dnd-discussion

[sturdy niche]

this is one of my favorite videos that details this topic and debunks the misconception https://youtu.be/KmNF3gEb7As?si=JBBMfBNPkebsbcPJ

[prime basin]

no

[dense apex]

well, so whats more common swords or guns in dnd?

[prime basin]

magic

[feral fulcrum]

You've got guys with pikes, right next to weirdly commons cannons, with the very odd bit of "Oh yeah we'll throw in some magical power armor too while we're down here."

[sturdy niche]

swords, but that has nothing to do with anything medieval

[little stream]

Magic guns? Shiiii

[feral fulcrum]

Swords, generally.

[dense apex]

so the three sets are sword, magic and guns?

[glass granite]

It’s closer to…
Person with weapons, person with spells, person with both, and riddled around there are people who can heal

[olive storm]

Eberron is the titular "war magic" setting where your wizards are wearing medium armor and have a spellgun.

[prime basin]

no its more so, melee, ranged, magic

[sturdy niche]

firearms are less rare because they are more expensive than other weapons, you basically got the power compared to firebolt in the palm of your hand with no need for any sort of knowledge or connection to magic to use

[dense apex]

so literally just overwatch with roleplay

[olive storm]

Nooo embed fail

[glass granite]

Martial (weapons and unarmed strikes) and casters (spells), and half casters (a lil of both)

[prime basin]

no gifs allowed

[sturdy niche]

again, no

[olive storm]

Not poggers.

[dense apex]

rip

[glass granite]

How so?

[olive storm]

I just spilled popsicle on my desk.

[sturdy niche]

overwatch is far more limited than what dnd adventures can be, so is not really a good way to describe it, i highly recommend simply watching the video i linked earlier

[dense apex]

I meant as in, some people use magic, some use older weapons and some use guns. but all stand relatively the same

depends on preferential

[glass granite]

Combine the “older weapons” and “guns”

[prime basin]

guns aren’t really common place in dnd, but they do exist as an option

[sturdy niche]

eh, not really, dnd is a game about co-operative story telling first and foremost

[sinful crater]

Need some help from you guys any dm here?

[glass granite]

Guns in dnd are just an alternative to bows

[feral fulcrum]

It really depends on the setting.

[glass granite]

Yup! One here

[feral fulcrum]

Dang auto scrolldown

[glass granite]

And a TON in #dm-discussion

[little stream]

You mean we could whiff while it's 3 feet away?

[prime basin]

exandrian guns work a bit differently than archery

[glass granite]

Oh absolutely

[sturdy niche]

no, firearms depend on the setting, dnd being a co-operative story telling game is not

[dense apex]

and now im confused

[glass granite]

Actually you have disadvantage at that range

[little stream]

Wdym lmao

[dense apex]

I guess that statement caused a schism

[feral fulcrum]

The point was, some settings, they're alot more common.

[glass granite]

You’re actually more likely to miss at that range lol

[sturdy niche]

well you tagged your reply to the wrong comment, so that caused a bit of confusion

[sinful crater]

Great I think to make a campaign, so can you please guide whats the first step is

[little stream]

Goddamn the visual on that would be something

So let's say cqc but you missed the killing blow lmao

[glass granite]

DnD is a roleplaying collaboration story game, and in this game some stories have guns, and some don’t.

[olive storm]

Man the outfits in some of those older cover arts.

[undone rain]

Which technically shouldnt make sense but this is dnd it never makes sense

[dense apex]

that nemesis recoil

[feral fulcrum]

Discord frequently has me clicking on a different post because someone posted a new thing, forcing it to scroll down automatically. Tis annoying.

[glass granite]

To keep it short, learn the rules, get a table/group, get a setting (make one up or, probably better, run a pre made campaign), then run the game.
More detailed answer would be to ask #dm-discussion as it’s more on topic.

[feral fulcrum]

On the subject of technology being wibbly woblly, it doesnt' get nearly as inherently weird in D&D, as it does in Pathfinder.

[glass granite]

The point is that in close range (striking range) it can be harder to fight someone rather than if you have distance and can use your ranged weapon properly

[sturdy niche]

again, simplest way would be to watch the video i linked earlier #dnd-discussion message
this will give you a good and proper understanding of what sort of genre dnd in the broad sense is, as depending on setting and campaign it can be tweaked to fit nearly any kind one desires

[sinful crater]

Alright thankyou

[dense apex]

you didnt link a vid?

[north vine]

Can you rage in wild shape?

[sturdy niche]

yes i did link a vid

[glass granite]

Believe so

[feral fulcrum]

If wild shape mentions allowing your class features, yes, otherwise, no.

[dense apex]

now I see it

[little stream]

My understanding of DnD it can be whatever, whoever. No matter the settings

The only one that sticks is the game of chances (dices). Correct me if I'm wrong

[undone rain]

Oh ik i just find it funny how you can point a gun at someones chest, like the gun is pressed up against their chest and just miss

[glass granite]

You can do the same with a dagger

[undone rain]

Bullet just goes the wrong way

[glass granite]

But generally, the game doesn’t assume that the enemy CANNOT dodge

[feral fulcrum]

The System can fit alot of things, but D&D itself, is geared to a Very specific set of expectations

[undone rain]

They got the reflexes of a cat

[sturdy niche]

not sure exactly what you mean by "wibbly woblly" but possible this is because pathfinder branched off from 3.5e a much more mechanically clunky/chuncky (which ever you feel is more accurate) and since evolved into it's own system and lore for the most part

[feral fulcrum]

The second you try and do more modern/sci-fi things, the more and more you have to wholesale homebrew things, and the more the system crumbles under it's own weight

[humble cairn]

That's overstating it by a bunch. D&D is a heroic fantasy game. It can be a bunch of different kinds of fantasy and even incorporate some elements of different genres, but it is not everything. There are other systems built as generic systems that can play in any kind of genre, but D&D is not that.

[undone rain]

I like to imagine a "miss" is just a weapon deflecting of the armor depending on their armor

[feral fulcrum]

Inconsistent vibes and theming. Having the ocasional dude in magical power armor, next to a rag wearing peasant with a pitchfork, and a mustachioed fish-man wizard, next to a guy with gun. Standing next to a pyramid.

[sturdy niche]

dnd by default is science fantasy and can be altered to fit nearly any genre, may not do it as well as more dedicated systems designed around that genre or kind of game, but it can do a good enough job

[feral fulcrum]

Such oddities are way more common in the MUCH weirder Pathfinder setting.

[glass granite]

Nah, even dnd has limits

[sturdy niche]

it is only random if you make it random, and i honestly blame most people buying into the "medieval fantasy" misconception

[little stream]

The limitless one is the D6 game thingy? Where it goes "okay and?"

[glass granite]

For example, a genre where characters are expected to be EXTREMELY powerful, to the point of fighting planetary foes (think a dragon ball campaign), dnd is out of its scaling

[feral fulcrum]

It's really not a misconception when most settings, for the most part...are medieval fantasy?

[humble cairn]

You're going to have to be way more specific than that. There are many many many different TTRPG systems.

[sturdy niche]

it is a misconception

[feral fulcrum]

Then what the heck do you call Forgottem Realms?

[sturdy niche]

like the only world that is catually medieval or at least as close to it as published settings get to it, is krynn of the dragonlance setting

[feral fulcrum]

Or Dragonlance- beat me to it

[sturdy niche]

proof, it is not medevial fantasy

[little stream]

Dude idk what am I talking about, I just remember D6, anything goes. As long DM says so

[wintry spindle]

But do you have dark vision?

[sturdy niche]

the medeival elements are mainly an architecture thing, their tech level excluding magic is closer to renaissance

[little stream]

Dark vision no, less vision. Yes

No glasses have that effect

[feral fulcrum]

Fair enough.

[wintry spindle]

Damn this guy knows his DnD

[sturdy niche]

hence why it is a misconception, the expectation and what one is assuming, differs from the facts

[feral fulcrum]

The older editions were probably even weirder, on account of the nonsense of the Netherese still being a thing.

[sturdy niche]

i am a massive dnd lore nerd and proud of it

[wintry spindle]

where did the giff come from?

[feral fulcrum]

From lazy memes and Spelljammer

[little stream]

Just so y'all know

Idk anything about DnD, haven't had a single session ever. I'm just interested in it

[sturdy niche]

2e spelljammer, if you mean in universe that depends on the sources and editions

[wintry spindle]

the average dnd player

[sturdy niche]

that is the fun part, you don't need to play to learn the lore, you can read the books, watch lore youtube videos by people who have dedicated to preserving and spreading the lore, especially the more obscure stuff, ect...

[feral fulcrum]

I should have recognized that 5E Spelljammer was going to be a dumpster fire when all the videos for it where THOROUGHLY beating the dead horse of "Haha, Gif/Jiff"

[humble cairn]

"Heroic Fantasy" as a genre in regards to D&D is basically fantasy with no connection to any specific real world reference.

[wintry spindle]

I love the Giff

[sturdy niche]

if you don't like it, that is fine, but calling it a dumpster fire, especially over a simple gag, is not only inaccurate, but unnessassairy

[humble cairn]

So no, D&D is not medieval, though it may pull from the stereotypical medieval type tropes sometimes.

[wintry spindle]

I feel most dnd is rennisance in aesthetics but then naval combat is more piracy 1700

[feral fulcrum]

It wasn't a dumpster fire because of the gag, the gag was just a warning sign that it was basically an absolute nothing burger of a book, because they spent FIVE MINUTES on the dumb meme, to fill time.

[sturdy niche]

it pulls from cultures and histories from all over the world with a lot of it's creatures, granted it has some originals of it's own

[feral fulcrum]

Five minutes, on basically every single preview video of it.

[humble cairn]

Right, and for the most part kind of does the cartoon version of those inspirations, not trying to stick to the real world reference.

[sturdy niche]

flawed logic, they were having fun with the gag, and it was not a nothing burger, it is just not as detailed as older books, this is nothing new and i feel a lot of people who complain about the 5e spelljammer often do so cuz they were expecting 2e spelljammer rather than judging the content for what it is rather than what it is not

[wintry spindle]

DnD really has it's own aesthetic

And now firearms are more normal

[humble cairn]

After 50 years yeah, it has developed it's own internal aesthetic.

[feral fulcrum]

I judge it for exactly what it was. A monster splatbook wearing the skin of something pretending to be a setting book.

[wintry spindle]

Also it uses a lot of modern concept in a "fantasy" esque style. Like the Dungeon Wheelchair

[sturdy niche]

for adventurers maybe, else you are gunna have a hard time affording the firearm, let alone the ammo XD

[golden root]

Just gonna say, not a fan of firearms in D&D

[feral fulcrum]

One that..even ignored the actually decent and neat ship-rules it already had Ala Ghostmarsh.

[sturdy niche]

high risk, high reward lifestyle $$$$

[wintry spindle]

Pathfinder does not fix this

[golden root]

I played pathfinder once lmao

[sturdy niche]

to fix something it needs to be broken to begin with

[feral fulcrum]

THey've got Gunlances in the style of MOnster Hunter. It certainly gets more interesting with firearms.

[wintry spindle]

Gunlance seems pretty sick

[undone rain]

Whats good my oath siblings

[fervent kayak]

I think it makes sense for places like a Wild West campaign but otherwise

[golden root]

That is interesting, however if I'm gonna play something with firearms it'll be Palladium, Rifts, or Star Finder.

[golden root]

Now that would be understandable

[humble cairn]

Because it's fun and fantasy and not related to a real world time period, again.

[still plover]

Guns, schmuns. Zardoz sourcebook when?

[fervent kayak]

The dragon wheelchair? Did I miss something

[sturdy niche]

again, firearms are setting dependent, otherwise it is merely a matter of opinion, everyone is equally correct and incorrect for their opinions in that regard cuz there is no singular objectively correct one, that why it is an opinion and not a fact

[undone rain]

I wish to play a cleric but idk which one would be the most fun for me

[golden root]

That's what I want to know lmao

[fervent kayak]

… just had the stupid image of a dragon in a wheelchair pop into my head

[golden root]

Build multiple on beyond, or just read up on the archtypes, that's how I came to love the paladin

[feral fulcrum]

Also, i'm pretty sure most people don't realize exactly how early on guns were a thing. I'm pretty sure the very late end of the medieval period they were rocking around in some areas.

[undone rain]

Correct

[sturdy niche]

the dungeon wheelchair was partnered content highlighted and designed to basically bash down the misconceptions a lot of people have on top of dnd being medieval fantasy, such as "you can't play a physically disabled character" or "wheel chairs don't make sense in this setting", such statements are flawed logic and work on assumtion rather than facts

[little stream]

Wasn't it like 1600 ish?

[undone rain]

Gunpowder was already made in the 800s iirc and humans being humans they already weaponized it

[fervent kayak]

Thanks for exsplaining

[little stream]

1900s is where colt was

[golden root]

I mean you're not wrong. I played in an Eberon game where the DM allowed me to have an SMG, was rolling around with a theoritical MP5 lmao

[wintry spindle]

Dungeon Wheelchair is an interesting concept

[feral fulcrum]

Very late 1300's and early 1400's

apperently

[undone rain]

Some earlier in asia

[feral fulcrum]

Mind you, these were very VERY crude "It's a litteral boomstick" 'Guns'

[little stream]

1300-1400 was where it started but effective was 1500 upper? Atleast my knowledge about Mount and Blade comes in use

[feral fulcrum]

But Black Powder Go Bang, Projectile Go Out = Gun nonthless.

[sturdy niche]

in the realms, Gond gave them smokepowder, an alchemical substitute, he had to render gunpower inert on the world of toril in the forgotten realms cuz his clergy kept accidently exploding themselves during their experiments

[undone rain]

Asia used fireworks on a stick to begin with

[feral fulcrum]

The mighty Hwacha

[wintry spindle]

My monk deflecting the firework back at the launcher. Skaadooosh

[undone rain]

Kung fu panda over here

[little stream]

Goddamn, Asia been into some stuff since early days

Looking at Genghis Khan fella, make sense. Not great it happen but make sense

[still plover]

They couldn't just get smarter priests? Or at least more careful ones?

[sturdy niche]

i forget where i heard it exactly, i think it was in promotion of that one dragon lore product aimed at kids, where red dragon uh droppings, are natural explosives, like they can be triggered like an explosive if you hit them hard enough

[fervent kayak]

I think the reason pepole don’t really like it is because like they see all the cool like dragons and stuff then they just are like “really you could be shooting magical laser beams but you use a regular gun”

[wintry spindle]

precisly

[undone rain]

Good lord

[sturdy niche]

that kind of goes against his dogma, he is a god of invention, such things require taking risks

[feral fulcrum]

This is D&D, a place where you have people dumb and crazy enough to willingly walk into Lich Lairs in the hopes of stealing the guys crap.

[undone rain]

Exactly like that scene in the 2nd movie but its fireworks instead of cannonballs

[golden root]

That's a hard pass on myt end lmao

[sturdy niche]

smokepowder is basically a safer version of gunpowder in the realms as it is not as easily ignited as gunpowder

[feral fulcrum]

The place where guys with pointy sticks think it's a good idea to walk up and stab a Dragon the size of a Giant.

[still plover]

"It's not a home invasion, it's a dungeon crawl, and I'll thank you to remember it!"

[sturdy niche]

but also not so hard to ignite it makes things like firearms convoluted

[fervent kayak]

Yeah

[undone rain]

For a short short period we had knights with guns and i love it

[feral fulcrum]

I'm like 90% sure over half the population of any given DND setting, utterly lacks a survival instict

[golden root]

I've always considered when a player searches the corpse of like an Orc or Kobold to have them carrying a momento of home lol

[still plover]

(Quiet in the library today? Don't usually see you out and about, if you don't mind me saying.)

[sturdy niche]

to me, people likely view it that way cuz they think someone else's idea of fun or interesting can't co-exist along side theirs, which in dnd is only the case if you go out of your way to do so

[still plover]

I have had a goblin lair practice an evacuation drill when adventurers arrived before.

[sturdy niche]

eh, as a lore nerd i tend to lurk and talk in the #dnd-lore channel naturally

[golden root]

Ok now that's awesome

[feral fulcrum]

Speaking of Lore Nerds, I wonder when the last time Pale Night was mentioned officially...

[still plover]

Eh. Consider active shooter drills in US schools. The parallel made me feel uneasy.

[golden root]

Lol, yeah, I get that. We had that in our area earlier today, wife and kids went to another town till it was handled.

So how often are games ran on here?

[sturdy niche]

one of the main reasons i am in this channel is i had wanted to comment that looking at some of the people answering the mist-walkers stuff, some seem to not not know the common and well established details about the dark powers, dark lords, their domains and how they are established, surprising since they recently put out an article for free on dnd beyond explaining some if not all of these things, like my lore savy brain can't help but wonder "what the heck? do they even know what they are saying implies about their character or their patron?" cuz it often seems like they are not aware but could just be ignoring the established common elements for the sake of making an interesting answer in the event, which to me feels a bit odd since they have even in some cases when making the day by day question things refer people to reference materials such as "van richton's guide" if they felt they needed help thinking something up

and with that thought shared, i shall return to my natural habitat, the lore channel

[golden root]

God speed lol

[reef tundra]

People post ads in #looking-for-players all the time

[still plover]

Check out #find-a-game, LFG on Reddit or the DDB forums, Roll20 and etc.

[feral fulcrum]

Never. You can find games here via the right channels, but none are run here.

[fervent kayak]

Low-key considering makeing a eldretich god that’s a wether man who controls wether

[errant crag]

What makes him Eldritch

[sly crest]

Valid AF.

[fervent kayak]

When somebody has to face it they will see ;)

[reef tundra]

Plants are so Eldritch. They’ll inevitably eat your corpse one day unless you completely incinerate yourself, they have infinite patience and grow for decades and centuries, and it’s incredibly difficult to kill them permanently as they almost always come back in one form or another

[olive storm]

Player: This is my Oathbreaker paladin who is multiclassed into Fiendish Warlock.

GM: Oh cool! So we can tell a story about the tragedy of them breaking their oath?

Player: No. Their oath was dumb and they don't regret breaking it.

GM: Okay... So they're trapped in an infernal contract! There is so much potential for abuse an-

Player: Actually he's in a loving relationship with a succubus and she supports him from her job every day.

GM: ... Why are you like this?

[oak grotto]

Sometimes the DM has to create the traumatic event themselves.

[undone rain]

The hell

[oak grotto]

Characters that are happy with their lives should be more normalized.

[undone rain]

True true

[buoyant oar]

Of course the succubus supports him. It will make the soul harvest in Hell all the more sweeter.

[olive storm]

Bilbo was very content and initially regretted going on his adventure.

[undone rain]

"This is my character steve, hes in a loving relationship and has 4 kids and is very happy"

[olive storm]

"Why is he adventuring?"

"He's looking for a cool birthday present for Bradley."

New magic item idea: Stick of Becoming. Whatever weapon you prime this stick to be, it mechanically becomes! Prime it as a club, it's a club! Prime it as a wand, it casts spells!

[undone rain]

Hes late on a christmas present and must find one

[oak grotto]

I literally have a character who's literally just a rich lady who caught the attention of a genie.

[buoyant oar]

John is married and has kids a house and a good life.

Why is John an adventurer?

John is just a bad dad. Good guy. Bad dad.

[olive storm]

Do Robes of the Archmagi require the Spellcasting Feature in 2014?

[buoyant oar]

requires attunement by a Sorcerer, Warlock, or Wizard

So by default yes it would.

[undone rain]

So which races raise your wisdom scores? Playin 2014

[oak grotto]

My character is literally just a gold digger who nabbed herself a rich old man.

[olive storm]

Well because Warlocks don't have the Spellcasting Feature.

brb

[reef tundra]

IIRC wood elves

[buoyant oar]

Pact magic serves as the Warlocks spell casting feature.

[undone rain]

Gotcha

[civic bramble]

Can you play Ranger Gloom Stalker without it being totally bad in 5e, if you also use the Tasha’s add on?

Melee*

[buoyant oar]

Ime Gloom Stalker is one of the more popular subclasses. I haven't heard the notion its bad.

[oak grotto]

Melee rangers are valid.

[atomic kayak]

You can play any ranger without it being totally bad

Without it being mostly bad even

[still plover]

Try clarifying what you believe to be the issue. Avoid language like "I heard" or "this video said." What flaws do you see?

[buoyant oar]

Melee gloom stalker will require more effort than Ranged gloom stalker but. It's not difficult

[civic bramble]

Ranger is assumed by many to be played with range, but I want to try playing it with sword and board.

[vernal owl]

I loved playing ranger even tho all he did was shoot arrows and made his drake bite people, never felt underpowered

[still plover]

And is that a problem for you? How so?

[civic bramble]

Because ppl keep telling me I’m playing Ranger “the wrong way” and not actually how to play a melee Ranger.

[still plover]

Ignore them.

[vernal owl]

The only reason i picked ranger as my first class was because i thought i would be able to play my favorite skyrim build (stealth archer) in dnd 😭

[buoyant oar]

Tell those people to pound sand

[civic bramble]

I don’t mind people who like playing Ranger at, well, range. It’s fine.

I just like melee combat a bit more.

[buoyant oar]

If you are not an active hindrance to your party or deliberately skirting the DM. You aren't playing wrong.

[vernal owl]

Yeye fair enough, you can make 4 attacks while dual wielding in 2024 if im correct

[civic bramble]

Only on the first round of combat.

[tall adder]

My favorite nephews may I ask a question?

[civic bramble]

Sure

[vernal owl]

Yes you may

[vernal owl]

Really? I thought it was consistent 4 hits with extra attack + nick weapon property + bonus action attack

[tall adder]

Would I be able to be a bender of the same element i bend ofcrouse in Dungeons & Dragons?

[still plover]

Tips and tricks for melee rangers? We've already had dual wielding.

[civic bramble]

Is there a particular subclass that fits well with melee specifically for the class?

[reef tundra]

Greatsword Ranger, do it

[still plover]

Good thinking. Anyone?

[buoyant oar]

Monster Slayer

[reef tundra]

-# My homebrew Ravensong Knight subclass /j

[loud tendon]

D&d has lots of spells that do elemental damage that you could, with dm permission, flavor as "bending".. there is also an avatar ttrpg called avatar legends

[buoyant oar]

Beast Master

[olive storm]

Uncle it's you

[reef tundra]

Warrior of the elements Monk and just focus on one element

[still plover]

Strength does go to Athletics, running, jumping, climbing trees.

[pliant sapphire]

Winter Walker with Quarterstaff Shilelagh and Cold Caster

[reef tundra]

we are witnessing a reunion of the ages

[civic bramble]

😂

[pliant sapphire]

hit with staff, cold caster grants -1d4 to next ST and then topple

[olive storm]

Okay, I'll change back. I don't wanna make the mods angry.

[buoyant oar]

Most ranger Subs can be played melee or ranged.

[tall adder]

Where are my messages?

[loud tendon]

You can change the name, but this is not a role-playing channel. And just shouting names back and forth is a bit off topic..

[tall adder]

Oh Jayn that's true

[olive storm]

Nah you're fine. I'll do it in the right channel in the future.

[tall adder]

Are you some deer-rabbit creature?

[olive storm]

I'm a satyr! It's my favorite race in D&D.

[tall adder]

Oh ho That's good for you!

[neon salmon]

Id say that monk with way of the four elements would be your best shout

[tall adder]

But for now im just gonna focus on my goblin Battlesmith

[olive storm]

It's weird that in both D&D and Pathfinder, we only have four elements users and not specialists.

You can play Aang or Korra, but not Zuko, Katari or Toph.

Katara

[tepid fiber]

are there inherently magical creatures in DND. Like us humans are ordinary joes but are there creatures that bleed and sweat magic

[olive storm]

This is the premise of Frieren.

[eager marsh]

you simply choose to restrict your element. the issue is 5e is largely fire favored for choices

[tall adder]

Wait...?

[feral fulcrum]

There are many, many inherently magical creatures in D&D

[tall adder]

Would Iroh's tea trick work in dnd?

[olive storm]

That's just Prestidigitation.

[neon salmon]

If you wanted to go dragonborne then yeah, cause of the breath weapon

[tall adder]

I mean that one he used in like Ba sing se?

[tepid fiber]

Good. Im asking because im thinking of something known as Anti-Magic that is usually used in warfare in order to turn magic fights into traditional boring swords and guns fighting. And i assume Anti Magic would be like poison to these inherently magical creatures

[uncut zenith]

Dragons

[olive storm]

New idea: Steam dragon that is a big fan of artifice.

Like a dragon with a steam breath attack, not a dragon made of steam.

[tall adder]

Like he drank tea then used fire bending we'll spitting the tea out

[eager marsh]

that wasnt a trick

[tall adder]

And did a fire breath thing

[eager marsh]

he just used fire breath after sipping tea. the tea wasnt really involved

[thin crest]

They call him dragon of the west for a reason

[neon salmon]

Oh so kinda like a green dragon with poison breath

[olive storm]

Yeah that's just:

• Red / Gold Dragonborn breath weapon
• The Dragon's Breath spell from Druid
• Kobold Breath Weapon
• Draconic Sorcerer Breath Weapon
• Ascendant Dragon Monk with Breath Weapon iirc

[tall adder]

Like fr why would he be called the dragon of the west if he couldn't even breathe fire?

[thin crest]

He does

[buoyant oar]

Anti Magic and Dead Magic zones aren't harmful to magical creatures they just nullify their connection to the weave of magic.

The spellplauge was the really big time in DnD settings. Where casting magic was actively a danger.

[olive storm]

Why was he called the dragon of the west when the fire nation is on the east part of the map?

[buoyant oar]

World's are round

[eager marsh]

he attacked the west

[thin crest]

Conquerer

[eager marsh]

also that

[olive storm]

Yeah but he didn't come from the west so why is he the dragon "of the west?"

[neon salmon]

he was thought to be a dragon slayer, hence the title “dragon”

[atomic kayak]

It would not be

[olive storm]

That's like Christopher Columbus being called the "explorer of the far east."

[tall adder]

Because he said that he killed the last dragon in the world that he lied about in the west or is it smth like that

[olive storm]

Oh okay.

[atomic kayak]

Because he went to the west. And conquered it

[olive storm]

What is he a blue mage? Does he just become what he eats? Is he a tea dragon?

[tall adder]

As you would know if you watched A.T.L.A he did infact not do that

[buoyant oar]

But also like reaching the far east by going west was his goal

[thin crest]

Only watched avatar from Facebook clips

[tall adder]

FAH!

[olive storm]

I haven't watched the original in years.

[thin crest]

I liked both series

[tall adder]

Me too but korra was a lil bad at fighting and her large ego got to her

[buoyant oar]

Her ego and moving beyond it was the point.

[thin crest]

Well, she wasnt raised as a emotionless monk

Teenagers are known to be hotheaded

[tall adder]

Emotionless?

[neon salmon]

No clue what the “of the west” bit meant, Maybe as the fire nation is west in ATLA universe

And he didnt manage to Conquere Ba Sing Sae, only break down the first wall until his son died and he retreaed

[tepid fiber]

How so? It basicly neutralizes magic and i assume that magical beings like dragons have magic ingrained in their very biology. It would be the equivalent of blood dissapearing from the very veins of a human

[atomic kayak]

Because thats simply not how it works.

[uncut zenith]

Like Swampellow said, he went to the west and conquered

[olive storm]

I never actually watched all of Korra.

[thin crest]

Fake fan

[tall adder]

Aang literally went into the avatar state from seeing his favorite person die?

[atomic kayak]

Magic being "turned off" doesn't mean creatures with innate magical abilities automatically die or anything. They simply can't use those abilities

[tepid fiber]

Oh that makes sense

[reef tundra]

Me too!

I liked Korra

Anyway, getting off topic

[thin crest]

Didnt say it worked. Remember the "giving up all attachments" from that random guru guy who never showed up again aang just wasnt very good at it hence why he ran away and got stuck in the ice

[tall adder]

Anyways gtg I got to eat

[olive storm]

I really think it would be funny if I played a Satyr Glory Paladin in my game but he's too pure for Curse of Strahd.

[reef tundra]

Bye uncle

[stiff rock]

Noble/righteous characters are pretty fun in curse of strahd

[delicate owl]

Antimagic Field and Dead Magic Zones do not affect creatures, unless explicitly said, because they just don't. You can in your world. But creatures dont just get immediately hurt because of such a zone. Things can be a natural process of the world and not be considered magic.

[grand raptor]

My friend is running a fnaf campaign

[olive storm]

Yeah but our GM specifically wanted our characters to be afraid of something... Potentially so they can ||turn into monsters when they go insane like in Fear & Hunger.||

[flint ledge]

How does that work...

[olive storm]

I wanna play a character inspired by Caligura from Fear & Hunger I.E. a mobster who is obsessed with being a clean, refined gentleman but is forced to do horrifyingly evil things due to being in the mob.

[grand raptor]

I dont know

[atomic kayak]

Also worth noting: in terms of game mechanics Anti-magic fields only turn off things that are mechanically magical.

A lot of creatures that are narratively magical do not have mechanically magical abilities

[buoyant oar]

Yeah, if you were playing a character that just laughed at everything or isn't afraid of anything or he's just so golden-hearted that nothing bad can happen to them. Trauma wise, the characters kind of missing the point of ravenloft

[little stream]

Deadass question, does a charecter named matpat make a Cameo

[still plover]

See, you've given me a horrific vision of a beholder now.

[olive storm]

Yeah like he's meant to be kind of a Waterdeep kinda character, not a Ravenloft one. If I added new stuff to him, he wouldn't be the same character I like.

[nocturne turret]

hello!

[cobalt escarp]

make a character that is a fringe theorist

[cobalt escarp]

welcome

[grand raptor]

He hasn't started it yet but has stated multiple times it will be fnaf

And he is a huge fnaf nerd so I think he will make a cameo

[nocturne turret]

are you sure you’re not a crocodile

[olive storm]

Howdy!

[nocturne turret]

woaaaaa i love your profile picture

[olive storm]

Thanks!

[flint ledge]

Technically speaking dragon breath isn't even described as magical in its description so it's not actually affected by antimagic fields

[atomic kayak]

Thats one such ability yes

[atomic kayak]

(That I was referencing here)

[olive storm]

Same is true for Ki that doesn't cast a spell.

[flint ledge]

Oh didn't see that one

[olive storm]

Like a Longdeath Monk is basically immortal, even in an antimagic field.

[nocturne turret]

did you draw it or is it a picrew?

[olive storm]

It's Picrew!

[flint ledge]

How does Ki work anyway?

[nocturne turret]

WAIT if you know which one it is can you send me the link, i wanna make one for this server

[little stream]

Y'know, better idea. Someone ask for a voice recording or something

[olive storm]

It's Baydews' Picrew.

[olive storm]

It's ki from dragonball z.

Or Chakra from Naruto.

It's muscle magic.

[little stream]

Dude that sounds fun, idk anything of FNAF though. Surely story wise it would be something

[buoyant oar]

Ki is Qi. Spiritual life force and energy that is permeating the entire world in Universe around us. It's based off of the ancient Chinese concept of a similar name. It's also one of the number one inspirations for Star wars's the force.

[flint ledge]

That actually makes a surprising amount of sense

[buoyant oar]

It's also a real thing that people practice of course it doesn't let them live forever like in D&D, but that's part of the reason why it was rebranded in 5.5 as focus points

[cobalt escarp]

you have no proof for the contrary

[sleek cloud]

Crikey

[humble cairn]

100% good change.

[thin crest]

Liked ki better

[buoyant oar]

I do think representing different cultures into the core rules of D&D is a good thing. It needs to be handled with a lot more nuance than how it has been prior to 5.5. So understand that this is predominantly a western hemisphere game.

[thin crest]

"Im gonna use a focus point" just sounds nerdy now instead of cool

[buoyant oar]

I liked the term ki better as well. Appropriating names from any culture can be a bit iffy. D&D has done it to Western cultures as well.

[thin crest]

Its not as bad as VtM tbf

[buoyant oar]

Like Paladin. Paladins were a specific group of people known as the 12 peers who fought against the Saracens under the banner of Charlamegne. That is why Paladin is tied to holy warriors.

[glass granite]

Well, then having a feature called divine smite also helps with the holy warrior relation

But ye that’s correct, cool fun fact

[thin crest]

I just think they're neat

[undone rain]

Did someone say paladin

[glass granite]

I do like paladins. They fit in many parties, are great fun to write backstories for, are great fun to incorporate their backstories into a campaign, and an interesting role play hook

They’ll never beat monks and bards for me tho

[bronze canopy]

The first character I got to play was a Paladin

[undone rain]

My 3rd was my first paladin and i fell in love

Loved him so much that we are bringing back our characters from that campaign as non canon versions

[buoyant oar]

One of the 12 Peers Ogier the Dane had a Sword named in some versions as Cortana

The relationship between the two was adapted for the Halo Franchise. Ogier (in norse trappings) is Master Chief (who wears Mjolnir armor) both wield Cortana. Whom in halo refers to herself as his sword.

[lean wigeon]

im kobold

[still plover]

Have a Kingsguard, Oath of the Crown. Call it lordly smite or something.

[undone rain]

Imagine a bard thats part of a church choir

[buoyant oar]

That person was real

Hildegard Von Bingen

[thin crest]

Spirits bard with a tarokka deck as a focus

[flint ledge]

Very stronk Kobold

[lean wigeon]

yes

[undone rain]

That could work as a divine subclass, contacting past holy spirits of different deitys.

[thin crest]

Nah communicating with the fam from beyond the grave telling me to put you in the dirt

[sacred lily]

Prismatic wall in 5.5e is good yes?

Been thinking of maybe using it as a sort of meatgrinder in a one shot I'm playing in

[nocturne turret]

guys just a quick like peer review

how easy is dnd to pick up?

[minor cargo]

I think for most people, you can pick up the basics in the first hour or so of playing. And then after two or three sessions, it should feel pretty good.

And then after like a dozen or so games, it'll be like second nature.

[nocturne turret]

thank you, i appreciate the insight!

[lean wigeon]

something i've read on the internet is that the reason why alot of D&D campaigns end up being goofy and unserious is because it demands alot of emotional vulnerability to take a campaign seriously and the average D&D player isn't handled for that

[mystic crystal]

I caught on pretty early on In our first session and I’m notorious for being an idiot when it comes to board games and the like. But mechanically Wise game was interesting enough for me to put in the effort to learn.

And my dm thought wizards got a d4 to hit points on level ups so after that I needed to learn the rules my self

[south prawn]

It’s also very DM dependent. There will be less friction with a very experienced DM who’s worked with many new players in the past. If you’re all brand new, that’s a different story

[mystic crystal]

I can definitely see that. Nothing like tearing up in front of some of your closest friends because you numbers on a paper died

[nocturne turret]

i really hope to find a game w an experienced one

[mystic crystal]

I highly recommend clearing your mind of expectations when going into your first couple sessions

I have had plenty of players quit because they go in thinking I’m giving a critical role level rp and instead they bobert the blacksmith

Who only speaks in third person

[lean wigeon]

i'd quit the session too ngl

[mystic crystal]

I mean that’s your opinion. Rest of my players like bobert. Bobert has great deals on armor.

[nocturne turret]

I wanna meet bobert

[mystic crystal]

See Bryan likes bobert.

[south prawn]

Fingers are crossed for you! It’s an incredibly wide spectrum when it comes to DMs not just in terms of experience, but quality, style, and overall experience are drastically different from one to the next

[lone trout]

Is there a channel for posting artwork?

[nocturne turret]

gred, you should let me know if you start a campaign

[south prawn]

Critical Role level of RP requires a TON from the players

That’s not all DM, that’s everybody. So if the players are expecting that, they’d better be bringing it too

[mystic crystal]

If I ever start a virtual game I’ll keep you in mind

[south prawn]

#dnd-arts-and-crafts

[nocturne turret]

absolute W from my main man gred

[mystic crystal]

The important part with D&D is it’s a collaborative story. So it requires effort from the whole table. As long as you can get a quick grasp of the rules. The rp will eventually come naturally

[lone trout]

Danke

[south prawn]

I have a couple of players that may never slip into natural RP, but that’s ok. They are mostly mechanical with the game. I have a few DM tricks to get them to engage with RP a little bit - “What does that look like?” “What do you say to each other in that moment?”. But I’ve yet to experience a moment where they slip into natural RP conversation amongst themselves in character like you see in professional actual plays. With this groups it’s more likely they are mechanically discussing things above table despite my efforts

[still plover]

Get down when the d20 is used and how, learn your own actions and features, get a cheat sheet for actions in combat. Go!

[buoyant oar]

Ahh nothing is beating the rush of telling the party in my campaign tonight they have 30 minutes to solve a riddle or be trapped in the Doman of Dread they found themselves in for eternity. Then the look of fear when the Timer appeared on screen. They solved it with 48 seconds to spare.

[mystic crystal]

At my table we have the same. Some people don’t enjoy the rp and a couple of us that try to jump in and bring the others into the scene.

[knotty vine]

The dm im talking too doesnt understand how 4 level 3 adventuerers cant take down an owlbear

[mystic crystal]

Just gotta be better

[bronze canopy]

With swords and magic?

[last flume]

A single owlbear has 59 Hp but hits hard, feasible without casualties when you attack ranged

[knotty vine]

Yeah but thats 4 level 3 adventuerers and it has no condtion immuntites

[bronze canopy]

It’s not even a higher CR. It’s designed to be fought by 4 level3 characters

[mystic crystal]

I may be confused, you think they can take it down and he doesn’t or is it the other way around?

[atomic kayak]

An owlbear is definitely a very viable target for a party of 4 level 3s

[bronze canopy]

Now I’m not sure myself

[knotty vine]

and he said that being a PC/adventuer doesnt make you "special" somehow

[mystic crystal]

Reading comprehension may not be a strong suit thanks to public school. But I got really confused

[south prawn]

My current group fought one at level 2. It downed the Wizard, but otherwise it was fine

[atomic kayak]

Inherently, explicitly, PCs are special lol

[knotty vine]

Thats what Im saying

compared to something like a commoner PCs are just up there

[mystic crystal]

You have to be special to be a Pc or commoners would be a threat 😝

[bronze canopy]

Maybe he likes starting at level 0 and rolling 3d6 in order, but most games don’t play like that

[mystic crystal]

@knotty vine help me out here

[knotty vine]

No but were starting at level 3 is the issue

And he thinks we cant take down a thing thats equal to our cr

or maybe he doesnt understand

[little stream]

Can I interject a bit, what really is special? I'll take an example from goblin slayer if I may

Dude's not the main charecter the big picture but he's still "special"

[knotty vine]

But our dm is comparing a level 3 fighter to like say a commoner through 😭

[humble cairn]

PCs are special, they get character classes and access to the features therein. NPCs, at least the way I run them, do not get character classes, they get NPC statblocks.

I do often steal specific PC class features for NPCs, but I don't make a whole PC sheet for them, ever.

[buoyant oar]

Its an older school of thought. One that was common in older editions. And is mainly in 5e a rebuke against the default assumption of special because, special .

[knotty vine]

I know a few npc stats blocks that have class abilites

[humble cairn]

NPCs have access to abilities PCs do not. The spells that PCs have access to are not all the magic in the world.

[still plover]

"As if downing the wizard impresses us."

[knotty vine]

Like theres a a stat block with an action surge like ability which I thought was really cool

[buoyant oar]

Prior to 5e and really 4e. NPCs especially prominent once were given full class levels mainly because it was a quick short hand to write.

Drizzt do'Urden 11Ra/4Mo

[atomic kayak]

Its not even that PCs are special mechanically (despite ostensibly being so)

Its that narratively they are

[little stream]

What's the context? If they're down in that way

Hey man, kudos

[wicked mulch]

D&D Question of the Day (D&D Beyond: Character Classes):

The classic balanced D&D party is made up of which four classes?
A. Barbarian, Bard, Druid, Warlock
B. Cleric, Fighter, Rogue, Wizard
C. Paladin, Ranger, Sorcerer, Monk
D. Fighter, Monk, Warlock, Bard

[knotty vine]

Oh thats a hard one

[humble cairn]

This, too. PCs are the main characters and are meant to be.

[knotty vine]

B

[crimson gulch]

B Final answere

[little stream]

E. Fireball, fireball, fireball, fireball

Though my real answer is B

[atomic kayak]

Its a bit of a false question for a few reasons

Most primarily A) the classes aren't of the appropriate names and B) its not a matter of being "balanced"

[knotty vine]

Hes talking about the the book

[atomic kayak]

Yes

[knotty vine]

the players hand book

[atomic kayak]

This is in concert with what I said yes

[little stream]

I mean put cleric and rogue tgt. Imagine the stealth they could do

[atomic kayak]

The classic party was what it was because thats all that existed, not due to balance

[knotty vine]

Fighter man

[wicked mulch]

Answer (per the D&D Beyond Basic Rules): B...although this isn't a rule, per se. Adjectives like "classic" and "balanced" are totally subjective.

https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/br-2024/creating-a-character#ClassOverview

[nocturne turret]

guys

this backstory might be sigma

[humble cairn]

Remind me, is "sigma" a good thing?

[nocturne turret]

yes

[wicked mulch]

Think the designers were trying to steer new parties/players from making things too complicated in the early stages of play.

[knotty vine]

That made me giggle a little

[humble cairn]

Yeah It was something like: Fighting Man, Magic User, Thief, and ... hmm

[little stream]

Tbf I'm a designer to an extent, I'll make it complicated as I can

[knotty vine]

Theif

[wicked mulch]

...and cover all bases: healing/divine support, martial durability, skills/stealth, and arcane problem-solving.

[humble cairn]

Ah yeah it was still Cleric, so I guess Cleric is the oldest class name that has remained the same.

[knotty vine]

Choose your class: fighter man magic user Theif and cleric

[sleek cloud]

B

[little stream]

Is theif the stealing. question

[mystic crystal]

Thief stole my heart

[knotty vine]

You could say that was a phantom Thief

[severe fox]

You'll never see it coming!

[atomic kayak]

Priest

[rough basalt]

B

[nocturne turret]

A

oh

[lean wigeon]

6e should only have Fighter Thief Mage and Priest as the only classes but on certain levels they get to prestige into advanced classes

[humble cairn]

Was it originally Priest?

[lean wigeon]

i forgor

oh it was cleric

in od&d
also thief wasn't even a class back then

in the core books i mean

[little stream]

So it was...a phantom

[nocturne turret]

a phantom…menace?

so whats everyone up to today

[atomic kayak]

I may be mixing 1st ed and 2nd ed with priest

[buoyant oar]

Book I: Men and Magic | Cleric Fighting-Man Magic-User
Supplement I: Greyhawk | Paladin Thief
Supplement II: Blackmoor | Assassin Monk
Supplement III: Eldritch Wizardry | Druid

[atomic kayak]

Definitely mixing some then

[nocturne turret]

That sounds cool!

[buoyant oar]

Priest was a specialization in 2e

[nocturne turret]

whats 2e?

[humble fog]

Advanced dnd is often referred to as 2e now iirc

[atomic kayak]

Wasnt priest one of the base classes in 2e?

Cleric (and... druid?) Being one of its specializations

[nocturne turret]

ohhh

[lyric viper]

Advanced D&D is 1e and 2e. Published at the same time was the Basic D&D line that has it's own revisions but never adopted the term editions (B/X, BECMI so on).

When WotC took over D&D they went with one line and used 3e as it was most similar to the Advanced Line than the Basic line. But as it was only one line they dropped 'Advanced' so as not to confuse or put off new players.

But saying that, if some one says they're playing AD&D they do probably mean 2e.

[fiery nimbus]

So, what do we think about characters who don't know common?

[buoyant oar]

Basics would get a bit of a pseudo return briefly with DnD Essentials which was a streamlined reboot of 4th Ed near the end of its life

[lyric viper]

In the same way you might assume someone is playing 5e if they say they play D&D

[paper portal]

definitely should be coordinated with your party beforehand

[lyric viper]

Depends if they still share a language with everyone else.

[fiery nimbus]

even if they do share the language with the party, wouldn't that mean they do not share the language with the greater world?

[buoyant oar]

Depends on a few factors. Namely setting it is very easy to have a character not speak common in the realms. Because no one uses common as a first language.

Common is for Trade.

[lyric viper]

If there is a language barrier that's interesting but doesake the communication aspect of the roleplay game rather difficult

[buoyant oar]

If your campaign is local to the Bloodstone lands than Damaran is a tongue everyone should know and effectively becomes your common.

[fiery nimbus]

I guess so, it takes the spotlight off of you in vast majority of social encounters

[lyric viper]

If you all speak a regional language and can speak within your region, why would you need 'common'?

[fiery nimbus]

What im thinking about is more of a setting where you simply do not share the language with people of this land

[buoyant oar]

Before the whole "It came from sigil" common was an incomplete pigdin language that no one ever defaulted to in the realms.

[lyric viper]

Not D&D but I find it interesting in Golarion it makes a distinction for certain modules what "common" is. In Avistan continent? Common is Taldane. In the Mwangi expanse? Common is Mwangi.

[buoyant oar]

Checks off Pathfinder fixes this from daily bingo card

[rough basalt]

I do like how PF handles that.

[still plover]

Fixes is a real relative term. We had a great big discussion about languages in RPGs back in the day on G+.

[fiery nimbus]

I guess i will limit the "Doesn't know Common" to "Doesn't know how to read Common"

[lyric viper]

Lingua Franca as an example irl- the common tongue is the one you need to trade or to commune widely. Latin or Greek worked for scholars. English more nowadays.

[hollow stone]

promote it to "doesn't know how to read" :)

[buoyant oar]

I believe regional common was also a advice from a dragon mag on the realms where they gave a language chart of over 50 plus languages in the realms.

[uncut zenith]

I think the new Forgotten Realms books actually talk about how certain regions in the world has specific regional languages

[buoyant oar]

Yeah they kind of always have had them but it's the first time bringing it up on 5e

[fiery nimbus]

nah, a step too far, i am making a character that is excited about the culture they really know basically nothing about that finally gets to visit
basicaly a Weebo tourist visiting Japan

[uncut zenith]

“Common” is narratively just the trade tongue and mechanically just a way to ensure that all the players can communicate with each other

[atomic kayak]

I love having language (and sometimes even just dialects) matter in my games

I tend to make know of when someone is speaking with an accent

[uncut zenith]

They’ve brought it up in 5E before I think, just not particularly in-depth

[hollow stone]

illiteracy isn't uncommon in the fantastical ages :)

[still plover]

You could have it that most folk don't mind Common, but some will react more positively if you use their language.

[atomic kayak]

They were also in SCAG yea

[reef tundra]

Correct! Adventures in Faerun details a little bit of the language of Calimshan

[atomic kayak]

Ive allowed (or more accurately, not allowed) certain checks based on the language of engagement of the party with various NPCs before

[reef tundra]

I always thought common was just a way to refer to the common language of the area before

[fiery nimbus]

Yes yes i know, i just find the idea funny

[buoyant oar]

In one of the dragon magazine articles it mentions the reason Minsc talks like that isn't because he is stupid. But because you are always hearing him speak in his 3rd or 4th tongue. His native tongue is Rashemi

[still plover]

"Oh Tish, that's gnomish."
"Ka."

[uncut zenith]

Same. One of my favorite things to do is to gauge how certain NPCs/monsters may interact with someone using their language

[humble fog]

It's interesting that dnd assumes literacy. In 3.5 I think only barbarians were illiterate off the bat

[buoyant oar]

The new books cave common an origin story of coming from sigil and spreading through the multiverse

[atomic kayak]

Most of the countries in my setting have 2 dominant languages, with most people being bilingual, with common usually being the most well. Common. Third language. But not everyone knows it

[reef tundra]

Badass

Yes, I can consider an origin story for a language badass

[buoyant oar]

To me it felt very handwavy but to each their own.

[atomic kayak]

So there are roughly 8 dominant languages on a single continent, plus common.

And there are a number of more regional languages/dialects

[uncut zenith]

For example, in my games, Draconic when spoken by non-dragons is sort of a simplified version because other creatures don’t have the biology to speak it fluently. An allied dragon might be honored by someone speaking Draconic, while an enemy dragon might consider it an insult

[fiery nimbus]

I just need to be careful to not overplay the bit

[hollow stone]

i've always tried playing for common linguistic roots whenever languages come up but it doesn't work often :(

[still plover]

"Without the infrasonic harmony, I might consider such a remark somewhat condescending. But I shall defer to your status as a minor species and forgo rendering you into charcoal for the moment."

[woven flint]

I'm gonna be real with you
That frankly, doesn't make sense to me
Because you gotta remember, not only dobthe forgotten realms have technology, a lot of it is MORE advanced than what we have Looks at all the constructs, spelljamners, etc
It's bold to assume that there isn't an educational system in the lands seeing as how no statblock says commoners can't read lol

[still plover]

In my Grim Fels game, celestial and abyssal had a symmetry.

[woven flint]

They have Bard and Wizard colleges
They definitely have regular ass schools

The forgotten realms isn't even "Ye Olden Times"

[hollow stone]

the Spelljammer books are in the FR setting? nvm then

i thought Spelljammer was its own setting

[severe wedge]

Funny enough i have to change the C to K

[woven flint]

I'm uncertain, but then I'd still point to all the constructs and technology that still exist

[analog sand]

hello

[woven flint]

There's no way there's not a standard educational system

[severe wedge]

So how do you even play like play this ?

[woven flint]

#learn-to-play

[severe wedge]

Alr thanks

[woven flint]

Hope you have many adventures ahead of you!

[severe wedge]

Oh wow that alot of stuff

[woven flint]

It looks jarring at first, but its simpler than it seems tbh

[severe wedge]

Thanks but not even sure if i can even get the basic after reading all that

[severe wedge]

I see

[analog sand]

hey, new player here, imma ask hoping it's not too much of a stupid question but is knowing and reading all the dnd books necessary to properly understand how to play ?

[woven flint]

You don't have to read every single book
Only the basic rules

[severe wedge]

I have a question

[woven flint]

Yes, friend? :]

[severe wedge]

Do Dnd limited to only like fantasy version i mean like what about something like futuristic is that even exist ?

[torn tartan]

There are futuristic settings if that's what your asking

[twilit shell]

DnD applies to all sorts of settings but primarily is situated in fantasy worlds. Other TTRPGs tend to do more futuristic content, like shadowrun/cyberpunk

[woven flint]

Futuristic technology does and can indeed exist

[severe wedge]

Ah i see thank you all

[twilit shell]

DnD can be ANYTHING if you are willing to finangle setitngs and systems lol

[severe wedge]

Well i think it will be a problem just to find one though

[woven flint]

I looked it up and yes, the spelljammer setting is indeed forgotten realms

[torn tartan]

Then you can always make one

[hot gate]

It's more that Spelljammer it its own setting and happens to interface with others due to its setting-hopping nature.

[severe wedge]

Im not sure am completely clueless about this

[fickle ocean]

conjure animals is the same as squirrel girl's ult. change my mind ☕️

[woven flint]

Yeah, I shoulda put a few asterisk there lol

But spelljammer can interface anywhere pretty much 🤔

[hot gate]

Jup, and it's funny how it keeps showing up in small parts in official adventures if you pay attention.

[torn tartan]

You can create literally anything for DND will it be balanced though probably not

[analog sand]

Can you be like anything race wise ?

[twilit shell]

I prefer the shrek version of it lol, can't remember which princess summoned the woodland stampede

[severe wedge]

That true

[hot gate]

Well, kinda, but not really. Start with looking at the species in the basic rules. Thinks like elves, humans, orcs

[woven flint]

Yes and No

Officially. There's only so many things

However, you can homebrew your own species..

I'd suggest playing Official things before homebrewing

[hot gate]

It also depends on your DM what sort of species will be allowed in a given campaign. So outside of the basic rules, I'd check with them first.

[analog sand]

i to be precise was thinking about mermaid ? or fish man, or merfolk, idk what's the right word english isn't my first language haha

[woven flint]

Triton, Water Genasi and Sea Elves can kinda fit this vibe

[torn tartan]

Just adapt a race to fit the vibe if you don't enjoy homebrewing

[twilit shell]

Simic Hybrid too

[woven flint]

Technically
Triton ARE Merfolk, they just don't have fishy parts (fishtails instead of legs)

[woven flint]

Yes, but thats Ravnica, which is why I didn't mention it

[twilit shell]

We LOVE Ravnica!

[analog sand]

i mean i don't got any dm or anything i just recently discovered dnd with baldur's gate and it hyped me up i, tho appreciating all the responses, don't even know all thoses races you named

[woven flint]

Ravnica content isn't allowed at every table

Which is reasonable, but we do love that

[fiery nimbus]

Merfolk is an official race already

[woven flint]

No its not

[torn tartan]

Expanded rules races lol

[torn tartan]

It's not

[woven flint]

That's Planescape
Which is third party

[fiery nimbus]

Alright than unofficially, stupid DND beyond not marking third party very well

[wild idol]

The day when I finally join a match will be my last, as I feel like they're gonna hate my ideas 😢

[woven flint]

Planescape races
Aren't official
Yes, it was made by the MTG team, but thats not an official supplement

Also.. a lot of the things in that book kinda suck by todays standards

(Meaning they're underwhelming or just nothingburgers)

[wild idol]

But, I can't find a party anyways so... Yeah...

[torn tartan]

Most 3rd party stuff isn't balanced well unfortunately

[fiery nimbus]

Accidentally mistook "Exploring Ebberon" for an official book

[twilit shell]

I really don't like how the DDB format redesign makes it hard to tell what is 1pp or 3pp

[torn tartan]

Dude if it says anything besides core rules, expanded rules or legacy it ain't 1pp

[woven flint]

Exploring eberron is pretty alright

I played a Sahuagin Forge Adept Artificer in a oneshot :]

[twilit shell]

I know that lol, but my players get confused all the time by the website 😔

[torn tartan]

Oof

[fiery nimbus]

It's still poorly marked, I swear unless there is something completely left field I mistake it for official

[woven flint]

IF your dm allows Exploring Eberron, then Sahuagin is a good alternative to Merfolk, but you gotta submerge in water once per day or you'll get exhaustion until you die

[twilit shell]

Locathah catfish is the peak fishfolk fr

[errant crag]

Playing as Sahuagin?

[soft flume]

how do you guys deal with the situation that in 5.5e, Warlocks choose their patron at lvl 3, yet they already have the benefits of Pact magic from the very start?

[atomic kayak]

Triton is a good merfolk

[torn tartan]

I just avoid 5.5 for the most part tbh

[atomic kayak]

But yea ddb labels of third party stuff is. Annoying. To say the least

[twilit shell]

I just have them already have a pact with that entity and unlock more power as they're strong enough to contain it

[torn tartan]

I don't enjoy the idea of your background tying into your build

[woven flint]

Yup.

I played a Sahuagin Forge Adept Arti in a oneshot

First turn?

Haste and Blood Frenzy

Then I just went at the thing we were fighting (Aboleth-related third party creature)

It wss fun

[hot gate]

Same as all other classes and subclass themes, roleplay that you're going towards something big.

[atomic kayak]

Entirely the same as always

It doesn't actually change anything.

Just because you don't get "patron specific" powers until level 3 doesn't mean you don't already have a patron

[humble cairn]

Makes way more sense that species, anyway.

[soft flume]

does it mean they already "pre-choose" their subclass at the start?

[woven flint]

So are Water Genasi and Sea Elves 🧐

[atomic kayak]

Indeed

[twilit shell]

Thats the way I handle it, yeah

[woven flint]

Air Genasi are superior though
(I'm not biased)

[torn tartan]

I prefer Tasha's rules for ability scores

[woven flint]

I've played an Earth Genasi and an Air Genasi..
Now i need to mark off Fire and Water lol

[humble cairn]

1. I have made a deal with a specific Patron, but have not earned the trust for their full powers yet
2. I have not made a deal with a specific Patron, but I am dabbling in forbidden forces not meant to be dabbled in
3. I am making deals with lesser and intermediate beings on the way to finalizing a deal with a greater Patron

[humble cairn]

Freeform? Yeah that's good. Also accessible by using the fully custom Backgrounds in the free rules.

[atomic kayak]

Yea, the new setup encourages more stories than the old one did by default while also keeping all the same old stories possible

(Similar situation for Clerics and Sorcs)

[woven flint]

My Drow Warlock is so very close to reaching chosen status with his patron 😎

[soft flume]

good points. But I can't really understand why we have to come up with these workarounds. What were they thinking about writing this new PHB?

[woven flint]

He's just gotta deal with...
Araushnee.

[humble cairn]

It's not a workaround.

[humble cairn]

Oooh, you're deadnaming Her?

[fiery nimbus]

or go with the neighbour from hell type of deal where you tap into your patrons magic without them knowing

[minor cargo]

Yeah, I don't see it as a workaround. Like it's not really a problem at my table. I think it's very reasonable that you don't get a bunch of patron specific powers at the very start of the partnership/agreement.

[woven flint]

Yes! Because I'm gonna end up fighting her and was given her true name by Tasha after giving her the book of vile darkness.
It'll make her weaker mechanically

[humble cairn]

Patron powers at 3 makes just as much sense as Patron powers at 1.

[woven flint]

The DM actually HAS a Lolth statblock
She's CR 28

[atomic kayak]

Its not a workaround, its just taking something that used to (near) exclusively occur as part of your backstory and giving you the option for it to come up in the actual story

[twilit sail]

Smh

[atomic kayak]

Its literally only more options, all the same old narratives are still there with zero change

[woven flint]

True naming a deity isn't the same as dead naming, by the way.

[atomic kayak]

Not having patron specific powers =/= you don't have a specific patron

[soft flume]

maybe you're right. I just didn't think it that way

[woven flint]

Araushnee is Lolths BEING, not just her former self

[humble cairn]

I was being a bit glib, but it is Her former name, not sure I would count it as Her true name.

I would argue that in naming Her, Corellon changed Her true self into something different.

[woven flint]

That's literally what it is though?

She is STILL Araushnee, regardless of if her physical form was altered or not.

[humble cairn]

Of course that's up to you and your DM whether or not it's true in that setting.

[humble cairn]

That's one interpretation.

[woven flint]

Your interpretation isn't correct or incorrect either, so don't act like mine is.
Thanks.

[humble cairn]

I'm not, I'm keeping it open to all being valid.

[woven flint]

I'm just saying
Araushnee and Lolth aren't seperate beings, so it'd be weird to treat them as such

That's what i think, at least.

[humble cairn]

The way I would interpret it, if I were running the setting, is that Lolth was once Araushnee, but that she now is irrevocably not Araushnee and could never be, that's the nature of those types of original sin type curses.

[woven flint]

One thing I really dislike is not knowing what domain she held as Araushnee

[humble cairn]

Araushnee the name would probably still hold power over Her, but only as a painful reminder of what She once was.

[twilit sail]

Cant you just make it up

[woven flint]

I'm ASSUMING trickery?

[woven flint]

Its a tough topic honestly, because Lolth/Araushnee is like.. one of the only deities that were bsnished from their former pantheon and changed into "another being"

[humble cairn]

I would personally have Araushnee still be Queen of Spiders, but probably a bit more benevolent about it. Wisdom and Order and Knowledge would be Her wheelhouse, someone who is known for building intricate plans like webs.

[woven flint]

I'd feel incorrect to say they were different people and Araushnee isn't her true nane

But her worshippers invoke her as Lolth and she still answers their prayers

[humble cairn]

But then Her hubris gets the better of Her.

[woven flint]

I mean, yeah, that makes since, twist the symbol of the spider and what it actually represents and you've got Lolth

[humble cairn]

What if Lolth is the cause of arachnophobia and the lesser form of spider hate?

[woven flint]

I think she's a bit tragic honestly, even though she's treacherous
I've heard people regard Lolth as "Insane"

[humble cairn]

Eilistraee is tragic. The Raven Queen is tragic. I dunno about Lolth.

I don't know if I can summon up enough sympathy to see Her as tragic.

[woven flint]

Its hard to justify her being tragic, yes, but, I honestly feel like she just went bonkers

Doesn't stop me from wanting to Vanquish her

[humble cairn]

Her story felt like one about jealousy, to me.

Bitterness, resentment, jealousy.

[woven flint]

Is it bad to feel sympathy for the envious? 🧐

[humble cairn]

I dunno

[blissful ibex]

she's a literal demon lord, to be fair

more embodyment of chaos than insane though

[buoyant oar]

Its corellon's fault obvs

[delicate owl]

I don't feel like Lolth is a tragic tale because she was literally lustful of power and she paid the price of betrayal as far as I've read.

[woven flint]

What is the Abyss but Chaos mixed with Insanity and Hatred?

[buoyant oar]

Man deserves all of the hate.

[delicate owl]

Literally said "My steak is too juicy and my lobster too buttery but I want more and I'm not happy with my perfect partner so I'm gonna betray him to get more"

[blissful ibex]

insanity requires that they were ever sane in the first place; they're just like that

[woven flint]

No Demon Lord is "In their right mind" you know

They're paranoid, delusional and murderous

[blissful ibex]

ie. perfectly in their right mind for demons :3

[blissful ibex]

sanity is relative

[woven flint]

Insanity doesn't require one to have ever been sane.

Insanity can be normal for one whilst still being, well.. delusion from the outside.

[delicate owl]

Araushnee was a power-hungry, merciless and disloyal being. She is just evil, plain and simple. She had everything she ever needed and still went out of her way to ruin it by doing some of the more evil things possible.

[woven flint]

I don't think Araushnee was mad when she did what she did, but her descent into demonhood made her such a way

[blissful ibex]

if anything; the demons would consider the humanoid species insane for putting up with so much structure and order

[delicate owl]

Yeah, so she went from sane and evil, to insane and evil

[buoyant oar]

Corellon also just sucks so bad.

He and Arashune deserve each other

[woven flint]

You love being contrarian, don't you?

[buoyant oar]

Corellon, "My Elven children are commanded by faith to kill Orcs" Latherian

[blissful ibex]

perhaps
But no, not really; it's just a topic that somewhat hits close to home

what's 'sane' is basically a social construct, same as what's 'normal'

different societies will have different measures for it

especially as you get further and further from a baseline humanoid lived experience

[woven flint]

I'm moving on from the conversation.

[blissful ibex]

what's sane and normal to a demon is wholely different from what a humanoid or celestial would consider standard

[buoyant oar]

Then you get to the dark elves of ancient meyriatar getting KO'ed by the sun elves for existing.

[woven flint]

Corellon holds nothing to the chad Lathander

[delicate owl]

I mean Corellon was indeed speciesist. And, not that it's me saying that's fine, but a looooott of beings were back then. The folly of having too much pride in your own species and having someone powerful enough to enact that pride onto others in a very very aggressive way

[buoyant oar]

A blood bath so bad that elves call it the Dark Disaster.

Then the sun elves got all offended when the remaining dark elves of Ilithyr snapped back with the power of a balor.

The sun elves response to this quid pro quo was to call the dark elves traitors. Or Dhaerow

And that time where the elves sundered the world with corellon's help because they really wanted a piece of arvandor on Toril. And Corellon was like "I got you meet evermeet."

[woven flint]

Elves are Mid

Drow supreme

[delicate owl]

Goblinoids are based

[twilit shell]

DOS elves are peak, all other elves MID!

[fiery nimbus]

Well yes, they are Medium Sized creatures

[woven flint]

Actually Wood Elves are pretty cool too

[buoyant oar]

Its like dragon age. "Why are the elves treated so badly! This is unfair!"

In the next room is just a full library to the sins of elven society

[fiery nimbus]

nah, they are pretty room temperature
i think undead are closer to being cool

[woven flint]

I'm gonna stab you with the Dragonlance

[buoyant oar]

The elven PC learning about elf lore.

"Are we the baddies?"

[sand flower]

My sunday game is gonna have a battle we may have to run from, and for in-character reasons our barbarian player may want his character to be forcibly dragged away from it rather than willingly flee. I have polymorph at a 90% chance of him failing his spell save. What creature would make him light enough to carry away but also struggle to escape our grasp? I thought a turtle but those don't seem to have a real statblock.

[glass ravine]

Anyone know of any sites that have most of the Subclasses unlocked for building/tracking character sheets online? Kinda miffed that we spent hundreds on hard copy books and then D&D Beyond wants us to buy digital copies or hard copies through them to unlock the subclasses on their site. 🙃

[buoyant oar]

That would be piracy

[fiery nimbus]

you can't stab me with a book

[woven flint]

No, the elves of the past being bad doesn't make the present ones bad people

[buoyant oar]

There we go.

"Are we historically the baddies?"

[twilit shell]

crab

[glad ferry]

Mornin folks!

[minor cargo]

Yeah, it's definitely frustrating having to buy the books (physically) and then have to buy them again (digitally).

One thing my group has done is snapped pictures of our hardcover books and distributed those around to each other. It's not perfect, but it gets the job done.

For a lot of my groups, we take advantage of the Master Tier subscription of D&DB, so we can share content. Someone still had to buy the digital book, but not everyone has to.

[glad ferry]

I love the elves history. Its detailed quite well even if some events have a few different versions

[glass ravine]

I own the physical books, so they got paid by me. I shouldn't have to spend another $40 on a digital copy just to build my character sheet. I wish the books had codes for unlocking that stuff post-purchase.

[twilit sail]

dicecloud

[buoyant oar]

Its important to note that DDB is more than just PDFs of the books. It is a separate product. Just like buying a game from Steam does not mean you get to play it for free on the PS5

[hot gate]

You're essentially paying for convenience.

[glass ravine]

Thank you.

[hot gate]

After all, you have the books, you can add all the book content into your own digital tool of choice.

[twilit shell]

I wish that the convenience I paid for LET ME USE MY 2014 CONTENT STILL

[buoyant oar]

You can

[glass ravine]

I'm just trying to pick a basic paladin subclass and like... Oath of Devotion is it.

[glad ferry]

Can't you add custom stuff into dnd beyond just takes. Abit more time?

[hot gate]

yup (mostly anyway)

[twilit shell]

The biggest annoyances are mostly basic equipment that has changed and has the new tags, and that avrae now pulls up only the new spell versions by default

[south prawn]

Physical books = physical character sheets

[glass ravine]

Someone said that, but I can't seem to figure out how.

[buoyant oar]

You can change if Avrae uses 5e and 5.5e rules at the server level

[woven flint]

What do we think about Halflings?

[glad ferry]

You can custom backgrounds and atuff mine that

[lavish flame]

its kinda a roundabout process involving the Homebrew creator on the website

[glad ferry]

I prefer halflings over gnomes any day

[twilit shell]

I am struggling to find the answer to this on google, how does one accomplish this

[woven flint]

Why do people hate Gnomes so much?

[glad ferry]

I just dont like playing the race lol

[woven flint]

I've never gotten why D&D players hate Gnomes so much 😭

[south prawn]

Getting to reroll 1’s is pretty great really

[woven flint]

It seems everyone I talk to is like.. "Ew, Gnomes."

[valid geyser]

I think it’s mostly because people who pick them are most often to play them as comic relief characters, which can be hit or miss

[glad ferry]

There are certain gnomes i dont mind

[woven flint]

Play a Gnome Trickery Cleric of Garl Glittergold NOW!!!!

[valid geyser]

I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen a gnome. I think I played a gnome Druid like three years ago?

[south prawn]

Gnome Barbarian. Get some

[twilit sail]

a gnome killed my family

[glad ferry]

Just as I dont really want to play a giant or centaur

[delicate owl]

ggez

[buoyant oar]

!servsettings

[woven flint]

Good. /joking

[rotund abyss]

Our cleric seduces more than our bard

[buoyant oar]

!csettings toggle them for specific characters

[lavish flame]

Personally, I've kinda thought they didnt feel different enough from Halflings. If the PHB needed 2 Small Species, I'd have preferred Goblins.

[empty thicket]

Oh god.... so a revenge arc against a gnome, nice

[minor cargo]

One reason I have issues with gnomes is listed out in this article: https://dungeonantology.com/2017/10/20/on-tieflings-and-gnomes/

It's about a 15 minute read.

In short, gnomes in D&D just kind of... don't have a great identify. It's very clear when you look at tieflings.

[delicate owl]

tldr

[empty thicket]

if they are sea clerics i heard its okey
The seas are cold and welp, the clerics embrace that cold but love the warm

[glad ferry]

I really like the half orc though

[woven flint]

Clearly it's a Cleric of Lovatar (those who know)

[glass ravine]

So wait, people say you're buying the digital copies on D&D Beyond to pay for the convenience. But you can literally get access if you order the physical copies on their site too...

[rotund abyss]

I don't know

[crimson gulch]

the digital and physical bundles cost more than just buying digital or physical

[glass ravine]

Hence, physical copies unlock access. They should just add unlock codes to new copies they sell in stores too then.

[south prawn]

I think you have to buy the combo package that way

[valid geyser]

The digital physical bundles are relatively new

[woven flint]

Loviatar*

[glad ferry]

The art of seduction isn't only limited to bards. Just depends on the character and how someone runs them

[woven flint]

:] maybe you shouldn't

[glass ravine]

So buy both the digital and hard copy?

[twilit sail]

yeah baby! order cleric!

[south prawn]

Right, they are bundled together as an option

[rotund abyss]

Huh

[torn tartan]

Depends on your budget and how you play DND IMO

[glad ferry]

I beleive theres a way you can buy physical and digital books in a bundle on dnd beyond

[crimson gulch]

i only buy physical books

[south prawn]

Huntress is wanting Beyond access but only owns the physical book

[empty thicket]

A barbarian using STR for seduce is him flexing his awesome muscles and making people fall in love on him

[woven flint]

How are you? :3

[glass ravine]

Ah. I didn't realize that. I only buy the physical bookes, because it's easier to flip through them during a session than to google. Where we do our sessions the cell service isn't so great.

[rotund abyss]

Exhausted, but had fun earlier

[jolly canyon]

Physical is the way.

[glass ravine]

So we built characters on D&D Beyond and printed physical character sheets

[crimson gulch]

yeah its best to have the books on hand

[woven flint]

Swag :3

[torn tartan]

You could use avrae if you're on discord and remember the features/rules name

[glad ferry]

There's also convenience in making characters on the app, though also good to know it by hand. Theres drawbacks to each method. Dm wise i most definitly think physical books help

[glass ravine]

Yeah. But making the character sheet on D&D Beyond was super easy. We just his level 3 and that's when I realized some things are locked beyind paywall, like most of the Paladin Oaths.

[twilit shell]

Perfect, thanks boss

[south prawn]

I prefer physical myself. Beyond is nice and all, but I don’t mind manually creating characters. I’m not a huge fan of Beyond’s printable sheets anyways. The extra info is nice…

[crimson gulch]

Yeah, if you want to use the digital tools you have to pay for the digital access, Manual sheets ran from the books are much easier once you know how

[glass ravine]

Trying to go Oath of Vengeance for my Tiefling Paladin, so I guess I just have to manually add it into the background.

[blissful ibex]

probably something with the amphibious trait and a really poor normal speed

[glad ferry]

Oath of vengeance is the best oath

[woven flint]

Has anyone every played with or played a Cleric of Ilmater? 🤔

[buoyant oar]

Yes

[woven flint]

For both?

[balmy glacier]

Could I bother asking someone for help with building my PC's backstory for a friend's tomb of annihilation campaign ( with some of their own touches )

[buoyant oar]

Yes

[torn tartan]

I like oath of the ancients better

[glass ravine]

I thought D&D kind of did away with Choosing your Gods/Patrons 😂

[woven flint]

Do you enjoy Ilmater as well? 😎

[thorn wedge]

Wh40k orks being fungus based is one of the best lore things ever. If dnd goblinoids were like that it’d be sick

[woven flint]

Nope, you just don't NEED a deity

[jolly canyon]

#character-discussion is the place for that! Unless you're looking for ways the make the game easier then #optimization is for that

[woven flint]

Clerics can still have deities
Its not done away with because FR Religion is a huge part of D&D lore

[modern knoll]

hmmm, assuming a character has 20 in all stats, which multiclasses do you think become the most viable?

[balmy glacier]

thank you!! just noticed

[glad ferry]

I don't care for optimization. I play according to who and what the character is

[glass ravine]

Is angering your deity and losing your powers not really a thing anymore if you don't have to have one?

[woven flint]

Its not a thing, no

[thorn wedge]

Nearly impossible to do. But if it were, the answer is probably still wizard.

[modern knoll]

wizard wins again😭

[glad ferry]

Only class that doesnt get their powers from a deity is paladin

[woven flint]

Deities don't particularly keep close enough eyes on their clerics as they've got a lot going on

[empty thicket]

indeed, i love the fact that they can make a stone with some motor draws work like a giga powerful machine.

[woven flint]

What?

[glass ravine]

I think they're saying that's not true anymore.

[empty thicket]

that is why some patrons are goated, they would see their lil warlocks more closely

[glad ferry]

A paladins power comes from its oath and they're devotion to it. Not their deity

Ah got it

[modern knoll]

yeah didn't they make it so Paladins get their power from a strong oath?

[glass ravine]

Which, that kind of ruins a core class fundimental for several god-bound classes.

[woven flint]

Yeah, I know but.. its not the only class lol

[uncut zenith]

This can also be true of clerics too

[glad ferry]

Ah. Which others have that now?

[empty thicket]

some would say their will power too

[hot marlin]

Literally all of them but cleric

[glass ravine]

By new standards yes. Not by old

[glad ferry]

I remember the old standards

[glass ravine]

Same here

Back when having Gods actually mattered.. apparently.

[uncut zenith]

It’s been true throughout all of 5E at least

[hot marlin]

Actually godless clerics have been a thing since 2e

[glass ravine]

😂

[blissful ibex]

better than kender at least /hj

[thorn wedge]

Cleric and warlock are the only ones that get their powers directly from a diety

Depending on how you define deity

[glad ferry]

I like giving deities, and also having consequences if you break your promise or alignment changes from them

[glass ravine]

But they also said most classes don

Don't need a God anymore

I.e. by new standards Gods don't matter in character building like they used to.

[hot marlin]

Most classes never needed a god in the first place

[hot marlin]

Except they didn't use to

[humble cairn]

Backstory relationships with NPCs is up to the player and the DM to work out, this includes relationships with diety NPCs.

[glad ferry]

I like adding a god. It makes it fun if theres someone fitting unless the character doesnt beleive in them. Plus if you serve a god each one has different benefits at different lvls

[modern knoll]

haven't played Zealot barbarian yet, but do they get their powers from a god or do they just believe so hard it gives them powers?

[humble cairn]

Either or both. Actually, neither is also an option.

[modern knoll]

I know some barbarians work off of Ork rules

[glad ferry]

I have a berserker that if all works out will be going to zealot

[uncut zenith]

And it’s been true in older editions based on setting too, like Dragonlance where the gods are believed to have abandoned the world and Eberron where the gods aren’t even confirmed to exist

[glass ravine]

I'm referring to the classes that used to need them, I guess.

[hot marlin]

Which ones? Godless cleric was an option. Druid never required gods.

[minor cargo]

Yeah, I'd add that just because characters in 5E don't have to have a tight/explicit connection to a deity/the divine, it doesn't mean they can't. It's open to the group to decide.

[glad ferry]

The gods had to leave the world. Their contact was destroying it. So now they just destroy it with their pawns

[glass ravine]

Warlock, Cleric, Sorcerer [if their blood was infused by a Deity. I forget which subclass that was.)

[glad ferry]

I mean creations

[hearty dove]

If they want to destroy the world, then why not continue contact?

[minor cargo]

(Cards on the table: I actually really enjoy playing characters where faith is a big part of who they are. So for me, it's no difference. I can still play that way if I want; but not everyone has to.)

[lavish flame]

Basically all of my characters are somehow pious. I just think most people in D&D are, so my characters should reflect that.

[glad ferry]

Who knoes. Maybe its more fun to play a game of chess and watch it burn from afar as others suffer watching it. Maybe they wanna torture another god slowly

[uncut zenith]

Yeah I love playing characters with actual connections to a deity or patron, but I know it’s not for everybody

[glad ferry]

I usually have a deity or patron

[glass ravine]

This is actually why I like Kelemvor.

Lord of the Dead that doesn't really like the torturing/killing mortals bit

Cause the more people alive and the more thriving the world, the more souls he gets in the long run.

[hearty dove]

maybe its mutually assured destruction. An unwritten agreement. If one god interferes directly, then the others have to. So its fallen into a status quo, where only indirect influence is exerted

[woven flint]

My pfp is my Tabaxi Grave Cleric of Kelemvor :]
(I've said this a million times ik)

I love him

[glass ravine]

Like he knows he'll get the souls eventually, so he's in no rush to kill mortals off. Let them breed more future souls for him.

🥹

[uncut zenith]

Well for Kelemvor specifically, he doesn’t do it for selfish reasons like acquiring souls, he does it to maintain the “natural order” of life and death.

[glad ferry]

And some like certain ones csn use artifacts to corrupt or take over a mortal body for a bit the downside is most mortal bodies cant handle a divine being for long unless they reduce their power and use a temporary body

[uncut zenith]

A lot of souls that come to him end up going to someone else anyways.

[glass ravine]

Yes. But he specifically prefers souls come to him after a full life

[hearty dove]

Does his religion reflect this? Childbirth and procreation should be central then

[glass ravine]

I.e. natural death

[uncut zenith]

Yep. So he can account for them and send them to their final resting place. Not so he can hold onto them.

[glass ravine]

It's more of a non-cannon theory around him.

He prefers natural death, but doesn't actually deal in the procress of procreation or inspire people to have more kids or anything.

[woven flint]

He was too empathetic towards mortals having formally been a mortal himself and therefore WAS too easy on people's who deserved punishment, so, he put on a facade and shut away a lot of his emotion

[hearty dove]

Maybe a soul is the essence of experience, so a soul with a full life has more gravitas

[glad ferry]

I live caileen the accidentally drunk god

[glass ravine]

But his ideas on the natural cycle lend him to be considered a God of Death that would, in theory, potentially help heroes save the world from destruction when most Death Gods try to destroy it.

[woven flint]

That's from Pathfinder

Caelid.. i believe his name was

Yeah, Cayden Cailean* is a Pathfinder deity

[glass ravine]

I mean, for Gods of Death the number of souls you claim is a lot like Dragons with Hordes. The bigger the horde the more clout you have a dragon.

[glad ferry]

One of my characters uses cat god from 3e

[glass ravine]

Same goes for souls with Gods of Death.

[uncut zenith]

Kelemvor is “god of the dead”, not necessarily a “god of death”. To compare to real-world theology and mythology, he’s more like Hades (the accountant of the dead), not so much Thanatos (the personification of death itself).

[lethal otter]

Good eavening yall

[glass ravine]

Yes, but is someone who keeps mortal souls, which many Gods of Death/The Dead do

He doesn't take them, but ultimately ends up their keeper

[uncut zenith]

He’s not concerned with collecting souls, he’s concerned with sending them where they need to go. A lot of times they stay with him, but a lot of other times they go somewhere else instead.

[glad ferry]

Caileen was a drunk adventurer who somehow made it to the path of the stars. Passed it while drunk and doesnt remember doing so and became the god over adventurers orphans and over all a more neutral good type

[woven flint]

Yeah, that's a Pathfinder deity

[glass ravine]

He does keep some

[glad ferry]

Not good with spelling names lol

[glass ravine]

The Wall of the Damned for example

[glad ferry]

I like finding deities

[inner crown]

Welp. Beyond Drops. The 'crappy power creep' era of 5.5 has begun. It was a nice year+.

[twilit sail]

the path finder is a pathfinder deity

[glass ravine]

As well as the workers in the City of the Dead

[glad ferry]

Some I use from actual mythology others I use dnd made ones. Depends on ehat fits my character

[glass ravine]

They're all souls that did not pass his judgement and were kept in his domain to fulfill eternal duties essentiallyt

[woven flint]

A lot of D&D deities ARE real deities

Not all of them, but a good bit

[severe rampart]

A good bit, yep

[woven flint]

Oghma, for example is from the Celtic Pantheon

[glad ferry]

My pirate cleric is chose Rèn

[severe rampart]

Why that as an example 😭

[lavish flame]

I'm pretty cool with just banning them. Its very easy on DDB, you just turn off Subscriber Rewards in the character creator. Elsewhere, they dont even exist so its easy to ignore them as well.

[severe rampart]

Could just say Zeus from the Greek Pantheon

[woven flint]

Because I can

[severe rampart]

Fair enough

[glad ferry]

Theres thanatos and hypnos which are twins tied to the cycles of dreams and death

I dont want powerful characters. I want a challenge and the dm to enjoy it at the same time

[severe rampart]

Just because you chose a powerful god doesn't give your character more power, though

also Thanatos is really powerful

[twilit shell]

And has a little fling going with Zagreus

[lavish flame]

But yeah I totally forsee the DDB Drops thing becoming Yet Another Dragon Magazine. I already forsee "what Feat is that? what book is that from?!" becoming a more frequent and annoying question in light of DDB Drops.

[twilit sail]

is taking magic initiate twice stupid

[severe rampart]

Depends on the build

[twilit sail]

im running a goo warlock

[severe rampart]

I mean, it's your character

[crimson gulch]

Just gotta maintain your integrity of sources as a dm

[twilit sail]

im just not sure what cantrips to pick

[woven flint]

Nope, more free spells

[severe rampart]

It grants a one free use of a spell, since you have less pact slots then go for it

[severe rampart]

EB is already the best cantrip

[thorn wedge]

Power creep is unfortunately already happening regardless, motm cough cough

[twilit sail]

i mean duh so no damage ones

[severe rampart]

Guidance, Themauturgy, Presti

[inner crown]

It's the principle of the thing. Subscriptions are crass and have leaked into every area of life. I don't need DNDaaS. Yanno?

[glad ferry]

I mostly use 2014 or 5e and then we balance it

I dont listen to what makes the most optimized chsracter. I just make them

[twilit sail]

i already have those

[inner crown]

This is why 3rd edition is a huge blank spot in my playing history.

[lethal otter]

How are yall nice folks?

[glad ferry]

And just because a god is strong doesnt mean the followers get all their powers