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  1. J

    D&D 5E Researching Magic Item "recipies"

    If you have a trusted group of players who you know have all bought into this philosophy, that's great. They have earned a degree of extra freedom beyond what the default rules allow. But not everyone has the luxury of playing with such a group. I have played with (and continue to play with)...
  2. J

    D&D 5E Is Anyone Using Variant Encumbrance?

    This is a very good point. If I ever have a player who decides to play a crossbow fighter build he found on a charop forum, I'm definitely going to consider enforcing encumbrance rules a little more strictly than normal.
  3. J

    D&D 5E Druid's Wild Shape

    It is important to note that the bonus does not stack with the beast's normal AC. You either use your unarmored AC (based on Dex and Wis) or the beast's normal AC, not some combination of both. (So sayeth Crawford.)
  4. J

    D&D 5E Druid's Wild Shape

    That's your prerogative as DM, of course, but I believe you're overreacting. Dipping into monk sets the druid back a level in his shapeshifting CR, not to mention his spellcasting. In general, "crap like this" has drawbacks that people don't consider when first presented with an "OP" new...
  5. J

    D&D 5E The curious case of the double-dragon sorcerer

    There is never a NEED to spend the resource. It is 100 percent optional, even for a mixed sorcerer. The only difference is that the mixed sorcerer has a 100 percent optional option that the double sorcerer does not. When a bunch of people are telling you you're not making sense, it might be a...
  6. J

    D&D 5E The curious case of the double-dragon sorcerer

    LOL because you don't know what a strawman is. You can't just pre-emptively mention the flaw in your argument and magically make it off-limits in the discussion. It's still a flaw, and your argument is still ridiculous.
  7. J

    D&D 5E The curious case of the double-dragon sorcerer

    By this logic, the sorcerer class would be just fine if we removed metamagic entirely and only allowed them to spend sorcery points on spell slots. Think of all the sorcery points you'd save by not mucking about with those silly metamagic options! I don't think you'd find a lot of supporters...
  8. J

    D&D 5E FOUR DOUBTs of my GAME SESSION !

    An area that is lightly obscured due to a darkness effect is by definition NOT in direct sunlight. So no, the drow would not be penalized while in that area.
  9. J

    D&D 5E Is Anyone Using Variant Encumbrance?

    We only worry about extra weight when it's an obvious problem, such as finding a huge mound of copper and silver coins that need to be rescued. By a certain level, that's not terribly interesting anymore, so I give them a way to sidestep the problem, such as a magical bag or a set of scales...
  10. J

    D&D 5E Tell me your positive experiences with HotDQ

    It's interesting to note that the lion's share of these positive experiences have everything to do with the creativity of the players and/or DM, and nothing to do with the writing or production value of the product. That said, bonding through adversity is a real thing, as is Stockholm Syndrome...
  11. J

    D&D 5E The curious case of the double-dragon sorcerer

    Well, even I wasn't going to take it that far! I only intend for full immunity to kick in for an hour after spending the sorcery point when casting a spell of the appropriate type. The rest of the time, it's just resistance via the dragonborn trait.
  12. J

    D&D 5E magic items prices

    I directly quoted a post where he said his group did not enjoy "downtime" activities or building buildings or basically anything other than combat and character advancement. I wasn't trying to disparage anyone's play style; I merely referred to the play style he himself described. I certainly...
  13. J

    D&D 5E magic items prices

    If better gear is literally all you care about, then presumably you will spend your mountains of gold to employ a network of information gatherers and sages to help you find more gear. They might even be able to help you track down specific items if you pay them well enough. It's functionally...
  14. J

    D&D 5E Where is the Stat Block for the smaller elementals

    A friend of mine made me aware of this peculiar trend in Gygax-bashing, and I was frankly astonished. I think it's unfortunate that the Internet know-it-alls have taken a few instances of malapropism and exaggerated them to such an absurd degree. "Forward/Foreward," for example, amounts to...
  15. J

    D&D 5E The curious case of the double-dragon sorcerer

    The racial resistance was ostensibly balanced against other sorcerers' racial traits. Giving one sorcerer fewer ways to spend Sorcery Points than other sorcerers is not a savings. It's a penalty. The end result is an incentive not to double-dragon, which is the opposite of what should happen...
  16. J

    D&D 5E Where is the Stat Block for the smaller elementals

    The word "type" is also not mentioned in conjure animals, conjure fey, or conjure celestial. Yet, in the absence of MM entries for "Beast," "Fey," and "Celestial," people somehow figured out how to use those spells. Conjure minor elementals is no different.
  17. J

    D&D 5E The curious case of the double-dragon sorcerer

    Dragonborn are an obvious choice for the sorcerer class, and an even more obvious choice for the Draconic Bloodline path. They have a Charisms bonus as well as, well, a draconic bloodline. However, a strange thing occurs if you choose the options that seem to make the most sense: If you choose...
  18. J

    D&D 5E magic items prices

    A very important part of 5e is that there's no such thing as "needing" specific magic items. This is a major departure in philosophy from 3rd and 4th editions, and it was important for the designers to make that clear. If the DM presents you with an encounter where the monsters are resistant or...
  19. J

    D&D 5E 5E: Whips?

    I take issue with the notion that any weapon must be "optimal" in order to justify its existence. But I think you are underestimating the whip. Reach is quite powerful, and one-handed reach can be incredible in the right hands. As a one-handed finesse weapon with reach, the whip is completely...
  20. J

    D&D 5E magic items prices

    The traditional approach to the creation of magic items holds that the item to be enchanted must be of masterwork quality, and additionally should be a work of exquisite aesthetic design. These things do not just "play a part," but they are an absolute minimum requirement. And if just anyone...
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