D&D 5E 5e CB's Stonefast OOC -- COMPLETE

[Forged Fury]

The question of the attack can rip does bring up a mini-rant in my head about the absence of the "laser cleric" build in 5e -- this was something I pushed hard for (I feel) during the play test, but just in the end found no traction.

I think the closest thing is the Light Cleric. Just take the Sacred Flame cantrip and re-fluff it.

 

[tuxgeo]

I know the question isn't directed at me, but I'm going to say I love how you think about this. Whichever way you go, it's cool to see the story develop. I think I haven't been as responsive to your Guran's clerical curiosity as I might have been -- I'll work at that a little more in the future.

If you want to, that's great. I wasn't complaining -- really, I wasn't. Spec has played foil well for Guran's religious ramblings, and hope the reverse is also true. I seem to recall Spec's having called Guran "My boy" at least once, and he has explained about Fharlanghn a couple of times, at least.

As a justification for the Magic initiate feat, though, I think it's brilliant, and the idea of a clericy-religious rogue is one of the great things that I think 5e allows (and encourages). The fact that you can do it without cleric levels is all the better. (And, in reverse, Spec has rogue like qualities as well.)

Thank you for the kind words throughout the above quotes.
I have now updated Guran's character sheet to 4th level in the RG. He took Magic Initiate (Cleric), learning the cantrips Light and Spare the Dying, and the 1st-level spell Healing Word: no divine attack, all support. He won't be able to do nearly as much healing as an actual cleric, but his healing will be at near range.

 

[Kobold Stew]

I think the closest thing is the Light Cleric. Just take the Sacred Flame cantrip and re-fluff it.

I understand that this is what 5e has to offer; I'm just saying, for me, this isn't a laser cleric. (This was a conversation I had a lot during the play test, and I'll admit I don't understand why the designers didn't include the option I'm seeking).

A laser cleric's player gets to roll the die to hit. There are plenty of at-will cantrips that do it, in every other spell casting class, but not clerics. There are also at-will cantrips that require a save, and I understand that these can be equally effective, don't need to worry about cover, etc. The clerics do have one of these, as do other spell casting classes.

Now I know that a table can re-fluff things, or the DM can let the player roll the save for the monster to give them the same tactile experience, but that (to me) feels cheap. I know that we can easily house rule an attack cantrip in the way I like, without much controversy (e.g. "just like chill touch; but radiant damage, and d6 not d8") and I'd be happy.

What I'm actually interested in is why they didn't include this option in the PHB, given the large variety of attack cantrips already there, and given the pre-existent idea of the laser cleric, which was supported in previous editions. (And today I see that the spell sniper feat is written in a way that suggests there should be such a spell, even though there isn't.).

So to be clear: it's not something I'm asking for for Spec, and it's certainly something that is house ruled trivially. I don't care about that. I am interested why the designers CHOSE not to present it as an option, given the larger context.

Now: if I ran the world, I'd have made all these spell attack rolls key not off of the casting stat, but off of dexterity, or even constitution -- I would like it to be a choice as to whether you worked to be a caster who specials in such things, rather than have it just come automatically. That, to me, makes the game more interesting, because it allows players to have more than one optimal choice in a given situation -- the laser cleric might legitimately want to boost their dex rather than their wisdom -- whereas with all casters, now, there are so many incentives just to bump your casting stat without other considerations. Now, I don't expect everyone to be on board with this -- it's just my view for what is fun for me -- but it does feed into the idea that the designers were removing the space for specialized beam-casters.

That's my view; end of rant.

If you want to, that's great. I wasn't complaining -- really, I wasn't. Spec has played foil well for Guran's religious ramblings, and hope the reverse is also true. I seem to recall Spec's having called Guran "My boy" at least once, and he has explained about Fharlanghn a couple of times, at least.

Cool. Let me know if you want more.

He won't be able to do nearly as much healing as an actual cleric, but his healing will be at near range.

...and during combat!

 

[tuxgeo]

Re: "Cool. Let me know if you want more."

With Guran's newly-found emphasis on piety, I'll be looking for situations where it makes sense for the characters to interact about religion: probably not much chatter about that during combat, but who knows? I don't want to force it; but now that Guran and Spec are something like colleagues, in a stretched sort of sense, they may have more to talk about in that vein.

For example, Guran might need to explain to Spec that it was Spec's example of finger-movements that made Guran realize that the way he learned those movements back at the Temple was wrong, due to the Priest's having fingers stiff with age, which stiff fingers didn't move as freely as the Light cantrip required. Or the two of them can compare notes about the possibilities of Moradin and Fharlanghn being allies; that, too, might be a stretch, given their respective alignments, but I think a case could be made for Moradin's 3.5E Domains including Protection and War as a good fit for Fharlanghn's 3.5E Domains of Protection and Travel: the price of freedom to travel calls for eternal vigilance (i.e. war). Or if not allies, they could be rivals. Things like that. I think topics of conversation could come up.

(Maybe that's getting a little deep for a hack-and-slash adventure?)

 

[CanadienneBacon]

I'll be looking for situations where it makes sense for the characters to interact about religion

I can facilitate this.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

I'm home from SC and have skimmed through the last few days' worth of OOC posts. I don't see any outstanding level-up related questions. Or any other gaming-related questions. Let me know, folks, if I neglected to respond to something you asked.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

Jury trial's done. We won.

Now back to our regularly scheduled program. I'll skip over to the IC here in a minute and zip things along. Thanks, all, for being patient this week.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

Continuing the OOC conversation from the IC re: identification and attunement . . .

1. Identification requires a short rest. A character can only ID one item per short rest. See DMG 136.

2. Attunement requires a separate short rest. A character may not both ID and attune to an item during a single short rest. A character may voluntarily end attunement by spending another short rest focused on item, unless the item is curse. See DMG 136 and 138.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

[MENTION=23484]Kobold Stew[/MENTION], I'm not going to push interaction with the brass tube on Spec. I think he could have investigated it this past long rest, but I'm cool with waiting until later. Let me know when you want him to interact with that item.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

I'm opening the door to retconning ID and/or attunement this past long rest. You'll all have had enough time to ID or attune to gold ring and the rope. I need folks to pipe up and work out which item is going where, and whether you're IDing or attuning to it. During a long rest, I've no problem with characters both IDing and attuning to the same item...my read of the DMG is that the only time you can't both ID and attune is during a short rest. I think, during a long rest, you'd have time and opportunity to do both (assuming you're not interrupted by, say, orcs, kobolds, or a crazy elf witch lady).