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A tool proficiency? Nature skill?

Saw it last night. What a disappointment. Just an incoherent mess made for global audience distribution - lots of explosions, cuteness and posing - and utterly bereft of storytelling. If failure is a great lesson, this movie has a PhD. It had the dramatic tension of an overcooked noodle...

Few people want to see their PC suddenly attacked by another player at the table unless they know from the get-go that might happen and are okay with it. I'm not an 'anything goes' DM. For example, I don't accept PC behavior that steps into egregiously offensive realms that breaks the...

Live and learn, I suppose. Hasn't happened yet but it's not an exact science. Adventuring is a dangerous biz! It's an AL limit, not mine. Most of the mods I run have a full boat of seven players dividing experience so getting to min XP can be a chore, not to mention max. Not sure about...

It boils down to the fact that, unless they go into a game understanding that PvP can be a thing and they're okay with that, PvP should be off the table for players. With that in mind you could offer Harry the option that he could go ahead with this plan but, as an antagonist to another PC, his...

I'll agree. It's hard to make a catch-all story and challenge to approach all parties at this level. But I think Crypt of the Death Giants is pretty well done from the times I've played it and now run it. None of those experiences were a cake walk for the PCs. 1) Mine. I'm the DM and my...

Fair point. However AL is the only place I've run high level PCs thus far. As a DM I have a lot of flexibility in creating challenging encounters with the tools I'm allowed and the mod itself was one that I feel doesn't pull punches. The end result is that I think challenging high level PCs...

Most of my expenses were for cons to play AL. Bought the hardcovers and got a few knick-knacks. Don't collect minis because they're a PITA for me to store and transport, but I can see the appeal.

I don't understand why they wouldn't get hurt if they don't surrender. Make the danger real and they'll either comply and live, or not. Start with a demonstration of power ("A bolt of lightning shatters a tree in front of you [DM rolls a HUGE amount of dice], doing, uhm, 92 pts of damage and...

If you're that dependent on gear you need to be patient. That said, if a suit of +3 plate comes along I would expect that goes to the fighter instead of the monk.

I've never seen (serious) PvP work out for the betterment of a game. The players and our enjoyment of the game come are more important than any party interpersonal drama that harshes that experience. I'd have the two of them discuss it and if they come up with a good story resolution they...

I DM'd my first Tier 4 AL game last night. I've done dozens of Tier 3 games and this wasn't all that much more different, though the NPCs, locales and PCs all had more abilities/options to keep track of. I only had to backtrack an action once when I realized there were some Globes of...

I don't put up with cheating when I run an AL game. First time I notice something fishy I'll playfully ask, "What was that roll?" Just so the person knows I'm paying attention and it matters. If the behavior continues I'll tell them my expectation is that they roll in the clear like everyone...

I think players make PCs shine, not their class.

I guess I just haven't seen this bonus action spell chaos much. It's pretty simple - cast a bonus action spell and you can only cast another spell if it's a 1-action cantrip. Using the method of saying, "When you cast this spell, you can also cast a cantrip or take the Attack action." means my...

I would prefer more clear cut action options above a reduced set of overloaded action options. Right now it's 'this is an action' and 'this is a bonus action' and 'this is a reaction'. That works fine. What I don't want to see is 'this is an action and when you do this you can also do ALL...

I know you're probably locked in, but this is why I usually cap my personal games to 5 players. Enough to toss difficult challenges at but not too many to keep the spotlight from touching each of them for RP purposes. For larger games I've found that if you have willing players, online methods...

One thing that bugs me about this optional rule is that it completely nerfs one of the most legendary dramatic acts in recent RPG history - Scanlan's use of Counterspell in the penultimate episode of the VM arc in Critical Role. It also bothers me that high level wizards with massive bonuses to...

So power armor is AC 14 + Dex (+2 max)? Bolt weapons do bludgeoning damage? Doesn't quite jibe with me.

I'll start with the PC I want to play. If it becomes obvious we need something else, I don't mind bringing in something different to fill that niche. Usually several other players in the group are of a similar mind so it's not always the same person making that choice campaign after campaign.