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I'm not sure what backgrounds or themes have to do with using a ki focus. Take a multiclass feat (like Shadow Initiate or Vampirism) that gives you proficiency with ki focus and use that.

I haven't DM'd much 4e, so a lot these lessons were learned playing and DMing 3e. But 4e certainly confirmed a lot of the conclusions I had already come to, and taught me some new things as well. 1. Don't sweat the small stuff. Make rulings at the table and look them up after. Games ground to a...

You also get a lot more mechanical benefits from building on the Stag Lord's fort vs any other site. 1/2 cost castle, and I think +1 econ & stability?

"For even the very wise cannot see all ends." - Gandalf If the irredeemably evil Gollum had been killed, the One Ring would not have been destroyed and the ultimate evil (Sauron) would have triumphed. You won't find that sort of sentiment in many fantasy novels, and I always loved LotR for...

People really like Reavers of Harkenwold, from the Essentials DM Kit.

The barbarian has traveled and/or talked with travelers, and was interested enough to make the stories of foreigners into a source of study. Penalizing a skill for its intended use just teaches players not to invest resources into it, and you lose an interesting character hook/quirk (it's not a...

Knowledge (local) covers legends, personalities, inhabitants, laws, customs, traditions, and humanoids, according to the SRD. I think in 3.0 you had to pick a specific area to apply it to, or maybe that's just how we played it. In 3.5 it's general knowledge.

The protagonist almost always runs in fiction, because the alternative is the protagonist being robbed of his/her agency, and sitting in a room while other characters do the interesting stuff. The only examples I can think of is when the protagonists are just brought in for questioning and pick...

I believe there were some plans in one or more of the 2e-era books, but I don't know about anything currently in print or free on the web. I think you could adapt some sailing vessel deck plans without too much difficulty. Just stick some large wheels on the sides. Not really.

Well, speaking for myself, I'm not looking for making perfectly logical decisions all the time. And I haven't really agreed with all the folks complaining about how stupid the characters are. All I'm really asking is that people show some basic awareness of where they are and stop running off on...

I always kinda liked Dale, although he's been an overbearing whiny fool for a big chunk of this season. I wasn't all that sorry to see him go after he spent the entire episode haranguing all the other characters. "Hey Dale, they don't agree with you, why don't you try TALKER LOUDER at them, that...

While the 3e sorcerer is simply a wizard with different resource mechanics (trading unlimited spells known & limited spells per day for limited spells known & lots of spells per day), Pathfinder added "arcane bloodlines" to the class, making it its own unique thing. Basically, if you're a...

Yeah, tricky situation. Sounds like the battlemind would be better off with a Slayer or Knight from essentials, and the hybrid with a hexblade, maybe. But it also sounds like they're resistant to advice or help. Instead of playing the game as you think it should be played, you may be better off...

Because the answers are what a lot of people buy pre-written adventures for. Because they don't have the time and/or energy and/or know-how to come up with their own material.

I never saw much point to the 3e warlock, myself, and as a result I was pretty skeptical of it being included as a "core" class in 4e. But I have to say that the 4e warlock and its pacts really injected a lot of character (and plot-hooks for the DM) into the concept. A lot like Pathfinder did...

Androsphinx.

The wizard definitely has the most support, in terms of feats and spell selection. I would rate the Essentials wizard higher than the PHB wizard, myself - I find the e-wiz's school specialization to be more flavorful and interesting than the phb-wiz's implement specialization. The only downside...

My 1st D&D character was an elven illusionist/thief (an illegal class combo in 1e, but my brother the DM allowed it), and I've always loved the idea of playing the thief/rogue/bard since those days. But I will say that having "thief" written on my character sheet back then meant that none of the...

It could be, but it seems like a needless bother in a level-based game. If XP were the only measure of power, then sure. It's not clear to me that your statement about AD&D is true, that the XP tables are part of the means of balancing classes. The XP tables in AD&D are largely nonsensical; the...

Leaving aside the whole railroad debate... I think that there could have been a mismatch in your preferred DM style vs the actual game that was being run. You want to present the players with difficult situations, but not give them hints as to how they should respond. That sort of DM style...