/5eg/ - Fifth Edition General

>Unearthed Arcana: Greyhawk Initiative
media.wizards.com/2017/dnd/downloads/UAGreyhawkInitiative.pdf

>5etools:
astranauta.github.io/5etools.html

>/5eg/ Mega Trove:
mega.nz/#F!oHwklCYb!dg1-Wu9941X8XuBVJ_JgIQ!pXhhFYqS

>Resources Pastebin:
pastebin.com/X1TFNxck

>Previous thread:

I want to be a totem barbarian but from a roleplaying perspective I really like all the level 1 ranger stuff.

Would it make more sense to start as a ranger and immediately go into barb, or just go with barb for a while and later on justify ranger training somehow?

What happened in your most recent session?

Im a relatively new player and so far I've only played barbarian and fighter briefly. Im now moving onto a more serious character for a campaign and I wanted your input on which class I should pursue.

I was curious about the spell casters (sorc, wiz, warlock) but I really don't know what seperates them or rather the advantages or long term playstyle differences. The Paladin oath of redemption seemed neat too for rp purposes.

What do you guys recommend or think would be a lot of fun? While I don't have to have the most DPR I do want to be a combat asset or at least pretty viable.

I'd probably go with 2 Ranger for the Fighting Style and some utility/out of Rage casting. Maybe even 3 for the damage boosting Archetype ability.

One thing to remember when playing a Barb/anything multiclass, is past level 5 Barbarian doesn't get much. At high levels though they get a ton of abilities. So once you get to level 5 in them you can easily take 1-4 levels in another martial loosing anything.

I'd probably start with Ranger though, if only for their better starting gear.

Make it easy on yourself and just pick Wizard.

I DMed Princes of the Apocalypse this past Sunday. Party had reached Feathergale Spire last time, and this time I ran them through a group of nice guys preparing for a party. Everybody was pleasant and boisterous, eager to help the party. Then the manticore attacked. The barbarian halfling used fifty feet of rope to turn himself into a living flail while Thurl pushed the party druid off the spire. Party regroups, big ass fight in which the party bottlenecks most of the bad guys in the staircase, Thurl and party paladin have a duel, Thurl loses badly due to losing concentration on Haste, paladin kicks a cultist down the stairs and it bowls into every other cultist on the way down. Fairly fun session for me, I hope my party enjoyed it as much.

Most of the players are trying to figure out why remnants of an old army are in the ruins of an old mansion. They've also completely forgotten why they went down there in the first place.

For fun? Either Land Druid or a Wizard. Wizard has a bunch of spells known and fun exclusives, plus some archetypes get cool bonuses (Enchantment, Divination, Transumuter) that reward doing unusual things.

Land Druid has a ton of cool utility spells and combat tricks, plus because you don't need Wildshape for combat you basically have flying/swimming/sneaking and so out of combat when you need it.

Has anyone ever used a friendly Vampire NPC?

I'm thinking of a party of adventurers travelling with a helpful NPC with strange abilities that turns out to be a Vampire that has learnt to live without blood.

Basically Regis from The Witcher books.

Obviously I'd have to handwave any sunlight issues, but there's enough tropes out there to pull from.

I am playing PotA in my group and we literally just got to the feathergale spire earlier tonight.

Our game is going completely differently though. We sort of bullshitted our way into befriending the featherguards, although we only sort of think they are evil right now. We know they are fighting against the earth cult dudes though.

We did fight the manticore though. Straight wrecked it in less than 1 full round. The DM then had it's "mate" show up and we killed a second one. I have a feeling he pulled the second manticore out of his ass since he felt like we beat the first one to easily. Can you confirm?

If your DM is good, play a warlock. They've got conflict and plot built into the character at the very core, but not in the annoying moral questioning way that paladins are often dragged into. Also, there's a free PDF on reddit called the Compendium of Forgotten Secrets - the updated version has some subtitle. It's got a ton of good patrons if you're interested in something other than the standard set. There's even sentient buildings and gelatinous cubes and shit if you're into that.

If you're unsure of your DM's skill or the encounter frequency, play a wizard. They've got a ton of great spells, distinctive archetypes, and have always been the favored class for every reason. It's not called "Sorcerers of the Coast" and it shows in the class design. The only real advantage that sorcerers have is that Charisma is a way more fun stat than Int, but if you're not into tons of chatting then it's probably not worthwhile.

The characters stepped off into an Asian themed island just off the Sword Coast. The party got a commission to investigate a series of strange happenings. Zombies had been found raising themselves from the dead each night with no explanation as to why or how. Currently the suspects for the Necromancer behind this phenomenon are in the Emperor's court as follows:

>Cleric Councilwoman - Undead, looks evil but really isn't; no
>Monk Councilman - Jerk, disliked us ever since we got off the island because we are filthy gaijin; probably not the necromancer but still a jerk
>Wizard Councilman - Crazy and reckless old man who does fireworks

I am beginning to think the wizard is the necromancer, obfuscating foolishness.

Houserule:

Init = Dex+Int.
Init = Quick moving & quick thinking.

Make Int a bit more valuable.
Is this a bad idea? Why?

To sate your curiosity, there are two mating manticores in the valley. I decided not to use both of them.

Asking again from last thread:

I wanted to make a Duergar Sun Soul Monk for funsies, I'm just trying to come up with a decent backstory. Any ideas?

I've always wondered how strong of a wizard would have to be to alter the very core of a vampire curse, like he just wants the abilities like mist form.

it depends on the origin of the curse
if it came from the Dark Powers like Strahd's then no power on any plane could alter it.

I would say you could replace Dex with Int for the roll, but not add them. Wizards should be rolling Dex as a favored stat already, so it sort of pushes them way over the top. Turn 1 fireballs before allies have a chance to get in your way is really good.

Outside that, adding them is going to be an easily +1 to most characters like Rogues, Bards, and even some other casters like Clerics and Druids. It just works to skew initiative rolls higher than what monsters can roll.

And thinking about it more, this doesn't really help any non-Dex classes. Str Fighters, Barbarians, Paladins, and Str Rangers all still get the shaft from this, since they won't have either stat. It just seems to push Int classes up, while keeping non-Dex martials in the shitter.

It works.
Personally I go for passive perception = int+wis but that's because I wanted to remove proficiency from it.

Alright. it was just an idea. I'll skip it then. Thanks.

I just mean say he studies vampires intensely for a long time before transforming himself into one that modifying himself to get rid of most of the 'issues' so to speak.

It seems like past 14 Barbs basically don't get much.

I know I likely won't get anywhere close to 20, but I'm thinking that if I did, 14 Barb/6 Ranger would be pretty nice.

i had a friendly werewolf npc in my sandbox campaign. there was an island with three feuding families and a long standing issue with werewolf attacks. historically there had been murders but in recent years they would leave animals tied up outside of town every full moon to appease the werewolf. nobody knew who the werewolf was but everybody suspected somebody else...usually from a rival family.

in the end it was a pack of griffins that were attacking people. the dude who was a werewolf was also the town guard and when he transformed the griffins knew they could attack the town with impunity.

he was the only person on the island who wasn't insufferable.

A Duergar who was raised among a cadre of monks after a conflict with the denizens of the Underdark. He searches the realm to find which clan he descended from, using his powers to do good.

Played an AL one shot with a bunch of goons who tried using shitty house rules and didn't know the rules about their own abilities( the barb cried about not being able to reckless attack on OAs)
Was fun for me though. Good role play moments like
Warlock: please don't hit the oozes with swords
Me: I'm sorry what was that? I heard something something hit the oozes with swords
(It was a rapier, don't worry)

I mean go for it and use it if you and your players want. I don't think there's anything wrong with homebrew rules that serve to power up your players if that's the kind of campaign you and them both want, and none of them feel left behind.

He was a young soldier that ambushed a group of Paladins in the underdark, the Paladins cut them down but he was still alive so they healed him.

Shocked by their kindness and knowing that he wouldn't be able to return home after that, he asked to leave the Underdark with them.

They took him to a nearby church dedicated to Illmater, where he took on the role of a Acolyte performing basic services and so forth to make up for everything. Eventually he asked if he could train with Illmater's Monks because the quiet life was stifling.

It was hard for him to train, because the Sunlight was near blinding and he wasn't allowed any slack. Eventually though he accepted the pain and used it to fuel his Monk powers, eventually his dedication to the blinding sun gave him the ability to channel it's powers through himself.

Now he's left the Church, and roams trying to help the wounded and bring light to the darkest races.

do you even know what a vampire is
where they come from?
do your research, idiot

Half the players canceled and the remaining people watched youtube videos

About to start a 5th level adventure. I wanna fuck with my DM a bit. What's the most broken character I could make?

remember to cut up and down, not side to side

Halfling nearly got eaten by a table. The warlock blew up the enchanted key we were trying to catch. Party still wants to use the haunted mansion as their new guild hall.

Fuck off.

Really mess with his head: Create a fun character you enjoy, with a decent amount of thought put into backstory, and play it fitting to the tone and themes of the game.

Yet another session of pointless wandering around in a completely abandoned city because the de facto leader of the party is stubborn and doesn't value anyone else's opinion.

But did your players suspect? Did they want to kill him?
bump

A wizard with 6 int.

I already made one of those, I just want to mess with him for part of the first session by pretending I made a broken-ass character.

Anyone familiar with astrologian from realm reborn?
Any idea how to build one in 5e without homebrew? If using UA, I'd rather not multiclass.

I felt like arcana cleric could maybe work... Maybe cleric of ioun?

Running Sunless Citadel for my parents + brother. They had fought the goblins and got fucked by overwhelming numbers, so they got thrown in jail. The druid (my brother) wildshaped into a rat, escaped, got help from the kobolds, and freed the rest of the group (and then they went back for round two with the goblins and won).

Is wildshape the most broken ability in the game?

From levels 2-19 wildshape is just fine. At level 20 it's stupid.

>Also, there's a free PDF on reddit called the Compendium of Forgotten Secrets

Not that guy, but thank you for mentioning this. Thank you so much. I've just now found about this. It's incredible.

>Is wildshape the most broken ability in the game?
Yes, combat aside it gives a fuck ton of utility no one can really match.

Don't even need stealth checks with it, just have the land druid turn into a spider and hide on the Rogue.

I had them fight an enemy druid that started off with an entangle spell.

They somehow rolled less than 10 for the next 10 rounds and it was a TPK. Luckily it was a one-off, so it was all good.
Sometimes plants are too strong.

There are a bunch that abuse poorly worded things, but the DM is likely to say 'no, that's bullshit, fuck you'

The best you can do is roll a moon druid and be happy you're tanky or something. Especially if rolling for stats and you get bad stats.

How are Wizards/Magic users imprisoned in your world?

Anti magic fields? Dimeritium bracelets? Magic nullifying rape guards?

Really how does any Wizard get punished if they can just Dimension Door away from the guards.

>Is wildshape the most broken ability in the game?
Sort of?

Put a moon druid in the hands of a powergamey, spotlight-hogging player and you end up with a lot of other unhappy players because the druid won't let anyone else do anything.

Tear out their tongues and cut off their hands.

Yeah nigga. Anti magic fields with the resident abjuration specialist standing at the ready.
But here's the thing. In my setting, wizards are either mostly good-boys keeping to their studies and helping the world. Or fucking psychos with no sense of right and wrong. Wizards are also very hard to catch, so there aren't many imprisoned. And most of my PCs aren't about to try and bring in the guy throwing fireballs at them for ringing his doorbell.

Mouth gagged.
Hands wrapped in heavy cloths to the point that they cannot move their fingers.
Material components and focuses kept far away.
Always kept at a level of not-enough-rest-to-regain-spell-slots.

The fact there's an anti-magic warded prison in a low level Drow camp in the beginning of OotA implies it's not that hard for fairly well off societies to have those.

I imagine each major city would have at least on prison cell with an anti-magic field in place.

Also if you don't then you're probably in a place uncivilised enough to either kill you or cut out your tongue and take your hands. Life's kinda brutal in little towns.

>tear out their tongues
This is what the main bad guy does in my games. Even if they're not magic users. There's just a whole lot less you're able to do if you're forced to live without your tongue. And most abuse-able spells require V.

My group have all been friends since middle school. We have over 15 years of fucking with each other and messing around, and the one who's DMing this time very much follows the rule of cool and is pretty lax with stuff. I'm just trying to make a build that'll make him freak out a little before revealing it's a prank so that we can all have a laugh.

Just play a Mystic user. At level 5 you can grow wings and fly at will for an hour or become a fish, deal 2d10 INT damage every turn, deal 5d8 physic damage with NO save or roll to hit. Whilst passively allowing your allies to move half their movement each turn.

You can even give them an entire free turn with mantle of command.

Nuclear druid still kinda functions at level 5 so I suppose that's sort of a thing.

Netfighting kinda works but it still doesn't go up to prank material.

Pretty much all the most abusive builds aren't even good prank material.

It's 5e, after all, not 3.5e

The most broken stuff is only at the highest level with stuff like making dragon armies for free.

>You can even give them an entire free turn with mantle of command.
By what reading of Mantle of Command are you accomplishing that?

My group's bard got arrested for the second time in less than 2 days, the party lost a combined 850 GP on a betting match and almost TPKed against 13 Gnolls.

Overall it was a pretty good session!

Honestly it was an exaggeration to highlight a broken character class for user.

>Command to Strike (3psi).As an action, choose one ally you can see within 60 feet of you. That ally can use their reaction to immediately take the Attack action. You choose the targets
>Overwhelming Attack (7psi).As an action,
choose up to five allies you can see within 60 feet of you. Each of those allies can use their reaction to take the Attack action. You choose the targets of the attacks
.
At level 3 and 9 respectively. An attack action is their multiattack, obviously they can't move (except with your passive) but your melee will still love you for it whilst you stand 60ft back zapping shit.

Thanks, I'll try playing around with these and see what some of my friends think.

Why aren't you running an Eberron campaign yet?

Ah, another person who thinks Mantle of Command is broken because they didn't read the rules.

Extra Attack explicitly, unambiguously, unerringly, only works on your own turn. When you take the Attack action off of your own turn, for any reason, you do not benefit from Extra Attack. Period.

Glad I could clear this up! You should check out the PHB some time.

I actually don't know much about Eberron as a setting. Could you explain what makes it so attractive?

is right. Those are written that way to allow shoving and grappling, not Extra Attack.

Nice opinion.

Warlocks are way cooler than I previously thought.

I must... think more on this...

How would you build a Mastermind Rogue? Their feature seem underwhelming and competing with their cunning action.

Take all the best high-heroic bullshit of pulp fiction (combat on planes and trains and ships, crossing vast distances and diving into ancient ruins, dealing with the consequences of recent war, fighting against evil not!Nazis in those ancient ruins) and combine them with a setting rife with intrigue from a billion and one Illuminati-esque groups conspiring in the background, with industrialized magic setting the stage for a fresh take on a D&D world.

What little I know of the setting gives it a very high "magi-tech" feel which isn't really what I want in a campaign setting. I much prefer low-tech settings.

Honestly, what do you guys like about 5E? What do you find so good about it? It's an inherently shitty system imo. Whenever I'm in the mood to play fantasy I just run it in Mekton Zeta because it's a far superior and more versatile system, not to mention the art is way better. Plus if you run Mekton Zeta with Mekton Zeta Plus it gives you even more options to do whatever the fuck you could ever want to do.
Like what pluses does 5E have over Mekton Zeta? Be honest with yourself. Have you even played Mekton Zeta? Or are you still a wee little WoTC babby?

>Like what pluses does 5E have over Mekton Zeta?
Players and content.

Not him, but you could check the text before posting user. That's why extra attack doen't work with ready action.

Actually, let me do that for you.
> Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
> whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
> ON YOUR TURN

This is basically why.
You can't just "pick up and go" with Eberron.

Even Forgotten Realms is easier to get into.

Hey guys, just made my first Mystic tonight and I'm a little confused about the disciplines.

It says level 1 gets 1 discipline, but you also pick 2 additional disciplines at level 1 of your mystic order.

So basically, do you have 3 disciplines at level 1, or am I totally fucking this up?

I am.

I come here to enlighten people who are obviously new enough to the hobby to indulge in something as filthy as 5E and you mock me with an image of a sweaty, bald freak? What do you have to say for youself?

>What do you have to say for youself?

You sit back and you help as a bonus action, then ranged attack as your action.

Huh, you migrated over from the Paizo board to here.

Well, I like 5e because it's simple, fun, and pretty customizable.

I'm a level 4 Moon Druid and my friend is a Hill Dwarf Bear Totem Barbarian, would it be good for him to take mounted combatant as a feat and use my beast forms as a mount?

Implying that isn't just fluff, implying readying an action isn't still your turn.

Implying on your turn isn't just covering aoo.

>Mantle of command
>You use your reaction to make the attack action
>The attack action
>ATTACK
The most common action to take in combat is the Attack action, whether you are swinging a sword, firing an arrow fram a bow, or brawling with your fists.With this action, you make one melee or ranged attack. See the "Making an Attack" section for the rules that govern attacks. Certain features, such as the Extra Attack feature of the fighter, allow you to make more than one attack with this action.
>ALLOW YOU TO MAKE MORE THAN ONE ATTACK WITH THIS ACTION

>pretty customizable.
Is this a joke? Clearly you don't know the meaning of the word "customizable". Using Mekton Zeta Plus I can build a Mobile Suit from the ground up, using any frame, weapon, sensors, etc. I could ever want. What can you customize in 5E? The shininess of your favorite sword? What is wrong with you?

Making a Triton Paladin. Lawful good, probably oath of ancients or maybe devotion. Is it better to go strength based with polearm master and gwf, or do a 1 level dip into warlock for hexblade so I can sword and board with charisma?

>wording doesn't mean anything because I say it doesn't
>specific over general doesn't mean anything because I say it doesn't
You expect me to eat this?

> He doesn't know how turn work

>It says I got 1 + 2, does it equals 3?
You're losing your sharpness, devil.

...

Its pretty simple. The ability allows you to take the attack ACTION. Note the word action. It doesn't say make an attack.

This is the fundamental difference between the two. The attack ACTION allows you to use extraattack. Making an attack doesn't. It's fairly simple.

Is it a mistake with wording on behalf of wotc? Probably. But as its written thats how it works.

>1994

Are you both willing to work together so closely for your engagements?

Alongside the standard 100 floors of the wizards guild super tower, it has an additional 100 sub levels for the more dubious or secretive shit, two such levels bound in to one being a prison complex for real code breakers, you don't go down there unless you did some really shitty stuff like start a cult or attempt to off one of the higher ups. Anti mages with sciences and hold persons readied up for whenever, and for the really resistant ones they have shield golem guards, muzzles and special hand bindings that are more are less crane game claws that allow super limited dexterity. The only thing worse is trying to head even further down the subfloors to see what makes the guild tick, and finding out super classified shit just nets you a trial-less, on the spot one way ticket to carceri.

Why fix what isn't broken? It's a hidden gem only used by true patricians.

The Attack action allows you to grapple or shove, which plain ad-hoc attacks don't allow. Extra Attack still specifies on your turn. Please learn to read before posting again.

user I can't help but read your voice in a stereotypical salesman's pitch.

I can't buy a new hardback copy of MZ anywhere from the looks of it.

Yes. We're normally side-by-side, with our casters in the back and the rogue sneak attacking.

I got mine used on eBay in softcover. You do what you have to do.

I've got a question about the Dwarf resilience feat from UA. It says that:
>Whenever you take the Dodge action in combat, you can spend one Hit Die to heal yourself. Roll the die, add your Constitution modifier, and regain a number of hit points equal to the total (minimum of 1).
Now, from my understanding it just means that you can heal from doing the action, not actually succeeding. That seems kind of overpowered to me. Couldn't a Barbarian, for instance, Frenzy Rage and simultaneously attack and dodge every turn, dealing damage and healing up to 17 hitpoints every turn?

Up until they run out of hit die for the day, yeah.

Yeah, for a number of turns as you have Hit Dice.

Really though you're losing like 4d6+6+4 damage each turn to do so, and killing an enemy will always be better then regaining some HP you don't need. It's good on Barbarians though, because they don't need short rests even more with that in place.