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Yes, as long as the spell is on the character's spell list for their class. Note that some clerics /druids / warlocks get additional spells from class features. So, for example, a light cleric has domain spells that (if I recall correctly) includes fireball. The wording of the Domain Spells...

I hate nothing about 5e... except the haters. At the end of the day, it's just a game. I love the fact that it's a shared hobby that has allowed me to find and keep friends for more than 30 years. The friends, and the time spent with them, are the end goal. The game we play, and the rules of...

Always interested to see someone else's thoughts. The experience at my table would suggest a different ranking for a few, though. I'd consider lifting the war cleric to tier 1. I've seen a war cleric played through 1st-9th level, and they were extremely potent. The channel divinity and domain...

The flesh golem is a fun option. Pieced together from the dragon's previous victims, which can add a dose of either comedy or horror depending how you play it ("Oh no! It has the head and chest of Sir Riggsby the Knight Valiant... the arms of Talia the Elven Archer... and the legs of Wiggles...

At my table, a meaningful NPC (e.g. an established ally, who is relevant to more than a single session, and has a name) will get the standard 3 successes / 3 fails. A non-meaningful NPC (e.g. a nameless soldier, or someone with no "character levels") will be dead as soon as they hit 0 hp. If...

If you can find an old copy of Dragon magazine #70 (February 1983), check out the Mechica module. It's a mid-level (AD&D) introduction to a Meso-American setting (basically, a D&D riff on Tenochtitlan) that has a few interesting ideas. At less than a dozen pages, it's not at the level of Dread...

I loved the nothic. I adopted stream-of-consciousness creepy statements coming out of the shadows, references to it being able to taste the PCs' emotions, vague glimpses of its form in the darkness. I didn't bother rolling for its Weird Insight - it automatically knew all their secrets. Fun. I...

We've just started a campaign with an aarakocra monk. He'll eventually have an insane amount of movement speed but, at the moment, he's probably one of the most vulnerable characters. The first encounter: kobolds, outdoors... including a winged kobold. The aarakocra is immediately engaged in a...

Hmmm. Difficult question, but I'll give it a stab with three suggestions... 1. Foreshadowing. If you're running a lengthy campaign, establish early in the piece that there's this incredibly powerful organization or entity. For bonus points, don't make it obvious that it's going to be the Big...

I'm a combination of Mephista and Dausuul, in this thread. I've got a player in my group who always plays his characters as (basically) Chaotic Neutral. He's unpredictable at best, and unmanageable at worst. He'll randomly decide to draw a blade on a non-hostile NPC if he's bored (or feeling...

Put me in the "excited" camp for this one. I wouldn't want to see this style for every release, but it's an incredible breath of fresh air. As others have commented, it reminds me of diTerlizzi's work on Planescape, which I loved. Plus, the characterizations, even without the art, are so...

Which is why I was specific to use the terms "my group", "our style", etc. To quote someone: "Use the rules. Don't let the rules use you." Our group's take on familiar's is more in line with earlier versions of the game. The familiar is someone special. It's a personality. It has a name. It may...

Eh, different styles and all. Here's my take on it... 1) It's not a class feature to milk the imp for venom and then apply it to your crossbow, so let's get that straight. There's nothing in the PH to indicate that's possible. We're talking about a DM's choice to allow something out-of-the-box...

There is a milking rule. I don't have my copy of the DMG at work with me, but look under "poison" (in the index) for the page reference. From memory, it's a DC 20 Nature check to successfully gather poison from a target creature. If the check is failed by 4 or less, the attempt fails. If the...

I don't really need a PH2. I never want to see another DMG2. I'm generally averse to splatbooks. I think the current pace of released adventures is fine. I'm actually quite happy with the relatively light flow of new printed materials from WotC. But I need more monsters. Especially the...

Yes, I would... and have... changed hp in mid-fight. I do it sparingly; maybe once every 4-5 sessions at most. In my opinion, one of the key roles of a DM is to create dramatic tension. Sometimes, the dice simply don't cooperate with that. I'm reminded of a classic Judge Dredd comic story...

I'm always using Old Modules. In fact, 90% of all the modules my group played in 4e and 5e were derived from classic 1e/2e/BECMI/Dungeon modules... including the complete Dragonlance series, the GDQ saga, Lost City, Saltmarsh, Fire Mountain, Gauntlet/Sentinel, Tharizdun, Tsojcanth, and too many...

I've had two players run moon druids in LMoP. Both died, without making any changes to the monsters. There are some really savage encounters, if you play the monsters intelligently. Let's say... 4 hobgoblins win initiative. They all go for the same target. 3 hit. That's 3d8+6d6+3 damage. Is...

I've had no problems with gold so far, even without magic item shops. Firstly, there are the expenses. The party is required by imperial law to hand over 10% of their monetary earnings in tax. Any treasure recovered that has an identifiable former owner also requires that 50% of the haul is...

Concentration is not bugging me, or any of the players in my two groups. It's an amazing time-saver at the table. The non-casters are particularly grateful for the rule, as it means that the caster's turn is over almost as fast as theirs, which creates more equity of play experience. In 3e, the...