/5eg/ - D&D Fifth Edition General - Mearls Edition

Didn't they already update it?

I'm trying to brew up some stats for an archfey, but I'm having one big question about the design: should they cast with Charisma (like warlocks) or with Wisdom (like druids)? Or a mix of both, like having the Spellcasting feature of an archdruid, using Wisdom, plus Innate Spellcasting with whatever spells, using Charisma?

The standard spellcasting ability for Fey seems to be Charisma, based on the innate spellcasting feature for hags, korreds, and dryads in the Monster Manual/Volo's

For the most part, in 5e, extraplanar beings such as angels, demons, devils, and even fey, innately cast their spells using Charisma, so the archfey's innate spells should be Charisma based. However, for "class" or "learned" spellcasting such as that of a druid, then Wisdom is a perfectly acceptable stat (you could even have two different spellcasting stats like this).

If you have experience with the system then go for Out of the Abyss. We've been playing it with a bunch of friends and it's been a blast. The story in that one's really good too along with its eccentric but likable cast of characters.
Who's DMing, a stranger or a friend?

Since one of the dragons got killed and raised as undead in the latest GoT, what do you think its stats would be in 5e?

Dracolich?

Isn't this a massive spoiler for the episode that got leaked in Spain?

From script leak. dragon becomes an ice dragon. Which is amusing as Ice Dragons lore wise in the book world is actually rare, but genuine things that don't need to be raised by the dead.

This is what I have so far:

Verdant Prince
Medium fey, neutral evil
Armor Class 23
Hit Points 170 (20d8+80)
Speed 60ft

STR 17 (+3) DEX 21 (+5) CON 18 (+4) INT 15 (+2) WIS 20 (+5) CHA 26 (+8)
Saving Throws Dex +11, Wis +11, Cha +14
Skills Arcana +14, Deception +20, Nature +14, Perception +11, Stealth +11
Resistances: fire, lightning, necrotic, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks that aren't cold iron
Condition Immunities: charmed, frightened, paralyzed

Innate Spellcasting. The archfey's innate spellcasting ability score is Charisma (save DC 22, +14 to hit with spell attacks). The archfey can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components.
At will: disguise self, dispel magic, dominate beast, faerie fire, fear, phantasmal force,
3/day each: dominate person, eyebite, greater invisibility, mass sugestion, seeming
1/day each: dominate monster, feeblemind, sleep (9th level), true polymorph

Legendary Resistance (3/ day): If the archfey fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.

Magic Resistance. The archfey has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Spellcasting. The archfey is an 18th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 19, +11 to hit with spell attacks). It has the following druid spells prepared:
Cantrips (at will): druidcraft, poison spray, thorn whip
1st level (4 slots): cure wounds, entangle, faerie fire, speak with animals
2nd level (3 slots): earthbind, gust of wind, hold person, spike growth
3rd level (3 slots): call lightning, meld into stone, plant growth, water breathing
4th level (3 slots): confusion, grasping vine, hallucinatory terrain, polymorph
5th level (3 slots): geas, insect plague, mass cure wounds,
6th level (1 slot): heal, wall of thorns
7th level (1 slot): fire storm, planeshift
8th level (1 slot): animal shapes
9th level (1 slot): shapechange

Tree Stride. Once on its turn, the archfey can use 10 ft. of its movement to step magically into one living tree within its reach and emerge from a second living tree within 60 ft. of the first tree, appearing in an unoccupied space within 5 ft. of the second tree. Both trees must be large or bigger.

Have you seen the Archfey Lords presented in Tome of Beasts? It's 3rd party, but they have several that might help you out.

We are starting a new game with me as DM. Players will start at level 3, and I'm allowing an uncommom magic item for each in starting equipment. So far, players haven't asked for things too strong (detect magic wand or elven boots, for instance), but the munchkin player who wants to play a warrior-warlock is asking me for an adamantine plate armor.

How are adamantine armors considered in 5e? Do they protect users from critical hits as usual? Is it too strong an item? Should I allow the adamantine armor, but not on plate armor (for now)? Thanks for the help mates

I'd recommend also giving them Reincarnate

Adamantine is fine, but definitely don't give magical plate armor to a level 3 character. I'd say no higher than scale mail (medium armor) or chain mail (heavy armor).

Adamantine Armor's sole effect in 5e (I believe) is making Critical Hits into normal hits.

Doesn't seem spectacularly broken but if you want to keep it limited in power don't give him Full Plate at level 3, keep it to one of the other heavy armors.

>>Be me
>>Give nerfed demon armor to a lv4 war cleric

Make it Half Plate and allow them to eventually finish the suit at ~7th level.

Thank you, I will do as you say, allow the magic item to be an adamantine armor, but not a full plate armor. It does break the game, such a high AC at level 3

Oh, yeah that'd make sense.

I was looking at them in 5etools. I'll see if I get more ideas from those.

The archfey is called King Witchthorn:

Multiattack. The archfey makes two melee attacks, or three ranged attacks.

Quarterstaff (w/ shillelagh). Melee Weapon Attack, +14 to hit, reach 5ft. Hit: 12 (1d8 + 8) bludgeoning damage, plus 9 (2d8) poison damage.

Thorns. Ranged Weapon Attack, +11 to hit, range 100/400 ft. Hit: 15 (4d4+5) piercing damage, plus 9 (2d8) poison damage.

Thorn Blast (Recharge 5-6). King Witchthorn unleashes a massive wave of thorns. Each creature of his choice within 30ft must make a DC 19 Dexterity saving throw, taking 55 (22d4) piercing damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Anyone have a backup of the trove with the Gabriel Pickard stuff, etc.? Feel like tossing it up somewhere quickly?

What does "functions as a defender" on a weapon mean? I can't find anything anywhere.

Should an archfey be able to put other fey creatures or elves to sleep?

The Defender is a legendary magic weapon. It's in the DMG.

It could refer to the magical weapon type "Defender", namely the transferable bonus they have.

>You gain a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon.

The first time you attack with the sword on each of your turns, you can transfer some or all of the sword's bonus to your Armor Class, instead of using the bonus on any attacks that turn. For example, you could reduce the bonus to your attack and damage rolls to +1 and gain a +2 bonus to AC. The adjusted bonuses remain in effect until the start of your next turn, although you must hold the sword to gain a bonus to AC from it.

Did you try Google?
open5e.com/equipment/magic-items/defender.html

Alright 5ers, I need some help. Two things, really. First, how do you build a Bugbearmont that monts good and proper? I have need of an NPC for an "Undead lead by Vampires are attacking a city and a whip toting NPC rallies the people (PCs included) to fight".

Also, how viable is Bladesinger in 5e? I am a PC in an upcoming campaign and they lack a wizard, but based on the DM's comments magic is something that has drawbacks, or might impact things around you differently based on how spells are cast, so I thought having at least SOME melee capability while being a full caster would be cool.

Cool thanks.

I did actually, but I assumed it was a weapon property rather than "functions as a different legendary weapon".

How do I go from "player characters find a holy symbol to an unknown god on some hobgoblin corpses" to "armies of a goddess of death and destruction are invading and they need to be stopped" in a way that makes the PC's feel involved

I don't just want to say "oh hey some guys tell you about an invasion super far away"

Send them on some unrelated quest. Reward them with ownership of some lands and a village on the border.

An NPC tries to steal the holy symbol from them, or sees it in their possession and turns hostile to them, thinking they're followers of the goddess.

They arrive in town to see the local forces mobilizing, mention something about an urgent summons but don't tell them that it's connected to the artifact. You want to keep that part a surprise and let them connect the dots on their own.

I'm thinking of having the ruling government in my setting be powerful mages who just magic away whatever problems the smallfolk have.

E.g, there wouldn't be many farmers, as the mages have a special branch of wizards who cast create food and drink all the time.

I'm sure some of you have tried something similar before. How'd it go?

If the "smallfolk" aren't needed for farming, why does the mageocracy let them live? Are they a welfare-dependent concubine plantation?

The problem with that is that it might take away conflict that could exist in the world.
>Hey we're a bunch of adventurers and we can solve all your problems.
>Don't worry, we're wizards. All the problems were solved years ago.
You could create strife in the wizard community or a debate of heirarchy sometihng like that but don't let the PC's "run-out-of-things-to-do".

>ruling gov of powerful mages

Have been done. Not sure how to make second part work. As is there enough wizards around for such things etc

Wizards tend to cause new problems and not solve any problems.
>Enforce laws? Here's some law enforcing golems. They'll smash anyone who breaks laws, I don't even remember what laws we decided on since I was fucking around in the planes.
>What do you mean my army of undead laborers crashed the economy?

I tried doing something similar in the Primeval Thule setting, set in its past. I emphasized that all this magic being used for mundane concerns would eventually cause an imbalance. The country we were playing in was Atlantis.

> DM want to play with massive damage rule
What class / combination should I use to avoid this shit? And I'm guessing that Assassin Rogue can actually be useful sometime now with this rule?

I will post art as bumps

Bladesinger is viable (it is a wizard afterall), but it is more optimize if you play it as high AC wizard who shoot spell from the back.

I do enjoy Rogue 2 / Bladesinger.

For the last time I don't want to make love with you.

This sounds pretty interesting actually. Just a bunch of Unaligned Neutral wizards that have a kingdom to run but don't actually care for running it, they just want the materials and land that owning a kingdom entails because its useful for their wizard fuckery.

What makes wizards so great?

What's the explanation for casting wish Charisma like a warlock? How does that even work? Also, as far as patrons go, what are the motivations for something like an Archfey or GOO to make a pact in the first place? Are they generally interested in the soul of a person like fiends?

Unlimited knowledge of spells and pure casting.

...

Charisma as it is force of Will. Archfey are nut jobs at times, GOO at times don't even need to care or know about you. You might not even know you made a pact with it for a GOO or even a GOO to know you even matter to it. Just need something to click for a GOO pact and oddly their benefits is the most defensive from the other pacts as if they 'care'. Generally depends on how much you take from Lovecraft.

Granted am high right now and you should read some reasons in the PHB for it.

READ THE FUCKING BOOK

I would love to, but as said DM has made sure we understand there's something going on with the magic in his world and I am concerned it'll be like "you have limited lifetime casts" or "magic draws bad things".

Why not?

Charisma is definitely like "this is definitely something I can physically do, I just need to believe in myself" sorts of things. Obviously warlocks don't have any sort of personal power reservoir they're just pulling shit out of whatever granted powers they got and apparently the willpower and confidence to use shit given by huge magical beings is not for the faint of heart.

Actual motivations are.... probly they're too fucking mundane but also not strong/smart/disciplined enough to take a different path. Definitely not wise.

GOOs aren't even necessarily like a 'contract' type pact, it might be that you read some ancient Tome of Mindfucking and have your psyche linked to cosmic horror knowledge now. The knowing is the being and you can't UN-know it.

I'm playing a bard for my next campaign and i want to play him as a sword and board Viking Skjald type guy with a warhorn giving inspiration to my comrades during battle. I'm guessing valor bard is my best bet for this, my question is should i MC with anything to give me a little more survivability when shit goes down?

A single Sorcerer dip, especially if you're going dex

Get scag cantrips, Shield, Mage Armor and Firebolt, while keeping full Caster and Charisma casting

Should i take that as my second level or wait til after level 3?

If he's getting scag cantrips from another class, it's better to just go lore bard instead. Won't use Extra Attack, can't use Battle Magic, so why even bother?

After some of your feedback(and ignoring most of you trolls) this is the last iteration for my homebrew race:

Your Intelligence increases by 2 and your Dexterity increases by 1.

Alignment. A grey's original mission is usually nefarious, so tend towards neutral or evil alignments.

Size. Small

Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet.

Psionics. You know the friends cantrip. At lvl 3 you learn detect thoughts, recharges every short rest. At lvl 5 you learn misty step, it recharges every long rest.This innate spellcasting trait has the psionics tag.

Polyreactive Tapeta. You can see in dim light as though it were bright light. In addition, you are immune to attacks against you that rely on your sight, such as a medusa's gaze.

Alter Mind, Hide self. You are not stealthy by normal understanding. When you make a Stealth check, you can use your Intelligence modifier instead of your Dexterity modifier.

Languages. Common, Deep Speech

What do you guys think? I really want to play a creature from the Far realm so a Grey who came in a spaceship seems ideal to insert into D&D.

Sounds like a very balanced and flavourful homebrew, I'd accept it at my table.

That wouldn't be an efficient use of clerics (wizards can't even cast Create Food and Water.) Not only is it hard to find a cleric with enough adventuring e,perience to cast 3rd-level spells, but those spell slots are limited, and every spell slot used to do something the peasants should be able to do for themselves is a spell slot not used to do something the peasants can't do for themselves, like healing the sick and wounded.

I'm not so sure about gaze attack immunity, I'd be much more willing to accept advantage.

Then stop assuming.

2 level of Bard gets you Jack of All Trades... Which is definitely not something you have to get as soon as absolutely possible. Yes, you can take the Sorcerer dip as your 2nd level.

Absolutely, yes.
Get them Spirit Guardians and maybe Counterspell at level 6 for absolute Shenanigans
But flavor beats mechanics every time, and Valor Bard does have more Skjald flavor than Lore.

>Fight going very badly and start making a deal with the enemy so we don't die
>ally just carries on attacking them
but why

Hell, you may want to get Sorcerer as your first level, considering that gives you proficiency in Con saves

Make it a variant human with Warcaster, and you are set for the rest of the game

Just play in Eberron. It's a take on magic-replacing-technology that has a little bit more nuance than "oh there are these wizards who run everything."

You can flavor anything to anything though. Also important would be Valor's equipment proficiencies if you're going the scag attack cantrips. Expertises also might be important in some campaigns earlier.

Well, since "earlier" here means a single level, it's not that you're wrong, but I think you're only marginally right...

Like I just said, I actually think Sorcerer should be the *first* level

Oh yeah, I agree but there's always circumstances to take into account. I've been in more than a few games where it starts out social&skill heavy before 5 or so. You should totally prepare for the best possible 5-6 but there's plenty of options.

is there a way to download everything from the trove in a single zip? I don't want to be stuck without the stuff if wizards ever dmca the website

nvm I figured it out

Which sorcerous origin would you suggest taking?

Both Draconic and Storm present favorable options for the Skjald, comes down to whether you want to channel your inner Fafnir, or your inner Thor.

I personally gravitate toward Storm. Having to burn that one spell slot on Mage Armor on lower levels is going to be a biiiiiiitch, but on higher you don't even notice it, and that extra mobility is just ace, especially on those Healing Word rounds, or when you'll want to charge to get an action to cast Dissonant Whispers and slam an opportunity Booming Blade with your Warcaster

At level 7 you'll get them coming in with your spirit guardians, and coming out with your dissonant Whispers + Booming Blade.

Which Revised Ranger conclave is strongest? I don't want to play a gimped beast master for 10 levels until I die. I actually want to feel useful.

Any good printable paper minis out there?
Looking for some heroes.

I'd take a level of life cleric instead of sorc. Nets you heavy armor prof and a boost to your healing spells. Also, guidance.

It's Wis based, but honestly, who gives a fuck?

That's a lot of trouble to go over for Healing Word.

>so who cares

Having to lug around a 13 in Wis in addition to high Dex, Con, and Cha is pretty careworthy

Deep Stalker

With magical secrets its less of an issue. Not so much in saves against level 1 cleric spells BUT you get cleric ritual casting and the domain benefits too.

You don't need high Dex (or at all, you get heavy armor prof; you don't even need 14), and you can start cleric and then switch to Bard.

You mean, first level Cleric rituals, which are Purify Food and Drink and.... Detect Magic.

And with your 13 in Wisdom, you only get to prepare 2 Cleric Spells, so.. No healing Word after all?

You can get healing word from the Bard side already, ya silly.

Fine, you don't need high Dex, but you will need high strength to hit with your weapons and carry that heavy armor around, so it's the same deal.

Remember, we're talking gishes here. Of course the Bard is the best healer in the game, especially with a single level dip in Life Cleric to turbocharge that Aura of Vitality, Healing Word and Cure Wounds releasing those Spell Known slots for Raise Dead and Greater Restoration, but we're not doing Healbard, we're doing Skald

Thought they got book rituals for some reason, thats pretty shit with the complete lack of spells generally. Can't even boost Ritual Caster feat rituals with multiclass schools either, rip rituals.

Will try to have fewer stupid ideas until after coffee.

See above

Clerics don't got book rituals, only Wizards and some Warlocks (And Ritual Caster feat)
Clerics have to prepare the spells they mean to cast as rituals

Okay, how about some levels of paladin then?

Again, get heavy armor/shield, get some auras, get some weapons, also get smite. Get a fighting style too. Doesn't even delay your casting by much, and stats align up.

There's also the meme-tier grapple-bardbarian.

Sorry misread what you said as saying they did have rituals books

Yeah, I went and read the fucking book. I wish ritual casting wasn't so gimped.outside Tomelock which is bestlock
>Be non-book ritual caster class
>Take Ritual Caster(Wizard)
>Take Ritual Caster(Cleric)
>Still mad
>still no spells
>Still completely disconnected from actual class rituals

Sure, but you have to start as a Paladin to get heavy armor, and put a second level in it to get Smites and a fighting style, then just one more for that Oath, and then one more because Caster progression, and then look, just one more gives you extra Attack and shit, didn't you want to be a Skjald or something?

Ritual Casting Wizard is pretty cool on an Eldritch Knight, an Arcana Cleric, or a poor, poor Arcane Trickster who didn't take two levels in Blade singing

Yeah, it has a place it's just not the best place but then that would encroach on the tomelock which is one of the few things they have going for them classwise.