Recent content by I'm A Banana

That doesn't match my fantasy of a dragonrider. It's not about the "I win" button, either. It's about having a FRICKIN DRAGON as a friend that fights next to you. Not just any "scaly pet." It's about the size, it's about the scope, it's about the intelligence and ancient knowledge, it's about...

Viable, at 4th tier. Maybe even 3rd tier to some degree. Hell, you COULD funnel it into LV 1, you just risk the PC's feeling more like the accessories to the dragon's power (the FR book readily admits that the dragons are much more powerful than their knights). Which is part of why my campaign...

A dragon done as a subclass feature is destined to be a milquetoast disappointment. The power budget just isn't there. Riding an actual dragon (not a wyrmling or a drake or a "draconic spirit") is viable, just not as subclass design. The D&D designers can't even design a satisfying subclass...

If I was to build a campaign around Cormyr and the PDKs and keep the lore from the recent books, here's how I might run it: Our antagonist list includes Werewyverns, the Cult of the Dragon (so dragons, and undead), and, broadly, "Aberrations." Amethyst dragons are also planar scholars, so I...

Because of it's massive size, D&D is in a bit of a unique situation. It is best served by being "good enough" for a broad swath of people, especially those new to RPGs in general, rather than laser-focused on a single play experience. It always is going to have to serve many masters -- it is...

My vision of CHA is usually less about being sexy and more about, like, the ability to lead and influence. Dude is a loner who lets his skill speak rather than trying to be well-liked or influential. The folks that like him are particular, and most people think he's awful or useful at best...

The newness of the players is also a factor. While I love going to Level 2 after 1 session, I might go a little bit longer if there's someone new to the game (there's enough decision points in a single session that to immediately give them more can feel like a lot!). With a more experienced...

I think there's a case to be made for fewer, more impactful choices in many areas of modern D&D. Multiclassing is one of those.

Yeah, some choices will always be optimal. The issue is that the entire multiclassing system is either a trap for folks who are using it for expression, or a way to eke out an extra bit of oomph for those who are primarily interested in optimizing. Hugely binary, and serving very different masters.

This is the thing that makes me hate multiclassing as it currently exists in 5e. It is a tool for people who have system mastery to "generally be better in terms of power," while people who are just noodling with the system or trying to realize a character concept usually fall into the...

I'd probably do it as a subclass. OG Shadow Adept I'd group the following abilities: Shadow Magic feats (Shadow Weave Magic, Insidious Magic, Pernicious Magic, Tenacious Magic): The OG is a bit of a grab bag making your illusions, necromancies, and enchantments better, and especially...

2014 had the Ideals/Traits/Bonds/Flaws system (interaction), the Downtime system (exploration), different Resting recommendations (exploration again), and several dials to turn on the Combat side (flanking, marking, new spells, new magic items, new monsters, even Legendary monsters). 24 isn't...

5e is actually VERY modular, and I think that was the intent. For instance, it's not hard to rip out the skills system, or the Hit Die system, or to insert Flanking, or to change how rests work, or to ignore Bastions, or to use or not use Downtime, or, as we've seen in this thread, modify or...

I'd love it if the designers were more open about how and why they make some of the decisions they do. In part, I'd appreciate that because I think that D&D's competing goals are actually one of the good things about the game. D&D is serves many masters "well enough" that folks with many...

I'd argue that to speed up combat, you need to decrease granularity, which is in line with your thinking here, but a little akimbo. Bonus actions and reactions, sure, but pets and summons are probably still viable, just not on a "I control your entire turn" kind of level. And the "boring and...