Recent content by ad_hoc

If I was just getting into it I would pick up all the idols of the realms 2d minis sets. For classic creatures Phandelver just released which has a great selection. I don't think this is a good set to start with. The price increase alone means getting enough minis to play with will cost a lot...

Protection is completely fine. It gives you something good to do with your reaction each round. Defense is the worst one. You are already going to be the last character standing. Increasing AC even higher doesn't do much to increase the party's chances of success.

I would never try anything creative or use magic in your game. That is just overly punitive for something so simple.

But why a check? What is the consequence of failure? Is it interesting? Is it fun?

"D&D" for 2024 edition and "5e legacy" for 2014.

The cost of living is for PCs. Most of the peasants have houses and such that will reduce their cost of living per day. They can also rely on each other for help, whereas the PCs need to buy their essentials from merchants at higher costs.

I think you are fundamentally missing the point of stories. We are not talking about a contemporary drama rooted in reality. We are creating a fantasy story based on genre tropes and themes to communicate messages which includes morality tales. Evil existing as a tangible thing is a core...

The evilness is inherent in the essence of the magic. It requires a once living body. This isn't a spell that animates objects. If the caster created a facsimile of a body out of regular materials the spell won't work. There must have been a life involved. The magic works based on the cosmic...

If 3.5 is your favourite you probably won't like 5e. This is doubly true when your measurement is what character options are available. I would stick with 3e. Give 5e a try if you want a different experience of course, but comparing it to 3e won't be fun. It took a long time for the 3e...

May I suggest Pirateaba's The Wandering Inn? It is a serial so it is an ongoing plot unlike a novel. The synopsis sounds like it will be terrible (woman is transported from our world to a fantasy world where people level up) but it is told in a real grounded way (and is sometimes...

I'm similar. I love sci-fi books, shows, and movies. I engage in fantasy through games.

A lot in the OP has existed forever in stories from MacGuffins to the Hero's Journey. Excalibur comes to mind when thinking of a fantasy MacGuffin. I think the lasting impact is mostly the aesthetic and technology level of the fantasy world along with what the OP said about elves and dwarfs...

Agreed but Enlarge that Elf and give them a potion of storm giant strength and I'm on board.

I make rulings on it if the creature is out of the norm in some way. An Iron Golem for example will be immoveable to most. Same goes for an animated object that already has a speed of 0 for another example. An animated tree that is still rooted in the ground isn't going to be moved by the...

I actually don't like that charges come back in 5e. I like wands and staves that have a set amount of charges. They're like more powerful multiple use potions.