Search results

Squee! I like this version a lot. There is definitely room for another subclass or two. I could see one focused on golems that powers up its companion at higher levels, and one focused on a sort of "item metamagic" that gets some of the Eberron artificer's signature abilities such as adding an...

Thanks for the input everyone. Jhaelen, Reasons for conflict abound... once multiple species are sharing the same world or habitat. What I was looking for was reasons for conflict that could justify the risk of destroying expensive starships, under the assumption that starships cost a...

Any departure from real-world physics is going to require magic to do some heavy lifting to keep the world in place. This is not a problem, and I think you have the right idea. The ancient Greeks did debate the question of whether the Earth went around the Sun or vice versa. The proof they...

I'm assuming that the economic losses from destroying fleet-class starships and other major space-based infrastructure are much higher than the economic losses from destroying a modern army (relative to the civilization's production). I'm aware that this is only an assumption, and that it could...

Well, if the guards are alert and trying hard to notice things, and the PCs are trying hard to sneak up, shouldn't neither group get advantage? In that case I would just make it stealth vs passive perception with no modes. But your post also touches on an important point--encounter distance...

Good questions regarding the technology... let's say Star Trek level for the sake of argument. A typical civilization can: * build starships with crew complements ranging from a few dozen to a few hundred people * build artifical habitats the size of cities * efficiently mine sterile planets...

TL;DR: This thread is asking you to contribute new reasons for mutiple alien species to come into conflict with each other in a hard science fiction setting. I'm juggling ideas in my head for a new hard science fiction campaign. I want the PCs to be protagonists of a story involving multiple...

I've been able to ambush my PCs. Here's how I run it: A group of 4 wolves (stealth +4) tries to sneak up through the woods to the range of a single move. The highest passive perception in the party is 15. The wolves roll a group stealth check and get 8, 13, 17, 22. Half beat the target number...

Good question! Some players are interested in integrating with a homebrew session, others just want to play a generic PC or something far out. The way I deal with this is: (1) Before I even start to flesh out the setting, I share my sketchy ideas with the players and ask them if they're...

Cool ideas, Reynard. It reminds me a bit of Thundarr... transhumanist technomancers go bonkers and become indistinguishable from evil wizards. And if the aether is still around, then even the new generation could learn to manipulate it with salvaged tech. I've been mulling over what to do with...

There are lots of vestiges in the Amber Temple that could be spun into a hermit's background. Maybe the "secret" they uncovered is really a message from one of them, or an insight into their nature. Especially if that hermit is a warlock... just sayin! <evil grin> "The voice of your patron has...

The only one that really grabs me is Circle of Shepherd, which dovetails nicely with the totem barbarian. Dreams is meh, and the necro-druid just doesn't make sense thematically. Just give a Land druid spells the defend against undead/necrotic and you're good to go.

The blank dice are genius. I just added those to my December wishlist. :-)

Sneak attack is only once per turn, right? So Extra Attack at 17th or even 13th isn't actually a very powerful ability. I like Flamestrike's suggestions that key off the frightened condition, and motivate the Thug to try to frighten people in combat. It could also be a good chassis for a...

I think this is a key point, and one of the reasons that D&D works so well. For a SF game, consider putting the players on a smaller ship like the Millennium Falcon. The ship is in poor repair and understaffed, so you actually need two PCs minimum to fly the ship in a challenging environment...

Good stuff overall. The College of Whispers is a very interesting take on the Bard, but I agree that the Venomous Blade ability doesn't feel right for the class. Rather, give them a proficiency in using mundane poisons/drugs, and let then use Inspiration to demoralize opponents in combat. Ben

Thanks for the thoughtful, interesting, and well-written post. Any creative work is a melting pot, but respect shows itself if you try to create something of value to a wide audience. That means you're not just playing to your own cultural group and its stereotypes, you're trying to make...

Thanks for the tip, Roseweave, I found Alif the Unseen on Amazon. I wrestled a bit over whether to allow sorcerers in my campaign, and decided against it since neither origin in the PH seemed to mesh well with the source material. I'd be interested to see how you designed a jinn-touched...

A few of the vestiges made it into Curse of Strahd... that made me happy. :-) I think a warlock is already a pretty good model for the Binder class. Maybe you could introduce a new Warlock subclass that can has to learn specific Patrons like wizards learn spells, but can change its patron after...

Looks fun and balanced, and I really like the "Common Phrases" line for each god. Even the "evil" gods of this pantheon have a clear role in society. Do you also want to have an adversary power, someone who just wants to tear Creation down? Contrary to Jhaelen, I think any old-world god name...