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  1. jgsugden

    D&D 5E (2014) Convince me that the Ranger is a necessary Class.

    Did they request their account be deleted (or did they get perma-banned)? When looking at creating new materials for D&D PCs to play, I look at the idea I want to manifest and ask if an existing class framework supports it, or if trying to fit the concept into an existing class by making it as...
  2. jgsugden

    D&D 5E (2024) How's the adoption of the new Goliath types going?

    Nobody has played one yet, so all integration has been on the DM side. Fortunately for me, the integration was a bit less radical. TLDR version: The changes happen to fit nicely into the Lore of my homebrew, so not much was needed to change. I just added the 'new' subtypes and explained they...
  3. jgsugden

    D&D General Is it bad to make your version of another player's character? (My mental hangup.)

    I'd go through these questions: 1.) If this friend knew about it, do you think it would bother him? If the answer is yes, just change the name, but play the character. A rose by any other name... If the answer is no ... 2.) Are you comfortable asking him if it would bother him? If yes, ask...
  4. jgsugden

    D&D General Dwarven Vikings

    For inspiration: In my setting the dwarves are an ancient race and were used by the Gods before the age of free will as workers and crafters. For maaaaaaany millenia they dug through the debris of the God Wars and built whatever the Gods asked. When the Gods discovered that granting free...
  5. jgsugden

    D&D General 1s and 20s: D&D's Narrative Mechanics

    Now, now. There is room for everyone's beliefs here when it comes to approach. That is my belief and you have no choice but to accept it. (This place definitely became a lot more feisty during the year I was away). My approach was always more on the narrative side, but it did kick up a bit...
  6. jgsugden

    D&D 5E (2024) Illusion Magic in 2024

    You make a few assumptions that underlie your assertions relating to this limited subset of illusions. Here are some challenges to those assumptions: You speak as if attacking an illusion is always an option, but you can't always attack an illusion. First, you state that being able to identify...
  7. jgsugden

    D&D General How Long Did You Play Only D&D Before Trying Another Game

    I played D&D only between 1979 and 1981. Then I played Gamma World - which was really just reskinned D&D. The next RPG we added to our lists were Top Secret, Marvel Super Heroes, GURPS, Call of Cthulhu and Paranoia in the 1980s, followed by Champions in the 1990s. I've sampled some of the...
  8. jgsugden

    D&D 5E (2024) Bastions in organised play? Can they work?

    I was on my year hiatus from Enworld when these rules came out, but the first thing I assumed was that they were going to be selling "build your bastion" terrain sets with plug and play rooms you could form into a bastion. I am kind of surprised we have not seen that as a product - it seems...
  9. jgsugden

    D&D 5E (2024) Bastions in organised play? Can they work?

    The Bastion rules take a role playing scenario and attempt to give it detailed and replicable structure. To me, this is problematic role playing in that it does too much rigidly and gives the players 'entitlement' to options that should be determined by role playing and scenario. I don't like...
  10. jgsugden

    D&D 5E (2014) Wonder why there aren't any Elemental Domains (Earth, Air, Fire, Water)?

    #1: As mentioned, clerics already have a lot of ground that they cover with the existing domains. I could come up with 100 more pretty easily. #2: They present a challenge under the rules in that you need to decide whether the PC is rendered weak by fighting foes with the relevant...
  11. jgsugden

    D&D 5E (2014) Aerial combat in 5e

    The aerial combat rules kind of suck in 5E (2014 and 2024). They're sparse. They don't cover a lot. And, there is one element in the rules that is absolutely friggin broken - prone makes you drop up to 500 feet. That is 20d6 damage if between 200 and 500 feet. That is horribly broken. It...
  12. jgsugden

    D&D General A D&D Swashbuckler Class

    It usually happens to bots that go to forums with the express intent to drum up conversation about the delicious Steak and Shake offerings, including the amazing Melt options and Tallow Fried Onion Rings. They made some profiles on some sites 20 years early just to have them available to...
  13. jgsugden

    D&D General A D&D Swashbuckler Class

    I want my Swashbuckler with Beef Tallow Onion Rings. On a serious note: Swashbucklers, to me, should be dexterity based melee characters that do not utilize magic, but still manipulate their foes. They should have abilities that give them high battlefield mobility, controller style battle...
  14. jgsugden

    D&D 5E (2014) Running several combats in a row

    I do this all the time. It is one of my go to techniques when following the guidelines for encounter design in the 2014 DMG. PCs are intended to be able to handle multiple 'waves' of enemies with no rest - but you do want the encounters to follow the guidance in the DMG. You want them to mix...
  15. jgsugden

    D&D 5E (2024) Is it possible to balance the six abilities?

    Your definitive statement of what a game mechanic must be is misplaced. As noted - I used these off and on for a looooooong time. They worked just fine as I described. And, what I describe from my history of using them is nothing like your assertion of what these must be.
  16. jgsugden

    D&D 5E (2024) Is it possible to balance the six abilities?

    They're not baseline abilities you need to have in every game, but - gosh tootin - they have a place in certain games - but I do not use typical ability score approaches (skill rolls) with them often. I used Comeliness for nearly 20 years. However, I gave the players the option to pick it...
  17. jgsugden

    D&D 5E (2024) Line of sight ruling

    I'd draw a difference here. Fear: If the creature ends its turn in a space where it (the target) doesn’t have line of sight to you, the creature makes a Wisdom saving throw. Frightened: A frightened creature has disadvantage on ability checks and attack rolls while the source of its fear is...
  18. jgsugden

    D&D General Advice for revolutionary campaign

    This is a bit heavy handed of a way to say it, but I agree that this outline takes away player agency. Man plans. God laughs. DM plans. Players laugh. The rough idea is something to build around, but I would back off from the detailed plan and instead think of ways to drop options before...
  19. jgsugden

    D&D General I wish people would avoid name-dropping Gary Gygax

    You know who really hated name dropping? Gary, or as I liked to call him ... Gary.
  20. jgsugden

    D&D 5E (2024) What medievalesque skill name do you prefer, for machinery, architecture, math, physics?

    What did you describe that you consider to be a problem? Technology and magic seem to work together in your examples. The problems arise when we attempt to allow technology (and specifically combat related technology) that can rival the powers of magic. We allow touches of it with explosives...
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