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  1. J

    Potent Cantrip: To "fix" or not to fix?

    I can't think of a single cantrip that deals half damage on a successful save. Which spell are you referring to?
  2. J

    Potent Cantrip: To "fix" or not to fix?

    Assuming 1's and 2's are re-rolled once: 1d4 => 2.5 average roll => (2.5+2.5+3+4)/4 = 3 (+0.5) 1d6 => 3.5 average roll => (3.5+3.5+3+4+5+6)/6 = 4.17 (+0.67) 1d8 => 5.25 (+0.75) 1d10 => 6.3 (+0.8) 1d12 => 7.33 (+0.83)
  3. J

    D&D 5E I am not ready to ready the ready action...

    I can just imagine the cleric now, dancing around his foes while his spells wreak havoc in the background.
  4. J

    D&D 5E I am not ready to ready the ready action...

    I bet you get strange looks from the other players too. :)
  5. J

    How do you surprise your players?

    I realize how it reads and we've gotten some great humorous posts as a result. Not to be nit-picky but the DMG is pretty clear on how to surprise characters (it's just stealth versus passive perception and those who lose are surprised during the first round of combat). I meant how do you...
  6. J

    How do you surprise your players?

    It is interesting that you call out "those who are Keeping Watch, that is." I have always assumed that the characters are keeping watch at all times. How would you run a relaxing night in the tavern suddenly ruined by a doppelganger? Would the player who said "I open the treasure chest" have his...
  7. J

    How do you surprise your players?

    I actually did mean surprise the players. As soon as one calls for an initiative roll, the surprise is sort of lost. I feel it would be more theatrical if the ambush began *before* the players roll for initiative thus surprising the players (whether or not the characters are surprised). This...
  8. J

    How do you surprise your players?

    As a DM, how do you surprise your players? For example, if a module calls for an ambush, how do you run the ambush narrative and subsequent combat? How do you manage PCs that roll higher initiative than the monsters doing the ambush? How would you manage a character that has the alert feat or...
  9. J

    The EN World boards are great for discussing 5E

    I am intrigued. Can you share your PDF or what iserith wrote?
  10. J

    Surprise Round Variant: Preemptive Strike

    The surprise round rules fall short for me so I am planning on introducing a new rule in my campaigns to compensate. I'd love to hear your feedback on this. The Problem There are many reasons for characters to be surprised. Besides being ambushed, the players could be in a situation where they...
  11. J

    D&D 5E I am not ready to ready the ready action...

    Ready doesn't change your combat order RAW. However, you can use ready to go after another player such as "after the wizard clears a path I charge in" I don't really like this because it feels weird to get two turns so close together. I preferred 4e rules that permanently moved your turn order.
  12. J

    D&D 5E I am not ready to ready the ready action...

    As a DM, I'm really happy there is a Ready mechanic I can fall back on, but I prefer my players not to use it explicitly. What I prefer my players to do instead is give me a narrative such as: "when the dragon swoops down to bite me, I want to jump on him" or "when the invisible creature...
  13. J

    Potent Cantrip: To "fix" or not to fix?

    In my opinion, the School of Evocation is the strongest school of magic for the wizard. I do not see a need to modify Potent Cantrip.
  14. J

    How important to you is maxing your primary stat?

    I was about to say the same thing. The only thing in the game that can raise a spell save DC is your spellcasting stat, so for spellcasters that rely on saves this is the most important stat. When I played an enchanter wizard, I maxed my spell save ASAP so that I had a chance of actually getting...
  15. J

    The EN World boards are great for discussing 5E

    I am a recent join as well and have been very pleasantly surprised by the community we have here. The active members are all very open and are encouraging. I think the XP system does encourage the correct behaviour (the posts I got XP on tended to be more insightful or drawn from my own...
  16. J

    Alternate Initiative Method

    Have you considered the "Ready an Action" action? It seems like you're readying your action at the start of every round of combat, before initiative is rolled. So will you allow conditions such as "when the monster walks through the door I cast my cantrip" and what will you do if the trigger has...
  17. J

    Thoughts on wands being overpowered in 5E

    I really like this idea. By adding an economy to those charges it gives a more careful consideration of usage. Also the PCs need to spend money on something. I could see it adding a more theatrical element to gameplay as well: the wizard needs to tend to his magic items, infusing them with...
  18. J

    Thoughts on wands being overpowered in 5E

    This is actually quite helpful. I asked "Has anyone else experienced problems with these wands feeling overpowered" and you seem to be answering, yes they are overpowered but no, this isn't a problem. I guess "problem" varies group by group. Sadly my experience with the wand of fireballs wasn't...
  19. J

    Thoughts on wands being overpowered in 5E

    This is a really good way of looking at it. I still think there's a huge disparity between the power of the magic items on that table - just look at the wand versus the necklace - but I think you're the first to actually compare the wand to other items of the same rarity. It is interesting to...
  20. J

    Thoughts on wands being overpowered in 5E

    You're right, I got carried away with hyperbole. It's more like the character can act like a level 9 wizard with 7 free 3rd level slots for fireball. Which compared to a level 5 wizard is very powerful. It is true that most players will keep that last slot free even though there's only a 5%...
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