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Honestly, I think something like Combat as Heroes (CaH) and Combat as Anti-Heroes (CaA) is more descriptively accurate of these play styles. Heroes typically face dangerous challenges head on. They normally fight the BBEG directly. They might occasionally cleverly deal with a dangerous or...

"Combat as..." describes a play style rather than a type of system design. The design might encourage certain play styles over others, but the reality is that you can play any system in any style. When I was a kid (Basic/2e) I had no one to teach me how to run D&D. So I designed my encounters...

I wasn't suggesting that you were casting stones. I just think that it was bad advice for this person and situation (as well as in general) and responded as such. There's nothing wrong with killing characters per se. But I don't think that making passive aggressive commentary after the fact...

I disagree. Killing their characters and then commenting how much fun it is to "actually play" seems quite disfunctional and passive aggressive to me. I think that having a conversation with the players is a much healthier and more mature approach.

Having a discussion sounds like a good idea. My impression is that this player may perceive it as though you are trying to violate their agency, despite that you aren't intending to force a specific outcome. Which may be related to your earlier statement that you like to make combats difficult...

The PHB only covers the playable options. It isn't meant to cover every possible person or creature in the world, as evidenced by the MM which contains plenty of abilities unavailable to players. If you need an in-game explanation, there are plenty available. For the example you gave, perhaps...

@p_johnston What were the circumstances surrounding this "your potion ingredients or your life" scenario? I ask because one of the reasons I've seen players behave this way is due to the DM trying to subvert their agency. From one of my own experiences, the DM contrived an encounter where he...

I would probably go with something like: Barbarian (STR / CON) DEX Bard (DEX / CHA) INT Cleric (WIS / CHA) STR Druid (INT / WIS) CHA Fighter (STR / CON) WIS Monk (STR / DEX) WIS Paladin (WIS / CHA) STR Ranger (STR / DEX) CON Rogue (DEX / INT) CON (would be WIS, but that would require altering...

Reread my original post. I mentioned the spiritual bond there too. I don't ascribe to the notion that martial == mundane. IMO, that kind of thinking is at the heart of martial/caster disparity. Just look at the source that the Beastmaster draws upon. It's arguably inspired by the Beastmaster...

That's why I added that the MUPC and pet are resistant to death while the other is above 0 hp. I think that would probably be sufficient, since you would have to down both before death is a major risk in most cases. However you could go further with it and say that because of their spiritual...

Yeah, I think of this approach as the FFX Summoner approach (in that game a summon would replace the entire party, but otherwise was basically as you describe). It's not a bad option per se. I've considered creating powerful summon spells based on this design, which would essentially have the...

It's also in the MM, pg 510, under Hordes.

I very recently started a new O5e campaign, and after reading over the Level Up Monstrous Menagerie, I'm planning to use it as my primary source for monsters and encounter building. I particularly like the elite monsters. I've already updated my encounter building spreadsheet with all of the...

Draggin' Joust

1) What is your favorite DND class?  Druid 2) What is your favorite race? Homebrew (I prefer to play weird races) 3) What is your favorite setting (if own setting such as a homebrewed one, just write homebrew)? Homebrew 4) What is your favorite alignment?  NG 5) How many hours per session...

This was kind of the idea behind the 2e Birthright campaign setting. Domain management integrated into the game from level 1. I can't speak to whether or not it actually succeeded, as I never actually ran it. Seemed interesting though.

I think, back in those days, breaking open a chest risked destroying delicate treasure (like potions), which would have to make a saving throw. So it's possible that the chests are working around that logic. Admittedly, that particular chest doesn't contain any potions, but it's still a choice...

While breaking down a door is arguably easier (with the right equipment), picking a lock isn't rocket science. I bought a lock pick set for myself a while back (just out of curiosity) and I was able to get a firm grasp of the basics within an evening. I wouldn't consider myself an expert in any...

I see that as the DC to pick the lock in a relatively short period of time. Generally speaking, if the PCs have all the time in the world, I let them succeed automatically. Another factor to consider is that most D&D worlds are pre-industrialized. Which means that those locks would probably be...

Yeah, but even when that happens, an update explaining what happened is the least they can do, IMO. For example, ZNAPS was a KS I backed (fortunately, only for about $20). They raised over $2 million. Their last update was on 9/25/16, when they said they were starting shipping and to please be...