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[d20 Discussion] You either get busy livin', or get busy craftin'.

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    Hexmage-PAHexmage-PA Registered User regular
    edited April 2022
    I came up with a statblock for Doresain the Ghoul King that I used for my most recent session.
    Doresain the Ghoul King
    Medium Fiend (Demon), Chaotic Evil

    AC 19 (natural armor)
    Hit Points 300
    Speed 40 ft, fly 40 ft

    Str 18 Dex 22 Con 20 Int 21 Wis 22 Cha 24

    Saving Throws: Dex +12, Wis +12, Cha +13
    Skills: Deception +14, Insight +13, Intimidate +14, Perception +13
    Damage Resistances: cold, fire, lightning
    Damage Immunities: necrotic, poison; bludgeoning, piercing and slashing from nonmagical attacks
    Condition Immunities: charmed, exhaustion, poisoned
    Senses: truesight 120 ft., passive perception 22
    Languages: Common, Abyssal, Elvish, telepathy 120 ft
    Challenge: 22

    Traits
    Aura of Gnashing Teeth. When a creature enters within 10 feet of Doresain for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, it must make a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 3d8 force damage. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage. The aura is deactivated if Doresain takes radiant damage, and he can activate or deactivate the aura as a bonus action.
    Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Doresain fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead.
    Magic Resistance. Doresain has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
    Undying Soul (Recharges after a Rest). If Doresain is reduced to 0 hit points by an attack that does not deal radiant damage he immediately makes a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. If he succeeds, he is instead reduced to 1 hit point.

    Actions
    Multiattack. Doresain makes two attacks.
    Spectral Claw. Melee or Ranged Spell Attack: +14 to hit, range 60 ft., one creature. 3d6 slashing damage plus 3d6 necrotic damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 20 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
    Toothlust. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 1d8+8 bludgeoning damage plus 4d6 necrotic damage. Doresain regains hit points equal to half the necrotic damage dealt, and the target can’t regain hit points until the start of its next turn.
    Soul Shredding Scream (Recharge 6). Each creature that is not a construct, fiend, or undead within 40 feet of Doresain must make a DC 20 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 6d6 necrotic damage and its hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to half the damage taken. This reduction lasts until the creature is targeted by Remove Curse or a similar effect. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0, and it rises after Doresain’s next turn as a maurezhi under his control. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage.

    Bonus Actions
    Teleport. Doresain teleports up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space he can see.

    Legendary Actions
    Attack. Doresain makes one Spectral Claw or Toothlust attack.
    Eyes of the Ghoul King. Until the end of Doresain’s next turn, he knows the location of any creature that is not a construct or an undead within 60 feet that is not behind total cover and if their current hit point total is equal to or less than one-fourth of their hit point maximum.
    Teleport. Doresain teleports up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space he can see.

    Lair Actions
    • 2d4+2 ghouls appear and roll initiative.
    • Each ghoul, ghast, shadowghast, and maurezhi that Doresain can see can use its reaction to move up to its speed and make a melee attack.
    • Until the next initiative count 20, each ghoul, ghast, shadowghast, and maurezhi within the lair is filled with ravenous hunger, causing them to have advantage on melee attack rolls and causing attack rolls to have advantage against them.

    I feel like it worked pretty well, especially in terms of softening up the party for their final battle against Orcus. Doresain doesn't do that much damage himself, but he can lower maximum hit point totals and temporarily forbid healing, making it easier for his ghoul minions to wear down enemies.

    Hexmage-PA on
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    Hexmage-PAHexmage-PA Registered User regular
    edited April 2022
    So WotC's doing the first episode of an actual play series called Legends of the Multiverse tonight, which is significant because it will also effectively double as a sneak peak of Spelljammer 5E. No idea how good the actual production will be or not compared to something like Critical Role, but I'll probably watch at least to see if any new details about Spelljammer are revealed (especially mechanical information).

    EDIT: I'm curious if this livestream is indicative of the tone new Spelljammer will have, because so far it seems like D&D 4E Gamma World. So far the characters have drank shots of psionic cuttlefish and one of them has a gelatinous cube farm.

    Hexmage-PA on
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    SteelhawkSteelhawk Registered User regular
    Are these shows also released as a podcast somewhere? I'd much rather listen to them on my commute than plunk myself down at a screen.

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    GlalGlal AiredaleRegistered User regular
    My DM wrote:
    Monk/sorcerer: Leeloo Dallas multiclass
    I am so upset (that he got there before me).

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    The Zombie PenguinThe Zombie Penguin Eternal Hungry Corpse Registered User regular
    I do love fairly accurate maps, but I just want to add sometimes a city is built far from water because it is the Holy City of Nummur, built around the Sacred Relic of Lulaphion, an ancient arcane device that ensures it rains once per day for an hour and otherwise keeps the city under grey clouds all year round, despite the land being a rocky desert out to the horizon. Other times, the naga rule the rivers with an iron fist, forcing women and children to hike for miles just to offer trinkets and meat in return for fresh water.

    On this subject: You also miss the fun of more grounded real world solutions - like massive roman aqueducts that all channel into and fill a gigantic step-well. And then you get all the various options this offers like "Some asshole poisoned the stepwell and now the entire city is dying" or similar, or Invaders knocked out the aqueduct...

    Heck you can even start with things like it WAS near the water soruces, and times changed but there were reason to not move hte city and that's a problem they have ot deal with.

    Ideas hate it when you anthropomorphize them
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    kimekime Queen of Blades Registered User regular
    Steelhawk wrote: »
    Are these shows also released as a podcast somewhere? I'd much rather listen to them on my commute than plunk myself down at a screen.

    I think a lot do. Critical Role at least does, I've listened to it a bunch when out walking or whatever

    Battle.net ID: kime#1822
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    Steam profile
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    WearingglassesWearingglasses Of the friendly neighborhood variety Registered User regular
    I do love fairly accurate maps, but I just want to add sometimes a city is built far from water because it is the Holy City of Nummur, built around the Sacred Relic of Lulaphion, an ancient arcane device that ensures it rains once per day for an hour and otherwise keeps the city under grey clouds all year round, despite the land being a rocky desert out to the horizon. Other times, the naga rule the rivers with an iron fist, forcing women and children to hike for miles just to offer trinkets and meat in return for fresh water.

    On this subject: You also miss the fun of more grounded real world solutions - like massive roman aqueducts that all channel into and fill a gigantic step-well. And then you get all the various options this offers like "Some asshole poisoned the stepwell and now the entire city is dying" or similar, or Invaders knocked out the aqueduct...

    Heck you can even start with things like it WAS near the water soruces, and times changed but there were reason to not move hte city and that's a problem they have ot deal with.

    Seems like a lot of things can be explained away with magic and "Back then some asshole ________"

    "Some asshole wizard decided he didn't like the sound of the river beside him, and since he also hated that particular riverboater dude, he decided to divert all of the river to the other side of the peninsula."

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    override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    I appreciate the number of modules that have plumbing powered by a decanter of endless water

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    SteelhawkSteelhawk Registered User regular
    edited April 2022
    kime wrote: »
    Steelhawk wrote: »
    Are these shows also released as a podcast somewhere? I'd much rather listen to them on my commute than plunk myself down at a screen.

    I think a lot do. Critical Role at least does, I've listened to it a bunch when out walking or whatever

    Yes, thanks. CR, AQI, TAZ, HR all have podcasts and not just Twitch/Youtube live shows or VOD.

    I was asking about the WoTC shows and more specifically this Legends of the Multiverse show, though.

    Steelhawk on
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    GlalGlal AiredaleRegistered User regular
    Oh, this is delighting me entirely too much.
    1jynco03yw60.png

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    DarmakDarmak RAGE vympyvvhyc vyctyvyRegistered User regular
    I do love fairly accurate maps, but I just want to add sometimes a city is built far from water because it is the Holy City of Nummur, built around the Sacred Relic of Lulaphion, an ancient arcane device that ensures it rains once per day for an hour and otherwise keeps the city under grey clouds all year round, despite the land being a rocky desert out to the horizon. Other times, the naga rule the rivers with an iron fist, forcing women and children to hike for miles just to offer trinkets and meat in return for fresh water.

    On this subject: You also miss the fun of more grounded real world solutions - like massive roman aqueducts that all channel into and fill a gigantic step-well. And then you get all the various options this offers like "Some asshole poisoned the stepwell and now the entire city is dying" or similar, or Invaders knocked out the aqueduct...

    Heck you can even start with things like it WAS near the water soruces, and times changed but there were reason to not move hte city and that's a problem they have ot deal with.

    Well thanks a lot, I went down the Wikipedia rabbit hole and now I have to try and figure out how to add stepwells to my campaign setting because holy shit they're cool

    JtgVX0H.png
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    Hexmage-PAHexmage-PA Registered User regular
    edited April 2022
    So, kind of random question, but has anyone ever found a good library of monster sound effects? I'm curious what a bulette or an umber hulk or a purple worm sounds like.

    EDIT: Alternatively, is there a convenient program I could use for editing animal calls and such to make my monster noises?

    Hexmage-PA on
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    RonaldoTheGypsyRonaldoTheGypsy Yes, yes Registered User regular
    I would like to think that Bulettes sound like Bowser does in Super Mario RPG Legend of the Seven Stars

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    Endless_SerpentsEndless_Serpents Registered User regular
    I tried to find some good sound effects on YouTube but all I got was this cow playing with a ball.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca_VPwM5h8U

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    override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    edited May 2022
    I am two weeks away from the last session of the game i"ve been running for 3 years and it's filling me with a huge sense of malaise

    I am very excited for my next campaign, as are my players, which will focus around the schism between secular and fundamentalist dark elves. Those with political power were happy to discover that all the sacrifies and pageantry and misandry are things Lolth doesnt care about, they can focus on running the city and their houses and maybe chill the fuck out once in a while. The fundamentalists responded by ramping the evil up to 11, with one of the matron mothers forcing her slightly-less-zealous daughter into a bathtub filled with a healing milk and flesh eating insects... yeah.... the matron of the 4th house runs the fundamentalist side, and is a total psychopath, imagine the drow version of amy cohen barrett. She doesn't wear anything except silk directly spun onto her body by spiders to "Stay pure" for example, nor have any living sons (sacrificed all of them to lolth)

    Now all of this has happened in the novels, the campaign is going to begin on the surface where the party's group patron sends them on a bunch of seemingly disconnected missions that are effectively a proxy war, since neither side has enough of an advantage for open conflict and (hilariously) the Drow are the most risk averse sapient race in all of the forgotten realms when it comes to warfare, even losing 10% of your common drow soldiers in a war is seen as a colossal fuckup. Drow conflicts tend to be absolutely all or nothing: we believe we can decisively destroy the enemy with few losses, or we don't fight. In the back half will focus on direct action in and around the city of spiders as they try to weaken the fundamentalists, and ultimately to either kill or capture the matron of the 4th house, since without her keeping the alliance together too many houses would just go "ah fuck it" and switch sides, causing the remainder to also switch sides to the new order rather than risk annihilation

    We're all excited for this, but I am still extremely bummed that my SKT campaign is coming to an end. I feel so attached to the world and all the work I've put into it over the years. It's not all for waste, my next campaign after this one... will be back in that world in the future, so all the changes the party has caused in the world will manifest, but still.

    override367 on
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    SteelhawkSteelhawk Registered User regular
    It always bittersweet to end a campaign that you've put your heart and soul into, but enjoy the success! Long, successful campaigns are always something to be celebrated.

    Look back on it fondly, while plugging away at the next one!

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    tzeentchlingtzeentchling Doctor of Rocks OaklandRegistered User regular
    I do love fairly accurate maps, but I just want to add sometimes a city is built far from water because it is the Holy City of Nummur, built around the Sacred Relic of Lulaphion, an ancient arcane device that ensures it rains once per day for an hour and otherwise keeps the city under grey clouds all year round, despite the land being a rocky desert out to the horizon. Other times, the naga rule the rivers with an iron fist, forcing women and children to hike for miles just to offer trinkets and meat in return for fresh water.

    On this subject: You also miss the fun of more grounded real world solutions - like massive roman aqueducts that all channel into and fill a gigantic step-well. And then you get all the various options this offers like "Some asshole poisoned the stepwell and now the entire city is dying" or similar, or Invaders knocked out the aqueduct...

    Heck you can even start with things like it WAS near the water soruces, and times changed but there were reason to not move hte city and that's a problem they have ot deal with.

    The pictures on that wikipedia link IMMEDIATELY made me think of the Water Temple in Ocarina of Time.

    Which, hey, you want to throw some puzzles at your players....

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    fadingathedgesfadingathedges Registered User regular
    .
    Hexmage-PA wrote: »
    So, kind of random question, but has anyone ever found a good library of monster sound effects? I'm curious what a bulette or an umber hulk or a purple worm sounds like.

    EDIT: Alternatively, is there a convenient program I could use for editing animal calls and such to make my monster noises?

    I'm using the Bioshock3 bird audio for Auril in RotFM

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    see317see317 Registered User regular
    Looking for suggestions for Druid Wildshapes.
    I've got a lvl 2 Druid, so max CR of 1/4.

    Current thoughts:
    Haungharassk: 6 free temp HP for anyone that touches me, at lvl 2 that's nothing to sneeze at. Clearing curses could be helpful too since we're running Witchlight. (I'm guessing the fae realms carry a fair curse risk).
    Guthash, a happy little plague rat that prevents healing and lowers max HP.
    Giant riding lizard, it comes with spider climb
    Cave badger, tunneller sounds like a fun utility.

    Looking for interesting utility more than combat. If they have a more earth/dirt theme to them it'd help to stay thematic.

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    GoumindongGoumindong Registered User regular
    Crocodiles swim.
    War Horses are strong and can pull carts and also have 60 speed and also have charge for prone
    Mastiffs have keen hearing and smell (advantage perception)
    Bats have blindsight and keen hearing
    Giant Frogs swallow and uhh. Not sure how that works when you come out of wild shape
    If your DM is nice you might be able to harvest poison from Giant Snakes/Centipedes
    Boars have charge and relentless which will potentially give them some extra HP (but not more than a war horse)

    wbBv3fj.png
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    RonaldoTheGypsyRonaldoTheGypsy Yes, yes Registered User regular
    You can't wild shape into anything with a swim speed until level 4

    or anything with a fly speed until level 8

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    GoumindongGoumindong Registered User regular
    Oh for some reason I read it as max cr 1/2 which would allow swim (and also some of those cr1/2 creatures up there). Oops

    wbBv3fj.png
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    RonaldoTheGypsyRonaldoTheGypsy Yes, yes Registered User regular
    Goumindong wrote: »
    Oh for some reason I read it as max cr 1/2 which would allow swim (and also some of those cr1/2 creatures up there). Oops

    Yeah, for whatever reason these limitations are set in stone so at level 7 as a moon druid you can be a giant constrictor snake but the thought of becoming a bluejay is beyond the strength that your connection to nature can fathom

    At level 3 you can be a brown bear but the thought of being a goldfish keeps you up at night, it's so alien and unknowable as to seem impossible

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    BursarBursar Hee Noooo! PDX areaRegistered User regular

    At level 3 you can be a brown bear but the thought of being a goldfish keeps you up at night, it's so alien and unknowable as to seem impossible

    It's just the nature spirits playing hard to get, being coy with you.

    GNU Terry Pratchett
    PSN: Wstfgl | GamerTag: An Evil Plan | Battle.net: FallenIdle#1970
    Hit me up on BoardGameArena! User: Loaded D1
    Spoilered until images are unborked. egc6gp2emz1v.png
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    GlalGlal AiredaleRegistered User regular
    You can't wild shape into anything with a swim speed until level 4

    or anything with a fly speed until level 8
    I like to imagine a low level Aarakocra druid shifting into a bird while flying and plummeting out of the sky.

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    SteelhawkSteelhawk Registered User regular
    I guess maybe the druidic training and conditioning required to assume a form with claws and teeth and strong haunches are easier to grasp than the physiology of gills and the mechanics of flight?

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    GaddezGaddez Registered User regular
    see317 wrote: »
    Looking for suggestions for Druid Wildshapes.
    I've got a lvl 2 Druid, so max CR of 1/4.

    Current thoughts:
    Haungharassk: 6 free temp HP for anyone that touches me, at lvl 2 that's nothing to sneeze at. Clearing curses could be helpful too since we're running Witchlight. (I'm guessing the fae realms carry a fair curse risk).
    Guthash, a happy little plague rat that prevents healing and lowers max HP.
    Giant riding lizard, it comes with spider climb
    Cave badger, tunneller sounds like a fun utility.

    Looking for interesting utility more than combat. If they have a more earth/dirt theme to them it'd help to stay thematic.

    If you're really eager to mess with your GM using wild shapes then you want to go with the unstatted CR 0 creatures.
    Things like spiders (Non giant), ants and other insects are going to be so small that they're practically invisible, lack enough mass to set off traps and have all kinds of wall crawling antics.

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    TastyfishTastyfish Registered User regular
    Perhaps a Tardigrade for invisibility and full damage immunities if you really want the DM to hate you.

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    GaddezGaddez Registered User regular
    Tastyfish wrote: »
    Perhaps a Tardigrade for invisibility and full damage immunities if you really want the DM to hate you.

    I'm pretty sure that putting aside how you need to have seen the creature to be able to turn into it once you become a microscopic organism you're speed would be effectively zero. Still good if you just want to hide out for an hour while sitting on a plutonium rod.

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    Dizzy DDizzy D NetherlandsRegistered User regular
    Tastyfish wrote: »
    Perhaps a Tardigrade for invisibility and full damage immunities if you really want the DM to hate you.

    And your DM will congratulate you with your movement speed of 1 (rounded up).

    Steam/Origin: davydizzy
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    GlalGlal AiredaleRegistered User regular
    Conjure some wind, turn into an airborne bacteria, what could go wrong.

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    GaddezGaddez Registered User regular
    Glal wrote: »
    Conjure some wind, turn into an airborne bacteria, what could go wrong.

    I'm imagining getting inhaled, then devoured by a white blood cell and becaause your damage threshold has been exceed reverting inside of the lungs like an MK finisher.

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    GlalGlal AiredaleRegistered User regular
    Not gonna lie, a D&D one-shot where you Innerspace into someone's body to save them from within would be dope af. Complete with a Descent finale where you need to get out in time or explode them.

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    see317see317 Registered User regular
    Glal wrote: »
    Not gonna lie, a D&D one-shot where you Innerspace into someone's body to save them from within would be dope af. Complete with a Descent finale where you need to get out in time or explode them.

    I remember seeing an adventure module where you had to do this with a dead tarrasque and fought all kind of internal parasites and stuff. Could be a fun map.

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    override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    edited May 2022
    this happened in one of my campaigns with an npc blacksmith friend of the party, where they had 8 potions of growth, and one of them made an alchemy tools check to identify them and rolled bad so I said (at random) that it was a potion of beautification

    anyway they gave them all to the npc because she was complaining of feeling bad since her arm got burned about her appearance and the rogue was like "just drink all 8 of them"

    so I ended the session with her exploding in size to be the size of a small country and the next session they had to go inside and battle several ooze monsters inside various organs using an apparatus of kwalish to move through blood vessels, dismounting to fight the monsters

    she was not happy about any of this after they fixed it and she regained consciousness, neither her giant form blocking the entire horizon of her home village in an undignified manner, the number of casualties and destroyed forest, or the new terrain features created by the imprint on the landscape (it was closeish to the ocean, so a new inland sea punctuated by a pair of butt lakes was created). Ah my first campaign was wild and random

    anyway she rescinded her discount on weapons and armor to the rogue from that point on

    edit: its important to note that the rogue successfully identified the potions and just wanted to see what would happen, the rest of the party was in the dark

    override367 on
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    GaddezGaddez Registered User regular
    this happened in one of my campaigns with an npc blacksmith friend of the party, where they had 8 potions of growth, and one of them made an alchemy tools check to identify them and rolled bad so I said (at random) that it was a potion of beautification

    anyway they gave them all to the npc because she was complaining of feeling bad since her arm got burned about her appearance and the rogue was like "just drink all 8 of them"

    so I ended the session with her exploding in size to be the size of a small country and the next session they had to go inside and battle several ooze monsters inside various organs using an apparatus of kwalish to move through blood vessels, dismounting to fight the monsters

    she was not happy about any of this after they fixed it and she regained consciousness, neither her giant form blocking the entire horizon of her home village in an undignified manner, the number of casualties and destroyed forest, or the new terrain features created by the imprint on the landscape (it was closeish to the ocean, so a new inland sea punctuated by a pair of butt lakes was created). Ah my first campaign was wild and random

    anyway she rescinded her discount on weapons and armor to the rogue from that point on

    edit: its important to note that the rogue successfully identified the potions and just wanted to see what would happen, the rest of the party was in the dark

    That is so close to one of the plots from "those who hunt elves".

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    ElvenshaeElvenshae Registered User regular
    Glal wrote: »
    Conjure some wind, turn into an airborne bacteria, what could go wrong.

    6u3gefx7798c.png

    Seems effective.

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    override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    https://youtu.be/UpNy4C7Ftmg

    I feel this in my heart and soul

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    Rhesus PositiveRhesus Positive GNU Terry Pratchett Registered User regular
    Gaddez wrote: »
    see317 wrote: »
    Looking for suggestions for Druid Wildshapes.
    I've got a lvl 2 Druid, so max CR of 1/4.

    Current thoughts:
    Haungharassk: 6 free temp HP for anyone that touches me, at lvl 2 that's nothing to sneeze at. Clearing curses could be helpful too since we're running Witchlight. (I'm guessing the fae realms carry a fair curse risk).
    Guthash, a happy little plague rat that prevents healing and lowers max HP.
    Giant riding lizard, it comes with spider climb
    Cave badger, tunneller sounds like a fun utility.

    Looking for interesting utility more than combat. If they have a more earth/dirt theme to them it'd help to stay thematic.

    If you're really eager to mess with your GM using wild shapes then you want to go with the unstatted CR 0 creatures.
    Things like spiders (Non giant), ants and other insects are going to be so small that they're practically invisible, lack enough mass to set off traps and have all kinds of wall crawling antics.

    The Druid in my party turned into a spider for sneaky times

    He failed to realise that, when my character needed him to stay put for a while, he could be defeated (unless he wanted to blow his cover) by an upturned glass

    [Muffled sounds of gorilla violence]
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    GaddezGaddez Registered User regular
    https://youtu.be/UpNy4C7Ftmg

    I feel this in my heart and soul

    This is basically my party in my ravenloft campaign; they're in falkovia (a realm that is in full zombie apocalypse mode) and despite knowing that the outside regions are dangerous (regular zombies gave them some trouble on arrival, to say nothing of the near catastrophic losses that a Clot gave them) they keep deciding that rather then stick around the village that they know is relatively safe they want to wander out because they're bored and want to fight shit. Shit that has proven quite capable of fighting back and implications that their are much, much worst things then Zombies out there.

    Best part is that they've decided that they want to wander off to the capital where they know all the Zombies are heading and that the only way out of Falkovia is through the mists which won't open for another 3 weeks... and isn't particularly close to the realms borders.

This discussion has been closed.