/5eg/ Fifth Edition General: Unusual Companions Edition

>>53999331
Hello, friends.
I hope everybody is doing well

>>53999331
My DM let me use a downsized Constrictor Snake as an improvised whip. Meshed really well with Dual Wielder and a Spear, and the free grapple/restrain was useful.

Dood suck ma hoop

Is anyone going to pull the Roll20 assets from this for download?

https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/module/47/curse-of-strahd

>Playing CoS
>My character dies
>DM wants me to come back as a Revenant
>I kinda want to roll a new character but am afraid DM will sperg out if I do

Fuck this campaign

>>53999495
Have you asked him if he minded you rerolling instead of being a punk?

>>53999495
That's what you get for playing gay vampire shit

>>53999534
Oh he knows I was thinking of re-rolling, but he wants to "have a chat" and convince me to do otherwise, and I'm just dreading that conversation.

what do you use to create dungeons?

>>53999546
It's just you guys talking, lad.

>>53999559
i recommend a shovel

>>53999559
pyromancer

>>53999559
Dwarves. You don't have to pay them if you never let them out when it's finished.

>>53999573
>>53999609
>>53999631
needless to say, I was looking for things like dave's mapper website

>>53999631
If they dug their way in they can probably dig their way out.

>>53999646
Skeletons don't dig.

Counterspell states '1 reaction, which you take when you see a creature within 60 feet of you casting a spell' for the trigger.

Does this mean if I start off a combat/prepare before hand to cast Minor Illusion of a 5x5x5 box over myself and thus duck down into it, obscuring view, that my Counterspells would be un-counterable since the enemy counter-er would be unable to see my own counterspell being cast? (Since it only has a S component)

How do you guys satisfy your itch for fantasy rpgs when you aren't playing dnd?

>>53999653
It does, as far as I can see.

>>53999653
they can't counterspell you and you can't counterspell them

Why would a celestial warlock head into the underdark?

>>53999712
Dragon's Dogma, Dungeon Meshi and old school roguelikes.

>>53999870
Why wouldn't I be able to CS them? I'd know it was an illusion and could thus see through it IIRC

im being invited to my first game. they've already played a few levels. what should I be

also, I'm watching youtube videos of people playing and I don't understand why they constantly want to fight enemies that are stronger than them when the DM is just trying to tell a story?

>>54000002
People want to fight obviously lethal enemies because video games teach thay big baddies give big loot and they think the DM won't kill them.
What is the rest of the team playing and what kind of character do you want to play?

>>54000002
Because DnD is meant to be collaborative storytelling game. As for the collaborative storytelling, the DM/GM makes the outlines of the story, but the players want and expect to have meaningful impacts on the outcomes of the story. In terms of it being a game, players want to be challenged.

When the players are endlessly facing enemies they can stomp without issue it feels both that they are not being challenged, and that combat is of no consequence due to the ease of victory.

>>54000031
artificer (I don't know anything about as they aren't in the book), a warlock and a rogue with a bow

tempest cleric looked neat, but my first choice was barbarian or fighter but my friend says I should play something with more variety to keep it interesting.

>>54000056
they're literally in shackles with no items and they want to attack the jailers? the game just started.

>>54000081
>they're literally in shackles with no items and they want to attack the jailers? the game just started.
if they are playing Out of the Abyss, that's how the game starts. You're meant to come up with a plan to subdue the jailers and escape

only to have that plan fail and one of the jailers lets you out anyways

How do you use nets tactically? Can someone be netted multiple times at once, requiring them to burn multiple actions to free themselves?

>>54000081
>they're literally in shackles with no items and they want to attack the jailers?
I have not met many players who are playing DnD in the hopes of experiencing the local justice system at work.

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>>54000122
>only to have that plan fail and one of the jailers lets you out anyways
I learned this in our second attempt (that means restarting the whole thing) The issue is we've become irreparebly damaged in our escape attempts.

>>54000081
Battlemaster fighter is a great class, has lots of customization with the maneuvers.

With that team you're gonna be alone most of the time on the front. Unless that warlock goes bladelock.

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So last night, we met a demon bound in a magic circle who offered to answer any question we had if we let her out first. MFW when we told her to fuck off, left, and bricked up the entrance.

>>54000235
Doing god's work, son

>>54000235
Kek. One plot hook avoided.

>>54000300
no story advances are worth dealing with demons. A devil, maybe, but fuck demons.

>>53999735
Which isn't that far considering he's got a box illusion around him.

>>53999874
shut up faggot.

>>54000235
delet this

>>54000348
>If a creature uses its action to examine the sound or image, the creature can determine that it is an illusion with a successful Intelligence (Investigation) check against your spell save DC. If a creature discerns the illusion for what it is, the illusion becomes faint to the creature.
Since the caster knows the illusion is an illusion, they can see right through it.

What action is it to use a spell stored in an Ioun Stone? Is it the same action as the spell that is stored?

>>54000452
Yeah I was meming that the guy I responded to can't see. What with the illusion.

>>54000434
demon pls go

>>53999874
>Why would a celestial warlock head into the underdark?
who said he had a choice?

>>54000460
Presumably.

>>53999874
Anything for a warlock, outside of a character want/need they have, can usually be summed up in:
>your patron wants some seemingly insignificant thing from somewhere dangerous
>ends up being significant in some odd way, whether for the warlock themselves or to the patron

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What does a fighter and barbarian do better than a paladin?

>>54000002
It depends. A challenge can be entertaining, but If you do NOTHING but super strong monsters who can easily TPK the group with a bit of luck it gets boring.

Even worse is if you constantly put the players in a situation where they can't possibly hope to beat half the encounters you throw at them and need either GM fiat or the DMPC cavalry charge to save the day (these have been my last 2 DMs please kill me now)

A good concept that gets pushed around in some other systems, like M&M, is that you should occasionally give the players a fair chance of completely mopping the floor with an encounter so that they feel like their characters are strong and useful. It may seem like a cheap, obvious trick but it honestly works.

>>54000666
>What does a fighter and barbarian do better than a paladin?
keep their hands clean of filthy sorcery

>>54000666
>Fighter
Be reliable without magic

>Barbarian
Be reliable without armor

For the anon who was looking for art to use to illustrate interbred dragons (chromatic/chromatic, chromatic/metallic, and metallic/metallic)

Have you tried asking Flight Rising players, or looking up dragon pictures from the game? I'm dead serious. As far as I can remember the art is pretty nice and can come in a huge variety of colors.

>>54000666
More damage
More tanks
Con save proficiency
Simplicity

Do you use any homebrew from the DM's Guild? Is there anything good there?

>>54000966
The mushroom druid that they featured on the front page is pretty cute. Very useful too depending on the latitude your DM gives you on the corpse flowers.

>>54000966
The Shaman class is pretty dope. It's like a mix of Druid, Warlock, and Cleric. One of its major downfalls is that like every spell it has is concentration, which is an issue.

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>>54000993
>>54000966

Idea for an Alternative Method for Rolling for Stats:

8 + 1d8, six times, either down the line or allocated as desired

>>54001219
>8 + 1d8
This is too swingy, you need to roll at least two dice so you have bell curve distribution

>GM always splits xp between us and npcs
>still not level 3 after 6 sessions
>always interrupts our attempts to rest so we have severely depleted resources and every fight we are always on the brink of death

like I'm always up for a challenge but at this point the difficult feels artificial as fuck. how do I broach the subject that this is bullshit

Where can I download the Dungeon Painter Studio?

>>54001332
maybe you should roleplay a whiny bitch about the bad conditions?

>>54001219
y not 2d8D1+2d6P1+2d4D1 ?
xdd

>>54001474
>giving exp to NPCs is okay
Never DM.

My character died in the last session and I'm having problems determining my next character. Our party is currently a Sorcerer, Paladin, and Fighter.

Prior I have played a Warlock, Rogue, and Paladin (from recent to furthest). Race wise the Warlock was a Tiefling, and other two were humans. Party Races are Asimar, Goliath, Dragonborn.

Any suggestions that are fun? Fuck pragmatic (Clerics are shit)

>>54001502
That's how it's supposed to be, but then again you're never supposed to have NPCs in the party.

>>54001527
You can never go wrong with Bard

>>54001502
>i've never read a rulebook
If NPCs significantly contribute to the fight in any way the XP is also split between them. The same also provides for if the party does not meaningfully interact in a fight they don't receive XP either.

>>54001533
>but then again you're never supposed to have NPCs in the party.
OotA gives you about 8 to travel with you at the start. They eventually get picked off one by one or leave you when you get them back home though.

>>53999652
2spoopy3me

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>>54001332
>splitting xp
>not using the milestone system

it's as if you WANT your adventure to be paced like shit

>>54001552
Can Bards provide in combat healing?

I know they have the bonus healing during rests and what not.

>>54001711
Yep, both Healing Word and Cure Wounds are on their spell list (among others). They're not full on healbots, but they can handle it in a pinch.

Also, at level 10 Bards can pick 2 spells from literally any class lists they want. Lore Bards get this feature at level 6 in addition to level 10.

>>54001711
Yes, bards get healing word, cure wounds, mass healing word etc.

If you really want to be a healbot go lore bard and multiclass into life cleric and use Additional Magic Secrets and get Aura of Vitality for 2d6+5 heals every turn

>>54001609
>DM uses milestones
>end up level 11 at the end of the tyranny of dragons
???

>>54001767
Hm, Lore Bard does sound interesting now.

>>54001773
Only reason brining it up is because the Warlock I invested so much time out of game into got killed because we had no healing at all (and he may have had shit stats in anything that wasn't Charisma)

Thank you lads, I'm going to dive in-depth to my phb

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>>54001825
>playing an adventure module

damn that sucks that your DM is an untalented and unoriginal hack that doesn't care enough to make a real adventure themselves

may as well read a CYOA book. watch out for the yeti on page 73!

>>54001973
>playing an adventure module
Not just but the worst 5e module.

>>53999455
i dunno, can anyone confirm?

>>54002043
I'm playing that one pbp style...
>Go in tunnel to make sure secret entrance is undisturbed
>entrance is undisturbed, but fight rat swarms
>look more closely at entrance, still undisturbed
>dwarf player rolls perception to see beyond the gate, "you can't see anything, the area is too obscured by bushes and stuff"
>well shit that makes it even more secure and undisturbed, we can leave right?
>HAVE to open the fucking door and check outside, HAVE to do a stealth check, "roll init guys"
Is this common for this module or is my pbp DM just bad?

>>53999455
God I hope so, I really want those top-down Castle Ravenloft maps.

I'm playing a Tempest Cleric but I can't decide if I want to get War Caster or Spell Sniper at level 4.

If I get Spell Sniper, I can use a whip and booming blade which sounds pretty fun. Then again, the advantage on con saving throws and using a spell instead of AoO with War Caster sounds pretty useful as well.

Don't want to play a Variant Human either.

>>54002579
Do you mean magic initiate?

>>54002579
Did you roll really good stats? Because if you're going point buy/standard array and at level 4 without being variant human I'd recommend shoring up stats first.

>>54002603
No, booming blade has a range of 5 ft so it doesn't work on reach weapons. With spell sniper it becomes 10 feet.

>>54002621
>>54002579
How are you getting booming blade?

Quick question as a newbie GM: does an encounter with no combat count as an "encounter" in the sense that it rewards XP?

Context: players are passing through Orc-controlled hills when orc scouts jump out and surround them. The party's half-orc bard successfully bluffs them into thinking he's an orc from another clan taking the rest of the party to his warchief as prisoners. Orcs don't want to start a clan feud and back off.

Encounter passed, but no initiative ever rolled. Does this count as a situation I give the full XP for the three orcs that were "beaten" for?

>>54002654
Spell Sniper gives you one cantrip that uses an attack roll.

>>53997974
RAI is 19 is auto-hit just like 20.

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>>54002621
Pic related is what I rolled. Used the 17 for wisdom

>>54002654
The Spell Sniper feat gives you an attack roll cantrip from any class

>>54002675
I would give them three quarters if they did "ok".

If they did amazingly in getting rid of the orcs (for example something I as DM didn't think of) I would give them five quarters.

>>54002675
Yes. Please God reward your players for using their brains sometimes.

>>54002675
I would award xp in this situation.

I also have a cleric-related question.

Some cleric domains get heavy armor and martial weapon proficiency. I like the idea of casting divine spells with just as much frequency as I bludgeon foes with my hammer. Do martially-proficient clerics make for a good balance of weaponry and wizardry, or at some point would I inevitably be doing a disservice by not casting spells every time?

>>54002675

Yes, you should always award XP for nonviolent victories like this.

Otherwise, players think that they'll never progress as characters unless they murder everything they see.

>>54002675
Combat and Non-Combat are both means of solving a problem.

We are surrounded by Orcs -> all Orcs are now dead. Problem solved.

We are surrounded by Orcs -> the Orcs are now gone. Problem solved.

Award it just as if it had been combat.

>>54002693
Okay well with those stats you're fine, I'd personally recommend war caster, since a lot of cleric spells (spirit guardians, aura of vitality, bless) are concentration spells. While more damage is nice, War Caster fits better with your role.

inb4
>rolling stats

>>54000666
Fighter does more consistent DPR damage than paladin unless if the paladin is oathbreaker in which case fighter's fucked
Fighter .. you know what, why WOULD you go fighter?
Barbarian has wolf barbarian for team support or bear barbarian for not dying or barbarogue for not dying even more / grappling. Overall, they have a point aside from paladin, and also do more reliable DPR before level 11.

>>54000966
It's all shiiiit.

>>54000338
other way around
Demon is wild and predictable. Devil will pretend to be helpless 'till it's too late.

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>>54002693
>>54002787
>Rolling for stats

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>dm is having us choose class and race before rolling stats

Rolling stats is retarded in the first place but this is just crazy and nonsensical.

>>54002850
Does he let you change the stats around? Otherwise why are you playing with someone actually mentally retarded?

>>54002787
>>54002819
I'm not a big fan of rolling stats either, but it became a staple in my group

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>>54002850
I always make the character first then again I like point buy

>>54002900
Point buy is the whitest and most based system there is.

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>>54002880
I can certainly agree it's not worth starting big arguments over, but especially if your DM runs long campaigns where you keep the same character for a long time, it's a little cancerous.

I just wish they never kept this sacred cow in the game.

>>54002850
>Play a monk
>Get shit stats
>Just play dead for all the fights because you suck so bad

>Party's first level one adventure
>5 combat encounters
>cleared the dungeon
>tally up XP for combat and roleplaying
>Players still don't have enough XP for level 2

I'm going to nudge it for them, but this is a West Marches campaign with players coming and going and swapping characters, so a milestone system would be a pain in the ass.
But by the book XP guide cuts them short even after a good long session.
Wat do? 1.5-2.0x XP suggestions?

>Changing Saving Throws to roll under 8 + Proficiency + relevant stat to the save
Thoughts? PCs get actually worse at saving as they level up, I want to fix that

>>54002926
>PCs get actually worse at saving as they level up
what?

>>54002923
How many players are there? Were the too easy?

>>54002926
>PCs get actually worse at saving
???????

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>>54002926
>PCs get actually worse at saving as they level up

no? at worst, they just stagnate (but as monster saving throw DCs increase, you could argue they get RELATIVELY worse)

but you're ignoring the fact that every class is proficient in two saving throws, and they get better at THOSE as they level up and their proficiency bonus increases. your proposed method would basically just make everyone proficient in every saving throw, which sure, i guess is a great idea if you want to take away distinct strengths and weaknesses between classes.

>>54002675
Absolutely give your players equivalent XP for solving combat encounters in non-combat ways (and the other way around).

One exception IMO: if your players temporarily bypass an encounter (e.g. sneaking), but they'll be dealing with it later for sure, I award half XP now, half XP next time (or as soon as it turns out there won't be a next time).

And obviously if the players bluff their way past the orcs and get the XP, they don't get MORE XP for changing their minds and killing the same orcs.

>>54003037
>you could argue they get RELATIVELY worse
That's what I'm arguing

>you're ignoring the fact that every class is proficient in two saving throws, and they get better at THOSE as they level up
Yeah, but the other stats saves get way worse (relatively), at high levels, it become almost an auto-failure (5% ~ 15% chance of success).


>your proposed method would basically just make everyone proficient in every saving throw, which sure, i guess is a great idea if you want to take away distinct strengths and weaknesses between classes.
Yes, I want to high level characters to be good all around, but they will still be better on saves of their primary stat).

I found Princes of the Apocalypse at a yard sale. Pros? Cons? My gf wants to try her hand at DMing.

>>54003098
>I want to make 5e even easier

To what end?

>>54002926
Why would you make a system where getting pushed over by a goblin child and dodging the breath of a dragon have the same chance of failure?

>>54002997
Monsters between CR 1/4 (in groups) and CR 1. Full HP, full attack bonuses. Players lost half their HP every encounter, one got to death saving throws. I'd say overall each encounter was medium difficulty.

>>54003098
>>54002926
Wait, do you add your proficiency bonus to EVERY save?

>>53999957
Just because you know the box is an illusion doesn't mean you can see through it. It would still block your vision.

Of course illusions are always hard to define to begin with

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>>53999652
About that,

>>54003249
That's a good counter-argument against this system, but I'll say I'm more interested on playability than realism.

Maybe subtract the the enemy proficiency and/or stat from the ST chance?

>>54003265
Yes

>>54002926
Just let players roll the enemy's saving throw for them if that's what you're going for.

>>54003260
Post the used monsters with CR of one entire encounter.

Howe many players?

My group have a ship now.

How bad did I fuck up /tg/?

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>fighting Maegara, Enormous Fire Bitch
>Wizard uses a wand to throw a Tidal Wave on it
>Warlock casts Maelstrom
>yell at the Rogue to use the Ise Rune to freeze all the water swirling around this fire elemental
>he thinks it's stupid but does it anyway because what the fuck else is he gonna do, stab fire?
>Maegara is now surrounded by a rapidly-melting shell of ice
>THIRTY STRENGTH MONK LET'S DO THIIIIIIIIIIIS activates sonic speed and punches fists into ice shell
>grapples and swings the whole thing into the furnace from which Maegara came
>Cleric Stone Shapes the furnace doorframe around the closed grill
>entrance gets Wall of Forced over
>Warlock puts Maelstrom in the furnace

>>54003356
>Just let players roll the enemy's saving throw for them if that's what you're going for.
That's an alternative, but it's still necessary to consider the PC's prof and stat modifier, otherwise it doesn't increase their chance of success

>>54003319
Then what's the point of being proficient in a save?

>>54003272
>Just because you know the box is an illusion doesn't mean you can see through it.
It does, actually mean you can see through it. >>54000452

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>>54003415
>his group is getting on a boat
>willingly
>of their own volition
Your party is full of idiots.

>>54003415
You've opened the door to aquatic monsters. Throw an aboleth at them.

>>54003446
I'm changing the save system, you don't get any save proficiency

>>54003415
NEVER get on the boat.

>>53999653
I guess.

You'd also be blind. So good luck with that.

>>54003415
Throw aquatic adventures. It's risky, but if they play their cards right, it opens a whole new realm of possibilities.

> Go exploring for deserted islands to claim as their own
> Ferry people and goods for favors and gold
> Have to now worry about upkeep (If your group has a guy who loves micro managing shit like me, he'll probably be in charge of the boat)
> Now have a way to go from 1 continent to the other if need be
> Can now go be conquistadors if need be

>>54003470
>>54003471
>>54003509
Oh right, Aboleths. Yeah this is fine.

>>53999495
>>53999546
He probably thinks it's neat to have some bizarre thing happen to you to bring you back, or he just can't think of ideas on how to introduce a new character either at the current spot or in general.

How far are you? If you're towards the end don't mind playing your current character some more, you could probably just say your character's goal is to defeat Strahd/help your party get free from Barovia. Once the goal is done, you die for good and can't be resurrected, and can then play the character you want. You might even be able to set a shorter term goal depending on where/how you died, revenge on what killed you, or something.

>>54003517
trying to keep them on a fairly narrow path as one of the villains, former head of a thieves guild they shut down and in deals with ALL kinds of fiends, is kinda holding a party family member hostage Has actually rescued her from Drow assassins because he wants levarage over a group that wrecked his orginization's shit. so they might not have time for a full on seafaring adventure.

They've already loaded up a cargo of Oxen and are planning on sailing it to another port.

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>>54003399
>>54003399

3 Players (2 fighters and a wizard). This is the encounter that knocked out one of the fighters.

Now that I really pay attention, what is the "adjusted XP" on KFC? Is that what i should be using instead?

>>54003487
Honestly just save time and say that at higher than 10th level you just take half damage from abilities. It's more or less the same thing.

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Damn another ancient door with a magical password I wonder how we will get it open. Nevermind this one also has password is written on it. Wait most of it has been scrawled and scratched off this time too. Oh but in such a way that we can easily decode it, again...

>>54003722
Taking damage isn't the major problem, failing hard control saves is

>>53999495
You sound like you are the autist.

>>54003659
Ignore adjusted. It is what their XP is worth regarding the fight difficulty. not what it's actually worth.

>>54003754
But the game is balanced around the idea that some characters are significantly more easily controlled than others.

>>54003659
Adjusted XP is a way for accounting for multiple enemies being tougher than just one on his own. For example, clay golems are healed by acid damage, so if I make an encounter where a clay golem is hunting the players through a labyrinth filled with Gelatinous Cubes, they'd get far more XP than the book would suggest.

5 bandits have a large action economy, especially on a 3-player, level 1 party, so the XP reward is doubled.

>>54003842
>significantly
Do you think some characters having 10% chance of success is okay? Even though they are higher level than the monster?

>>54003869
Yes.

>>54003860
This is wrong.

Adjusted XP is the XP value for determining difficulty. Per the DMG you award based on their actual XP value.

>>54003869
>tfw characters have weaknesses

>>54002444
There's other versions out there for free, good ones too. Like this: http://pauldanieljohnson.deviantart.com/gallery/58555031/Curse-of-Strahd

>>54003860
Wrong

>>54003916
Right

Can you deliberately make a spell do minimal damage (e.g., to give a charmed teammate the chance to make a save to get de-charmed)?

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Is anyone else fascinated by the concept of demigods? Gilgamesh, Karna, Cú Chulainn, Herakles, Maui they all just highly appeal to me, due to their inhabiting a mythic landscape, and their vague divinity.

So I decided I would roll one up, to the extent that 5e permits. Let me know if this sounds too sueish as a general idea.

The character is an Aasimar [slighly refluffed], son of an Empyrean and thus 1/4th god. Bronze skin, long black hair, silvery eyes, and very 'ancient' looking dress [cloth skirt, metal braces on the arms and legs, bare-chested, some kind of headdress] like some kind of Sumer meets Polynesia meets Azteca sort of thing. Has Tavern Brawler, and uses Divine Favor [he's a Paladin of Vengeance] to buff his punches even more.

The roleplay would be that he's a bit of an arrogant blowhard, whose primary interest is going around doing deeds just so the common people will praise him [and the gods]. The twist would be that he's kind of a prop. All his abilities would be fluffed not as his own inherit skill or knowledge, but the gods helping him.

Divine Favor or Divine Smite? They're making him stronger. Without their help he'd get demolished by most of the monsters he faces.

Lay on Hands [which he primarily uses on himself]? The gods healing him or recovering his fatigue so he can finish the job.

Find Steed? Well its one of the gods horses. Hunter's Mark? The gods helping. Magic Weapon? The gods. Even his HP would take partial inspiration from this, that the reason he can survive such incredible hits [beyond his natural durability as a demigod] is simply because the gods aren't willing to let their tool get killed in a bitch fashion.

Which would be sort of the central premise of the character, is that on the external he's the proud monster hunting demigod, but on the interior he's wondering if he's kind of just a tool. Whether it really "counts" to do all these things if half the work is done for him.

>>54004177
No.

>>54004214
Okay.

>>54004177
Yes

>>54004177
You can do anything you can convince your DM to agree to.

All that matters to me is your opinion. babe.

>>54001502
>Doesn't read
Never procreate

>>54001973
No one plays modules straight off the box and not everyone has the time to prep a campaign

>>54004110
Yeah but I like options and from the thumbnail preview theirs looks very nice and more thematically similar to the module's proper maps.

Quick. What's a good way to word a Suggestion to get an Ogre to turn on the Orcs he hangs with?

>>54005328
Senpai, they trying to kill us and then you.
Let's kill them together and then duke it out between us, ok.

>>54005328
"Those orcs were going to kill us and then keep all the meat to themselves."

>>54005328
You see those orcs? They fucked your waifu.

>>54002809
yeah but with devils you know they are going to screw you and how hard. Demons might not even pull through on their end of the deal in the first place.

Going to play my first game in a couple of days, is life cleric enjoyable? In some videogames being a heal bot is kind of boring, though sometimes it can be fun and rewarding.
How is it in DnD?

>>54004214
>1/4th
one fourthth

>>54005804
Pick a dwarf and you can smack shit with a warhammer as well.
Life cleric is as far from a heal bot as possible, it just means healing doesn't feel like you're wasting your slots and turns on healing, like other clerics.

>>54005804
Life cleric makes you better at not healing. Because of it's improvements to healing spells, you'll need to cast less of them, and because they are his domain spell, you don't need to prepare them either.
Don't heal in combat other than popping a healing word, though. Combat healing is a meme.

The main thing is to survive the first three levels. Those are gonna be lethal, and healing word will be a literal life-saver.

>>54005804
1) Spiritual weapon is your friend
2) Bless is your friend. Probably the best use of your concentration
3) Don't waste healing spells in-combat except to revive a fallen ally (i.e., unless somebody is about to die, use your action to attack or buff).

>>54005804
Life cleric is pretty much the only way to viably heal in 5th Edition. It's more intuitive than being a heal bot by the nature of what you do aside from slinging healing spells. You can be tanky and use warding bond to draw a lot of damage and pocket heal someone, you can get some weapon proficiencies and strength to dish out damage while you heal when necessary, or you can just pump out a lot of support spells. Just look for more intuitive things to do than be a heal bot.

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Crunch or fluff?

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>>54006390
Fluff unless you have a very good reason not to.

Case in point, I don't miss the 18 different kinds of poelarms 2E had. I understand if you're a history buff and want to get nitty-gritty about the historical differences between a guisarme has over a fauchard, but most people really don't care.

>>54000131
Nets are good on some enemies, like ogres. They are not good on other enemies. I assume you could multinet someone.

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>Players fight a Black Pudding
>Armor is partially DISSOLVED (exact words), -X AC per hit
>Player claims Mending would fix the armor
>Mending requires a clean break and all the components of the broken object, rule that dissolved armor wouldn't be repairable
>Gets called a shit DM by the player who constantly asks to do things the rules wouldn't let him
Can anyone back me up on this

>>54006577
>Fluff unless you have a very good reason not to.
This. I've added a few things to my game, like a d8/d10 versatile piercing weapon and a d8 finesse slashing weapon but otherwise my approach is "if it kind of fits the damage dice and damage type of a weapon in here, just use that weapon and "reskin" it."

>>54006865
Black Pudding:
>In addition, nonmagical armor worn by the target is partially dissolved and takes a PERMANENT and cumulative -1 penalty
Mending:
>This spell repairs a single break or tear in an object you touch, such as a broken chain link, two halves of a broken key, a torn cloak, or a leaking wineskin. As long as the break or tear is no larger than 1 foot in any dimension, you mend it. leaving no trace of the former damage.
You are clearly in the right. RAW and RAI don't allow mending to fix this sort of thing.
To make him extra-butthurt, throw rust monsters at them next

Can someone explain to me exactly how darkvision works? If my character has 60 ft darkvision and is standing 30 feet from a pitch dark cave, how deep into it can he see?

30, because my darkvision extends out 60 feet from me? 60 because I can see 60 feet into dark? Or 0 because the difference in light levels fucks up my ability?

>>54001609
>DM uses milestones.

>Constantly gets new players at level 1 that are leveled up in place of us so that we are only level 3 after a year.

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Fun partial-Underdark encounters? I have my players descending deep into the underground to try and find a relic to cure two players Lycanthropy, and want them to see a Mind Flayer holding the Macguffin addressing a large army of Duregar and associated minions on an upcoming raid against the surface. Problem is they just got Level 5 and they're the "Never approach something with caution" types so they might get their brians munched. Anything else I can throw at them until they get there? They gotta go deep.

I want to multiclass bard and warlock so I can play a musician that makes a deal with the devil. Should I just dip 1 into warlock or dip 3 so I can get pact of the blade to summon a guitar? Any recommended college for the bard?

>>54006989
You can see 60 feet in assuming your vision isn't impeded.

>>54007192
Ropers and rust monsters, maybe. I'm planning my next adventure underground underdark solely so I can use ropers and rust monsters.

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What are some good questions to ask potential players before allowing them into my game? My current questionnaire list is as follows:

>Character Name:
>Character Race:
>Character Alignment:
>Character Background (As well as bonds, flaws, etc.):
>Character Backstory (Min 1 Paragraph, Max 3):
>Character Motivations/Goals:
>What you like in a campaign? (Ex. social encounters):
>What do you dislike in a campaign? (Ex. player vs player combat):
>Are you interested in doing a session 0 for your character? If so, when would be a good time?:
>Time zone & what days/time you can make the session:

>>54007235
Use every excuse available to use ropers.

>>54007235
Don't forget cave fishers.
>>54007241
>Character Name: Violet Ebonwing
>Character Race: half-aasimar half-tiefling
>Character Alignment: Chaotic Neutral (so I can do anything lol)
How'd I do so far?

>be in melee range of enemy
>get KO'd
>DM almost never has monsters attack KO'd party members
>party member uses heal to revive
>because of initiative order, enemy gets another turn before I do
>get KO'd again
>have to roll on injury table 3 times because of dipshit teammate


is there any worse feeling?

>>53999653
As long as you're willing to sacrifice all movement and the caster you're counterspelling doesn't move away sixty feet, or pass an inteligence check to be able to see through your illusion

>>53999957
Only if you spend an action to make an intelligence check against your own dc

so, what are some of the best user created classes? i've personally tested the witch hunter and i liked it quite a bit, what are some other good ones that also don't break the game.

i would love something that feels like a PF warpriest

Are there any rules about being drunk?

>>54006577

The funny part is all that effort that went into the gigantic weapon lists and only 3-4 weapons were any good

>>54002579

War Caster is an autopick for clerics at my table, because we allow for them to cast Cure Wounds as a Spell of Oportunity

>>54006146
>Bless is your friend. Probably the best use of your concentration
>Cast it
>No one rolls it unless I specifically remind them they have it every single turn
>Yet everyone seems to remember I have guidance any time a skill check comes up
I've given up on bless

>>54007454

>>Gave up on Bless
>>Not the retards in the party

>>54007454
I don't mind reminding them. It takes all of 2 seconds to say "don't forget to add a d4"

>>54007397
Depends how drunk you get. I'd imagine from least to most severe it goes;
Poisoned, incapacitated, stunned, unconscious

>>54007299
Name and alignment is fine. Would have to choose between either a Tiefling or Aasimar, though I wouldn't object to you playing as a Tiefling warlock with a celestial patron for example or vice versa. Also keep in mind that actions have consequences, so if you decide to slap a guard for some reason, he's going to slap some cuffs on you and escort you to jail.

>>54004214
>Maui
Hell yeah, I made Maui. It was great

>Protector Aasimar
>+1 to Wis, +2 Cha
>Shapeshifter, so moon druid
>Physical stats are therefore irrelevant,
>Folk Hero Background, swap out a skill proficency for deception
>Wildshape into any animal you want, because primordial godkin
>Can still use Healing Hands while wild shaped
>Pick up friendly allies who get knocked uncounsious onto the floor by slapping at them with your dinossaur face
>Can still use radiant soul while wild shaped
>Wild Shape into a shark and enjoy that flying speed on land for the 3 minutes you can hold your breath in
>This to say nothing of whatever spells you can concentrate on while doing this

When I get to be a radiant soul eath elemental, then I'm going to have a lakr

>>54007508
>Poisoned
This might work, I want to take that quest from the witcher about a type of vampire that only goes after people that are heavily drunk.

Definitely won't be throwing a full on vampire at them though

>>54007579
>a type of vampire that only goes after people that are heavily drunk.
Here in Wisconsin, there is a supposed serial killer that preys on drunken college-aged men walking home alone from bars late at night.

Truth is, the dumb fucks just fall into the Mississippi or some other body of water and drown, but nobody wants to acknowledge or deal with alcoholism in this state.

>>54007579
This reminds me of an idea that I got from here a while back

Players had Van Richten cast Hallow in the Wizard Winery (along with a plant growth from the Bard to replace the use of a gem for a year)

Rewarded them with having the feast of Saint Andraal attack backfire and having the vampire spawn explode on contact upon the supple throats of toasting barovians

>>54007644
>Truth is, the dumb fucks just fall into the Mississippi or some other body of water and drown

How do you know? Actually, let me rephrase--how do you know and no one else does?

>>54007644
>>54007669
>Actually, let me rephrase--how do you know and no one else does?

Obviously he's the serial killer

>>54007669
Because I'm the one who pushed them in!

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>>54007678
>>54007683
L-lucky I don't drink or live in the sippy, right?

As a stone sorcerer, do I want to turn my slots into points so I can twin booming blade more or just use slots so I can bonus action smite spell and then booming blade?

Reminder if your campaign exceeds lvl 20+ and it doesn't basically turn into a shonen anime or warhammer endtimes you're doing it wrong

I decided to play an Inquisitive Rogue but I'm having problems working in why he'd be part of the party. We're all being hired to guard a caravan as our first session, should I talk to my DM about having my character take the job in order to get close to someone he suspects as being a murderer?

>>54007748
>should I talk to my DM
The answer is always yes

>>54007746
>tfw only ever got to level 18
>tfw the climax was pretty dull

>>54007748
You're an auditor coming in to check on the caravan's highway insurance

>>54007746
I'd be surprised if more than one percent of all campaigns in the history of D&D that started at Level 1 actually reached level 20, let alone exceeded it.

>>54007774
HI I AM STEVE FROM MICROCART WE HAVE DETECTED A VIRUS IN YOUR WHEELS

>>54002423

Possibly bad. If it's AL or some other multi-DM organization they may be somewhat limited in how much flex they can give the module. If it's a private game with 1 DM they're just being lazy.

>>54002675

Award full XP when you consider the situation "solved." In this case, I would award the full XP.

Got a question. I got a slightly cursed weapon in a game today. It's probably home-brewed but I got a short sword of Dispel Darkness.

How it was explained was that it is a short sword with the Light spell perpetually cast upon it. It is a +2 weapon, so it is hugely powerful but the thing is, I am a rogue that sort of relies on hiding in darkness to get advantage and shit. The cursed part is it is only has the Light and +2 aspect if it is on my person and putting the sword in a sheath or something doesn't hide the glowing blade but if someone else is wielding it, it's just a normal short sword.

Any thoughts on how to use this or should I just stop trying to hide when I am carrying this sword?

Do you tend to us pdf compressing services? If so, which one?
So many files are bloated, especially 3rd-party.

>>54007227
I played this exact character. 3 into Warlock to get pact of the Blade to summon a sword with a Violin's bowstring running down it, came with complementary mastercraft violin courtesy of my patron. Fully functional and badass. Went Valor Bard and took both of the level 5 paladin Smites as my level 10 Magical Secrets (campaign only went to level 15, sadly, so I was only 12 into Bard and couldn't get those sick 7th level spells.)

Paladin gets those spells at level 17, I got them at level 13. Do the same and abuse it. Damage output gets crazy.

If your party needs a support caster, though, Lore Bard is still supreme and I think legitimately better than what I put together if you want max effectiveness. Cutting Words is just too good.

>>54002739

It's going to depend 100% on your entire build. Clerics are extremely versatile even when single-classed, but they aren't equally good at everything.

Generally speaking, you aren't going to be able to use a spell slot every turn because in standard OTB play you won't have nearly enough slots, so its really a question of if your weapon out-damages your damage cantrip(s.), and that's really just comparing them to see which number is bigger.

In most circumstances Sacred Flame is going to be better than any standard one-handed weapon until level 5 and any standard weapon past that because of the damage scaling, which is intended to compensate for Clerics not getting extra attacks. However, this is a super-fiddly comparison: domain bonuses, combat range, damage types, DC vs AC targets, damage scaling, non-magic resistance, and so forth are going to matter a lot, so there's no one-size-fits-all answer.

My advice is to make sure that you have both a damage cantrip and a backup weapon, know the numbers on both, and use them as makes sense.

Is there some way that Armor of Agathys isn't shit?

>>54008378
It scales really well with spell level and is warlock only. It's great on a bladelock that needs to be tankier, and also increases damage output for a short time while in melee due to the damage it deals (which is always equal to 5 * spell slot level as long as you have at least 1 of the temporary HP that spell gave you when you're hit).

>>54008378
>and is warlock only

there's a paladin oath or some kind of archetype that gets it

>>54003110

You can always steal stuff from it to use elsewhere. 5e Adventures Modules are as much sourcebook as specific Adventure Paths.

It's not unusable to a new DM, but I'd recommend starting with Lost Mine of Phandelver if possible, just because it's a little bit smaller in scope and has a slightly gentler learning curve. If she's already been playing for a while, though, it's a toss-up.

Is it dumb or edgy to have a GOOlocks patron be you, the player?

>>54008481
Sounds pretty good to me. I was thinking of making mine aliens.

My group for the last few years has leveled by having the DM just declare everyone just leveled whenever he or she feels like it

It works for us, but I always wondered how anyone else felt about that sort of thing

>>54008545
I'd be skeptical coming in, but if it works for you, then it works for you.

>>54008545
Do they level you arbitrarily, no rhyme or reason to it? Or did they use the milestone system where you level based on plot advancement? The former is shit tier, latter is pretty good.

>>54008722
>Do they level you arbitrarily, no rhyme or reason to it? Or did they use the milestone system where you level based on plot advancement?

What's the difference? If the DM chooses when you level, or the DM chooses how much plot you have to complete to qualify for a level, it's still entirely up to DM discretion in the end.

>>54007241
I am a firm proponent of not having applicants create their characters in advance. Save that shit for session zero so everyone can work it out together, and focus on player attitudes for applications so you (hopefully) don't get shit people.

>>54008742
At least on principle there's a difference, in that it's
>You've outwitted the demon and ensured the kingdom is safe another day, everyone levels up
To
>The next encounter is going to be hard so everyone gains a level

>>54008775
>>The next encounter is going to be hard so everyone gains a level

never heard of anyone doing this

>>54008782
Neither have I, but that's the first "DM gives a level for a dumb reason" scenario I thought of

How does disintegrate function with Polymorph or Wild shape?

So depsite this being the most successful Edition, does anyone else feel its at the same time the most boring. Like I feel like dosent have any flavor of its or quirks. It just feels like your bog standard fantasy game thats lighter on the maths.

>>54008936
>It just feels like your bog standard fantasy game thats lighter on the maths.

Pretty sure this is why people like it. I don't necessarily agree, but 5e is what everyone I know plays

>>54008910
>What happens if a druid using Wild Shape is reduced to 0 hit points by disintegrate? Does the druid simply leave beast form? The druid turns to dust, since the spell disintegrates you the instant you drop to 0 hit points.
http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/rules-answers-july-2016

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Stat me, /5eg/.

I've not played TTRPGs a lot, but there's something that's been on my mind after several sessions.

>If D&D isn't a videogame, why is combat the most codified/documented aspect of it?
but
>Roleplaying is meant to be as free an experience as possible, so wouldn't it be against the design to codify that?
so
>What else is there to D&D that makes it different from a painfully mediocre wargame? Doesn't the setting fit pretty much any system, including fucking playing pretend?

>>54008936
Also helps that it's the new D&D edition, which has always dominated the market with the exception of 4e towards the end of its run. Despite getting peanuts for budget and a glorified skeleton crew, there was also the very convenient timing of Critical Role and Stranger Things to give it a popularity boost.

>>54008936
That's what it's good at. It's light so you can add stuff to adjust it to your tastes without breaking things into pieces. 5e tends to stay out of the way of the story and offer resolution mechanics that are easy/intuitive.

>>54009074
Thing is if you add anything that isnt pointless 5e already falls to pieces.

As for the story not really. I mean fighters still do jack shit our of combat and Wizards can solve plots in a spell. Then theres the fact thay D&D is set up to where you do fighting and nothing else.

>>54009052
hint it's in the name
dungeons & dragons

>>54009052
>why is combat the most codified/documented aspect of it?
It's the chief risk factor at any time, and a convenient conduit for character advancement, besides a modern audience EXPECTING an in-depth combat system because of CRPGs. Even with older editions where combat was nowhere as encouraged or rewarding, it was acknowledged as a inevitability, and most the design was a stripped-down wargame.
>Roleplaying is meant to be as free an experience as possible, so wouldn't it be against the design to codify that?
No. The rules are there as a quick reference to prevent the utter chaos that is playing pretend unbridled. That said, in modern editions character building, advancement and "optimization" is treated as a mini-game on its own right, but much less so in 5e than it was on 3.5.
>Doesn't the setting fit pretty much any system, including fucking playing pretend?
There is no "default" setting for D&D. It's true that there are published settings but most people don't use them. That said, of course, you can just play pretend, but as before: it WILL devolve into chaos and be very short-lived unless you begin making house rules to keep it in check... which is the point of an RPG system.

Interestingly Gygax did see D&D as a miniature wargame and strongly derided roleplaying, calling it "wannabe improv bullshit".

>>54009242
You say all that about pretend being chaotic, but I've just had 2 sessions in a row where there were 2 dice rolls total, and even those I had to pull out of my ass so the players had something to roll, for the sake of it. The sessions were pretty orderly, too. It's what made me ponder on the questions in my post, actually.

>>54009242
Considering what accounts for "roleplay" now adays. I dont blame Gary one bit.

>>54009242
I'd add that everyday life and verbal conflict resolution are things you as humans are (hopefully) already knowledgeable about and proficient in. The rules are there to shepherd the play experience around obstacles that normal people don't have a good grasp on from their daily life. I've never seen how many sword blows a Kobold can endure before it dies, so I need abstractions like HP to help everyone at the table understand that. I'm not a musclebound Fighter wielding a greatsword, so I need things like action limitations and feats.

I don't need the rules to codify how I put my fucking trousers in the morning; I do that all the time in my regular existence. The rules are for extraordinary things, and melee combat is one of the most extraordinary things from the perspective of a 21st century human.

>>54009281
The rules, especially the combat ones, are there for you when you need them.

>>54009338
>>54009320
Thanks, this gives something to extrapolate from. I tend to get tunnel visioned on topics often...

>>54009281
2 sessions are not that much. I've had bouts of RP-focused sessions too, but eventually, you would get bored unless the appeal of an RPG to you is honing up your improv skills. Which is fine too, but in that case, I'd recommend playing shorter campaigns with a lighter system (or one of the weird narrativist thingamajigs like Torchbearer if your group likes the idea)

>>53999653

I'd rule no on the basis that the first line of Counterspell is "You attempt to interrupt a creature in the process of casting a spell," and doing something disruptive is antithetical to maintaining the narrative that an actual box was created.

>>54006996

That's not how milestone leveling works.

>>54008775

In practice it tends to be more "we're done with that part now, so it's time to go into a more difficult part. Time to level up so we're still level appropriate."

I got into a situation where I almost had to cast Hunger of Hadar into a body of water.

I ask you, /tg/, what would/should have happened if I did? Would the water in the area of effect freeze instantly? Gradually? Turn acidic?

>>54009679
>lemme open up a horrible rift in the fabric of reality to freeze this water
There is nothing RAW. The issue with letting casters use spells in that broad, freeformy sort of way is that this edition already has very varied spell effects, and spellcasters don't exactly need a buff. Maybe the warlock, but that raises the question of why only the warlock should be allowed to do cool shit.

And hunger of hadar doesn't create a portal in the usual sense since people still can walk over the rift. I would rule that the mixture between the broken physics, the cold and the tentacles would kill some of the wildlife and foul the water a bit, but nothing too drastic

How do you deal with people knowing thieves' cant? How do I go about using it to talk with him? Just same as any other language "He says this to you all, only (person who knows thieves' cant) understands this and to everyone else it just sounds like a bunch of nonsense"

How would a character begin about the plan of killing Baal the god of murder?

Backstory: my character is a noble who forsook his heritage to become a martial artist (Open Hand Monk) and trains to become the best martial artist ever. With several companions he brutally fought his way through the Red Wizards of Thay's Doomvault and killed many people horribly. He released the Chosen of Baal from imprisonment because he wanted a good fight and murdered him. Now he thinks he might endeavor to murder Baal himself.

Give me some interesting starting adventure ideas I can use to introduce a group to 5E and hopefully start a campaign.

Empire on the brink of collapse as the Emperor lays dying, racial tensions are at a maximum. He's leaving behind dozens of sons and daughters and they are vying for control of resources already. The PCs were hired by one of the heirs to help him get to an estate on the frontier, but he'll probably die as assassin's strike in the first session.

>>54009898
"An old man gets uncomfortably close and asks about the weather in a contrived way. Only Bobby McRogue understands that he's signaling for you to act natural"

Thieve's cant isn't necessarily a language as much as it is a "code" including jargon, body language, hand signals etc.

>>54009906
I assume you're in a high-level campaign, right? Most DMs I know wouldn't allow that backstory unless it was a 15th-20th level game or something like that. At that point the sky's the limit as long as you have a wizard or sorcerer in the party, just be sure to talk it over with the DM because 5e isn't built to handle things like directly killing gods

>>54009838
I didn't expect the water to freeze. I didn't have any idea of what would/should happen, and neither did the DM. I probably wasn't going to meaningfully injure or hinder whatever ooze monster it was in there, so I didn't waste the spell slot.

The party did make me partially submerge a metal pole and cast shocking grasp on it, though.

>>54009906
Create a massive circle of people in the form of an arcane diagram that the monk will punch his way through single-handedly, the fallen bodies and sprays of blood cleverly arranged as a massive, interplanar crop circle to draw the attention of Baal himself. Baal, intrigued by the degree and artistry of the monk's dedication to murder, funnels himself into an avatar made of the bodies of the murdered.

At which point the monk punches the shit out of him, or something.

>>54010062
No. That's not character backstory those are events that happened in game. I meant as in previous events that happened in game.

I just started playing a Wu Jen Mystic in my two year running game today.. We are about lv 13 and I got a pretty good range of powers to play with. We didn't get any real combat but I had a lot of fun with non combat stuf and sneaking alongside the parties Rogue. I was glad I took Invisibility as one of my Wizard spells even though I had blindspot. I found that actual utility was pretty limited but the Wu Jens extra skills opened up room for other skill choices and made up for it a good bit.

I can't wait to see how I do in a fight come next week as well

>>54010110
Ask the DM if you can do a ritual to summon him like >>54010104 suggested. But unless the deities in the setting are very weak you'd probably know if he has any weaknesses you can exploit.

Maybe you can force him down to ground hallowed by the god of fertility and sap his power that way, or maybe you can bargain with an archdevil to weaken him enough that your party can kill him. If you have a high-level cleric perhaps he can blow his divine intervention to ask for advice and additional knowledge. Maybe you can go around burning his places of worship to the ground to weaken him if that's how gods work in the setting. Perhaps you can just somehow open a portal to the plane of positive energy and toss him there to soften him up. There are no guidelines for this sort of thing so you have to get creative.

Hey /tg/, I'm making a Paladin, but I'm having a hard time finding a deity that would fit the character. I want the Paladin to be more interested in smiting evil by any means necessary than protecting the innocent. Any advice on which deity would endorse this?

>>54010241
Heliod, God of the Sun

>>54010241
Maybe Silvanus, god of wild nature. Maybe it's a bit of a stretch, but I guess he doesn't like undeads and unnatural beings.

>>54010241
Paladins don't need to worship any deities.

>>54010332
I just re-read the book and yeah, it mentions that a paladin's power can come from a commitment to justice.

That solves that problem. Thanks!

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>>54010387

>>Paladins power comes from commitment to justice
>>RYDAH SMITEU

>>54009898

It depends. If it's something I expect the party to find out about before it matters, or it's somethign I don't think is going to matter if the party knows about it, i just narrate it out loud. If it's something I want the Rogue to find out without tipping the party, I write it on a notecard and pass it over to them.

How do you handle Initiative?

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>>54010692
Everyone rolls initiative and goes in order highest to lowest.
Ties are broken by the higher dex mod
If same dex mod, the tie is split by coin flip

So... long story sort, because of another thread, I've kind of been challenged to come up with a PC race based on the Mares of Diomedes from Greco-Roman Mythology. How overpowered is this first draft?

Diomedian
Ability Score Modifiers: +2 Strength, +1 Constitution
Size: Medium
Speed: 35 feet
Vision: Normal
Bred to Run: You have Advantage on Constitution saving throws made to avoid Exhaustion from Forced Marching.
Hunter's Senses: You have Proficiency in Perception.
Powerful Build: You are treated as being one size category larger for determining your carrying, lifting, dragging, pushing and pulling capacities.
Predator's Jaws:Your fanged maw is a natural weapon, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. On a successful hit, replace the normal bludgeoning damage for an unarmed strike with 1d6 + Str modifier piercing damage.
Charnel Feast: As a bonus action, you can make a special attack with your bite. If it hits, it deals its normal damage and you gain temporary hit points equal your Con modifier (minimum of 1). After successfully using this trait, you cannot use it again until you complete a short rest or a long rest.

>>54010779
That's actually probably perfect. I know nothing about the race but stats wise it seems perfectly balanced.

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>player constantly asks questions he could easily look up or google
>rarely pays attention to the game
>ignores npcs and pcs 90% of the time
I think I have that guy, and talking to him next time is going to suck. I get that these games aren't for everyone but it shouldn't be this hard to follow 5E.

>>54010851
In mythology, the Mares of Diomedes were racing horses owned by King Diomedes, granted unnatural swiftness, vitality and savagery by being fed human flesh. Hercules had to steal them as one of his Labors.

For the D&D version, the basic idea so far is that some mad wizard tried to engineer himself a superior soldier by fusing horses with wolves and then pasting it onto orcs or ogres for the humanoid frame, but he lost control and they went wild.

>>54010865
could be worse, I have a player in my group that gets mad when his stupid ideas get outvoted
>P1: Hey guys let's talk to this OBVIOUSLY EVIL AND BACKSTABBING thing, maybe it'll help us!
>P2: No, we aren't going to do that
>P1: It couldn't hurt to just hear it out
>P3: Yes it could, and no we aren't doing it
>P4: Yeah, we are not striking deals with fiends
>P1: FUCKING FINE! WHATEVER! I'M ALWAYS GETTING OUTVOTED BUT WHATEVER!

>>54011077
At least they're taking part. I was so aghast at this guy blatantly ignoring and not humoring an old man I'm tempted to have the rumors.
>that guy insists and keeping another character's bag of holding
>thinks the bear carcass inside won't rot and get bloody as he carries out ridiculous dismemberment with it
>still thinks it'll be edible later
I'd be tempted to trade players if I could.

>>54006989

There is no specific ruling on that, but I would you actually have to enter the mouth of the cave and let your eyes adjust before you'd be able to see anything.

>>53999331
I'm having trouble making a kill requirement for demons in my setting, hell/the abyss is a less organized place and going there isn't very realistic until very end-game levels. Demons can change but generally become demons again when they are killed, and I dislike the feeling of hopelessness there is to killing something that will just come back anyway. Radiant damage is too common, a ritual is too much and I don't want to force all parties to pick a specific spell (at least not high level).

Would it cause any significant changes to have damage double on crit instead of just the damage dice?

>>54002926
It's like you've never heard of bounded accuracy. You don't fight high CR enemies by passing every save and dodging every attack. Instead, you get more hp and access to abilitiesto counter Fear, for example. Ancient dragons are actually more dangerous than wyrmlings.

>>54003812
This is true.
>>54003659
If you want them to level, and you do seem to, you should give them XP for completing goals that makes up the difference. Adjusted daily XP is how much they should be able to beat, but it's also how much XP that adventure should award, assuming they don't fail or chicken out and run away. XP doesn't all have to be killing monsters.

>>54007748
If no other back story presents itself:

You're with the party because once the Bandits hit, you're the one who sees through their disguises and ambush. You're the one who helps investigate who they might be and where they might hold up, although Ranger tracking will probably take precedence on the latter. Then you are the one who figures out who hired them and report that information to whomever will pay you.

If the rest of the Security/party is the muscle, you are the quality assurance.

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>been running a campaign in a homebrew setting for some time now
>introduce the first vampire to the party
>just now realized after that session that CoS exists
>also find out none of the players have run it, they just know of its existence

do i thieve it for good ideas

>>54007309
Next time you should pretend to be dead. Maybe you can act like the healing didn't work.

>>54011454
I always steal from that stuff

>>54010779

Needs the numbers run, but looks pretty good so far, maybe even a bit underpowered. Charnel Feast isn't giving much for a short rest.

If it were me I'd probably drop Charnel Feast entirely and let Bred to Run grant advantage to Athletics, too.That gives it a little more of a rule niche as the all-passive uber-athlete race option while freeing it up to classes/backgrounds that don't grant Athletics because picking it up seems like such a no-brainer.

>>54011077

https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2003/09/05

>>54011187
I'm in the exact same situation with one of mine. He makes zero input outside of combat unless he decides to tell another player to do something OOC. In combat he just does 3 basic melee attacks and then goes back to sitting on his tablet. Half of his turns I have to re explain the layout of combat to him and remind him that the guy he attacked last turn is dead now because his group actually participate.

>>54011454

Welcome to 5e, friend. Around here we steal anything that isn't nailed down.

>>54011564
>Welcome to tabletop games
FTFY

>>54011564
>Implying nails will stop us

>>54011533
>grant advantage to Athletics
Notice how no official race gives permanent ADV on a skill? Because that's fucking retarded.

>>54010779
They're fucking mares. As in horses. You can't even get out of this by calling out other anthropomorphic races because there's a reason behind them, like Tengu and so on. But these are just. God damn. Horses.

Fuck off to /mlp/ and don't forget your fedora.

>>54011264
Yes. GWM gets a ton better.

I informed our DM that when get our constitution bonus on level up since he thought it didn't add to it after level 1, should I push to make sure it gets added or would that make it look like i'm stepping on his toes? We're all pretty new to it but I don't want cons to be a almost entirely wasted stat.

>>54011720
Push it, you're going to get your ass kicked later on if you aren't getting your con bonuses

>>54011651
This. It can give proficiency, advantage in some situation, expertise in some niche, or something like powerful build if you want an effect like that.

>>54011740
Alright, let me word it this way.

It's hilariously powerful to give a race always on ADV for a skill. Make it ADV for checks related to running or proficiency in Athletics but free ADV just serves to make this race completely outclass any other option for a build that wants to use Athletics regularly and isn't Barbarian.

I'm fine with new mechanical options, but giving them roughly a +5 modifier to a skill doesn't make sense when you could just give proficiency.

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So my party managed to completely BTFO 5 wights and a vampire spawn. And now the think that they are immortal. How do I drop a reality bomb on them?
Party composition:
>lvl4 fighter (hammer and board)
>lvl4 PAM paladin
>lvl4 cleric
>lvl4 sorc
>lvl4 ranger

Do note, that I don't want to murder everyone with no chance, but an encounter that would kill a person or two if they're retarded about it would be nice.

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Hey /tg/, I've been thinking about creating a character that a mute knight with magical capabilities, (most likely eldritch knight). Now that is what the rest of my party will think, but in actuality, it's just a 12 year old girl that is inside this suit of armor, similar to using a mech.

At first I thought she could use a system of pullys and buttons to control it, but figured that would make no sense actually combatting and running and shit.

So now I'm thinking it has some sort of magical connection to her, either through backstory, or through some sort of spell (possibly animate object?) the more I think about this character the more I get excited, but the logistics would just be so rough.

How does the girl take damage, if the armor got hit in the head with a sword, surely she would feel nothing? For gameplay sake would this armor have to be connected to her health through some sort of magic?

Anyone have any thoughts or advice on how I can functionally create a 12 year old girl in a mech.

>>54011779
Mind flyer and some of his minions. Duergar or intellect devourers

>>54011651

If you want what the official races give you, refluff the official races. If you're going to bother creating a new race, give it something to justify its existence. Since we already have official races that grant always on flight, secondary forms, reach, mini-sneak attacks, no need for sleep, free cantrips, different rules on hiding, invisibility, a disguise self that alters height, free death saves, enhanced crits, feats, new armor calculations, double speed, HP max damage, and a whole host of formally enemy-only benefits, it's not that weird considering it's the only that's going to set it apart from the pack.

If you're terrified at the possibility that wild, unchecked athletics rolls are going to damage your game to the point of unplayability, you could drop it to proficiency instead which pretty much just turns it into a faster but squishier goliath. But at that point, just play a goliath.

>>54011779
in terms of story
>the church of the Elder God sends his hitsquad to avenge the attack on cities by the undead
>a person who orchestrated it is a leader of the most powerful vampire clan on the continent.
>this vampire clan rules the trading hubs on the western coast

>>54011719
5% chance to do an extra 10 damage, average 0.5 damage. With advantage it's twice that, but otherwise there aren't a lot of way to autocrit or similar to take advantage of it. Champion is shit anyway so expanded crit range doesn't really matter. Dual wielder feat is bad anyway, shield master is easy to buff if it creates a gap there (reaction to get full Evasion instead of only half of it, using the reaction benefits everyone that gain cover from you against the effect, +shield AC to all dex saves instead of just single target ones etc.), PAM is already the best one and on medium-high levels you'll usually get GWM with PAM anyway, SS benefits similarly and XBX is shit like DW except in specific builds.

>>54011817
This is better then Goliath in every way, Goliaths suck mechanically.

Best race for Arcana Cleric other then V.Human?

>>54007644
Hmmm who could be behind this post

What are some good names and more-so, titles, for great old ones? E.g. Haposid the governor of dreams, Caarniss the sovereign of magic, or more traditional ones like Hastur the whisperer in darkness, Azathoth the daemon sultan.

>>54001609
Milestones are shit as they don't reward players doing anything outside of the GM's railroad and don't give players any clear idea of how to progress.

If you actually use the XP system as written then progress is well paced and enjoyable. Our party is level 3 after 5 short (2-3 hour) sessions.

Unfortunately most GM's feel they don't need to read the game rules as they already know everything then wonder why everything turns out like shit.

>>54011769

corrected post > >>54011817

Proficiency is safe enough, but at that point I think it just turns it into a goliath sub-class. I think making it the only class that gets advantage on a roll gives it a niche and making that athletics both reinforces the existing traits and gives it some combat utility but only for a usually underpowered sub-system.

The more I look at what it does to Sentinel/Shield Master builds, though, the less I like it.

Dropping it back down to proficiency is probably the right play, but then what un-goliaths it?

>>54009898
This >>54010006 is accurate. Another thing you could do is not mention that only Bobby understands, but just slip him a note. Your players will probably get that it's thieves' cant but their characters won't, and unless Bobby reads the note out loud they won't know what's on it.

That said, I find it bizarre that all rogues happen to know the same thieves' cant, no matter what group they belong to.

>>54011779
5 Phase spiders.
Set them up in a cool arena with lots of weird surfaces + webs. (This will really give the spiders an advantage, they can move freely across all surfaces and webs).
There's a hole in the ceiling that leads to the spider nest, and 1d4 reinforcements (also phase spiders) can emerge from the nest if the battle is going too smoothly for the players.

Any treasure you wish to share (such as magical gear on a dead knight) should be in the nest.
If the players are still fresh faced add a phase spider mother with 3x HP and +2 to hit and poison DC.

>Things the players can do
If they want to cut down a web, they need to succeed on an investigation roll and cut 2-3 thick strings.

The webs don't burn very well but it might be possible anyways.

They could always retreat back to a narrow tunnel.

Finding a way to move freely around is also vital for the players, as is dealing with phase shifting spiders (in the astral plane).

>>54002675
Yes you obviously reward XP. They overcame the monsters they just didn't do it with a sword.

Unless you want to play a pure miniature wargame you need to reward out of combat thinking.

>>54011900
There's only so much bloat you can make before races take one of two paths, either power bloat or sort of samey feeling abilities. Personally I much prefer the later because it at least gives people more then 1 option if they want those abilities.

>>54011793
>father was eldrich knight
>retires after bad battle
>wanted to raise his daughter in a non violent profession
>some kind of meanie curses the girl and the father's suit, infusing them
>father goes out to hunt down the baddie to end the curse (we don't know if he succeeded)
>a year later the girl decided to go out and help her father, despite the wishes of her mother

>>54011533
I actually stole the mechanics for Charnel Feast from the lizardfolk's Hungry Jaws feature. Plus, it fits better, given the Diomedians are supposed to be man-eaters in much the same way as their inspirations were - that's partly why they gravitate towards the mercenary role.

>>54011883
Well, there's at least one Lovecraft wiki that might help. For more direct plundering, these are the GOOs from Pathfinder's Strange Aeons path:

Abhoth, Source of Uncleanness
Atlach-Nacha, The Void Weaver
Azathoth, The Daemon Sultan
Bokrug, The Water Lizard
Chaugnar Faugn, The Horror From The Hills
Cthulhu, The Dreamer In The Deep
Ghatanothoa, The Eternal Source
Hastur, The King In Yellow
Ithaqua, The Wind Walker
Mhar, The World Thunder
Mordiggian, The Charnel God
Nhimbaloth, The Empty Death
Nyarlathotep, The Crawling Chaos
Orgesh, The Faceless God
Rhan-Tegoth, Herald Of The End Times
Shub-Niggurath, Black Goat Of The Woods
Tsathoggua, Father Of Night
Xhamen-Dor, The Inmost Blot
Yig, Father Of Serpents
Yog-Sothoth, The Key And The Gate

>>54011817
>going to set it apart from the pack.
Except Minotaur does natural attack and ADV on Shoves already. So now it's just a faster but less strong Minotaur.

>>54011958
Thanks, that's quite helpful. I just looked up the individual ones on a lovecraft wiki but it wasn't very effective.

>>54011935

Yeah, the existing races are already looking rather overstuffed. There's not a lot of gaps left to fill.

>>54011793
Since the two are magically bound in a way that allows her to feel things through the suit, damage to the suit causes her mental damage as feedback. Its damped by the powers of the suit but enough abuse will lead to headaches, unconsciousness, and eventually coma/death.

>>54011984
There's a few places noticeably missing. Another +2 INT race, another +2 WIS, someone with Magic Resistance who isn't a caster race...

Really I feel like they should try more +1/+1/+1 Races and at least mix the stats.

>>54011962

Shit, good point. Way too much overlap there.

>>54011941
very great idea here, can you explain more what you mean by infuse? is she allowed to exit the suit in this scenario, is she just a suit of armor?
>>54011989
this is so fucking smart I would have never thought of this

>>54011980
The PF Wiki may have more titles for GOOs amongst its pages too, since they feature multiple of them so far.

I don't know if these would "count" for you, but there were also the Lovecraftian "Malign Stars" in 4e - Dragon #366's "Wish Upon A Star" names these amongst their ranks, although there's no titles I can recall off the top of my head:

Acamar: Acamar is a corpse star whose motions and behemoth size send celestial objects that draw too close spiraling to their doom.

Caiphon: This purple star is usually on the horizon. It has the guise of a helpful guide star, but sometimes betrays those who rely upon it.

Delban: An ice-white star often visible only during winter, Delban might surprise the star-gazer with an impromptu flare during any season.

Gibbeth: Better not to write or think overlong on
this greenish point in the sky.

Hadar: Hadar is the extinguished cinder of a star lurking within the cloaking nebula of Ihbar.
Ihbar: A dark nebula between stars, Ihbar is
slowly expanding and eating the light of neighboring constellations.

Khirad: A piercing blue star, Khirad’s radiance
sometimes reveals secrets and gruesome insights.

Nihal: Nihal is a reddish star that writhes around the position it should hold in the heavens.

Ulban: Ulban’s blue-white light disrupts cognition and the ability to recognize danger.

Zhudun: Another corpse star, Zhudun is historically described as shining a baleful light over the Ruined Realm of Cendriane in the Feywild before its fall.

>>54011817
>>54011900
You're literally breaking an established restriction to racial traits to make it special, that's not on the same level as actual unique racial traits like lucky, hidden step, stone's endurance, save face etc. This is less interesting and just comes across as homebrew snowflake syndrome. Advantage is situational, proficiency in general, with very few exceptions and none IIRC when it comes to the advantage part of it.

Mechanically too, advantage at-will on a broad range of rolls like all of a certain skill, is undesirable for several reasons. Mostly I'd say that it messes up the maths and is way too strong for a racial ability since it increases your maximum (play or just dip rogue/bard and you have +9 athletics with always-on advantage level 5) compared to proficiency (which doesn't stack, so a racial proficiency means more breadth rather than depth), and the fact that advantage should be rare so that different sources of it don't overlap too much. This is both because of class features, and because the GM should also be able to reward fictional positioning, inspiration should have an impact and so on. It's why flanking is generally considered a bad optional rule.

Lizardfolk Druid or Aasimar Cleric?

>>54012100
Lizardfolk Druid, my man.

>>54012039
Slight correction; according to Dragon #381, Ulban is also known as "The Messenger", due to its nature as the last surviving intelligence after the end of the universe, come back in time to avert the end of all things.

Meanwhile, in the MM3, Nihal is known as the Serpent Star, for both its winding orbit and the fact it's apparently made of all-devouring serpents of starlight.

Likewise, Allabar is known as the Opener of the Way, because it has unique powers in bringing both aberrations and starspawn to plague the mortal world..

Portly lich: a skeleton whose robes fit like they would on a fat fleshy person with nothing actually underneath them, or simply a Skeletor-like skull-headed corpse creature?

>>54012071

These are all solid points and I have come to agree with your point of view.

>>54002799
Well, Fighters have the luxury of being able to do any kind of martial class well. Barbarians really only work with STR-based weapons, so finesse or ranged builds don't work with them. If you want to be a ranged archerman (and don't care much about the nature stuff) you're probably better off as a Fighter than a Ranger.

They also get more feats, which are extremely powerful in 5e. You could reliably go PAM/GWM by level 6 without even needing to go Variant Human, which the Barbarian has to wait for until level 8. You can add some extra utility with a feat like Alert or Observant or the heavy armor feat, or you can just pump up 2-3 of your ability scores to 20. Actually, the feats/ASIs are far more useful than most things the Barb gets after level 6.

That said, I don't see much point of going Champion Fighter over Barbarian. Barbarian does almost the same thing with much better flavor, and does the whole "physical perfection" thing much better.

>>54008152
>
I'd just give that to a paladin in plate or some shit, seems like a cool fluff thing for a holy warrior to have, and they suck in sneak anyways

>>54012199
If anybody else wields it, its just a normal shortsword. Its "bonded" to him as part of the curse.

>>54012197
ask the sword its feelings

Giving up your entire playstyle is something DMs should be avoiding forcing their players to do.

>>54008152
i'd just stop trying to hide while using the sword. you'll be able to get sneak attack off most of the time without stealth and if stealth is important, you probably don't need a +2 sword immediately. have someone else hold the sword until it's actually worth using.

Lizardfolk Monk 1/Ranger X. Is this a good idea?

>>54011254
maybe they cant kill but trap them, could be a cool setting if in your next camp there's a group of evil adventurers going around releasing the demons for powers and shit, and your pcs have to stop them and reseal the demons.

So I suggested to my friends that I run Curse of Strahd for them, but they're all kind of new so I'm not sure if they'll remain interested until the end. Is it acceptable to just start with the Tarokka reading and Death House, and then continue from there if the interest remains? And is there anything I should know from the full adventure that I should incorporate, to keep them motivated for the rest of the game?

>>54008378
it lasts a whole hour so despite the action cast time, you can cast it before rushing into a fight and for a spell slot it's free HP and lets you save your hit dice. also free damage when you are hit. helps get rid of weaker mooks who just aimlessly attack you.

Does anybody have a download link to the "Dungeon Painter Studio"?

I am poor and cannot buy it right now, but would like to use it for my dungeons.

Is there any class that uses knight armor and greatswords while also casting spells besides the eldritch knight? The eldritch knight doesn't seem too amazing.