dnd-discussion

[shy stirrup]

Are you a DM LF players, or a player LF a DM? Those are obviously two different things

[twilit sail]

Antifeats
Unlucky: You have three unluck points that recharge every long rest. Your DM may expend an unluck point to give you disadvantage whenever they desire

[severe rampart]

The DM can also expend an unluck point to give advantage to an enemy against you

[stable kiln]

DM, so, just trying my luck in places, sometimes the premise i have is bad so i gotta redo them

[past gale]

I wanna learn DND

[barren badger]

curses!

[stable kiln]

what do you wanna learn?

[shy stirrup]

There are, by some estimates, 1000 players for every DM. So it's just a matter of making the right choices for your table.

[stable kiln]

true, again, tryna make a new premise for a game, gotta tweak the details

[broken imp]

disadvantage on death saves....? /j

[past gale]

How to play

[broken imp]

#learn-to-play

try this first

[past gale]

Oh Oki preciate it

[frosty sequoia]

I want to DM but I refuse to pay $139 for Windows so I can use a mic'

So I'm buying an entire new computer.

[shy stirrup]

Speaking of Death Saves. There are 3 in 5e. But what if there were only one? 🤔
What are chat's thoughts.

[barren badger]

what, what OS are you using now?

i use linux and use discord for voice

[frosty sequoia]

windows, of course, just not an 'activated' copy

[north hawk]

I like it.

[somber spear]

Heyoo

[frosty sequoia]

Just got back into the game after a, uh, 'haitus,' so learning some new things and figuring out what I won't have in my games. I'll be using an entire solar system I designed in 1979

[somber spear]

My uncle was big into DnD

He left his box with DnD pieces in it in the garage

[frosty sequoia]

I was a fanatic, along with my groups. I ran two groups, 10 people each, for over 8 years

Oh nice, Cloud.

I sold mine and made a stupid amount of money.

[somber spear]

Im sorta new to it

He taught me the classes and what each class does

[frosty sequoia]

If you were in my group and snuck to a cliff edge to look down on a valley and I said "There are 400 Orcs camped there," I could put 400 Orc minis on the table

Nice. Good to have people willing to teach

[somber spear]

Yeppers

I made a Goblin Rogue lol

[frosty sequoia]

I always play a Drow Rogue

Nothing else.

But mostly I used to DM. Playing was rare.

[somber spear]

Is DnD still in 5th edition?

[frosty sequoia]

Think so, yes.

[somber spear]

Is DMing hard?

[frosty sequoia]

Pain in the butt.

If you do it correctly

[hardy solstice]

Hi, I am a Player for 2 and a half years, should I get try to convince a new player who is intrested to DM? I haven't played in a little over a year.

[shy stirrup]

Yes. But, not as hard as some people tend to think.

More accurate to say: it's hard to do it well. To do it at a high level of skill.

[somber spear]

I’ve watched some horror story videos about DnD sessions n omg some ppl are unhinged

[frosty sequoia]

DMing, as I've seen it on YT, isn't what it used to be. It's totally foreign to me now

[barren badger]

its finnneee. Youtube videos exist to drive engagement

[frosty sequoia]

Anyone coming to play in my world thinks they're going to get whatever that cartoon is, they're in for a big, BIG surprise.

[shy stirrup]

Sure, those are fun, but if it bleeds it leads, as they say in the news business, reddit posts about "everything is fine, my group is excellent" don't get to the front page, and then to some animated readout YT channel

[hardy solstice]

OH HELL YEAH

[frosty sequoia]

I tried to watch, it made me ill

[somber spear]

What does home brewed mean?

[frosty sequoia]

My world. My own rules

[limber trail]

Things that are custom made for a campaign / unofficial material

[frosty sequoia]

The D&D universe but with home-made rules

[shy stirrup]

You buy a beverage from the store.
Or, you brew it at home.
Applied to content you as the DM presents.

[hardy solstice]

I hate home brew

[hot marlin]

A rule, item, feature, anything made by the table for the table instead of being from WOTC (which makes it first party/official material) or a third party book.

[frosty sequoia]

Like my magic rules: everyone starts with the spells they were taught-so you have a chart to roll on to see where you learned magic.

So, a 1st level player could have "Wish."

...casting it, however.

[somber spear]

Do people usually allow it or no?

[frosty sequoia]

Can't tell ya.

[hot marlin]

All games feature at least a very tiny bit of homebrew

[fossil hollow]

depends entirely on the DM. But thats like asking do people allow others to eat chips/junk food

[hot marlin]

The day the DM decides to change the stats of a monster, we're already in homebrew territory

[frosty sequoia]

My players had to eat. We locked ourselves in my basement on Friday night, played, sometimes, until minutes before everyone was going to be late for work on Monday.

[shell zenith]

this discord doesn't allow people to post art of their characters right

[fossil hollow]

#dnd-arts-and-crafts

[frosty sequoia]

Two of my long-time players were artists. They ended up working for Eastman and Laird on the original TMNT comic.

Artists amaze me.

[shy stirrup]

Homebrewed settings are common.
Homebrewed monsters are also fairly common.
Homebrewed rules, mechanics, etc, is something else entirely.

[frosty sequoia]

I'm something else entirely.

[somber spear]

Y’know what else is something entirely?

MY MOM

[frosty sequoia]

Except for core character rules/stats, I used almost no regular rules

[frosty sequoia]

mom turned upside down is wow

As a long time medieval combat veteran, my combat rules encompass IRL figting.

fighting, even

Also armor.

Which leads to damage being done differently.

Some game guys, playing in one of my games at GenCon 1 and 2, 'stole' many of my ideas for armor and put it in Runequest.

[somber spear]

Does Diablo count as DnD in a way?

[sturdy niche]

no

[frosty sequoia]

Dungeon crawling

but no role play

[sturdy niche]

diablo is an entirely separate IP

[frosty sequoia]

^^

[somber spear]

But BG3 isn’t?

[sturdy niche]

if curious, IP means Intellectual Property

[somber spear]

I got tht lol

[shy stirrup]

D&D has its DNA in a lot of things, Diablo included, but that's as far as that goes

[sturdy niche]

correct, as it is built around a establsihed dnd system and it's mechanics

[frosty sequoia]

Never played BG

[somber spear]

What about hmmm Dragons Dogma?

[sturdy niche]

same as diablo

[somber spear]

Shit 😞

[frosty sequoia]

Ah, the guys are here. Time to go ride and try to stay in shape and not die.

Have fun all.

[somber spear]

My b

[shy stirrup]

BG3 is based, with a few changes, on the D&D 5th Edition ruleset. So it's a simlution of D&D, as close as you can get wihtout playing the TTRPG

[sturdy niche]

it is not that hard to grasp, dnd is a mainly all dungeons and dragons, not everything with dragons, dungeons, magic, demons, ect... has necessarily anything to do with dnd, dnd is far from the first IP to make heavy use of fantasy tropes

[stable kiln]

Im bet theres things out there that make for decent ttrpgs that haven't been made yet

[sturdy niche]

plus things tied to dnd make it pretty clear in their branding, descriptions, and promotional stuff

[somber spear]

What about Titanfall 2? Jk jk

Is BG3 worth buying?

[hot marlin]

While I have no doubt that the people who made Diablo played a few games of D&D, the dungeon crawler genre had already become its own thing long before Diablo appeared

[hot marlin]

Sure, it's a good game.

There's a weird phenomenon of people losing motivation at the beginning of the third act and restarting though.

[sturdy niche]

bg3 is easily one of the greatest dnd adaptations to date, especially of those that adapting the latest rules ie those of 5e

[somber spear]

Interesting ok ok

I’ll buy it when I get paid

Which isn’t a long way

[hot marlin]

If you want the other "great" D&D games, there's Baldur's Gate 1, Baldur's Gate 2, Planescape: Torment, Neverwinter Nights and Neverwinter Nights 2.

[somber spear]

Ngl I was scared to join because I was expecting people to bully me for bein new lol

[hot marlin]

Oh don't worry, we don't bully newbies. People who think Ranger is the worst class, however...

[sturdy niche]

i have personally replayed the entire campaign several times as a version of the dark urge character, and still have yet to be bored, there are a lot of secrets and subtle touches and attention to detail, larian did their homework and did not skimp on making a quality game

[severe rampart]

... checks off bingo card

[hot marlin]

Yeah couldn't resist, sorry.

[sturdy niche]

common or popular opinion is just that, an opinion, does not mean it is correct or that ranger is not work playing

[severe rampart]

No, no, keep going, do you think there's a martial/caster divide?

✍️ ...no reason

[hot marlin]

Wait, what are the other pet peeves of this community that generally get us angry at people who just come in saying that stuff?

[sturdy niche]

honestly part of the biggest issues is many people's run games in a way to where one of the core pillars the ranger class has integral to it's identity is often hand waved away

[severe rampart]

Optimizing is the only correct way of playing the game

[hard thistle]

I AM the martial/caster divide. >:)

[somber spear]

Im a Rogue

[severe rampart]

or "the mathematically correct way"

[jolly canyon]

"Pathfinder fixed this issue"

[sturdy niche]

the is only 1 correct way to play dnd, co-operatively, if you make it all about optimization or competitive, you are missing the point if you ask me

[hardy solstice]

Should I get a player who is intrested in dnd and make them DM?

I've played for 2 years and I have but I have played for little over a year.

[somber spear]

Has there been any of “That guy” who thinks that their the MC??

[hot marlin]

Yes and no. It is overblown in many ways, because the games where it is felt most intensely are games that refuse to consider that the game is aimed towards resource management. One or two encounters a day result in casters dominating, of course. But the more encounters, the more the gap closes. Arguments about the martial caster gap also tend to understate that it is a team game and how much a character contributes to the team is what matters more than the character taken individually.

[hard thistle]

What if you accidentally hit a really strong/optimal build through narrative reasons?

[sturdy niche]

that is basically just a toxic player

[hardy solstice]

I used to be one but not anymore.

I now play a character who is the anti-mc syndrome

[sturdy niche]

what of it?

[hot marlin]

All in all, it is false to say the martial/caster gap doesn't exist, it is also false to say that it is an enormous problem that needs to be corrected at all cost and makes the game bad.

[severe rampart]

Agreed! usually my adventuring days have 3-5 encounters

[sturdy niche]

you can be effective and powerful but not be toxic or focusing on it as if it is the only way to play

[hot marlin]

Good, I would encourage you to go further towards 6-8.

[twilit shell]

That just seems like a chore

[severe rampart]

next session will be their 4th, 5th, and 6th

[hard thistle]

So, I was building a character for a DnD game. I started with "I want him to kind of be like a warrior with holy magic, maybe a Barbarian multiclass of some kind." I landed on Zealot Barbarian, and when looking at what to mix it with, I was like "Well, if it's holy magic, Paladin might make sense."

I then shared the build with the party and they were like "Yeah, you're standing in front of us in combat." XD

[hot marlin]

You are not the first person to say that, and I've come to believe that such an opinion often comes from a misconception. Tell me, how do you picture what a 6-8 encounters adventuring day looks like?

[twilit shell]

The supposed ideal adventuring day is 8 encounters but it gets to a point where it starts to really drag. 4 more intense encounters of whatever genre is my happy spot

[sturdy niche]

the first thing that should always be kept in mind, regardless if you are player or dm is that dnd is designed as a co-operative story telling experience, the table and the dm together tell a story via the campaign, the game play, dice rolls, plot, adventures, rolls, ect... are a way to get there that is both interesting and relatively fair, if at any point the dm or the any of the players forget this simple all important fact, that should be a red flag, unless your table's campaign is specifically designed towards pvp or an us vs them situation, which is by no means the norm for the hobby

[hot marlin]

Because from players point of view, with good pacing, the difference in enjoyment between one 8 encounters day and two 4 encounters day is meaningless.

[severe rampart]

(Don't unspoiler if you're a player of mine)
||4th encounter: Cultists using circle magic to distribute "summon lesser demon" concentration||
||5th encounter: 18th level spellcaster||
||6th encounter: Werewolves and Vampire Spawns, and then the martial boss CR 8||
||7th encounter: Adult White Dragon and possibly Strahd||

[twilit shell]

Minor combat, social affairs, maybe some environmental hazards, moderate combat perhaps. The problem is that the setting the party finds themself in really dictates what’s reasonable

[hardy solstice]

K yeah, I love to cooperate.

Idk why people don't honestly

[hot marlin]

For me, I must say, the best example of what an adventuring day should look like is Vanrakdoom from Dungeons of the Mad Mage, a level I found absolutely masterful and I will shower praise on its designers

[severe rampart]

never heard of it

[hardy solstice]

That campaign is NOT a good example of what I think is a good adventure.

[hard thistle]

Hey, look. Differing opinions. 🙂 I love those.

[errant crag]

I don't see how a player can have main character syndrome and not realize that they have it, I feel like it takes a lack of self awareness

[sturdy niche]

probably a misconception, like the annoying one that has most people assume, incorrectly i may add, that dnd is just medieval fantasy, it is actually a combination of sci-fi and fantasy, science fantasy, heck back in 1e we had crashed space ships, alien blasters, ect...

[hot marlin]

In Vanrakdoom (avoiding spoilers) the level has a barrier that needs a key, and the way to open that key. The first half, of course, consists of studying it, fighting the things that dwell there, understanding the past of the level. Keep in mind, the entire level should be done in a single adventuring day.

[errant crag]

Differing opinions?!!? I hate those!!!!

[hot marlin]

I said nothing about the campaign, I am talking specifically about the game design of the Vanrakdoom level

[barren badger]

Spelljammer exists, as does ebberon. So much scifi!

[hardy solstice]

K yeah no, not for me

[twilit shell]

I mean if you have a confined area or a dungeon delve it’s much, much easier to slam in multiple encounters

[hard thistle]

But you have now given a differing opinion.

[sturdy niche]

this is even before those were introduced

[errant crag]

And I'm NOT happy about it

[hardy solstice]

HISS

I hate dungeon of the mad mage or any dungeon crawl

[topaz trail]

hi everyone, i have just recently joined and i hope i can deep dive more into this world with yall

[hot marlin]

Give yourself a favour and go read it. I maintain that Vanrakdoom specifically is one of the best dungeons of 5e.

[errant crag]

Then don't play in dungeon focused campaigns

[severe rampart]

Oh? is it really that good?

[hardy solstice]

About what?

My opinion or the other?

[errant crag]

Is this a third party dungeon?

[errant crag]

Read what I replied to

[hot marlin]

I can only speak of my own personal tastes. But I find it masterful.

[hot marlin]

No, it is in Dungeon of the Mad Mage.

[hardy solstice]

I usually got dragged into those.

I'm a treehugger who loves the woods

[hot marlin]

You do know you are legally allowed to politely refuse to join a game you know you would not enjoy?

[severe rampart]

What makes it good in your opinion?

[hot marlin]

Wait, is your DM taking you hostage?

[shy stirrup]

Ok, so the beautiful woodland you swear to protect and hug is threatened by an ancient evil....in a dungeon...10 levels down

[hardy solstice]

That was back in the day I didnt know I had free will then

[severe rampart]

Blink twice if no, blink once if yes

[hardy solstice]

I like my grounded campaigns like LMOP

[errant crag]

Almost everybody knows that they have free will

LMOP has like 3 dungeons in it

[hardy solstice]

Not me ar that time

[shy stirrup]

LMOP is appealing, no argument there

[hardy solstice]

Yes but it's in the woods

[hardy solstice]

Better than the icespire peak

[errant crag]

So you don't hate dungeons you hate certain dungeon environs

[sturdy niche]

being in the woods does not make it grounded, it just means it is set at least partially in the woods

[hardy solstice]

I hate the massive dungeon crawls

[shy stirrup]

Dungeons crawls can be "grounded". They're just not presented as they really should be in the modern game. Bit of a lost art.

[hardy solstice]

I like the forest, and I like to wander into crypts

Just not a random underground meaningless complex

[errant crag]

So you hate megadungeons

[shy stirrup]

Icespire is less a module and more a quest board

[hardy solstice]

Yes

[errant crag]

If you manage to find a dungeon in an official module that is meaningless then hats off to you because they usually have very explicit purposes to them

[hardy solstice]

THANK YOU

[shy stirrup]

Ah yes, but what if that underground wasn't random, and had meaning?

[hot marlin]

The storytelling. Vanrakdoom succeeds at environmental storytelling and gives a genuinely compelling and interesting story to decrypt with that sweet scent of tragedy I adore. Moreover, the layout succeeds in pacing the story all by itself. The encounters vary between laughably easy in order to let your characters feel as strong as they have become, and very difficult. And moreover, the level has a clear logic. It is all understandable, nothing feels random, or just there for gamey reason. Story and game work perfectly hand in hand, never clashing

[twilit sail]

Dungeons? In dungeons and dragons? How absurd

[hardy solstice]

Depends on the meaning.

[sturdy niche]

then just stay way from dungeon of the mad mage and you should be fine with published adventures, and maybe tales from the yawning portal as that includes a revampted tomb of horrors

[shy stirrup]

Of couse. Let's assume this meaning resonates with you as a player?

Still no?

[hardy solstice]

Megadungeons

[twilit sail]

I dont know what that means tbh

[errant crag]

I wish you could clearly state what it is you dislike because you keep saying you dislike stuff broadly and then saying that some of it is okay

You oughtta hone in on what it is you don't like

[somber spear]

guys guys

[vital lily]

entire campaign is inside a dungeon

[somber spear]

I found it

[hot marlin]

What I most love about Vanrakdoom is that it does not feel like a dungeon where things are just there because the players are supposed to confront stuff. Everything has a reason and a logic. It should not be a high bar, yet it is.

[somber spear]

I found my uncles old DnD stash in the garage

[sturdy niche]

basically massive dungeons with multiple levels where entire campaigns can be held, as usually they have differing enviorments all while still being somewhat dungeon themed

[hardy solstice]

I dislike massive megadungeons that exist solely for the purpose of a long term campaign sized dungeon crawl, exactly like the dungeon of the mad mage campaign.

[somber spear]

Where can I send pictures

[sturdy niche]

a megadungeon is basically able to function like it's own ecosystem to an extent

[hot marlin]

You know where Vanrakdoom would work best? Transpose it to Barovia instead of Argynvostholt. Yes, seriously, just replace Argynvostholt with Vanrakdoom

It would require some work, change the story quite a bit, but it actually would fit better than the chore that is Argynvostholt.

[hardy solstice]

I do like dungeons just smaller ones

And I LOVE wilderness exploration

[hot marlin]

I will defend Vanrakdoom until the day I die and none of you can stop me

[sturdy niche]

from what i can see, nobody has any desire to even consider stopping you, so eh

[severe rampart]

So you'd recommend this to a new DM?

[hot marlin]

If Vanrakdoom has a hundred fans, I am one of them, if it has one, it's me, if it has none, this means I am dead.

[hardy solstice]

And I will defend my theater of the mind wilderness exploration techniques forever

[hot marlin]

Oh no! It is a level meant for high level PCs.

[errant crag]

Understandable

I would love to play in a megadungeon some time

[severe rampart]

Hm, I don't know, Vanrakdoom is meant for level 18 right? Argynvostholt is level 8 or so iirc

[fickle heart]

Interestingly, there's nothing inherently different between a megadungeon and the wilderness from a procedural standpoint.

[jolly canyon]

I'd deff play in a Megadungeon

[hot marlin]

There's this megadungeon idea I've been sitting on for a very long time...

[errant crag]

You could have a forest be a megadungeon

[severe rampart]

Megadungeons...

[hardy solstice]

Dropping me in there is like dropping a thalassophobic person in an ocean planet

[errant crag]

I had my players go through a dungeon that was just a jungle

[sturdy niche]

honestly if you are new to dming and wanting to use a published product, i'd recommend one of the starter sets, the latest one is "Heroes of the borderlands" which far as i know is potentially setting agnostic (ie not tied to any one particular published setting)

[hot marlin]

15th level, actually. Just remove some of the most dangerous monsters, rebalance it a lil' bit. Remove the shadow assassins

[jolly canyon]

Heroes of the Borderlands my beloved

[hardy solstice]

Isnt what I meant by dungeon

THAT IS SO BEAUTIFUL

[errant crag]

That's definitely a dungeon though

A dungeon can be anything

A spooky murder mystery mansion can be a dungeon

A series of seedy alleyways in the shady part of town can be a dungeon

[hardy solstice]

I meant the stone underground sterotype with 0 aesthetic other than just basic stone bricks

[sturdy niche]

pretty sure all of Accerack's dungeons are technically megadungeons, could be wrong though, probably worth staying away from if you don't wanna risk your soul being destroyed regardless

[hot marlin]

All that a dungeon needs to be is a specific game and narrative place that restricts movements. An overgrown jungle, with a high canopy can be a perfect dungeon. Actually, multiple. I could have the canopy itself, the higher levels, contain very different stuff from the roots and from what is beneath the roots

[hardy solstice]

Some dungeons have actually made me try to turn it into my home

Then I remembered we are nomadic

[twilit sail]

Dungeon meshi?

[fickle heart]

This is largely what a stereotypical forest is in wilderness exploration but replacing the stone bricks with trees.

[errant crag]

Tomb of Horrors isn't a megadungeon it's just a dungeon, and a Deathtrap

[hot marlin]

Tomb of Horror is a standard dungeon. Bigger than average, yes. But hilariously, a single character can solve it in less than a minute with the right steps.

[sturdy niche]

yes and no, while i doubt it is inaccurate to compare it, but i would not know as i have not washed that franchise

[twilit sail]

I doubt its the same since dungeon meshi has diverse environments with lots of plantlife and creatures

The vibes are very different

[errant crag]

I love Tomb of Horrors so much I'll defend it until the day I die

[hot marlin]

Dungeon Meshi is essentially a megadungeon story. In fact you would not need to change much to turn it into a D&D game

[twilit sail]

But i cant think of a better comparison

[sturdy niche]

and is famous for having it's adamantine door stolen and the group not even completing the dungeon, they just sell the door and call it a day, my favorite bit of lore about the tomb of horrors XD

[twilit sail]

You can eat monsters in dnd?

[hardy solstice]

What's the 5e version of that?

[hot marlin]

You can certainly try

[hardy solstice]

I remembered it had plagues on an island...

[fickle heart]

Don't get me wrong, I love exploration a lot, but dungeon exploration = wilderness exploration = urban exploration when everything is full of stuff.

[sturdy niche]

nothing says you can't but it isn't expected or depending on the situation, even a good idea

[twilit sail]

A homebrewed cooking mechanic would be interesting

[errant crag]

You might be thinking of Tomb of Annihilation

[hardy solstice]

No cooking is best left how it is

[sturdy niche]

you don't need a whole mechancial system for everytihng

[errant crag]

Another different dungeon made by Acererak

Tomb of Horrors is also in 5e in tales from the yawning portal

[sturdy niche]

the 5e adaptation is part of of the anthology book "tales from the yawning portal"

[twilit sail]

Does dnd have cooking mechanics?

[errant crag]

I think Tomb of Horrors is my favorite game I've DMed

[somber spear]

I found a chaos hound figure in his box!!

[hardy solstice]

Yes exactly that.

That one looks perfect

[sturdy niche]

not any officially detailed and dedciated

[severe rampart]

Is there an item like sending stones that lets you communicate over long distances but more than one time a day?

[hardy solstice]

Same way it has camping mechanics

[errant crag]

You would hate Tomb of Annihilation based on what you've said here. You'd like it for 50% of it then hate the rest

[somber spear]

This is all from 1987 lol

[hardy solstice]

Believe me, I've read the book.

It looks so perfect

Sorry guys I'm a bit mentally slow today

[sturdy niche]

i miss tomb of annihilation, i didn't even get to finish it, the story of Scar, the lizardfolk circle of the moon druid from chult who lives with dinosaurs in the wild, years within me to be told! 😭

i am sure any bard worth their salt would agree, one of the saddest things is a story without an ending

[hot marlin]

Long ago I had this idea for a megadungeon. What if the most basic mob was a fire giant?

What if literally nothing was weaker than a fire giant, but a lot of stuff were a lot stronger?

[rough basalt]

I now possess all the rings of resistance on my rogue

[hardy solstice]

dungeon dungeon dungeon dungeon dungeon dungeon dungeon

[severe rampart]

"After all these years... I finally have them all"

[errant crag]

I wanna play as John Dungeon who dies from a spike covered in purple worm poison

[sturdy niche]

good luck with the few cases where there is just flat damage XD

[hot marlin]

It started growing in my mind, the tale of the hellfire citadel, above the Osrun Mountains, the story of how a group of giants turned to devil worship.

I should really get off my lazy arse and do it one day.

But where does time even go?

[empty thicket]

Jhon Kampfer (Figther in german), the best figther ever

[sturdy niche]

the final boss of the dungeon should so be some variation of the Fire Hellion from "Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants"

[hot marlin]

Even planned the different wings of that citadel. A devil church with a pit fiend acting as bishop, a tortured angel with molten skin fused to the organ he is forced to play...

[severe rampart]

Right? I don't wanna write but I don't wanna do nothing

[hot marlin]

Oh fire hellions would be a very common mob, not the final boss

[sturdy niche]

like i would at least use the fire hellion as the template/starting statblock and tweak and customize it from there

[sturdy niche]

well i am saying the boss if a fire hellion would be a unique individual, obviously a lot more powerful than the average fire hellion

least that would be my suggestion

[hot marlin]

The final boss I had planned was... Well actually it depends on a lot of things, but the leader of the citadel is a forgemaster infused with devilish blessings, carrying multiple magical items.

[sturdy niche]

could tie him to Bel, as he runs the forges in Avernus

[hot marlin]

The actual final boss... Might be a scion of fire, might be the Demodand guardian of the prison of a god in Carceri, might be a coven of super-hags.

Depends on the order the PCs would do stuff

Actually I had already decided Mephistopheles, but that's for plot reasons

[sturdy niche]

i believe the official term is "arch-hags" 😛 literally they are so powerful they can only be killed via hyper specific methods and ways based on the individual, see the 2024 monster manual for more info

[sturdy niche]

ah, yes, the greatest mage in the hells, short of Asmodeus himself XD

but like you said that was for plot reasons so i assume it makes more sense in context

[hardy solstice]

Nothing intresting today

Just more power gaming

[hot marlin]

Actually if the PCs go crazy, they might decide to make Mephistopheles the final boss

[sturdy niche]

lol, they prep all this fire resistance and even immunities, and then find out last second, crap we are fighting the guy who is a master of hellfire

you know the source of energy from the hells that ignores fires resistances and immunities that are not specifically designed for hellfire XD

like i would not even call that cheating or anything, since unless your party has someone well versed in infernal magics, no way you'd know about hellfire, let alone that specific detail XD

[hollow estuary]

Im dead serious when I say I struggled with dispater and mephistopheles more then asmodeus when I played CoA.

[hot marlin]

Actually makes sense. Mephisto's statblock is tricky

[twilit sail]

For his legendary action he steals Spidermans marriage again

[hot marlin]

Well considering everything that's supposed to happen before they're anywhere close to Mephistopheles, I think they can anticipate it

[hollow estuary]

Like man.. the wings 😭

Hellfire Wings. Mephistopheles uses his wings to generate a burst of heat. Each creature within 10 feet of him must succeed on a DC 22 Dexterity saving throw or take 9 (2d8) bludgeoning damage plus 9 (2d8) fire damage. Creatures that failed the save also have the prone condition.

oh my GOD i hate these things

[little stream]

Thee Spiderman is canon in DnD

[sturdy niche]

honestly can't blame you, given it is a feat in it of itself to get dispater to actually come out and fight you himself, and mephisto, well he is basically the greatest mage in the hells, potentially only second to asmodeus himself

[hollow estuary]

I say this because asmodeus was not a struggle. I just died

[sturdy niche]

no relation to marvel's mephisto sadly

[hollow estuary]

I fought dispater completely alone at that table 😭 everyone else was sick man..

[sturdy niche]

sounds like your own fault then, why would any sane mortal fight an archdevil of the hells on their own, that is would typically be a death sentence more than a fair fight

[hollow estuary]

No like I won

but it was HARD

I crit three times with the blade of avernus that was the only reason I was saved

[sturdy niche]

good, means at least it was believable, had it been easy, it would have been either disrespectful to the character's history in the lore or suspicious

[empty thicket]

today session i critiqued 3 times with eldritch blast, got the lowest possible in all of them.

[sturdy niche]

wait the blade of avernus? do you mean you were the new lord/lady of the first?

[empty thicket]

less of 7 damage with all of them

[hollow estuary]

Right so you dont need to rule avernus to wield the blade.

it provides nice perks if you do

[sturdy niche]

yeah, but usually if one does they do, if they go to the lengths of forging it, hence why i asked as i was curious

[hollow estuary]

I went through baldurs gate descent into avernus before this

[sturdy niche]

lol, hell's most powerful and dangerous souvenir XD

[hollow estuary]

LOL. No the fight with Dispater was really fun though despite everyone being gone

DM was just goated, like dude straight up threw buildings at me, and used his own city as a weapon

[livid brook]

anyone got a list of the new subclasses added in the northlands bundle

[blissful ibex]

Druids can do this too
Earthquake explicitly
There's also an argument for Transmute Rock depending onplacement

[sturdy niche]

i hope for flavor the dm had it that he turned them to iron statues, cuz he can do that with a touch, would have been a good way to explain them not being able to help in the fight in universe

[paper portal]

I'd say I miss conjure animals but I still play 5e :3

[sturdy niche]

not to my knowledge

[hollow estuary]

would've ben cool.

When I finally got to asmodeus I actually submitted to him because he offered me like a really good deal ngl.

[blissful ibex]

eeh, 5.5e conjure animals is fine

also Flock of Famaliars

[paper portal]

It is but it's no raptor spam

[sleek cloud]

I cast…flock of seagulls

[twilit sail]

What was the deal

[paper portal]

hopefully not enough maths to get me kicked to #optimization but wow old conjure animals does an obscene amount more damage

[hot marlin]

OK yes but... It's not really a lot of damage at that level.

[empty thicket]

i cast, 30 rocks threw at max strenght.

[little stream]

A pebble you mean

[hollow estuary]

TO summarize it he told me, that hes impressed and infuriated at how bad of a job his devils did, and that hes both enraged and intrigued that they didnt kill me.

But also that this is the end of the line, and my life.

Pretty much I was going to submit and become the lord of the eight and work off all the damage I caused to his perfect order.

[empty thicket]

No.

do you know elden ring?

[hollow estuary]

and after millions of years of serving like that I will be free to either go or keep my job.

[empty thicket]

there is some spells that are Beast spells, those throw rocks and more stuff

something like that

[little stream]

Man I last touch that was like years ago, I dont recall no mo

[sturdy niche]

lol, cut to mephestio homeless and in a big carboard box somewhere on the 8th

[twilit sail]

That is a good deal

[sturdy niche]

beats the alternative, hands down

[hollow estuary]

the thing is the second part was the most fun

Asmodeus's first orders were to purge my incompetent ahh friends.

the rest of them decided not to submit

[sturdy niche]

i just imagine all the other archdevils giving you the stink eye at the next big meeting they have XD forget off the top of my head what occasion would warrent such a thing if it even happens

like to them a mortal beat them up, cut a swath threw the hells, and got rewarded, mostly for it

[hollow estuary]

also I got a sick name.

my guy went by Abaddon from now on.

[sturdy niche]

doubt anyone would be foolish enough to protest though XD

[remote wadi]

Question for chat

Make that 2

[hollow estuary]

Also asmodeus agreed that for my troubles I could also have co-ownership of avernus.

[remote wadi]

1. Does dropping to 0 HP give you the Incapacitated condition?

[sturdy niche]

lol, one layer was not enough i guess, that definitely would annoy zariel and bel i imagine

[hot marlin]

The unconscious condition, normally. Barring some exceptions

[empty thicket]

found it "Bestial Sling", throw a bunch of sharp rocks towards a direction

[hollow estuary]

I was being nice to zariel, I probably couldove kept the blade and fully ruled avernus LOL

[sturdy niche]

being unconscious also typically makes you incapacitated if i am not mistaken, but easiest way to know for sure would just be to read the rules

[remote wadi]

To be honest, that doesn't really make sense to me, given that most fatal injuries do not leave you unconscious before you potentially perish

[little stream]

Oh yea I somewhat remember that, cool trick ngl

[fossil hollow]

its almost like Hit Points arent only meat points

[twilit sail]

What were you doing in avernus in the first place

[sturdy niche]

0 hp = unconscious, assuming you are stable

[hollow estuary]

I spent my first 13 levels there man.

[remote wadi]

They're not the same conditions, though

[hot marlin]

D&D has no business portraying the complex realities of being a biological lifeform and the many ways bodies fail

[hollow estuary]

BG descent into avernus.

[little stream]

meat points
what

[twilit sail]

Makes sense

[fossil hollow]

One gives you the other

[sturdy niche]

did not say they were

[idle oar]

Also remember D&D is a game, not a reality simulator

[fossil hollow]

people think Hit Points means that you always suffer bodily harm, when its just really an abstraction of how long you can fight before you go down

[remote wadi]

They don't, but it just feels a little strange that you, in particular, cannot talk while dying

[fossil hollow]

It can very easily work like Uncharted's HP system, where its a bar before your luck runs out and you actually bite the bullet

[sturdy niche]

yeah when you are down and making death saves you are basically trying to not bleed out via sheer will

[hot marlin]

Me in particular? Oh, I won't. An old fortune teller predicted I'd die strangled by a jealous husband, so no last words for me

[little stream]

So technically I could be at like 3 ish hit points but still down cause my legged jacked up? Is it

[sturdy niche]

3 fails, means you bleed out and die

[twilit sail]

I was under the impression that i could into the underworld and fight mephisto 1v1 irl

[sturdy niche]

no

[fossil hollow]

where did i say that

[sturdy niche]

"down" means you are either knocked out, unconcious, or bleeding out and dying

[errant crag]

I wish more people could just accept this

[remote wadi]

In dnd, I meant...

But I feel like you should be able to talk while dying. You can still not take actions to avoid loopholes of spells using only verbal components

[hollow estuary]

though I was gonna say I definently wouldent have accepted asmodeus's deal if I was in my characters shoes and could feel their pain.

Because what followed was indescribable cosmic torture to condition me into a proper devil.

But besides for that uhh.. its alright!

[woven flint]

Sovis is becoming a vampire 😔

[sturdy niche]

nobody says you can't talk

[fossil hollow]

thats what low hit points are for

[little stream]

No, no I'm trying to rationale that

[hot marlin]

Some DMs allow PCs last words. I personally don't, I find it to be a tired cliche and prefer the abruptness of death

[errant crag]

I had to explain to someone recently that while yes Gauntlets in real life are a type of armor that they are not considered "Armor" in the mechanics of D&D and thus monks can use magical gauntlets

[sturdy niche]

even if a spell only requires verbal components there is more to it than just saying X words

[fossil hollow]

this is usually why i ask for last moments rather than words

[remote wadi]

So I guess I should ask again for verification

If you drop to 0 HP and must make death saves, do you receive the unconscious condition?

[hollow estuary]

Yeah last words are stupid.

Your last words could just be the components for healing word

[idle oar]

The DM could allow it - the rules are there to facilitate playing a game but the DM decides when and if the rules apply in that given game context or not (or even provide their own rulings not connected to the rules as written).

[twilit sail]

What follows is trust exercises at the next board meeting

[fossil hollow]

yes

Incapacitate is part of the Unconscious condition

[hollow estuary]

Unless your a wereraven yes.

[sturdy niche]

read the rules, you can easily answer this yourself with free publicly available tools

[errant crag]

I wish more players would read through the basic rules at the start of the PHB

[sturdy niche]

trust me, reading will not kill or harm you in any way

[fossil hollow]

a lot of these questions tend to be very easily answered if you opened the BR yeah

[blissful ibex]

if I were dming; We'd be doing a group read before even having session 0

[hollow estuary]

and By this I mean.

Wereravens dont make death saves,

Rather if you start your turn 0 hp and dont regenerate you die.

[idle oar]

Moderation wishes folks also read and follow the server rules as that would make everyone's lives easier

[remote wadi]

Not exactly. Iirc, being incapacitated means you cannot take actions or reactions, but can still talk

[twilit sail]

Silly mod dnd players cant read

[fossil hollow]

i can only imagine the amount of people who cause a ruckus and then get mad when they break a rule

[idle oar]

... yeah

[fossil hollow]

again, read the condition description

[hollow estuary]

petition to crit on both 8 and 20 🗣️ 🔥

[blissful ibex]

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

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

Inactive. You can’t take any action, Bonus Action, or Reaction.

No Concentration. Your Concentration is broken.

Speechless. You can’t speak.

Surprised. If you’re Incapacitated when you roll Initiative, you have Disadvantage on the roll.

[twilit sail]

I dont get that joke

[fossil hollow]

-# man would it be nice if we didnt have to pull up teh BR every 10 minutes

[south osprey]

That’s actually a funny idea for a magic item

[remote wadi]

Ah. Gotcha

[hollow estuary]

Right basically 8 is right next to 20 on the 20 sided dice. so its like those low quality mobile games with spinning wheels that edge you by barely missing what you want.

[remote wadi]

I always find it a little strange how despite the PHB's existence and the ability to just go there, Googling something for 5e just has completely different results

[twilit sail]

Ah ok

[fossil hollow]

because google is racked with AI slop now

[sturdy niche]

rng is rng, if you make it so 2 ways crit then you are inderectly giving those with improved critical drastically more increased rates to crit

[hollow estuary]

Right but like for champion fighters, instead of 19 or 20, 8 and 20

[remote wadi]

So I tried to Google if it's possible to talk while incapacitated and it told me that you could

[sturdy niche]

it might sounds nice on paper, but would cause more issues than it solved, especially since digital dice are not at all required

[fossil hollow]

again. AI slop

[remote wadi]

Not exactly that I can't read. Think of it more like conflicting sources

[blissful ibex]

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

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

[fossil hollow]

again. AI slop

[minor cargo]

The worst part is I can probably guess why Google AI (Gemini) thinks that.

It's because it's a meme that you can still do stuff while dead - because in 2014, the dead condition wasn't defined.

[sturdy niche]

that is why you simply go to dnd beyond, which is basically the main dnd website of choice these days, and read the rules, not everything on the internet is AI slop, though does not stop companies from pushing stuff out and people who are just plain lazy

[hollow estuary]

God I had this really funny character, effectively this guys entire life goal was to read the book of exalted deeds and discover the truth about the embodiment of good, but basically by wishing to preach that he was wishing to lie because no humans are perfect and he isent the embodiment of good

because of this the book just dissapeared whenever he got near

[sturdy niche]

pretty sure you don't even need an account to read the free basic rules

[idle oar]

Correct - the free rules are freely accessible

[sudden plover]

roll20 dropped anyone have idea comeback?

[fossil hollow]

what?

[remote wadi]

Anyways, i have a question, then

What would be some good options to circumvent Gloomstalker's Dread Ambush backfiring on the party? I.e. dying, but invisible to an all dark vision team

[sturdy niche]

not really the place to ask that ^^;

[hollow estuary]

blinded isent really a bad condition when you look at it

[sudden plover]

ups sorry

[idle oar]

I'd check Roll20's forums/server

[hollow estuary]

you can still target things

[fossil hollow]

torches

[sudden plover]

ok thx

[hollow estuary]

I mean I was fighting zariel completely blind and poisoned and deafened and I was doing (semi) fine.

[crystal star]

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

Inactive. You can’t take any action, Bonus Action, or Reaction.

No Concentration. Your Concentration is broken.

Speechless. You can’t speak.

Surprised. If you’re Incapacitated when you roll Initiative, you have Disadvantage on the roll.```

[minor cargo]

uhm achtually they're called the basic rules now. 🤓
/lh

[remote wadi]

Could be a good idea. Lighting a torch or throwing it in a direction to search

[hollow estuary]

I actually looked at the blade of avernus stats and I realized now that dispater shouldove ben killed on the first crit LOL.

It dosent have the legendary resistance save thing

[fossil hollow]

#tales-from-the-table

[sturdy niche]

why? it literally can't backfire on the party, like at all

[empty thicket]

or lamps

[blissful ibex]

Bring a lamp?

[empty thicket]

oil lamps exist

[woven flint]

Okay, update, Tasha stepped in to save Sovis' ass from making a poor deal

[empty thicket]

and there is tons of magic items with light that are common

[hollow estuary]

books are op 🤑

[remote wadi]

Poorly worded. But read the other messages

[empty thicket]

so wont be expensive

[fossil hollow]

Good, the queen to the rescue

[hot marlin]

Light a torch if that happens.

[blissful ibex]

Not to mention the 'Beacon' minor artifact proeperty if your DM is cool and uses those

[hollow estuary]

what was the deal?

[cerulean monolith]

Curious what responses I get. Genuinely, which of these stat arrays would you rather have?

A) 14, 12, 14, 16, 9, 18
B) 12, 14, 16, 16, 14, 13
C) 9, 12, 5, 8, 14, 8
D) 11, 11, 13, 8, 6, 18

[hollow estuary]

A

[fossil hollow]

this was a scenario you were in iirc, right?

[hot marlin]

Yup

[hollow estuary]

Super A without a doubt

1000% A. enjoyer.

[hot marlin]

It was pretty funny

[sturdy niche]

i still don't see the issue, also the feature you are thinking of is "umberal sight" not "dread ambusher"

[fossil hollow]

speaking of which. Tokii is playing a gloomstalker

[hollow estuary]

dread ambusher 🤑 ?

[paper portal]

A for sure

[empty thicket]

yep, i think that common items should be that, common.
You can find some of them in anyone house

[woven flint]

Bogey :]

[hollow estuary]

wait that got nerfed

[fossil hollow]

the issue arises when you are downed. It doesnt turn off, and also works on your allies, who might need to see you to try and save you

[hollow estuary]

right so again cure wounds dosent require sight LOL

[paper portal]

yeah i would be really mad about what 5.5 did to rangers if i played 5.5

[hollow estuary]

noooooo 😭 dread ambusher

[hot marlin]

The problem is the following situation:
Gloomstalker is downed by an enemy.
No light.
The party relies on darkvision.
The dying gloomstalker is invisible to the party.
The party therefore can't help

[hollow estuary]

rip 7 attacks in a signle round

[empty thicket]

its touch so...

[sturdy niche]

it says rely on darkvision to see you, people have other senses, such as hearing, especially easy if they have blind sight

[hollow estuary]

touch spells do not inherently rely on sight. Instead, they require a clear, unobstructed path to the target (line of effect) and a successful melee attack roll

[fossil hollow]

oh yeah, its fine if you have alternative sights

but if the party relies on darkvision, youre cooked

[sturdy niche]

alternatively they ignite or activate a light source, just because they rely on darkvision does not mean they automatically do not have access to light sources

[hollow estuary]

wait why is this? whats preventing them from saving you

[hot marlin]

Yes, that's what they should have done, light a torch.

[fossil hollow]

cant see you

[hollow estuary]

Heavily obscured?

[sturdy niche]

invisibile

[fossil hollow]

what else does the Invisible condition give you

[hot marlin]

A gloomstalker is invisible in the dark to darkvision

[paper portal]

it makes your metal gear solid

[hollow estuary]

Literally just that. you can attack a invisible creature, therefore you can use a touch spell on them, and that touch spell can be cure wounds

[hot marlin]

So yeah, it's a hilarious niche situation

[sturdy niche]

to quote the latest definition "While you have the Invisible condition, you experience the following effects.

Surprise. If you’re Invisible when you roll Initiative, you have Advantage on the roll.

Concealed. You aren’t affected by any effect that requires its target to be seen unless the effect’s creator can somehow see you. Any equipment you are wearing or carrying is also concealed.

Attacks Affected. Attack rolls against you have Disadvantage, and your attack rolls have Advantage. If a creature can somehow see you, you don’t gain this benefit against that creature.:"

[hot marlin]

And if the party doesn't use cure wounds and prefers healing word, a spell said to be superior to cure wounds in every way by many?

[sturdy niche]

yeah healing word solves the issue as long as they know you are in earshot

[hollow estuary]

Right so basically in this scenario if they dont have a healing potion, make a unarmed strike IRL.

peak solutions here

But yeah then your cooked

[hot marlin]

That's not what happened when we were in that situation but I did make an unarmed attack against my own forehead.

[hollow estuary]

you know the mirror trick?

[hot marlin]

?

[hollow estuary]

Oh mirrors

you can use mirrors to attack around corners with touch spells

use a mage hand to hold a mirror around the corner, look around corner with mirror, hold person, coupe de grace dead.

[fossil hollow]

Path to Target needs to apply

[hollow estuary]

*SIGHT SPELLS

[hot marlin]

Yeah problem is the path, but eh, it can work regardless

[hollow estuary]

NOT TOUCH

[fossil hollow]

path to target is on all spells

[sturdy niche]

until you get hit with a shatter spell, then you get hit with thunder damage and some shrapnel XD

[hollow estuary]

right in that case stick your arm out around the corner with a mirror.

[fossil hollow]

A typical spell requires the caster to pick one or more targets to be affected by the spell’s magic. A spell’s description says whether the spell targets creatures, objects, or something else.

A Clear Path to the Target. To target something with a spell, a caster must have a clear path to it, so it can’t be behind Total Cover.

[hot marlin]

Ah, what is better than casting shatter when two or more party members are downed, separating them and forcing the healer to make a choice?

[fair plinth]

Are there any classes which yall think got worse in 2024?

[hollow estuary]

if you stick your arm out with a mirror you can see if anyones waiting to hack it off, youll have 3/4 cover, and can cast spell

[twilit shell]

Casting magic missile on the downed member to apply 3 fails

[fossil hollow]

not much really. Probably... maybe Druid?

[hot marlin]

Both? Both is good

[sturdy niche]

going unga bunga smash, using one downed player as an improvised weapon to beat the other to death, thus damaging both?, especially if a goristro is doing it, i can totally see that being something they would think to do

[hollow estuary]

magic missile is a really great player executor, if they dont have counterspell they die.

[dapper wigeon]

roll20 byebye?

[fossil hollow]

what?

[dapper wigeon]

seems to be down

[fossil hollow]

not the place

[crimson gulch]

one can only hope

[sturdy niche]

fun fact about magic missile, the damage is felt internally, does not leave wounds be it puncture or bruising, comepletely changes how i view it's use in combat, at least how to image someone getting hit with it

[crimson gulch]

yes indeed, also Disintegrate

[hollow estuary]

aha! your right!

desintigrated if 0 hp

[crimson gulch]

one subclass got worse, but the class as a whole got boosted

[hollow estuary]

no revive

[crimson gulch]

yep, auto fails the dex save being KO

[empty thicket]

i feel its good but i need a spell that is more brutal.
Give the "shock" to the players

[hollow estuary]

well desintigrate

[empty thicket]

desintegrate might be

[crimson gulch]

this has the possibility to shift your alignment as a dm further towards evil

[hollow estuary]

there we have it folks

[fossil hollow]

minor nerf to WS giving ya THP instead of HP (but at least PWK doesnt kill ya faster), and the Conjure X spells still got "nerfed"

[hollow estuary]

I really like playing evil characters who team up with the heros to further their goals in the long term.

and like during downtime do crimes and evil things

[fossil hollow]

I definitley prefer the new changes, but if i had to say a class got worse in 2024, it would be druid cuz of those. But thats me grasping at straws

[crimson gulch]

no its a major nerf, espeicaly at the top levels, no more elemental wildshape, no more unlimited wild shape, no more full HP pools

[hollow estuary]

Paladin nerf 😢 I cant do 29e+19d20^77 damage anymore with a single hit 😭

[crimson gulch]

paladins can still stack their huge numners on one attack, just not on two per turn

[hollow estuary]

riight hes right!

[severe rampart]

"Oh no my lobster is too buttery and my steak is too juicy"

[fossil hollow]

an unneeded nerf, but its not like smite was as good as people make it out to be

[hollow estuary]

Conjure minor elementals and smites

[sturdy niche]

does knowing magic missile's damage is felt internally and does not leave wounds be it puncture or bruising, make it more or less evil? like for a bit of magic it is an easy way to hurt someone and leave no trace of injury

[severe rampart]

Me when Aura of Protection 💔

[hot marlin]

Actually some of my favorite features from monk are gone.

That hurts a bit

[hollow estuary]

me when the barbarian has int 8 IRL and charges out of my aura and immediantly gets frightened by a dragon.

[fossil hollow]

Tongue of Sun and Moon, the Poison immunity yeah

[severe rampart]

That's more of a player problem

[hollow estuary]

god monk is so broken in this edition i love it so much

it might have actually beat wizard

[rough basalt]

I like new Druid tbh

[fossil hollow]

its definitely one hell of a class. I DM for two monks in my Dragonlance and Waterdeep game, they are so much more durable with Deflect Attacks

[rough basalt]

WS being just an hp sponge was boring imo

[hot marlin]

And the invisibility, and the astral projection

[sturdy niche]

one thing i dislike about new monk is default change of ki as a term and the new naming convention of the subclasses

[hot marlin]

That I would agree

[hollow estuary]

why did they rename ki again?

[hot marlin]

Honestly, I just think you could take 2014 and 2024 monk, put them in a blender, and you've got basically the ideal monk

[crimson gulch]

Cultural sensitivity

[empty thicket]

Everyone calls it Ki, dont make it too problematic

[hollow estuary]

Right okay

yall the new mercy monk is so overpowered and I love it so much

[fossil hollow]

theres issues even if nobody makes it outright problematic

[hollow estuary]

have yall ever played a Aasimar mercy monk?

[sturdy niche]

discipline points or something, i still call it ki cuz there is no reason to not still be able to, nobody especially in this modern age is getting offened else dragonball would not be as big as it is especially after the renaissance, like if it was actually offensive i feel it would be a lot bigger an issue before hand than it was

[blissful ibex]

Was renamed to "Focus Points"

[hollow estuary]

If you havent its genuinely like those power fantasies you used to have as a kid with like those insta death lightning fire swords. except its life and death fists

[severe rampart]

Great idea

[sturdy niche]

some how that is even worse

[hot marlin]

Dragon ball is actually Japanese.

[severe rampart]

I don't think so

[hollow estuary]

because of the celestial resistance and such

really matches

[blissful ibex]

5.5e Druid > 5e Druid, ye

[sturdy niche]

so? it had a renaissance, when battle of gods came out that was the return of the franchise in a meaningful way, this is known on the fandom as the dragonball renaissance

i never claimed it wasn't japanese

[hollow estuary]

Cleric in 2024 is so op

[fossil hollow]

the difference is that WotC isnt

[sturdy niche]

i am not gunna get into a whole arguement over this, again, i'm going back to the lore channel before things spiral

[hot marlin]

I think you don't understand. The problem that is perceived, whether or not it is real is more complex, is the use by western groups of an east asian concept without the connection to the cultural context and meaning it carries in the actual cultures this concept originated from.

[crimson gulch]

the line on what parts of what world cutlures can be used directly in dnd has shifted

[stray atlas]

random question, are there any lightning gods in dnd depicted with a spear?

[fossil hollow]

I think... Talos

[cobalt escarp]

talos is a boar mostly

[hollow estuary]

god i hate talos so much 😭

[blissful ibex]

Rogue I think is the class that falls behind a bit in the combat department; but they excel at Exploration and they do solid enough damage

Ranger could use a few better features than multiple stacked ontop of hunters mark though; otherwise htey're solid as well c:

[fossil hollow]

he has a non boar form

[cobalt escarp]

yeah i just saw that you right

[rough basalt]

Ultimately what you call it at your table doesn't matter as long as it doesnt bother someone

[fossil hollow]

Talos appeared as a broad-shouldered, bearded man with one good eye. He wore half-plate armor over black leather and black leather gloves. His empty eye socket was filled with whirling stars and covered with a dark eye patch.[6][10] When he appeared in Calimshan, he often took the form of a dusky-skinned, turbaned genie rising out of a sandstorm.

[blissful ibex]

only having one attack is a bit brutal if you miss q_q
works nicely with dual wield though c:

[hollow estuary]

So ill let you in on a little secret, rogue becomes VERY VERY unbelievably game breakingly good if you like powergame it properly, you could say the same for everything ig but its like specifically rogue is something else.

[fossil hollow]

Looks like he prefers to throw hands though than a spear

[hot marlin]

Frankly I understand why people decided Talos and Gruumsh would be revealed to be the same guy in 4e. One eyed god with a spear and anger issues.

[hot reef]

And it doesn’t scale with other rider features as well as other martial classes with multiple attacks

[hot marlin]

That's one of the few 4e changes to lore I can get behind.

[fossil hollow]

doesnt help Icespire had so many of his cultists be orcs

[stray atlas]

I've been thinking of Stronmaus but idk if he caters towards non giants

[fossil hollow]

Hes one of the few that likes smallfolk

[stray atlas]

damn.

[fossil hollow]

Him, and his sisters

[blissful ibex]

Like, of course if you haste the rogue to abouse Readied Actions to let them get 2 SAs off every round they're going to be brutally good; but like you shouldn't need to do cheese strats like that for a class to have basic combat competency

[stray atlas]

ok are there like

any lightning focused deities that aren't evil or discriminatory?

[fossil hollow]

Stronmaus

[stray atlas]

read the latter

[hot reef]

I’m pretty sure even with 2 sneak attacks per round, it’s not amazing compared to other optimized classes at higher levels
Lower levels, getting 2 sneak attacks in is really good

[paper portal]

the change to spirit guardians made it way better but theyre not that much different to 5e

[fossil hollow]

I just said hes one of the few (giant gods) that likes smallfolk

[empty thicket]

normally rogue hold themselve really well ngl

[stray atlas]

OH I misread that

[rough basalt]

As a high level rogue, 2 sneak attacks is very good

[stray atlas]

I thought you said dislikes my bad

[hollow estuary]

okay yes monk is better of course

[stray atlas]

also side note, I really wish Weapon of the Deity was a 5e spell

[paper portal]

rogues are afaik the best martials in 5.5 but it is ofc table dependent

[blissful ibex]

They do, but they can be a bit swingy if they roll poorly
only having one attack, even at advantage, can be a bit of an issue

[hollow estuary]

At high levels bard is the best spellcaster in the game

[hot marlin]

If we expand lightning to storms, we've got Aerdrie for the elven gods, Set for the Egyptian/Mulhorandi/Yuan-Ti...

[empty thicket]

yep, i would say it depend mostly of the subclass in some ways

[fossil hollow]

Set is called Evil Day for a reaon

[empty thicket]

an assassin will want to go first and obliterate anyone fast

[stray atlas]

for context

[blissful ibex]

Also half their subclasses are randomly Int based

[stray atlas]

I'm thinking of making a paladin or cleric of Stronmaus some day

[hot marlin]

Sure, that's an idea

You could also go with Talos.

[fossil hollow]

Goliath tend to worship and follow the giant gods the most.

Being the most related to them of any of the smallfolk

[hollow estuary]

Ive done a million twilight clerics

i love selune fr.

[stray atlas]

they're supposed to be good aligned

[hot marlin]

I'm still not convinced humans are not just hill giants or ogres that mutated

[fossil hollow]

Iallanis also like smallfolk, and Hiatea has a soft spot for firbolgs, as they raised her for a bit

[woven flint]

Hi, Folks!

I'm Fighting Kas :]

I might be screwed 😔

[hot marlin]

So? A good cleric of an evil storm god could be an interesting idea

[hollow estuary]

Oh want tips?

kas isent that hard.

[fossil hollow]

my headcanon is that theyre amalgamations from all the elder species from mix couples and their children

[empty thicket]

the poisoner kit and the infiltration thing yeah. But those still are useful.
Even if i throw apples to poison its still an option for them (kinda forced on them too for the cunning strike poison)

[stray atlas]

also side note, I wonder if Stronmaus and Talos have ever fought

[stray atlas]

they seem like they would if in the same area

[hollow estuary]

talos would lose prob.

[woven flint]

You play adventure league.
There's a huge difference between what's going on in my campaign as compared to yours

[empty thicket]

would like that the 13 feature of assassin let you pierce the poison immunity

[hollow estuary]

alright so its a different kas prob

[empty thicket]

or build strong poisons easier

[hollow estuary]

yeah my version had no ranged attacks and only ranged ability frightened you

so I just ran and crossbowed

[hot marlin]

So a one fourth dwarf, one fourth orc, one fourth elf, one fourth halfling averages out to a perfectly ordinary human?

[rough basalt]

Stomping Kas like a watermelon

[hot marlin]

Why would they?

[fossil hollow]

no, just millennia of mixed couples and then their kids and grandkids also hooking up

[hot marlin]

Giant gods are not that active with the politics of the lesser gods.

[hollow estuary]

eve of ruin kas too btw 😭 ✌️

[blissful ibex]

eeh; immunity shouldn't really be messed with IMO; resistance pierce is fine but immunity usually has some really reasonable explination for why it's there

[rough basalt]

Started out with a nice 65 damage, cant knock it

[hot marlin]

Lesser in the sense that the giant gods and the dragon gods have a good claim to treating every other type of deity as lesser.

[empty thicket]

fair
death strike in other way let you double the damage against one target
That can lead to... some really nasty numbers

[stray atlas]

The former is seemingly kind and not happy when other giant gods are destructive

[empty thicket]

9d6 + weapon + proficiency X 2 is... something that i would love to roll

[stray atlas]

the latter actively uses storms to cause immense devastation

[hot marlin]

Yes, that would be his brothers. Why bother with a stranger?

[fossil hollow]

stronmaus generally is a bit too depressed at the moment dealing with his dad getting the milk and not returning while having to deal with his squabbling and bothersome brothers

[stray atlas]

I feel like Stronmaus would at minimum be very unhappy if they saw what Talos does

[fossil hollow]

.

Unless Talos is really trying to hit or mess with giants as a whole, Stronmaus is too busy (and depressed)

With Annam's withdrawal into seclusion,[14][9][8] Stronmaus took an ever greater interest in the affairs of giants and his fellow giant gods, and he would call out their misdeeds and destructive feuds and so on.[9] In time, he was managing the affairs of the whole Ordning, yet he had no desire to rule it. He would happily yield the role to his father as soon as he came back.

[hot marlin]

Stronmaus is already very unhappy. And would be more unhappy to see what just about eighty percent of D&D deities get up to

Talos is not a concern. Talos a god whose sphere of influence is limited to Toril, Stronmaus is the god of all storm giants throughout the multiverse

[fossil hollow]

he no longer has the freedom to do his usual walks through teh Beastlands, or enjoy the clouds and visit mortal giant communities

[hot marlin]

Truly, the horrors of bureaucracy crush even the noblest, if simplest, of souls

[stray atlas]

tbh

[fossil hollow]

He would much rather go on extravagant adventures than deal with his [Redacted] family. Theres only so much the eldest son (and the daughters) can do

[hollow estuary]

good hit.

[stray atlas]

I mainly see stronmaus as something akin to an overworked single dad

[fossil hollow]

more like an older brother whose parents left the kids alone

[hot marlin]

Stronmaus is the patron god of one of the most powerful species in the multiverse, the heir to the most powerful dynasty in the multiverse, who needs to constantly dodge stabs from the back, all while monitoring not only that aforementioned powerful species but also the primordial power of storms themselves.

Remember. The difference between Stronmaus and Talos is that Talos is the god ruling over storms in Ao's extremely limited domain. Stronmaus' rule over storms comes from Annam, the god who reforged and ordered the entire multiverse.

[fossil hollow]

Stronmaus, and the giant gods in general, have a bigger reach across the multiverse than talos does

[hollow estuary]

right yeah stronmaus would stomp talos

literally thats a attack he has.

[fossil hollow]

Scions are not the gods themselves

[hot marlin]

No, not necessarily. Greater reach and greater divine responsibility does not necessarily translate to greater ability to fight.

[hollow estuary]

ah right okay maybe im wrong, because talos is in his native plane he probably gets domain actions

[hot marlin]

The president of your country may be more politically powerful than you could ever dream of being, I'm pretty a lot of you could beat the president of your country in a boxing match.

[fossil hollow]

also worth noting that Talos is a Greater Deity, same as Stronmaus

[little stream]

I love this with or without context

[hot marlin]

I do my best.

[empty thicket]

Knowing how they can be, they would cheat.

[hot marlin]

So anyways, playing "who would win" does not make sense, even with statblocks. Too many variables at play

[empty thicket]

in any way, make your kings strong and powerful and not only wise

[fossil hollow]

what

[hot marlin]

It's like old Stan Lee used to say. When Hulk fights Wolverine, the winner is whoever the writer needs to win for the story

This does not apply to a match between Batman and Superman, where the victor can only be Batman due to the underdog effect at play

[fossil hollow]

Batman and Underdog effect is not something I would corroborate together

[hot marlin]

The rule is simple: Most times, writers want a surprise. So the less likely someone is to win, the more likely they actually are to win.

[paper portal]

superman wins because he scales to low complex multiversal /silly

[fossil hollow]

and thats where we are ending the convo

[hot marlin]

Yes.

[little stream]

Sucks

[hot marlin]

(Oh, unless they're George RR Martin, in which case the underdog effect is just in the trashcan and winners are expected to be the people who made the correct decisions to ensure their victory.)

[fossil hollow]

Welp, back to fleshing out a lakeside giant/smallfolk town

[empty thicket]

Bites

[fossil hollow]

Trying to figure out how architecture would work for such a town

and social dynamics

[hot marlin]

Lakeside town where giants and small people live? Alright, what kind of giants?

[fossil hollow]

I would say a healthy mix of Storm, Cloud, Hill (passive chef and foodie types) as the most common

[hot marlin]

That seems incredibly dangerous for the small folks but... Consider verticality

[fossil hollow]

||(oh the biggest thing as well is that theres a Scion of Stronmaus and a Kraken sealed away in the deepest parts of the lake, which leads to an Underdark ocean)||

[hot marlin]

Cloud giants can live above the clouds. Storm giants are equally at ease under the water and above the clouds.

[empty thicket]

can let 2 sections of the town, one of the small and another of the giant and the "center" of that town being places who mix them

[fossil hollow]

im mostly thinking like, giant homes, then humans build off said buildlings like hamster enclosures and bird nests

[empty thicket]

Almost like Zootopia did with the small animals and normals

[hot marlin]

Oh that's a good idea. Like...Cartoon mice? Having their appartments inside the wall, Tom & Jerry style?

[fossil hollow]

i dont really want a New Rodentia

[fossil hollow]

exactly!

[twilit shell]

I have a real mouse that my cat dropped into the ventillation shaft in my house

[hot marlin]

OK but even then, I'd use the environment. So, the town on the lakeside is hill giants mostly, and it would connect to the lake, where the storm giants structure peeks above the water.

[blissful ibex]

Right up until you hit the "It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That's not weakness, that's life."

[stray atlas]

I wasn't asking who would win tbf

I was asking if they ever fought

[hot marlin]

Someone else said something about Stronmaus "stomping" Talos or something like that

[woven flint]

So.
I got a Wish Efreeti.

My silly ass..
Wished for a way to communicate with Zariel for future events....

It's a Hellfire Dagger in which if i unsheath it and look into its blade reflection, we'll be able to communicate with her

[hot marlin]

What? I'm sorry, are you playing DIA or something?

[severe rampart]

I understood 30% of that, was that a good wish?

[fossil hollow]

Eve of Ruin

[hot marlin]

Oh.

[woven flint]

^

[rough basalt]

What are we on some kind of eve of ruin

[severe rampart]

We've descent into avernus

[rough basalt]

He had much more disastrous sounding wish ideas

[hot marlin]

I actually got the title drop in DIA.

[severe rampart]

huh. Must be the Curse of Strahd.

[hot marlin]

Saying "no, there's no way we'll descend into Avernus"

[rough basalt]

Perfect

[hot marlin]

Ti wanted to give me inspiration for that, I declined. Too easy.

[fossil hollow]

did i give you inspiration for it?

OH RIGHT

[hot marlin]

I refuse. I want to earn it

[stray atlas]

ok am I missing context here?

[fossil hollow]

thats as good as you are doing so

[stray atlas]

are you two playing a game together?

[hot marlin]

Yeah

[fossil hollow]

We play together every other week yeah

our next session is tomorrow

Or, however long it is in ur European time, Incubus

[humble cairn]

European time works differently? Like the Feywild? /j

[fossil hollow]

But yeah, smallfolk homes built into giantfolk homes it is

I do think the hill giants would love being closer to the lake for easier access to fishing. OH, and having the storm giants live mostly underwater is also a very good idea

[woven flint]

We're JJK jumping Kas atm

[fossil hollow]

pitiful, Jojo kick em

[woven flint]

EVERYONE IS HERE

[fossil hollow]

except some people ehe~

[severe rampart]

7 page muda

[woven flint]

Glares at you and horizon

[hot marlin]

Yep. I was born yesterday, grew up two days ago, died of old age tomorrow, will get married the day after tomorrow

[woven flint]

Anyway!
How's everyone doing

[errant crag]

In the first proper campaign I ever played in, my Goliath Barbarian Dargaral "Limbtwister" Gadakanatha went to an inn to stay at that was made specifically to accommodate small sized species, so he was exponentially larger than everything and had to pay for 3 beds instead of one so he could push them together

[fossil hollow]

youre not a fruit fly

[errant crag]

And he'd go back in a heartbeat because the customer service there was so impeccable

Such a nice inn with such lovely staff

[polar wedge]

How is everyone campaign going ??

[severe rampart]

Great

DMing two, playing in one

Been thinking of running a third

[blissful ibex]

I have, multiple times, gotten Heroic Inspiration off of well timed puns

[hot marlin]

Neither am I a fiend, yet that does not stop you

[severe rampart]

I've only gotten a DM inspiration for roleplaying well

[fossil hollow]

so, youre a chasme

[polar wedge]

My old DM started a fight in my campaign so because of that everyone stoped playing so now I’m out of a campaign

[shy stirrup]

"started a fight" ?

[twilit shell]

I have been heavily debating whether I want to open up a second campaign or not

[rough basalt]

Kas had to run

[severe rampart]

if you have the time, why not?

[rough basalt]

Kas the Fraudy Handed

[twilit shell]

I don't really have the time 😔

[twilit sail]

Me watching every dm i have undergo a catastrophe

[twilit shell]

I work 9-7 4 days a week (and then just my normal 9-5 friday at least small wins) generally which just cuts into my available mental bandwith and evenings

[polar wedge]

Yes a fight not physical it was a lot or screaming and everyone was feed up with him so they decided to end the campaign so now I’m currently not in a campaign or able to play because I don’t really know anyone how plays

[twilit shell]

Sounds like you know a handful of people who play lol

[polar wedge]

It was just me the dm and 2 other friends were a were a small group

[shy stirrup]

It happens, sucks it has to happen to you, but absorb what lessons you can, and move on; if this was an IRL table and you don't know anyone else IRL who plays, find a game online

[errant crag]

I'm deathly curious about what this fight was over

[shy stirrup]

Nothing good, I'd imagine

[polar wedge]

You right

[polar wedge]

But I’d prefer not to say what it was about

[shy stirrup]

Which is why I didn't directly ask, what matters is you moving on, tables fall apart, find a new table - it's the circle of life

[polar wedge]

Have any recommendations of online tables that are fun if you know any

[shy stirrup]

There are many online listings, including here on this server. #find-a-game

[errant crag]

Very well. No juicy drama for me today.

[shy stirrup]

r slash rpghorror stories is right over there -->

[errant crag]

Yeah I'll go there if I want AI generated engagement bait

[fossil hollow]

so, about ali-

[errant crag]

I swear so many of those horror stories have to be AI generated, at least the ones that the tubers make videos about. They always follow an extremely similar structure I feel.

At least the ones I've seen recently (the ones that made me stop watching those videos)

[twilit shell]

They used to just be slop creative writing exercises, now its AI slop

[fossil hollow]

i preferred the human slop. They tend to throw in some wiiiild shit from time to time

[shy stirrup]

Or its because games fall apart in common, predictable fashion, for similar reasons, which is why it seems like its all the same

[errant crag]

AI has made me appreciate human made slop in various departments

[errant crag]

Yeah and the DMs in those stories always use the same speech patterns and the problem players are always problematic at the same points in their games as one another

Definitely not AI written stories

[hot marlin]

Quick: What would devils use to attack Gauntlgrym?

I'm thinking infernal war machines? Golems?

[errant crag]

Lava

[fossil hollow]

why does this name sound familiar

[errant crag]

Lava/magma

[twilit sail]

Intercontinental ballistic missiles

[hot marlin]

Dwarven fortress-city on the Sword Coast

[errant crag]

It's a Dwarven city on the sword coast

[fossil hollow]

whatever the livign constructs are yeha

they make great siege weapons

[hot marlin]

Hmm... Alright, I need a devil commander. Not a pit fiend, but something high ranked enough.

[fossil hollow]

Hellfire Engine thats the one

[fossil hollow]

Empyrean (Fiend)?

[hot marlin]

Below pit fiend level, an empyrean seems a bit too much for the introduction, even if it's for level 17.

[fossil hollow]

Amnizu

[hot marlin]

The idea is that the attack is mostly a distraction. Get the forces of the city to focus on the hellfire engines and devils while another group enters Gauntlgrym to steal a certain something

[hot marlin]

Excellent

[fossil hollow]

youre asking someone whose running DiA tomorrow, im gonna be excellent

[hot marlin]

If you throw an Amnizu at us tomorrow, I am shamelessly running away like a coward

[humble cairn]

I think Pink's idea of magma bears a lot of value, it's in a volcano after all.

[woven flint]

We made Kas flee like a coward

[hot marlin]

True... Wait, I got it, Pink is right!

The distraction forces attack the walls, the infiltration forces swim through the magma to enter the city

[fossil hollow]

eyyy

[fossil hollow]

:)

[hot marlin]

OK so how many forces under the Amnizu's command?...

[fossil hollow]

i slightly remember some passage in a book that talks about devil army hierchy/organization

[fresh laurel]

whats the highest level you ever got and how many sessions did it take you?

[hot marlin]

I'm honestly just thinking of making it a roman cohort. Which means between 480 and 600 soldiers.

[humble cairn]

Hmm I was going to suggest armanite cavalry, but those are demons, not devils.

[fossil hollow]

1 legion = 10 cohorts commanged by a legate
1 cohort = 10 lances, sommanded by a signifier
1 lance = 10 devils, commanded by an optio

found the thing

[hot marlin]

Damn it they're using roman military ranks inaccurately!

Damn you WOTC

OK so one devil cohort is one hundred devils, one devil legion is a thousand cohorts...

Damn it. With roman ranks, I had six centurions, including the big boss, all commanding a hundred devils personally. That would have worked out great, six minibosses

[errant crag]

Common pink W

I am in physical pain

[fossil hollow]

just make it 10 :3, or have this legion work off different numbers

[hot marlin]

Yeah you know what. 10-10-10 is easier to remember and run

OK, is this good enough you think for an introduction?

"Whatever brought the adventurers to Gauntlgrym, they are powerful enough to be called to assist in the rebinding ritual. From time to time, Maegera the Dawn Titan’s bindings are renewed, and the moment has come.
In Maegera’s chambers, three dwarven wizards start the ritual, accompanied by ten guards, and the party. The ritual is long, lasting a full three days, leaving the party immensely bored. The guards may offer to play a round of dice to pass the time. As soon as the dice start rolling, the horns resound throughout the city. Gauntlgrym is under attack.
Devils led by Amibarra Scourge-Born, an Amnizu and legate to the legion, are assaulting the walls from their Hellfire Engine. Amibarra despite his considerable strength is the very picture of an armchair commander. This does not make his tactics less fearsome. Under his command is a legion of a thousand devils. If those were ordinary invaders comparable to human armies, it would be a pathetically low number with no chance of even scratching the walls of Gauntlgrym, but those are devils."

[fossil hollow]

makes me want to play a paladin with a shotgun and a chainsaw shield

[hot marlin]

... Of course.

[fossil hollow]

at least it aint a dhamphir with guns

and daddy issues

[lavish flame]

missed opportunity to do groupings of 9

[fossil hollow]

i would have imagined 6, but ur rite

[hot marlin]

Wait, no, armchair commander is just not the right word

[umbral girder]

One look at Landro with his cursed air pods scared him off

[fossil hollow]

may i reccomend Dilettante? or Chateau General?

[barren badger]

I'm slightly embarassed that I had to google the definition for the word "Dilettante"

[fossil hollow]

first time i ever heard of it

Not going to lie to sound smarter, thats a losing battle

[hot marlin]

I mean, like... He leads from the back. He sits in a fine chair, and eats a buffet and drinks fine wine, all while giving orders for the battle, but he's not incompetent.

[fossil hollow]

all i can think of are insults

[humble cairn]

I think it's right? It does mean someone who just sits back and does the thinking and planning without engaging themselves.

[twilit shell]

That is all commanders, I believe

[hot marlin]

Apparently it means someone who pretends to be a military expert without having any real experience

Like all those guys during WW1 who read the news of the front and said "oh they should have done X"

OK I think I got it! So, Amibarra is the Legate of the legion and leads the assault. Anyone who peeks what he's doing beyond the walls sees him eating, getting massaged, drinking wine, and communicating orders. One of the signifiers is leading his cohort swimming through the lava and will need four hours, lava is dense. Each of the other nine cohorts can be a miniboss. This is a time-management chapter while defending the city.

[barren badger]

How would players feel about the following house-rule:

Villainous Inspiration

When a player character does an evil action OR something that's out of character for that character, the DM may announce that a Villainous Action has occurred and give themselves Villainous Inspiration. If more than half of the player characters disagree that this action is a Villainous Action, then no point is awarded. A DM may have no more than one Villainous Inspiration at any time.

Villainous Inspiration is functionally identical to*** Heroic Inspiration***, but only for creatures that are controlled by the DM.

Does this feel un-fun?

[hot marlin]

It feels like gamyfying things that shouldn't be, turning above the table issues into table issues. Can't recommend it.

[next solar]

I wouldn't be happy if it gets introduced in my table

[humble cairn]

It feels very unnecessary and tedious, basically calling for a committee meeting everytime the DM does something.

[hot marlin]

And punishes evil characters disproportionally

And yeah, wastes time.

[barren badger]

noted noted

[humble cairn]

Just give your NPCs Advantage when you think they deserve it.

[hot marlin]

Or, you know... You're even allowed to give an NPC the lucky feat.

[barren badger]

yeah, but my players would notice that and feel like it's unfair

[hot marlin]

There are tons of ways to get advantage.

[barren badger]

(I dont do blind rolls at the table)

[bronze wave]

ya no, this sounds pretty meh and over the top for inspiration lol

[barren badger]

This could be an option!

[hot marlin]

If your players complain whenever their enemies have advantage, I feel like they might need a stern talking to

[bronze wave]

you can explain it? or if the npc HAS to win the roll

[humble cairn]

Why? And why would it matter? You're the DM, you control the world and all the situational benefits, whenever some situation woudl benefit the NPC, give them Advantage.

[bronze wave]

just lie

[next solar]

I wouldn't overdo it though, just like how I wouldn't overdo giving enemies counterspell

[barren badger]

I think I'm just slightly bitter that my players have a constant source of heroic inspiration. And I cant really even give it to them anymore. I do miss giving out inspiration

[humble cairn]

"She attacked with the sun at her back, so the glare interfered with the enemy reading the attack, Advantage."

[barren badger]

yeahhhh, this isnt how we play dnd at my table. I get it and it is cool, but it's far from RAW.

[humble cairn]

It is 100% RAW

[next solar]

you can always revert the rules back to 2014

[barren badger]

My table has already switched over to 2024, I dont think we're going back.

[bronze wave]

i have a 4x cap for my games

i love giving inspiration

[barren badger]

I dont think i would generally have a problem with that, except now there are player options that use inspiration

[next solar]

i mean for inspiration specifically
if you dislike a change, you can always not implement it

i personally think the new 2024 surprise rules are stupid

so i dont implement it

[humble cairn]

The rules about Adv/Dis: "The DM can also decide that circumstances grant Advantage or impose Disadvantage."

The whole point of Adv/Disadv was to replace the infinitely stacking +x circumstantial bonuses/penalties from previous editions.

[errant crag]

"He has a custom stat block"

[humble cairn]

So yes, circumstances can give Adv or Disadv based on environmental or whetever factors.

[barren badger]

Hm, that is a legitimate option.

[barren badger]

Yeah, generally when I want a creature to have a buff, i include it in the statblock so I can show it to players in the VTT. For example, I like to give creatures extra reactions (still only usable once per turn) and I have a creature feature for that

[humble cairn]

Random lucky occurrences can give Adv/Dis and things like preplanning ont he enemy's part can also make the situation give Adv or something.

[barren badger]

Yeah, i think the biggest thing I try to avoid as a DM is just making up things on the spot because combat isnt going the way I planned. And i dont want my players to feel like I'm changing the rules mid-game.

but maybe I can codify it in some way

[humble cairn]

You're the DM you're supposed to make things up on the spot.

"The gathered forces of the warlord give a great cheer and the sound of their allies emboldens your opponents. They get Advantage on their attacks for the next two rounds."

You don't need to set all of these as mechanics than can work forever, they are simply situational and circumstantial benefits or penalties.

[barren badger]

yeah, my players have a lot of ways to tilt rolls in the favor (MI:Silvery Barbs/Heroic Inspiration) I just wish the DMs had mechanics that behaved the same way

[humble cairn]

You do! Give circumstantial Adv/Dis.

[errant crag]

Well there's the problem you're showing them the stat block

Don't show your players the stat blocks

[barren badger]

I think the reason I dislike those abilities so much is that they function outside of the advantage/disadvantage system and the DMs really dont have a similar option (other than fudging the rolls)

[twilit shell]

I just hate silvery barbs specifically because it is such a cheap resource that really just disrupts the flow of combat pretty heavily

[barren badger]

silvery barbs isnt really even that powerful, its just annoying -_-

[errant crag]

It really doesn't

[barren badger]

especially on magic initiate

[errant crag]

You're the DM you can do whatever you want

[next solar]

i personally dont see a problem with silvery barbs

[errant crag]

There isn't one really

[hot marlin]

OK so what do you people think of that idea: It takes four hours for the devil cohort to swim through the magma to the inside of the city. The other nine cohorts are attacking the outside and focusing the attention of the defenders, but genuinely trying to breach through. The PCs therefore find themselves in a situation where they need to choose which area to defend against which cohort and how to deal with the siege. And they might figure out one cohort is missing.

[errant crag]

If you're having problems with silvery barbs it's stemming from how you're running your game

[twilit shell]

I see a problem with it, and i have my glasses on rn so I know I am seeing accurately

[blissful ibex]

It eats spell slots; if you're running the proper 6~8 encounters, you actively want your players to waste resources on it

[umbral girder]

Many bad guys have these abilities

[hot marlin]

Maybe four hours is too much? I'm writing that for a 17th level party...

[barren badger]

Probably.

I just have multiple players who can use it to force a fail on save/suck spells.

[umbral girder]

Like the warlord for example.

Or the Death Knight with its Martial undead aura

[errant crag]

Pirate Captains have a reaction where they can allow an ally to reroll an attack roll after missing

[barren badger]

Indomitable?

[twilit shell]

you don't have a warlord/death knight in every encounter. Or maybe you do, power to you lol

[umbral girder]

Githyanki Supreme commanders, etc there are just Leader style monsters

[next solar]

i guess it depends on the type of game you are running

i run a megadungeon campaign so if they waste 3 spell slots on forcing a save then thats on them

[umbral girder]

Warlords also have indomitable on their stat blocks too

[errant crag]

You can literally just decide that enemies crit if you want as the DM you can just lie to your players

Not all DMs want to, understandably, but you literally have absolute control

[rough basalt]

I love running commander enemies

[errant crag]

You definitely shouldn't probably

[twilit shell]

I roll in the open when I do combats, more fun that way

[errant crag]

But it is an option you have

[barren badger]

Yeah, my party usually has around 2-3 combat encounters a day and they like, refuse to expend resources out of combat

[umbral girder]

You even have enemies with spells that can give advantage too

Drow with Faerie Fire for example

[twilit shell]

The dice gods decide who lives and who gets crit 3x in a row by skittering horrors without paralysis

[barren badger]

Yeah, this is what I do. i think it's more fun

[hot marlin]

OK see, that is a problem. You need more encounters, less powerful individually. At least double that, if not triple

[rough basalt]

Using a commander enemy who used a musket while healing their allies was peak

[blissful ibex]

Either need more higher DC complications that dish out more damage/debuffs outside of combat or you need to run harder combat then

[barren badger]

I... dont know how to do that and still progress through the module in a timely manner

[hot marlin]

You are responsible for the behaviours of your PCs in the sense that you incentivize some behaviours

[twilit shell]

I have 3.5-4hr a week to play I don't wanna run 6 extra busywork encounters to drain resources all the time if its not a setting like a dungeon crawl meant for that at the point in the campaign we are at tbh

[hot marlin]

Which module?

[umbral girder]

A 2nd session for an adventuring day.

[next solar]

encounters don't have to be combat encounters. social encounters are still encounters, and that can also consume resources

[barren badger]

Curse of strahd

[errant crag]

Then spellcasters are gonna be strong in your game