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This version of D&D is very different from previous versions with respect to skill checks. In 2nd and 3rd edition (and rolemaster), skills were RESTRICTIVE: you needed a proficiency and decent bonus to have a chance of succeeding. This seems natural to simulationists, but can have an...

I'm surprised that ADV/DISAD is so high in the poll. I personally think it is a VERY strong modifier, and am wary of it getting overused. For example, I haven't been using the inspiration rule because I don't want players using ADV unless they have a real tactical advantage. I nearly voted for...

I like the direction IMPLIED by the Runemaster PrC: they grant abilities that any PC might want to take regardless of class. That said, there can be some PrCs more suitable for spellcasters and some more suitable for martials, and there can be PrCs that require spell slots to function, but those...

Three out of six players in my current game chose to play fighters (one str-based great weapon, one dex-based archer, one dex-based battlemaster). So the class is certainly attractive to my players.

Strongly themed campaigns are a challenge for a number of reasons. When I want to run one, I: 1. Write a one-page proposal, including restrictions, and ask who's interested in playing. 2. (after I have some players) Write a slightly longer campaign guide and give incentives for building PCs on...

Along these lines, I was going to say "multiple builds within classes". Some classes more so than others, of course, but there are a lot of decision points as you level up to make your class X feel different from someone else's class X. Ben

Yes, I fully understand that. But 6th to 9th-level spells also do different things. It isn't all about the damage dice. Let me put it this way. Say I'm playing a 10th-level wizard and I discover a new master rune that no one has ever heard of before. I attune to it and decide it's interesting...

I would be very hesitant to give up high-level spells known by learning this prestige class. Maybe it would be better if each rune had an "overcharge" option that could only be activated with a 6+ level slot. But the mechanics of the prestige class seem fine. Ben

Frankly, I can't think of anything really important in terms of rules changes on the DM side. Adventure design plays into "AD&D feel" a lot. I noticed in Out of the Abyss that the trend in 5E seems to be having lots of bite-sized encounters and lots of opportunities for short rests between...

I voted sorcerer, because I like having more than one version of arcane spellcasting but four is way too much (and three of them are Cha-based!). I might have chosen bard or warlock instead, but the sorcerer is bland in comparison. And the storyline of "my magic comes from an ancestor" could...

I love AD&D, it's probably my second-favorite edition. But I'm trying to run 5E RAW for a while before tinkering with the rules. Here's what I would do for an AD&D feel. I would only make changes that really have an effect on player incentives. 1. Give only 20% listed XP for defeating...

This came up quite a lot in a recent game of mine. An important point to keep in mind is that the creature being grappled can use its action to grapple its grappler. Why would they want to do this? Because RAW, only the grappler can move the pair around the battlefield. But if both creatures...

5 out of 5 rating for Out of the Abyss Out of the Abyss is the first WotC product that has inspired me to write a review. This review has no spoilers.There are several things I'd like to talk about in detail, but beforehand I should day that I'm a DM who writes 95% of my own material. It's...

Why oh why can't they stop doubling down on magical powers for martial classes??? T_T The "first strike" ability is cool. The stealth ability sounds like something a rogue should be able to do. You want a skirmisher, taking Mobility and giving them a high movement rate and the ability to ignore...

Good stuff. I would have thought the conversions would be more complicated, but these capture the feel of the races nicely. Consider quickling rogues who get dash as a bonus action. I think normally dash is just an extra move--you get 30' from your move action and 30' from your dash. You...

It's got a few of pages of history and major locations, and some random encounter tables. But the focus of that chapter is diplomacy, not exploration, so you won't find detailed maps or anything.

Also, madness! I've only read halfway so far but there are a lot of ways for the PCs to acquire a long-term madness. Players who like acting out a bit should get a kick out of it. Ben

There is an interlude where they escape to the surface, and decide what to do about all the disturbing things they have seen. You can bring in as many overland leaders and factions as you like at this point.

Deities and Demigods hasn't been the most popular choice, but I voted for it. I think there's a lot of room to flesh out the differences between the clerics of different gods with unique domains, different uses of channel divinity, and so on. And I always liked the idea of specialty priests...

I want one. As I've already stated a time or three, I want more martial base classes in the game, and I think the warlord concept is broad enough to encompass subclasses. But if I don't get one, then I can make do with what's already available, a little grudgingly. Ben