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Interesting idea, but I'm not sure that would scale all that well. By level 10, there would be no risk when casting fireball. By level 4, there would be no risk when casting 1st level spells (some of which, like Shield, retain their value even at higher levels). Even before those breakpoints...

I'm not aware of any 3PP that does this for 5e, but you could take a look at 13th Age for inspiration. The magic in that system works basically as you describe (some spells are daily, some encounter, and some at-will).

I think it's a good solution. The only potential issue that I can see (and this is obviously only an issue if you play at those levels) are healing spells above 5th level (Heal, Mass Heal, etc). Unlike their lower level counterparts, level 6th+ healing spells already function as effective...

You're shifting goalposts. I was talking about visitors to the city. While they might very well allow an old man his staff, they're not necessarily going to allow a group of well armed mercenaries to do the same. A craftsman might be allowed a hammer but a fighter might not. It makes sense that...

In my very first post (quoted above for reference) I stated that natural weapons are "largely a ribbon". I find it a little absurd that I'm repeatedly having to defend a position that I clearly stated as a personal opinion, and moreover seems to be largely in agreement with the rest of you...

The two most common scenarios where PCs don't have weapons (IME) are when they've either been captured or gone to a city that requires their weapons be left at the gate. In the former, unless the captors are quite stupid or the PCs exceptionally clever, there may be no way to acquire an...

There won't always be an improvised club sitting within arm's reach. I'll grant that in many circumstances there will be one nearby, but you may have to spend you first turn disengaging (or taking opportunity attacks) and running over to grab it.

I would agree that they're largely a ribbon. That said, if dealing 1d6 (3.5 avg) instead of 1 damage is negligible, then so is the choice between a 1d8 (4.5) longsword and a 2d6 (7) greatsword. The difference in average damage is identical, unless the character has a feat or feature to modify...

Sort of. As I recall, the fighter could make their level in attacks against such creatures, but still needed to roll damage. Granted, with a high enough exceptional strength and/or specialization and/or magic weapons, any hit against such a low HD creature could be a guaranteed kill. But it was...

In Flee Mortals, minions do represent something in the fictional world. Two examples are the Pitling and the Blood-Starved Vampire. The Pitling is the lowest category of demon. Essentially abyssal vermin. They're capable of consuming the soul of a dying creature (making it dangerous to go to 0...

Coup de grace is only possible against a helpless target. That isn't what I'm talking about. I'm talking about something like what a vorpal sword can do. Kill an active target that still has HP. Only, without magic (because decapitating someone shouldn't require magic, for reasons that I've...

To the best of my recollection, D&D hasn't ever had official rules for warriors non-magically one-shotting anyone in any edition. Unless you count reducing the enemy to 0 HP via standard attacks, and then simply narrating the attack as such. It's always been relegated to magic (Vorpal sword...

Officially no, but the minion rules in Flee Mortals look pretty good. I was planning to test them out last session, but wouldn't you know it, my darn players talked their way through every encounter. 😂

Even a vorpal sword doesn't allow you to decapitate everyone within 15' (unless you have the reach, number of attacks, and lucky rolls to make such an unlikely occurrence happen). Not really sure why you're bringing that into the conversation. I'm talking about things that are mundane. A...

That's basically just the "it's always worked this way" argument. Unless all you mean is that a fighter shouldn't be able to one-shot the Tarrasque (neither should a mage IMO). Then, sure, we're in agreement. IMO, the fighter arguably shouldn't be able to decapitate the Tarrasque with a vorpal...

The items are magical. The mechanics don't need to be. Worlds Without Number has the Execution Attack action that functions (mechanically) quite similarly to an arrow of slaying. But there's nothing mystical going on. The warrior sets up and executes a kill shot. How many foes does Conan...

Yeah, I would certainly agree with that possibility. All I'm saying is that the black arrow is not itself an arrow of slaying. Everything in Tolkien's passage suggests that Bard made an extremely skilled shot to the heart (possibly aided by the arrow), rather than the arrow having somehow...

A one class party isn't impossible. It's just more challenging (both for the DM and players). I believe all of the 2e Complete Handbooks had advice for running mono-classed parties. I played in a 2e campaign with no casters that went to a fairly high level (I want to say 9th?). My forum handle...

If it was a magical arrow that always landed a kill shot, then why did Bard save it for last? Was he some kind of psycho who enjoyed seeing how high a body count Smaug could rack up? He certainly doesn't across as such in the book. It seems it was his trump card that he was saving, and had the...

I see. So you're okay with a party of fighters stabbing the Tarrasque in the toe until it dies, as long as they're armed with +1 swords? That seems like an arbitrary distinction to me, but to each their own. No. That's not a use of plot armor that I've heard before, though I believe I follow...