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  1. rmcoen

    D&D 5E (2014) (Deleted)

    That assumes new people join the game. I've been with the same crew for 20 years - we've added one and lost one in that time.
  2. rmcoen

    D&D General Familiars and Spiritual weapon, Turrets and Tentacles, some have HP some do not, why?

    It's a good question, though. My answer, for my game, comes down to the way I describe things, and the questions players ask. I go to a certain level of trouble to describe the effect of attacks against resistances, immunities, and "non-interactions". For example, a nonmagical weapon doing 0...
  3. rmcoen

    D&D 5E (2014) (Deleted)

    House rules actually in play: single page "player's aid", front-and-back, condensed and summarized. Probably a quarter of which is "cool things you can do with a Critical Hit, instead of extra damage". Rules in a word document that I consider "officially part of the campaign" - 20 or so...
  4. rmcoen

    D&D 5E (2014) Aren't Short Rest classes *better* in "story-based" games rather than dungeon crawls?

    The only issue I have is abuse. As I mentioned, in the game where I am a player, the Warlock uses cure wounds. We are 8th level, so that's potentially 8d8+8 healing (4d8+4, twice), every hour-and-12-seconds. Not necessarily in combat - he loves his Form of Dread - but healing the 93hp...
  5. rmcoen

    D&D General Familiars and Spiritual weapon, Turrets and Tentacles, some have HP some do not, why?

    I'm in the "at some point during your round, you've whipped a weapon through the spectral thing - it didn't connect, dodge, or react in any way" camp. Otherwise, I'd feel compelled to give everything "physicality mechanics", and then rules on how other things now can interact with the object...
  6. rmcoen

    D&D 5E (2014) Aren't Short Rest classes *better* in "story-based" games rather than dungeon crawls?

    1) Short Rests in my campaign are an hour, and I generally limit them to "two per Long Rest". There is a Battlemaster/Rogue, Cleric, Rogue, Bard, and Warlock (celestial) in the group. During a short rest, the Rogue usually is scouting, the Bard is playing music, the Battlemaster and Warlock...
  7. rmcoen

    D&D 5E (2014) Command and spike growth

    I think an earlier poster had it "right": 1) If the creature knows it is in a field of spikes (possible only with Perception, per the spell description), then it knows movement will harm it. Command fails - perhaps defaulting to "Grovel". 2) Otherwise, the creature attempts to flee, as...
  8. rmcoen

    D&D General Need wheat. Too dangerous. (worldbuilding)

    In my last campaign, I leaned hard into the "last bastions of civilization" concept. The world was overrun by monsters, excepting 10 powerful city-states. Each city-state had a magical shield that protected the city AND ALL ENVIRONS WITHIN TWO DAYS' WALK. (Each city's shield was powered by...
  9. rmcoen

    D&D 5E (2014) Rolling Without a Chance of Failure (I love it)

    Last session, the party was confronted with a cavern below them filled with huge and lengthy protrusions of crystals. The fighter/rogue ex-sailor with the Athlete feat asked if he could climb it. I said "absolutely". Of course, the heavy-armored dwarven cleric is the one that fell into the...
  10. rmcoen

    D&D General The "Jack Of All Trades" is a cursed archetype in tabletop RPGs

    I agree with this (not that I love 5e). With Bounded Accuracy as a concept across the board, my INT 12 sorcerer (+4 at 5th) who is proficient in Arcana is just not that far behind the INT 18 wizard (+7 at 5th). Both of us can reasonably frequently succeed even at DC 15 checks - although the...
  11. rmcoen

    D&D General The "Jack Of All Trades" is a cursed archetype in tabletop RPGs

    Feel free! It's not entirely unique, although I wrote it as I thought it. In reflection, the fighter/rogue(scout) IMC uses something called Hunter's Sense to add a d4 to his Survival and Perception checks, which is a lot like this idea.
  12. rmcoen

    D&D General The "Jack Of All Trades" is a cursed archetype in tabletop RPGs

    Seems like the easiest design of a JOAT might be something specifically intended to be 2nd or 3rd best at everything, and then have a pool of dice that can be added to skills. Not exactly Bardic Inspiration; this is meant as a limited pool of talent "surges" that bring you up to snuff at...
  13. rmcoen

    D&D 5E (2014) Rewarding Overland Travel

    Not all campaigns have Outlanders and/or Druids. I run one that doesn't, and I play in one that doesn't. (In the other one I play... I am the Outlander! And we have a druid...) The party is wandering open plains far from "settled" lands. Yes, they can forage for food. Yes, the cleric can...
  14. rmcoen

    Worlds of Design: Same Humanoids, Different Forehead

    I think it is interesting to note the difference between "race" and "culture". In my current campaign, the Three Kingdoms are generally a cosmopolitan area of the world, because of shared strife and holocaust, and "the entire rest of the world is out to get you". In any city, you see beings of...
  15. rmcoen

    D&D 5E (2014) E6 and 5e (Things I've noticed)

    So, it sounds like we would be fine with keeping full level progression, but limiting hp at 9 or 10HD to keep up the danger level (without grossly increasing monster damage). Thank you everyone!
  16. rmcoen

    D&D 5E (2014) E6 and 5e (Things I've noticed)

    I cast "Raise Thread"! Now that people have had years to play 5e, and get to high levels... What's the general feeling now? Do we need a "5e6"? Just tweak 5e [like "no more hp after 10th level"]? Or leave 5e as is, and leave E6 in the past?
  17. rmcoen

    D&D General My Problem(s) With Halflings, and How To Create Engaging/Interesting Fantasy Races

    Just as a mental image - and one that informs my homebrew worlds: Elves: bowyers/archers, forest dwellers. Arts and longevity; sometimes philosophy. Airy. Dwarves: smiths (weapon, armor, precious metals), warriors (but "defender", not "conqueror"). Drinkers, and concerned about honor...
  18. rmcoen

    D&D 5E (2014) Why do guns do so much damage?

    SO, after 22 pages of notes, this is what my takeaways are: Firearms are Simple weapons, but one still has to be trained with them. (I.e. you don't get it just for having Simple Weapon Proficiency.) Firearms are Loud. Pistol is thunderclap (100'), Rifle is thunderwave (300') Firearms can be...
  19. rmcoen

    D&D 5E (2014) Why are 5E Giants Huge size?

    To be fair, I don't expect the PCs to survive if they charge headfirst into that meat grinder (to keep the food analogies). Just in fleeing, they managed to take out 4 of the ogres (and 8 of their goblin allies that I didn't even mention) in two separate encounters -- and the fighter got a...
  20. rmcoen

    Players establishing facts about the world impromptu during play

    My current 5e character's background is basically this! Okay, a little different -- but I ticked off the local mob by not knuckling under, got my shop burned down, and was left for dead in the flames... "Lord Silver" has quite the surprise coming when the Aberrant Sorcerer he created comes to...
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