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  1. James Gasik

    D&D General Belts of Giant Strength?

    From the DMG: I've seen Girdles of Giant Strength go to secondary combatants in the past, and the boost was very welcome (a Cleric and a Thief, both in separate games). There was a 2e game where my friend Barb's Fighter died and was reincarnated as a Halfling, which she was fine with, but the...
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    2025-08-03_094633.jpg

  3. James Gasik

    D&D 5E (2024) No way to end Rage on your turn with 2024 rules?

    I'm reminded of 1e Cavaliers, who, as I recall, not only must run up to the toughest enemy available, but think retreat is for cowards. Cavalier PC's didn't seem to last very long as a result. Not to mention low-level 1e Barbarians, who might attack a Cleric for offering a Cure Light Wounds...
  4. James Gasik

    Spoilers Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - Season 3 Viewing (Spoilers)

    I guess that universe didn't have a Bjo Trimble.
  5. James Gasik

    Spoilers Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - Season 3 Viewing (Spoilers)

    I always imagined the inspiration for the holodeck came later in the timeline, after TOS "Shore Leave", but I suppose it's not a particularly novel idea (I'm reminded of Niven's novel "Dream Park"). If the Federation had gone a different way with their technology, they'd probably have developed...
  6. James Gasik

    D&D 5E (2024) Effects that kill you at 0 hp

    As it should be. The modules do give you some guidance for how to adjust, but they're based on things like "if you have more players/more experienced players", nothing concrete. DMing is more art than skill, granted, but I hate when advice is imprecise or murky, because I still make mistakes...
  7. James Gasik

    Spoilers Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - Season 3 Viewing (Spoilers)

    It's just unusual for him not to be on the bridge. Sure, even Spock has to sleep sometime, but I guess I just assumed that, due to his near omnipresence, his rotation coincides with most of the rest of the main cast we see on the bridge. I'm not sure how things like that work on real ships...
  8. James Gasik

    Spoilers Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - Season 3 Viewing (Spoilers)

    A holodeck episode before the holodeck was a thing! And of course it goes haywire, because that's what the holodeck does! The not-Star Trek parody was both hilarious and cringe-inducing. Nothing like holding up a mirror to the worst of ToS. I did not see the twist coming- even though there...
  9. James Gasik

    D&D General Belts of Giant Strength?

    Ioun Stones might be better for most characters. Turning an 18 into a 20 would at least save you an ASI. Though it's amusing that they are both Very Rare and can be damaged or taken away and still require attunement. I think I'll introduce one to my current game soon to see how the players...
  10. James Gasik

    D&D General Belts of Giant Strength?

    Actually, having seen a Fighter with a Cloak of Displacement in actual play- not so much. We were playing Storm King's Thunder. He had an AC of 19 thanks to plate and fighting style. When we went up against Fire Giants, he decided to wade into battle, thinking he was invincible. Fire Giants...
  11. James Gasik

    D&D General Belts of Giant Strength?

    Though nothing stops someone from being a Dex based Fighter with a relatively low Strength using bows or rapiers and suddenly switching tactics if they did find gauntlets of ogre power.
  12. James Gasik

    D&D General Belts of Giant Strength?

    AC pretty much caps out at 20 for monsters, right? My highest level character was an archer with a +1 bow, 20 dex, and fighting style for something like +12 to hit and on-demand advantage for at least one shot a turn, and that's without factoring in if I got a buff or Bardic inspiration or...
  13. James Gasik

    D&D General Belts of Giant Strength?

    I don't know that I buy the limit is there for bounded accuracy. I mean magic weapons go from +1 to +3 (with the DMG mentioning higher bonuses are possible on artifacts if memory serves). The game designers have come out to say that accuracy isn't a factor when it comes to monster design...
  14. James Gasik

    D&D General Belts of Giant Strength?

    I think I understand why 5e went back to the AD&D version of the stat boosting items, the Belts of Giant Strength in particular. Nostalgia, yes, but there's more to it. Players are often led down the path that says they must have the best build, the best bonuses, the best stats. If you play a...
  15. James Gasik

    D&D 3.x 3rd Edition Revisited - Better play with the power of hindsight?

    Oh absolutely. Not every build is going to work, and sadly, a great many of them are traps or at the least, not fantastic. I'm reminded of a friend who really liked the idea of being a Rage Mage, and fueling his magic with the power of his anger....but a close look at the Prestige Class...
  16. James Gasik

    D&D 3.x 3rd Edition Revisited - Better play with the power of hindsight?

    I had a discussion the other day with some friends about which version of D&D we liked best. My breakdown was this: 2e for lore and interesting settings. 3e for player options. 4e for the DM, with encounters being very easy to build and run. 5e for newer players. Not as complex as previous...
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    2e9b52da32ea6a9ccc2ea88e7e7deb7b.jpg

  18. James Gasik

    Game Mechanics & Lore

    It's perfectly fine to have preferences. In another thread about the level band of most adventures, someone (sorry I can't recall who at the moment) defined several categories of D&D gamers. One subset vastly prefers the levels 1-3 play loop, with low hit points, easy death, characters having...
  19. James Gasik

    D&D General Requesting Advice on FR Pantheon

    If you're going to have Tymora, then it seems to me you'd have to include Beshaba. Or fuse them back together into Tyche.
  20. James Gasik

    Game Mechanics & Lore

    The thing about "gritty low-fantasy" settings with visceral, brutal combat that I think a lot of people gloss over is the copious amounts of plot armor the main characters have to have to survive their stories. Conan is superhuman in his ability to absorb punishment, and that's a trait shared...
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