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    D&D 5E (2014) Interesting review of Fantasy Grounds software posted on reddit

    I haven't experienced any performance issues with FG, though I have a new-ish PC. Scaling spells can be done by rolling additional dice and dragging the result to the modifiers box before clicking the spell effect. For example, casting a 3rd level cure woulds could be done by rolling 2d8...
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    Character Narratives Preview from PRIMEVAL THULE

    I beg to disagree. In my experience characters usually handle several encounters per short rest. (The DMG suggests 6-8 encounters per adventuring day with 2-3 short rests. See DMG p. 84). That said if the worst thing about this book is having to mentally translate "encounter" to "short rest"...
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    D&D 5E (2014) Thoughts on Mearls' Comments on Fighter Subclasses Lacking Identity

    I totally agree that "champion" and "battlemaster" do not convey the sense of what a character is about the way some other subclass names do. But point me to the rule that says you can only describe your character using proper game terminology. Does the lack of an official "Knight" subclass...
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    D&D 5E (2014) Thoughts on Mearls' Comments on Fighter Subclasses Lacking Identity

    If the issue is that you want mechanics to support your concept, then why not work with the existing mechanics? To use your example: if a canny knight is mechanically a fighter that wears armor more effectively and fights better mounted then isn't that covered by the Defense fighting style (+1...
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    D&D 5E (2014) Thoughts on Mearls' Comments on Fighter Subclasses Lacking Identity

    I think the point Mearls might be missing is that the fighter subclasses NEED to be open ended to support the vast number of character concepts that fall under the heading of "fighter". The playtest used "knight" and "gladiator" subclasses - while those are much more specific (which I guess...
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    D&D 5E (2014) Shaman Tawk...possibilities for a 5e shaman.

    Interesting idea to make the shaman a bard subclass. It makes sense from the standpoint of a bard having the buff/debuff type spells that you would expect from a shaman. However, I think that from a fluff/lore/flavor standpoint the shaman is a totally different concept than the bard and they...
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    D&D 5E (2014) Convert ROTRL or wait for Out of the Abyss?

    I would just add that if your players get bored with RotRL it is easy to cut the AP short. When I ran it years ago my group and I were burnt out on high level play in 3.5. So I ran the early adventures but dropped clues at the end of book 3 that lead the party straight to the big bad. That...
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    Anyone else not a fan of HUGE dungeon crawls?

    Like any other adventure format, megadungeons can be done well or they can be done poorly - just because you can find some examples of bad dungeon crawls doesn't mean the format itself is terrible. Personally I think large dungeons work best when they are part of a story that is larger than...
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    D&D 5E (2014) D&D without the Cleric

    Another point to bear in mind is that the Healer feat is quite powerful - it heals d6+4 plus target's level and you can use it again every time the recipient takes a short rest. So for a first level party it is an average of 9 extra HP of healing for EVERY character, EVERY time they take a...
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    Hasbro Sells Game Manufacturing Plants; Focuses On "Global Brand Experiences"

    Does this mean that characters will now earn GBXP in order to level up?
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    D&D 5E (2014) New to 5e

    Tyranny of Dragons has received mixed reviews, so it depends on who you ask - some people loved it, some hated it. The Beginner's Box is probably the best entry point and a good value for the money. It has a longish (64 page) adventure for levels 1-5 that is generally very well regarded plus a...
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    D&D 5E (2014) No SLEEP Effects

    From what I have read (and experienced) sleep deprivation is much different from physical exhaustion. Being over tired does not impair a person physically so much as it degrades their alertness and focus. Exhaustion is not the best mechanic because a tired person can lift just as much, sprint...
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    D&D 5E (2014) Looking for an adventure (dungeoncrawl) for my 5E campaign

    You might also want to consider the 3.5 module The Shattered Gates of Slaughterguarde. It is technically three separate dungeons, but they share a common origin/theme that works pretty well to tie everything together. The adventure as written starts at level 1, but if you are converting it to...
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    D&D 5E (2014) Removal of class-based stat bonuses?

    D&D has described elves as dexterous and dwarves as tough from the origins of the game in 70's to the PHB from last year. I am not saying that can't get stale. I am not saying you can't change the default assumptions in any given campaign. But the baseline rules support the baseline lore - I...
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    D&D 5E (2014) Removal of class-based stat bonuses?

    1) Racial bonuses are a mechanic that supports the lore of the game. If the lore says "Elves are smart and graceful" then the rules should reflect that. Without racial bonuses (or another mechanic) there is no reason for an Elf PC not to dump Int and/or Dex and the world is full of dumb, clumsy...
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    D&D 5E (2014) Removal of class-based stat bonuses?

    Class based bonuses are totally unnecessary in a system that already lets you arrange your attribute scores optimally for your class. How does a rule that just lets you start out with highest stat a bit higher really add anything to the game? Now if you had a system were scores were not...
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    D&D 5E (2014) How would you make a Jedi in 5e?

    I would 1) pick any class; and 2) role play the character in a jedi-like manner. The D&D mechanics are not really designed for emulating characters outside of traditional fantasy (if that is your thing I would suggest Hero System). You are not going to get it "right" from a mechanical...
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    D&D 5E (2014) Unhappy with Psionics requiring Far Realms flavor

    If clerics can work in godless settings like Dark Sun or agnostic ones like Eberron then I am sure you can make Psionics work just fine without a Far Realm.
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    D&D 5E (2014) Roll20 or Fantasy Grounds?

    I have not used Roll20 much and only recently started with Fantasy Grounds, but I have been very impressed with how well 5E works with FG so far. Yes there is a learning curve, and there are a few holes (or maybe just things I haven't figured out how to do yet) but overall it feels like a well...
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    D&D 5E (2014) MUSING: An Evergreen, static Fifth Edition...

    I would be totally fine with that. I have never been a big fan of splatbooks and the power creep they inevitably create. With the existing PHB rules you can play until 6E without running out of new options. And as others have noted there are a ton of existing campaign settings that can...
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