>Been playing 5e for almost 6 months, usually 2-4 sessions a month
>Same group of players for the most part
>But players are too fuckin lazy to learn their class abilities
>Depend on me to write down and explain their shit
>Absolutely refuse to take ten minutes outside of session to look up spells for casters, they just ask me "what are some good spells?"
>They can't remember how to do the most basic rolls, let alone think of their handy abilities
>They claim to love D&D, enjoy playing, but for the life of me I can't get them to put any hint of effort themselves
It's sucking the fun out of the game for me when I have to hold their hands so much. As DM I spend enough time and effort prepping sessions, the least they can do is take care of their characters. I even offer them assistance to take care of it before the session so that we don't waste game time, but they still wait until we start to ask "Hey how do I level up again?"
I'm considering switching over to a super simple system kind of like pic related. Still based on D&D but with as few moving parts as possible. I brought up this idea to players.
>"but DM we like 5e and all the cool stuff classes can do."
>Then read the fuckin book and learn your shit
>"But DM it's just so much material and hard to understand."
>Well I've offered to help you understand but you still have to put forth some effort.
>"But DM I just don't have as much time as you."
>Then we'll go for a simple system that requires no time.
>"But DM we like this."
I just want to kill all of them.
>>55432048
Throw the book at them and tell them to figure it out themselves or leave the group. Stop handholding/enabling their laziness.
>>55432048
Stop doing shit for them, and don't let them do shit that they don't know how to do. They'll either learn their shit or leave.
>>55432085
Another problem. Only 2 of my 6 players actually own the PHB. I've sent them links to 5etools and pdf's so the others still have access to the material. But they still don't put forth the effort. They're all my close friends and we have a good time once we're playing but god damn it takes all my energy just to get us started.
They are intimidated by the material, and I can't get them to realize it's really not too much. I have started making them create their own characters and everything, but it takes them 1.5-2 hours to do it. Even with me explaining it along the way.
I can roll a character in ~10 minutes. I don't see why they can't either.
>>55432184
Just because someone is a good friend doesn't mean that they're a good person to game with. If they're not able/willing to play the game, you probably should play something else with them and find a different group for your DnD fix.
As for my own question>>55432048
>In planning phases for the third of what would be a series of linked campaigns.
>Players have asked for me to set up a conflict between two NPCs that were introduced in the previous campaigns.
>Due to the nature of the homebrewed system (that I can elaborate upon if necessary), I cannot really conceive of a conflict between these two that would be both suitably epic and leave the PCs as something other than spectators, which is bad.
>But I've had 3 separate requests of a playgroup of 5 to include something in it, because it would "feel right" or "be awesome".
>Pretty sure they'll all hate it if I actually go through with it.
>>55432048
>>They claim to love D&D, enjoy playing, but for the life of me I can't get them to put any hint of effort themselves
Start playing with adults or less autistic teenagers.
If they are adults with little free time, tough shit. Switch to boardgames.
>>55432184
>making their own characters takes 1.5-2 hours
that's usually the case with a system you have zero experience with, just have them make more and they'll get faster. They just have to read the shit related to their race/class.
Why do people keep playing 5 instead of glorious 3.5?
>>55432236
need more info on the npcs to really give any advice
>>55432521
It's the plastic in the water, it makes them feminine and impotent.
>>55432521
>playing 3.5
>ever
>>55432521
>sucks caster cock all day erry day
>calls others feminine
>>55432147
This. So much this it hurts.
>>55432524
Basically, you have a split between "low magic" and "high magic". While there is some synergy between the two, they don't necessarily overlap. Low magic is the stuff that adventurers do, and is generally less powerful but less resource intensive than "high magic", which is more akin to ritualistic stuff that you need a lot of time and rare resources to do.
I've created two different powerful high mages, in different parts of the campaign setting, both of whom were mostly quest givers in previous campaigns. One's this hotheaded guy who lives in a !not gulf state and has mostly been concerned with the ongoing desertification of his home region. The second is the loser of a religious squabble and has been exiled underground, and heavily cursed by one of the setting deities. Sunlight will kill her, and she's quite bitter about it, especially that with all of her power, she can't break a god's handiwork.
Players want to see a fight between the two of them. I could probably engineer a reason for them to go at it, even though nothing occurs to me at the moment. The bigger problem is mechanically, they're both cut from the same cloth. If you catch them outside their prepared (months in advance) spells and defenses, a low level fighter could just walk up to them and stab either of them no problem. If they do have time to get their shit together, they're nigh invincible, and the ability of the players to intervene in any sort of fight would be limited at best and probably make them spectators.
>>55433459
I'd tie in the one underground is using magic to change the movement of the sun, causing the other area to become desert.
Not!gulf guy is using magic to try and locate the underground one, who has gone into hiding for her own safety while changing the sun.
Its less mage vs mage, the players can kill underground mage and save the gulf or can help the underground mage and ruin the gulf mage's home.
Add-in raised rock minions for fluff fights.
>>55432048
You sound like my DM. we have six players, two who are experienced, two who are new and two kind of in the middle. The two newbies just coast along with base attacks and never add anything to the RP except for weird anime shit, and are in general a drag to the experience. They always ask if they can do this or that, and are liabilities since the get downed every other encounter.
>>55432184
>But they're X
You're a coward anon. You fear rejection and exclusion so you destroy yourself pandering. You already know the answers, what needs to be done and how. Do it or admit that you're fishing for excuses
>>55433642
I'm sorry if I wasn't clear, but what I got explicitly in one of the requests, and at least how I understood the others, was a face to face meeting between the two, presumably with super high level spells and summons being flung around.
Making them the two polar factions of a campaign could work, and to be honest I never thought of that for some reason. And that in turn opens a bunch of avenues up that are actually obvious now that I'm thinking along those lines. Thanks anon.
>>55433459
>>55433642
I like this anon's suggestion, it sounds like a fun campaign arc. Unfortunately I'm an uncreative fuck and can offer nothing further besides my support.