/5eg/ - Fifth Edition General

Discord is a pile of garbage, fuck you.

I had considered it, and then realized that the discord produces nothing of value.

I'm making a morrowind esque spellcrafting system.

What are some archetypes that are necessary based on dnd lore and existing spells?

There's a reason that tumor was excised.

/wbg/ is quiet today. Maybe you guys can help me.

I am a fairly new DM who has only run about 5 games campaigns, I have lots of things I understand but one of the harder things to master is proper pacing, especially because I don't really control it that much. So I have a question. Regardless of what system I use, how do I go about making a campaign, about 3 sessions, maybe 2, in its entirety, a dungeon crawl but make the rewards not feel wasted? Its a bit difficult to look at it from a players perspective, but, for the sake of argument, lets say a typical combat encounter takes 15 minutes, maybe 30. Each session is 3 hours, 4 if they wanna stay extra. How do I successfully cram a story, meaningful fights, traps, etc, and items all into a campaign that short? Whenever I run things I am used to spread it out over months so its foreign to me almost. Also a bit important to note, the overall setting is easy enough to set, its the story within and meaningful content inside thats hard.

Make combat faster. One combat shouldn't be taking 15 minutes

>flail snail

My nigga. Best monster.

The easiest way to make combat faster (and smoother)... is to help the players build their character.
Combat is pretty repetitive, they should go in already knowing which actions to use, which bonus actions, the effect of everybody's spells, and the math for their attacks... it's going to be almost always the same, exceptions being when there's something to do with the environment or there's need for a particular corner-case spell.

Are there werewolves in the 5e monster manual? where can i find them? page?

They're under Lycanthropes

It really is. A player almost died because he stood between two of them and a wild surge made a fireball go off right where he stood, but the snails were total bros so their shells completely cancelled the spell.

Under Lycanthropes, starting on page 206. That said, just read the index next time.

I was going to say "are you fucking incompetent" but then I remembered they're not listed under Werewolves, so I guess you're OK.

thank you
sorry, my mistake, i was looking under W, this friday i will dm my first game and im not english

How would you stat a Drow fighter, using standard array?

What type of fighter?

With only 3 sessions it's not going to be a great epic.
Keep the focus of your pcs small, don't let them dawdle, if there's investigating to do anything they'll do will give them the right lead.
Hit them wherever they are, hit them from multiple angles, make it look like there are 2 or 3 plots going on at the same time, but then have everything come to a final showdown on the 3rd session.

You can probably make do with a short investigation, and a short dungeon, 3 to 5 rooms, in each session.
This could be great, the time running out OOC will bring more tension.

8 Str
14 Dex
15 Con
13 Cha
12 Wis
10 Int

Add racial bonuses, use dex weapons

Str 8
Dex 15+2
Con 14
Int 10
Wis 12
Cha 13+1

I guess.

Oh hey, we were pretty close

I wouldn't mind more comprehensive Chase Scene rules and scenarios desu

What is your goal? Stealthy fighter? Maximum defense? Duelist? Dual weapons? Great weapons? Ranged attacks? Do you want to cast spells?

Personally, I'd go for 16 Dex and Cha, at least 12 Con, and balance the others as you want to taste. Dueling if I plan on rapier and shield, archery for a longbow focus, or Defensive if I plan to mix it up often or really want to stack AC. Battlemaster, take the Rally maneuver so I can put the high Cha to good use bossing/commanding/seducing my comrades for huge THP, other good maneuvers include the one that frightens, riposte and parry, and precision attack. At level 4 take Inspiring Leader for even more THP granting, then max Dex from there out.

How do the shells cancel the spell when they're not in the shell, and a fireball comes out of nowhere?

Yeah, I thought putting the odd in Dex might work on the off chance you took resilient or something seeing as they already have Con save proficiency and there aren't any other feats that give a Dex or Con bonus worth taking.

2 questions
>is sacred flame the only offensive cleric cantrip?
>would a flail snail make an appropriate mount for a halfling?

Yes, except in special circumstances like Arcana or Nature domains that give you extra cantrips from other lists, where you can take some.
Yes, if your DM allows it, you don't mind moving at the pace of snail, you don't plan to cast any magic, and you don't mind people trying to kill your pet whose corpse is worth a fortune.

>Yes, except in special circumstances like Arcana or Nature domains
well shit i want to go into knowledge domain and i notice it added a boost, but seems silly for only one spell
also doesnt the magic disruption only affect magic cast at it?
casting magic at others while on top seems ok
aside from the pace i wanted to know how best to tame one, i think i read that they were intelligent or are they just insect like in intelligence
so do i have to use dominating magic or could i get help from a ranger in taming it?

Flail snail shells are basically just big piles of antimagic. Both of the snails succeeded on their saving throws, and on the d6 roll one of them rolled a 2. This canceled the spell entirely, saving the sorcerer.

A flail snail would make an appropriate mount for any creature Medium or smaller. The optimum scenario is an Oath of Ancients paladin riding a flail snail, giving them resistance to magic damage entirely.

I don't really see how anything with movement 10ft is ever an appropriate mount as it fails somewhat in the main purpose of having a mount.

Hey y'all, I'm looking for some advice.

My players are in Icewind Dale tracking down a frost giant. They're about to cross over a hill west of Bryn Shander that will give them a view of the entire coast. The frost giant is on the beach, loading up a boat, with the larger giant longship anchored off the coast. The beach is about ten miles from the party.

I'm seeing that it'll take the party on horses about 1 hour to gallop down there. The giant would probably notice a group of people galloping down a snowy slope towards him.

I'm not really sure how to play this out.

He hops in the ship, and books it.

5th E was fun. I personally feel like the crunch amount is just right for me. Advantage/ disadvantage is neat simple mechanic and I like inspiration. I got to play as a cleric and turned into a Living Sun in my game. Here's the custom character sheet I didn't finish before my character ascended to PEAK SHINING SUN

Also, it has been a RPG bucket list want of mine to fight a Flail Snail.

One of he others is to fight a gelatinous cube.But I did that one already.

Not seeing what is so useful about riding a flail snail, it has advantage on saves not its rider and has 1/3 chance of just damaging the rider if it passes a save.

>my 7 players are level 4

>can reliably beat any enemy from the MM I can throw at them
>even in groups

>baddies damage isn't a threat anymore
>they can shrug off most wounds

I'm doing something wrong I know it
The only encounter which gave them trouble was a 200hp 15AC Warboss Orc with a magical greataxe

Early levels where so much fun because there was that element of danger which doesn't exist anymore.
One wrong hit and it's fucking over

It feels like if I went ahead and boosted every enemies AC, HP and weapons I'd be a shit DM
Is that shit DM'ing?

Really is, indeed. It's easily my favorite, with floating tentacle potato as my second. I just love that it has its own economy behind it because people make glass out of what it leaves behind.

I've had it in my mind to put one in front of my players just doing its own thing and see if they take the bait and try to kill it and if they do, the nearby town basically have it out for the party because their town benefits and specializes in creating product from that glass.

You have too many players
that's all there really is to it
Do whatever you have to to give them a reasonable challenge (provided that's what they want)

What is the goal here?
If you want the giant to sit still, just say it's the low tide and he had to wait to go, if you want the players to fight a running battle, have the giant board the boat in the nick of time and ensure that the players can fly/swim/walk on water.
If you want to stump them, well... just let the giant go, it's easy.

>It feels like if I went ahead and boosted every enemies AC, HP and weapons I'd be a shit DM
>Is that shit DM'ing?

>rebalancing encounter to be an appropriate challenge for the party
>shit DMing

user please, literally everyone does this

It's the fact you have 7 players.

Oh, neat.

It sounded like a case of 'You run in between them and try to blow them both up allahu ackbar style, but they're both autoimmune to it and you fucking die.'

I have been converted to the way of the flail snail.

>7 players

Also
>Probably a load of magical items or something

Well running for 7 players is one problem. How many encounters are they getting per long rest? Another common problem is players being able to just go full burst every encounter if they get to rest too often.

Include stakes that require them to manage more than their HP.
The dam is about to break and destroy the village.
Their friend with 4 hp is also in the collapsing cave.
The freezing cold doesn't care how much HP you have, it won't let you rest and you won't survive for long once your legs can't move.

>7 players
>1 orc warboss

>8 men enter, 7 men leave
it just doesn't have the right ring to it.
7 players skew the action economy just by existing, try using more opponents or giving them extra turns instead, then you won't have to fuck with the stats.

Oh, I had read that as 4 level 7 players.
Yeah no that's far too many to function in normal combat. See if you can't split into two groups of DM and 3 players. Help teach someone willing and groom them to DM, maybe have some sessions on special occasions where your campaigns cross paths if they're in the same setting. And if you enjoy playing as well teach another and get a break from GMing in a few years.

>Not cruising through the untamed wilderness at a leisurely pace
>Not playing an ancients paladin with massive health stores and resistance to magic damage
>Not mocking nobles on horseback for having an ugly mount
>Not mourning your massive snail friend when he dies, making a spellguard shield and a robe of scintillating colors in his memory, becoming the snail yourself

Do you even luxury

I'm not really sure what the end goal is here. I'm running SKT and this is the party chasing after the giants who attacked Bryn Shander (accompanied by Artus Cimber's son).

I'd like for my players to learn about how the frost giants want to plunge the world into eternal winter, but I don't want them pursuing it before going to the giant Oracle in a later chapter.

I don't think my players can water walk or fly, at least not without resting first.

I guess overall I think it'd be cool for a giant to fight the party while the ship offshore fires it's ballista at the party. I just don't know how to get to the point if it takes an hour for the party to get to the giant.

The party could take longer, but going all sneaky like, and take the giant by surprise.
Or they could get an hint, reach a nearby fishing village, grab a boat, and do a boat assault.
Or whatever your players will come up with.
If you want them to fight, they will.

The temptation to make a Bugbear Battlemaster with a Glaive so I can have 20ft Lunging attacks is very high right now.
Likewise take PAM and Sentinel, with Tunnel Fighting for a nice zone of nope.

Long limbs is only when attacking on your turn.

I'm aware of that, i know id still only have 10ft reaction zone.
I'm mostly into the 20ft stab desu

Is there a way that I could aid them in being sneaky? I was envisioning the hill they're on being kind of barren and snow covered since it's an Arctic region and is on the wind side of the Sea of Moving Ice.

Alright /flailsnail/, what's the best way to size down a flail snail to a CR suitable for a small domesticated pet?

I'm thinking Battle Master since it seems the most diverse/fun fighter archetype.

Thanks! Those are close to what I was thinking.

I think I'm going to dual wield (DM is giving a bonus feat to each class, Fighter gets Dual Wielder) but I'd also like to be able to make use of ranged weapons from time to time.

For maneuvers, are these good? Riposte, Trip attack, Disarming.

I might take sharpshooter and/or crossbow expert later. If I decide not to take Sharpshooter/Crossbow Expert I might hit Martial Adept at 4 for the extra die and to pick up Precision Strike and Menacing Attack.

I'm thinking of something like this.

08
14+2
12
13
10
15+1

We have a cleric so I don't really think I need high wisdom. I also don't think we'll have any Int based characters so I figure having a decent intelligence score there could be helpful to the party.

Sorry for all the questions. I've been a forever DM and this is the first character I'm going to really get a chance to play outside of the rare one-shot.

Maximum comfy.

I played a bunch of 3.5 in my younger days

friends of mine who never played before want to try playing and I want to try my hand at DMing for the first time

any tips for a first time dm?

Dual Wielding doesn't give too much as the levels rise, since only your main hand attack count increases.Sharpshooter is quite powerful, especially in a dedicated build.
If you care especially to make your dual wielding a bit better, grab the TWF fighting style. If you want a big accuracy boost to ranged attacks, take Archery style, it compounds well with Sharpshooter power attack. If you can't decide, just take Defensive and get bonus AC, can't go wrong with that.

wait is the movement 10 feet or 20?

Tell me anons why are you not playing this class right now? Or even the regular way of the four elements monk?

Because I'm playing vanilla Four Elements Monk.

I didn't know.

>Vanilla Four Elements Monk
How is it going? Are you having fun?

Plan for things to not go to plan. That is to say, make your encounters flexible, so you can insert them wherever the party goes.
Because I get more fun out of my bard convincing my enemies I love them, then paralyzing and cutting their throats in bed then I do lighting them on fire with my fists.

Even with the dual wielder, dual wielding really isn't very good on a fighter. You have nothing that synergizes with it aside from a fighting style that gives you +DEX to damage on your bonus attack (When you could just take duelling for +2 to EVERY attack made with one weapon, and fighters get enough attacks to sooner or later thus do more damage than +DEX would ever do)... But.
Thing is, dual-wielding might not be so bad if you want to be a grappler. You can't properly use a shield and attack as a grappler. However, that would be a fighter-rogue or barbarian-rogue multiclass, probably.

That said, if you're forced to take the dual wielder feat then especially at low levels dual wielding might actually be pretty okay, even if not great. Ranged combat is still better, but you can always stop using dual wielding at level 5 or 7 or 11 or whenever it stops being good.

To be honest, dual wielding is best on a strength-based barbarianrogue (Though can be dex-based). The feat itself is only really good for monks or rogues with too many ASIs (Somehow) that want +AC.

What you could do is some sort of swashbuckler, because they get +CHA to initiative (It's not much, but it gives you something to do with your charisma) and it actually makes good use of dual-wielding.
Or some sort of antipaladin. Or weird bladelock thing. Or warlock-rogue multiclass, paladin-rogue multiclass...

Fighter is a good choice if you want to take hand crossbow, though. But so is rogue.

Have you already mapped the rest of the coast?
They could backtrack down the hill, then outflank staying in the valley between hills, where might be rivers and somewhat more vegetation, and anyway wouldn't be as much in plain sight.
Magic would help too, Pass without Trace? Cloaks of Elvenkind?

because it looks silly
also more flail snail

Yes, actually. When I say 'vanilla', I meant we started without any modifications and gradually made some.

Specifically my character has access to a wider pool of abilities which he can attune through use of magical tattoo ink/paint during each long rest.

Sometimes I wish I had played punchy or sneaky monk, but I really like Elemental Attunement and my character has these cool Fire Snake tattoos on his arms.

How useless will I be if I play a warlock afraid of using their magic?

What do you mean?
No spells? Not even cantrips? Not even using the slots to fuel his smites?
Or just as a characterization, not embracing it fully, but still using his resources as every adventurer is wont to do?

I kind of want to homebrew my own based on that. Instead, I'd do it something like this:

>You get elemental attunement or whatever it was and at level 3, 6, 11 and 17 choose one of these four options:
>Air
>Water
>Earth
>Fire
>You gain an improved version of their 'control' cantrip (Probably gets stronger at higher levels, too). After choosing, choose two abilities from that element's option list.

The main differences are
>Stronger elemental cantrips
Because I love at-will stuff, and you can do this without doing anything balancebreaking.
>You only get features from the related cantrip
Because, while this is more limiting, it makes it feel like you've actually focused on that one element rather than just thrown things together.

Then it'd be trying to focus on not having too big a power gap between level 17 and 3 features, but also
>Level 6 additional styles focus on using two elements you chose together
>Level 11 styles focus on using three elements you chose together
>Level 17 styles focus on using all elements together

So, say, minute meteors would be fire+earth so level 6 (or level 11 or 17 if you don't choose fire+earth cantrips) if I recall them being firey right.

Of course I'd then try to balance it all out.

Thoughts? I really like the remake, but it still feels as if it's missing something to me.

Not useless if you play it as using the magic when needed against the will of the character.
Their hand and mouth moves on their own at the command of their patron, their familiar forces them to action, their tome or blade moves on its own according to their base will for survival over the fear of the dangerous spells.
You need to use your class features and not inconvenience the party while getting the point across.

> tfw cousin posts on facebook complaining she hasn't got to play D&D in like 5 years

Haven't seen or spoken to her in 11 years but have heard things from them and follow them on Facebook. I have like 3 other groups I am in right now but I am considering offering to play / DM for them over discord or skype. I'm just scared it's gonna be awkward cause it's been so long. Could probably get my brother in on it too.

help me be brave 5eg

So you want it to be more focused on mastery of individual elements, gradually building up to mastery of all of them?

One player does have a Cloak of Elvenkind. Party is UA ranger, Paladin, Tempest cleric, and Warlock. I suppose the tempest cleric could make it storm if it's overcast to try and cover their movement (they wouldn't know they Frost Giants can see through low visibility environments like snow easily).

As for mapping, I'm going off the SKT map, which shows there being a large hill extending along the western coast of Icewind Dale.

I guess it could also be reasonable that the frost giant spots them and intentionally wants to fight, maybe as an honor thing since his raid failed on Bryn Shander.

I appreciate your feedback on this. I want this to not just feel like I'm forcing the players into one action.

10, but these slave drivers want Luxury Snail to be sprinting all the time.

Sounds badass tbqh

Characterization, not embracing it fully. Relying on lesser spells if at all for combat.

Of course I'd make sure it wouldn't become an inconvenience to the party.

I think punching concussive fire, freezing people, and ice surfing look's pretty cool. But it might just be the Avatar thoughts making it seem cool.

That's cool your DM made a nice adjustment to give you more options, seems cool!

What this guy said

It's good fun, though the character is surprisingly friendly and gentle for a bald, tattooed man who can snap people's spines in half with his bare hands.

The idea was to give the monk more magical versatility, but to require preparation, planning and tactics.

...

Actually, upgrading the control cantrips seems a bit much since they're already pretty good. If I want 'you can make an attack with earth cantrip' then that can be one of the options with your choices. Or 'make a path of ice' would be an option.

Pretty much. Seems odd you can cast 'wall of stone' but can't move earth.

Also I really like at-will stuff, but I guess there's ki for that. The problem with ki is that every ki you spend is a ki not spent on stunning fist.
I might go a step further and remove stunning fist as part of it, and instead have a couple of different control abilities such as grappling with earth or creating difficult terrain with ice or pushing back enemies with wind instead of just 'I walk up and stun everything', but that's a bit ambitious, as that's trying to rework monk at its core.

As a low-level warlock you'll have only 2 slots, anyway.
Grab one of those blade pact smiting invocations, and you might never actually cast a spell!

Just did it. Left a comment saying "your cousins might be persuaded to play with you"

Probably should break the ice seeing as at the rate im going I'll never see them in person again.

>Also I really like at-will stuff, but I guess there's ki for that. The problem with ki is that every ki you spend is a ki not spent on stunning fist.
I would love for the Monk to have access to more elemental-themed cantrips. Also, for ages I did not realize Stunning Strike was the 5e Monk meta and barely used it.

Was thinking tome, and relying only on magic from Tome. If I switch out to a blade lock I'm using that hex blade UA.

Good luck user

The homebrew posted has 15 ft. stunning fist, Maximilian's earthen grasp, a discipline that allows you to make difficult terrain for dashing for free, and a punch that can push people back and knock them prone. All of this can be achieved by level 6.

"Ho there, adventurers! Do your nether regions ache for the bumpy and fast ride your current mounts provide? Might you be interested in a SNAIL OF LUXURY?"

thanks m8

Alright /5eg/, I might finally have the time to run something resembling a campaign soon-ish, and since everyone in my area is D&D or bust and think 3e is the pinnacle of human achievement, 5e is my only chance to maybe get someone curious enough to sincerely give it a try without the whole thing devolving into edition war shitflinging for no reason whatsoever.

Is there something I should be aware of from the get go? Trap options in the core books? Spells I should be on the lookout for? Mandatory erratas for certain classes? I understand this is more of an old school game where you're not supposed to have magical items economy or wealth by level bullshit, can I safely stick to my old school sense without accidentally breaking the game?

Also tell me what part of the game breaks if I ban the warlock I'm sorry I just hate its concept, it's so fucking unnecessary

As a female adventurer, I'm quite satisfied with my horse, thanks

is nature domain worth it?
i want to bring back my halfling cleric from 3.5 but will probably change him from knowledge to nature
now that ghostwise is a thing i can start with 16 wis
planning on finding some cool exotic animal to ride while healing allies and disrupting foes

what mount should i try to get?
(aside from the obvious flail snail)
what cantrip should i get (i get one druid cantrip) was thinking about poison spray but shillelagh looks cool and i hear they brought back magic stone

any other advise would be appreciated

If your patron is a fiend, you could get that invocation to blast a fireball along with your eldritch blasts, and use your spell slots on that, fluffing it up as an improved blast.
Multiclass paladin, use the spell slots for smiting? Sorcerer, get some spell points out of them? There are a few ways to gain something out of spell slots even without casting, you should grab one.