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    D&D 5E (2014) Giving Classes an Additional Saving Throw? (+)

    All of this "primary casters get X, non get Y" make me think you are playing without any multiclassing. Which is great and all, but useless for me. And if you back load it, adding a save or two at T3/4 isn't going to make that much of a difference between primary casters and not. I am in...
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    D&D 5E (2014) I think I've cracked a fair way to buff sorcerers

    To me, sorcerers limited list is part of the mythos. They aren't generic arcane casters; they have a set of magical talents. I'd rather gice them: 1. A chance to not use a spell slot when they cast a sorcerer spell, 2. Strip flexible casting, 3. Make metamagic be short rest based. 1 amd 2 are...
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    D&D and the rising pandemic

    Yes, it passes around in schools. Around here, there is zero ability to send a kid to school without the child unmasking in a poorly ventilated room to eat with other people. And there is no in school mask mandate, so it swirls around in the community of people with kids. So they kid will...
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    D&D 5E (2014) Giving Classes an Additional Saving Throw? (+)

    There are two tiers of saves -- Dex/Wis/Con is top tier, and Str/Int/Cha is not. With multiclassing in mind, they all have to be either good or bad. Barbarian (STR / CON) + Dex Bard (DEX / CHA) + Wis Cleric (WIS / CHA) + Con Druid (INT / WIS) + Con Fighter (STR / CON) + Dex Monk (STR / DEX) +...
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    D&D 5E (2014) Weapon attuned to Mechanis trouble sector

    Mechanus is a plane of order and clockwork. I like the view of them as a bunch of increasingly complex mechanical golems, ruled by the prime. Traditionally they dwallers are shape based, with more sides = higher complexity. A cute bit of lore I like is that they tried to tame limbo by...
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    D&D 5E (2014) The power of smite

    That isn't what I said? It is inefficient use of spell slots, but it is quickly. The more efficient way is to use it on crits, when it becomes both an efficient use of spell slots and action economy (18 auto-damage from a 1st level slot is very good). The comparison (for slot efficiency)...
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    D&D 5E (2014) How should I improve stoneskin?

    Add more sources of resistance. In my case, people wielding shields can sacrifice them to get resistance against any non-psychic source of damage. (If the shield is magical, it just disables the shield until the next short rest. If you are attuned to the shield you can do this proficiency...
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    D&D 5E (2014) The power of smite

    I've tried to make high level Paladin cheese builds that rely on smite. Whenever I assumed a modest adventuring day, you got higher total damage from a BM XBE Fighter or a GWM Barbarian. When I did strange stuff to optimize smiting, like Paladin 6/Hex 1-3/Sorcerer X, the baseline Paladin ended...
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    D&D 5E (2014) The problem with Pet classes and a possible solution?

    I'm going to try out giving the Tasha's companion (slightly buffed at higher levels) to the Ranger as a baseline feature. It is 5 HP/level and can be recovered in a short rest easily. Balance-wise, I'm treating it as a per-short-rest heal, on par with the Fighter's Second Wind (which I also...
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    D&D 5E (2014) Dominate Person vs. Suggestion

    This looks like attribute check time. Lots of "how should this magic corner case work" can be solved by attribute checks. Here the suggestion is cleverly trying to subvert the domination command; the domination command is still obeyed, just not the way expected. Which is legit.
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    D&D 5E (2014) Wheelchair options. Do these seem balanced?

    Str Dex makes more sense if Str is "total muscle mass" while Dex is "Muscles per pound". Under this model, moving yourself around is Dex (acrobatics), while moving the world is Str (athletics). Lean athletes would be good Str amazing Dex. A sumo wrestler is high Str low Dex; they care little...
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    D&D General should we have domains back if so how?

    Reign, by Greg Stolz, has a system for organizations. The organization has a bunch of (somewhat abstract) features and attributes. These organizations can come into conflict or try to do things. PCs in this game adventure and act as spoilers. Their actions can add bonuses to what the...
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    D&D General How are locks so hard to open?

    If getting caught up on what the rules say causes conflict, I wouldn't call that "easier". You can have lots of conversation about how a game plays without agreeing on how force wall interacts with secret hut. In fact the conversations you can easily have are about how it actually plays. What...
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    D&D General How are locks so hard to open?

    Why would agreeing on the baseline rules of D&D be a great virtue? Each table should have its own understanding of how the rules work. So understanding the various ways you can read the rules is far more important than agreeing on what they are; that gives you the ability to move between...
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    D&D General How are locks so hard to open?

    Trained thieves should walk through most locks. At level 1 without expertise, a 16 dex rogue has a +5; that is a 20% chance to fail at a DC 10 lock. That is way, way higher than the chance that a party dies against a CR 1 monster. If you do have "roll again until you pass", any DC under 25 is...
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    D&D General Languages in D&D Are Weird, Let's Get Rid of Them.

    Make languages based on country. Proficiency is familiarity with that nations culture/history/etc. And includes a cheat sheet of information. History refers to ancient history. Exotic languages provide narrower information and lore as part of their package, as does Arcana/Religion/Nature and...
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    D&D 5E (2014) Would placing a weapon in a bag of holding break/block Eldritch Knights bond?

    I like that much better than bag of holding tricks. Intention matters in magic. Maybe include stuff like "Do you hand possession of this blade, and all it entails, to me, of your own free will, without reservation or exception, to keep for as long as I will?" "Do you affirm this again?" "Say...
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    D&D General House of the Dragon has me thinking about Succession

    There are multiple forms of inheritance. 1. Parents own assets jointly. Assets are split roughly evenly between surviving children when they die. 2. Assets are family held. When head of family dies, new head -- their oldest descendant, and failing that their parent's oldest descendant (and...
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    D&D General House of the Dragon has me thinking about Succession

    My point is there is a half-dozen titles that the heir used to hold. One of them has been transformed to something like a "the queen thinks you are awesome", and she traditionally bestows it on someone new every 5 years, instead of for life. This is clearly not supposed to be the heir -- but...
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    D&D General House of the Dragon has me thinking about Succession

    I would expect that, even ruling as regent, the prince (the heir) would be a position. That position might have multiple titles. Like "Prince of Whalesburg" and "Defender of the Eastern Reaches" and "Protector of the Rose" and "Beloved of Amon". I could see this position originally having...
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