Search results

In my experience you either win or get a TPK. Retreats that lose only one or two PCs are fairly rare because, by the time the PCs realize they need to retreat, one of them is down, and the rest will fight heroically to save the fallen, which either results in a TPK death spiral or a...

I used to work for a small book store. It failed and we had to send unsold books back. Depending on the publisher, we got back 30-48% of the price. https://literaryagentmarkgottlieb.com/blog/are-royalties-fair-a-publisher-weighs-in I don't see WotC being worse than other publishers. Note that...

Yes. Why should such creatures be more vulnerable? Why am I designing a spell that only works on bipedal tool users such as goblins that wouldn't work on the wolves they're riding or the inhuman creatures who may have hired the goblins, why does the spell not affect centaurs, etc.

Calling it Temporary Paralysis wouldn't work, because I couldn't use it on, say, a dire tiger. I like Hold Monster (which is worthy of the name Temporary Paralysis).

Most superheroes don't get markedly more powerful over time, so IMO it's a bit different. Some superhero video games do have PCs "level up".

There are more tropes to use in fantasy gaming than sci-fi gaming, IMO. One is "no cops", since you probably started in a poorly-defended border region with either monsters, hostile peoples, or both nearby. I could probably start a fantasy campaign today, just say "you guys are total strangers...

Are Priests Divine? IMO yes, they have to be. You live in a world with literal magic. Compare to the real world, where cultists can claim they're "divine" and can give you blessings. Sure, that's fake, but how can you distinguish between the cultist and a "real" priest? They don't need to be...

I'm interested in Judge Dee but don't see why he has to share a spot with the Scarlet Pimpernel.

Of these two races, tieflings had been popular since Planescape too so they weren't "new". :) Same with drow, which weren't an option in the 4e PH1 but are a subrace option in 5e. I think dragonborn were the only totally new core race but even they were vaguely based on some similar races (most...

I thought Bilbo was chosen because hobbits made "natural" burglars. They may not have the mindset, but have the natural talent. D&D rogues have numerous skills, Stealth just being one of them. Any random halfling should/would have a bonus to Stealth (due to their small size, if nothing else)...

For the dwarf stuff there's a trope called "Our Dwarves Are All The Same". Being grumpy? That's already part of the dwarf trope. There's certainly no mechanical hook for being grumpy. Make them more fey? But again, how is this mechanically represented? You could play an elf cleric or druid...

They sound cool, and psionic. Good for campaigns with psionics, not so good for those without (and there's no PC rules for psionicists yet that I'm aware of).

Human, human, and human. Honestly non-human monks make little sense to me. Clerics are so generic, the only way to make them special is to come up with some really unusual abilities, such as the kuo-tua's lightning blast... which simply becomes part of a domain. The cleric's extra spell-like...

In 4e elves (as in wild elves, not high elves) can be Dex/Wis. Between being close to nature and having sharper senses than humans, this makes sense. I once played an elf rogue whose second stat was Wisdom, which was real fun. It was a one-shot. In 5e the wood elf subrace gets +1 Wisdom, echoing...

Was that in the Planes of Chaos Box Set? I'm not sure where I should look. I read about the chaos-shaping proficiency (but either I read the wrong place or it's just not "organized" like other NWPs) and while I saw mention of the Anarch Guild I couldn't find any kit for it. Still, it's cool...

There are a lot of D&D races, and at least a few have Wisdom bonuses. My favorite would have been the thri-kreen, which had a Wisdom boost from 2e to 4e (I don't think this has ever come out in 5e). Thri-kreen have very strong flavor, but some people don't like that flavor, they're hard to...

Githzerai are basically built on one solitary character for the longest time, though I think there's a prominent githzerai in Baldur's Gate 3. Their coolest hook isn't being made to be monks, but using their willpower to mess with Limbo ... except this is pointless in the Prime Material Plane...

I heard that gunpowder was invented in China by alchemists trying to obtain eternal life. There's no point doing that sort of alchemy if you have magic that can extend your lifespan (or even become a lich).

l don't think it makes many people really upset. 4e is my favorite edition. 5e moved away from it in a lot of ways, which didn't make me happy. It means I won't run it because: 1. It's less balanced numerically. I hate the saving throw system, although the save DC determination is pretty good...

I totally agree with you... Quick note: Antony was defeated by Julius Caesar Octavianus Augustus (Caesar's great nephew and heir). Augustus would have been a terrible warrior, since he apparently had severe allergies as a child and young man, missing out on military service.