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[DnD 5E Discussion] This is the way 5E ends. Not with a bang but a gnome mindflayer.

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Posts

  • ElvenshaeElvenshae Registered User regular
    Matt Colvillie's recent Running the Game on Action-Oriented Monster Design is a pretty fun watch, in case anyone hasn't seen it yet.

    I like it because it ties into something I've done a lot of before (in 3.Xish systems where I really had the rules down pat) but ramps it up to 11 in a way that I don't think I would have done without him laying it out like he did.

  • TerrendosTerrendos Decorative Monocle Registered User regular
    You gotta be real careful about how you change clerics though. If they are down to cloth they better be Wizard-tier casters, because most people hate playing Designated Healer.

  • override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    edited October 2019
    Elvenshae wrote: »
    Matt Colvillie's recent Running the Game on Action-Oriented Monster Design is a pretty fun watch, in case anyone hasn't seen it yet.

    I like it because it ties into something I've done a lot of before (in 3.Xish systems where I really had the rules down pat) but ramps it up to 11 in a way that I don't think I would have done without him laying it out like he did.

    I'm working on a new boss after watching his video, still needs some tweaking (stat block in spoiler)

    I want him to be tough, and have lots of things he does each turn, and more importantly make it a pretty high priority to kill his guys
    3iSHZYZ.png

    override367 on
  • ToxTox I kill threads he/himRegistered User regular
  • AldoAldo Hippo Hooray Registered User regular
    edited October 2019
    Tox wrote: »
    Oh geez, did not care for most of that, but the flavor text for the Rogue archetype is metal as all living hell:
    kc178bihsqs5.png

    Aldo on
  • XagarXagar Registered User regular
    wotc wrote:
    slippery squid

  • override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    edited October 2019
    I kind of like the giant fighter, I think you should get to just turn into a type of giant of your choice as a capstone though

    override367 on
  • DarkPrimusDarkPrimus Registered User regular
    edited October 2019
    I kind of like the giant fighter, I think you should get to just turn into a type of giant of your choice as a capstone though

    There's a Giant Soul Sorcerer UA build that I think would compliment the fighter as part of a themed party.

    DarkPrimus on
  • see317see317 Registered User regular
    Swarmkeeper:
    "Hey, you know that guy from Naruto, with all the bugs? How can I be that guy?"

  • override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    edited October 2019
    DM is going to let me play a rogue with dexerity tavern brawler and I can use small objects as finesse weapons in Descent

    I want to assassinate people with a sandal, I cant wait for this game to happen

    override367 on
  • KadokenKadoken Giving Ends to my Friends and it Feels Stupendous Registered User regular
    DM is going to let me play a rogue with dexerity tavern brawler and I can use small objects as finesse weapons in Descent

    I want to assassinate people with a sandal, I cant wait for this game to happen

    He killed three with a pencil

    a fucking pencil!

  • WearingglassesWearingglasses Of the friendly neighborhood variety Registered User regular
    Someone try out the Swarm Ranger and shout BEEEEEEES everytime he send out his swarm minions.

  • doomybeardoomybear Hi People Registered User regular
    Man, comparing the fighter and rogue features to the ranger one makes me think that wotc really don't like rangers, huh

    what a happy day it is
  • override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    they don't like sorcerers either

    I mean whoever makes UA does, and the they publish them and all the cool bloodline spells go away

  • ToxTox I kill threads he/himRegistered User regular
    Are Dex fighters a thing? Like, are they even any good at all?

    Twitter! | Dilige, et quod vis fac
  • SmrtnikSmrtnik job boli zub Registered User regular
    Tox wrote: »
    Are Dex fighters a thing? Like, are they even any good at all?

    Xbow feat

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  • SleepSleep Registered User regular
    Tox wrote: »
    Are Dex fighters a thing? Like, are they even any good at all?

    They're like one of the better ways to go.

  • SmrtnikSmrtnik job boli zub Registered User regular
    Smrtnik wrote: »
    Tox wrote: »
    Are Dex fighters a thing? Like, are they even any good at all?

    Xbow feat

    Aka what let my DM at the time to declare there are no xbow bolts to obtain in any way in the Underdark, sorry, maybe you can punch them instead or something.

    steam_sig.png
  • see317see317 Registered User regular
    edited October 2019
    Tox wrote: »
    Are Dex fighters a thing? Like, are they even any good at all?

    Yes, Dex fighters can be awesome. You've got a couple good options depending on how you play.
    Go ranged with a heavy xbow and Crossbow Expert and the archery fighting style.
    Go melee with a Rapier for the dex bonuses from being a finesse weapon. Take the dueling fighting style for +2 to that damage.
    Use medium armor so you can get the +2 from your dex bonus to get your Half Plate AC to 17, which is nearly full plate AC for half the cost (or take the defensive fighting style and match plate).

    If you take the Eldritch Knight subclass, you can use the Shield spell to get an AC of 22, or 24 if you've got an actual shield (assuming I'm understanding AC calculations correctly)

    Side not from personal experience: if you do go EK, don't focus on offensive spells. You're a fighter, fight with weapons. Use your limited spells for defense and utility.

    Edit: I feel like the Dex Fighter is the superior choice between Strength and Dex, as Dex can feed into your AC as well as your attack and damage mods for ranged and finesse weapons, while Strength only feeds into your damage for melee.
    But, that's only based on my feelings, I'm not mathing it out for proof.

    see317 on
  • AldoAldo Hippo Hooray Registered User regular
    I play level 6 EK, AMA.

    Generally, your spell options are severely limited and most turns you're just using a cantrip for booming blade to try and pin one mob down. I use Shield and False Life liberally for my spells, everything else seemed lackluster to me. I mean, I have Thunderwave, but that's not something I can use every encounter.

  • GlalGlal AiredaleRegistered User regular
    edited October 2019
    DM is going to let me play a rogue with dexerity tavern brawler and I can use small objects as finesse weapons in Descent

    I want to assassinate people with a sandal, I cant wait for this game to happen
    Someone in our party has Tavern Brawler and once nearly one-shotted a low level NPC with a mug of beer.

    Glal on
  • KoregKoreg Registered User regular
    Aldo wrote: »
    I play level 6 EK, AMA.

    Generally, your spell options are severely limited and most turns you're just using a cantrip for booming blade to try and pin one mob down. I use Shield and False Life liberally for my spells, everything else seemed lackluster to me. I mean, I have Thunderwave, but that's not something I can use every encounter.

    I feel like the best spell options aren't Action spells for EK, but reactionary/bonus spells or attack inclusive spells like Booming Blade. Shield and Absorb Elements being your bread and butter defense since they're both reactionary and don't take an attack slot. Level 2 doesn't have a ton of good options to learn, but scorching ray is nice for when you're way outside of attack range. Then level 3 you get Fireball, counterspell, and dispel magic, which while 2/3 are actions, this is why you have action surge, mainly to double fireball so the fact they pass their saving throw doesn't really matter and they take a full fireball damage between both casts.

    For all of the spells that are useful in combat like Blur and Melfs Meteors which you can't pick as spells you know, you can cast off of a scroll if you have a handy wizard in party or can stock up on useful scrolls at a big town.

    If, if Reagan played disco He'd shoot it to shit You can't disco in Jackboots
  • override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    edited October 2019
    variant human crossbow master fighters who pick up sharpshooter at level 4 or 6 are not only good, they are so good that they are unfun in traditionally balanced campaigns as long as you're willing to throw around your precision attack battlemaster dice

    against a low AC target you're throwing out like 5d6+70 at level 6, precision attacking on your low rolls

    override367 on
  • override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    Aldo wrote: »
    I play level 6 EK, AMA.

    Generally, your spell options are severely limited and most turns you're just using a cantrip for booming blade to try and pin one mob down. I use Shield and False Life liberally for my spells, everything else seemed lackluster to me. I mean, I have Thunderwave, but that's not something I can use every encounter.

    Once you can get shadow blade on your eldritch knight, it's like hitting a new tier of power (in dim light)

    its sooo goood

  • JusticeforPlutoJusticeforPluto Registered User regular
    It was "highly suggested" I stop playing DnD with my group.

    I wasn't having much fun, but now I don't get to hang out with my friends IRL. So, IDK how I feel about the whole.

    Sorry, just needed to get that off my chest.

  • SmrtnikSmrtnik job boli zub Registered User regular
    Suggested by whom? Wtf is that?

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  • JusticeforPlutoJusticeforPluto Registered User regular
    Suggested by the DM

  • Rhesus PositiveRhesus Positive GNU Terry Pratchett Registered User regular
    I'm sorry for your loss. Can you not hang out with them in a non-DnD context?

    I had to make the hard decision to kick a player this week, but in my case, I'm the one that no longer gets to hang out as the ensuing awkwardness has led to two further players no longer wanting to play and in one case have much to do with me in general.

    The jury is still out on whether the game will continue, but sometimes a dynamic that works in an informal social context just doesn't work with roleplaying.

    [Muffled sounds of gorilla violence]
  • SteelhawkSteelhawk Registered User regular
    That's balls, man. Sorry to hear that.

    Maybe you can find another group that suits you better. And also that you can maintain these friendships

  • evilthecatevilthecat Registered User regular
    Soooo I need to introduce a new PC to the group but I'm not coming up with anything fresh and spicey.
    The player in question got sat on by an ooze and by the time the cleric yanked their body out of the goop there wasn't any meat left.
    The new PC is a druid, the campaign is set on a jungle island and all I'm coming up with is either damselling the group or the new PC.
    The difficulty of doing something else is that there's a language barrier and my PCs refuse to take any of the comprehension spells (indeed, this is what got the PC killed in the first place).
    Anyone got an idea!?

    tip.. tip.. TALLY.. HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
  • PowerpuppiesPowerpuppies drinking coffee in the mountain cabinRegistered User regular
    if they're just randomly encountering things in the jungle then you're kind of locked into them randomly encountering the new player

    maybe they're with other people though, and not in distress? they could be part of an adventuring party themselves, and about ready to cut ties with their companions? When the party comes along,t hey see their chance

    or they're alone, heading home because the people they were in the jungle with died

    or they're on their way somewhere the players also care about, but not happy about having to traverse the jungle alone, and are willing to delay their destination to follow the party's priorities if it means they're safer during travel

    not sure any of these are spicier than damseling though :(

    if they're not currently wandering through random encounters your options broaden considerably. Person can be tied in with the main plot, betrayed by the bad guys (or about to betray them!), sent by good guys to help, waiting around near the action for mercenary work, loose cannon who discovered the bad guys' plan but couldn't convince anyone they weren't crazy, etc

    sig.gif
  • evilthecatevilthecat Registered User regular
    I think i might need to add a bit of fluff:

    the campaign takes place in the FR on an island that has been cut off from everywhere else for a millennium.
    The group represent the expeditionary force of a sword coast nation.
    The new PC is an old-native druid to the island.
    The group are trying to establish good relations with the new-natives who nearly genocided the old-natives centuries ago.
    The group is entirely unaware of the history of the island, the druid knows bits and pieces.

    tip.. tip.. TALLY.. HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
  • Rhesus PositiveRhesus Positive GNU Terry Pratchett Registered User regular
    Could the party get captured by the druid, or the druid's hunting party, and have to prove their motives are aligned through non-language means?

    [Muffled sounds of gorilla violence]
  • PowerpuppiesPowerpuppies drinking coffee in the mountain cabinRegistered User regular
    Oh i thought you were running chult, dunno why. Could the druid be in some way interacting with a new native they hate who speaks the parties language?

    sig.gif
  • SteelhawkSteelhawk Registered User regular
    New Druid PC is part of some quasi-friendly faction which the party needs to communicate with in order to reach a tasty tasty prize. Engage their greed in order for them to be able to try and communicate.

    Deliver out of proportion party casualties if needs be to get the message across that they need to talk to the new guy. If the new PC player is amenable, have him halfheartedly try to warn the PC's of danger and then laugh at them when they fail. Once the rest of party gets over their hubris and works harder to communicate, have the new PC then easily allow them, in his role as local guide, allow such dangers in the future.

    Eventually, have new PC pick up common for free and do away with long term communication issues within the party.

  • override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    edited October 2019
    DM gave my druid a true resurrection in out of the abyss. Druid's backstory: I was literally manshoons pet, his familiar. An offspring of a wererat and a human woman that he came across while building his splinter zentarim in the sewers, and rather than leaving this creature to die, he took as a pet and (with the help of some summoned fey) trained in the arts of druidic magic, a resource he did not have. Many things happen since the, including me being reincarnated as a drow

    So I'm sitting here with the power to bring one person back to life who has died within 200 years. The party that my character is in killed manshoon. I only joined them because I'm playing a very logical person, and despite anger at their killing of my master I knew that someday I could bring him back, and their current enemies are now all of his enemies. I say "manshoon" (killed by the party during dragon heist, they took my character in and have been teaching me to be a normal person). One of my flaws is that despite evidence, I still revere manshoon like a father. Whoops!

    DM is tickled pink, Manshoon thanks me and tells me he's proud of me. I tell him we're making our way to kill the xanathar, as well as dealing with Demon Lords. and plead with him to leave the party be, none of his plans work I'd they fail. Manshoon uses a Wish to permanently give me +2 to all stats out of sincere gratitude (dm has always played him as having incredible loyalty to his underlings). I plead with Manshoon to leave the party alone as I've gotten to know them and realize many of my master's plans were loony toons. Manshoon nods, assures me that he won't be doing anything for a while as he has a new demiplane to construct and staff. He fucks off with teleport and says he'll see me again


    The party is not happy with me. The players on the other hand are delighted, the DM is delighted, im so glad I don't have a DM who gives players big explosive plot tools and gets mad when they use them

    override367 on
  • webguy20webguy20 I spend too much time on the Internet Registered User regular
    DM gave my druid a true resurrection in out of the abyss. Druid's backstory: I was literally manshoons pet, his familiar. An offspring of a wererat and a human woman that he came across while building his splinter zentarim in the sewers, and rather than leaving this creature to die, he took as a pet and (with the help of some summoned fey) trained in the arts of druidic magic, a resource he did not have. Many things happen since the, including me being reincarnated as a drow

    So I'm sitting here with the power to bring one person back to life who has died within 200 years. The party that my character is in killed manshoon. I only joined them because I'm playing a very logical person, and despite anger at their killing of my master I knew that someday I could bring him back, and their current enemies are now all of his enemies. I say "manshoon" (killed by the party during dragon heist, they took my character in and have been teaching me to be a normal person). One of my flaws is that despite evidence, I still revere manshoon like a father. Whoops!

    DM is tickled pink, Manshoon thanks me and tells me he's proud of me. I tell him we're making our way to kill the xanathar, as well as dealing with Demon Lords. and plead with him to leave the party be, none of his plans work I'd they fail. Manshoon uses a Wish to permanently give me +2 to all stats out of sincere gratitude (dm has always played him as having incredible loyalty to his underlings). I plead with Manshoon to leave the party alone as I've gotten to know them and realize many of my master's plans were loony toons. Manshoon nods, assures me that he won't be doing anything for a while as he has a new demiplane to construct and staff. He fucks off with teleport and says he'll see me again


    The party is not happy with me. The players on the other hand are delighted, the DM is delighted, im so glad I don't have a DM who gives players big explosive plot tools and gets mad when they use them

    It's also awesome that you have players that in character are upset, but in person are delighted. I always strive for that disconnect and love it when everyone else is on board too.

    Steam ID: Webguy20
    Origin ID: Discgolfer27
    Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
  • WearingglassesWearingglasses Of the friendly neighborhood variety Registered User regular
    Ugh, I have been bitten by the "Want to GM" bug again, and I'm eyeballing Ravnica....

    What do I need to know?

  • AldoAldo Hippo Hooray Registered User regular
    Ugh, I have been bitten by the "Want to GM" bug again, and I'm eyeballing Ravnica....

    What do I need to know?

    Do what I do... Don't have time for dnd.

    Oh :(

  • SmrtnikSmrtnik job boli zub Registered User regular
    Ugh, I have been bitten by the "Want to GM" bug again, and I'm eyeballing Ravnica....

    What do I need to know?

    Seeing is a whole planet covered in a city, and the city has been there for millennia built in top of older buildings so there are many layers stacked. There are many patches that are in ruins that wilderness has started growing on. Occasionally some wilderness patch gets colonized and built upon, and occasionally more if the city falls into ruin.

    At some point in there life almost every sentient jobs a faction known as a "guild" and these are based upon ideology mostly. Sometimes factions with together but there are no permanent alliances. The player characters are usually from one or a handful of guilds (in temporary alliance), and the antagonists are from one or more of the other guilds, or even own guild in a plot twist. The setting is steampunky industrial + magic. There is room for both good and evil characters in most guilds, depending on the interpretation. There is also hints at planar travel being common and some big boss of the whole place leaving the guilds to run it in his stead millennia ago.

    Given that the guilds are such a huge part of the setting here they are in a nutshell (a lot more nuance in the setting book):
    - the cops and legislators led by a LN Sphinx precog
    - the army let by angels
    - the nature hippies led by a tree
    - the nature barbarians that live in the ruins and want to make more ruins
    - the nature scientists that experiment on themselves
    - the electricity and explosives scientists let by a dragon
    - the thieves guild let by vampires
    - the church and banking guild let by greedy ghosts
    - the sewer and trash cleanup people/bugs
    - the circus people let by a demon. Also the circus is full of blood and death. Also everyone loves to go to the circus.

    There are also petty gangs that aren't technically part of any guild.

    I think that's everyone.

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