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  1. Hawk Diesel

    D&D General OVERLY CRITICAL: Sucking the joy out of the game.

    I've had this experience as well. I'm always asking for feedback after the sessions I run, asking what could have gone better or how others might have done things differently. But I found that often I was only hearing from some players and not others. So I started encouraging those players to...
  2. Hawk Diesel

    D&D General OVERLY CRITICAL: Sucking the joy out of the game.

    @ad_hoc has the right idea. Part of it is contextual. If you have a person who is new to DM'ing, you need to inspire confidence first and foremost. If you are too critical, that will discourage this person from wanting to DM. Being a DM, just like any skill, requires practice, and no one is good...
  3. Hawk Diesel

    D&D 5E (2014) Alternate Character Creation rules (houserule)

    This is true, particularly for mountain dwarves, humans, and half-elves. My solution to this was just to give these particular races/subraces the appropriate bonus. Mountain dwarves get a +1 to Strength, standard humans get three +1's to stats that aren't their class bonus (the +2), and half-elf...
  4. Hawk Diesel

    D&D 5E (2014) After Curse of Strahd (or continuing a campaign in Ravenloft for a level 10 party)

    If you've read I, Strahd and the sequel, then a big theory is that Strahd is the land. When he took possession of Barovia as a spoil of war, he completed a ritual involving spilling his blood onto the ground, symbolically binding his blood to the land. He the repeated this after a failed...
  5. Hawk Diesel

    D&D 5E (2014) Alternate Character Creation rules (houserule)

    I have a similar house rule. However, I tie the +2 to the class (and give the player a choice to put it in a stat related to one of their proficient saves) and the +1 is tied to the background (and I developed two choices based on the stats that seem most relevant to the background).
  6. Hawk Diesel

    D&D 5E (2014) Knocked unconscious in water

    @Hriston I don't see any of the rulings that I've made as disempowering to players. There is nothing in the sleep spell that says that magical sleep is any different than normal sleep outside of that fact that one falls asleep. The description of the spell provides circumstances that cause an...
  7. Hawk Diesel

    D&D 5E (2014) Knocked unconscious in water

    From my perspective, its not just about mechanics. 5e was purposely made to use natural language and give the DM wide latitude in their ruling. Just because the spell doesn't specifically mention that submersion in water will awaken a spelling person, that doesn't mean a reasonable person...
  8. Hawk Diesel

    D&D 5E (2014) Rank the Official 5e Adventures

    I've seen this suggestion a few places, and so I did read I, Strahd (and I'm almost finished with the sequel "The War with Azalin"). And I have to agree. It makes me see Strahd in a much different way. In the adventure he is presented as a monster with simple goals that just terrorizes his realm...
  9. Hawk Diesel

    D&D 5E (2014) Knocked unconscious in water

    As far as the sleep spell goes, there is little danger of using it on the PCs in water. In the spell description, it specifically says that they wake up if they take any damage or someone uses their action to wake them up. I would say being dunked in water and suddenly being unable to breathe is...
  10. Hawk Diesel

    D&D 5E (2014) Are Barbarian’s “Meh”

    I played a Zealot Barbarian through level 10 and had a blast. The resistance and advantage on attacks is great, as are advantage on initiative checks and power critical. I've also played a paladin with anger issues until level 8, and finally felt right to take a level of barbarian for 9. It...
  11. Hawk Diesel

    D&D 5E (2014) Is this possible in Eberron?

    One thing to consider is the need to keep it all secret from any of the agents of Argonnessen. When the dragons heard about one of their kin breeding with an elf of House Vol, that info was enough to convince the Dragons to not only cease fire with the elves (who they were at war with at the...
  12. Hawk Diesel

    D&D 5E (2014) Using Sending to contact a creature who was disguised?

    I would allow the spell to work normally. My reasoning is that familiarity is an ambiguous concept. How does one develop familiarity? Is it by knowing facts about that person such as their name and trivia about their lives? If so, a person could be familiar and cast sending on individuals...
  13. Hawk Diesel

    D&D 5E (2014) Goodberries and Eberron

    It's not that I don't see it. I think obviously I must see some issues in the economy of Eberron in particular and D&D in general in order to start and engage in this conversation. But I think maybe we are focused on different aspects of the problem, or different (but related) problems...
  14. Hawk Diesel

    D&D 5E (2014) Goodberries and Eberron

    @Coroc That may be true for a laborer that lives completely alone with no means to borrow the money. But the numbers we are working with consider people that live as part of a family and community, which increases their purchasing power. I don't think you are including in there the smith's...
  15. Hawk Diesel

    D&D 5E (2014) Cavalier Build Help

    I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the possibilities of a Bugbear Glaive wielder with Magic Initiate (Booming Blade/Green-Flame Blade), Spell Sniper, Warcaster, and Great Weapon Master.
  16. Hawk Diesel

    D&D 5E (2014) Goodberries and Eberron

    Sorry, but where are you getting that number? The only weapon I know of that costs 100gp is a Valenar Double Scimitar, which may be more due to low demand as it is a difficult weapon to master. Looking at the PHB, the average price of a martial melee weapon is about 15 gp (15 gp, 6 sp, and 7 cp...
  17. Hawk Diesel

    D&D 5E (2014) Goodberries and Eberron

    Also, I just had a really dark thought about the relationship between House Kundarak, the Aurum, and House Jorasco. Much like healthcare in our world, its something that people in Eberron need. A basic cure wounds spell may cost a lot, but a family with a savings could manage it. But anything...
  18. Hawk Diesel

    D&D 5E (2014) Goodberries and Eberron

    Another consideration may be that the prices presented in the PHB for weapons are the prices for those items to be commissioned. Those are brand-spankin' new and made to order. Of course the dragonmarked houses and governments might be able to afford those prices (though there may be a contract...
  19. Hawk Diesel

    D&D 5E (2014) Goodberries and Eberron

    Alright. So I have no idea if my calculations are accurate or my assumptions reasonable. Even if they are off a bit though, I think it provides an interesting look at the economic buying power of each class. This can then be used as a jumping off point to determine reasonable prices for services...
  20. Hawk Diesel

    D&D 5E (2014) Goodberries and Eberron

    So I guess the question is, how do we reconcile this? Is there a simple fix, such as adjusting the prices presented in the PHB for living expenses and such? Or do we lower the costs presented regarding magical services? Or is this something that needs to be revisited from the ground up?
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