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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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  • GlalGlal AiredaleRegistered User regular
    You don't feel the class mechanics qualify? Sure, spells are spells, but classes, even even just casters classes, differ in more than simply what pool of spells they use. If they didn't they'd be very dull indeed.

  • SteelhawkSteelhawk Registered User regular
    edited November 2019
    Glal wrote: »
    You don't feel the class mechanics qualify? Sure, spells are spells, but classes, even even just casters classes, differ in more than simply what pool of spells they use. If they didn't they'd be very dull indeed.

    Yes. I meant that too.... but that's the same type of game mechanic. At level 3 you can do this.... at 18, this. Etc. (Edit: This line was unclear when I wrote it this morning... To clarify: Yes. I do think the classes are already different enough to be interesting. But they all conform to the same rules/mechanics. You get a subclass at 3rd level. As part of that subclass you get nifty stuff to differentiate your character from others. I would like psionics to fit into this same paradigm and not be something new and different. No rules bloat, please.)

    Somebody upthread seemed disappointed that psionics didn't have its own separate & unique mechanics from other spell casting or class abilities. I disagree with that and would much rather have psioncs be just another path of accessing the same mechanics as all the other PC's and NPC's in the game have, regardless of class. I appreciate there being a psionic subclass for various classes in the game.

    Steelhawk on
  • ToxTox I kill threads he/himRegistered User regular
    I do kind of like the idea that psionics is basically something you are and therefore it's not a class all its own, but rather is something that shaped how you approached your class. Fighter, rogue, warlock, and monk work best for this imo (the first two being more or less "pure martial" classes, and the last lending itself to psionic powers inherently; again, imo), but the "half-caster" classes could probably work as well. Only I think wrt to spellcasting, there needs to be a "psionic spell list" that overrides what you'd normally get, especially if you're going to try to do psionics as subclasses of the full-caster classes. They can include existing spells, but I feel like doing otherwise would sort of miss what fans of psionics liked about it (that it's weird and different). I dunno, having a psionic wizard feels ... like it's trying to have its cake and eat it too.

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  • WACriminalWACriminal Dying Is Easy, Young Man Living Is HarderRegistered User regular
    OK, here's the core rules cobbled together for that One Shot One Guild idea I've been talking about. Is this...is this anything?

    https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/H1KWj8qnS

  • WearingglassesWearingglasses Of the friendly neighborhood variety Registered User regular
    So I've read about a technique(?) In DMing where you keep up the tension and high pace by narrating things in an urgent, dynamic (as opposed to... sedate) fashion, and to prevent players from trying to minmax chess-strategy their way out of combat, force them to take action in under a minute or treat them as "frozen in indecision" and skip their active turn (a round is only six seconds, after all). Assuming this has been explained properly to the players in advance, is this a good technique?

    If it is, can a newbie DM (say, me) be able to pull it off in the first session, or do I have to warm up to DMing for a bit first?

    If it's not, are there other DM techniques to prevent AP-strategizing, or is that something I should put up with for now?

  • Endless_SerpentsEndless_Serpents Registered User regular
    Rather than that I’d suggest providing few optimal options.
    Do you kill off the strongest attacker, or the one buffing the little guys?
    Do you go after your rival, or her minions that are stealing the Thing as we speak?

    You could add terrain effects to get them moving. Add cover for them or the enemy to make them think about positioning. You can give the enemy high ground, or traps they’ve got control over. Don’t forget they can have any item or unique ability you invent to add a surprise the players can’t have accounted for.

    From another point of view there are game out there with looser rules, so instead of having say ‘1 action and 1 bonus action per turn’, some games (Apocalypse World etc.) will just have the player say what they do and roll a move if appropriate, with no set turn order, and whether or not the enemy gets a counter attack being in-built to the move. Much quicker.

    If combat feels long, first ask them if they agree, and if so you can always cut down on numbers and HP. The fact the heroes are better fighters than enemy feels in line with most fiction, but if they hit hard it still matters. Maybe save long combat for a boss fight.

  • WearingglassesWearingglasses Of the friendly neighborhood variety Registered User regular
    I'm afraid that would just cause their Analysis Paralysis to flare up, and I've played with them enough to know they can get hung up trying to figure out their optimal action, even against mere goblins.

  • Endless_SerpentsEndless_Serpents Registered User regular
    Maybe do the opposite then and provide some pretty obvious ways to defeat the enemy quickly if they’re smart about it.

    Things like boxes of gunpowder just behind the goblins, or a ton of lumber held together by rope, or a guillotine trap the heroes can set off with an arrow etc.

    Likewise give them openings if they use team work. Give them opportunities to flank enemies.

    Let them think they’re great strategists if that is what they spend their time on.

  • SteelhawkSteelhawk Registered User regular
    I think a good first step is to just flat out tell them something like, "Guys... you can't have these kinds of debates in the middle of combat. You need to talk strategy before shit gets real. Once we're in initiative, things need to move a bit faster and this metagaming in the middle of swinging your sword is uncool. If we can't get this under control, I might to set a time limit or something." Try that first, and if that still doesn't help, then bust out the timer.

    But absolutely first have a discussion with them about it.

  • GlalGlal AiredaleRegistered User regular
    Yeah, our DM would say "no more debate, make a decision" if people repeatedly stalled the combat doing group discussions. Hard to have a debate when no one but the active player can say anything.

  • Super NamicchiSuper Namicchi Orange County, CARegistered User regular
    yup it’s my experience you can make them make a decision if you just gently badger them and keep throwing off their ability to focus and overplan

    my table generally takes their turns pretty quick but sometimes they will second guess and start to sandbag so i just gently keep saying “what are you doing?” every time they start to waffle and it short circuits it

  • Endless_SerpentsEndless_Serpents Registered User regular
    Yeah I somehow misinterpreted what you were asking, those are better answers.

  • SmrtnikSmrtnik job boli zub Registered User regular
    I have one person at my table that tends to take forever on her turns, but it's not because of strategy but because she's always distracted while the other players and NPCs are going.

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  • DevoutlyApatheticDevoutlyApathetic Registered User regular
    Smrtnik wrote: »
    I have one person at my table that tends to take forever on her turns, but it's not because of strategy but because she's always distracted while the other players and NPCs are going.

    There are way worse things for a player to be distracted by during a D&D game. They are at least paying attention to the game itself.

    Nod. Get treat. PSN: Quippish
  • AldoAldo Hippo Hooray Registered User regular
    I try to address these concerns OOC, but it's hard to not offend people. My friend has a rule that only the active player can talk, that seems to work, just need to adjust encounters to counter idiot actions from individual players.

  • SmrtnikSmrtnik job boli zub Registered User regular
    Smrtnik wrote: »
    I have one person at my table that tends to take forever on her turns, but it's not because of strategy but because she's always distracted while the other players and NPCs are going.

    There are way worse things for a player to be distracted by during a D&D game. They are at least paying attention to the game itself.

    Grading papers (she's a highschool teacher) usually.

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  • DevoutlyApatheticDevoutlyApathetic Registered User regular
    Smrtnik wrote: »
    Smrtnik wrote: »
    I have one person at my table that tends to take forever on her turns, but it's not because of strategy but because she's always distracted while the other players and NPCs are going.

    There are way worse things for a player to be distracted by during a D&D game. They are at least paying attention to the game itself.

    Grading papers (she's a highschool teacher) usually.

    Oh yeah, totally misread that "while" as "with". So it is basically the exact scenario I was saying it wasn't as bad as. It is indeed that bad.

    Nod. Get treat. PSN: Quippish
  • Super NamicchiSuper Namicchi Orange County, CARegistered User regular
    yyyeah i understand putting your career first but like

    that’s hella rude

  • Lord_AsmodeusLord_Asmodeus goeticSobriquet: Here is your magical cryptic riddle-tumour: I AM A TIME MACHINERegistered User regular
    I just got my Humblewood setting box! I'm really liking everything about it so far. I just wish I had someone to play it with.

    Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if Labor had not first existed. Labor is superior to capital, and deserves much the higher consideration. - Lincoln
  • hlprmnkyhlprmnky Registered User regular
    I just got my Humblewood setting box! I'm really liking everything about it so far. I just wish I had someone to play it with.
    The fact that we have all the amazing and terrible stuff the Algorithm has brought us, but still can’t finagle a way to have twenty to forty weeks free a week for tabletop and/or video gaming, is a legitimate tragedy of our age IMO.

    _
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  • SteelhawkSteelhawk Registered User regular
    Had a pretty fun (for me) game tonight in SKT. The party travelled to Silverymoon to act on a hot tip to rob a noblewoman's carriage house. Turns out she was a little shifty and had a couple of Cambions as guards. Well, the rogues split the party to scout, while the rest of the party was in the pub a block away. Of course things go wrong. One of the rogues gets charmed and plugs his pal with a sneak attack. Other rogue sends his familiar off to the pub to get help. A few rounds ensue of one rogue trying to kill the other one, and then that one trying to hurt the first one to force a save against the charm. Rest of the party finally arrives and the Cambions get involved. Charmed rogue keeps failing his save, ends up in a tree making insane hide checks and plinking away at his friends. Eight rounds go by, whittling down the Cambions and rogues. Frustrated the barbarian and cleric by keeping out of reach. Taking attacks away by forcing them to try and free the charmed rogue. Finally the wizard lady open her window to find out what the rukus in her front lawn is about. An ice storm and a fireball later the party is half KO'd and the mage is sending up alarm fireworks to call for the Knights of Silver. We ended the session with the party on the run right the fuck out of Silverymoon entirely.

    No lootz for our murderhobos today!

  • GlalGlal AiredaleRegistered User regular
    I just got my Humblewood setting box! I'm really liking everything about it so far. I just wish I had someone to play it with.
    I'm trying to think of a way of making Glide more fun without breaking it. Right now, without playing a birdfolk with Wing Flap or investing a feat into Aerial Expert, it feels too restrictive to be of much use unless you're running a very vertical campaign and I'd like my bird players to have fun with it.

  • override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    edited December 2019
    Game 2 of my "back in time in barovia" game, I had the arch wizard in the sleepy hamlet give the characters a quest, it ended with him killing everyone in the area and ascending to lichdom, before floating off to the amber temple in search of more knowledge

    They did everything asked of them because questgiver, but that Exanthar guy seemed so trustworthy!

    Surprisingly, accidental actions of theirs led to the family that ran the inn in the town being out of town, the woman who is childhood friends with the party whos role in the story was to die tragically, and the rogue's rescue-goblin and the 3 children they saved from hags - all still alive! I had expected everyone in town to die, but they gave them money and sent them to the city to go shopping. This NPC friend of theirs has improbably survived death 3 times now and I'm going to start adding class levels, bard, because its a big hole in their composition. I'm not a fan of DMpcs so I probably won't give her a subclass, but if they're going to keep adventuring with her, it stands to reason she should not have 4hp forever

    override367 on
  • SteelhawkSteelhawk Registered User regular
    So maybe I'm a little behind on this, but have any of you actually taken a look at the Acquisitions Inc. DM Screen?

    "That's gold, Jerry! Gold!"

  • override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    I got a computer monitor in front of me when I DM I need to get some kind of arrangement where the monitor is laying on the table at a slight angle so I can see the far player better and also I could use the acq inc dm screen

  • furlionfurlion Riskbreaker Lea MondeRegistered User regular
    I have the collectors set DM screen and it is super nice.

    Has anyone run both waterdeep heist and dungeon of the mad mage? I think one of them is our next campaign and I want some trustworthy opinions. My players will be starting at level 5 with characters from our current LMoP campaign.

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  • SmrtnikSmrtnik job boli zub Registered User regular
    I've been playing it as a player with a friend DMing alternating with the the weeks i DM Curse of Stradh. CoS we just finished, and are on break in general because that friend moved and doesn't have good internet yet. (We were playing in person until then).

    He used a lot of content from outside the book, so we are still only level 4 and have barely made a dent in the story line from what i can tell not having read the book.

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  • GlalGlal AiredaleRegistered User regular
    edited December 2019
    Do people have any suggestions on the most practical way of making a custom DM screen? Either by buying a cheap generic one (if it exists) and sticking your own information on it, or by building it?
    I find existing DM screens to be either overpriced, filled with worthless information (the official 5th Ed one is so bad) or both.
    [edit] What's with the automatic double-newlines I'm getting these days? Also, quotes are all unfurled by default regardless of setting...

    Glal on
  • SteelhawkSteelhawk Registered User regular
    edited December 2019
    I own a screen, but never use it. For a long time, I thought it was "too far" on the road to nerdiness. But in my old age, IDGAF anymore but now the physical setups we use to play (big couches and coffee tables vs. large tables we all sit around) means its impractical for me to use. But here are some videos to give you ideas?

    Matt Mercer on how he uses his screen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRMVTmbe-Is

    Building your own: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNElkhIB_y4

    Steelhawk on
  • iguanacusiguanacus Desert PlanetRegistered User regular
    Back in the day we took 2 or 3 folders and some big paperclips to make our own. Wrote out relevant info on pieces of paper and taped them in. After a couple sessions you'll get a feel for what you do and don't need, and since we made them ourselves we could switch or add as we went.

  • DenadaDenada Registered User regular
    As an owner of the Acq Inc DM screen, I can confidently say that it's the only screen you'll ever need for any game in any system.

  • Rhesus PositiveRhesus Positive GNU Terry Pratchett Registered User regular
    edited December 2019
    Until you roll "2 unicorns" on the treasure table and then have to deal with a player whining about wanting a unicorn for ten minutes because finding 2 porcelain ones doesn't count

    But that might just be my old group

    Edit: hey, line breaks are back to normal!

    Rhesus Positive on
    [Muffled sounds of gorilla violence]
  • override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    edited December 2019
    going to be playing a one shot and we get one uncommon, I saw the Earworm item... having just played a Stellaris game where I gave my civilization to the worm an idea occurred

    I'm playing an average child who has horrific powers and a psychic worm bonded to the base of the brain that the party drags around because if this kid stays in any one place, everyone dies. While playing outside one day, the worm fell from the sky, and the wordless question it presented was answered with an emphatic yes

    I only cast spells with subtle spell, and react as if the character has no control over what is happening around them. None of the spells I chose have a line or projectile, it's things like enemies abound, dominate person, synaptic static, blindness/deafness, catapult

    this should be fun, get attacked by a bunch of ogres and run and hide behind a tree in terror, the ogres battling my party just start turning on each other, or bleeding from their ears, or have their necks snapped by telekinesis (yeah it doesn't do damage, everyone I play with agrees that is dumb, if you spend your action trying to do damage, it does damage)

    override367 on
  • webguy20webguy20 I spend too much time on the Internet Registered User regular
    Killed a character for the first time last night. They were fighting a real tough fight, and I had plans for a TPK, but they tactically got into a position where they either had to fight the enemies to win, or help their friends and end up with the TPK, and they didn't know I had plans for if they died. It was pretty well telegraphed too, they were fighting some custom enemies that threw down some little mobile turrets that spit out a little 1d8 fireball. When they died though they exploded for 3d8 damage in a 5ft radius. One of these things was standing next to a couple folks who were down, one with 1 failed save and another with 2 fails. The two down characters didn't meta about the one being almost dead, and the player who killed the little turret didn't pay attention to the other player who said not to do it. So they kill the turret and the one player gets his third failed death save.

    Happily everyone rolled real well with it, the guy who lost the character is excited to make something new, but everyone felt a bit sad at the end of the battle, which I think is what you want. It certainly added a bit of gravity to the campaign, like the kid gloves have came off. They are roughly level 4 characters (level 3 with a bunch of my house rules).

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  • hlprmnkyhlprmnky Registered User regular
    While playing outside one day, the worm fell from the sky, and the wordless question it presented was answered with an emphatic yes
    Is this line of text going to be a sticker on my laptop, art on a t-shirt I have made and wear down to the thread, a ...tattoo?
    Only time (and of course the worm) know the answer.

    _
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  • TerrendosTerrendos Decorative Monocle Registered User regular
    The campaign I'm playing in has shifted to a planescape style adventure, we're flying an airship through the planes, etc. My DM is anticipating a lot of aerial combat, and my Paladin isn't really built for doing much at range. We're level 11 now.

    The DM offered to let me have a magic item that would grant my Find Steed warhorse a flight speed. I suggested instead that he simply allow Find Steed to summon a giant eagle or owl (the spell explicitly mentions that the DM may allow other types of mounts). To me that seems cleaner than creating a magic item. He and another player said they assumed "flying mount" required Find Greater Steed, despite the text of neither spell indicating that was the case (Find Greater Steed enumerates a rhinoceros as a possible mount).

    I'm concerned that he might have felt like I was asking for too much. Looking at the stat blocks, neither of those creatures seems significantly more powerful than a Warhorse with a flight speed. Am I missing something?

  • SteelhawkSteelhawk Registered User regular
    A pegasus is far superior to a warhorse, that is true. But I see nothing wrong with allowing your Paladin to summon a warhorse with wings.

    Except then your DM has to worry about the consequences of granting you a summonable flying horse once you are no longer bound to an airship and no longer nerfed as a melee focused player.

  • TerrendosTerrendos Decorative Monocle Registered User regular
    Perhaps I was a little unclear, my question was, "Is a giant eagle or a giant owl mechanically superior to a warhorse with an added flight speed?"

    Certainly a pegasus is better, but that's explicitly a Find Greater Steed mount. This would be allowing a Giant Eagle/Owl to be summoned by Find Steed. The CR for a warhorse is 1/2 as opposed to 1/4 for Giant Owl and 1 for Giant Eagle. I guess purely by that definition a Giant Eagle could be considered "OP."

    The balance issue of giving my Paladin flight is less of a concern, I think. Either way he'd have a flying mount. The other melee characters have a nerfed dragon mount and a built in flight speed, respectively, so it's less "going to make my Paladin unique" and more "keeping on par with the others." The first sky battle we did, I only spent one turn actually fighting; the other turns were spent getting a harpoon armed and launched into the enemy airship and climbing across. I think the plan is to not have to do that every time.

  • SleepSleep Registered User regular
    edited December 2019
    Terrendos wrote: »
    The campaign I'm playing in has shifted to a planescape style adventure, we're flying an airship through the planes, etc. My DM is anticipating a lot of aerial combat, and my Paladin isn't really built for doing much at range. We're level 11 now.

    The DM offered to let me have a magic item that would grant my Find Steed warhorse a flight speed. I suggested instead that he simply allow Find Steed to summon a giant eagle or owl (the spell explicitly mentions that the DM may allow other types of mounts). To me that seems cleaner than creating a magic item. He and another player said they assumed "flying mount" required Find Greater Steed, despite the text of neither spell indicating that was the case (Find Greater Steed enumerates a rhinoceros as a possible mount).

    I'm concerned that he might have felt like I was asking for too much. Looking at the stat blocks, neither of those creatures seems significantly more powerful than a Warhorse with a flight speed. Am I missing something?

    It's heavily implied that what you're getting from find greater steed is flight, but really what you're getting is a flying mount that can actually take a 13th level hit so you don't get dropped straight out of the sky. Half damage from an appropriately up cast fire ball should kill a giant owl for sure (19hp). Giant eagle might fare a little better.

    Spell scrolls of find greater steed should work. DC 14 charisma check for you to use them from down level, Probably carry multiple scrolls of it in case you do lose a steed. I know how I'd hand them to your character, but that's cause I've already done this with a party (I handed someone a god damned nightmare mount).

    Also an easy peasy solution is a flying carpet.

    Sleep on
  • SteelhawkSteelhawk Registered User regular
    Oh. I assumed you had some special RP bond with your horse necessitating your DM giving you an item allowing you to keep your horse a horse but letting it fly. Owl it up, I say! Maybe some special RP ritual to swap your mount out. I don't think I'd be OK as a DM with you summoning a variety of mounts from a celestial stable going forward. Horse one day, owl the next. But that's a minor thing.

This discussion has been closed.