Recent content by kerbarian

It doesn’t help yet, but next level (at 9th) the sorcerer can pick up Animate Objects. That spell is a dramatic change in overall combat power for any class that can cast it, when used on ten tiny objects (a bag of daggers works great). A sorcerer can cast it quite a few times per day by...

I agree with what many others have said that encounter design is a huge factor. Even if players are using the same mechanics over and over, if they're doing it in different environments, against different enemies, with different external factors (worrying about reinforcements, trying to stop...

The new summon spells are great for sustained damage without the headaches or DM-dependence of previous conjure/summon spells. The highest-damage build I'm seeing so far is a genie chainlock with Investment of the Chain Master and Summon Fey (or another summon spell). At 3rd level they can...

With Tasha's, one of the first things I noticed was druid DPR with the new subclasses and Summon Beast. I think it might be the king at level 3. Action: Weapon attack (Shillelagh or just use a bow as an elf at L3) 1d8+3 Bonus Action: Starry Form Archer attack (1d8+3) or Wildfire Spirit...

I'm not crazy about most clerics, but as others have mentioned the Light domain is great. You get Fireball, but also Radiance of the Dawn (channel divinity) which is a great AoE attack 1 or 2 times per short rest and isn't a spell so you can lead off with it while also casting Spiritual Weapon...

I've been on the other side of this as a player with a perfect flying, invisible scout / remote agent (with Voice of the Chain Master). It was so good for exploration and non-combat roles that it made the game less fun. I ended up not using the imp much even when I could think of clever ways...

Yes, this is the main way I've seen Phantasmal Force used. Make the target believe they're in a situation where they can't see, can't attack, and can't escape. e.g. inside a box made of cloudy ice as if someone had cast Wall of Ice. If you believe the illusion, you'll likely try to attack the...

I could do one more... Way of the Tiger Tiger's Fury When you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you learn to fight with a tiger's sudden violence. During your first turn after you roll initiative, your speed increases by 20 feet and you gain an additional action. This action can only be...

I could do that, too :) Way of the Spider Some monk orders develop martial arts styles inspired by the movement and other abilities of certain creatures. Many of these are quite esoteric (very few monks follow the Way of the Ooze), but the Way of the Spider is among the more popular and...

Spidermonk, spidermonk, does whatever a spider/monk can... We have a monk 6 (Way of Shadow) / druid 2 (Circle of the Moon) Wild Shaped into a Giant Spider. Looking at the rules, this is how I think things would work: The monk has a Wisdom of 16, so Unarmored Defense gives her an AC of 16 in...

If everyone else dies easily when the monsters attack them, I'd suggest lowering the encounter difficulty to where it's an interesting fight when the monsters attack the rest of the party. Don't try to solve the problem of monsters not being able to take down the paladin -- instead solve the...

If it's too hard to hit the paladin, have the monsters attack everyone else -- it's even logical behavior for the monsters. If the rest of the party goes down and the paladin is standing alone and unharmed, that's not a win for the paladin. Go ahead and provoke opportunity attacks from the...

Hmm... another thought: Darkness is blocked if its source is completely covered. If you use telekinesis to throw a huge cloth at the darkness and completely cover the bearer, can you then target a creature under a big sheet? Seems like you must be able to, or beholders would also be...

I agree with many others that this is a great time for "rulings not rules", and I think it's perfectly reasonable to interpret the beholder's combat stats as a simplification of its behavior, to be adjusted by the DM if appropriate. However, if you want to stick with RAW, the first thing I'd...

Interesting... I had assumed that (like previous editions) a damage roll for an area effect was made once and applied to all targets, while damage rolls for individual effects (Magic Missiles, Scorching Rays, Eldritch Blast beams, etc.) were made once per effect. However, I can't find anything...