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Gharbad the Weak posted:I'd be way too nervous about sending a really weak monster, and then that monster crits and does enough damage to down a PC. A kobold critting and then rolling well (even if it's a low chance, it's going to happen to someone) would down anyone at or below 12 HP. A d8 hit point class will have, unless there's some trickery involved that I'm unaware of, a maximum of 12 HP, assuming the Rogue decided to floor it on constitution. 2/3rds of level 1 classes have a maximum hit point level of 12 or below. Kobold is a CR 1/8th, and there's at least one 1/8th creature that rolls d8+1 for damage. There are a few CR 0 creatures that can one-shot dudes on a crit. That’s what the high level chaperone is for. You’re controlling the monsters. You can make the tank hold aggro. You can give the high level support the tools to prevent deaths. It’s okay if someone gets knocked unconscious in round 2 of a 2 round fight.
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Dec 22, 2018 17:17
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Reveilled posted:Cool, that works, thanks! Mega dungeon is probably right up their street and mad mages as villains fits right in with the early 1e modules’ baddies. The other option to Mad mage is to grab Tales from the Yawning Portal, since it’s a collection of reboots of classic old school dnd dungeon crawls. (Definitely do LMOP first though. It’s perfect for this and leaves you with a level 5 party that can jump into anything.)
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Dec 22, 2018 20:19
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Toshimo posted:Ok, so AL recently unlocked this item as an option for everyone and I really liked it for my Bowbear Assassin: If nothing else, the Mercykillers feature prominently (along with Mechanus itself) in Planescape:Torment, so that’s as good a place as any for a bunch of walls of text on the subject.
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Dec 30, 2018 03:26
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As the DM I’d just flatly rule that the hand looks like a (size matched) ghostly version of the casters, right down to matching jewelry/ a matching sleeve cuff on the disembodied wrist if any.
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May 10, 2021 11:55
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BrianWilly posted:If a person was affected by Modify Memory, would Zone of Truth make them speak from the unmodified original memory, or the memory that was implanted in them? I suspect the latter, right, going by the rules? Zone of truth prevents deliberate lies; truth and facts are not the same thing. You can be wrong in a zone of truth so long as you believe every word you say, which a false memory would 100% be. Don’t overthink this. Zone of truth is about intent, not underlying fact.
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May 15, 2021 23:13
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Back Hack posted:I need quick ruling, in TCe one of the new fighting styles is Unarmed Fighting which states. It means every time your turn comes up? As long as you are maintaining the grapple, you get some free damage for continuing to do so. The magic word here is “your turns”
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May 17, 2021 15:52
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shades of eternity posted:Doing some stewing on something. Both of the Warlock patrons probably work well enough. Genie Warlock as a traveller from the neighboring seems like an obvious fit; Fathomless fits near any city with a port more or less. Also Clockwork Soul Sorcerer for sure.
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May 29, 2021 23:16
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Stabbey_the_Clown posted:I've got a few Eldritch Invocations in mind for my planned Path of the Talisman Human Warlock, but I can't really decide what a good order to take them would be. Talisman is the pact, but what’s the patron?
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Jun 1, 2021 03:32
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Stabbey_the_Clown posted:Archfey. (Oops, I forgot that part. I guess it's pretty important.) Eldritch Mind for Concentration saves is pretty big deal. Repelling Blast is still really good even if you can’t provide the area effect spell combo for yourself. Get creative with terrain (cliffs rule, obviously, but being able to use that ten foot push upwards if you can get under your target is even better. Once you hit 5th level and you can start pushing 20 feet at a time it becomes a no-save trip +damage). The Devil’s Sight/Darkness combo is incredibly popular for a reason. I’m not as huge a fan as some (there are enough other ways to get advantage that punishing melee allies and concentrating on darkness gets old at higher levels), but it’s still worth considering. Especially as something to grab early and eventually switch out. I’m not a fan of eldritch sight If you’ve got a wizard around. Yeah, waiting ten minutes for ritual detect magic is a liability sometimes, but burning a slot as powerful as an invocation on not doing that is an even bigger liability. Misty Visions is extremely on theme for a feylock and if you’re willing to get creative with illusions, it can do a lot of heavy lifting. Remember that if you have time to set up you can combine a Silent Image with an audio effect from a Minor Illusion cantrip for pretty good results. Maddening Hex is a feat tax but it’ll double your hex damage if you feel you need that to keep up. As for the question of order specifically? I’d start with Agonizing Blast because it’s a feat tax and after that it doesn’t really matter too much. Remember that if you want to do mega long range but won’t be taking Spell Sniper to 8th level, you can take Eldritch Spear early and just switch it out later. Chevy Slyme fucked around with this message at 03:52 on Jun 1, 2021 |
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Jun 1, 2021 03:49
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Stabbey_the_Clown posted:[*] If I'm going Path of the Talisman, I feel like I would want at least one of Rebuke of the Talisman (use a Reaction to push someone who hits the talisman's wearer 10 feet away) or Protection of the Talisman (when the wearer of the talisman fails a save they can add 1d4 to the roll). As for these specifically, a thing you need to figure out is whether you want to hand your talisman to a friend. There's good reasons to do this and not to do this, but they absolutely change how the Talismanlock plays. As a non melee lock, getting Rebuke of the Talisman, and putting it on a friend who stands up front can be extremely powerful, and the Bond of the Talisman teleport is really strong as well.
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Jun 1, 2021 15:47
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Stabbey_the_Clown posted:- I don't think I'll take Maddening Hex. It seems to be super-situational weak damage. I guess it's supposed to be good because casters don't get much to do with a bonus action, but I don't think I have room for it. quote:It would probably move around depending on circumstance, because it doesn't require attunement. I'm... pretty sure? It doesn't, you can pass it around freely. But you should probably have a general idea of how you want to use it and build for that in general terms. Basically, Rebuke is much less useful if having it in the hands of someone in melee isn't the default state in combat.
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Jun 1, 2021 16:47
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High level play is great if you just ban wizards and clerics and maybe sorcerers.
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Jun 2, 2021 06:22
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Devorum posted:It's not, though. That's just what you have to make it in order for everything to hold together. A thing from 1e that never ought to have been abandoned was high level Fighters just getting a literal army of followers. FFT posted:Yep, the talisman of Pact of the Talisman doesn't require attunement. The only important thing (mechanically) is keeping track of who's wearing it. The Druid/Bard 7-9th level spell lists have substantially less bullshit, IMO. Though I suppose Magical Secrets is a thing I always forget about, so sure. Also, multi class full casters is fine. Just no double digit level counts.
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Jun 2, 2021 13:53
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Jack B Nimble posted:Not just fighters, everyone built some kind of structure and gained followers; I have to agree that the money and power in older editions was designed to turn the players from mercenaries to the heads of established institutions within the game world. Yeah but the level of scaling was clear; Wizards got, like, A Tower and An Apprentice. Fighters got a literal army.
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Jun 2, 2021 13:58
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pog boyfriend posted:i think having the patron in the game is a must. i am just saying the patron doesnt directly provide power with a tap they can turn off to make you a powerless nobody. i think rather than the patron saying "no more eldritch blast actually" they send other warlocks after you, and this is better, but i see and respect the plot line of being depowered also High level warlocks seek to renegotiate the terms of the deal; instead of depending on the patron as a benefactor, they seek to subjugate the 'patron' to their own will, tapping into their power for their own ends, and perhaps even coming to dominate or bind the patron entirely. (This obvs works betters for some warlocks than others. It seems like the natural endgame for Fiend/Fey locks for example)
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Jun 2, 2021 18:03
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Quixzlizx posted:I just finished a campaign as a level 6 paladin, and I came to the conclusion that the only spells where I could ever justify burning a spell slot over a divine smite were Sleep (only at lower levels) and Protection from Evil and Good during relevant fights. Paladin spell slots are for Smiting for the most part. An “optimized” paladin build is generally built to go crit fishing and then burn smites when a crit lands. Positioning gets to be a bit more important at 6/7 when you start working with your aura, but yeah, you’ll never really be using many spell slots on actual spells. It’s just not what they’re for; the idea of having spells provides some flexibility at the cost of your primary source of combat power. But it’s clearly rarely a great trade with other casters around.
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Jun 5, 2021 16:56
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Dexo posted:
Yeah, a good rule of thumb is that if they're being more restrictive than organized play, it's a red flag. (Not that Adventurers League is some bastion of balance or whatever, but it's simple and clear and tends to map to "these are things that really do just make the DM's life more difficult')
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Jun 8, 2021 15:56
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Mr. Humalong posted:So I'm an idiot and joined a game as a planar traveler with a revolver. I've been told I have to figure out how to maintain the gun and make more ammunition in a world that is definitely not advanced enough to have firearms yet. I'm thinking I could probably find some dwarves and give them a few bullets to try and figure out how to make more? The party is in the Underdark at the moment so that shouldn't be too much of a stretch. Be a warlock, flavor it as a spell focus, cast eldritch blast through your revolver.
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Jun 9, 2021 16:24
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Mr. Humalong posted:one of the other party members is an artificer Have you given thought to how you do your planar traveling? Shipwrecked Spelljammer is cooler than portal hopper, if only because you get to explain how you stole your gun from a Giff because the Giff are the coolest dumbest race in all of D&D. (19th century imperial British(/German depending on which source) hippo men)
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Jun 9, 2021 18:29
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hulk hooligan posted:Any advice or resources on roleplaying a paladin of Torm? My initial attempts came off too much like a bad cross between Superman and a space marine, and I feel I'm doing it wrong. Are there sayings associated with them, mannerisms, any other things I can throw in for flavor? The big thing is that being “a bad cross between Superman and a Space Marine” is literally what got Torm and his order in trouble in the past, so that tendency is tempered by a whole lot of guilt and an overarching obsession with penance to other good aligned gods. The short version of how that plays out is you get to be a Boy Scout who feels obliged to help literally every other good aligned religion you encounter at all costs.
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Jun 12, 2021 16:26
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Post-tasha's, what race would people suggest for an arcane trickster / bladesinger character? If you’re just min maxing, the answer is almost always custom lineage, or, if your DM is persnickety about elven accuracy, some flavor of half elf or elf. If you’re not min maxing, but can do the tasha’s stat reassignments, then just follow your heart and pick whatever is cool. I did a tortle warlock for a one shot a while back and it ruled.
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Jun 18, 2021 15:05
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They should just take the savage coast/red steel stuff from Mystara and put it in another setting. That stuff owned, but the rest of it was equal parts boring as gently caress fantasy tropes and offensive as gently caress fantasy tropes and not much in between.
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Jun 21, 2021 23:02
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A good vow of poverty mechanic (which can be interesting), should include 1) some sort of inherent bonus mechanic to allow the impoverished character to keep up with the usual character math. For good measure, maybe crib artificer infusion mechanics and tie them to “for every x gold you give away, you discover a new lightness of Holy Spirit. You may infuse your garments as though they were magical items, though others may not wear them” 2) with your vow of poverty comes ties to an organization that will support you and meet your needs, and a reputation for generosity. When you do need material resources, you have access to [levelled amount of gold or goods] with [a relatively easy check], whether from your church, or from a local benefactor who is impressed by your cause and commitment. This can be called upon once per level, and doing so has [some minor penalty or significant role play consequence that the monk has to deal with now]. Tl;dr, the vow shouldn’t make the character mathematically weaker, and it should provide some sort of benefit. Chevy Slyme fucked around with this message at 13:25 on Jun 22, 2021 |
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Jun 22, 2021 13:23
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Zonko_T.M. posted:Having tried out an Eldritch Knight and a Warlock, you get a lot more bamfing around at earlier levels as a warlock than an EK does. EKs are, I think, generally better at taking hits and, you know, fighter things, but as soon as I got Misty step as a warlock I was just teleporting everywhere, limited spell slots be damned. If your goal is to teleport all over, the correct fighter build is an Echo Knight anyway, but lol wildemount
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Jun 23, 2021 14:21
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Azathoth posted:I'd like to just step back for a moment and marvel at calling anything a D&D game if it doesn't have a character creation option. Regardless of which edition, that is the literal foundation of D&D. The flip side of this is that it’s super reasonable to decide to make a forgotten realms game and not include character creation. And that’s exactly what this is, and the confusion inherent in WOTC’s pile of unevenly recognized brand properties is a separate issue. This isn’t a D&D the system game. It’s a D&D the not properly named setting, also known to us nerds as Faerun or the Forgotten Realms game.
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Jun 23, 2021 17:49
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Azathoth posted:lol at any d&d fans getting excited about a game set in the forgotten realms, a setting kept by design as boring and generic as possible Boring and generic fantasy definitely doesn’t sell wildly. There’s no good commercial reason to try to do that.
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Jun 23, 2021 18:51
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Just throw (level appropriate) caster enemies rather than bruisers at them.
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Jun 25, 2021 01:38
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I do think it’s certainly become much more of a thing recently in 5e than it has ever been in the past; I think the biggest thing that has changed has been the move, first away from racial stat penalties and towards more homogenous stat lines in 5e (3e monstrous races had a tendency towards big bonus/big penalty design that was min-maxy in a way that even power gamers often found more trouble than it was worth - especially alongside how good that free feat always ended up being for humans anyway), and then to an even larger degree in the last two years as they’ve slowly moved towards the whole Tashas model of devaluing “race” as a gameplay element with things like customized origin/custom lineage
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Jul 3, 2021 17:45
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FWIW the lack of stat blocks for big bads in the ravenloft book was a conscious decision and a departure from the norm. That said, I’m a fan of the choice because it makes it a little more interesting when it’s not just a hit list of bosses to kill.
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Jul 7, 2021 16:09
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ilikedirt posted:Coinpurse of holding: a magic item that can only hold currency, and is so easy to produce and craft that everybody has one, problem solved Relatedly, in a campaign many years ago where the DM wanted us to be a bit more resource constrained but didn’t want the bookkeeping of arrow/ration tracking, no sensible adventuring party left without Volo’s Vending Valise, which has a coin slot into which money is fed and it fills up with a days worth of rations and ammunition.. So we didn’t track either, but it was just understood that we would be subtracting X gold on every rest.
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Jul 8, 2021 18:17
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