes it very consistent and math very well

[hot gate]

It doesn't scale linearly, but the encounter math still works. Just have to understand how CR is meant to be used.

But I actually enjoy some of the handwaveyness of the thing

[reef tundra]

The 2024 DMG’s encounter building table has been very accurate so far in my games

[hot gate]

Have you checked out the Lazy Encounter Benchmark? Maybe not exactly what you meant:
https://slyflourish.com/the_lazy_encounter_benchmark.html

[reef tundra]

Indeed not exactly what I meant but that does still seem very useful from my quick browse through

[reef tundra]

I think this is just down to subjective preference, because to me, that sounds like it would cause late game DC for all checks to inflate like crazy, if every single character adds a 15-20 to their skill checks

[errant sonnet]

It adds to the learning curve of 2E, but makes for a much more balanced game

[reef tundra]

But take that with a grain of salt, the only pathfinder I’ve played is 1e

[reef tundra]

I find dnd to be well balanced already. I’ve been running games in all tiers of play for years and haven’t come across many issues

[hot gate]

It also moves higher level characters / enemies completely out of the "hit range" of lower level ones. The fact that D&D doesn't do that is one of the things I really like about it.

[reef tundra]

I already find the power difference between low and high level players to be big enough anyway

But I do see Maybelline’s point of narrative, as if a high power creature is just completely impossible to hit for a low level party, it’s very reminiscent of a lot of fiction where a villain is completely invincible to the main characters at first

But then at then at the same time, such narratives contribute a lot to crazy power scaling in stories

[tribal plume]

what is necrotic damage? would it turn you into a withered corpse if you died from it?

Does it have a smell?

[hot gate]

The rules call it

Life-draining energy

[reef tundra]

Damage types don’t have any specific effects tied to them, but necrotic damage is described as life-draining force, like decay

[hot gate]

Damage types don't have a particular effect all by themselves, so it depends on what causes the necrotic damage.

Oh, what Amity said 🙈

[reef tundra]

Although you can very easily reflavour it to be that way

[tribal plume]

chill touch is necrotic, is all necrotic damage cold?

[reef tundra]

To be fair to you, you directly quoted the game while I paraphrased, so yours might be more useful

[tribal plume]

I guess it slows your bloodflow since it basically stops you from living

[hot gate]

You could say that this particular form of it is, sure, but that's not a general thing.

Also, Chill Touch is famously not meant to be taken literally

It wasn't cold and it wasn't touch in 2014

[tribal plume]

I had a neat idea

[reef tundra]

My friend once thought it was, and so in one of our early dnd games, his warlock tried to cool down a drink using it, ah-la Sophina in the dnd movie

He absolutely destroyed the mug 😭

[hot gate]

I mean fair enough, that would be dope

drain all the alive stuff out of the drink, reducing entropy

[reef tundra]

I would just pass on the drink then :(

[tribal plume]

a player character of mine almost died from a necrotic spell, dropped down BIG into the negatives. So now even though he's recovered, he's got a grey streak in his hair

it probably took some years off his total lifespan

just flavour of course

[flint ledge]

I think adventuring generally does that to someone

[reef tundra]

Badass, I love grey streaks

[flint ledge]

Like getting hit by a death ray can't be good for your later years

[tribal plume]

getting blasted by blight and now half your teeth are rotten

[spiral fox]

can i use 2 pistols to get around the loading property?

[reef tundra]

I believe so

[granite moat]

I bought Baldur’s Gate 3 and I tried the Githyanki rogue just for fun.
After level 6 it becomes monstrous, in my opinion.

[pliant sapphire]

Yeah, but you need a free hand to reload the weapon. So the next turn you can't shoot with either

Unless you stow one after firing

[errant sonnet]

The math just doesn't progress as well as other systems.

Not saying D&D is bad, but it's built for ease of play, not balance

That's sort of why it's so popular

[reef tundra]

I’d say it doesn’t progress as much but I wouldn’t say not as well

[errant sonnet]

I feel that is semantics

I mean, if you prefer a system where the difference between a level 20 adventurer and a level 1 adventurer is +5 to hit then I guess that's your preference, but I feel like that's poor game design

That's just my opinion

[reef tundra]

No, using “well” in this case is a use of objective quality, I am saying while the numbers don’t rise as much as other games, that doesn’t make them objectively better

[errant sonnet]

I can have the opinion that it's worse

Hm

Fair, I was being a bit too objective, let me rephrase

[reef tundra]

That is a matter of subjective taste. Just because the number is bigger and you like that doesn’t mean a game is worse just because the number isn’t as big

[reef tundra]

I appreciate that reflection

[errant sonnet]

It's my opinion that DND is a less well designed system than other fantasy systems, and emphasizes ease of play over good game design. It's not just because number big, it's because it fails to enact its fantasy and because its math doesn't reflect the realistic or fantastical expectations of the characters

This is my opinion, but I do feel pretty strongly about it

[reef tundra]

Perhaps I am being a bit too harsh too. I’m just tired of people who like other TTRPGs more coming over here to declare that their game is better and that we should play that game instead

[errant sonnet]

No that's fair, I shouldn't be yucking your yum in a DND focused server

I was mostly just trying to talk about my grievances with the system as I'm getting back into it in a constructive way

I am surprised at how much I'm enjoying 5E

As someone who dropped 5E for Pathfinder and World of Darkness

[narrow moss]

to be fair d&d is about storytelling

[reef tundra]

Still speaking quite subjectively, saying that dnd’s design isn’t “good”, but it’s your opinion that you prefer other systems, and you speak the truth as you see it. If another game is more “good” to you, then I can respect that

[narrow moss]

if the numbers get in the way, ditch em

[errant sonnet]

I mean that's TTRPGs in general.

The confidence of World Of Darkness to call its core system the storyteller system ✨

[narrow moss]

doesn't help they've redsigned it like 5 or 6 times now

[errant sonnet]

World Of Darkness is my deeply flawed edgelord child and I love her

[reef tundra]

Many games go through various editions

[narrow moss]

yeah i know lol

sometimes they do step backwards tho

[reef tundra]

Well, you have a point there

[errant sonnet]

Current party for my game:

• Reborn Scribes Wizard
• Aasimar Oath Of Glory Paladin
• Undead Warlock

[narrow moss]

that said i do like how much easier it is for me to make a char in 5e.

[reef tundra]

All three, peak

[errant sonnet]

Each character has been designed to have a single phobia or fear, which I'm gonna use like crazy as the DM

[reef tundra]

Hell yes. I love giving characters fears and phobias

[narrow moss]

all this to say no one system is right or wrong as long as everyone has fun

as far as characters go, the most fun I ever had was playing a mad orc with a spider phobia

skyrim spiders btw.

[reef tundra]

I find objectivity is impossible in these kinds of situations, every game is someone’s favourite game, so I try to always use subjective wording

[narrow moss]

mmhmm

now i'm imaginIng the resolve tests from Darkest Dungeon

[flint ledge]

I mean they of course want to introduce "new things" even if they're just old

[reef tundra]

Hey they have some new things, i found out today that a few villains in Adventures in Faerun are 5e original when I thought they weren’t

IIRC there was also some lore about a popular dnd monster that was 5e original too but I can’t remember what creature it is

[errant sonnet]

It's based on Fear And Hunger: Termina!

[flint ledge]

Wait are you the DM of the person I spoke to here a few days ago

[errant sonnet]

I don't know

[flint ledge]

Either that or fear and hunger are a popular combination with Curse of Strahd

[wicked mulch]

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

TRUE OR FALSE: Prone makes melee attacks against you easier and ranged attacks against you harder.

[flint ledge]

Correct attacks within 5 feet receive advantage and outside of 5 feet disadvantage

[severe rampart]

True

[flint ledge]

Actually I suppose it's not entirely correct because melee attacks can be made from further away in some cases

[severe rampart]

This is why sometimes laying prone is a good option

[hot gate]

Some melee attacks could be from 10 feet away, as with a reach weapon. Those would have disadvantage!

[blissful ibex]

||false, it makes attacks within 5ft of you easier and more distant attacks harder||

[blissful ibex]

reach and distant melee attacks are very much a thing

[glass granite]

False, it’s about distance, not whether it’s melee or ranged

[blissful ibex]

I've definitely gotten in close to prone enemies while using EBARB, to negate disadvantage

[wicked mulch]

https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/br-2024/rules-glossary#ProneCondition

Prone [Condition]

While you have the Prone condition, you experience the following effects.

Restricted Movement. Your only movement options are to crawl or to spend an amount of movement equal to half your Speed (round down) to right yourself and thereby end the condition. If your Speed is 0, you can’t right yourself.

Attacks Affected. You have Disadvantage on attack rolls. An attack roll against you has Advantage if the attacker is within 5 feet of you. Otherwise, that attack roll has Disadvantage.

[dim schooner]

when using the lucky feat's luck points, can i only impose disadvantage on enemy attack rolls or any d20 roll?

[hot gate]

It's only on enemy attack rolls

[dim schooner]

what about my attack rolls? can i use luck points on that or no

[hot gate]

You can use it on and d20 test you make, so attack rolls, saving throws and ability checks.

[iron sedge]

My group just had to cancel two weeks in a row, pain

And I had something really cool in mind, too.

[clear geyser]

Hey guys, I have one specific question - if I play with blind cleric, and want to cast something like Word of Radiance, could this spell damage creatures? I mean I'm confused by the wording "creature you can see", while this is actually something like shield

[hot gate]

Many spells require you to see the targets, like this one. This is why people usually advise against playing a blind character.

[prisma prairie]

Ofc you can discuss with ya dm to have ya character be blind as just flavour

[clear geyser]

Yea, but I'm kind of confused by this mechanic, because practically you're casting this spell on yourself like a shield, but in order to do dmg you need to see the target, kind of don't make any sense

So if you cast it your weakpoint is someone to blindfold you?

[hot gate]

This is what lets you choose your targets, since it lets you exclude your allies.

[clear geyser]

I understand

[hot gate]

As it is with many spells, yes

[hot gate]

Shield has just one target, you. Word of radiance has effectively many potential targets.

[clear geyser]

Oh I understand it now actually, thanks

[errant sonnet]

I am probably the only person doing this

[mystic crystal]

Hey chat on D&D beyond with ritual caster, if you take it should your spells pop up in your spell book?

[olive storm]

I can't frigging exist in this world. Everything will burn. All will feel my pain.

||My GM banned Tortles.||

[steep dew]

Why

[vale sage]

I everyone, I am new to d&d and interested can anyone point me in the right direction to get started

Hi*

[severe rampart]

head on over to #dnd-newcomers and maybe read up on #learn-to-play !

[mystic crystal]

He really doesn’t want the ninja turtles lol

[errant sonnet]

Need to get my brain into creating monsters for my game

I feel like 90% of a monster is just flavor and narration; you can easily use a wolf statblock for a spider or bear with some small adjustments

Since I'm running CoS, which is big on gothic horror, I should give each monster a single defining ability that's evocative and scary

[woven flint]

I awaken.

Salutations, friends 🧐

[errant sonnet]

A ghost could just be:

• intangible
• flight
• necrotic touch
• Possession as its key ability

[still plover]

Spiderwolves. But yeah, hmm. My go-to is weapon masteries.

[errant sonnet]

It's gonna be weird making unique monsters for my game

I played a character with histrionic personality disorder in my Vampire: The Masquerade game once

[still plover]

Ah, who hasn't? /j

[errant sonnet]

I've basically set up my game as a platform where I can write whatever I want

It's gonna be a lot of fun

I put a lot of work into the premise, so now that I have a really solid foundation, I can explore it each session

One thing that does suck about running Curse Of Strahd is that the valley isn't big enough to support larger sociological elements. I want to create a second, dominant faith, but there just isn't enough room in Barovia

[still plover]

Like it. Perhaps consider what your unique creatures say about the narrative themes you'd like your game to explore?

[errant sonnet]

Tbh, I feel like too much of werewolves in 5E are their resistances/vulnerabilties

Werewolves are murder machines just as much as they're weak to silver

[tame bloom]

I wanna show off the d&d sets I have but can’t post pics in this channel only in specific channels, would there be a channel I can show them off in?

[still plover]

#merch-and-dice maybe?

[minor cargo]

Jumping inot the conversation late, but I really liked in 3.5E that there were many different kinds of werewolves (e.g. werebears, wereboars, etc.) that each had a different "vibe" to them. Like werebears are supposed to be "good" protectors of nature and junk.

[tame bloom]

I did not see that, thank you very much

[errant sonnet]

NGL my brain distinctly views werewolfs as creatures of horror and were-everything-else as anthropomorphic creatures

The former is cool to me, the latter I can never take serious

[still plover]

Weresharks.

[woven flint]

Weresharks can indeed be terrifying

Looks at Draga Salt-Biter

[reef tundra]

Isn’t that the same in 5e? I swear werebears are chaotic good

[wintry spindle]

In 5.5 we have a lot of were-x in the mm

[swift silo]

Why not shark-spiders. c.c

[wintry spindle]

Jackal, boar, bear, wolf, rat, tiger

Land sharks?

[reef tundra]

I love the werewyvern in Adventures in Faerun

[wintry spindle]

Bullettes?

[woven flint]

I need more Bullettes

[reef tundra]

Then buy a magazine

[woven flint]

You.

[reef tundra]

Me.

[woven flint]

Us

[wintry spindle]

Them

[woven flint]

Me?

[reef tundra]

You.

[woven flint]

Such an intellectually stimulating conversation 🧐

:3

[woven flint]

Make Shark-Spiders

[wintry spindle]

Just give a shark a climb speed ez

[viral kraken]

the tarrasque fight went well last night

[swift silo]

I am indenting to draw a character rn. But alas, reading about sharks climbing is more fun.

[delicate owl]

Hello, peoples

[wintry spindle]

Challenge: draw your pc only in ms paint

[minor cargo]

Horror, yes. But for me, I look back to some classic werewolf stories like Ginger Snaps - where lycanthropy is an allegory for "body changes that you can't control".

So in that way, the horror is a lot more flexible.

So being a "protector of the woods" can still be rooted in something internal that you don't understand and can't control. For example, it might come from an unexplainable fury and disgust that you can't consciously comprehend. It for sure takes more work, but I think the vehicle can bear (hah) it.

[reef tundra]

Spill! I’ve always wanted to actually hear about a fight with one

[woven flint]

YOU!!!!!

Hey, Horizon

[reef tundra]

Instead of “I could easily kill a Tarrasque by-“ insert long theoretical fight on paper

[swift silo]

Can I still use my drawing tablet or is the mouse a must with ms paint?

[errant sonnet]

I'm more talking about the difference between a bestial creature and an anthropomorphic one

[woven flint]

A Shark that steals your skin

[delicate owl]

Yes, me. Horizon.

[still plover]

This is what I'm aiming at with thinking about narrative themes, Maybelline.

[woven flint]

The Horizon.

[wintry spindle]

Mouse only

[viral kraken]

so the premise was that these fallen aasamar were lab growing a tarrasque for when they could manage to put together a way to get back to their homeland and overthrow the gods there, so once the players had "liberated" the spelljammer engine they had, they were working on razing the city in their spelljammer, and awakened the tarrasque. they stayed out of range and pelted it from afar with the enchanted cannons on the boat, and whittled it down as they kited it through the city levelling it

[wintry spindle]

And you get to only use the colors on the wheel

[woven flint]

Use your nose to draw

[serene echo]

Hi guys. I'm back from making a dnd beyond character

I made a dnd beyond character

[woven flint]

We all know real art comes from pressing your face on the screen until something happens

[swift silo]

In that case I’d need a mousepad…

[swift silo]

🤝
That and a few sleepless nights.

[reef tundra]

Oh damn so the theoretics were right. It is just “shoot that thing”

[serene echo]

I am friendly hello hi

[woven flint]

🤝
And utter insanity

[swift silo]

I am not, I bite. But hi!

[swift silo]

An otter insanity. c.c

[serene echo]

I made a beyond character

I fighter lol

[woven flint]

Virtual Insanity starts playing

[serene echo]

But I can't session today though

[uncut zenith]

2014 or 2024? I’ve had good luck with the old one, but I really wanna try running the new one lol

[viral kraken]

2024 one here

[still plover]

Fair enough. You know, #character-discussion is always open if you'd like someone to check over the sheet for you, make sure it'll do what you want.

[worn topaz]

Guys, I'm making a Dex paladin. Wish me luck...

[viral kraken]

sounds fun, i want to make a dex fighter sometime in the next few characters

[still plover]

You can do it!

[mystic crystal]

I had a dex halfling fighter and my dm hated him

[severe rampart]

Dexterity Fighters are fun

[woven flint]

Dexadin momer

[worn topaz]

Paladin with light armour, a whip and a crossbow go brrrr

[bronze wave]

whats your fav paladin subclass

[worn topaz]

Have only played one Paladin before, and it was an oathbreaker

But I like Vengeance the most from the ones I've seen.

[paper portal]

Oathbreaker is peak

[errant sonnet]

I remember there being an oath of commerce paladin homebrew somewhere

[worn topaz]

Ooh, actually, I kinda wanna get poisoner's kit on my paladin, too. So I can apply poison to the whip lol

[errant sonnet]

Excited to see what my last player picks for their character.

Current party for my Curse Of Strahd game:

• A Reborn Scribes Wizard who fears his body being robbed of autonomy
• An Undead Warlock who fears that they have lost something human in their pact with a powerful lich
• An Aasimar Oath Of Glory Paladin who I need more details on

[mystic crystal]

This party sounds sick

[errant sonnet]

Yeah!

Super happy they embraced the gothic themes for the Curse Of Strahd game

I made sure to ask each of them what their character is most afraid of, because this game will have psychological horror elements

[mystic crystal]

I want to play strahd again and do it right this time.

[worn topaz]

I'm so happy I found a party that's playing Strahd, for myself, too. We're starting next week

[errant sonnet]

grumble Guest at my workplace was rude over the phone grumble grumble

[reef tundra]

I think my dhampir character being the granddaughter of Strahd is as close to him as I’m comfortable being