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First Party Hardback Expansions Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide What is it: A book focusing on the setting and lore of the Sword Coast, a specific and popular region of Faerun/The Forgotten Realms. What's in it:
Who should buy it: There's a lot of Sword Coast information for DMs who want to play a game in the region but for anyone interested in Faerun as a setting would be better served buying the 3rd Edition Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting which is easy to find used or available on DriveThru. For prospective players, many of the archetypes are reprinted in Xanathar's Guide to Everything. Swashbuckler is a must have option for players who like rogues but is among the XtGE reprints. Short version: Most of the content in this book is better presented elsewhere. Skippable. ----- Volo's Guide to Monsters What is it: A supplementary monster manual/bestiary with flavor excerpts from the perspective of hapless Faerun wandering bard Volo and nigh omnipotent caster Elminster. What's in it:
Who should buy this: DM's looking for expanded encounter options or better design and roleplay context for some popular monsters. Players who are interested in playing any of the expanded races or monsters like Orcs, Goblins, or Kobolds without homebrewing from scratch. People who love reading about fantasy monsters, particularly fans of Beholders and Mind Flayers. Short version: Must buy, especially if you will ever DM. This is both the best value and maybe best written non-adventure book they have released. ------ Xanathar's Guide to Everything What it is: A compendium of new options and archetypes for players, many reprinted from other materials,some DM advice, options, and clarification on some more common but underexplained mechanics. Dozens of pages of character names for different races including long lists of real world Earth names. What's in it:
Who should buy it: Players who want expanded archetype and spell options, or like Traveler style random background generation. The archetypes are WILDLY uneven in power and quality, but Hexblade Warlock and Swashbuckler Rogue are vital for anyone who likes those classes, and this is overall better purchase for players than SCAG. DM's can easily skip this as none of the DM advice or tables are vital. Probably the worst overall value for an expansion book. Short version: A grudging but necessary purchase for players. ----- Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes What it is: Another supplemental bestiary more focused on higher level threats. It includes large lore sections on some famous races and intraracial conflicts in the multiverse. It has flavor excerpts from the perspective of famous Greyhawk wizard Mordenkainen. What's in it:
Who should buy it: DM's looking for more challenging monsters at higher level bands, it also fills in some gaps in encounter design like higher level Drow NPCs. DM's looking for story hooks related to the Blood War or the Raven Queen (though they have altered her from previous appearances in a controversial way that I personally dislike.) Players can skip this as all the player subraces except Duergar and Deep Gnomes are available as UA playtest options but I haven't compared to see what if anything changed in print. Short version: Must buy for DMs, especially those needing a modern primer on the Blood War. Players can skip. ----- Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron What it is: A setting book for the pulp-magic Eberron campagin setting focused on the Khorvaire continent. It is only available digitally and is a living playtest document being actively updated. What's in it:
What's not in it:
Who should buy it: People who want to see this made into a proper hardcover setting and help give its creator Keith Baker some money. People interested in a setting where magic is common but low power, where players can quickly become notably powerful in relation to the world around them. Unfortunately for fans of the setting, because WotC has their own internal designs and goals for the artificer and psionics, they are not part of these materials. DM's may find more useful material setting material in the 4e and 3.5e Campaign books, but the rules for the setting specific races are useful for players. Short version: Buy this if you are interested in the setting and/or want to see it become a more fleshed out, physical product. ------ Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica What is it: A setting book based on the plane of Ravnica from Magic: The Gathering. It is a high magic megacity setting divided into ten ruling Guilds each with their own regions and purviews based on different aspects of society. What's in it:
Who should buy it: Anyone interested in an wild and varied cosmopolitan setting that doesn't have to be Sigil. DMs not interested in the setting can still coopt many ideas, items, and monsters from the book including the new Renown system. Players should buy this if they want more racial and background options, like extra lawful clerics, or want to beg their GMs for blatantly broken items. Short version: A must buy for fans of the setting. A solid buy for anyone just curious about the setting or wants to co-opt a number of aspects from the book. mango sentinel fucked around with this message at 03:14 on Dec 23, 2018 |
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Dec 22, 2018 08:17
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I updated my post on the first page with summaries of the non-adventure hardcovers. Hit me up if you have feedback on it.
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Dec 23, 2018 03:18
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Trojan Kaiju posted:Isn't there also Planescape foreshadowing in Tomb of Annihilation? I remember that was what everyone was expecting before they announced Eberron and Ravnica. There's an acanaloth named anagram Gary Gygax whose glasses are a portal key from Sigil too Arcadia for no reason reason being easter egg. XtGE has the planer ranger. MToF has Gith. There's some moderate ground work being layed but I wouldnt hold my breath.
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Dec 23, 2018 07:36
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Nehru the Damaja posted:Yeah I think weird teases are where it's gonna end. D&D honestly doesn't seem like the right system for Planescape anyway, but based on the modules, I don't think they have the ambition to even try it. Yeah this is my feeling. I assume if they do it at all they'll just farm it out to Zeb Cook to do digitally the same they did with Baker and Eberron.
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Dec 23, 2018 22:04
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Arthil posted:I sometimes can't tell if you do this stuff on purpose or not. It was a lovely way to say it but I agree D&D is maybe a poor system for executing this vision.
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Dec 23, 2018 22:21
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Strength is easily the worst stat to have and Dex the worst one to exist.
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Dec 24, 2018 04:48
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Bloody Hedgehog posted:I just picked finished going through Art & Arcana, and I dug all the old D&D art. I found though that I far more enjoyed the older art than the newer stuff. The new stuff is certainly beautiful and technically accomplished, but it's so staid and monotone and lifeless compared to the older images full of color and pop. Very old D&D art is very good. Contemporary art is almost uniformly good. Later 2nd ed and nearly all 3rd ed art is mostly bad.
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Dec 28, 2018 07:47
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Toshimo posted:What I'm looking for: In addition to the other suggested books, Mechanus gets covered in the 3e Manual of the Planes. Mechanus is not so much a bustling community so much as beep boop robots obsessed with order and a billion Formians. There's a temple full of weirdoes trying to discover every true law of reality but they're a bunch of book nerds. I'm unaware of any particularly notable characters or organizations associated directly with the plane. If you want your LE Assassin to be connected to Mechanus, you're probably best served by drawing a line between your character and the Inevitables. Maybe a Prime Material organization/cult who idolizes and patterns themselves after them. A Mechanus obsessed Lawful Evil Assassin sounds to me like someone who is mostly concerned with, and likely thrilled by, punishing transgressions against Order. Maybe your assassin or organization only accepts contracts against traitors, oath breakers, and fugitives.
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Dec 30, 2018 09:57
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99 CENTS AMIGO posted:I’m doing the same thing with my Rogue Swashbuckler and while I’m about halfway to level 4, I don’t think there’s a huge difference between doing it at 4 or 5; you’re getting the extra 1 AC from the Dex points at 4, but you’re getting other survivability from multiclassing Fighter. The game is scaled around having characters getting their ASI at level 4 and you are basically taking a -1 on all your attacks, AC, and key abilities for a whole level.
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Dec 31, 2018 01:01
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Dameius posted:When is the best time to dip Cleric when you are a bard?? Or is the right answer start cleric 1, and then go full bard? If you're a Lore Bard, start Cleric for free Medium Armor and Shield. If you're Valor Bard it doesn't really matter and you probably don't want to dip anything for a while because 4->5->6 is pretty stacked for Valor Bards and melee classes want Extra Attack ASAP. I feel like pushing back Magical Secrets and Countercharm hurts less when you're still picking up Cleric Spells and potentially Heavy Armor.
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Dec 31, 2018 12:50
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AlphaDog posted:Lol at "75% chance to not be allowed to participate" not being that bad. Assuming you're not murdered while helpless.
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Jan 3, 2019 09:56
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Nutsngum posted:So a random change of discussion here. I love Warlocks. EB is very high DPR and your patron/Invocation abilities give you incredible utility that mostly makes up for your limited spells but if that's bugging you, you can pick up a subclass for a few more spell slots. The real problems with Warlock are there is one subclass that is far and away better than the others and that it's a 4e class built around At Will and Encounter powers in a game about daily abilities.
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Jan 4, 2019 15:43
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Conspiratiorist posted:Eldritch Blast keys off CHA so it'll be either subpar blasting or subpar Wizard casting (on top of the 2 level delay). Toshimo posted:Probably not, no. They are both 1d10 scaling at the same rate. Unless you add damage per hit from some other source, they will be identical. EB is still better because it's a multiattack instead of more dice on hit, but yeah if you're not getting the invocation why do it?
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Jan 4, 2019 23:17
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Toshimo posted:Never mind. 
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Jan 9, 2019 01:03
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MonsterEnvy posted:Though those things are pretty rare. One of the most iconic monsters in the game and an incredibly key spell for reigning in the most powerful classes in the game. Pretty rare.
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Jan 18, 2019 10:05
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I'm home brewing a rabbit folk race for a player and took Tabaxi as a template then changed the following: Replaced climb speed with an extra 10ft horizonal and extra 3ft vertical leap. Replaced slashing unarmed with a 1d6+str kick. Replaced Stealth proficiency with Acrobatics. Does that seem reasonable?
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Jan 23, 2019 21:23
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Tempest is not the best domain, but it's not far off, and it's definitely the most fun.
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Jan 27, 2019 18:35
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adhuin posted:So Fireball. What it is good for? Fireball is significantly ahead of the damage curve for when you get it and supremely useful if you're fighting large groups in open areas, and is one of the best low-mid level damage types. That said, Third Level is stacked with great spells and Wizards are way more useful as controllers than damage dealers. You have a lot of damage in that party but not a great way to deal with large outside of potentially the Warlock. I'd have taken Hypnotic Pattern over Life Transference.
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Jan 27, 2019 20:27
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BattleMaster posted:I get that wizards have no sense of right and wrong but animate dead seems like it should be evil-aligned only. OTOH I hate this idea because as long as you are just animating bones and corpses you're not doing anything significantly different than Animate Object. If you're making sentient undead that gets a little different.
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Jan 28, 2019 01:32
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Toshimo posted:Just remember that you still have to do the somatic bits even if your shield is the focus. Having a strong Tokusatsu background helps.
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Jan 28, 2019 17:47
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I've heard a lot of people have great convention games with Colville but jesus that dude is up his own rear end
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Feb 1, 2019 00:37
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Ginger Beer Belly posted:Did you perhaps mean cleric(trickster)? No one should ever mean this.
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Feb 4, 2019 20:44
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Nutsngum posted:Does anyone else feel that the concentration mechanic is somewhat basic and an uninteresting way of power restriction?
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Feb 9, 2019 23:12
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Admiral Joeslop posted:When choosing a background, if you choose one that gives a skill you're already proficient in, you can choose another skill. Is there a rule that it still has to be from your class list? No.
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Mar 2, 2019 05:22
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inthesto posted:Campaign idea: Barovia is infested with dozens of vampires, each one a different interpretation of vampires from popular culture, each one claiming to be the real Strahd. The adventures have to choose which one to install on the throne. A Barovia with five identical Strands, each one claiming to be the third strongest Strahd.
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Mar 11, 2019 19:00
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There's probably some weird crossroads of a Barbarian/Rogue multiclass where you would want it.
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Apr 10, 2019 19:01
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Toshimo posted:I've never heard anyone say they didn't put effort into the Volo's races. However, the only one of them that's a little too good is Yuan-ti, so don't worry about your kobold, he's fine as-is. There's a specific caveat in the book saying the monster PC rules are not play tested or balanced. If anything Kobolds are on the weak side. Get rid of the -2 str and sunlight sensitivity.
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Apr 13, 2019 06:05
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lightrook posted:Either the assassin disintegrated the body, which makes it a lot more inconvenient to revive him, or they used some kind of soul-stealing black magic to make it impossible, or they Plane Shifted him into another dimension, or something. In a world where Raise Dead is a reasonably affordable commodity, you'd expect would-be assassins to put in some effort into having countermeasures, too. Or like, if you died and are now a petitioner on the Plane of Elysium, how much are you really wanting to go back to the Prime Material Plane?
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Apr 24, 2019 20:55
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Josef bugman posted:What more can folks tell me about Cyric? Imagine every chaotic evil rear end in a top hat rogue party member you've ever played with. Now imagine that your party did something so cool you all became gods including the rear end in a top hat rogue, who proceeded to then describe how he went around killing and usurping all the lovely loser gods. That's the guy you worship.
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Apr 25, 2019 21:55
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I'm gonna be a level 1 Bard in a party with Barbarian, a Monk, and a Warlock. Healing Word is an auto include but what should my other spell selection be for my first few level?. Cure Wounds doesn't seem worth it until later.
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May 1, 2019 14:44
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Piell posted:Sleep Sleep sucks
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May 1, 2019 15:15
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Infinity Gaia posted:At level 1 sleep is actually kinda OP. It does become terrible very quickly, but you can just switch it out then. I know it's good at low levels, just not fun to me even when it is good.
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May 1, 2019 15:32
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ritorix posted:Dissonant Whispers. Use it to provoke opportunity attacks for the barb and monk. Warlock and yourself too if they melee. It can cause a simultaneous team beatdown on the fleeing monster. 
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May 1, 2019 20:20
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Does that include unarmed attacks from Martial Arts or not since a bonus action isn't part of the Attack Action?
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May 2, 2019 13:23
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Elector_Nerdlingen posted:Action surge does not give you an extra turn, it gives you an extra action on your turn. Ready Action uses your action on your turn and lets you do whatever on someone else's turn at the cost of your reaction. Fumbles posted:He argues that if he uses action surge to ready an attack he'll get another assassinate sneak attack before they get to act since assassinate says round and sneak attack says turn. He ran some numbers and came out to like 200 something damage in a single turns worth of actions only using stuff he gets back on a short rest.
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May 12, 2019 08:28
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Elector_Nerdlingen posted:Yep, that works I guess. Assassinate doesn't require surprise, just that the creature hasn't acted in combat.
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May 12, 2019 08:39
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I forgot the rider but my reading of "Surprise" is that it's persistent until that turn ends. Here is Mearls's idiotic rear end giving his "understanding" of the sacred texts: https://twitter.com/mikemearls/status/713194584918990848?s=09
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May 12, 2019 08:51
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Conspiratiorist posted:The way Surprise works is as a creature-specific condition that wears off once they get their first turn of combat. quote:If you’re surprised, you can’t move or take an action on your first turn of the combat, and you can’t take a reaction until that turn ends. I know it's character specific but I thought the "no reaction" lasted until end of round. Looks like surprise lasts until their spot in the initiative order and their "can't act" turn. Edit: at any rate assassin is bad and that interaction is working real hard to do something that isn't even that good. mango sentinel fucked around with this message at 09:09 on May 12, 2019 |
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May 12, 2019 09:04
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Anyone got a ~3rd level adventure with a small town and nearby rear end in a top hat wizard? I've got the kernel of an idea for short adventure where a wizard is "stealing" words from a nearby village (thanks Austin Walker!) I'd like some bones to lay that idea on.
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May 13, 2019 02:25
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Verisimilidude posted:Not just me, but the vast majority of people I know who play D&D will only make characters with stats that match their class. This thread alone has hundreds of posts with people looking for optimal character combinations. This is why I just get rid of them and let my players get a free +2 +1 because the game is built around a specific stat progression and you should never be inherently behind the curve based on your race
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May 13, 2019 02:50
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