D&D 5E Tasha’s cauldron character thread

clearstream · Nov 19, 2020

Don Durito said:
It's not an either/or. Duration can only matter when circumstances are taken into account, precisely because those circumstances can change.

Playing a Dungeon bash? It may be enought to say the dungeon is simply not safe enough to take a long rest - seems reasonable. Lots of Wilderness? It might be enough to say that a wilderness environment where you have to set watches is not safe enough. Or you could push it out to 36 hours and that may be enough - you probably don't want to linger for that long in any environemt that is remotely dangerous.

What about urban adventures? An 8 hour long rest becomes unworkable.

I agree that context influences ideal rest duration. Some might like to have mutable long rest lengths. I favour fixed and seem to have found a value that - at least for my narratives - works very well.

Don Durito said:
Yes. But I think it's important to realise that the biggest benefit of this is flexibility. It puts the strategic power in the players hands. That's why changing long rests is so particular to the style of game you're running. I tend to think it works better (at least in terms of keeping the strategic power in the players hands) to keep the long rest as short as you can while enabling the particular type of game you want to run (which may still be much longer than the default 8 hours.)

I also think it's worth considering how to keep a certain kind of power in the players hands and maintain flexibility.

Like for example keep the long rest at 8 hours but only once a week.

When it comes to strategic power, my experience has been that a longer and less interruptable long rest creates interesting problems for players. I guess that entails an argument that strategic power is not an ends in itself, but only worth having if there are interesting problems to overcome. It's easy to give players power. Making them feel like they have authentically overcome challenges is another thing.

To my taste, the longer rest also produces a more reasonable magical-economy... but let's face it, fantasy world economies are unlikely to be much more than on-surface plausible! So I would make no great claims about it. The obvious example is on revival magic, which for me becomes far more interesting when it is less available. (It wouldn't surprise me though, to find a DM running a very interesting world where dying was in fact very hard to achieve.)

As an aside, there is a tension between empowering players and challenging them. The choices made produce pay offs in different places.

Don Durito · Nov 19, 2020

clearstream said:
I agree that context influences ideal rest duration. Some might like to have mutable long rest lengths. I favour fixed and seem to have found a value that - at least for my narratives - works very well..

Oh. I'm not arguing in terms of mutable length. It's just that most discussion seems to go nowhere because it focuses on what the ideal length of time is. Whatever is decided it should probably be consistent, but the reason to change the length of time is to change the conditions under which a rest can be taken. The horse should go before the cart.

Paul Farquhar · Nov 19, 2020

clearstream said:
RP opportunities seems like a hard case to argue for being better either way. A world whose courts are magic-aware might offer opportunities that wouldn't exist in a world that has magic spells, but in which counsels don't guess from their disadvantage Charisma that they're being sabotaged. I'm drawn to saying magic-aware courts will be a more interesting point of difference, but it wouldn't shock me if some DM found a nice way to make magic-ignorant courts play out well.

My world is magic aware - if they saw someone casting hex they would know right away - but it is not psionic aware.

Tales and Chronicles · Nov 19, 2020

My curiosity was triggered by a few concepts:

- Oswald the Great, Halfling Rune Knight, using ol' giant magic against the lesser giant-kins who love to snack on Halfling. A Troll/Ogre slayer if you want.

- Melenor, Human Monk of Mercy, masked priest of Ilmater scarred by leprosis (think the Leper from Darkest Dungeon)

- Gronth, Svirnebling Genie (Dao) warlock, plans to enter the Dismal Delves and steal Ogremoch most precious gems.

Ogre Mage · Nov 20, 2020

Because Tasha's allows racial bonuses to be moved around, I was considering a mountain dwarf genie warlock with +2 CON and +2 CHA. He is a miner whose activities unearthed a dao trapped in a gem. He freed the dao in exchange for his warlock powers. And now he has become an adventurer to get rich!

A (neutral) Yuan-ti pureblood Aberrant Mind Sorcerer. Her powers evolved beyond most yuan-ti pureblood. But she was frustrated with her low position and disturbed by the evil of yuan-ti society. She ran away and insinuated herself in human society as a courtier in the noble court. Her mental powers greatly aided her securing this position. But she got word that the yuan-ti were on her trail, so now she is on the run (again). She is looking for companions who might be able to help her.

humble minion · Nov 20, 2020

Admittedly I missed this in the UA so it might be an old discussion, but is it just me or does the Tasha's Fey Wanderer have the potential to be, on pure numbers, up there with the best social skills class in the game (with the caveat that there's some Bard colleges that give special social-type abilities)?

With the Canny first-level alternate Ranger ability, you get to double proficiency bonus with any one skill.
At 3rd level, the Fey Wanderer lets you add your Wis bonus to Cha checks.
And Rangers now add Enhance Ability to their spell list, which lets them roll Cha checks with advantage without having to rely on another party member for the buff.

2 x proficiency + Wis Bonus, + Cha bonus, rolling with advantage. That's not to be sneered at.

Obviously to really max out this angle you have to sink a lot of ability points into Charisma and Wisdom, which is on the suboptimal side for a ranger, but if you're willing to play a dex-based ranger of a race with native Cha or Wis bonuses it could be doable.

Ancalagon · Nov 20, 2020

I'm starting to wonder if I read the Twilight cleric wrong. It seems very good.

Paul Farquhar · Nov 20, 2020

Ancalagon said:
I'm starting to wonder if I read the Twilight cleric wrong. It seems very good.

It does have the major drawback of the floppy hair getting in your eyes.

Paul Farquhar · Nov 20, 2020

On the original topic. Tasha character:

Custom Lineage (half gnome): small humanoid, 30', +2 INT, Artificer Initiate (Magic Stone, Faerie Fire), Darkvision 60', Common and Gnomish.
Class: Rogue (Arcane Trickster), Feat at level 8: Eldritch Adept (Devil's Sight) - having picked up Darkness at level 7.

Specialises in INT based ranged sneak attacks with magic stones launched from a home made catapult (sling). Can also use tools as an arcane focus for any spells.

Paul Farquhar · Nov 20, 2020

Here is another:

Vuman (raised by dwarves). Feat: Fighting Initiate (Unarmed Fighting)
Class: Barbarian (Battle Rager) Feats (in order): Grappler, Tavern Brawler, Skill Expert (Athletics)