Search results

One observation I can make of 5e is that once you reach the tipping point (where it becomes moooostly clear which side will be victorious), the system can overstay its welcome due to hit point bloat. There are good reasons for HP bloat, such as giving a buffer for climactic monsters so they...

@MGibster Have you noticed the 2024 rules leading to more tedious combats than the 2014 rules? (asking because I haven't touched 2024) More generally... medium influences message. There was a consulting team during 2024 D&D's design that focused on digital integration, and they would give...

I wonder about letting players choose their classes from any of the 5e-ish books you allow, and then making photocopies / digital scans of the relevant parts of the book…that would work for me. This approach is more “gather round and make PCs together” (ans opposed to “come with PC ready”) and...

The saboteur or saboteurs clearly timed their sabotage during last night's snow storm – there's no chance of finding a trail. However, the Eastside's actual inn spaces are partly underground with just the snow-covered roof exposed – you realize there's no obvious way to tell where the support...

GM POST The freckled teen has been singing softly to herself as she takes notes in the accounting ledger... "Ahead of winter's wind she came— The lovely woman with no name; Draped in a fur-lined cloak of red, To the icy lake she fled; The wind pursued her all the same— As sure as night she's...

@Zardnaar I forgot to share this with you. I'm also (slowly, with interruptions) working on a homebrew that sounds a bit like the "B/X advanced with three saves, lower hp" sort of game you're wanting. It's meant to be mostly compatible with OSE and B/X-adjacent games. Here's one of the class...

Vilhon Reach

Totally, yeah, action denial has a wide swing of impact in 5E. I have experienced that too. Against lots of mooks or in certain situations (eg. slipping past held ogre door guard), it can work great, but against single or a few enemies, it can utterly cripple them for fairly low cost to the...

Love their art and the passion going into this, and thank you for the interview. That said, here’s my tongue in cheek reply to cut through some of the marketing speak. … The NPC stats are going to get a ton of use…not at all because we’ve removed many of the frequently used humanoid monsters...

Don’t know many of those products… A monster book (as opposed to a database or spreadsheet or stats-only list) is something i reference for ideas, lore, cool pictures - anything to inspire my creativity. If i need to just get to the stats, I will either get them online or have them copy-pasted...

Reducing hit points across the board, bounded accuracy, changing saves, curating spells, making monsters scary – there are worthy reasons to explore these changes. However... ...I think Magic Resistance is not the best way to go... especially when you're asserting that "Most spells aren't...

The wiry white hair you found in the snow does not match the half-orc's fur hood. You won't know without someone trained in Medicine performing an exam - or just trying to cast it - but if the innkeeper Clyde is suffering pneumonia, for example, then lesser restoration could cure that.

Hamvang tugs the ear flaps of his hat and scratches his scraggly beard. "Clyde took a fall into the Maer Dualdon (lake) last winter... feels like a lifetime ago... poor man's lungs have never been the same since. Can't carry a firkin without an awful coughing fit." If you're catching up on...

Devourer (AC 16, hp 178) has no special defenses – so your party will focus fire and crush it fast, unless you focus on some creative defenses for it. Rather than boosting numbers, I prefer to make the special defenses unique to my specific scenario (e.g. a mighty lich with multiple phylacteries...

My experience was that the default skill challenge system from 4e sucked - it was a deeply flawed system that was harmed by its abstract nature. The d20 Star Wars Galaxy of Intrigue book had the best skill challenge approach that I’ve seen, and even when I used that for chases it… let’s just say...

It’s a design challenge, yes, but there are RPGs with great chase rules… James Bond 007 and Cineflex both use fun bidding systems (the former is more vehicle maneuver based but still involves bidding) which make for exciting chases… I’ve wondered if the White Hack bidding challenges might be...

@Reynard It's a good question. Apologies if someone already mentioned (I only scanned the first 6 pages of replies), but thrilling chase scenes... Thrilling chase scenes is something I've never seen D&D handle well.

Just so I’m clear… Your upcoming/TBD climactic fight is going to be in a desecrated area and will include these enemies: Devourer (from an official 5e book) Cleric of Shar (CR10-11 homebrew) ?# of mooks (official NPCs with your own modifications) And your concern is about the sheer spell...

@Steampunkette But how do you say "Languages suck in D&D" in Elvish??