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/r/DnD

3,489,133 Subscribers

1

CR is gone tomorrow. What would you replace it with as system for ranking monster strength and encounter design?

0 Comments
2024/03/08
12:33 UTC

3

Why is a human guard CR 1/8 and a goblin is CR 1/4?

The guard has more HP, more AC, more damaging weapons and is bigger. Realistically any human should have a decent chance against any goblin, even if the human is unarmed and the goblin is armed, on account of the size difference alone.

Why is one goblin worth 2 guards? Does that reflect their actual capabilities and why? Frankly it does not really sit right with me, seems wildly unrealistic.

8 Comments
2024/03/08
12:15 UTC

3

Would you get a tarot card reading from another player or an NPC?

I will be asking the DM in advance if I go with the NPC. But I haven’t decided if it’s the right move yet.

So the party is approaching a town that has a tarot card reader. She’s the mother of one of our player characters who can also do these card readings.

My character would like to get a tarot reading done and I’m torn between asking the player character to do it for bonding purposes, plus our characters are becoming fast friends (it’s still early campaign though) and this player has out of game tarot card experience. Or if I should have her mother do it since the DM would have more knowledge on my character’s past, present and future, so the DM could do what feels right.

I would like to use this reading as a backstory moment for my character no matter who I go with, since she’s been hesitant to talk about aspects of her past before and this would be a lighthearted way to start opening up. I’m confident I can make up something on the fly no matter the decision and outcome.

Would you go with another player or the NPC for something like this?

6 Comments
2024/03/08
11:50 UTC

2

What makes a Quest really interesting for you as a player?

Since my group and I are playing our next session soon and I'm trying to make my Quest more interesting, I've wanted to ask what you'd wish as a player that your DM would implement into his quests that would make even a simple quest more interesting or even more memorable.

Is it more focus on combat/dialog, a wider range of possibilities to approach something, more interesting characters, a cool setting or maybe some weird mechanics?

I'm asking for your help since I don't know if my players are really going to like my Quest since, even though it has many possibilities to approach and some new mechanics I've thought of, it is still a Quest with a rather basic setting.

Thanks for your answers!

4 Comments
2024/03/08
11:42 UTC

2

Seeking advice on making a Soulslike campaign in 5e.

Hi! I’m planning on running a FromSoftware style game in 5e that I want to replicate the feeling of combat and lore discovery to get that natural feel of those games. It is going to be sort of horror-ish. I am mainly looking at Dark Souls and BloodBorne with a little bit of Elden Ring and Sekiro thrown in there at times. I’m just starting to write it and I wanted to obtain wisdom from those with a higher ability score. Any advice is appreciated. Thank you!

2 Comments
2024/03/08
11:42 UTC

3

Why do you keep playing DnD?

I see a lot of posts of people having all kinds of issues and I believe it’s normal in any game, but it got me wondering: what’s in the game that gives you joy and make you want to keep playing?

I haven’t played for a long time (many years), but I loved the feeling of being with my group and trying to figure out how to survive on adventures. To be honest, what I liked the most was to register the adventure and make drawings, but I think every group has one of those. :P

12 Comments
2024/03/08
11:05 UTC

0

Good-aligned druids?

Can anyone please advise me on what the philosophy of a NG druid might be?

2 Comments
2024/03/08
11:04 UTC

0

A.I or other type of Bot DM?

Sorry if this is in the wrong place!

Me and my friends want to start DnD but we are all very new and none of us knows how to DM properly.

We essentially want something to create the story and quests for us or maybe something that could aid me as I learn the rules and how to DM myself.

Most of the sessions will be on Discord as we can't all meet up due to health etc.

Thanks for all and any help!

4 Comments
2024/03/08
10:55 UTC

2

Magic item economy in your world

Based on vNocturnus reply to that other post, some questions came to mind:

How are magic items in your game? Are they easy access? Do you get them at lower levels? What prices do you follow? DMG, sane prices? Another?

How difficult is it for PCs to chase that specific item or create it from scratch?

Would love to hear your input.

Of course that's completely unrelated to the fact that I love desinging monsters, dungeons and side quests and I am a terrible mess balancing magic items. Pff

5 Comments
2024/03/08
10:50 UTC

0

Does my wizard have too many spells?

I am a lvl.5 Necromancer in the Ravnica plane, my spellbook has 90 spells. Is it too much? I mean, it's unlikely, but is it super-unrealistic?

22 Comments
2024/03/08
10:47 UTC

0

Help with a magic item.

I’m trying to make a spear to be wielded by a twilight cleric, one that is at best rare quality magic item. The cleric is level 12. Any ideas for it would be appreciated.

0 Comments
2024/03/08
10:46 UTC

0

Bonus actions were a mistake

I think bonus actions have made 5e much worse. They're unintuitive, often make little narrative sense, impede character building/roleplay, and make gameplay largely worse.

I don't think bonus actions make a lot of sense to new players. You have two primary types of actions on your turn, and each has its own pool of options. However, you can't double up on either. An artillerist can cast healing word or shoot their cannon, but it can't do both. They can cast cure wounds and shoot their cannon, though. If healing word is shorter, then it should be easier to use with their cannon.

Some bonus actions really stretch how much one person can do in 6 seconds. Thief Rogues can stitch someone up with a healer's kit and stab with a rapier and run 30 feet and dodge a Fireball, all within 6 seconds. That's not solely due to bonus actions, but they play a big role in that. In trying to stretch the mechanics of what characters can do, they've made the game a little less believable.

Bonus action bloat can make multiclassing to achieve cool character options a pain, especially since so many newer subclasses have weird bonus action abilities. The classic example is how you can't really play Drizzt in 5e, since his panther attacking and him duel wielding both take bonus actions. Or good luck being a Pokemon trainer when basically every pet takes a bonus action. Also, they often restrict people's roleplay. Bows fill a much more popular fantasy than crossbows, but the existence of crossbow expert means that countless would-be Legolases took crossbows instead because it was "optimal."

Arguably the worst side effect of bonus actions is that they make gameplay worse. They make everything slower, since you generally have twice as many things to choose from and do. They also inhibit improvisation. Why would I use my action to roll a barrel down at an enemy below when my crossbow expert sharpshooter combo will do way, way more damage? They incentivize you to think much more about maximizing the rules and much less about engaging with the fantasy, and take up way too much time in game and design space. They have also made people worry way too much about being optimal, to the point that many wouldn't even heal a dying ally if they couldn't do it as a bonus action.

So, my ideal 6e would handle actions in a much more elegant way. I think if you largely had one thing you did on your turn, turns would pass much quicker, and play would be more dynamic. There also wouldn't be so much of the opportunity cost that tends to restrict creativity; an example of that is if you want to hide under an ally in combat as a Lightfoot Halfling but aren't a rogue. In normal 5e, you don't even bother, since that's a missed turn of using crossbow expert or whatever,

I wonder if anyone has modified 5e to have much fewer or no bonus actions.

I'm definitely going to be told to just play Pathfinder, but there are way more pros and cons for that beyond how actions are handled, so that really isn't enough for me to jump ship.

Thoughts?

5 Comments
2024/03/08
10:43 UTC

3

what exactly is a session zero?

i'm about to be finished developing my homebrew campaign and am wondering if i should have one

5 Comments
2024/03/08
10:04 UTC

15

There's an Eternal Winter happening in my campaign. What could be some reasons for that?

i jumped into this idea way too unprepared and have no reason for there to be an eternal winter. i had the idea and went with it because i thought it was cool, and now im in over my head 😭

37 Comments
2024/03/08
09:47 UTC

6

I just realised I've screwed myself over with GMing

I started GMing a year ago and got ALL my knowledge from YouTube videos and looking through random classes.

It never occurred to me or was recommended up until recently to just READ THE DMG

12 Comments
2024/03/08
09:33 UTC

0

Orc v. Half Orc

Before the introduction of Monsters of the Multiverse, the difference between Orcs and Half Orcs as far as I'm aware is that Orcs had a minus two in intelligence, making Half Orcs generally better since they were just Orcs but smarter, but after MotM came out, is there any real difference between them now or are they just official reflavored Half Orcs?

Edit: I just realized that Half Orcs don't aren't able to have custom attributes, so Orcs are technically better because they're less restricted, at least by Dnd beyond standards.

8 Comments
2024/03/08
09:19 UTC

1

[5e] How to present high Passive abilities to players?

A friend is taking the role of DM from me for a short time, and they've expressed concern on how to handle passive abilities. I have directed them to the RAW details, auto detect a stealthed monster, a repeated action, you notice things more easily, etc.

Though outside of the standard uses, what examples can I give them that give a good description of a high passive coming into play?

Here are some examples I've found already which play on the idea that a high passive doesn't mean overcoming:

  • Traps: DM: "You see a long corridor, the walls have a bas relief with hideous demons, their mouths are dark holes. High Passive Perception notices old blood on the floor and that the entire floor of the corridor is disconnected from the wall and the floor you are standing on". The super perception has shown them the spear trap and the trigger - they still have to get down the corridor or go home: perception doesn't help here. Finding out how the trap works is an Intelligence (investigation) check, disarming it is a Dexterity (Thieves Tools) check.
  • Ambushes: So High Passive Perception is rarely surprised (if they took the Alert feat this would be never surprised): that doesn't help anyone else. The rest of their companions have not noticed a threat so are surprised until the end of their first turn of the combat.
  • Secrets: High Passive Perception might let you notice that the dusty library is free of dust at a spot on the floor in front of a bookcase as you're walking by. Maybe a High Passive Investigation would let you notice that a book on the shelf is a secret switch.
  • Interactions: High Passive Insight might let you notice a person react positively or negatively, develop a tick or relax, when pressing them for shop discounts or drawing out information.

This new DM is a stickler for details

0 Comments
2024/03/08
08:25 UTC

5

Wing suit - concept help

Hello fellow dice rollers!

Okay I have a bit of andrerline crazy character, his name is ZidZodo (Zodo for short), is a Lizardfolk assassin and well, he is my silly idea character. Just for an example: Yesterdays session we were attacked by a ship that shot a harpoon into our flying carpet and started to wreel us in. What Zodo did, was to slide down the rope straight into the group of sailors.

I kinda want a wingsuit for my boy, but I don't know how to go about with that, I think my dm is up for whatever, as long as its funny and I can explain it, and that its not over powered.

So I come to you, the community for advice!

7 Comments
2024/03/08
08:19 UTC

0

Can a rogue carry two daggers, but also a bow and arrow?

I am wanting to play rogue assassin, and I want my rogue to be able to use two different weapons. He would use the twodaggers for close-up attacks and assassinating, and use a bow and arrow for range attacks and assassinating from afar. Is this a thing that allowed or worth trying? I’m wanting to use a wood elf. He would carry the two daggers on each of his hips, and the bow and arrow on his back. Would my wood elf rogue being able to do this make my rogue too OP?

18 Comments
2024/03/08
08:07 UTC

1

Need help creating a dungeon

Hi. I am trying to create a sort of tutorial town for my table. So the basic lore is: the place the party is arriving in was once a profitable mining town but the mines went dry. Investors pulled out and left many of the people who had settled there kind of stranded. Most people went back as the government incentives dried up. But a few people refused to leave because it had become a home for them. So as a means of revenue, the people of the town began using the mines as dungeons. Attracting adventurers and nobles looking for adventure. The town began paying for the capturing of real monsters and putting them in the mines to be cleared by adventurers. This got real popular amongst city folk looking for adventure and some money to burn.

So here is the problem: I need to make a good dungeon for a party of 4. All level 2.

Monster criteria:

  • they cannot be "fast breeders" or else population might get out of control for the town so they would obviously not want that.
  • creatures can't be capable of mind control/manipulation.
  • preferably creatures who are already accustomed to the dark caves.
1 Comment
2024/03/08
08:06 UTC

30

I think a lot of people confuse 5e with the d20 system

I think I've started to notice a theme in debates about 5e's merits as a system and especially its merits versus other TTRPGs, namely that a lot of people who defend 5e and claim it can be used to run anything are actually saying that about the d20 system - and a very skeletal version of the d20 system at that.

For example, in an earlier thread today, someone defended running a number of extremely thematically distinct settings in 5e and gave the example of how the CHA stat can cover all social mechanics. No attention was given to how 5e has classes whose abilities scale based on CHA and how that played out in any of these games, because, as far as I can tell, the person wasn't really running 5e so much as using the basic concepts of roleplaying and a general idea of the d20 mechanics to run a freeform shared narrative.

Yes, in theory, a system with a set of character attributes on a 3-18 scale, with armor classes, hit die, skills, and roll-to-beat DC, as well as some preexisting stat blocks being given a setting appropriate name, can be used to do almost anything. The problem with talking about the merits of that claim the way we do, though, is that it is not discussing 5e. 5e is not just the 6 character attributes, skills, and a compelling storyteller DM.

Maybe I'm wrong and people really are having Evocation Wizards cast Silvery Barbs in their American Wild West settings or something, but if I'm not then I think this confusion is something that needs to be named more often. I don't think we can really have meaningful discussions about the versatility of 5e if half the conversation isn't even really talking about 5e.

14 Comments
2024/03/08
07:54 UTC

2

Goblin tribe party-STONE AGE D&D?!?!

Hey y’all, I’m running a Stone Age Hex-Crawl D&D game in a HomeBrew setting. I’m super curious what type of things any of y’all would like to/expect to experience in a setting like that if you were to play in it.

Plan is lots of creatures to encounter, gear to craft and settlements to build. There will be all sorts of biomes available-kinda like Ark:Survival Evolved but with FANTASY elements!!!

Life is for the strong. Thanks

3 Comments
2024/03/08
07:48 UTC

1

I just wanted share this bit of narration.

Since I'm never going to dm anything, much less this particular thing:

Your party has arrived at the Great Library in search of information to help you pursue the werewolf that's been ravaging the countryside. You're greeted by a clerk named Larry who's explaining how the library works.

"There are several librarians who run the library. You will likely never need to consult them. They curate the library's collection of material, oversee organization and administration, arrange large scale operations with librarians of other libraries, and direct research and other library pursuits.

There are sub-librarians who run each department or section of the library. They handle much of the administration as well and oversee day-to-day operations. They might also cooperate with other libraries, especially sending and requesting materials. They also take part in research and other pursuits.

Then there are clerks and sub-clerks who do the nitty gritty work, admin, and so on. We execute the visions and plans of the librarians and sub-librarians. We help find books for guests, show you around [here they gesture to themself], fill out reports, replace books, check them out, check them in, set up exhibits, and on and on.

As for the research side of things, we also fetch materials for the final section of staff: the scribes. We have many scholarly scribes here who specialize in various subjects and conduct research. They pore over texts and catalogue and analyze data. They issue requests for materials elsewhere for their research. Then, of course, they produce new material and help people access information more quickly and easily. Many people who need practical information, like you, would be better served by speaking to someone knowledgeable instead of looking through materials yourselves. Not to mention, plenty of our guests can't read, and we don't want that to be a hindrance.

[They bring you to a large board full of labels with a button beneath each label.] This is the clickboard. [They press button labeled "demo", and it produces a satisfying 'click' sound.]

Each of these buttons connects to a bell that notifies a scribe that someone would like to see them. The scribes are at the top, and the sub-scribes are at the bottom. You'd only click a scribe if you're sure you need to talk to them about something specific. For introductory, general information, you'll click for a sub. For example, you'll click "runes sub-scribe" if you need to know about them, "arcane magicks", "wild magic", and so on and so forth to talk to the sub-scribe who works on each "sub-ject". [They wink and laugh.]

You want information on werewolves or "lycanthropy", which falls under the broader heading of "lycan". [They gesture back to clickboard again.] So for more introductory, general information about werewolves..."

0 Comments
2024/03/08
07:35 UTC

379

How to protect your gold, lvl 20 edition: Behold my true genius

As a lvl 20 wizard, i have been trying to figure out the best way to protect the party’s gold, as demiplane is not secure enough. And I have just realized that with true polymorph i can turn objects into creatures, including mimics. This means that I can create dummy Demi-plane treasure vaults, filled to the brim with mimics. This, combined with a simulacrum guard and glyphs of warding makes this the best protection this gold will ever have.

70 Comments
2024/03/08
07:19 UTC

2

Newer Dm/Player Agency

Wanted to ask some dm tips for writing an interesting story and padding out a session,wrote a previous campaign for my old table that was very heavily tied to there specific backstories,has been 2 years since I’ve dmed and am starting from scratch for my new group of pcs. I had a real problem with agency and making reasons for players to want to take part.

I had some ideas of a small fishing town where some pirates/bandits are using magic fish to become stronger but I hope it’s a story that they like and not just a boring quest.

1 Comment
2024/03/08
07:09 UTC

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