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  1. cbwjm

    D&D 5E (2024) Rank 5e skills from most useful (1) to least useful (18)

    This is how I do it in BG3, I don't bother with a rogue, just use guidance and a high dex score then burn a few inspiration points as needed.
  2. cbwjm

    D&D 5E (2024) The Great Wizard Extinction.

    I compare fireball against ogres to show how powerful it is, basically, how good is a 5th level wizard's fireball against a band of ogres. I wrote the following ages ago but never posted it. Fireball by the editions Basic. A fireball back in BECMI could deal up to 20 dice of damage, that is...
  3. cbwjm

    D&D 5E (2024) Rank 5e skills from most useful (1) to least useful (18)

    Maybe, but perception often still seems to take place of survival, often it's only a single roll so as soon as you slot the tracks, you're off.
  4. cbwjm

    D&D 5E (2024) Rank 5e skills from most useful (1) to least useful (18)

    I'm not sure exactly where I'd place the skills, but ones I'd rate near the top based on games I've played are athletics, arcana, perception, persuasion. I've often wanted to add medicine or animal handling to a character but they'll often end up being cut if I have other skills I feel take...
  5. cbwjm

    D&D 5E (2024) The Great Wizard Extinction.

    I find it can be good as a finisher when you really need to do damage without worrying about missing. They should probably up the damage to d6+1 though.
  6. cbwjm

    D&D 5E (2024) Rank 5e skills from most useful (1) to least useful (18)

    I think that can be a good way to do it, makes the survival trained character feel like it's more worthwhile. I often don't call for a roll if it is something a PC is trained in, I think it comes from me beginning in older editions whereas newer DMs will rely a lot more on calling for rolls.
  7. cbwjm

    D&D 5E (2024) Rank 5e skills from most useful (1) to least useful (18)

    Ithibk the tracking element also falls prey to the overuse of perception. DMs will often call for that instead of survival to see if you spot the tracks.
  8. cbwjm

    D&D 5E (2024) Rank 5e skills from most useful (1) to least useful (18)

    Might as well put investigation at the bottom since every DM seems to forget about it and call for a perception check instead.
  9. cbwjm

    Which are you, The plan everything out GM, or the Ad lib?

    I'm mostly a planner where I have enough to go on (ideally by asking what the players intend to do next session) but having enough of an idea about the area of the PCs are in to be able to adlib if necessary. One time I assumed too much (I hadn't asked), the session I had planned was completely...
  10. cbwjm

    AD&D 2E AD&D 2e without the verbiage?

    I read somewhere, ages ago, that skills and powers was a test bed for some of what would become 3e. I used to like specialty priests but now I'm somewhat against every god having their own church hierarchy, I'm sort of halfheartedly working on unifying the FR pantheon into something that feels...
  11. cbwjm

    AD&D 2E Edition Experience - Did/Do you Play AD&D 2E? How Was/Is It?

    Yeah, but the people I'm playing with aren't. To be fair, sometimes it's just due to how late it is; 4 hours into a game and I suck at maths.
  12. cbwjm

    AD&D 2E Edition Experience - Did/Do you Play AD&D 2E? How Was/Is It?

    Yeah, I'm fine with thac0, never found it difficult and I will defend it as being fine and not as difficult as people make it out to be; however, ascending I think is better due to being generally easier for a lot of people. Mind you, a lot of people I've played with have trouble adding a...
  13. cbwjm

    AD&D 2E Edition Experience - Did/Do you Play AD&D 2E? How Was/Is It?

    It's funny, because I read your comment regarding 2e vs 3e and, honestly, it feels like you could be talking about either edition. with 3e it's the bonus types and how they overlap meaning sometimes a spell only affects some of the party and perhaps offering different modifiers (a mass bull's...
  14. cbwjm

    AD&D 2E Edition Experience - Did/Do you Play AD&D 2E? How Was/Is It?

    I could have sworn these threads were new last year, but they're from back in 2020 which is also when I first posted. Maybe I have early onset dementia...
  15. cbwjm

    AD&D 2E Edition Experience - Did/Do you Play AD&D 2E? How Was/Is It?

    Definitely had some fun moments in 2e, but would I play it nowadays? Yes, yes I would. That and BX/BECMI are probably my favourite editions. I could play 2e completely as is, but I know I'd end up tinkering with it. Since those old editions didn't have a lot of moving parts it was easier to...
  16. cbwjm

    D&D 5E (2024) What should the 15th Class be?

    I'm pretty sure that's what the basic sets do, you're a champion fighter which just builds the subclass in (or perhaps just limits it to a single subclass and still keeps them separate), but, if wotc builds a class, it is definitely going to have subclasses so they'd need to come up with some...
  17. cbwjm

    D&D 5E (2024) What should the 15th Class be?

    Yep, I think I prefer something more like this: 2e kits/PF1 archetypes would be my preference, completely optional, the base classes stand alone, and you can customise them with archetypes if desired. Right now, 5e class creation requires the class and at least a couple of subclasses which I'm...
  18. cbwjm

    D&D 5E (2024) What should the 15th Class be?

    Mostly because that's how 5th edition works. Otherwise, I agree with you, it would be great if there could be classes that stand on their own with flavourful abilities in place of subclasses.
  19. cbwjm

    Fans of long series of big novels, sound off!

    I've read a number of Robin Hobb's books, I thought the liveship traders was awesome, so was the assassin trilogy. Not sure if I read beyond those two series though, it was so ling ago that I read them.
  20. cbwjm

    D&D 5E (2024) The Great Wizard Extinction.

    Hit point bloat with WotC editions has definitely killed spells like fireball (really any direct damage spells) but I guess that's so that everyone can contribute with damage in an encounter. 2e you could reasonable be expected to destroy ogres with a single fireball spell when you're 5th or 6th...
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