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D&D is in an odd position: On one side, its more flexible than ever. On the other, D&D simply isn't D&D without its named archetypes and spells, which all have their own unique identities to uphold. It's also blessed and cursed with being the most popular tabletop RPG, so a lot of people want to...

Yeah, I think I understand what you're saying. The designers decided skills are general purpose and mundane, while spells are specialized and extraordinary -- except this runs counter to what people expect.

5e has different standards for the skills and spells. Individual spells have spell descriptions that strictly define their effects. Skills and ability checks are more of a wide "category of things" type system. A carnie using his performance skill to perform his fire breathing trick during...

It's also worth mentioning the skills and abillity checks are left open ended specifically to allow players and DMs to roleplay a variety of characters. If a player wants to play a wizard with the soldier background, it makes sense that a wizard's basic combat training would differ than a...

Didn't Orcus die at some point in the past, too? I think around 2nd edition, if I recall. I wouldn't be surprised if in some paperback any number of other big antagonists bit the dust as well. Eventually, every character reaches the end of their time. Meeting Elminster will someday only be...

Falling out of favor with a DM is a whole other ball park. Can't do anything against that except find a new group, sadly. :(

There is never a situation of DM vs players in terms of PvP unless the DM or players explicitly attempt to go after each other. From experience, player deaths to intelligent creatures are due to miscommunication or lack of communication between players and DM, or players simply choosing their...

What I'd be excited about really depends on whether we're talking about organized play or home play. My experience in organized play tells me that players in that environment need something more substantial to protect their character's personal stories against subtle, yet brutal DM fiat. Outside...

Sometimes I look at my own advice and say "what have I done." :p Giving advice on this sort of stuff almost always ends up being misleading in some way because there are two competing frames of reference in D&D about how characters should be built. One says that players should choose the...

It looks fantastic! Great job to all those involved!

What this needs is a ruling, not a rule. The ruling should be what is most fun for the PC's in question. Is their brand of fun building or shaping things? Then sure, let them use fireball that way. The players are trying to tell a story as much as the DM, and the DM should be helping them...

Although in the case of Strahd...his relationship with Tatyana is most certainly representative of rape. He just wants to break her and make her his new vampire china doll.

The only real pitfall is choosing something that doesn't fit your play style. A character can be fairly well rounded at the start of the game. On another note, no plan survives contact with the enemy, so don't think you're doing something wrong by veering away from your original character goals...

I absolutely agree. Just recently when I thought I was being harassed on the forums here, I gave those in charge as much information as I could on the incident. In fact, sometimes a person in one of these situations will give you more than you actually need. I like to emphasize being supportive...

My post was in context to the poster I was quoting. Maybe its not what he actually meant, but it seemed as though he was suggesting that expressing doubt/criticism to a victim in regards to their claims is a good idea when in reality it is the opposite. To help a victim, be supportive and...

Harassment issues get complicated by the importance of understanding the background of those involved, whether the messages are from a person or an automated source, the factors leading up to the supposed harassment, etc. Your doubt isn't unhealthy, but victims of harassment usually don't become...

In this case, it sounds like they do not have sufficient evidence to say who killed the bride-to-be. Moreover, the culprit is someone who does not want the family rivalry to end. Since there was nothing to lose from ending the rivalry (as far as I can tell), there is a possibility of outside...

Not taking into account the months, that's 35 years of CoC. They deserve some praise for the additional investment they gave to get the 7th edition to print. That was incredibly generous on their part.

I think the advantage/disadvantage covers most of it. Unless we're dealing with a cyclops, because then they really have blinded the thing. But the DM could still rule its just advantage on everyone's actions against it and not true blindness (a cyclop's eye should be much harder to destroy if...

----- reminiscing on old editions. ------ To be honest, you never knew your players until one of them had their hands on the time stop spell. It could let you know if they were happy or sad that day, or if perhaps they were just kind of insane. Cause you know something is up if a great old one...