D&D 5E So who played 5E D&D recently?

[Grimstaff]

2nd session of 5e Rise of the Runelords was last night. We wrapped up part one (Burnt Offerings), then the party spent 3 weeks of downtime in Sanpoint researching, carousing, and leveling up to level 4. Then got about 25% through part 2 (the Skinsaw Murders).

Still amazed by how much we get done in a single session with the 5e rules. The players say they're loving it - gameplay is fast, dynamic, and engaging, with little or no looking up rules. Lots of high-fives across the table after nail-biter combats, and lots of love for the cool class abilities like cunning action, hunters mark, and portent.

Good times, looking forward to the next session.

 

[sgtscott658]

Awesome to see so many people enjoying themselves playing 5E. Also it is very cool to see the different campaign worlds being used, homebrew adventures, published adventures and so on.

Scott

 

[Cadriel]

I've been running 5e in a homebrew setting. I've got a sandbox style approach in the game, with multiple factions and mysteries that the PCs are just starting to uncover, and I have 2 or 3 different potential adventure locations for the players to explore each session. After 2 sessions, the PCs who have been there both sessions got up to level 2.

I've primarily been running Basic/Expert D&D and when I can OD&D, over the last 6 years. I'd say that the feel of 5e is good, letting me run the kind of adventures I like, while the feel of certain things is a bit different. Players do a bit more and the lethality is lower, but the game still feels dangerous despite that. I'm still adjusting to some of the ideas in the system; I want to do more with things like conditions and damage types, for instance, when designing traps and such. I really like the Monster Manual, especially how differently monsters of the same level can work.

 

[Queer Venger]

Good. They're about to meet their first dragon, the green from the starter set. I have no idea what will happen!!!

I wrapped up this section a month ago, the encounter is brutal, remember that the dragon is not meant for TPK (DM's read section carefully). Our group will be heading to Phandalin now. They already helped the villagers against the Redbrands, so they hope that the cleric of Tymora will cast a Raise Dead on their fallen wizard.

Great module, but DMs have to be careful that some encounters are brutal and not every encounter must be defeated.
I agree with others, the MM is a gem and really sparks creativity in me as a GM. Im excited to see the variants and options that the DMG will open up and the future products that will come out (I expect to see more conditions and spells, as well as more character options).

That said, Im playing it, and Im really glad to be back to D&D. With a few minor exceptions, this is the edtion I've wanted since last playing 1e.

 

[Nebulous]

I wrapped up this section a month ago, the encounter is brutal, remember that the dragon is not meant for TPK (DM's read section carefully). Our group will be heading to Phandalin now. They already helped the villagers against the Redbrands, so they hope that the cleric of Tymora will cast a Raise Dead on their fallen wizard.

Great module, but DMs have to be careful that some encounters are brutal and not every encounter must be defeated.
I agree with others, the MM is a gem and really sparks creativity in me as a GM. Im excited to see the variants and options that the DMG will open up and the future products that will come out (I expect to see more conditions and spells, as well as more character options).

That said, Im playing it, and Im really glad to be back to D&D. With a few minor exceptions, this is the edtion I've wanted since last playing 1e.

Yes, i'm afraid that an inexperienced DM would run it as a straight up fight and slaughter a party. I am playing it much differently, including the druid being a semi-crazed ally of the dragon and the cultists having stolen eggs and are trying to manipulate the dragon into compliance with their goals. It should be interesting, as much a tug-of-war of egos as anything.

And i have read many times that people are returning to D&D after a long absence. I am very glad to hear that. This edition has gotten a lot of stuff right.

 

[DM_Jeff]

Saturday night the players, in Neverwinter, went completely off the beaten path to follow an obscure plot hook to Helm's Hold. I just ran with it and the whole night the party didn't know it was planned all along because the DM 'prep' was literally done on the fly as we gamed.

Last night the party finally defeated the evil succubus who'd been terrorizing Daggerford by inadvertently inviting her (in disguise) to the duke's celebratory dinner. Someone made an opportunity attack against her with a dinner knife.

Tonight my kid's game comes face to face with a certain arachnid named villain in the bowls of Wave Echo Cave finishing their mini-campaign to play out the basic set adventure.

 

[Nebulous]

Saturday night the players, in Neverwinter, went completely off the beaten path to follow an obscure plot hook to Helm's Hold. I just ran with it and the whole night the party didn't know it was planned all along because the DM 'prep' was literally done on the fly as we gamed.

Last night the party finally defeated the evil succubus who'd been terrorizing Daggerford by inadvertently inviting her (in disguise) to the duke's celebratory dinner. Someone made an opportunity attack against her with a dinner knife.

Tonight my kid's game comes face to face with a certain arachnid named villain in the bowls of Wave Echo Cave finishing their mini-campaign to play out the basic set adventure.

That's great. It is one of the greatest pleasures, and probably the hardest skill to learn as a GM in ANY game system is to take an unplanned event and run with it, and seamlessly unroll the details to fool the players into thinking it was intentional. For the GM, it can be exhilarating, and i would venture to guess it's why many of us enjoy that role.

And i want to add that i think the starter set Lost Mine of Phandelver is a fantastic little adventure and worthy of some praise down the road; it shouldn't be forgotten or ignored just because it has kiddie wheels on it.

 

[WitchyD]

Spoilers(!) for Hoard of the Dragon Queen follow.

Sunday, my party just got out of the roadhouse tunnel in HotDQ, and started making their way towards the castle. As they start canoeing towards it, will-o-wisps lead them into a cave. Littered in the cave are skulls partially eaten away by acid. The wizard in the party has the bright idea to use Fire Bolt to see if the acid burns. (Huh?). Him burning off the acid sets off a terrible stench, which brings the adult black dragon towards the party. He, seeing the party with their Cult of the Dragon garb on, greets them with the usual "Hail Tiamat."

The Sorcerer starts bluffing. Rezmir, he says, is hoping to get a donation of treasure for Tiamat's future hoard. This is perfectly in line with the adventure, and the Sorc has the rolls to back the bluffing. I'm prepared to have the dragon part with some of his horde when the Paladin of Bahamut speaks up, drawing his sword, claiming that he slew Rezmir himself. This was a bad move.

The jig is up. Initiatives are rolled. The Adult Black Dragon toys with the level five paladin for a round, and my players start thinking they have a chance. Everybody in the party passes their Wisdom checks vs Dragon fear, and decide to lay into the dragon. Then, taking it seriously, the dragon proceeds to curb-stomp the party into submission. Only one of my players was wise enough to have his character run. The others die -- one instantly from the acid breath weapon -- and I ended up lending my copy of the PHB to them so they can roll new characters.

TL;DR: Newbie players learn to run from dragons they can't take on.

 

[Bupp]

Running it in my new homebrew world and its my kids' first D&D. Running through a modified Keep on the Borderlands, and about to enter the Age of Worms AP. PC's just hit 4th level, with henchmen that just hit 3rd level, all leveling at the end of last session.

My daughter has run us through 1 session of the Lost Mines of Phandelver.

 

[JEB]

How did you like that adventure over all? I am thinking about buying it, the preview looks great.

I liked it - even if it was basically just a challenging dungeon crawl, it's a solid one. The only warning is that it clearly assumes you have a full caster and a full healer in your party, because the enemies can be pretty tough to face without them (we had a paladin and an arcane trickster, and it was just barely enough to survive).