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Kaal posted:eventually they'll become too covered in marks and erasures and I'll print off a new one. Pro-tip: OfficeMax will print you a double-sided black-and white character sheet on 110lb ivory cardstock for like a quarter. It's very durable w/r/t erasures and so on.
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Feb 17, 2020 01:11
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Skill proficiency is also one of those things where your DM may well let you trade your proficiencies around as long as you can come up with a good reason for it. Like, the hermit background gets proficiency in Medicine and Religion, but I swapped the Religion for Nature with my DM's okay, because my hermit was a wizard off doing research on swamp herbs and so on.
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Feb 17, 2020 01:15
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Do firearms fall under martial weapons, or is it up to the DM? Just curious how the repeating shot infusion would work on guns, and I've seen people arguing both ways for it.
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Feb 17, 2020 01:21
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change my name posted:Do firearms fall under martial weapons, or is it up to the DM? Just curious how the repeating shot infusion would work on guns, and I've seen people arguing both ways for it. It's up to your DM, per the rules. The Artificer Class posted:Optional Rule: Firearm Proficiency
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Feb 17, 2020 01:23
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Thanks! One more question - my brother and I did an example battle and it mostly went smoothly, but I'm not quite sure how to calculate the monsters damage and stuff. In this instance, we used a basic Zombie. It's hitpoinst say 22 (3d8+9) Does that mean I can either just use 22 for consistency, or roll up the hit points for a bit of randomness? And it only has 1 action called Slam which states Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, 5 feet reach one target. Hit: 4(1d6+1) bludgeoning. Does +3 to hit mean I just add +3 to it's attack roll of the 1d20? Does it get any other modifiers from it's strength since it's using a melee weapon attack as well? Also how about it's actual hit? same with hitpoints, where I can either choose 4 or roll the dice for the damage in parenthesis?
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Feb 17, 2020 02:03
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Drunk Driver Dad posted:It's hitpoinst say 22 (3d8+9) Yes quote:And it only has 1 action called Slam which states Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, 5 feet reach one target. Hit: 4(1d6+1) bludgeoning. Yes quote:Does it get any other modifiers from it's strength since it's using a melee weapon attack as well? All modifiers like ability score bonuses and proficiency are already taken into account in the given modifier, so you just use the +3 that's shown. quote:Also how about it's actual hit? same with hitpoints, where I can either choose 4 or roll the dice for the damage in parenthesis? Yes. If you want more consistency of damage output and less chance of one-shotting characters with a lucky roll (more an issue on monsters with bigger dice or more dice of damage) or if you're using a large number of monsters and want to reduce the number of dice rolls, you can use the average value. I usually roll damage, but I use the average if the monster is attacking an NPC so there's more consistency in how many hits NPCs that the players are trying to protect can take before dropping. I always use average HP for monsters because I'm lazy and like more consistency. BattleMaster fucked around with this message at 02:16 on Feb 17, 2020 |
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Feb 17, 2020 02:13
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Awesome, thanks. I'm starting to feel like I have enough grasp to start playing.
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Feb 17, 2020 02:15
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Drunk Driver Dad posted:Thanks! Yes to all of that. A creature with 22 (3d8+9) HP has one or the other (up to the DM). It rolls a d20+3 for attacks (all the relevant bonuses are included in that to-hit modifier). It deals 4 or 1d6+1 bludgeoning damage on a hit. The idea is that DMs can use the fixed averages on groups to keep things moving, and the random spreads on individuals to increase tension. In general I tend to always use the fixed HP but the rolled damage.
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Feb 17, 2020 02:18
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What are some good ways of playing a kensei monk effectively? DM gave me a drow katana that does 2d8. Stats spread: str/dex/con/int/wis/cha: 14,18,16, 12,16,12 I took Dragon wings (I'm a Bronze Dragonborn, gives +20 fly speed?) and Defencive duelist (seems to be +4 free AC?) With the Kensei parry thingy that gives another +2 free AC which is a total of 24 AC which seems respectable for level 9 with 71 hp. Of my martial arts abilities: -Flurry of blows seems kinda meh since I have a sword I should be using instead? Unless the DM lets me use the sword, I'll ask. -Stunning Fist, I hear this is good. -Step of the wind, 1 ki point to dash or disengage, seems good? With my 45' movement this makes it 90' a round if I want? -Deft Strike, 1 ki to deal my martial arts die as bonus damage, this is just 1d6 right now I think? Doesn't seem like a lot? Is this ever worth it? -Patience Defence: Attackers attack at disadvantage? Seems good. -Kensei's Shot: When I shoot with my bow, as a bonus action an extra 1d4? This doesn't seem to scale? -Deflect Missiles: If an arrow doesn't do a lot of damage I can catch it. Cool. -Attack twice, that's two times 2d8? And a few others not listed here. What I'm thinking is I can basically play my character like I'm playing Sekiro where I'm *really* good at parrying. Like I can run along walls, *fly* to position, stab someone and stun them, and run around the battlefield dunking on people? And if I get mobbed they can't hurt me because 24 AC plus disadvantage on their attack rolls? And I can always free disengage?
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Feb 17, 2020 03:44
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Defensive Duelist only applies against one attack per turn, and you must burn your reaction to do it. Agile Parry requires you to trade away one of your Kensei Weapon attacks for an unarmed attack to use it, but does not use your bonus action or reaction. Flurry of blows specifies that only the additional strikes are unarmed, so you may use your sword for the two Attack action attacks, but it requires a bonus action and a ki point. Step of the Wind requires a bonus action and a ki point. Deft Strike requires a ki point and can only be done once per turn. Patient Defense requires a ki point and a bonus action. Kensei's Shot does not scale, but applies to all ranged attacks made on that turn. It does require a bonus action, but not a ki point. So, basically, I would advise you to think about how often you are spending ki points, of which you only have 9 per short rest, and remember that you get one reaction and one bonus action per turn, because it sounds like you think most of this stuff is free and/or can be done simultaneously. You get all your ki back on a short rest, but that's still an hour.
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Feb 17, 2020 04:30
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Raenir Salazar posted:What are some good ways of playing a kensei monk effectively? So first up, as a Kensei you'll be getting two attacks with your sword + a bonus action attack unarmed. Flurry of Blows turns that into two attacks on bonus, unarmed. The damage scales with monk level. So it doesn't compete with your sword attacks in your action economy. On the other hand, taking an unarmed attack in your standard attack action as a kensei allows you to add +2 to your AC. Probably not as useful as the damage loss makes it, but it's an option. That +2 ONLY applies on turns you take that unarmed strike, though. Stunning Strike is usually the best use of your Ki as a monk, because a stunned enemy doesn't do anything and is an easy target for your party members. You can burn a ki to Flurry and use stunning on all four of your attacks, if you really need to lock down a target or multiple, close targets. Step of the Wind isn't a "free" dash or disengage, it still eats your bonus action and a ki point, which as above, are usually best spent on Stunning Strike. Deft Strike/Patience Defense: as above, they're usually not as good as offensively/defensively as a stunned enemy from Stunning Strike. Deflect Missiles: Your damage total for this quickly outpaces the damage for an average longbow. As of right now, it's 1d10+13 for you, which most smaller archer-type enemies can't pierce. It eats a reaction, however, so you'll only be able to do it once. As above, usually Ki is better spent on Stunning Strike, so throwing it back is usually a waste. All of this, with the fact that Ki regenerates on a short rest, means you can be fairly flippant with how much you spend and on what skills. I'm a bit surprised by the 2d8 katana, which is a bit much, but I don't think it's gamebreakingly powerful. Generally your combat rounds are best spent on 2 attacks with your katana and a bonus action attack with your unarmed strike. Stunning Strike the most threatening person in the room on the first hit and your remaining hits are at advantage! And you can apply Stunning Strike with each successive hit in the event they resist it. If you're feeling grossly outnumbered or are the only one in melee, that's when I recommend taking advantage of Kensei's Agile Parry and Step of the Wind's Dodge bonus action.
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Feb 17, 2020 04:38
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Right, I think of spending ki as being "free" in a sense it is a rechargeable resource. We just literally just now had a discussion where the eating a reaction got clarified.  Thanks for the write up, it helps clarify things. I dunno if the 2d8 is a lot, a lot of enemies in the campaign just seem to sponge up a ridiculous amount of damage. quote:Generally your combat rounds are best spent on 2 attacks with your katana and a bonus action attack with your unarmed strike. Stunning Strike the most threatening person in the room on the first hit and your remaining hits are at advantage! And you can apply Stunning Strike with each successive hit in the event they resist it. If you're feeling grossly outnumbered or are the only one in melee, that's when I recommend taking advantage of Kensei's Agile Parry and Step of the Wind's Dodge bonus action. Thanks! This bit was huge and I actually had no idea!
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Feb 17, 2020 04:57
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If you're used to older editions, 5e may feel like enemies have lots of health. It takes awhile to kill things. That 2d8 katana deals damage as roughly a +4 katana would (1d8 extra damage = +4.5 damage per hit on average), though of course it doesn't have any particular bonus to hit. That's pretty strong, but I don't have good intuition about whether it's overpowered or just brings your damage output up to par with, say a cleric using Spirit Guardians.
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Feb 17, 2020 06:17
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A 2d8 damage sword that doesn't have any other notable bonuses is a good weapon for a level 9 character, but nothing outlandish or game-altering. Enemies having a ton of HP can also be a result of flawed design on the DM's part. 5E parties that are reasonably minmaxed can do a ton of damage, and a lot of DMs respond to this problem by giving their special enemies and bosses inordinate amounts of HP to ensure they stick around for several turns. A better approach is to add additional complications, like: 1. Additional enemies that deal non-trivial damage, have dangerous powers, or buff the boss but are easier to kill themselves, to draw heat off the main enemy. 2. "Puzzle" foes that can only be killed for good by taking special measures, like downing a pair of enemies in the same turn or killing them with the correct damage type, so the party can't just alpha strike each one without thinking. 3. Environmental hazards, obstacles, and features that require the characters to expend actions/resources and force them to fight for position or to stay alive WHILE doing damage. You're really the only person who can tell us if that's the problem, though.
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Feb 17, 2020 07:23
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Remora posted:Pro-tip: OfficeMax will print you a double-sided black-and white character sheet on 110lb ivory cardstock for like a quarter. It's very durable w/r/t erasures and so on. Even more pro-tip: Put your character sheets in those plastic sleeves they have for comic books and write on them with dry-erase pens.
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Feb 17, 2020 08:12
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I mean, if you don't mind accidentally erasing your notes every other session...
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Feb 17, 2020 10:49
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the russians just used a pencil
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Feb 17, 2020 11:22
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W.T. Fits posted:Anyone have any advice for building an artillerist artificer? Starting at 3rd level, human with the Mark of Making, doing point buy for stats. Int, Con, Dex are your stat priorities, and with point buy and mark of making you can have 16I, 16C, 14D which is perfect, at the cost of having 10-10-8 in the other 3 scores. If you'd like to juice your other stats a little, dropping Con to 14 is fine and lets you play with the other stats a bit. The mark of making gives you mending, which is good as you can then take firebolt and guidance with your other cantrip slots. Firebolt is the cantrip which does the most damage so it is essential. Mending fixes your cannons, as well as being good artificer flavour. Guidance is a very useful catchall buff for out of combat skill checks. Nothing else on the cantrip list is anywhere near as important. One of your infusions will be for giving yourself a buffed arcane focus. At level 3 you only have one additional, which sadly is probably best spent on something boring like a magic weapon for a party member, or magic armour. If you are feeling friskier, a bag of holding or an alchemy jug could both be useful. Just because your arcane cannons can move independently, doesn't necessarily mean that they should. As tiny creatures they can share your space, and don't necessarily take up a hand(Shoulder cannon). If placing them independently, cannons can't do opportunity attacks, so their use as blockers is limited. Against medium sized creatures in narrow hallways though they do at least stop enemies from moving through their space which can be of some effect. I have no idea why you would ever not give your cannon legs. Most of your combat turns are going to involve casting firebolt, then using your arcane cannon with a bonus action.
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Feb 17, 2020 11:55
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Raenir Salazar posted:What are some good ways of playing a kensei monk effectively? I'm playing an Aarakocra kensei currently. I'm at much lower level but yea you get the gist of it. Kensei's Shot is good when you're attacking twice with your bow that round and not doing anything else, as it'll boost both shots. It basically exists to bring kensei archers up to rough parity with other archers, but you're still slightly behind curve relative to dedicated archery builds (as is appropriate). Your main attack is twice with your sword, then yeah, you can martial arts for one more unarmed, or flurry of blows for two more unarmed. You might want to look at taking the Mobile feat instead of Defensive Duelist. That way you can zip across the map spamming stunning strikes against everything without having to spend Ki or bonus actions to disengage. Defensive Duelist uses your reaction (so you can't catch arrows or slow fall if you use it) and it's only useful against one attack per round. Strong ability though so your call either way. Mathematically you want to save the ki dodge and agile parry for when you're being attacked by lots of things, and you generally want to avoid being attacked by lots of things at once unless there are no other alternatives -- you aren't the tank. Deft Strike can be good when you roll a critical because then you roll your martial arts die twice and add it. Not the best ability but not the worst. Keep that katana. The nice thing is you'll be able to make it +3 in a few levels; you can add your kensei bonus to any weapon that doesn't have a +x modifier. Here's a good guide on the math of the kensei: http://wizardofthetavern.com/full-in-depth-guide-on-kensei-monk/ Hieronymous Alloy fucked around with this message at 14:10 on Feb 17, 2020 |
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Feb 17, 2020 13:30
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Remora posted:I mean, if you don't mind accidentally erasing your notes every other session... Wet-erase marker will let you update on the fly but won't get wiped off by an errant sleeve.
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Feb 17, 2020 15:49
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Wet erase is key for battle maps too. So much easier.
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Feb 17, 2020 18:21
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Zoo was very chill today and kids are burned out now.
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Feb 17, 2020 18:22
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The food place here is wildly understaffed for a holiday weekend and there’s about to be a hangry child riot.
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Feb 17, 2020 18:24
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I guess my question about the artificer is "how are they lugging these turrets around, anyway?"
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Feb 17, 2020 18:27
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"However they please, it's magic."
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Feb 17, 2020 18:56
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FFT posted:I guess my question about the artificer is "how are they lugging these turrets around, anyway?" They're mounted on an arcane roomba. My artificer question is "what's the character difference between the Artificer class and the UA Clockwork Soul Sorcerer?" Cos they seem like they're filling basically the same niche, at least flavour-wise. Is the Clockwork Soul just an Artificer that can't build things?
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Feb 17, 2020 19:00
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Bogan Krkic posted:They're mounted on an arcane roomba. Warforged Envoy Clockwork Soul Sorcerer. Backstory: I was built to be a magic robot. It went well. Splicer fucked around with this message at 19:37 on Feb 17, 2020 |
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Feb 17, 2020 19:34
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Splicer posted:Flavour wise the artifice is a guy who makes things and the clockwork soul sorcerer is an order junkie who's descended from someone who hosed a robot. They're pretty unrelated. Yeah pretty much. The whole Clockwork Soul concept is bound up with the idea of planar alignment. Just as there's a plane of evil and one of good, there's a plane of chaos and one of order. The order plane is called Mechanus and is populated by Modrons, which are basically clockwork constructs that vary in complexity and are ultimately governed by a humanoid deity called Primus. A Clockwork Soul Sorcerer has a source of magic that is related to contact with Primus or Mechanus. None of that necessarily applies to Artificers, who are effectively artisans rather than magicians. Even if you're not interested in the planar background, a Clockwork Soul Sorcerer is always going to be someone who has special powers due to their identity or relationship with constructs (or perhaps simply with time and clocks). An Artificer doesn't really have any special powers, but rather is capable of inventing special objects. Kaal fucked around with this message at 19:54 on Feb 17, 2020 |
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Feb 17, 2020 19:49
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The DM/Friend that is currently running a Tomb of Annihilation campaign is gonna run a Descent into Avernus campaign. In the TOA i have a archeologist Tabaxi Rogue/Ranger Indiana Jones archetype. So far in DA i came up with an Urban Bounty Hunter Goliath Paladin who is an exudes incredible Himbo energy and follows the Triad but barely remembers any of it beyond the basics. I still dont know what Oath he will take but we'll see...
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Feb 17, 2020 20:29
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FFT posted:I guess my question about the artificer is "how are they lugging these turrets around, anyway?" I forget if it was ever "official" material but I've seen people suggesting they could be wrist or shoulder mounted if you wanted to go full mandalorian.
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Feb 18, 2020 00:35
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Abroham Lincoln posted:I forget if it was ever "official" material but I've seen people suggesting they could be wrist or shoulder mounted if you wanted to go full mandalorian. That’s what ours did to be lovely fantasy iron man.
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Feb 18, 2020 01:02
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Abroham Lincoln posted:I forget if it was ever "official" material but I've seen people suggesting they could be wrist or shoulder mounted if you wanted to go full mandalorian. That sounds more like a Predator which I'm 100% down with.
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Feb 18, 2020 01:20
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Ok. I decided that I will create a new world, since the one I had really felt like just a mix of Elder Scrolls, Lord of the rings and of course DnD. So I thought I still want some DnD inspiration to not completely alienate my PCs, but I thought that if I want to create a new world and make it unique and vibrant I have to try and go all the way instead of half assing it which I have previously done. I still want my games to be about the PCs though, not just an excuse for lore exposition wankery with a semi-reluctant audience. So what kind of setting and odd facts could make the PCs be in conflict with themselves, other PCs or a villain besides them being the baddy bad? How can I make the most out of a fantasy setting, but still have magic highly influence the way people think about the world besides the usual tropes of people who hate magic, good vs. bad magic etc. You can draw parallels in fantasy with the real world. How the printing press lead to worldwide literacy, how discovering that the world was round or the theory of evolution changed the way people saw the world. Here are a few facts I have considered for my world that I find kind of compelling. 1. Humanity is a necromantic disease/curse brought upon by a god untold centuries ago. Each line is seeing further decay, as lifespans decrease and humanity might die out soon. 2. The mortal realm is actually two realms interconnected, travel to this other plane has been recently discovered. 3. The discovery of creating magical scrolls has lead to untold wars, regulations, tariffs etc. 4. Elves are distrustful of gods, but in a way having a closer relationship with them, their knowledge leading them to see gods as fallible in a way that humans cannot. They see humans' view of the gods as pitiful. 5. The discovery of the illumination school has lead to people of every stock to find hidden mysteries everywhere from under their bed, garden, lost ruins or the vast sea. Midig fucked around with this message at 02:20 on Feb 18, 2020 |
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Feb 18, 2020 02:11
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As long as you can think and create on the fly, don't worry about it, because your players do not care a whit about which things you've spent the most time on. You've got five good hooks, and you might even be able to include them.
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Feb 18, 2020 02:16
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That's the idea though. I don't need to explain five lines of kings until they fall asleep. I just want ideas that are compelling enough to make them want to discover it on their own. Which means I gotta make the PCs do cool things to deliver it to them or make them get cool things through gaining that knowledge. Tends to be the way to make players get somewhere, either eavesdrop on someone or find a map etc. I thought the first order of business is creating the illumination sub class for wizards. Which basically can cast detect magic as a cantrip and has loads of ways to gain knowledge. A regular player might guess what a monster is weak against based on the description (I will have homebrew monsters so MM won't always help), but an illumination mage might learn it from a spell cast. Midig fucked around with this message at 02:30 on Feb 18, 2020 |
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Feb 18, 2020 02:23
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Midig posted:Ok. I decided that I will create a new world, since the one I had really felt like just a mix of Elder Scrolls, Lord of the rings and of course DnD. So I thought I still want some DnD inspiration to not completely alienate my PCs, but I thought that if I want to create a new world and make it unique and vibrant I have to try and go all the way instead of half assing it which I have previously done. I still want my games to be about the PCs though, not just an excuse for lore exposition wankery with a semi-reluctant audience. Here you go http://www.darkshire.net/jhkim/rpg/dnd/dungeoncraft/ Now three editions old, as good as ever.
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Feb 18, 2020 02:41
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Ok. I had another idea, I just want to know if you think this would be cool. Dwarves once had an advanced magical culture similar to the elves, but the elves, for one reason or many waged war upon them and ruined their civilization in the devestation that it was. The remaining dwarves hid deep in the mountains, they regressed into petty feuding clans over time, but eventually united under a king after hundreds of years. They became the short, bitter, angry, scottish, beard grooming, ale drinking dwarves we all love. But then in the age of discovery (Era the PCs are in) the dwarves discover their old heritage. This leads to a new war with the elves as their grudge is reignited and also a split within their culture. Those who want to go back shave their own beard and start to focus on magic and philosophy instead of Clan, law, war, and crafting. Which leaves the PCs wondering what direction the dwarves will go in and IMO, makes the world less static than regular fantasy. Races and kingdoms will react to new information learned or political changes.
Midig fucked around with this message at 03:02 on Feb 18, 2020 |
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Feb 18, 2020 02:50
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I like #3. Maybe a historically oppressed minority is finally finding success with its guerrilla resistance due to gaining access to magic scrolls when previously only the oppressors were capable of inate magic. Few things you could do with it. Maybe your players are sent by the oppressors to put down the rebellion and as they discover more they have to make a moral decision to complete their mission or switch sides to help the oppressed. Make it very grey no black and white. Maybe your players are on a mission to find the arms smuggler who is providing the scrolls. Possibly a member of the oppressors who has turned. I can think of a lot of really cool stuff you could do with that.
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Feb 18, 2020 02:52
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This will inevitably lead to a scroll heist, which is both super derailing from DM perspective and loving cool for them. I will create at least one sidequest to enjoy and I won't have to feel bad about giving them some sweet loot.
Midig fucked around with this message at 03:12 on Feb 18, 2020 |
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Feb 18, 2020 03:06
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Some classes get this thing called "ritual casting", and there's this feat "Ritual Caster" but I don't really understand what "ritual casting" is.Remora posted:PHB pgs 201-202. EDIT: Oh, right. Thanks. That helped. Stabbey_the_Clown fucked around with this message at 06:25 on Feb 18, 2020 |
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Feb 18, 2020 05:50
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