Thread 96459715

Page of Cups Edition

>"New" Apocalyptic Subclasses UA: https://media.dndbeyond.com/compendium-images/ua/apocalyptic-subclasses/KKvJvHGmsJiNaafX/UA2025-ApocalypticSubclasses.pdf
>Survey: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8435327/D-D-UA-2025-Apocalyptic-Subclasses

>2024 PHB Scan (No more fingers edition)
https://files.catbox.moe/g8oo9h.pdf

>Cropped and rotated, but more artifacty
MjAyNCBQSEIsIE5vIFRodW1icywgT0NSZWQsIEFub24ncyBCb29rbWFya3MgdHJhbnNmZXJyZWQgb3Zlci4gCgpodHRwczovL2Vhc3l1cGxvYWQuaW8vd2Fvcm9h

>2024 DMG
https://files.catbox.moe/fd04pq.pdf

>2024 Monster Manual
https://files.catbox.moe/atd38s.pdf (D&D beyond version)
https://pomf2.lain.la/f/1en5qwum.pdf (scan, use at your own risk)

>2024 Official free rules
https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/free-rules
>2014 Official Free Rules
https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/basic-rules-2014

>2024 UA
https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/ua

>2014 Errata
https://dnd.wizards.com/dndstudioblog/sage-advice-book-updates

>5etools (2024)
http://5e.tools
>5etools (2014)
https://2014.5e.tools/

>Trove
The Trove Vault (seed, please!): mega(dot)nz/folder/uktzzTAI#KfV-EWdhd15FhHNn5HndHg

>Resources:
https://pastebin.com/X1TFNxck

Previous thread
>>96443906

>TQ
Ever had a time where inspiration for something in a game came from an unexpected source?

Multiclassing into Wizard doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Wizards are learned scholars who have to study for years before casting their first cantrip. But a Fighter with 8 INT can just decide that Shield would actually be a pretty good spell to have and pick up one level of Wizard on a whim?

>>96459731
8 int is below the required ability score required for multiclassing into wizard.

feats / EK would do it though

>>96459715 (OP)
>Page of Cups Edition
What kind of cups?

>>96459731
This is nothing new

>>96459449
That's how West Marches campaigns go. Imagine a persistent world shared among the tables. If one does some shenanigans, it can affect all.

>>96459770
THIS ISNT FAIR FIX THIS NOW WOTC FIX IT NOW

What is the pubes status of your current PC, /5eg/?

>>96459731
>Multiclassing into Wizard doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
From a roleplay perspective, you'd be correct. Magic Initiate (Wizard) would be the proper way of approaching this. The dude dives into the books, starts picking up on the basics, but being a wizard is a long way to go. Depends how roleplay or meta building your table is leaning towards..

>>96459795
Dragonborn. Pubes not found. Bad Dragon sponsorship.

>>96459787
With Elan he'd be better off taking sorcerer rather than wizard since he could probably only cast 0 level spells. With fighter if you care that much about getting shield you can just go eldritch knight.

>>96459731
Yes it does
>been studying in my spare time
>used to study but never gotten my hands on a proper spell book
It’s easy

>>96459795
Dark Sun, it's too hot for pubes and he's a gladiator. He has to get them waxxed off regularly.

>>96459669
no one plays ranger anyway

>>96459795
Orc barbarian farmer, what do you think

>>96459851
Im going to play ranger next game tho

>>96459825
>Wizard teaches you to prove a point to his former teacher

>>96459768
Ones overflowing with sweet delectable mana (pussy juice)

Every time my players boss fight an aberration, I try to come up with some gimmicky fight rules

>Luck inversion - 1 is 20, 2 is 19, disadvantage is advantage. (This sucked, I'm never doing it again)
>Visual impairment. The map is covered up by the animated background, but every area hazard is still there, making the players rely on memory to navigate.
>"Time travel". The boss is actually a gauntlet of the most infamous villains of history, and the party perceives themselves as the heroes that defeated them.
>Alternate dimension. The fight is against 2 versions of the same boss, who has to be fought on the material and astral plane simultaneously by the split party.

I'm beginning to run out of ideas. Of good ideas, for certain. I need to come up with something good by the weekend.

>>96459731
easy, I don't allow multiclassing

>>96459878
Enjoy shouting flipendo every time you hunter's mark.
On that note the dragon rider subclass str build wielding a lance and a shield with great weapon master (Lance is heavy now), a heavy armor feat and stuff with a noble background who fights straight up and is basically a St George knight shouting Bale at dragons as he marks them is a cool take I haven't seen many go for.

What ranger build are you thinking?

>>96459824
Would also make sense since both classes are Charisma casters.

What's the distinction between clothing and armor? I'm workshopping a luchador character based on unarmed combat, which makes me lean towards Monk, but I'm wondering if it would count as armor if I craft myself a mask and tights out of leather for my character's costume, thus making him ineligible for Unarmored Defense. Would it be different if I made it from cloth instead?

>used to think class-restricted items was dumb and videogame loot-goblin shit
>realize it makes total sense in a magical setting where magic items can deem their wearer 'worthy' like Excalibur
>magic in items also open up for tropes that are cool but illogical like stealth suits and sneaky leather armor usage to make sense since they could be made by a magical material from say a monster that would really make you blend in more with the shadows or what have you, meaning it makes sense for you to wear that stuff instead of a normal outfit which wouldn't give you away as an intruder that you otherwise logically would wear
I've seen the light.

do you guys have a discord server?

fuck off

>>96459865
Hairier than an elderly dwarven woman?

>>96459731
>But a Fighter with 8 INT can just decide that Shield would actually be a pretty good spell to have and pick up one level of Wizard on a whim?
Not according to the rules. You should try reading them some time.

Fighters and Wizards should be working together to bully barbarians and bards!

Can't you just slap shield on some enspelled armor and got to town nowadays?

>>96460295
>but I'm wondering if it would count as armor if I craft myself a mask and tights out of leather for my character's costume
it would count as armor if it increases your base AC
"clothes of +1" as res-skinned bracers of armored defense would increase your AC without counting as armor, but thats a rare magical item and you should ask your DM if thats okay

>>96460354
>Cap and Scarlet Witch

I prefer Batman and Harlequinn

>>96460344
Rules are optional, they also don't address why a 13 INT Fighter retroactively accrued 1 level's worth of Wizard by killing goblins

What is the deal with players who don't want to engage with the RP and only want to murder hobo and do math?

How is this appealing and why is it so common? Is it just video game brainrot?

>>96460396
>Is it just video game brainrot?
you confuse cause and effect
people have always wanted to just kill things, video games that let you do that became popular because of that rather than the other way around

if a majority of your players embrace the murderhobo lifestyle, and you cant get new players, then you will just have to adjust to their playstyle

>>96460396
I dont mind them, I just dont invite them to my game

What I do hate is the ones who say everything they need to say during the interview about how they want something character and story driven, less combat focused, etc, but then the game starts and they turn into a boring opti munchkin. Why can't you find your own game instead of trying to infiltrate mine? Are you so desperate to experience 5e's excellent and incredibly in-depth combat that you just apply to anything and lie about what you want?

What's the Batman build? Rogue 3, Paladin 3, Fighter 3? He fights unarmed so he must have some Monk levels too.

>>96460620
hes clearly just a monk rogue

>>96460620
Monk is good enough now that he's just a shadow monk.

>>96460358
If you/your DM think enspelled items are a good thing to have in your game.

>>96460683
batman is a str character, sorry.

>>96460777
batty does not subscribe to the standard array and he clearly has higher than average stats.

>>96460794
Dude is maxed out in every stat but charisma. Plus a bunch of bullshit feats given to him by his training with the Tibetan monks.

Let's assume we have 10 levels to build Batman. Lvl 1 Batsy is still training in Tibet and shiet.

>>96460620
Batman is a wizard, because every time the plot demands it, he pulls some ridiculous splatbook bullshit out of his ass.
He then refluffs his abilities into "peak human condition", despite the fact that he just dodged the omega beams, or punched out Reverse Flash going full speed, which is something no human being can do.

Hmm... how would you build a PC that primarily uses bows or crossbows?
Like, feats, class, subclass, tactics?
I was planning to have a Gloomstalker with light crossbows, with Archer as a fighting style, and with the general feat maybe Crossbow Expert, because with that one he'd do more damage.
What do you think? Any ideas, tips?

>>96459795
Snake, so pubeless.

>>96460848
>can literally make others take him seriously while wearing a bat costume and can succesfully make people terrified of him even though he never kills anyone and he frequently interrogates people to get them to tell him exactly what he wants
>when not using the bat persona he can successfully play the billionare playboy role and seduce anyone and frequently uses it convincingly to deceive people to think he's dumb while he's infiltrating places or getting information
Nah, he has 20 Cha. It's his wisdom that is shit, frequently fails wis saves to keep his mental shit together and keeps autistically adhering to a code that isn't doing anything to fix the city in any permanent sense, not realizing the endless loop he's in with the other loonies who he plays cops and robbers with over and over again.

>>96459932
A better time travel gimmick is that the enemy reverses time every time they defeat it, forcing them to exhaust its ability to do so or find clever ways to force the issue.

>>96460931
this is a batman thread, try reddit instead

>>96460949
That's a good point, I was thinking about how he tends to fail and fuck up his personal life at every point. Yeah wisdom is bad, also he's most vulnerable to people who fuck with his psyche

>>96460949
>adhering to a code that isn't doing anything to fix the city in any permanent sense, not realizing the endless loop he's in with the other loonies
Nah, Bats has seen what happens in other universes when he decides to start permanently fixing problems. Yes, he’s trapped in a loop, but that loop DOES keep those other loonies trapped, too. And being stuck in that loop prevents him from becoming a bigger problem than any of them have ever been.

>>96460982
I want to say it’s been called out multiple times in the comics that he’s self-sabotaging his personal life because he’s afraid of being happy. He’s Batman, not Bruce.

>>96460949
>even though he never kills anyone and he frequently interrogates people to get them to tell him exactly what he wants
This always seemed like pretty poor writing desu and only a necessity because the audience is meant for children when he holds them up by the cuff and they just spill their beans, since they'd know if anyone was tortured or killed by him. In order for this to be convincing batman would have to be the biggest psychopath asshole on the planet who would infiltrate his enemies' homes and place hidden cameras of embarassing details and threaten to leak that shit or start to threaten to frame them for shit they never did, or start terrorizing them with phone calls and sounds in the middle of the night and shit.

>>96460976
I don't like actual time travel and never include it in any of my games.

>>96459795
Cleric man of the cloth; he ritualistically shaves once per month and for certain holiday observances.

>>96461064
>>96459932
That being said, I DID come up with an interesting idea - gravity manipulation. The boss switches between the normal mode for the map and the Mario mode, in which the PCs are forced to platform around the map to reach it.

>>96461071
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rflFQg3g9-c

>>96460931
I forgot to say it's for dnd 2024

>>96460794
>>96460848
>as much strength as someone who works out regularly: min 12 STR with 1d6 unarmed strikes
>highly notable dexterity, trained as an acrobat and accurate with thrown weapons: minimum 16 DEX, with proficiency in stealth, acrobatics, and sleight of hand
>INT: see worlds greatest detective, at least 18, proficient in investigation
>WIS: see worlds greatest detective, at least 18, proficient in perception
>CON, above average but can still be defeated with mundane weapons, at least 12
>CHR: heroic willpower is top tier among humans and is valued greater than his physical strength, can seduce even his enemies and can pass off his alter ego as a playboy, minimum of 16, proficient in intimidation and persuasion
>saving throws: DEX, CHR

>worlds greatest detective
>advantage on investigation checks at crime scenes
>advantage on nature, arcana, history skill checks whe analysing evidence
>doubles their proficiency bonus on investigation and perception checks

>AC: 15 + DEX (armored bat suit)
>fire-retardant: grants resistance to fire
>bullet resistant: piercing damage from ranged attacks are reduced by 3

>2 attacks
>has grappler and tavern brawler feats
>unarmed attacks, 1d6 + DEX modifier
>batarang, 1d6 + DEX modifier, thrown (30/60)

>utility belt
>4 prep time charges, restored on short rest
>use 2 charges as a reaction: automatically pass a saving throw
>use 1 charge as a bonus action: can be used re-roll a failed skill check
>biometric lock: only batman can wear the belt, DC 17 perception check to determine its booby trapped, DC 17 sleight of hand to disarm the trap, attempting to wear or open the belt without disarming the trap causes 2d6 lightning damage each time its attempted

>CHR
>instead of CHA
Why do people do this

>>96461110
"People" don't. You have a skinwalker in your group, bro.

>>96460931
fighter is probably going to be better than ranger

>>96459795
Permanently removed by magic. His dryad gf likes it that way.

>>96461082
>that pic
jesus fucking christ line up the picture and the vtt grid

>>96461082
I like that battlemap.

>>96461083
Funny, he's also Not!Dutch

>>96460118
I'm gonna steal that.
That's dope.

>>96460385
The game doesn't go over every single waking minute of someone's life. Evidently a character who multiclasses into wizard had enough of an interest to presumably do the boring nerd shit during his downtime

>>96459795
Kept meticulously shaven because it's hot as balls out

>>96461258
To be fair to him, a lot of those rooms do line up well
VTT artists need to draw to match a grid better

What are some monsters that should be in DnD but aren't?

>>96460931
>light crossbows
Assuming you mean hand crossbows?

>>96462073
the Crossbow Expert feat mention both so no
Anyway, any ideas on the rest?

>>96462109
The light crossbow doesn't have the Light property. Ignoring Loading and Firing in Melee work with all crossbows, but Dual Wielding only benefits hand crossbows. You want hand crossbows (plural) or a heavy crossbow (singular). Light crossbow is what a character uses if they're not good at crossbowing.
Your gloomstalker is fine and functional and hits the main points. Get dex to 20 with ASI or two more half feats.
Dex Fighter is probably the best ranged weapon user, but not by so much that you shouldn't play a ranger if you want to. Fighter gets the most from Great Weapon Master with longbow/heavy xbow (Crossbow Expert feat tax) to boost damage output, though Dreadful Strike and spells help the gloom stalker up keep with the extra attacks the fighter gets.

>>96462218
Sounds good, I'll stick with the Gloom Stalker if the damage difference isn't too big
What do you think of Hunter, better or worse than the Gloom Stalker with ranged weapons? oh it depends on the situation

>>96462064
Goose.

As a 2024 5e human fighter, do I use my second origin feat to get Magic Initiate (Cleric) so I can cast Bless once a long rest, Magic Initiate (Mage) so I can cast Shield once a long rest, or Magic Initiate (Druid) so I can cast Goodberry once a long rest?
Bear in mind that druid spell list does not include Light cantrip so you're still stuck on relying on teammates or carrying torches or lanterns.

>>96462218
>The light crossbow doesn't have the Light property.
That's ironic.

>>96462388
Shield, and laugh at making eldritch knight obsolete.

>>96462512
That's what getting enspelled armour does. A once-per-day spell's not bad utility, but a caster that doesn't get Shield is the one who really appreciates MI:W

>>96462388
I'd say go with Cleric for Bless. A bonus to every attack or save for ten rounds is really good, you can use it to help two allies as well as yourself, and you have a good chance of making concentration saves to maintain it, since fighters have Con save proficiency and Bless itself will also give you a bonus to concentration checks. Shield is good, but it only lasts one round, so I'd want it available more than once a day. Fighters already have good armor anyway. Goodberry is only really useful if food and survival are a big factor in the campaign, which they usually aren't. The healing effect of a goodberry would only be useful for bringing someone up from unconsciousness, but your DM might not allow that, and if you just want to keep people from dying, the Spare the Dying cantrip from the cleric list can stabilize people at will and from range.

>>96460396
High testosterone, us girls know that REAL dnd is about cafe rp and gay relationships
>>96460615
OMG this! Once saw a wizard player with 17 int, total ick

>>96462794
did you have a stroke?

>>96460324
Quite literally kill yourself.

the fighter and the wizard vs the barbarian and the sorcerer
education and training vs instincts and raw talent...

>>96463076
Sorcerers now have a rage equivalent as well.

not sure where best place to ask this is so posting here. Anyone know where I can get a bunch of free assets for wonderdraft / dungeondraft?

>>96459795
Full white drow bush, she's got no time or cause to shave.

>>96464049
Do elves even grow body hair?

>>96464502
From what I can find, some do, some don't.

Lads I just started DMing (running dragon of icespire peak) and I have an idea but a) not sure how to run it and b) not sure if I even should.
The PCs had the encounter with the manticore attacking an NPCs house (manticores parents killed by dragon, is wounded) but the PCs got the manticore to fuck off by healing it.
I rolled for the manticore to come help them in later fight, which it did, so now it considers the score settled. I think it'd be cool for the dragon and manticore to fight again but the dragon to win, dramatic moment of PCs finding the dead or dying manticore, swear vengeance yadda yadda. Except the PCs have a shitload of healing so it seems like I'd have to handwave it and say no you can't heal this dying creature that you did heal before, which is bullshit. But maybe me even wanting this encounter is forcing it and that could be bullshit. What do you guys think?

>>96464943
always consider what would be most fun for your players and ignore anything anyone here tells you

>>96465015
I think they'd enjoy the moment, the drama of it but could potentially be annoyed if I stop them from healing the manticore because their evil lion buddy dying is drama

did you faggots reach any conclusion on the milestone vs xp leveling? I lost track at +50 posts

>>96465089
I skimmed through the autistic back and forth and I think it was a 60:40 split in favor of milestone

>start a game with a party of three
>the other two players are gloomstalker rangers

sigh

>>96464943
>>96465070
Have the dragon maim the manticore in some way so that even if they heal it it won't be physically able anymore. Unless they have the power to restore lost limbs it is basically a cripple that would lose in a fight to much less threatening creatures if simply healed and left to its own devices again. Hell, you could even play it as the manticore having lost its will to continue the fight after getting so thoroughly trounced even if it survives.
This could prompt them to go on a quest to restore the manticore if they deem it important or they could choose to let the manticore pass and avenge it. Even if they were to fully heal the manticore, the shame of being defeated twice and seemingly being unable to ever defeat the dragon could shatter its pride, maybe even more so if it had to rely on the charity of the party to survive. It seems honorable enough for believing in settling debts with strangers, so you could play up that angle if you really want to have a moment.

>>96465196
Also play a Ranger.

>>96465089
Dunno, but reading back through it I came across this post and thought it was really funny.

>>96464943
>But maybe me even wanting this encounter is forcing it and that could be bullshit. What do you guys think?
I think you are weak minded if you let retards ITT influence and dampen your enthusiasm for creating fun moments for your players. Just because PCs have healing doesn't mean nothing can ever die anymore. It can just happen while they're busy with something else

Bros I fucking love Brancalonia.

>>96465089
Xp won

>>96464943
Let the PCs ride the manticore into battle

>>96465563
I kinda wish it was its own game.

Is playing online fun?

>>96466424
Not as much as real life, and it can take a while to curate a good group.

>>96466526
That seems to be the real pain point. I don't like spending a lot of time on discord, but it seems like you'd have to join a bunch of random games and start cultivating friendships just to put together a good group.

>>96466850
It seems like that, because that's what it's like. And doing it as a DM is a lot easier than doing it as a player.

>>96466850
Private servers for D&D games are a different beast thab the public ones. I have a weekday game I play online after work, and most of the posts are either scheduling shit or memes during sessions. It's a group chat, not a forum.

its a timeless struggle. do i name my the baddies super weapon
>soul of estrazel'gameth, ultimate bringer of heavens end
or
>butterfly

>>96467642
The first name is what the bad guys calls it, second one is it's true name.

>>96467675
perfect compromise innit, cant believe i hadnt thought of it sooner. appreciate it

Aside from Soul Catching Gloves and Blood Fury, what are some good legendary items for an unarmed monk?

>>96468489
staff of defense

>>96468534
Legendary, please

>>96466526
>>96466850
My ex-workmate did the hard work curating an online friend group and I slotted myself into it. My other online group is my uni mates.

>>96461586
I think it'd be a fun character. They unfortunately decided that you couldn't fly while riding the dragon until level 15. I'd ask your DM if you could have it work like the Purple Dragon knight UA where you can fly up to your movement as long as you end your turn on the ground until you get the full flight feature. That way you can actually feel like a dragon rider and not just a monitor lizard rider earlier than lvl 15.

Favorite fluff for magic missile?
>glowing magical arrows
>spherical/oblong energy bolts
>star wars blaster-esque beams

>>96469267
>Medusa enemy with spells
>Snakes made of green energy
Sometimes you gotta go with the classics

>>96469267
Spectral Force Weapons.

>>96469267
>>96469599
Greatwyrms do something similar with one of their Legendary Actions:
>Arcane Spear (Costs 3 Actions). The greatwyrm creates four spears of magical force. Each spear hits a creature of the greatwyrm's choice it can see within 120 feet of it, dealing 12 (1d8 + 8) force damage to its target, then disappears.

>>96469267
A brief tracer light akin to a laser sight before instantaneous impact. Aside from the initial targeting there is no discernible projectile, which is why they cannot miss.

What’s the best way to do character sheets digitally? So far I’ve just been using a google doc but I can’t help but feel like there’s a better way.

>>96469267
Since someone told me there was basically no one in history who even believed that elemental evocation magic existed in the form of stuff like shooting fire bolts that a mortal man could learn has me on an autistic timeout with not wanting to accept any magic like that as it just feels like anime shit without any authentic grounding. I wish to be argued out of this belief with historical sources and myths that aren't about gods so I can resume enjoying dnd derivative mages.

Tolkien gets a pass as usual since his wizards are more like angels/demigods who could reasonably do the fire pinecone-shit since they're not like learned men and more like god wizards like Odin and other divine figures who do display elemental magic of the dnd-kind.

>>96470734
Sounds like a you problem

I'll be running my first campaign as a DM soon. Can someone please explain sneak attacks? I remember a bunch of creatures being immune to them in 3rd/3.5th edition, which I've only experienced through video games. How does it work in 5th edition? My plans include a lot of constructs, elementals, and undead, which concerns me because one of the players is planning on bringing a rogue.

How do I run a campaign like that without accidentally screwing the rogue player over hard?

>>96470962
>Once per turn, you can deal an extra 1d6 damage to one creature you hit with an attack roll if you have Advantage on the roll and the attack uses a Finesse or Ranged weapon. The extra damage's type is the same as the weapon's type. You don't need Advantage on the attack roll if at least one of your allies is within 5 feet of the target, the ally doesn’t have the Incapacitated condition, and you don’t have Disadvantage on the attack roll. The extra damage increases as you gain Rogue levels, as shown in the Sneak Attack column of the Rogue table.
Nothing is really immune to sneak attacks anymore.

>>96470962
>How does it work in 5th edition?
you trigger a sneak attack as long as you have advantage on a target
or, for melee attacks, if there is a friendly creature next to it when you attack
so no more "you cant backstab a slime because it has no back" moments

>>96470966
>>96470967
Okay, so there's no sweeping rule like "gray oozes are immune to sneak attacks because they have no vital organs to stab" or anything along those lines, if I understand correctly? Thanks.

>>96470686
Does it need to be digital? I was going to say a form-fillable PDF but that's not functionally different than a printed character sheet.

>>96470686
Fillable Sheets is my favorite, but if you need an online one you could try Shard Tabletop.

It feels like Wildfire Druids have to justify themselves as the edgy class by always being religious nut pyromaniac eco terrorists instead of just expressing their druidism through fire
Which is weird because fire is infinitely more natural than dirt or plants or animals, it's like a law of physics, animals have been around for less than a blink in comparison

As a concept, I hate Artificers more than anything and think they somehow manage to break immersion in a kitchen sink setting where anything goes but I can't articulate why properly

>>96470734
It's time for you to move on from D&D and embrace low fantasy rpgs

>>96472093
The whole infusions system requires some logical loops to embrace. Ok, you're a tinkerer? Why are your creations temporary? Why can you switch up infusions every day? That sounds more like an enchanter than inventor to me. Plus magitech doesn't really belong in the default setting.

>>96470734
For me, I dont like the trivialization of elemental magic specifically. Anybody being able to learn to shoot a purple laser is fine, but anybody being able to learn to throw a fireball feels like it cheapens the elements as the fundamental aspects of the world and by extension, magic as a whole. The guy who can shoot fire should be a fire guy, the guy who can shoot lightning should be the lightning guy, the ice guy shouldn't be learning earth magic on the side, its gotta come from within.
In short, dragonborn sorcerers are how elemental magic should work.

>>96472263
>Plus magitech doesn't really belong in the default setting.
Is the default setting not a high magic world where magic items are plentiful? Magic Armor, Magic Shields, Magic Weapons, Wands, Staffs, Rods, Gemstones, Potions- etc.
Artificers don't need to have magitech- you just make them people who via etching in symbols, glyphs, and magic onto items are able to make temporary magic items. You can have them be more geared towards that rustic fantasy instead of steampunk or future tech like.
Think more Wizard who's a crafter and uses their magic through those inventions and less Arcane. Hextech.
>>96472093
For me an Artificer only breaks my immersion when the flavor of what they are doing isn't in line with the setting. Having your Steel Defender look like an Animated Armor- is perfectly fitting for a large sum of d&d settings since Animated Armor is a thing as are things like Helmed Horrors. But if you have that armor look very modern or have them appear like nearly perfect human looking cyborgs/androids (See Nier or DBZ Andorids) thats where we get into immersion breaking.

>>96472284
DnD magic is basically grabbing a bit of the weave of Mystra's robes, adjusting its pattern into a different form, and then triggering the resulting change into reality-affecting end results. It has nothing to do with "elemental fundamental aspects."

>>96473429
>dnd
>mystra
did you miss your FR general

>>96473453
It sure as hell isn't the nonsense you're talking.

>>96472999
>s the default setting not a high magic world where magic items are plentiful? Magic Armor, Magic Shields, Magic Weapons, Wands, Staffs, Rods, Gemstones, Potions- etc.
>Artificers don't need to have magitech- you just make them people who via etching in symbols, glyphs, and magic onto items are able to make temporary magic items. You can have them be more geared towards that rustic fantasy instead of steampunk or future tech like.
That's a more reasonable way of looking at it. I ike the class a lot, mechanically. It's probably my favorite half caster to play. also nice digits

>>96471195
>>96471797
I could use a fillable sheet. Anything that’s easy to use on a phone is ideal. I play on discord and just lie in bed using my phone for the game.

>>96470734
Remember that D&D takes place in another world and doesn't follow the same rules as ours. Things are just different there.

>>96472284
Nothing prevents sorcerers from using all the elements. In fact, one of their metamagic options is specifically for changing the elemental type of a spell, and in 2024, they get an exclusive cantrip that can do any type of elemental damage they want.

>>96473754
Yes
And?

>>96473569
my point is there isnt a "dnd magic". there are as many logics as there are settings

>>96474160
It's the same spells and V/S/M components no matter which setting you're in.

>>96473754
>they get an exclusive cantrip that can do any type of elemental damage they want.
Except Nectrotic, Radiant, and Force, plus it has a bonus effect, rolling an 8 on a damage die gives you another D8 to roll, up to casting Mod extra dice.

rate the party I currently DM for
left to right:
>halfling barbarian (berserker)
>changeling druid (circle of stars)
>blue dragonborn ranger (drake warden)
They're working on finding and destroying some ancient gems whose aura aids in shadowfell portal formation. Basically making the land around full of more paths to the shadowfell than normal. Exiled lieutenant of the raven queen wants to invade the material plane to have his own domain. The changeling has a dark past linked to the shadowfell.

>>96474531
>midget barbarian
How original. Isn't there a rule that gives them disadvantage when wielding heavy 2h weapons?

>>96460385
They don't address how killing 170 goblins resulted in the wizard learning how to cast 3rd level spells, either.

>>96465089
I'm pretty sure it was like two guys arguing, maybe three.

>>96474603
Old rule.

New rule is you need a minimum STR to wield a heavy weapon regardless of size, so magic nerds who want to use heavy weapons but want to use INT or CHA still need to invest STR.

>>96474603
>How original

I think midget anything would get the same response
>midget with daggers
>midget with animal companion
>midget with healing powers

>>96473703
Are you mobility challenged or something? If you have to use a phone, I'd be trying to find an app designed for phone use.

>>96470734
The closest story that comes to mind is the Japanese epic Umineko no Naku Koro ni: Majo to Suiri no Rondo, at one point, the titular "witch" ("Majo") summons an enormous set of towers, with which she kills an enemy witch by having them shoot hundreds of ballista arrows at her, killing her before she is even aware of the attack.

>>96475345
I just like being comfy

>>96474603
>How original. Isn't there a rule that gives them disadvantage when wielding heavy 2h weapons?
That rule was stupid. Not because muh ableism, but because I liked when there were special Small-sized greataxes that did 1d10 instead of 1d12. The die conversions weren't perfect but it worked for what it was.

Does your character have any hobbies? Things they do during downtime or around the campfire?

>>96475677
My old warforged couldn’t sleep so he’d make wooden toys at night. Then he would leave them for kids to find in towns we visited.

>>96475663
Yeah, give Shard Tabletop a try- I just tried it out on my phone and yeah it works nicely.

I want to make an aloof old man type wizard, but I don't want to be a meme or meta about it.

>>96475903
Thanks anon I’ll give it a try

>>96475663
Each to their own, I guess. I feel that'd take me out of the experience and/or lower the energy.

shamelessly stealing the king black dragon from runescape

>adult black dragon
>but with 2 additional heads
>loses 1 head at 100 damage taken, loses its second head at 150 damage taken
>each head attacks a different target from the other heads and acts at initiative -5 and -7

>left head makes 1 rend attack and then uses an ice attack
>right head makes 1 rend attack and then uses a shock attack
>main head uses adult black dragon stats, but can choose between poison or fire breathe

>shock attack: +11 to hit, 2d8 lightning damage, if it hits the target cant take reactions for one turn, 50ft range
>ice attack: +11 to hit, 2d8 cold damage, if it hits the target its speed is reduced by 10ft for one turn

Why are longswords 1d8/1d10 if 1h/2h but spears are 1d6/1d8?
>because they're simple weapons
But why are they simple? They should absolutely deal damage equivalent to longswords, not a 1h shortsword

>>96477474
Sounds good anon. I think a lot of combats are improved by monsters who change as the combat evolves. I use paragon creatures pretty often. I haven't yet in my current campaign because it's still level 3. https://theangrygm.com/return-of-the-son-of-the-dd-boss-fight-now-in-5e/

>>96477476
Go play GURPS or TRoS if you want weapon autism.

>>96477476
anon, stop stealing your shit takes from gay strippers on youtube

>>96469267
literal missiles

why are rapiers d8

Am I a bad DM for changing how spells and abilities work because the players entered another plane so I make new rules and reasons why there stuff doesnt work or the BBEG they are dealimg witj is immune to divination effects. Keep in mind I run an epic level 20 campaign

>>96477774
sigil has its own rules.
ravenloft has its own rules
dungeon of the mad mage has its own rules

its fine

>>96477738
why not?

>>96477738
because if they were d6, then they would just be another short sword without light

the real question is why the morning star and the war pick are exactly the same
or why they lack versatile when the warhammer and longsword have them
you have two weapons that are both identical in every way but name while also being worse than another weapon in every way but type

>>96475674
>special Small-sized greataxes that did 1d10 instead of 1d12
You mean a battleaxe?

Weekly session wrapped a couple hours ago, so here's my blog.
It was about 2-3 hours of straight combat on moving wagons as we were chased by various aberrations as part of a caravan.
>being escorted to help enact daring rescue of some folk captured by a mad scientist
>player on lookout in foggy area flubs Perception
>one of the riders from another cart got snagged by something
>ohshit.jpg
>wagon train spread out to split up the targets
>recover fallen rider
>cloaker swoops in, grabs a driver
>ally NPC turns and fires at the thing, but kills the driver while injuring it
>caravan speeds ahead
>Cleric hops over and seizes the reins of the driverless cart
>Ranger is laying down covering fire
>Rogue is driving our cart while getting harried on the other side
>Fighter plays wagon defense from the back
>Barb starts doing hit-and-run attacks against anything that comes close with her crazy move speed
>a couple more riders go down on another wagon
>occupationalhazards.zip
>Rogue flips over to try to salvage the cart
>big fuck teleporting tentacle monster appears in front of the cart the Cleric is driving, kills the horse, and forces the Cleric to bail
>eventually start to get some distance, but the big fucker keeps pace and assaults the party
>combined efforts put it down and we ride off with about 3-4 NPC casualties and -1 wagon
Could have gone worse, but we definitely didn't get the full rundown from our employers on what to expect on the way there. A shame about the deaths, but they seemed pretty intent on abandoning anyone who threatened to slow them down anyway. The whole thing was only 4 rounds of combat altogether, but the combined actions of the enemies and NPCs really dragged things out.

>>96477476
Shame the spear master feat never made it out of UA. Makes me glad my DM isn't a shitter.

>>96477828
>cleric ranger goue fighter barb
kino party comp, thanks for the write up. Sounds like you guys had a great time.

>>96477738
see
>>96477644

>>96477863
you can use polearm master with them, though they're unfortunately the worst polearm

>>96477950
>you can use polearm master with them
>though they're unfortunately the worst polearm
Arguably the worst polearm would be trident, because you can't use polearm master with that.

Is it just me or are reaction severely underutilized in this game? If they want to keep the strict initiative as it is where you can't combo with each other, they could still encourage teamwork and comboing if they could make reactions a lot more powerful. Spending an entire turn in order to cast a flame weapon buff on someone, only for them to use it a million years later when everything has changed on the field too, wouldn't it be better to have big support spells on reactions? Stuff like the fighter's about to attack, you call your reaction and buff his sword with fire so his sword makes fire attacks right then and there, like chrono trigger.

>>96477738
Why do you care about an average 1 damage difference? I never understood why people made such a big deal about weapon dice.

>>96477774
divination is lame and actively ruins play. Reeling it in is near inevitable and will likely make for a better game if your players didn't quietly stop picking them beforehand already because they had a hunch it would be bad for the table.

>>96472284
dnd doesn't really care about niche protection, just about anyone can cast a million different spells. With all the utility and control spells wizards get, that would normally be more than enough for one class, but now they've set the precedent and tradition that wizards should have everything, and by extension every other caster too since they have to be on par with the wizard.

>>96470739
>>96472190
Maybe so. Or I do as this poster says:>>96473706 and just accept that it's nothing like history and myth, kind of bugged about that though, since one of the strengths of fantasy when it works is you feel like you're experiencing something some what connected to our real past. I cope a bit by knowing that many things are more modern inventions than you think though and still feel "authentic" until you learn about that they actually weren't a thing before, like the modern conception of vampires as nobility was never a thing, even if it feels iconic. In other words the "authenticity" that I think is being channeled by certain authors who I think are informed by history and myth may be more bogus to begin with than I want to admit.
>>96475471 Eastern myth is just on a whole other level of anime, man.

>>96477950
Not with spear master :^)

>>96477474
That's cool, but to make the fight feel more climactic instead of the dragon just getting weaker and weaker I'd give it some sort of enrage state or new ability once it loses the secondary heads to make it so that you're making progress but it's still the most dangerous it's been at the end.

>>96478131
it might upset the single player human fighter who doesn't want magic on his sword.

How is my 5.5e divine soul sorcerer looking? Anything obvious I've missed or fucked up? I was thinking about getting shield/bless but don't really want to cut any of the other spells. I like magic missile because my DM regularly has enemy spell casters and it forces a lot of concentration rolls but it could go without too much difficulty. I have a lot of concentration spells but bless is still pretty amazing for a 1st level spell.

The party is a: dwarven battlemaster fighter, elf soulknife rogue, human oath of devotion paladin

What full caster class/subclass would you recommend for someone who only has a couple of games so far? As the most beginner-friendly magic class, especially between levels 3 and 10 or so.

in 5.5e, what full caster class/subclass would you recommend for someone who only has a couple of games so far? As the most beginner-friendly magic class, especially between levels 3 and 10 or so.

>>96478612
>Druid or cleric
You just prepare spells so don't have to worry about getting the wrong spells known. Some people find this daunting for some reason when they start though.
>Warlock
Just eldritch blast spam, with all your spells being per short rest and a short list of known spells.

>>96478626
>cleric
mmmhh... any specific subclass

Could you name some 3rd party settings with exceptionally good product quality, art and worldbuilding? Like "Fateforge", "Nightfell" or "Ruins of Symbaroum".

>>96478835
Haven’t looked into it too much but planegea and midgard both look good to me. It’s disappointing that after 10+ years of 5e they never made a new setting themselves, they could even do a competition like they did for Eberron. I don’t count them pillaging mtg settings, that’s retarded.

>>96478161
>divination is lame and actively ruins play
While it doesn't necessarily RUIN play, if a player knows the right question to ask then it can lead to silly results. However, as long as the players actually want to engage with the game then you'll seldom find players just wholesale walking away from a conflict after using divination. It might make mysteries harder to run, but that's why you need to include wrinkles so that, say, finding the name of the culprit is only part of solving the true mystery. You can always just give somewhat misleading answers that still answer their wording to the letter and no more or something cryptic they have to discern the true meaning of. Divination is actually a great tool to springboard into further adventure, hint at there being a deeper issue at play, or to give the party a puzzle to solve. If you, as the DM, employ it right then the Divination spell basically becomes "spend a fourth level spell slot to add intrigue to the quest" rather than "spend a fourth level spell slot to find the solution to the problem."

DM just gave me this:
>Thunder Maul
>A Giant Warhammer, oversized, melee weapon
>Size: Large (requires a Large or larger creature) or 22 Strength
>Properties: Heavy, Two-Handed, Oversized
>Damage: 3d10 + STR mod Bludgeoning + 1d6 Thunder
>Special (optional): On a hit, creatures of Large or smaller size must succeed on a DC 15 >Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
>Description: Forged for storm giants, this hammer's head is the size of an anvil. Each strike lands with a booming crack like thunder.

I'm a level 5 zealot barbarian with 20 strength.

What did he mean by this?

>>96479931
"I want to give you gold, but not directly."

>>96478886
Thanks, I don't like pseudo-pre-historic settings, but on the other hand Midgard seems interesting.

>>96479931
he's been playing too much dark souls

>>96478210
DND is not authentic at all, it's a hodgepodge of popular pulp tropes and settings from the 1930s-70s. Trying to find authenticity in it is a fool's errand.

Im looking for a game. If anyone is running anything online and would like to give an anon a try feel free to advertise under this post.

>>96480096
Got this loot from a tomb of an undead storm giant.
He gave a Giant's greatsword with similar usage requirements to our fighter.
The description of the sword was clearly a reference to Guts' sword. But the player has the DM switch the icon to the Fuming Ultra Greatsword from DarkSouls.

>have fun at my 5e group (as a player)
>spend the next 1-2 weeks thinking about how we would have more fun if we played another system
>play 5e again and have fun
>continue to fantasize about other systems during down time

Does anyone else have this brand of autism? I don't hate 5e by any means. I have fun playing it, but I keep looking over the fence at what's on the other side.

>>96479931
Carry it around until you're worthy of wielding it. It's supposed to be a burden you must bear until it is time. That, or you pull it out when you absolutely must with the aid of stat or size-boosting potions/items/spells.

>>96480210
bro that aint how it works, you advertise yourself. If you can prove you might not be a dipshit that guy you might hear from a dm. there's like 20 players for each open slot

>>96480543
Should i drop a discord tag or something?
I don't have much to offer as i'm a newbie, but i have it on good authority that i'm no sperg, and i can rp pretty well based off of other media.

>playing a Bard
>DM forbid Silvery Barbs
Is it really that OP?

>>96480622
Yes

>>96480622
Not as bad as shield

>Bard
>doesn't actually use their singing as a weapon
>is just an improved Fighter/Wizard/Rogue

Bard flavor tier list
Painter > Writer > Dancer > Singer

I wanna play a mercenary fighter who's really jaded about stuff like honour and chivarly but nontheless has some solid moral backbone just on the account of all the evil shit he had to see during wars and whatnot.
He deserted from one of the noble armies after he was forced to set ablaze the food stocks of a village just so that the enemy couldn't capture it, effectively sentencing a lot of innocent people to death.

Hates knights, seeks to have agency and power over self so that he can have full control over the morals of his actions., Simple as.

Gas or Ass?

>>96480826
Sounds fine.

>>96480575
just give your profile
age
type of player
experience with ttrpg
what kind of game youre looking for
professional situation (nobody wants some stoner uber eats driver in their campaign)

>>96480953
Don’t encourage gamefinding on here. There’s a reason the gamefinding general died. Recruiting on 4chan is like jumping into a swimming pool filled with sewage.

>>96478835
The best setting for your group will always be the one that you build together.

>>96470734
Sir Kay

>>96478210
No, what makes fantasy work is how it ignites the imagination. Unbound possibilities, with the only limitation being what you can dream. To shackle it solely to things that are part of our world’s past is to kill its potential. Read some LeGuin, for crying out loud.

>>96480826
Sounds cool; how would he reconcile those feelings with mercenaries being hired by people with means? Is the party fighting on the underdog's side in the campaign, or do his personal feelings conflict with their employer/the rest of the party? Does he take his rejection of authority too far sometimes - ex. working with bad people (bandits, thieves, etc.) to stick it to "the man"?

For some reason your description makes me think of him multiclassing into Warlock and coming to regret it. Like that in his hunger for control over his own actions, he makes a deal to gain power; he thinks it'll free him, without realizing that the strings attached mean he's more of a slave than before. (Probably would need to happen while under duress, like that the deal somehow enabled his desertion.) Could offer the DM an additional hook into his backstory.

>>96478210
>until you learn about that they actually weren't a thing before, like the modern conception of vampires as nobility was never a thing, even if it feels iconic.
oh, you're a child
yeah, you'll assume a ton of shit. It's normal. You have to accept you've been assuming shit for ages even when your parents could had correct it, it just never came up and you didn't know. Learning is a constant process, don't close yourself to it just because it seems worse than what you made in your mind.

All the current Plane of Shadow fluff is focused more on being an afterlife or some shit right? After reading Tome of Magic I rediscovered my love for the Shadowcaster class and figured how a Druid subclass with the shadow theme would work since there was a PrC whose only gimmick was having a pet shadow elemental as part of your class abilities.

>>96480622
It doesn't make games more fun

>>96480826
Good stuff anon, neither simple or too complex, thats a solid backstory and motivation that should guide you well on roleplaying him.

Love it or hate it... you can't run from it. Anons this is the peak mount option for Small Species now. You can even get it from Find Familiar, so its as cheap as a 1st level spell slot or a ritual casting!
>165 Carrying Capacity
>Agile = Grounded Flyby
>50 Feet of Movement, doubled to 100 due to Dashing each turn

>>96480725
I do like painter Bards- but sadly Painters Supplies cannot be used as a Focus for Bard Spells- you also cannot get Artificer Initiate for your Charisma Spellcasting stuff....

>>96481517
The super low HP is a significant drawback.

>>96481594
Hit and Run! Outmaneuver your opponent's attack ranges and AOEs. Alternatively, make it a Sidekick (Warrior).

>>96481517
>Cha 5
/k/ would disagree

>>96481611
You can't really realistically outmaneuver the AoEs, and if they as much as graze the deer it's dead even if you pump it with some temporary hitpoints etc. On the other hand if you can call it with Find Familiar then it's no biggie anyway, the greater die-ability of a deer would be rewarded by being able to replace it very quickly as opposed to a warhorse or a griffon. And if you allow sidekick rules then it's a null point anyway.

I don't run 2024 anyway.

>>96481660
Its basically a 1st Level Phantom Steed spell- with the cost being the 10gp material. This one last longer too.

>>96480622
>first level slot that eats your reaction in order to make one npc reroll a crit
Not really
>also gives advantage
Again, not really though that part is weird
>competes with shield, absorb elements and counterspell
lmao no

>>96481701
Unless you're an Order Domain Cleric or 2014 Aberrant Sorcerer- Silvery Barbs is good and annoying at times but not gamebreaking.

>>96481732
Yeah, I never really had an issue with it when I was DMing. Was able to bait the caster into using it a couple of times leaving npc mages free to cast their spells. The only thing that trips me up is the advantage part, I can't wrap my head around how that's supposed to look.

>>96480622
there's nothing to "forbid". why would some random book shit be allowed by default? The exception should be to allow it

>GM canceled the game again for the third week in a row
Jesus Christ, I just want to fucking play. It's impossible that I play once a month on average since the campaign started. I want to fucking kill everyone

>>96482357
tell stacey mcnormie to stop having weddings to go to every weekend
play an interesting character and engage with the world so im actually interested in coming up with stuff for you
stop being that guy and metagaming answers to everything so i actually invite you instead of telling you the game is cancelled and just inviting everyone else

>>96482418
>Play an interesting character and engage with the world that happens once a month.
>Stop being that guy and metagaming answers to everything, so I actually invite you to games that happen once a month.
there's no way all those fucking NEETs are "busy." Only one of them actually has good excuses for not showing up, and it falls on the fucking GM to screw him. If I didn't enjoy the game, I'd drop it right now. Absolutely a waste of time, fucking piece of shit.

>>96482357
Lol, lmao even.
My weekly group on average skips 6 weeks a year at most and half the time some alternative is done in the meantime anyway.

Is minotaur the best race to reskin a behemoth?

>>96482646
Any particular reason you're looking to play a large, veiny, absurdly muscular horned dog monster?

>>96482736
Gonna roll a barbarian and i don't want to be a orc again

>>96472093
Easy, they attract rat girls.

>>96482767
And you can't just play a minotaur barbarian as-is?

>>96482736
>Needing a reason

>>96482767
>>96482803
~~i'm a Final Fantasy fag~~

>>96482839
Not the Barbarian Anon but who wouldn't want to be the Behemoth?

Can someone tell me please if the Dueling fighting style is better than Great Weapon Fighting style? I don't seem to get a straight answer.

>>96483062
>+2 to damage, can use shield
>Chance to reroll on minimum, can't use shield
I'd say Dueling clears.

>>96480622
It's powerful but the main reason it's banned is that it's an antifun mechanic, which also slows down resolution significantly. Imagine if every spellcasting enemy had Silvery Barbs - wouldn't be very fun for you, now would it? The same applies to the GM.

>>96483062
the 3rd option is good, archery so you can use ranged weapons while not having absurd high dex

>>96483205
>it's not fun when the npcs interact with the pcs in combat beyond rolling for attacks

>>96483291
"I succeeded, yes, now I'll-" "Haha, no you failed, biyatch" feels like ass. If Silvery Barbs had to be declared before the target rolled (i.e. it just gives them disadvantage), it would have similar mechanical value but not feel like total ass to be on the receiving end of.

>>96483320
Yeah, but rolling with disadvantage is antifun. Why do you hate fun so much, anon?

>>96483335
Hardship is necessary to the game's integrity and fun, but there are ways of creating hardship that are more or less fun. Silvery Barbs is much less fun than alternative mechanics which accomplish similar things, in addition to slowing down the game (every time the DM rolls, we have to check if you're casting Silvery Barbs).

>>96483390
>every time the DM rolls, we have to check if you're casting Silvery Barbs
How many reactions and spell slots do you think pcs get?

>>96483414
Are you just being obtuse on purpose? Higher level PCs have effectively infinite 1st level spell slots, and they get a new reaction every round, which they can use until they cast Silvery Barbs the first time.

Why do you feel such a desperate need to defend what's generally agreed to be one of the worst spells in the game, in such a retarded and obnoxious way?

>>96483425
Hey, you're the one arguing in bad faith that pcs get infinite reactions and slots to barbs every roll the DM makes, don't be mad at me that your bullshit was called out. So a single roll being made by the DM at disadvantage is unfun, but having a single roll made by the DM be made at disadvantage is better. Flawless logic there, anon. Nice reddit spacing, it's the little details on shitposts like yours great.

>>96483467
>pcs get infinite reactions and slots
I never said it was "infinite," you are obviously trolling. I will not respond further.

>>96483491
>every time the DM rolls

>>96483062
Dueling is a flat +2 to damage
So longsword goes from 4.5 average damage to 6.5
GWF turns a 1d10 versatile longsword from 5.5 to 5.8
You literally lose damage from 2 handing the longsword

Greataxe goes from 6.5 to 6.75
A really small increase, but at least it puts you over a duelist by a very small amount
Greatsword would get a noticeably bigger increase, but graze makes GWF pretty pointless on it

If you just really like using 2 handed weapons for flavor, then any increase to damage is welcome
But the bonus you get out of it is miniscule compared to what duelist provides

>>96483491
That’s for the best he does this all the time. Once you start to recognise his pattern of posting it gets easy to ignore.

>>96483567
Right? I just said that every roll the DM makes has to be double checked with o e PC. Even if they have already used their reaction, you STILL have to check with them. For every single roll. And we all know it casters don't run out of slots, because they get them back every long rest.

>>96483187
>>96483245
>>96483519

Thank you for answering

>>96482884
>That one time you travel back in time and accidentally help a guy invent the Behemoth

>>96483062
NTA who helped out, but if your goal is to use a Two-Handed Melee Weapon like a Greatsword or Glaive- I would suggest the Defense Fighting Style or Blind Fighting Style over Great Weapon Fighting. The damage re-roll is just not all that good. Like >>96483519 Now if you mean to use a one handed weapon or versatile weapon in one hand like a Rapier, Battleaxe, or Longsword- then yes you should use Dueling, and grab a shield.

Not often discussed benefit of having a shield- you now have access to Magical Shields! +1/2/3 Shields are great but sometimes you might run into something more specialized or unique that could really help. You don't have that option when working with a two handed weapon.

>>96483646
>How can I be lawful evil and still deal radiant damage?

>>96483583
Maybe people would be more willing to engage with you if you didn't post like this.

>>96483706
Why would I want discord trannies to continuously argue with me in bad faith because they don't know how the rules work?

>>96481517
You're late to the party, we have known this for a year. Literally.

>>96483743
I don't know, you seem to want people to talk to you since you try to argue with them in your obnoxious retard way, where you ask some stupid rhetorical question that strawmans their actual opinion. Do you just do that because you jerk yourself off to wasting others' time? I won't read your response to this thanks to the wonder of filtering.

>>96483743
because youre on 5eg?

>>96483766
Maybe if you'd stop saying retarded shit, you'd stop getting mad when people call you a retard. And don't lie, we all know you're going to read my post. I'm here to actually talk about the game, not my fault your buzzword filled shitposts are matched in energy.
>>96483775
Fair enough, at least we don't have that one retard sperging out the wheelchair again.

>DMing the penultimate dungeon
>Have the NPC say: "This is the BBEG entering his endgame. I fear that your next confrontation with him will end with either his death, or yours."
>In character, the PCs respond: "No, this feels like too soon. I fear that we're still at least one step away from his final stand."

Oh. Should I be making another dungeon now? This feels like the group telling me "It would be unsatisfying, if the game ended in the next dungeon".

>>96483832
Alternatively, springing the final battle on them will raise the stakes because they feel weak/unprepared/caught out. (Unless they're saying that because they feel like they don't understand the BBEG's motivations or something, in which case perhaps you need a dungeon or some story beats to solidify things.)

>>96483832
Have a round 2 where the party is pulled into one of the layers of the abyss and forced to kill the BBEG again before they recharge / power up again

>>96483832
Dracolich? You know your game better than we do, what would be a logical way to escalate from a dragon? Maybe something like the scouring of the shire, where the end isn't a dungeon or a big fight.

>>96482755
is she ok?

i need 4 character ideas that are simple and thematic to give my players for a one shot
example: a lucky halfing rogue named fortune

>>96484021
a lucky halfing rogue named fortune
a dwarf forge cleric named forge
a human fighter named norm
an elf wizard named magik
a warforged paladin named oath
a dragonborn draconic sorcerer named draco
a tiefling fiend warlock named lucifer

>>96484039
you and chatgpt made the same mistake of overfitting to the training data
my fault for not providing enough data points

>>96484021
Reborn (undead) rogue
Dwarf ranger with bear companion
high elf (moon) druid
Orc warlock

>>96484084
a gnome artificer named tinker
a goliath barbarian named tiny
a minotaur druid named moomin
a changeling bard named lullaby
a human ranger named forrest

>>96482357
I've played every weekend for 10 years same group with the longest time off about 3 weeks for christmas get on my level with

>>96484193
how did your group survive marriage and childbirth?

>enjoy playing with my group but we only do 2-3 sessions a month and I'm craving more
>join one of those Westmarch-like communities so I can always hop in and out of games whenever I get the itch to game
>spend days trying to decide if I'll make my character a human for double origin feats or one of the darkvision races
>say fuck it and go human, if I end up in some mission in a cave surely at least one teammate will have the Light cantrip and I won't be stuck using a torch
>play a couple of games on the server
>in my very second session get a magical item that lets me emit light in a 30 feet radius at will
well, that turned out better than expected

>>96484309
nta anon but we don't cancel sessions if only 1 person can't make it

>>96484350
breeders stop caring about their hobbies when they have kids. it's disgusting.

>>96484389
sounds like they just wanted an excuse to stop hanging out with you

>>96484309
We only skip if more than 1 missing it, and I'm the only one who has gotten married

So I'm looking to make a recurring villain that is more of a nuisance than a looming threat. Someone I can throw at my players with schemes and mischief without resulting in deaths of innocents during breaks from the main story. Maybe even be turned into an ally later down the line against the BBEG since he's more misguided than full on evil. Problem I'm running into is how would I frame it that killing him is the wrong call to players without railroading them.

>>96484516
The obvious solution is making him someone to whom death is irrelevant, as he'll just be back next weekend. Any outsider, death knight, flameskull, revenant, this sort of thing.

>>96484516
Pick a weak demon. They only die for real in the abyss. He's a Dr. Faclier type character. He keeps getting out by making deals and accruing larger and larger debts with bigger and badder demons.

>>96484516
Could the recurring villain be related to someone the players already have a relationship with, like a sibling of an NPC who they wouldn't want to make sad (or angry)? Or, maybe the players learn about the tragic backstory of the character that drove them to committing misdeeds - perhaps related to an issue the players are already trying to solve - and so they view them as someone they want to redeem?

>>96484516
Bro you already posted your answer, don't have him kill or harm people but have him do classic villainous acts!
>Robs a Bank or Museum
>Finds a loophole in the city charter to crown himself an obscure seat of power

>tfw no game
Finding a game online has never been more trivial, but I'm really afraid of ending up in the party with people I hate. I'd hate to flake, I know what a shitty feeling it is for a DM.

>>96484654
find some online open table-type thing, then if you decide you hate everybody, nbd

>>96484654
Solo D&D time?

>unironically playing with yourself
You're gonna go blind doing good that, kid

>>96481169
I will attempt to internalize this

>>96484735
There are some decent 5e gamebooks on dm’s guild. The death knight’s squire is probably the best and the first one.

didn't ask

>>96484136
>minotaur
do people seriously allow freakshit races at their tables

>>96484755
Like he said, read some Urusla LeGuin. Hell, even just the introduction to The Left Hand of Darkness addresses this stuff really well.

>>96484918
Every game you play has to allow freakshit at the table, anon.

in the context of 5.5e 2024:
Two-Weapon Fighting + Dual Wielder or Two-Weapon Fighting + Hunter's Mark + Defensive Duelist?
The question is this because Dual Wielder combines perfectly with Two-Weapon Fighting (a third attack at level 4 as a bonus action), but the problem is that the ranger also needs the bonus action for Hunter's Mark. So the question is whether I should go for the feat that gives me a third attack or stick with the Hunter's Mark and take a defensive feat like Defensive Duelist instead.
In both cases, I'd be using two scimitars to take advantage of Nick's mastery.

>>96484958
Hunter's Mark gives you 3d6, Dual Wielder gives you 1d6. Dual Wielder is only worth using if you already have Hunter's Mark up, or if you're concentrating on something else and don't want to use Hunter's Mark.

In my opinion Dual Wielder is a bad feat and is almost never worth taking except on Conjure Minor Elementals builds, which is a very strong but very specific use case.

>party falls for the red herring hook line and sinker
>the situation escalates to an extreme but is ultimately defused
>everyone thinks the story thread is resolved
>i can now hit them with the ultra twist once things progress a bit further
name a better feeling

>>96484998
>Hunter's Mark gives you 3d6, Dual Wielder gives you 1d6. Dual Wielder is only worth using if you already have Hunter's Mark up, or if you're concentrating on something else and don't want to use Hunter's Mark.
so even with the Dexterity modifier at +5, the damage of the third attack with Dual Wielder wouldn't match Hunter's Mark... Okay, that was a big help, thanks.
I should have figured that out myself, but I got all tangled up in all the numbers and attacks.

>>96485020
Being the player and experiencing that. Well done, anon. Good job.

>>96485027
>so even with the Dexterity modifier at +5, the damage of the third attack with Dual Wielder wouldn't match Hunter's Mark
You won't get Dex mod to damage with the Dual Wielder attack. You only get Dex mod to damage with the Light property attack and only if you have Two-Weapon fighting, there's no way to get that damage on the feat's attack. When I say it's 1d6, I do mean it's 1d6. That's a big part of why I think it's so awful as a feat.

>>96485055
damn that suck

>>96485020
making them care about a npc and having the bad guy kill him
making them hate a npc and find out he's a good person
describe the effect of a magic item they discover and everyone saying "oohhhh cool"

>>96485055
okay, I was going to argue with you about that (even though I agreed that its a bad feat and less important than hunter mark)
But I decided to review the feats, and it turns out you're right.
Two-Weapon Fighting only adds the modifier to a specific extra attack. Dual Wielder even mentions that no modifier is added unless it's negative...
Two-Weapon Fighting:
>you can add your ability modifier to the damage of THAT attack if you aren't already adding it to the damage.
Dual Wielder:
>You DONT add your ability modifier to the extra attack's damage unless that modifier is negative.
Dual Wielder is actually worse than I thought lmao
and even then Dual Wielder does less damage than hunter mark in both ways

>>96485020
>"Alright! Let's tie him up and take him back for interrogation."
God, please. Not killing the henchmen or lieutenant for more use is a dream.

New thread
>>96485177
>>96485177
>>96485177