D&D NEXT: Infinite Posts of the Abyss

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Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

I'm about to start paying my first d&d game in almost 20 years. Combat flow is a little confusing to me. I get movement and action. How do reactions and opportunity attacks work? I'm planning to roll a Paladin with the Sentinel feat, so I should probably figure it out before my first session.

# ¿ Oct 27, 2014 00:11

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# ¿ May 18, 2024 02:37

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

As mentioned in another post, I'm about to play my first game of D&D in about 18 years. We're going to use 5e. I've built a character, but wouldn't mind a once over by some of you more experienced people to see if I've made any terrible glaring mistakes.

As a note: I've already cleared the character with the DM, he gave me a few suggestions that I've taken into account already.

Sword and Board Oath of Vengeance Level 1 Paladin:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8kVRNcLOnTtaTRmZnpEcmtZUnM/view?usp=sharing

I've pre-noted level 2 skills (and a level 4 feat) on the sheet as well.

# ¿ Oct 28, 2014 16:15

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

Sage Genesis posted:

Yep.

My mistake, I didn't notice he was a variant human. He still should be proficient in Wisdom and Charisma though, being a Paladin.

Thanks, totally missed Wis/Cha save proficiency.

Power Player posted:

Looks mostly fine, I would probably go with a two-hander over a sword-and-board for a Oath of Vengeance Paladin. Mind if I ask where that character sheet is from?

I debated 2hander, but having the holy symbol on my shield seemed too thematically awesome to pass up. Plus that AC bonus and the math on damage didn't make me feel that bad about passing up the larger damage.

Character Sheet Source:
http://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/2do2an/treat_yourself_to_a_tall_cold_glass_of_current/

Gerdalti fucked around with this message at 18:38 on Oct 28, 2014

# ¿ Oct 28, 2014 18:32

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

I'm not defending anyone here, but is taking real world races and giving them an in-game analogue really racist? Are we at a point culturally where we can't acknowledge that there are different races?

If I play a game with a dark skinned dude named Tyrone, but it's not really earth... is that racist?

# ¿ Nov 5, 2014 04:11

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

Here's the full monster chart for you guys, hopefully that'll help.

http://imgur.com/a/N9gdC

# ¿ Nov 28, 2014 19:23

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

Well I've got the DMG now, so if anyone wants to see full page cell pics of anything else, let me know.

# ¿ Nov 28, 2014 20:15

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

Kinster posted:

Soooooo I'm about to play a D&D game for the first time in like 8 years. How does everyone feel about paladin vs bard in 5E? These are both classes I've never played in previous editions.

I'm playing a paladin and having a blast. I do have a second character ready to roll, it's a bard. I think both classes look fun and play well in this edition. I'm looking forward to playing a monk down the road too.

# ¿ Nov 29, 2014 18:08

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

A few questions about actions and bonus actions.

Does a bonus action have to be a bonus action? Could you do 2 "bonus actions" in a single combat round by using your action?

I want to cast 2 spells in one round, both spells are "bonus action".

Is quaffing a potion an action or a bonus action?

# ¿ Dec 11, 2014 22:08

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

Looks like potion action and spell bonus action for two rounds to get buffed then, that should be fine, thanks. Was at work and didn't have my phb handy.

# ¿ Dec 11, 2014 23:05

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

I was thinking about multiclassing for a really fun Shadow monk. What are your thoughts on this build?

Seems like the Devil's Sight + Darkness + Shadow Step combo could be ridiculously powerful, adding in Flurry of Blows, Sneak Attack and the almost always Advantage on attacks, would mean tons of damage per round. Plus the enemy would have Disadvantage against you with Darkness.

code:

 
Wood Elf
Starting Stats (Point Buy + racials):
Str: 10, Dex 17, Con 11, Int 8, Wis 16, Cha 12
 
1: Monk 1 - Unarmored Defense, Martial Arts
2: Monk 2 - Ki, Unarmored Move (+10 feet)
3: Rogue 1 - Expertise, Sneak Attack, Thieves Cant
4: Rogue 2 - Cunning Action
5: Monk 3 (shadow) - Deflect Missiles. Shadow Arts (Minor Illusion cantrip, Darkness, Pass without Trace, Silence)
6: Monk 4 - Slow Fall, Dex +1 (to 18), Cha +1 (to 13)
7: Rogue 3 (assassin) - Disguise/Poisoner kit proficiency, Assassinate, Sneak attack +1d6 (to 2d6)
8: Monk 5 - Extra attack, Stunning Strike
9: Warlock 1 - Fiend Patron, Pact Magic, 2 cantrips, 2 spells known, 1 spell slot (1st lvl), Dark One's Blessing
10: Warlock 2 - Eldritch Invocations (2 - Devil's Sight & Fiendish Vigor), 3 spells known, 2 spell slots (1st lvl)
11: Rogue 4 - Dex +2 (to 20)
12: Monk 6: Ki-Empowered Strikes, Shadow Step
13: Monk 7: Evasion, Stillness of Mind
14: Monk 8: Wis +2 (to 18)
15: Monk 9: Unarmored Movement improvement
16: Monk 10: Purity of Body
17: Monk 11: Cloak of Shadows
18: Monk 12 - Wis + 2 (to 20)
19: Monk 13 - Tongue of the Sun and Moon
20: Monk 14 - Diamond Soul

# ¿ Dec 12, 2014 20:03

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

I know there's a lot of Next hate around, but I'd like to offer a simple opinion to the contrary.

Next has a very low barrier of entry. I hadn't played D&D in nearly 20 years, and getting back into it with Next has been incredibly easy, and a lot of fun. Some of the rules are a little convoluted, but the whole thing is actually pretty well written and easy to get into. As a relative new-comer to the whole scene, I have no previous like or dislike for anyone in the community, so that doesn't bias my opinion at all.

I won't deny that other versions (3.5, PF and 4) may offer up something better, but honestly, 5e is a lot of fun.

# ¿ Dec 18, 2014 02:57

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

FMguru posted:

It's the weirdest thing about D&D Next. It's designed to be easy to get into if you already know D&D, which probably means you already have a set of books from a previous edition or clone like PF knocking around, so why would you drop $150 on a set of rules that are just a watery rehash of a version you already own? And it's so backwards-looking and intentionally off-putting to new players I don't see them getting a whole lot of new customers. Who, exactly, is the target audience for this $150 slab of mediocrity?

I guess it's me. My previous (20 years ago) experience had completed faded, I had no books anymore. I picked up the PHB and it all made sense. The rules feel streamlined, character creation is relatively easy, classes have interesting abilities. The PHB was $30 on amazon, and that was all I needed to jump into a group. I've since purchased the DMG ($45 on black friday) and a few other books. But at 35, $150-$200 is not a lot of money to spend on a hobby. I can drop that going out with my wife and some friends for dinner and drinks.

# ¿ Dec 18, 2014 15:48

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

You're all poo-poo'ing my "low barrier of entry" comment. It's anecdotal of course, but I hardly think that 4 sessions at age 14 constitute an age 34 "re-entry". Seriously, 20 years, zero experience in that time. It was a piece of cake.

I may be a bit more technical than the average person (seasoned IT person), and I love RPG video games and MMO's, so I have some experience with the subject matter. Until this week I had literally never even heard of most of these other systems (Fate, Dungeon World, etc).

I'm sure the barrier for entry when you have little cognitive thinking skills or only a 5th grade reading level is complicated. Most people trying to play a tabletop RPG will be of that ilk though. This is a nerdy hobby, for nerds right? We pride ourselves on being smart right?

I'm not even that heated on this topic, I know there are flaws here. Price, convolution of rules, etc. But it's really not a complicated system, and reading your classes pages in the PHB 2 or 3 times, plus the combat section should give anyone a basic understanding of how it all works. The rest you can pick up as you go.

Maybe it's not a good system, but it's certainly fun to play (for me).

Gerdalti fucked around with this message at 20:38 on Dec 18, 2014

# ¿ Dec 18, 2014 20:36

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

I probably am being anecdotely obtuse in this situation too. I tend to read, and research, and read more, and dig into mechanics. This sort of thing, despite very limited experience with this system, is sort of my wheel house.

I mean hell, I learned and implemented site-to-site ipsec vpn on a totally unfamiliar system in 3 hours this morning. I am clearly not the average scenario, nor am I even close to bordering on the nerd-curious.

You're (collectively) probably more correct, and I am again applying anecdote when I consider my group of friends and how quickly they've taken to it. They all happen to be like me in that mechanic's sense.

# ¿ Dec 18, 2014 22:39

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

Dick Burglar posted:

Is there a thread for legitimately discussing D&D 5th Edition or is this shitshow the only one?

Makes me a little sad too. Honestly for any real discussion these days I just hit up reddit (SIGH). /r/dndnext and /r/dnd aren't bad.

I'm DM'ing my first game ever this weekend, with a bunch of people who haven't played D&D in over a decade. Should be a disaster, but a good time too! Going to run HotDQ, and hopefully scale it properly to not TPK them multiple times in Greenest.

# ¿ Jan 2, 2015 05:02

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

jodai posted:

Make sure everyone actually reads the rules. It might sound like I'm being a dick but we played at least five sessions before we had completely rid ourselves of old notions of what you could and couldn't do in DnD. There are a couple of good cheat sheets in the OP that you might want to print out or have a digital copy of for quick reference.

Good luck and have fun!

Good advice I don't think I can enforce. Thankfully I've actually been playing with a rather experienced group for a few months, and have a good grasp on the rules. I've created a bunch of cheat sheets for the party, helped them build their characters, and expect to do a little hand holding the first session or two.

That said, I'm pretty psyched. We're huge nerds across the board, but never actually managed to organize anything.
Might give dungeon world a go later this year once everyone is fully on board with actual RP. I expect that skill to take some time to develop.

# ¿ Jan 2, 2015 05:51

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

Allstone posted:

That's what their design root is, yeah. Almost all of those classes have a long tradition of using something designed to emulate Vancian casting, a system from a bunch of books about a wizard casting spells.
E: And then stuff like the sorceror is basically just 'how do we make a wizard that uses a different casting system?'

So in a world of magic, you don't like spells, which (almost) all classes have access to? Because they're too "wizardy"?

# ¿ Jan 14, 2015 16:02

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

Spoilers Below posted:

I'm not sure I'd equate "magic" one for one with "casting spells".

edit: I'll write up something longer about magical realism vs. "magical physics" (will also see if I can come up with a better term) when I get home from work to expand on this point.

Oh god, please don't. It's a fantasy game we play with dice and our minds. It's meant to be fun, if you can't have fun with it perhaps you need another more "realistically magical" game...

# ¿ Jan 14, 2015 16:17

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

Liam Emsa posted:

Oh ok

Counter point, my friends and I did just that and it's fun. Maybe not a perfect system, but it's fun, and it's new enough that you don't have to slog through 100 books to get all the info.

# ¿ Jan 18, 2015 03:49

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

goatface posted:

Pack Tactics is silly.

I'm flat out ignoring it for Kobolds in Ep1 of HotDQ. It's a crazy hard episode for level 1 characters anyhow.

# ¿ Jan 22, 2015 17:59

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

I'm also a fan of the paladin, starts off slowly and ramps up in power quickly, making it easy for a first timer.

# ¿ Jan 24, 2015 15:20

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

Jimbozig posted:

So the very first 5e threads were what got me going on making Sacred BBQ, which turned into Strike! And now I've made a Kickstarter for it!

I'm very excited about it, and I wanted to let you all know that I couldn't have done it without your griping and negativity. That sounds sarcastic, but it's actually the truth. I got so many good ideas from these threads! When criticism is constructive, good things can come of it.

It's not just a game for people who hate 5e, either. If you didn't like the overly long combats and boring out-of-combat parts of 4e, both Next and Strike are attempts at fixing those problems from different angles.

Show everyone what 5e could have been and support Strike!

This is interested (and I backed it) and you should start a thread.

# ¿ Jan 30, 2015 20:58

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

gradenko_2000 posted:

Within the last couple of pages we've had discussions about a West Marches campaign, grappling rules, experience/leveling rates, and fighting a black dragon with an underleveled party so I don't really know where you get off saying all we ever do in this thread is bitch about 5th Edition.

Because yeah, you're right, we technically don't need a separate thread, but the one that we didn't need was the advice thread, because there's never been an instance in this thread where someone has come in with a question that didn't get a straight answer, except over there we can't call you out on your ridiculous DMing practice of layering ability checks on top of ability checks, including DC 5 to just begin to intimidate someone.

Oh wait, I'm sorry - DC 5 WITH ADVANTAGE, because more dice = better than

This is a tough thread though. Posting a question always gets a good answer or two, but it also spawns ten more posts about why 5e is bad (not disagreeing, there are some very valid arguments and huge flaws with the system). I think the other thread exists to avoid those ten other posts. Sometimes people don't want to get brow beat while getting a legit answer. It's a little disheartening to get so many negative responses in a thread about the system your playing. Maybe the only group they can find is 5e, maybe they like the system.

What I really wonder is why so many people who dislike 5e in so many ways still hang out and post in the 5e thread as much as they do. I mean I get that many of you/them wanted to like the system, but it didn't turn out great. Move on though. Go post in a thread about a system you enjoy. Negative energy and hippie poo poo etc.

# ¿ Feb 17, 2015 16:59

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

Generic Octopus posted:

Because to actually be maximum sneak you're gonna want some spellcasting at some point, probably Rogue 2/[Spellcaster] 7+. Mostly for Invisibility/Greater Invisibility so you don't have to play dm-may-I when trying to Hide.

Or going just Bard would cover both bases without multiclassing. Batman is totally a Bard.

# ¿ Feb 23, 2015 20:41

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

So for $270ish you can get access to the stuff you've probably already purchased physically, but on Fantasy Grounds.

Way to go WotC.

# ¿ Apr 8, 2015 00:41

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

Tunicate posted:

Tomb of horrors loses a shitload of its tension after modern powercreep

Isn't there a Tomb of Horrors 5e conversion somewhere? I've been running a dumb "detective agency" monster of the week style game for my normal group on Roll20, and it would be fun to pit them against the Tomb of Horrors I think.

# ¿ Sep 18, 2015 21:43

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

Turtlicious posted:

How long does combat normally take you guys?

I have a "20 seconds to start rolling" rule that has sped it up quite a bit. Be thinking of your next round when it's not your turn, and adapt as the field changes. This applies to casters as well. If you aren't ready for rolling to start at 20 seconds into your turn, you miss the turn. And usually get heckled by the table.

It actually turned into a hectic, but fun and engaging thing instead of a totally calculated set of moves. It also applies to me as the DM, which is kind of insane depending on the encounter, but again, we all enjoy the fast pace and the ability to make huge mistakes under pressure in combat.

# ¿ Sep 22, 2015 20:32

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

I run a series of one-shots for some friends on Roll20 as a fun weeknight activity. The hook is basically that they're a detective agency, so they get these crazy cases. I've decided the skeleton economy is happening this week.

Major port town has a skeleton economy. Normally undead workers are skeleton only, as to not alarm townsfolk seeing their dead relatives working around town. Townspeople agree to this as the skeletons still earn an income for their families.

A new company has started up on the docks to compete with the existing 2 shipping companies. I think the new shipping company is having a hard time sourcing undead, so they've hired some unsavory sorts to "make" people dead. They will have to figure out what's happening and put a stop to it.

"A young girl walks in the door, holding the hand of a very docile zombie."
New company let a zombie escape before they managed to boil the flesh off.

Should be a fun time. Any fun suggestions for encounters (4x7th level)?

# ¿ Nov 1, 2015 19:12

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

I'm not arguing against the healbot badness, but people keep saying Clerics are the ones who are dedicated healers. Can't Bards and Druids, and to a lesser extent, Rangers and Paladins also contribute pretty significantly to healing?

In the 5e games I've played, the answer is yes to all of the above.

# ¿ Nov 9, 2015 19:42

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

I think the problem here is the use of "session" vs "milestone". No one would ever run a game and level up per session, especially if no one does anything. I mean, maybe there are DM's out there that lovely. Milestones on the other hand makes perfect sense and is the correct way to do it.

Maybe the group in question actually completes an appropriate milestone per session. I could see that with people aged 15-25 who don't have kids and houses and jobs yet.

Let's stop nitpicking and get back to properly dissecting how terrible WotC and 5e are!

# ¿ Nov 24, 2015 20:28

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

RPZip posted:

The loss of the optimization guides for each class is a pretty big deal. At least you can still see them via the Wayback Machine, I guess.

They've been moved to enworld.

# ¿ Dec 7, 2015 23:51

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

Stanko-Prussian posted:

Do any of you have an interactive character sheet program you'd recommend so that our bunch of noobs (which is all of us including the DM) don't have to waste on average half the entire session cracking books to remind themselves what spells do and stuff?

If you want to print them out, I'd recommend the character sheet and spell sheet combo here:
http://www.enworld.org/forum/rpgdownloads.php?do=download&downloadid=1180

Android
Character Sheet App: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wgkammerer.testgui.basiccharactersheet.app
Spell Book: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.spellsdd5

iOS
App: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fight-club-5th-edition/id901057473?mt=8
You'll need to join the dropbox folder that has the importable XML files for it though, you can sign up for it here: http://www.tinyurl.com/DnDAppFiles

# ¿ Dec 10, 2015 05:23

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

Radio Talmudist posted:

If a conflict is in progress, how do I add additional combatants? Do I wait till the beginning of the next round and ask them to roll initiative?

I usually roll their initiative at the top of a turn, and then have them act/join when it's their time to act.

# ¿ Dec 15, 2015 18:35

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

What about a spell like flame blade? It's essentially the same as VT, would you allow an OA using it?

I'm pretty sure I would at my table. It's nonsensical not to.

Edit: beaten by one post on flame blade, but the point still stands. Your dork is already cat, the LA is essentially a punch (VT) or a swing of an already existing magical sword.

# ¿ Dec 27, 2015 01:46

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

My guess is that the wording is "odd" with VT because it is an Action to cast it, whereas Flame Blade is a Bonus Action.

Flame Blade doesn't need the rider of making an attack as part of the spell, because you can BA cast it, then Action attack. VT needs that odd language to let you attack on the first round you have it.

I think this is being nitpicky and rule of cool is that if you are weilding a magic sword of fire, or a fist of shadow, you should obviously be able to strike out with those like you would with a regular sword or fist on an OA.

Quick Edit: The people who wrote this books should be fired. Natural language is loving stupid. Give us proper keywords and sane rules.

# ¿ Dec 27, 2015 02:11

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

Roadie posted:

What do you think of the stat block format here? I was going for a copy of the book stat block format at first, but I decided to experiment with it some.

Also, I may end up turning the attacks into a section with actual attack-specific formatting, because it all just being inline text is kind of dumb.

I've used this with lots of success.
http://thegeniusinc.com/dd-monster-maker-download/

I'd recommend using this math instead of the stuff in the DMG though.
https://songoftheblade.wordpress.com/2015/09/09/improved-monster-stats-table-for-dd-5th-edition/

Edit: I see you're actually talking about creating the 5srd site. Any reason you've decided to make a separate one instead of going with (and I guess contributing) to the http://5esrd.com that's already started?

Gerdalti fucked around with this message at 05:35 on Jan 15, 2016

# ¿ Jan 15, 2016 05:31

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

Kibner posted:

Also, if this is your first time GMing, you will want to read this: http://slyflourish.com/lazydm/ It will teach you techniques on how to avoid excessive prep and make your sessions fun for everyone.

I'm actually reading this now, and it's solid advice. Totally worth a purchase.

# ¿ Mar 5, 2016 13:45

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

Thelonius Van Funk posted:

So my group just finished our first adventure (Lost mines of phandelver) and started the next one (Out of the Abyss). I am playing a wizard and the first thing that happens is that we are captured and all of our gear is taken. We've managed to escape and find our backpacks but my spellbook and component pouch is gone as well as all our magic items and we've basically been told that we are not getting them back (We were forced to jump down a waterfall out of where we were kept prisoner and we're not going to be allowed to return). I'm pretty much hosed right? I have spells prepared but most have material components so I can't use them anyway. If I find a new spellbook I can copy down the ones I have prepared(assuming I'm given the time to do so, plus our gold is gone as well) but all the other ones are lost, correct? I also had some scrolls (which are now also gone) that I had been planning to copy into my spellbook and was going to make a secondary spellbook for safekeeping but we weren't given any time between adventures so I wasn't able to. The other characters in the party are an unarmed monk, a ranger, and a war domain cleric so it's mostly me that got really screwed over. I feel like my game just got incredibly less fun for no particular reason and I don't really know how to proceed in character either.

I haven't read OotA yet, but they had to see that coming and have written in a spell book to find right? Or your DM saw it coming and wrote in a spell book to find. Mention to him/her that without the spell book your character has no abilities, hopefully he will fix it

# ¿ Mar 24, 2016 16:48

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

Hitlers Gay Secret posted:

w/e, we have a werebear barbarian in our party who's immune to all but psychic damage, I think cheesing the rules to transform into non-bear things is fine.

EDIT: Okay, finally found the part in the Monster Manual where they explain what beasts are and lo and behold they also lack any actual beasts in said book.

I think beasts are in the back of the players handbook so players have access to them.

# ¿ Apr 6, 2016 18:59

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# ¿ May 18, 2024 02:37

Gerdalti: May 24, 2003; SPOON!

Splicer posted:

That's what they were saying(ish). You roll your acrobatics to swing on the chandelier with panache. If you fail, you swing across on the chandelier and make your stabbin' roll. If you succeed, you swing across and make a stabbin' roll with combat advantage.

This is exactly how I'd rule it when DMing.

# ¿ Apr 12, 2016 17:37

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