There are indeed many changes, and they range from the necessary (classes like the Monk getting more stat bonuses than, say, wizards), to the understandable (bringing back stat caps), to the quite interesting (proficiency bonuses), to the maybe understandable from a gameplay standpoint but still puzzling (the fact that no race has stat detriments, making halflings as strong as humans now), to the outright nonsensical (dwarves have LOW LIGHT vision now? How the hell do they see in their caves? Do they light fires everywhere? They'd suffocate from the lack of oxygen.)
But the thing that really seems broken is the new death system, with the removal of HP below 0, and the three saves against death. Does anyone else think so?
I took a look at the new PhB recently, and honestly I think most of the changes are for the better. One of the biggest problems with D&D was the relative weakness of everyone versus Spellcasters late game. I think 5th Edition streamlines everything nicely from 3.5.
As for no racial stat bonuses, that IS a bit weird, but I guess it goes along with the theme of making everyone a bit more useful? I don't really know.
I do love the new system, though. They've really removed the extraneous stuff that kept a lot of people out of the game. It was frustating spending an hour looking for skill points only to find out they no longer exist :), but that also avoids the trap of forcing everyone to put a lot of points into INT to stay relevant late game.
Does anyone else feel like your winning/losing combat is entirely based on your d20 rolls? I've found that with the relative scarcity of bonuses, when I'm having a bad night with the dice I contribute literally nothing, and there's nothing I can do creatively to help really.
(dwarves have LOW LIGHT vision now? How the hell do they see in their caves? Do they light fires everywhere? They'd suffocate from the lack of oxygen.)
Dwarves have darkvision. The change was to get rid of low-light vision and give elves darkvision, not the other way around. And for what it's worth, I've always imagined dwarves lighting their dwellings. Colorless vision with an absolute maximum range of just 60 feet isn't exactly conducive to great underground civilizations. Hell, in 2E when it was infravision, you couldn't even use it to read. (Also, in 2E, elves had the same infravision. The low-light/darkvision split was a 3E innovation.)
But the thing that really seems broken is the new death system, with the removal of HP below 0, and the three saves against death. Does anyone else think so?
Broken how so? This was basically how 4E did it, so I've been used to it for a while. It scares the crap out of players, and it doesn't give them a nice predictable countdown. No more "I'm only at -2, so I'm good for at least eight rounds."
I guess it boils down to each playgroup, and even individual, leaning towards a different idea of how the game should be balanced and play out. I find the DM having more influence to lead to a more enjoyable experience, largely due to the fact that it allows the players to become more immersed in their characters. I am not saying that the DM shouldn't make the campaign fun for the players. I am just saying that the DM has to hold more sway to ensure that the campaign does not get so derailed that it implodes on itself. This means that the DM just has the influence, not that they have to constantly apply it.
Fair enough. I think my tone there was too accusatory, and I'm sorry for that.
Also, if you look at the classes in AD&D, some of the classes are inherently more powerful than others at level 1, so it was absolutely necessary to have the different leveling rates. It added a level of challenge to playing as a mage, where, if they leveled too fast, they would easily get way too powerful too quickly. Fighters needed to level not so quickly as well, as they (along with Paladins, and Rangers) came with very powerful packages from the get go.
Yes, I understand the principle. I'm saying it was a bad one. Differing power curves works out well in a game like, say, Dota or League of Legends because you're playing through a character's entire "career" in a single sitting, so it's strategically interesting to have differing points of relative strength and weakness. In D&D, where you're playing at the same level for weeks or even months, it just gets demoralizing. And more fundamentally, if a 5th-level rogue isn't supposed to be comparable to a 5th-level wizard, what on earth are levels supposed to be measuring? If a mage would get too powerful too quickly if they leveled at the same rate as a rogue, why is the class written that way in the first place? Why not spread its power out over more levels? (Or alternatively compress the rogue's power into fewer levels.)
I do love the new system, though. They've really removed the extraneous stuff that kept a lot of people out of the game. It was frustating spending an hour looking for skill points only to find out they no longer exist :), but that also avoids the trap of forcing everyone to put a lot of points into INT to stay relevant late game.
The one thing that's been bothering my players is an inability to start putting skill points in new skills as their characters evolve. So I'm letting them use the training rules in the downtime activities for skill proficiencies as well as tools and languages. (Presumably weapons too, although nobody's asked about that.)
Does anyone else feel like your winning/losing combat is entirely based on your d20 rolls? I've found that with the relative scarcity of bonuses, when I'm having a bad night with the dice I contribute literally nothing, and there's nothing I can do creatively to help really.
I can't comment about what you can do creatively - that's between your brain and your DM's. But as for the bonuses, the underlying system math is identical to what it has been ever since we started rolling d20s. Don't let the fact that you might be rolling +16 in 3E or 4E and only +6 in 5E mislead you - the difference is illusory. It looks like your bonus is contributing more to your result when your 3 turns into a 19 rather than a 9, but DCs are higher too. Subtract your bonus from the DC, and the truth reveals itself: in both cases you're just rolling in a range between 1 and 20 and trying to hit a target number that, for fair challenges, is usually somewhere in the middle of that range.
All of this is a very long-winded way of saying that we all had cold-dice slumps in previous editions too. It's intrinsic to the d20 system. And it is sort of an archaic game mechanic - almost all computer RPGs, as you may know, have moved away from having your attacks miss at the whim of the random number generator. But I think roll-to-hit rules have persisted in tabletop games because you can do a lot more to add variance to a fight in a video game than you can realistically manage with pen and paper - in Dark Souls, for instance, you land hits by watching cues in your enemies' movements and timing your attacks correctly, but D&D can't do that. This is, as well, an aspect of the larger question in RPG design of how much of a distinction should be made between character skill and player skill. You, as a player, actually need good aim and reflexes yourself to be accurate in many computer games. If you want to play a badass sniper, but don't have steady enough hands to be any good at it, too bad. In D&D, though, you can build a character with a big Dex score regardless of your own abilities. So you've got a sort of immersivity trade-off going on.
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Does anyone else feel like your winning/losing combat is entirely based on your d20 rolls? I've found that with the relative scarcity of bonuses, when I'm having a bad night with the dice I contribute literally nothing, and there's nothing I can do creatively to help really.
I can't comment about what you can do creatively - that's between your brain and your DM's. But as for the bonuses, the underlying system math is identical to what it has been ever since we started rolling d20s. Don't let the fact that you might be rolling +16 in 3E or 4E and only +6 in 5E mislead you - the difference is illusory. It looks like your bonus is contributing more to your result when your 3 turns into a 19 rather than a 9, but DCs are higher too. Subtract your bonus from the DC, and the truth reveals itself: in both cases you're just rolling in a range between 1 and 20 and trying to hit a target number that, for fair challenges, is usually somewhere in the middle of that range.
All of this is a very long-winded way of saying that we all had cold-dice slumps in previous editions too. It's intrinsic to the d20 system. And it is sort of an archaic game mechanic - almost all computer RPGs, as you may know, have moved away from having your attacks miss at the whim of the random number generator. But I think roll-to-hit rules have persisted in tabletop games because you can do a lot more to add variance to a fight in a video game than you can realistically manage with pen and paper - in Dark Souls, for instance, you land hits by watching cues in your enemies' movements and timing your attacks correctly, but D&D can't do that. This is, as well, an aspect of the larger question in RPG design of how much of a distinction should be made between character skill and player skill. You, as a player, actually need good aim and reflexes yourself to be accurate in many computer games. If you want to play a badass sniper, but don't have steady enough hands to be any good at it, too bad. In D&D, though, you can build a character with a big Dex score regardless of your own abilities. So you've got a sort of immersivity trade-off going on.
I'm only rolling at a +5 maximum actually, and I'm rolling against 17s and 18s at a level 1, "very weak" adjusted adventure. The fact that I have to roll 12+ against things I should be fighting at level 1 is not a gratifying feeling. I primarily play Pathfinder, and there are ways to invest into your specialty so that you can be particularly good at one thing. In DnD 5th ed I don't feel like I'm particularly good at anything, I feel like I'm average at some things and bad at the rest. I don't feel powerful, I don't feel like a hero. I feel like a I'm a normal person thrust into extraordinary situations, even with the magical proclivities of my chosen class. I do alright in terms of skill checks and out of combat roleplay, and that has created fun situations, and I've enjoyed many of the social situations created. But I feel like my in combat creativity isn't as helpful, as I've seen multiple people and my party encourage me or others to not avoid or circumvent combat. And honestly I've hitting target numbers similar to what I would in Pathfinder at level 1, but with half the bonus to compensate. This may change as I get higher level, but at levels 1 and 2 I felt hideously weak compared to the rest of the world.
I also found the characters classes to be balanced, and this was largely due to the difference in Xp needed in order to level up.
Hehehe no. And different advancement rates was a terrible idea.
Not that I'm disagreeing with you, but I'm curious why you say this. Again, no experience with AD&D outside of Baldur's Gate 1.
Monks don't. Only fighters do.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that wizards got 1 stat point per four levels, whereas Monks get 2? I haven't bought my own copy of the PHB yet so I wouldn't actually know.
Broken how so? This was basically how 4E did it, so I've been used to it for a while. It scares the crap out of players, and it doesn't give them a nice predictable countdown. No more "I'm only at -2, so I'm good for at least eight rounds."
I guess I see it as the other way around, that you have effectively infinite hitpoints on the negative range, so -10 no longer counts as autodeath.
I'm only rolling at a +5 maximum actually, and I'm rolling against 17s and 18s at a level 1, "very weak" adjusted adventure. The fact that I have to roll 12+ against things I should be fighting at level 1 is not a gratifying feeling.
Okay, I understand. That does suck. But 17 and 18 are very high ACs for 1st level. Most enemies of that tier have ACs in the 12-14 range. I don't know what adventure you're playing, but challenges of that nature should be the exception, not the rule. I did throw some AC 18 monsters (animated armor) at my party at 2nd level, but only after they'd fought through some much squishier enemies so that they could appreciate that the armor's tankiness was a special challenge.
Another thing to keep in mind is that your attack bonus at 1st level is probably about the same as it would be in Pathfinder, perhaps even a point higher. Ability score + proficiency bonus versus ability score + base attack bonus + Weapon Focus if you have it. (And 17-18 is a high AC at 1st level in Pathfinder, too - that's scale mail + a large shield + a pretty good Dexterity.) The bonus difference only appears at later levels, since PF expects you to gain at least half a point of bonus every level (and probably more) whereas 5E proficiency grows at less than half that rate.
My point is that having to roll a 12 to hit (i.e. a 45% hit chance) should be about as rare in 5E as it is in balanced low-level PF. If you keep running into that situation again and again, that's an adventure balance problem, not a game math problem, just as it would be in PF.
I don't feel powerful, I don't feel like a hero. I feel like a I'm a normal person thrust into extraordinary situations, even with the magical proclivities of my chosen class.
There was something of a philosophical difference of opinion in the 5E playtest over the extent to which a 1st-level character should feel powerful. The "normal person thrust into extraordinary situations" feeling is exactly what some players and DMs were looking for, wanting characters to have to grow into their badassitude. But other players wanted clearly exceptional characters from the outset, and this had been 4E's philosophy. 5E's compromise solution was to step away from 4E's power curve in favor of 3E/PF's (you can see this most clearly in the hit point math), but clearly conceptualize low-level characters, especially 1st- and 2nd-level characters, as "inexperienced adventurers". Note how many classes get defining class features at 3rd level. (This has the added benefit of reducing frontloading to discourage splash multiclassing.) In short, the game basically says, "Start at 1st level if you want to rise from nothing, start at 3rd or maybe even 5th level if you want to play a badass from the outset. Whatever floats your boat." (Mst experienced DMs had been doing this all along in 3E/PF, but now the book makes it explicit.)
I should hasten to add, though, that even at 1st level, player characters are hardly normal. Just look at the commoner stats to see the difference. They're people with exceptional potential... but not heroes. Not yet. Luke Skywalker at the beginning of A New Hope, not Luke Skywalker at the end.
But I feel like my in combat creativity isn't as helpful, as I've seen multiple people and my party encourage me or others to not avoid or circumvent combat.
I trust you realize that this, too, is a problem beyond the game math. All I can suggest is that you have a talk with your group and make it clear that this is the style of game you're looking for. I sympathize - I don't like treating the game as just a combat simulator either.
And honestly I've hitting target numbers similar to what I would in Pathfinder at level 1, but with half the bonus to compensate.
Maybe there's some way of getting +10 attack bonus in Pathfinder at level 1, but it's hardly typical. (Let's see, a raging barbarian with base 20 Strength and Weapon Focus can get it to +9... if he's flanking it's +11.)
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that wizards got 1 stat point per four levels, whereas Monks get 2? I haven't bought my own copy of the PHB yet so I wouldn't actually know.
Every class gets 2 points (about) every four levels. Fighters get 2 points at two additional levels.
I guess I see it as the other way around, that you have effectively infinite hitpoints on the negative range, so -10 no longer counts as autodeath.
Ah. Not quite true, although autodeath is much harder to come by beyond 1st or 2nd level - you basically have to be reduced to the negative of your hit point maximum.
That's a very generous threshold for realism. The intent is clearly to always give PCs a chance at survival. But I do like that it scales with level; it bothered me in 3E that ten negative hit points is a pretty big cushion at 1st level but almost meaningless at 15th. (I houseruled it to add characters' level to the threshold.)
I will say that what you just mentioned, the animated armor, is exactly what I fought at level one. It wiped a group of 4, and I would think my party mates likely made mistakes, but there was nothing that I could do individually. Part of that was that I didn't feel that I was safe to flank, or in some way provide advantage so that we could hit them more easily. In pathfinder I can cast buff spells, or aid to attack, or flank, or attempt to trip the foe. Spells are extremely limited in 5th edition, and I couldn't really find a safe way to increase my allies effectiveness since I was not doing much.
An aside, in pathfinder it is extremely common for people to buy an 18 and then add their +2 to it. So it is typical to see +6-+7 to hit, but if you want higher, you've already mentioned one way to do so, but their are many other ways. I won't go over them here, but it is possible for every full BAB class in pathfinder to be hitting on a +9-+10 for the tough fights when necessary, and then you can flank on top of that.
I can accept most of this, and perhaps it was just an unfortunate first encounter for me, but I didn't feel very effective, and in the larger scheme of things I didn't feel important. The way things have played out for the past two adventures have felt like things would have been resolved with or without me. It feels my individual contributions to the overarching story are unimportant. Perhaps this is a DM problem, I know mine very well and he has ideas that differ from mine to some degree, but I've enjoyed his Pathfinder tables before.
I can recognize that commoners are far inferior, but every named NPC I've run into has been BY FAR more powerful than I am. To the point where I sometimes wonder, "Why don't you do this?" Perhaps I'll get a better sense for it if I learn what they are doing instead, but right now I feel like an afterthought sent off because others were too busy to do so.
I realize that it is a problem beyond game math, but my point is that if you don't have means to augment your game math, then you have to encourage creative solutions. And I don't feel like the published content itself is rewarding to that. For example, I do not like seeing an empty room with two foes in it and nothing to grab, or push, or dodge around, or hide behind. My only recourse is to dive forward into the unknown darkness past this barren combat area, and that in itself is dangerous.
Human Fighter with 20 dex, archer. Multiple traits get you a masterwork weapon, but let's ignore that. +5 Ability, +1 BAB, grab Weapon Focus, Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot. You can have up to a +8 to hit on a ranged attack, or +6 on two attacks. Much higher % then DnD 5th already. Against an AC 18 target you can either take the 50/50, or the rapid shot, which is better and better the lower the targets AC is around until you need 16s to hit it.
You already covered the Barbarian.
The readily available consumables make up much of how much easier lower level Pathfinder is as well. Most towns of a few hundred people will have access to a potion of vanish for your local rogues, or oils of magic weapon if you require such things. In addition both to hit and spell availability greatly expand rolling into second and third level.
In pathfinder I can cast buff spells, or aid to attack, or flank, or attempt to trip the foe.
Every one of these options except flanking is in the 5E PHB, and flanking is an optional rule in the DMG. Most of these options are in fact more effective in 5E: buff spells tend to hand out bonuses like +1d4 instead of +1, you don't have to roll to aid, and advantage is usually worth more than a +2 bonus.
An aside, in pathfinder it is extremely common for people to buy an 18 and then add their +2 to it.
Well, you gotta compare like to like here. Nothing changed about the ability score system. If those are the stats you're used to in PF, you have to assume the same stats in 5E.
Human Fighter with 20 dex, archer. Multiple traits get you a masterwork weapon, but let's ignore that. +5 Ability, +1 BAB, grab Weapon Focus, Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot. You can have up to a +8 to hit on a ranged attack, or +6 on two attacks. Much higher % then DnD 5th already. Against an AC 18 target you can either take the 50/50, or the rapid shot, which is better and better the lower the targets AC is around until you need 16s to hit it.
5E elf or halfling fighter with 20 Dex, archer. +5 ability, +2 proficiency, +2 archery combat style. +9 already.
I really don't know what else to say beyond what I've already said: it sounds like you just got burned by a poorly written adventure. Every DM has off days.
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Vive, vale. Siquid novisti rectius istis,
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Every one of these options except flanking is in the 5E PHB, and flanking is an optional rule in the DMG. Most of these options are in fact more effective in 5E: buff spells tend to hand out bonuses like +1d4 instead of +1, you don't have to roll to aid, and advantage is usually worth more than a +2 bonus.
But you get less spells. Unless I've missed something you generally don't have your buff up for every combat, just the ones you deem you need them. I prefer the consistency of knowing my numbers are similar for every encounter. I am playing a Warlock however, which I'm sure is not a full caster looking at their progression. I was told that I could not aid spell attacks or ranged attacks due to my lack of longbow proficiency during that adventure as well. As I'm reading it now however I'm not sure whether or not that is true.
Well, you gotta compare like to like here. Nothing changed about the ability score system. If those are the stats you're used to in PF, you have to assume the same stats in 5E.
But I'm playing Adventurer's League and Pathfinder Society. In Pathfinder Society I can legally have the around a +1 higher bonus when you account for the proficiency bonus at level 1. (+3+2)~(+5+1). It also seems like you have the possibility of being very poor in Adventurer's League. I lost 6 gold my first adventure and made none, so maybe I've had a very abnormal first adventure, leveling up but gaining little and losing money, but it was one that left a somewhat bad taste in my mouth.
5E elf or halfling fighter with 20 Dex, archer. +5 ability, +2 proficiency, +2 archery combat style. +9 already.
Once again, in ADV league I'll only be getting a +3 ability. I don't own the PHB yet, due to being unsure if I want to invest in showing up every week, but is the Archery style a rank 1 ability? If so it seems far more powerful than the one spell I get access to as a Warlock early, not going to lie.
I really don't know what else to say beyond what I've already said: it sounds like you just got burned by a poorly written adventure. Every DM has off days.
It was a published adventure, and my DM made allowances so that I felt like I was useful outside of combat. But in combat I felt inferior to basically everything and everyone I've run in to so far.
Every one of these options except flanking is in the 5E PHB, and flanking is an optional rule in the DMG. Most of these options are in fact more effective in 5E: buff spells tend to hand out bonuses like +1d4 instead of +1, you don't have to roll to aid, and advantage is usually worth more than a +2 bonus.
But you get less spells. Unless I've missed something you generally don't have your buff up for every combat, just the ones you deem you need them. I prefer the consistency of knowing my numbers are similar for every encounter. I am playing a Warlock however, which I'm sure is not a full caster looking at their progression. I was told that I could not aid spell attacks or ranged attacks due to my lack of longbow proficiency during that adventure as well. As I'm reading it now however I'm not sure whether or not that is true.
You need to get your hands on the book quickly. Yes you do only get 1 spell per day with the warlock, but your main strength is in the cantrips which are effectively at will spell like abilities. Your eldritch blast has a range of 120 feet and d10 damage unaugmented and you can make it better using your invocations from lvl 3 onwards.
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Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag and start slitting throats.
- H.L Mencken
I Became insane with long Intervals of horrible Sanity
All Religion, my friend is simply evolved out of fraud, fear, greed, imagination and poetry.
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I'm aware. I'm now third level and add my CHA mod to damage on them as well. I just haven't played at 3rd level yet. But it seems like things get easier as you get higher level.
I am playing a Warlock however, which I'm sure is not a full caster looking at their progression.
Correct. The warlock is a weird hybrid class that I don't like all that much. All full casters get two spell slots at 1st level, which is the same as what a wizard with <20 Int gets in 3E/PF. (And warlocks really don't do much buffing anyway because, y'know, they're warlocks.)
I was told that I could not aid spell attacks or ranged attacks due to my lack of longbow proficiency during that adventure as well. As I'm reading it now however I'm not sure whether or not that is true.
You can't normally aid ranged attacks in either 5E or PF. Gotta be in melee reach.
But I'm playing Adventurer's League and Pathfinder Society. In Pathfinder Society I can legally have the around a +1 higher bonus when you account for the proficiency bonus at level 1. (+3+2)~(+5+1).
I can't comment on either Wizards' or Paizo's organized play rules since I've never used them, but do remember that they're different companies and their leagues are not related. I can tell you that 3E, like 5E, was originally written on the assumption that characters have a "base array" of 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8. It's not like 3E assumes 18s are normal and 5E doesn't.
The warlock is a weird hybrid class that I don't like all that much.
It's like I said, man. Pitfalls of making a deal with the devil: you might suffer eternal damnation, or worse, become a warlock.
Also, I was mistaken before regarding darkvision, which has been cleared up upon my finally buying a Player's Handbook: It's elves that have darkvision. I mixed up the two. I find that a puzzling switch, but I'm told AD&D had even more variations of different sight. Still, I liked the distinction between low-light vision and darkvision.
I've been playing more 5th Edition with a playgroup. I'm liking 5th Edition, still finding my way around things. The proficiency bonus in particular is an interesting mechanic, though I'm not sure I like how limited characters are in access to stats/feats/etc. are compared to 3rd.
One thing that does feel quite weird, and I don't think I'll ever get used to, is how fast characters level in this version.
It's like I said, man. Pitfalls of making a deal with the devil: you might suffer eternal damnation, or worse, become a warlock.
This version is just trying to do too much all at once. A weird spell system and invocations and patron abilities? Why? The 3.5 warlock was a beautifully written class, clean and simple and thematically tight. I'm gonna give it a 5E makeover one of these days.
Also, I was mistaken before regarding darkvision, which has been cleared up upon my finally buying a Player's Handbook: It's elves that have darkvision. I mixed up the two. I find that a puzzling switch, but I'm told AD&D had even more variations of different sight. Still, I liked the distinction between low-light vision and darkvision.
In AD&D both elves and dwarves have something called infravision, which is more like 3E darkvision than low-light vision.
In AD&D both elves and dwarves have something called infravision, which is more like 3E darkvision than low-light vision.
Oh interesting. I was told there was a version, though, that had multiple different kinds of vision like vision that required starlight or something like that.
Anyway, I did not realize non-Drow elves had infravision. I guess that's a return back to form then. Huh.
Are you still in levels 1-3? Because it slows down dramatically after that.
Hey guys. So once again, I'm thinking about coming back to this game. I last played in 2nd Edition, but a year ago (or two? I forget) I heard very good things about 5th and I was feeling rather nostalgic. I ended up buying the PH and Monsters book, but the DM guide wasn't out yet. I'm a former DM, so I was looking at going back into that role. It all looked very good, but the timing was off and I ended up having my time consumed by other things (competitive Magic being one of them). Now things are not looking so good for Magic for me, so I'm thinking about D&D again.
The main problem I have always had when I've considered playing again previously is finding players. I'm actually pretty comfortable with completely new players, it's better for me right now that people who are going to readily notice mistakes I make. I think I could convince my girlfriend to play. What's a good way to find other players? My LGS runs sanctioned D&D events, but they don't run during the time I could play.
My DM Guide should be coming in the mail today. I don't think I need it yet, though.
I'm pretty sure I'm going to create my own world. I loved playing Forgotten Realms back in 2nd Edition, but since it has been adopted as the "Living Realm" or whatever, I feel like I don't have enough control as a DM over what happens in it. And if I tried to say "I'm running a private Forgotten Realms world" I think players might object to that if they've played the other one. So it seems simpler to just create my own world that the players know nothing about, besides what I want them to know. So this is my first task. Probably going to start with just very generalized large map, and then a more detailed local map. I can do this before I find people to play.
After that's done, I'll meet with each player one-on-one to do character creation. The stats/abilities are the easy part. The character history is the harder part. I'll need to give them some information about the world I've created, and then it's up to them to decide how their character fits into that. I'd love it if I can actually let them do some world building as a part of this. Like if they say "I want to come from a mining town, and have that town be here, and in this town, it's half populated by humans and half populated by dwarves." I don't think there's any reason I can't let them do that.
Once I meet with each of them and get that done, then I know what kinds of abilities the characters have and what equipment they have, so I can design a first adventure that fits them. I want their abilities and equipment to be relevant. Like, if nobody has rope, I don't want a critical part of the adventure to require it. And if (heaven forbid) there are no characters with healing spells, I will need to make sure the adventure isn't one where they are taking huge amounts of damage. So I need to have the characters done before I design the adventure.
As an avid Pathfinder player, a friend helped me build a character for DnD5 for a gaming convention when the Pathfinder tables were done.
I decided to roll a Teifling Warlock with the Fugitive backstory. She had some good runs, I'm still getting used to "casting spells at your highest slot" and her low spell slot allotment. Agonizing Eldritch Blast is still her go-to spell.
In one mission we did, after getting screwed over by bad rolls against some Shades that were tearing the party apart, we decided to call it a night. We started at 10pm... it was now 4:30 am...
At the convention, we also participated in the Epic Event: Reclamation of Phlagn. That was fun.
I also rolled a Gnome Bard, that is currently "trapped" in Ravenloft until the adventure path is released in August.
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SELVAXRI! King of Misfortune & Master of Rocket Launchers "Do ya feel lucky? Because you'd better start runnin' while you still can." 375 Misfortune {+3 signed AP's} & 104 Rocket Launcher (41 AQ/ 63 Rev) Edgar Rice Burroughs, forgotten legend of the word.
I've been playing a campaign using a homebrew class. This was originally done to bring my favourite character from 4th edition into 5th, and I'm curious as to people's thoughts. Been playing it for a while now, and currently at level 6 in the Shield Master archetype.
Spoilering for length:
Knight Hit Points Hit dice: 1d12 per knight level Hit points at 1st level: 12 + your Constitution modifier Hit points at higher levels: 1d12 (or 7) + your Constitution modifier per knight level after 1st
Proficiencies Armour: All armour, shields Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons Tools: None Saving throws: Constitution, Wisdom Skills: Choose three from Animal Handling, Athletics, History, Insight, Intimidation, Medicine, Perception, Persuasion, Religion, or Survival
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
* (a) chain mail or (b) scale mail
* (a) any sword and a shield or (b) any martial weapon
* (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
* a draft horse
Fighting Style
You adopt a particular style of fighting as your speciality. Choose one of the following options. You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again. Defence: While you are wearing armour, you gain a +1 bonus to AC. Protection: When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you may use a reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield. Great Weapon Fighting: When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit. Duelling: When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon. Tactician: You can take the Help action as a reaction, but only to aid an attack against an enemy within 5ft of you. Parrying: While wielding a weapon in two hands, when an enemy attacks you with a melee weapon attack, you can use a reaction to gain +2 AC against that attack.
Second Wind
You have a limited well of stamina that you can draw on to protect yourself from harm. On your turn, you can use a bonus action to regain hit points equal to 1d12 + your knight level.
Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again. Beginning at 12th level, you can use this feature twice between rests.
Warrior's Tactics
Unlike other warriors, you don't rely on sheer muscle to strike your foes, but careful scrutiny of their defences and tactics. Starting at 2nd level, you can use Wisdom in place of Strength for your melee attack and damage rolls, and in place of Dexterity for your initiative rolls.
Knight's Code
At 3rd level, you vow to uphold the tenets of one of three knightly codes; the Shield Master, the Standard Bearer, or the Cavalier, each detailed at the end of the class description. Your code grants you features at 3rd level, 7th level, 11th level, and 15th level.
Ready and Willing
Your watchful gaze and honed combat instincts miss nothing on any battlefield. Starting at 3rd level, each round, you can take a number of additional reactions equal to your Wisdom modifier, but only one per turn.
Ability Score Increase
When you reach 4th level, and again at 6th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Brave
Beginning at 5th level, you have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.
Immovable Object
Beginning at 9th level, you've become so steadfast that no one and nothing can shake you. You can turn any physical (Strength, Constitution, or Dexterity) saving throw you make into a Constitution save, and any mental (Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma) saving throw you make into a Wisdom save. You can choose to change the save after rolling, but before the result is announced. You can change one save of each type this way, then must finish a short or long rest before you can change a save of the same type.
Warning Cry
Beginning at 10th level, you can use a reaction to warn an ally of impending danger. Choose an ally within 30ft of you that you can see and who can hear you. That ally gains advantage on the next saving throw they make this turn. Alternatively, you can remove advantage from an enemy's attack against that ally.
Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.
Rallying Cry
Beginning at 13th level, you can shore up the resolve of your allies, pushing them to fight on through trial and hardship. As a bonus action, you can allow all allies within 30ft of you who can hear you to make a saving throw against all effects currently affecting them that a saving throw can end. This includes death saves; however, a failed death save is not marked down.
Heroic Effort
Beginning at 14th level, you can push your limits to turn failure into success. You can reroll any attack roll, ability check, or saving throw that you fail.
Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.
Vigilant Defender
Beginning at 17th level, you stand tall as an immovable barrier on the battlefield. Terrain within 5ft of you counts as difficult terrain for your enemies. In addition, enemies provoke opportunity attacks from you when they enter your reach.
Paragon of Virtue
Beginning at 18th level, your allies look to you for guidance and inspiration. You can grant allies use of your Second Wind or Heroic Effort abilities.
Loyal Beyond Death
Beginning at 20th level, you can push your body far above and beyond its mortal limits. If you are reduced to 0 or fewer hit points but your body is still intact and you are not dead, you can continue to act normally in combat, making your death saving throw at the end of your turn. Once you are dead, you can continue moving for a number of turns equal to your Constitution modifier before truly dying.
Knight's Codes Shield Master
Knights who follow the code of the Shield Master dedicate themselves to the protection of their allies, always seeking to protect those who cannot protect themselves. They fearlessly put themselves in harm's way and push their comrades out of it.
Barrier Warrior
Beginning when you choose this code at 3rd level, you can utilise your shield as a weapon. When you hit an enemy with a weapon attack, you can use a bonus action to attack that enemy with your shield. The shield deals 1d4 bludgeoning damage.
The damage from the shield bash increases to 2d4 at 7th level, 3d4 at 11th level, and 4d4 at 15th level.
Selfless Protector
Starting at 7th level, you can use a reaction whenever an enemy you can see within 30ft of you makes a melee attack against one of your allies to move up to your speed adjacent to that enemy and force the enemy to target you with the attack instead (do this before the attacker makes the roll). Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.
Shield Charge
Starting at 11th level, you can use a bonus action to move up to your speed adjacent to an enemy and use your shield bash attack against that enemy.
Deft Deflection
Starting at 15th level, you can use a reaction to turn any regular hit against you into a miss, or any critical hit against you into a regular hit.
Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.
Standard-Bearer
The Standard-Bearer leads the charge of the battle with banner raised high, raising the morale of their comrades and strengthening their resolve.
Standard
When you take this code at 3rd level, you can begin to create your standard. Choose two abilities from the list below labelled “standards” to add to your standard, and an additional ability at 11th level. You can carry your standard with you, or use your action to plant it in the ground or pick it back up. The range of your standard's effect is 20ft.
Swift Plant
Starting at 7th level, you can plant or pick up your standard as a bonus action rather than an action.
Throw Standard
Starting at 11th level, you can plant your standard up to 30ft away.
Inspiring Standard
Starting at 15h level, double your Charisma modifier when determining your standard's abilities.
Standards
Allies within the standard's range get a bonus to attack rolls equal to your Charisma modifier.
Enemies within the standard's range get a penalty to attack rolls equal to your Charisma modifier.
An ally that starts its turn in the standard's range gains temporary hit points equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.
Any enemy that starts its turn in the standard's range must make a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 8 + your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus) or be frightened of the standard until the start of its next turn.
Allies within the standard's range get a bonus to damage rolls equal to your Charisma modifier.
Allies that start their turn in the standard's range get a bonus to speed this turn equal to 5x your Charisma modifier.
Enemies that start their turn in the standard's range get a penalty to speed this turn equal to 5x your Charisma modifier (minimum 5ft).
Once during an ally's turn, if that ally is within the standard's range and takes the attack action, you can allow that ally to take an additional attack. You can do this a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier, then you regain all uses after finishing a long rest.
Allies in the standard's range have a bonus to saving throws equal to your Charisma modifier.
Cavalier
The Cavalier is the traditional image of the mounted knight. They have trained with their chosen mounts and developed an empathic bond with their animal.
Noble Steed
Starting at 3rd level when you take this code, your draft horse becomes your steed. You always know the direction where your steed is. In addition, your steed will never run or leave your side without you telling it to, and will always follow your orders to the best of its ability. It can also attack as a bonus action on each of your turns. While you are mounted, if an enemy attacks your steed, you can force the attack to target you instead. Finally, your steed gains HP as you level up: 1d12 (or 7) + its Constitution modifier at 3rd level, 7th level, 11th level, and 15th level.
If your steed dies, you can spend a day training and bonding with another animal to have it become your steed.
Charge!
Starting at 7th level, if your steed moved at least half its movement speed before it or you made your attack, the attack deals an additional 1d6 damage. This increases to 2d6 at 11th level and 3d6 at 15th level.
Empathic Bond
Starting at 11th level, you and your steed can perfectly understand each other's speech. You can speak either through words or telepathy with each other.
Wings of Wonder
Starting at 15th level, you can use a bonus action to have your steed manifest a set of wings. While winged, it gains a flying speed equal to its speed.
Something along those lines, yeah. The idea was to put it somewhere between the barbarian and the fighter - a little more defensive than the latter and a little more aggressive than the former.
I've been having the urge to get back into D and D lately and seeing the companion for Zendikar only added to the urge
can anyone give me advice on getting a group together?
I already know a lot of people who are into World of Warcraft so I'm assuming there would be people who would enjoy D and D as well
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I took a look at the new PhB recently, and honestly I think most of the changes are for the better. One of the biggest problems with D&D was the relative weakness of everyone versus Spellcasters late game. I think 5th Edition streamlines everything nicely from 3.5.
As for no racial stat bonuses, that IS a bit weird, but I guess it goes along with the theme of making everyone a bit more useful? I don't really know.
I do love the new system, though. They've really removed the extraneous stuff that kept a lot of people out of the game. It was frustating spending an hour looking for skill points only to find out they no longer exist :), but that also avoids the trap of forcing everyone to put a lot of points into INT to stay relevant late game.
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Humans get +1 to everything, so halflings are effectively -1 Strength relative to humans. 4E is actually closer to the situation you describe.
Dwarves have darkvision. The change was to get rid of low-light vision and give elves darkvision, not the other way around. And for what it's worth, I've always imagined dwarves lighting their dwellings. Colorless vision with an absolute maximum range of just 60 feet isn't exactly conducive to great underground civilizations. Hell, in 2E when it was infravision, you couldn't even use it to read. (Also, in 2E, elves had the same infravision. The low-light/darkvision split was a 3E innovation.)
Broken how so? This was basically how 4E did it, so I've been used to it for a while. It scares the crap out of players, and it doesn't give them a nice predictable countdown. No more "I'm only at -2, so I'm good for at least eight rounds."
Yes, I understand the principle. I'm saying it was a bad one. Differing power curves works out well in a game like, say, Dota or League of Legends because you're playing through a character's entire "career" in a single sitting, so it's strategically interesting to have differing points of relative strength and weakness. In D&D, where you're playing at the same level for weeks or even months, it just gets demoralizing. And more fundamentally, if a 5th-level rogue isn't supposed to be comparable to a 5th-level wizard, what on earth are levels supposed to be measuring? If a mage would get too powerful too quickly if they leveled at the same rate as a rogue, why is the class written that way in the first place? Why not spread its power out over more levels? (Or alternatively compress the rogue's power into fewer levels.)
All of this is a very long-winded way of saying that we all had cold-dice slumps in previous editions too. It's intrinsic to the d20 system. And it is sort of an archaic game mechanic - almost all computer RPGs, as you may know, have moved away from having your attacks miss at the whim of the random number generator. But I think roll-to-hit rules have persisted in tabletop games because you can do a lot more to add variance to a fight in a video game than you can realistically manage with pen and paper - in Dark Souls, for instance, you land hits by watching cues in your enemies' movements and timing your attacks correctly, but D&D can't do that. This is, as well, an aspect of the larger question in RPG design of how much of a distinction should be made between character skill and player skill. You, as a player, actually need good aim and reflexes yourself to be accurate in many computer games. If you want to play a badass sniper, but don't have steady enough hands to be any good at it, too bad. In D&D, though, you can build a character with a big Dex score regardless of your own abilities. So you've got a sort of immersivity trade-off going on.
candidus inperti; si nil, his utere mecum.
I'm only rolling at a +5 maximum actually, and I'm rolling against 17s and 18s at a level 1, "very weak" adjusted adventure. The fact that I have to roll 12+ against things I should be fighting at level 1 is not a gratifying feeling. I primarily play Pathfinder, and there are ways to invest into your specialty so that you can be particularly good at one thing. In DnD 5th ed I don't feel like I'm particularly good at anything, I feel like I'm average at some things and bad at the rest. I don't feel powerful, I don't feel like a hero. I feel like a I'm a normal person thrust into extraordinary situations, even with the magical proclivities of my chosen class. I do alright in terms of skill checks and out of combat roleplay, and that has created fun situations, and I've enjoyed many of the social situations created. But I feel like my in combat creativity isn't as helpful, as I've seen multiple people and my party encourage me or others to not avoid or circumvent combat. And honestly I've hitting target numbers similar to what I would in Pathfinder at level 1, but with half the bonus to compensate. This may change as I get higher level, but at levels 1 and 2 I felt hideously weak compared to the rest of the world.
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that wizards got 1 stat point per four levels, whereas Monks get 2? I haven't bought my own copy of the PHB yet so I wouldn't actually know.
I guess I see it as the other way around, that you have effectively infinite hitpoints on the negative range, so -10 no longer counts as autodeath.
Another thing to keep in mind is that your attack bonus at 1st level is probably about the same as it would be in Pathfinder, perhaps even a point higher. Ability score + proficiency bonus versus ability score + base attack bonus + Weapon Focus if you have it. (And 17-18 is a high AC at 1st level in Pathfinder, too - that's scale mail + a large shield + a pretty good Dexterity.) The bonus difference only appears at later levels, since PF expects you to gain at least half a point of bonus every level (and probably more) whereas 5E proficiency grows at less than half that rate.
My point is that having to roll a 12 to hit (i.e. a 45% hit chance) should be about as rare in 5E as it is in balanced low-level PF. If you keep running into that situation again and again, that's an adventure balance problem, not a game math problem, just as it would be in PF.
There was something of a philosophical difference of opinion in the 5E playtest over the extent to which a 1st-level character should feel powerful. The "normal person thrust into extraordinary situations" feeling is exactly what some players and DMs were looking for, wanting characters to have to grow into their badassitude. But other players wanted clearly exceptional characters from the outset, and this had been 4E's philosophy. 5E's compromise solution was to step away from 4E's power curve in favor of 3E/PF's (you can see this most clearly in the hit point math), but clearly conceptualize low-level characters, especially 1st- and 2nd-level characters, as "inexperienced adventurers". Note how many classes get defining class features at 3rd level. (This has the added benefit of reducing frontloading to discourage splash multiclassing.) In short, the game basically says, "Start at 1st level if you want to rise from nothing, start at 3rd or maybe even 5th level if you want to play a badass from the outset. Whatever floats your boat." (Mst experienced DMs had been doing this all along in 3E/PF, but now the book makes it explicit.)
I should hasten to add, though, that even at 1st level, player characters are hardly normal. Just look at the commoner stats to see the difference. They're people with exceptional potential... but not heroes. Not yet. Luke Skywalker at the beginning of A New Hope, not Luke Skywalker at the end.
I trust you realize that this, too, is a problem beyond the game math. All I can suggest is that you have a talk with your group and make it clear that this is the style of game you're looking for. I sympathize - I don't like treating the game as just a combat simulator either.
Maybe there's some way of getting +10 attack bonus in Pathfinder at level 1, but it's hardly typical. (Let's see, a raging barbarian with base 20 Strength and Weapon Focus can get it to +9... if he's flanking it's +11.)
Every class gets 2 points (about) every four levels. Fighters get 2 points at two additional levels.
Ah. Not quite true, although autodeath is much harder to come by beyond 1st or 2nd level - you basically have to be reduced to the negative of your hit point maximum.
That's a very generous threshold for realism. The intent is clearly to always give PCs a chance at survival. But I do like that it scales with level; it bothered me in 3E that ten negative hit points is a pretty big cushion at 1st level but almost meaningless at 15th. (I houseruled it to add characters' level to the threshold.)
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An aside, in pathfinder it is extremely common for people to buy an 18 and then add their +2 to it. So it is typical to see +6-+7 to hit, but if you want higher, you've already mentioned one way to do so, but their are many other ways. I won't go over them here, but it is possible for every full BAB class in pathfinder to be hitting on a +9-+10 for the tough fights when necessary, and then you can flank on top of that.
I can accept most of this, and perhaps it was just an unfortunate first encounter for me, but I didn't feel very effective, and in the larger scheme of things I didn't feel important. The way things have played out for the past two adventures have felt like things would have been resolved with or without me. It feels my individual contributions to the overarching story are unimportant. Perhaps this is a DM problem, I know mine very well and he has ideas that differ from mine to some degree, but I've enjoyed his Pathfinder tables before.
I can recognize that commoners are far inferior, but every named NPC I've run into has been BY FAR more powerful than I am. To the point where I sometimes wonder, "Why don't you do this?" Perhaps I'll get a better sense for it if I learn what they are doing instead, but right now I feel like an afterthought sent off because others were too busy to do so.
I realize that it is a problem beyond game math, but my point is that if you don't have means to augment your game math, then you have to encourage creative solutions. And I don't feel like the published content itself is rewarding to that. For example, I do not like seeing an empty room with two foes in it and nothing to grab, or push, or dodge around, or hide behind. My only recourse is to dive forward into the unknown darkness past this barren combat area, and that in itself is dangerous.
Human Fighter with 20 dex, archer. Multiple traits get you a masterwork weapon, but let's ignore that. +5 Ability, +1 BAB, grab Weapon Focus, Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot. You can have up to a +8 to hit on a ranged attack, or +6 on two attacks. Much higher % then DnD 5th already. Against an AC 18 target you can either take the 50/50, or the rapid shot, which is better and better the lower the targets AC is around until you need 16s to hit it.
You already covered the Barbarian.
The readily available consumables make up much of how much easier lower level Pathfinder is as well. Most towns of a few hundred people will have access to a potion of vanish for your local rogues, or oils of magic weapon if you require such things. In addition both to hit and spell availability greatly expand rolling into second and third level.
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Well, you gotta compare like to like here. Nothing changed about the ability score system. If those are the stats you're used to in PF, you have to assume the same stats in 5E.
5E elf or halfling fighter with 20 Dex, archer. +5 ability, +2 proficiency, +2 archery combat style. +9 already.
I really don't know what else to say beyond what I've already said: it sounds like you just got burned by a poorly written adventure. Every DM has off days.
candidus inperti; si nil, his utere mecum.
But you get less spells. Unless I've missed something you generally don't have your buff up for every combat, just the ones you deem you need them. I prefer the consistency of knowing my numbers are similar for every encounter. I am playing a Warlock however, which I'm sure is not a full caster looking at their progression. I was told that I could not aid spell attacks or ranged attacks due to my lack of longbow proficiency during that adventure as well. As I'm reading it now however I'm not sure whether or not that is true.
But I'm playing Adventurer's League and Pathfinder Society. In Pathfinder Society I can legally have the around a +1 higher bonus when you account for the proficiency bonus at level 1. (+3+2)~(+5+1). It also seems like you have the possibility of being very poor in Adventurer's League. I lost 6 gold my first adventure and made none, so maybe I've had a very abnormal first adventure, leveling up but gaining little and losing money, but it was one that left a somewhat bad taste in my mouth.
Once again, in ADV league I'll only be getting a +3 ability. I don't own the PHB yet, due to being unsure if I want to invest in showing up every week, but is the Archery style a rank 1 ability? If so it seems far more powerful than the one spell I get access to as a Warlock early, not going to lie.
It was a published adventure, and my DM made allowances so that I felt like I was useful outside of combat. But in combat I felt inferior to basically everything and everyone I've run in to so far.
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You need to get your hands on the book quickly. Yes you do only get 1 spell per day with the warlock, but your main strength is in the cantrips which are effectively at will spell like abilities. Your eldritch blast has a range of 120 feet and d10 damage unaugmented and you can make it better using your invocations from lvl 3 onwards.
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You can't normally aid ranged attacks in either 5E or PF. Gotta be in melee reach.
I can't comment on either Wizards' or Paizo's organized play rules since I've never used them, but do remember that they're different companies and their leagues are not related. I can tell you that 3E, like 5E, was originally written on the assumption that characters have a "base array" of 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8. It's not like 3E assumes 18s are normal and 5E doesn't.
Yes.
That's normally how it works, yes.
candidus inperti; si nil, his utere mecum.
Also, I was mistaken before regarding darkvision, which has been cleared up upon my finally buying a Player's Handbook: It's elves that have darkvision. I mixed up the two. I find that a puzzling switch, but I'm told AD&D had even more variations of different sight. Still, I liked the distinction between low-light vision and darkvision.
I've been playing more 5th Edition with a playgroup. I'm liking 5th Edition, still finding my way around things. The proficiency bonus in particular is an interesting mechanic, though I'm not sure I like how limited characters are in access to stats/feats/etc. are compared to 3rd.
One thing that does feel quite weird, and I don't think I'll ever get used to, is how fast characters level in this version.
In AD&D both elves and dwarves have something called infravision, which is more like 3E darkvision than low-light vision.
Are you still in levels 1-3? Because it slows down dramatically after that.
candidus inperti; si nil, his utere mecum.
Anyway, I did not realize non-Drow elves had infravision. I guess that's a return back to form then. Huh.
Ah, yes, I just turned level 4. Good to know.
The main problem I have always had when I've considered playing again previously is finding players. I'm actually pretty comfortable with completely new players, it's better for me right now that people who are going to readily notice mistakes I make. I think I could convince my girlfriend to play. What's a good way to find other players? My LGS runs sanctioned D&D events, but they don't run during the time I could play.
candidus inperti; si nil, his utere mecum.
I'm pretty sure I'm going to create my own world. I loved playing Forgotten Realms back in 2nd Edition, but since it has been adopted as the "Living Realm" or whatever, I feel like I don't have enough control as a DM over what happens in it. And if I tried to say "I'm running a private Forgotten Realms world" I think players might object to that if they've played the other one. So it seems simpler to just create my own world that the players know nothing about, besides what I want them to know. So this is my first task. Probably going to start with just very generalized large map, and then a more detailed local map. I can do this before I find people to play.
After that's done, I'll meet with each player one-on-one to do character creation. The stats/abilities are the easy part. The character history is the harder part. I'll need to give them some information about the world I've created, and then it's up to them to decide how their character fits into that. I'd love it if I can actually let them do some world building as a part of this. Like if they say "I want to come from a mining town, and have that town be here, and in this town, it's half populated by humans and half populated by dwarves." I don't think there's any reason I can't let them do that.
Once I meet with each of them and get that done, then I know what kinds of abilities the characters have and what equipment they have, so I can design a first adventure that fits them. I want their abilities and equipment to be relevant. Like, if nobody has rope, I don't want a critical part of the adventure to require it. And if (heaven forbid) there are no characters with healing spells, I will need to make sure the adventure isn't one where they are taking huge amounts of damage. So I need to have the characters done before I design the adventure.
I am currently using these for Intelligence related stuff: http://d6ideas.com/?p=6213&lang=en
And wanted to use these when I ever get to a Magic Campaign: http://d6ideas.com/?p=6268&lang=en
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As an avid Pathfinder player, a friend helped me build a character for DnD5 for a gaming convention when the Pathfinder tables were done.
I decided to roll a Teifling Warlock with the Fugitive backstory. She had some good runs, I'm still getting used to "casting spells at your highest slot" and her low spell slot allotment. Agonizing Eldritch Blast is still her go-to spell.
In one mission we did, after getting screwed over by bad rolls against some Shades that were tearing the party apart, we decided to call it a night. We started at 10pm... it was now 4:30 am...
At the convention, we also participated in the Epic Event: Reclamation of Phlagn. That was fun.
I also rolled a Gnome Bard, that is currently "trapped" in Ravenloft until the adventure path is released in August.
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Spoilering for length:
Hit Points
Hit dice: 1d12 per knight level
Hit points at 1st level: 12 + your Constitution modifier
Hit points at higher levels: 1d12 (or 7) + your Constitution modifier per knight level after 1st
Proficiencies
Armour: All armour, shields
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: None
Saving throws: Constitution, Wisdom
Skills: Choose three from Animal Handling, Athletics, History, Insight, Intimidation, Medicine, Perception, Persuasion, Religion, or Survival
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
* (a) chain mail or (b) scale mail
* (a) any sword and a shield or (b) any martial weapon
* (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
* a draft horse
Fighting Style
You adopt a particular style of fighting as your speciality. Choose one of the following options. You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.
Defence: While you are wearing armour, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.
Protection: When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you may use a reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.
Great Weapon Fighting: When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.
Duelling: When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.
Tactician: You can take the Help action as a reaction, but only to aid an attack against an enemy within 5ft of you.
Parrying: While wielding a weapon in two hands, when an enemy attacks you with a melee weapon attack, you can use a reaction to gain +2 AC against that attack.
Second Wind
You have a limited well of stamina that you can draw on to protect yourself from harm. On your turn, you can use a bonus action to regain hit points equal to 1d12 + your knight level.
Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again. Beginning at 12th level, you can use this feature twice between rests.
Warrior's Tactics
Unlike other warriors, you don't rely on sheer muscle to strike your foes, but careful scrutiny of their defences and tactics. Starting at 2nd level, you can use Wisdom in place of Strength for your melee attack and damage rolls, and in place of Dexterity for your initiative rolls.
Knight's Code
At 3rd level, you vow to uphold the tenets of one of three knightly codes; the Shield Master, the Standard Bearer, or the Cavalier, each detailed at the end of the class description. Your code grants you features at 3rd level, 7th level, 11th level, and 15th level.
Ready and Willing
Your watchful gaze and honed combat instincts miss nothing on any battlefield. Starting at 3rd level, each round, you can take a number of additional reactions equal to your Wisdom modifier, but only one per turn.
Ability Score Increase
When you reach 4th level, and again at 6th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Brave
Beginning at 5th level, you have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.
Immovable Object
Beginning at 9th level, you've become so steadfast that no one and nothing can shake you. You can turn any physical (Strength, Constitution, or Dexterity) saving throw you make into a Constitution save, and any mental (Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma) saving throw you make into a Wisdom save. You can choose to change the save after rolling, but before the result is announced. You can change one save of each type this way, then must finish a short or long rest before you can change a save of the same type.
Warning Cry
Beginning at 10th level, you can use a reaction to warn an ally of impending danger. Choose an ally within 30ft of you that you can see and who can hear you. That ally gains advantage on the next saving throw they make this turn. Alternatively, you can remove advantage from an enemy's attack against that ally.
Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.
Rallying Cry
Beginning at 13th level, you can shore up the resolve of your allies, pushing them to fight on through trial and hardship. As a bonus action, you can allow all allies within 30ft of you who can hear you to make a saving throw against all effects currently affecting them that a saving throw can end. This includes death saves; however, a failed death save is not marked down.
Heroic Effort
Beginning at 14th level, you can push your limits to turn failure into success. You can reroll any attack roll, ability check, or saving throw that you fail.
Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.
Vigilant Defender
Beginning at 17th level, you stand tall as an immovable barrier on the battlefield. Terrain within 5ft of you counts as difficult terrain for your enemies. In addition, enemies provoke opportunity attacks from you when they enter your reach.
Paragon of Virtue
Beginning at 18th level, your allies look to you for guidance and inspiration. You can grant allies use of your Second Wind or Heroic Effort abilities.
Loyal Beyond Death
Beginning at 20th level, you can push your body far above and beyond its mortal limits. If you are reduced to 0 or fewer hit points but your body is still intact and you are not dead, you can continue to act normally in combat, making your death saving throw at the end of your turn. Once you are dead, you can continue moving for a number of turns equal to your Constitution modifier before truly dying.
Knight's Codes
Shield Master
Knights who follow the code of the Shield Master dedicate themselves to the protection of their allies, always seeking to protect those who cannot protect themselves. They fearlessly put themselves in harm's way and push their comrades out of it.
Barrier Warrior
Beginning when you choose this code at 3rd level, you can utilise your shield as a weapon. When you hit an enemy with a weapon attack, you can use a bonus action to attack that enemy with your shield. The shield deals 1d4 bludgeoning damage.
The damage from the shield bash increases to 2d4 at 7th level, 3d4 at 11th level, and 4d4 at 15th level.
Selfless Protector
Starting at 7th level, you can use a reaction whenever an enemy you can see within 30ft of you makes a melee attack against one of your allies to move up to your speed adjacent to that enemy and force the enemy to target you with the attack instead (do this before the attacker makes the roll). Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.
Shield Charge
Starting at 11th level, you can use a bonus action to move up to your speed adjacent to an enemy and use your shield bash attack against that enemy.
Deft Deflection
Starting at 15th level, you can use a reaction to turn any regular hit against you into a miss, or any critical hit against you into a regular hit.
Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.
Standard-Bearer
The Standard-Bearer leads the charge of the battle with banner raised high, raising the morale of their comrades and strengthening their resolve.
Standard
When you take this code at 3rd level, you can begin to create your standard. Choose two abilities from the list below labelled “standards” to add to your standard, and an additional ability at 11th level. You can carry your standard with you, or use your action to plant it in the ground or pick it back up. The range of your standard's effect is 20ft.
Swift Plant
Starting at 7th level, you can plant or pick up your standard as a bonus action rather than an action.
Throw Standard
Starting at 11th level, you can plant your standard up to 30ft away.
Inspiring Standard
Starting at 15h level, double your Charisma modifier when determining your standard's abilities.
Standards
Cavalier
The Cavalier is the traditional image of the mounted knight. They have trained with their chosen mounts and developed an empathic bond with their animal.
Noble Steed
Starting at 3rd level when you take this code, your draft horse becomes your steed. You always know the direction where your steed is. In addition, your steed will never run or leave your side without you telling it to, and will always follow your orders to the best of its ability. It can also attack as a bonus action on each of your turns. While you are mounted, if an enemy attacks your steed, you can force the attack to target you instead. Finally, your steed gains HP as you level up: 1d12 (or 7) + its Constitution modifier at 3rd level, 7th level, 11th level, and 15th level.
If your steed dies, you can spend a day training and bonding with another animal to have it become your steed.
Charge!
Starting at 7th level, if your steed moved at least half its movement speed before it or you made your attack, the attack deals an additional 1d6 damage. This increases to 2d6 at 11th level and 3d6 at 15th level.
Empathic Bond
Starting at 11th level, you and your steed can perfectly understand each other's speech. You can speak either through words or telepathy with each other.
Wings of Wonder
Starting at 15th level, you can use a bonus action to have your steed manifest a set of wings. While winged, it gains a flying speed equal to its speed.
Parrying looks a bit odd among the fighting styles.
Hands to the sky
Give a round of applause
For the great Miss Y!
can anyone give me advice on getting a group together?
I already know a lot of people who are into World of Warcraft so I'm assuming there would be people who would enjoy D and D as well