Search results

Get everyone making bear costumes NOW!

I said 7th level. That's assuming situational force multipliers such as some way to get favorable terrain, split up the enemies or perhaps weapon emplacements. Ideally they could fight a guerilla war against the giants, picking off a few at a time and then retreating. If its a straight-up fight...

In addition to the fine suggestions above: 1. Focus fire the wizard or some other squishy instead. It doesn't matter if the rogue ends the combat at full health if everyone else is dropped or hurting. Hiding in combat is tactic that is good for the rogue but ultimately not beneficial to the...

If you can't carry a few lame party members, you're not optimized.

I've no idea--I lost my transparent hex overlays...

For the largest groups, I'll just look at the save number they need. That percentage makes the save while the remaining percentage fails. If they need a 13+ to save, that means 40% save while 60% don't. If it's within a few points I'll usually just round it to 50%, 66% or 75% and move on. I...

My homebrew 5e variant that I've been mucking about with uses 4 stats: Str, Dex, Int and Cha each with an associated saving throw. The system is carried over from my time mucking about with Microlite and similar systems. I've found that D&D runs faster and better (for me at least) with these...

If the party goes off track and can't find the adventure just tell them "Hey, guys, you went off track and the published adventure is over here." Then let them explore off track or get back on it--their choice. Honestly, its just easier, faster and less stressful if you're upfront with this...

I try to boil everything down into the essentials of what the players need to know to start making decisions and then sprinkle in a few flavor elements if I can do it without taking too long. For monsters, the essentials are: 1. General size, form and description. Man-sized humanoid, giant...

Contests are only contests if contestants are contesting. Ability checks, including those used for contests, require action or effort on the part of the PC. If you're contesting a grapple, you're actively trying to resist it. The section on ability checks is explicit on when ability checks...

No error. Ability Checks, PH p174. "An ability check tests a character’s or monster’s innate talent and training in an effort to overcome a challenge. The DM calls for an ability check when a character or monster attempts an action (other than an attack) that has a chance of failure. When the...

You don't auto-fail Strength and Dexterity checks while paralyzed--you can't make them at all. If you're paralyzed you're incapacitated as well. If you're incapacitated you can't take actions. If you can't take actions you can't make checks. It's as simple as that. You can't contest a grapple...

But with dragon heads...obviously...

Sandbox gaming is about dynamic player agency--that the players can dictate the goals, methods and even pacing of their adventuring. Obviously players want their characters to be at full strength as much as possible. This is especially true in a sandbox where an inadvertent level-inappropriate...

Regular bread or garlic bread?

The point of the sanctuary restriction is to limit the versatility of the spell. You can't use it to return to your base camp at the dungeon's entrance or get back to the drow city deep in the Underdark. You can only use it to get back to a true sanctuary. As long as the player and DM agree on...

Ummm...okay... MICRO MACHINES: THE RPG Basic Edition For 1+ players, ages 4 and up. For this game you will need Micro Machines--at least one per player. Having at least two per player is recommended. You will also need a surface, such as table or a floor. Each player can have their own surface...

Wha~~~~? People who've been doing something for 30+ years are generally better at it than people who are just starting out? Pshaw, I say, pshaw!

I'm not nostalgic for 2E. It was the third edition I played (after B/X and 1E). It was certainly cleaner and clearer than 1E but, at the time, I was disappointed it didn't go far enough forward (ala 3E with a unified mechanic). We played A LOT of it around 1990 but I was totally over D&D's weird...