tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61393041404571588052024-02-19T10:10:27.213-06:00Dungeons and Dragons TipsTips for improving your gaming experience, new uses for old spells, and detailed insight on how you can make use of feats, skills, and more.
Check out www.TableTopRpgPortal.comUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6139304140457158805.post-32808067146464776392022-10-30T10:39:00.002-05:002022-10-30T10:39:44.642-05:00The Best Way to Roll for Hit Points<p>Here is my favorite approach to rolling Hit Points, especially for 5E. </p><p>Per the 5E rules, you can roll the dice or accept the "standard" roll for each class. Much discussion here: <a href="https://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/48198/why-would-i-ever-choose-rolling-hit-points">https://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/48198/why-would-i-ever-choose-rolling-hit-points</a></p><p>However, I think we can have the best of both worlds. We can roll the dice yet tweak the odds so our outcome is better than average dice rolls and our characters are not stuck with bad rolls.</p><p><br />The mechanism is simple. Simply use the lower sized dice for your character class, but always add 2 to your roll result. The minimum roll for everyone becomes a 3.</p><p>Wizard<span> d6<span> instead<span> d4 +2</span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span>Sorcerer<span> </span></span></span></span>d6 instead d4 +2</p><p>Warlock<span> d8<span> instead<span> d6 +2</span></span></span></p><p>Cleric d8 instead d6 +2</p><p>Bard d8 instead d6 +2</p><p>Rogue d8 instead d6 +2</p><p>Druid d8 instead d6 +2</p><p>Monk d8 instead d6 +2</p><p>Ranger d10 instead d8 +2</p><p>Fighter d10 instead d8 +2</p><p>Paladin d10 instead d8 +2</p><p>Barbarian d12 instead d10 +2</p><p><br /></p><p><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6139304140457158805.post-12728213417131368382021-02-27T18:36:00.001-06:002021-02-27T18:36:01.882-06:00Game Flavor - The Paladin that joins the Party thanks to his Find Steed spell<p>As the party travels along the road they notice a pony (or horse) up ahead that is off to the side of the road and appears to be watching the party approach. After getting closer the party can see three dead orcs on the ground near the pony. DC 10 Investigation to determine the orcs were killed within the last hour, but probably not within the last 10 minutes. The orcs have standard orc gear.</p><p>The pony seems intelligent. It can nod or shake its head Yes or No in response to questions. DC 10 Insight check to deduce that the pony wants to lead the party somewhere. The pony wants to lead the party away from the trail into the forest. If the party follows, they travel 5 minutes, then come upon two more dead orcs and also a dead (human/halfing/etc) fighter. Upon further inspection, the fighter is not dead, he/she is unconscious. DC 15 investigation reveals that one of the orc has been trampled to death by hooves. DC 10 investigation reveals the fighter is actually a Paladin of (you decide).</p><p>Assuming the party cures the Paladin, they learn that he was attacked by orcs, and was defeating them despite taking much damage. He chased the remaining orcs and killed two more but then his steed was surprised by an orc and threw him to the ground knocking him unconscious. Apparently, despite being startled, the pony killed the orc. The pony is smart because it is an intelligent steed (Find Steed), not a real horse. The paladin says he was thrown because his regular mount was killed recently and he does not have the same bond with this magical steed. The Paladin is grateful and may offer the party information or even assistance as a fighter until they reach the city he was traveling to.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6139304140457158805.post-55240921357035499002021-02-20T12:08:00.006-06:002021-02-20T12:08:03.440-06:00Game Flavor - Rapid weather change during an evening campout in the Wilderness<p>The party has made camp on a warm fall evening looking forward to a good night's sleep.</p><p>At this point, a DC 10 survival check predicts a warm, cloudless, windless, and moisture less night. But during a ten minute period, the temperature drops and goes from a warm evening to a cool evening.</p><p>A DC 15 Passive Investigation check makes a character sense that the temperate has dropped pretty quickly since sunset. After another 10 minutes some light clouds appear in the sky, and then after another 20 minutes the sky is overcast.</p><p>A DC 10 survival check predicts a light rain to start falling soon, DC 20 survival check predicts hail and strong winds. After another 10 minutes the winds strengthen to moderate, and then over the next 20 minutes it begins to rain.</p><p>A DC 10 survival check predicts stronger winds and a cold wintry blast coming, a DC 20 check predicts hail and gale force winds. A DC 15 Nature check suggests this is not natural. A DC 20 Arcana check suggests this is a Control Weather spell. During the next 30 minutes the temperate changes to cold, and in 10 minutes the rain turns to hail. Within another 30 minutes the temperature becomes "Artic cold" which means below zero and the snow becomes sleet.</p><p>The party can choose to stay put and endure it, or to move. If they move 2 miles they find the weather to be very similar to what it was when they made camp. The cause of all of this is a powerful druid is trying to drive an infestation of salamanders out of the area. The druid doesn't want to kill them, just make them want to leave as they were brought to the area recently and not naturally. The druid is using the Control Weather spell.</p><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6139304140457158805.post-65260566318224291442021-02-13T11:31:00.001-06:002021-02-13T11:31:04.106-06:00Game Flavor - Blue-skinned NPC Sorcerer <p>The next NPC sorcerer the characters see in the tavern has skin that is a vibrant shade of blue. This sorcerer happens to be a wild mage that obtained his or her blue skin during a wild magic surge. Perhaps the party can offer to remove the blue skin (using a remove curse spell) in exchange for information or a favor.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6139304140457158805.post-44987786564382077952021-02-06T10:29:00.000-06:002021-02-06T10:29:36.453-06:00Game Flavor - The Talking Toilet<p>The party of characters enter a new tavern looking for food and drink. Have each party member roll a constitution save. The party member with the lowest constitution save is the first to go to use the toilet. The toilet is the common short wooden bench with a hole in the center. As the character exposes their private parts to the hole; a voice from the mouth of the toilet says "I'm starvin! Leave me something good! I ain't had nothin but maggoty shit for three stinking days!" (The toilet hole has a Magic Mouth spell cast upon it). If characters ask the innkeeper/barmaid about the toilet he/she just grumbles, "wizards". </p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>○ DM Suggestions: The innkeeper will offer free room and board for the night if the party can get rid of the magic mouth (requires dispel magic).</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>○ DM Background: A prankster wizard (maybe sorcerer, the innkeeper is not really sure) cast the spell on the toilet after a billing dispute.</p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>○ Since DMs rarely ask players questions every time players use the toilet, the players will no something is up. If players behave differently than they would every other time using the toilet, then simply save the gag for a future inn/tavern. If players cast detect magic on the toilet before attempting to use it, or if they decide they should go as a group or several party members should go together, simply have a non-eventful toilet trip and save it for a future time.</p><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6139304140457158805.post-84329410433147762352019-04-03T13:56:00.000-05:002019-05-11T07:29:58.580-05:00From D&D 3.5 to 5.0(5E) - 26 - Aid Another to Give Your Buddy an Attack AdvantageIf you feel like your character can't roll high enough to hit this monster, but maybe the Paladin standing next to you can, then you can forgo your attack action in D&D 5.0 and instead choose to use the "Help" action to help the Paladin hit the monster on her attack. Simply tell the DM that you are going to put your thumbs in your ears, wiggle your fingers in the direction of the monster while doing a little dance. If the Paladin then choose to attack the monster before your next turn, the Paladin will have advantage on her first attack.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6139304140457158805.post-61518266195605647432019-04-01T13:51:00.000-05:002019-05-11T07:30:13.742-05:00From D&D 3.5 to 5.0(5E) - 25 - Non-Lethal Damage in 5th Edition. A Knock Out!You won't find non-lethal damage in 5th edition, but when it comes time to strike the killing blow the attacker can show some restraint and "knock out" their opponent instead. This only applies to melee attacks. But if you character is one of those that wants to show mercy, or you want to tie the monster up before waking it up to interrogate it, then a "knock out" is for you. Simply tell the DM, at the time you deliver the blow that would have put the creature at zero hit points, that you would like that damage to knock them out and leave them stable. As the book says, the attacker can make this decision the instant the damage is dealt.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6139304140457158805.post-29246219773597787782019-03-29T13:43:00.000-05:002019-05-11T07:30:24.789-05:00From D&D 3.5 to 5.0(5E) - 24 - Standing Up from ProneIt is a lot easier to stand up in D&D 5.0 than it was in 3.5. Hey, everything is easier! This change is simple. Instead of requiring a "move" action to stand up as we did in 3.5, you consume one half of your move action distance while standing up, thus giving you the ability to stand up and move within the same turn.<br />
<br />
If your movement is 30', you can stand up, then move an additional 15'.<br />
<br />
If your movement is 40', you can stand up then move an additional 20'. Apparently it is harder for Elven monks to stand up (taking 20' of their movement) than it is for Dwarven clerics who can stand up using 15' of their 25' movement and can then still move 10'.<br />
<br />
If you want to move before standing then you are crawling and for every 1' you crawl you use 2' of your movement. So if you want to cover much ground it is almost always better to stand up first.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6139304140457158805.post-6018155026652212062019-03-27T13:30:00.000-05:002019-05-11T07:30:33.549-05:00From D&D 3.5 to 5.0(5E) - 23 - Initiative Order Doesn't ChangeShuffling character initiative orders during combat is another victim of the rules simplifications in 5.0. I am not sad to see it go, although it can allow a character to have back to back turns.<br />
<br />
For example, if my fighter is in a narrow hallway behind my friend the monk, and the monk is fighting an orc, the combat could go like this:<br />
<br />
Round 1:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Fighter "readies an action" to attack the orc if the orc drops the monk and steps forward.</li>
<li>Monk attacks the orc and hits two times for 10HP.</li>
<li>Orc attacks the monk and hits for 8HP knocking the monk unconscious. The orc steps into the monk's square.</li>
<li>Fighter uses his "readied action" to attack the orc and hits for 6HP.</li>
</ol>
<div>
Round 2:</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>Fighter uses his action to attack the orc and hits for 9HP.</li>
<li>Monk, rolls a death saving throw.</li>
<li>Orc attacks the Fighter and misses</li>
</ol>
<div>
In the above example, the fighter got to take two actions in a row. That will happen occasionally, but most the time it will probably not occur.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The thing to remember for 5.0 is to leave the initiative order as it was in every round throughout the battle.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6139304140457158805.post-34195080129371826512019-03-26T13:16:00.000-05:002019-05-11T07:30:40.793-05:00From D&D 3.5 to 5.0(5E) - 22 - Where Did My 5' Step Go? DisengageIt is gone. D&D 5.0 doesn't have the idea of a 5' step. But you don't need it for movement since you can always move 5', then do something like take an attack, then move some more. Since 'attacks of opportunity', now known as 'opportunity attacks' still exist, you might want to consider finishing the first monster you attack before moving toward another foe.<br />
<br />
You also can't use a 5' step to move out of an attacker's range for free. If you want to stop fighting the enemy you are standing next to you need to use the "Disengage" action to prevent your enemy from making an opportunity attack. In fact, while you are "Disengage" you can move past several enemies avoiding opportunity attacks from each of them. The distance you can move on your turn during "Disengage" is the same as your movement rate. So if you can move 30' on your turn, you can move a total of 30' on your turn while disengaging. You can't disengage for 30' then move an additional 30'.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6139304140457158805.post-44732245833934081442019-03-25T13:05:00.000-05:002019-05-11T07:30:50.452-05:00From D&D 3.5 to 5.0(5E) - 21 - Recovering Hit Dice - Different Than Hit PointsBy now you probably know that when your character has a long rest they recover ALL of their hit points, even if you only had 1 at the end of the day and your hit point maximum is 100. You might feel like Loki after confronting the Hulk at the end of the day, but your will feel 100% better the next morning.<br />
You may also know that during the day you may spend some of your "Hit Dice" after a "short rest" to regain hit points. This is a new use for the concept of "Hit Dice" that was not present in 3.5.<br />
If my fighter is 8th level, then he has 8 Hit Dice and is an 8d10 creature. Let's pretend the fighter has a 72HP maximum. During the morning you fight off some small dragons and after the battle you are still down 35HP of damage. You are on your own with no healing. You can take a short rest, and then expend some of your "Hit Dice" to recover some hit points.<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>You decide to expend 3 of your "Hit Dice" to regain hit points so your roll a d10 three times. (Fighters roll a d10 because they use d10 "Hit Dice". If your character is a monk he would roll a d8 instead of a d10. Check your class description for the Hit Dice roll to use.</li>
<li>As you roll the 3d10 you get a 7, a 4, and a 2 for a total of 13HP.</li>
<li>You are now down 22HP instead of 35HP.</li>
<li>But you would like to recover more hit points, so you tell the DM that you are going to spend 2 more of your 8 Hit Dice.</li>
<li>You roll a 7 and an 8 for a total of 15HP.</li>
<li>You are now down 7HP instead of 22HP. Much better.</li>
<li>You have spent 5 of your 8 Hit Dice for the day.</li>
</ol>
<div>
The rest of your day is uneventful; you take your long rest and recover all of the hit points you were down. You are now at your maximum of 72HP again. But you have NOT recovered all of your Hit Dice. You are starting out the new day with only 7 of you 8 Hit Dice available to you. This is because the rules state, on page 171 of the PHB, that you recover just "half" of your Hit Dice each day at a maximum. Since your maximum Hit Dice is 8, you can only recover 4 of your Hit Dice after each long rest.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I think this is to discourage players from using your Hit Dice too casually. You want to put some thought into it each day if you expect the next day may also be challenging.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6139304140457158805.post-18870026022734534112019-03-24T10:38:00.001-05:002019-05-11T07:32:01.242-05:00From D&D 3.5 to 5.0(5E) - 20 - Dash Instead of Move/MoveMove/Move and Run are gone from the combat mechanics in 5.0. As with most of the rule changes, the goal is to simplify the mechanics even at the cost of being less realistic in order to speed the game play.<br />
Characters never, or perhaps very rarely, need to choose between a full round action, a standard action, and a move action, because in 5.0 you pretty much always get both:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>An Action</li>
<li>A Move</li>
</ul>
<div>
If you want to move more than your move allows, then you are employing a "Dash". So "Move/Move" in 3.5 basically equals "Dash" in 5.0. This does not allow you to cover three times your movement distance on your turn. If you choose to Dash action for your action, you gain the ability to move your movement distance. So, if your movement is 30', the total distance you can move in a round is 60' (30' from your "move" and 30' more feat from choosing the "Dash" action).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There is no "Run", so your maximum movement is basically your movement times 2.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Don't forget, you can break up your move in 5th Edition mechanics. So you can move 10', take your action, move another 10', take your bonus action (depending upon the bonus action), then move another 10' if your movement rate is 30' or better.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6139304140457158805.post-79594268407705609452018-05-28T15:57:00.002-05:002019-03-24T13:58:59.016-05:00How To Divide The Treasure Among Your D&D Characters, or for any RPG<br />
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Dividing the spoils
of the adventure among the party characters is often easy, but it doesn't have
to me, and occasionally leads to disputes between players.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Decades of gaming has taught me several
methods for sharing the loot, some that work better than other.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
The first question
to answer is, "Do the characters in the game divide the loot, or do their
players do it?"<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think the best
answer to this question is almost always to let the players decide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Would any player like to devote a little time
to having their characters role play the discussions?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the players are new to each other, or if
the party of characters are new, players are more likely to desire to role play
the outcome, but a group of players with characters that have adventured often
together are likely to have settled upon a solution that is acceptable to all
with little or no role playing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Regardless, as a DM I recommend that you allow the players to use role
play to divide the treasures any time they decide to do so.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
In your role as DM,
you should help facilitate friendly role play as always, and that is especially
important during the role play of the distribution of treasure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I once saw a party of 2 half-orcs try to
bully a halfling into splitting the treasure unevenly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The player of the halfling was not happy with
this play, even though it seemed in character with all involved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As DM I helped the players of the half-orcs
understand that this was not fair to the player of the halfling, and if they
went forward with the plan then it was unlikely these characters would be able
to get along in the future, and it was very possible that the halfling may get
very lucky if he attempted to steal some coin from those half-orcs and the
half-orcs would likely be very unlikely to notice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ultimately, the DM is always in control and
anything the DM says go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps a
dragon could show up and beat the half-orcs unconscious, then the halfling
could take the coin and tell the half-orcs the dragon took it all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are certainly endless options for the
DM to make things "right", but hopefully the players will understand
that in order to be good players, they need to play their characters in ways
that don't create anger and resentment between the players.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Even if the players
are not antagonistic, you will often find characters don't divide treasure
evenly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps one character was
unconscious for most of the adventure and the player of that character honestly
wants his character to forfeit his even share of the reward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a DM you should certainly allow this, but
as a DM I do not recommend that you allow the players to decide not to share
reward evenly with a single character that was out of commission for part of
the adventure without that players consent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Dividing rewards based on characters participation can become highly
subjective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Would a rogue that make no
attacks and failed to unlock any doors receive part of the treasure found in
the pockets of the enemies after they were killed in battle?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If a character is charmed and fights for the
other side, is he rewarded?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If a
character is paralyzed for 6 of the 8 rounds of the battle, does she only get a
6/8th's share of the treasure?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
easiest, and probably best, just to draw the line and say that any character
that had any part in the adventure gets an equal share.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, as mentioned previously, if the
player of the character that appeared to do less wants her character to take a
smaller cut, then certainly allow her to do so.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Another factor that
prevents a simple and equal distribution of the treasure is when some players
decide one of their characters does not want some of the treasure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps your party of four found four
diamonds on the body of the vampire they slew, but the cleric in the party
adamantly refuses to own something that was once owned by a vampire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are several ways to resolve this and
the best is usually to let the players have their characters decide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps the characters will sell the other
diamond and give the cleric gold in place of the diamond.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps the cleric will desire the diamond
simply in order to crush it and destroy it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My parties occasionally come upon magical items that are dangerous to
good characters, perhaps something like a dagger of human slaying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some in the party may want to destroy the
item, while others may want to keep it and use it, but hopefully only against
evil humans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a DM I recommend you
allow the players to role play the results.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As a DM, it is also your responsibility to prevent all the rewards from
going to just a few characters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you
have a gnome character that refuses gold forged by dwarves, then you, as the
DM, should make sure that treasure other than dwarven-forged gold is an option
for the party.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Dividing coins and
gems is usually pretty easy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is up to
you, as the DM, to help determine how an uneven amount of coins should be
divided.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If a party of three scores
100gp of treasure, let the players decide how to divide that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If they want to divide it exactly equally,
perhaps the DM could say they found 2 more gp in the treasure, or perhaps they
can easily exchange 1 gp for 99 cp, giving 1 cp to the banker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the party finds simply a 1,000gp gem,
don't make it too difficult for the players to turn that into coin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With low level characters and first time players,
you may find it rewarding to have the characters barter to turn the 1,000gm gem
into 950gp, or maybe 1,020gp if they are charming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But once players have years of gaming
experience they probably don't want to spend much game time haggling over a few
coins and you should just generally allow a one for one exchange into a form of
currency convenient for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although
this does not mean that low level characters should simply carry a few 100gp
diamonds around to reduce their carrying weight and expect to always be able to
exchange it for other lightweight gems and coins.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Now we come to the
challenge that probably brought you to this article.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is The Boss of loot allotment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do you divide up the magical items?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you've been paying attention, then you
will probably guess correctly that the first and best option is to let the
players role-play it with their characters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And, as in the case of coin, this may be done more frequently when
players are characters are new to each other, and less frequently once they
have established a pattern.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pattern
my groups typically use and it is the best pattern I am aware of is to have
each player roll a d20 for their character(s), using a separate roll for each
character if a player has more than one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We always roll the d20 in person using a physical die, and we even use
the same die.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(There was this one time,
that each player asked Alexa to roll the d20 for us).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whoever rolls the highest chooses first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If two people rolled the same number those
two roll again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They keep their place in
line with respect to all the other characters in the picking order, the
subsequent roll(s) are simply to break the tie(s) between these
characters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once the picking order is
established, players pick items for their character one at a time from the pile
of loot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most importantly, once the last
character has chosen, if more items remain to be chosen, the last character
then chooses again, and we proceed through the picking line in reverse order
until we reach the top.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another way to
phrase this is to consider that when each character has made a pick, round one
is complete, and then you move on to round two of the picks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So the character that chose last in round one
gets to choose first in round two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we
reach the end of round two, if items still remain, the first character will
choose an item as the last pick in the second round, then choose again as the
first pick in the third round.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
continues until we run out of items.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Even though my
groups follow this pattern, I estimate that about 30% of the time some player
will have his character do a little role-playing before we divide the treasure
and offer to forgo getting multiple choices (when there is a lot of loot) for
the right to choose one specific item before the picking begins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the other role-played characters agree to
this, then by all means the DM should allow it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Let the players work it out for themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our characters often recognize that the
stupid barbarian really needs a better sword, or the wizard needs those bracers
+4.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one else will take it because it
is in the best interest of the party to help every character overcome their
weaknesses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also have characters that
take one or two items when there is a big pile, but then forgo all of their
remaining choices, while the rogues sometimes simply take the item that they
can sell for the highest price every time.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
I am sure I have
said it often enough, but when the players can use role-play to distribute the
treasure and a friendly and fun fashion, it is more fun for them and sometimes
creates memorable experiences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But you are
the DM and you should try to make sure treasure is somewhat evenly distributed
and that the players leave satisfied.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This article is long enough, but as a final note I will point out that a
good DM does not leave the magic items found totally to chance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The DM should strive to supply some items
that may be fun and useful for the characters, and try to get something good
into the hands of a character that may be falling behind the others in the
party.</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6139304140457158805.post-67757096159822488352017-08-07T18:31:00.002-05:002018-04-18T20:30:04.348-05:00D&D 3.5 Site to Calculate Spell Resistance (SR), Difficulty Class (DC) or Dispel Magic SuccessHere is a simple little web site that helps you calculate Spell Resistance, or the Difficulty Class (DC) for Saving Throws, or even those pesky Dispel Magic rules.<br />
<br />
The rules are for the D&D 3.5 (Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 edition).<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.tabletoprpgportal.com/35rules/sr.html%C2%A0" target="_blank">https://www.tabletoprpgportal.com/35rules/sr.html </a><br />
<br />
Just plug in your numbers and find out if you succeed in overcoming your opponent's SR, or figure out the DC for your spell, or see if your Dispel Magic succeeds against your enemy.<br />
<br />
Very simple to use!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6139304140457158805.post-35890845658310830192017-03-26T11:00:00.000-05:002017-03-29T19:34:38.303-05:00D&D 3.5 - Can my character with Spell Immunity to Silence talk to other characters in the Silence?<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Our party of
intrepid adventurers encountered pixies that could cast silence on themselves
at will with a 15' radius. This greatly
affected the abilities of the spell casters.
One spell caster cast Spell Immunity (PH 282) against silence on
himself. As expected, this caused an
interruption in game play to debate the rules of spell immunity to
silence. We identified five possible
scenarios to be adjudicated. Poof casts
Spell Immunity, Silence on himself.
Talia, the bard, is outside the area of silence and singing. Poof moves into the area of silence. Devis is already in the silenced area.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Q1) What happens
when Poof attempts to cast a spell while within the area of silence?</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
A1) Obviously, he
can cast verbal spells successfully due to his Spell Immunity.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Q2) Can Poof hear
Talia singing when she is outside the area of silence and he is inside the
area?</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
A2) Yes, because he
is immune to the effects of the silence spell.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Q3) Can Talia, being
outside the area of silence hear what Poof is saying when he is in the silence?</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
A3) We decided the
answer was Yes, although an argument could be made that sounds emanating from
Poof get blocked by the area of silence before reaching Talia. We felt that would violate the spirit of the
Spell Immunity spell and would also possibly imply that Poof could not even
cast spells within an area of silence if "the universe" could not
hear what Poof was casting.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Q4) Can Devis, who
is also within the same silence area as Poof, hear what Poof is saying?</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
A4) No. Even though the silence does not affect Poof
and his ability to put vocalizations into the air, those vocalizations do not
reach Devis because Devis is affected by the silence. This does imply that the vocalizations could
go past Devis to reach Talia beyond him and she, being outside the area of
silence, could hear him.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Q5) Can Poof hear
what Devis says when both are in the area of silence?</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
A5) Again no. The sounds Devis makes are blocked by the
silence spell. The spell is effectively
muting Devis while not affecting Poof.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Sound emanates from
one source, vocalizations from mouths in these examples, and is received by
another source, the ears. This
complicates trying to create rules based on the laws of physics. Does the silence spell affect the source of
the sound, or the reception of the sound?
One of our group thought that silence only impacted hearing, not
vocalizations, but that the reason you were unable to cast spells within an
area of silence is that you were unable to hear yourself in order to vocalize
correctly. We were able to rule out that
interpretation by the fact that even verbal commands to items did not work, and
the description of "Control Plants" spell on PH 213 implies that all
vocal communication is impossible for people within silence.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br />
The above is our House Rule.<br />
<br />
<br />
UPDATE on March 29, 2017:<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
After a close reading of the Silence spell, I see that our house rules are incorrect, but we plan to play by our house rules rather than what the books say. We think the
silence spell is overly powerful (for a 2<sup>nd</sup> level spell) when cast
upon a moving creature.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><u>THE CORRECT RULES:</u> </o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Spell Immunity</b> does not
work unless Spell Resistance is allowed: PH 282 “…<span style="font-family: 00CelestiaAntiqua; font-size: 9.0pt;">immunity doesn’t protect a creature from spells
for which spell resistance doesn’t apply...”</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the Silence spell it lists this for “spell resistance”:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: 00CelestiaAntiqua-Semibold; font-size: 9.0pt;">Spell Resistance</span></b><span style="font-family: 00CelestiaAntiqua-Semibold; font-size: 9.0pt;">: </span><span style="font-family: 00CelestiaAntiqua; font-size: 9.0pt;">Yes; see text or <b>no
(object)</b></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 00CelestiaAntiqua; font-size: 9.0pt;">“…The spell can be cast on a point in space, but
the effect is stationary unless cast on a mobile object. The spell can be
centered on a creature, and the effect then radiates from the creature and
moves as it moves<b>. An unwilling creature can attempt a Will save to negate
the spell and can use spell resistance</b>, if any. Items in a creature’s
possession or magic items that emit sound receive the benefits of saves and
spell resistance, but unattended objects and points in space do not…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am pretty sure it should be
ruled that Spell Immunity to silence would only apply to an attempt to cast
silence directly upon the target. If you would attempt to say
that silenced flying monsters are “creatures” and thus a different ruling would
apply (I don’t think it would), that could easily be resolved by saying there
is a Silence upon an object the monsters are carrying because the monsters cast the
silence upon that object instead of themselves.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The silence spell is
probably overly powerful when it is used to cast upon a willing creature, thus
that is why we wanted to allow Spell Immunity to work against it.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6139304140457158805.post-80987660782638334212015-12-13T16:25:00.000-06:002015-12-13T16:25:05.728-06:00Trello Is A Great Tool For Tracking The Spells You Have CastI recently started using Trello to track which spells my cleric Tansen has cast and I just wanted to share that it has been working really well for me. Some of the things I like about Trello is:<br />
<ul>
<li>It is free</li>
<li>It is very easy to move the cards around</li>
<li>I can share my characters Trello board with the DM and other players in my group</li>
<li>It is easy to modify and customize the cards</li>
</ul>
<div>
Trello may not be the best tool for all types of spell casters, particularly sorcerers, but I think it works well for those that prepare spells.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWzMIsAwSzdk48NsP6-AKQHfpNSDuIGpWUSZ6P8dpBgtMvpvq790vmFkFXXgkNsOb0wAvVzE58ujKlCwQWcuvCsiLYmbvQrOuqyAkdrWrRjifO4hMqumd1jkJ2UA3xIrJDsu3tsBS5vMqL/s1600/TansenTrelloBoard.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWzMIsAwSzdk48NsP6-AKQHfpNSDuIGpWUSZ6P8dpBgtMvpvq790vmFkFXXgkNsOb0wAvVzE58ujKlCwQWcuvCsiLYmbvQrOuqyAkdrWrRjifO4hMqumd1jkJ2UA3xIrJDsu3tsBS5vMqL/s1600/TansenTrelloBoard.png" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As you may notice from the image above, Tansen is a high level cleric with a lot of spells. I have a printed sheet that lists the spells he usually takes, but of course I have him change those sometimes to fit the campaign. The first column of my board just lists the number of spells he has at each level, and those of you that play D&D 3.5 clerics know that the +1 represents his domain spell at each level.</div>
<div>
The second column lists his first through fourth level spells that he prepared for the day. I also include his pearls of power where appropriate because otherwise I often forget about them.</div>
<div>
The third column lists his higher level spells. Then in the fourth column I have the spells cast. Those of you familiar with Trello no it is very easy to drag those cards from one column to another, and even a little bit fun to do so.</div>
<div>
You can also see I added a little color to some cards. The blue color I added for a few spell slots he gave up in order to get a special ability related to an item he carries. The green color I add to spells that are currently active. I am considering using another color, perhaps red, to denote which spells can be cast as swift or immediate. I should also add a card for his metamagic feats. He has the empower metamagic feat which he can use a few times a day, so I probably should add a card for each time he can use it.</div>
<div>
Finally, in the column on the right I have some of the spells he often takes, but just did not take today. When the day ends, it is simple to move the cards back to their respective columns.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If you have not considered using Trello as a spell tracker, I suggest giving it a try. You could do a lot more with it if you took the time, such as adding more details about each spell to each of the cards. It would be nice if we could pulls all the spells from a pre-made Trello board that had all of them along with their notes, but I don't think that is a feature Trello currently provides.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6139304140457158805.post-90298364042882349692015-04-12T19:10:00.002-05:002019-05-11T07:32:13.714-05:00From D&D 3.5 to 5.0(5E) - 19 - InspirationInspiration is a
game mechanic DM's can choose to use to reward players for good
role-playing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
When the DM believes the player has
played well and worthy or a reward the DM will grant a character
"Inspiration".<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A character can
only have one "Inspiration".<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The character can use this to give their character an advantage roll on
an attack, saving throw, or skill check.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Of course the character should declare they are using their inspiration
before making the d20 roll.<br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
PH page 125.</div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
I think I may
introduce this mechanic in my 3.5 campaigns.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6139304140457158805.post-31217137511931204162015-04-08T18:17:00.002-05:002015-04-08T18:17:55.848-05:00Stop - Don’t Pick the Greater Weapon Focus Feat!
D&D 3.5 rules.<br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
So you're upgrading
your fighter and it is time to pick a bonus feat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing looks too exciting and you already
have Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization with your favorite weapon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Might as well take Greater Weapon Focus to
get another +1 on your attack rolls, right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Wrong!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a much better
feat in the Players Handbook II waiting for you and it is called Melee Weapon
Mastery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It will give you an additional
+2 not only to your attacks, but also to your damage rolls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can't think of any reason to choose Greater
Weapon Focus over Melee Weapon Mastery because when you qualify for one, you
are likely to qualify for the other.</div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
But Melee Weapon
Mastery does even more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The benefit
doesn't apply to just your favorite weapon, but to any weapon you use that does
the same type of damage, slashing, piercing, or bludgeoning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the benefits do not stop there!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once you have the Melee Weapon Mastery feat,
your next feat can be something like Slashing Furry which allows you to take
two attacks on a standard action instead of one, although they are at -5 and
-10 to hit.</div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
Melee Weapon Mastery
is just one of several good feats in the PHII.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6139304140457158805.post-63487495225988040982015-04-06T18:13:00.002-05:002015-04-06T18:13:59.235-05:00All about Flanking, Sneak Attacks, and Attacks of Opportunity - 3.5 Rules3.5
Rules<br />
<br />
Wizards
produced a series of excellent articles providing detailed rule interpretation
for Sneak Attacks and Attacks of Opportunity; but I feel they didn't quite
cover some areas in clear enough detail, and I hope to clarify the rules here.<br />
<br />
When
I began writing this article I believed there were some cases under which a
rogue with a crossbow could earn the +2 flanking bonus and also apply his sneak
attack damage earned by flanking; but by the time I finished my research my
position has changed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even though I
don't like my conclusion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I am
pretty sure now that a rogue with a crossbow will never be able to apply sneak
attack damage that can be earned just by flanking an opponent.<br />
<br />
The
article that follows was mostly written while I believed there would be a case
for the rogue to be able to flank with a crossbow, so if it reads a little
awkwardly, that partially explains why.<br />
<br />
Flanking
simply means that two characters are on opposite sides of enemy and within
melee striking distance of that enemy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But that definition of flanking is not sufficient for the characters to
obtain the bonuses that may be supplied by flanking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the bonuses (+2 To Hit, and applying
sneak attack damage), the enemy must be flanked AND threatened.<br />
<br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;">For purposes of a +2 flanking bonus</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">threatening</span> requires being in position to make
a melee attack with a weapon that causes lethal damage, and the opponent being
aware of this.<br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;">For purposes of attacks of opportunity</span>,
<span style="font-style: italic;">threatening</span> means being in position to
make a melee attack with a weapon that causes lethal damage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The opponent's awareness is irrelevant.<br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.75in;">
</div>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">The +2 Flanking Bonus:</span><br />
Typically
when two fighters are on opposite sides of an opponent they each get a +2
flanking bonus to their attack roles; but we occasionally read about scenarios
where the flanking bonus does not apply.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What exactly is going on?<br />
<br />
I
think the rule makers believe it should work as follows:<br />
<ul>
<li>
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">When a creature has to pay
attention to a potential attacker, allies of the potential attacker on the
opposite side of that attacker get a +2 on their attack roles.</span></li>
<ul>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">That means that when a rogue
with a rapier and a fighter with a long sword flank an orc, each gets a
+2 attack bonus.</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">But, if the rogue is
unarmed, the orc does not feel threatened by the rogue and thus does not
pay much attention to the rogue and thus the fighter does not get a +2
attack bonus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></li>
<ul style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.375in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed;" type="disc">
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold;">My guess
at the 3.5 intended rule:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
rogue also does not get the +2 attack bonus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both characters must be threatening
for the +2 attack bonus to apply to either.</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">My
preference, but I don't think it is what 3.5 intended:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rogue still gets a +2 attack bonus
in this scenario because the fighter is both flanking and
threatening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So if that rogue
attempts to punch the orc the rogue does so with a +2 flanking bonus.</span></li>
</ul>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Characters holding ranged
weapons also do not threaten!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now,
I can understand that a person standing right next to me with a long bow
is not as threatening as a guy with a sword because it seems I could
easily disrupt or deflect his long bow attack if he tried to shoot
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But if the guy next to me had
a crossbow instead of a long bow I would feel very threatened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, to abide by the rules, no
ranged weapon causes a threat.</span></li>
<ul style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.375in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed;" type="disc">
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Therefore, if a rogue armed
with a crossbow and a fighter armed with a long sword are flanking an
orc, the orc is still not threatened by the rogue and the fighter does
not get a +2 attack bonus.</span></li>
<ul style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.375in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed;" type="square">
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold;">The rogue
also does not get a +2 attack bonus.</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">I prefer
this interpretation:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the
rogue does get the +2 attack bonus because the fighter is threatening
to the orc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thus the rogue fires
at +2 with his crossbow.</span></li>
</ul>
</ul>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">If the unarmed character
happens to be a monk, or any character with Improved Unarmed Strike, the
opponent somehow "knows" the danger and the flanking bonus
still applies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So a monk and a
fighter with a long sword on opposite sides of an orc each get a +2
flanking bonus.</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">If the rogue with the rapier
is invisible, and he flanks the orc with the visible fighter with the
long sword, neither gets the +2 flanking bonus because the orc is not
aware of the rogue and thus is not threatened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the rogue does get other bonuses to
hit by virtue of being invisible.</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">If the invisible rogue with
a rapier and the visible fighter with the long sword flank a dragon
instead of an orc, the dragon might be aware of the rogue with its
blindsense and thus both characters would get the +2 flanking bonus.</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">If a rogue with a crossbow
and a fighter with a longsword flank an orc, neither gets a flanking
bonus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But if the rogue has a hand
crossbow and also draws a dagger, then the fighter does get a flanking
bonus because the rogue has a melee weapon and thus both characters
threaten.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rogue also gets the
+2 flanking bonus, and can apply sneak attack damage to damage; but only
on attacks made with the dagger, not on attacks made with the crossbow.</span></li>
</ul>
</ul>
<br />
From
a few sources:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">PH page 137: </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">"If
you’re unarmed, you don’t normally threaten any squares and thus can’t
make attacks of opportunity</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">"<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><a href="http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20040302a"><span style="color: #595959; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20040302a</span></a><span style="color: #595959; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">: "</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">You
threaten an opponent when you can make an armed melee attack against that
opponent. You're "armed" when you use a manufactured weapon,
natural weapon, the Improved Unarmed Strike feat, or the monk's unarmed
strike ability"</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">In comparison to the +2 flanking bonus, attacks of
opportunity are simple.</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">You can only make an Attack of Opportunity with a melee weapon, not with a ranged weapon such as a crossbow.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">You can also make an Attack of Opportunity with an unarmed strike if you are a monk or have the Improved Unarmed Strike feat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You must be capable of doing non-lethal damage.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;">
<a href="http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20041026a"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20041026a</span></a></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">A rogue with a crossbow and dagger in hand can make an Attack of Opportunity with the dagger, but not the crossbow.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">A rogue with a crossbow in hand and a sheathed dagger and the Quick Draw feat cannot draw the dagger as a free action and take an Attack of Opportunity with it because the
free action that comes with the Quick Draw can only be performed on your
own turn.</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">The rules for sneak attacks.</span><br />
<br />
<ul style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.375in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed;" type="disc">
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">When a rogue with a rapier
and a fighter with a long sword flank an orc, each is perceived as
threatening by the orc and the rogue is able to apply his sneak attack
damage because the orc is flanked and threatened.</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">If the same rogue is using a
crossbow instead of a rapier:</span></li>
<ul style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.375in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed;" type="disc">
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold;">The rogue
cannot apply sneak attack damage because the orc is not threatened and is
thus not "flanked".</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">I prefer
this interpretation:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the rogue can
still apply his sneak attack damage to the crossbow because he is
flanking and because the orc is still threatened, by the fighter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the fighter's threat to the orc
that allows the sneak attack damage to apply to the rogue.</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">I also
prefer this, but it is not what the 3.5 rules intend:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If one rogue is using a crossbow and
another rogue is using a rapier and these two are flanking the orc, the
rogue using the crossbow can apply sneak attack damage to his attack
because the orc is more wary and concerned about the rogue with the
rapier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rogue with the rapier
cannot apply sneak attack damage because the orc does not feel threatened
by the rogue with the crossbow and is not paying much attention to him.</span></li>
</ul>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<ul style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.375in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed;" type="disc">
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">But I'm pretty sure the
actual intent of the 3.5 rules is that benefits only apply if you are
flanking and threatening:</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div style="direction: ltr;">
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: 0pt solid rgb(163, 163, 163); direction: ltr; margin-left: 0.333in;" valign="top">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: white; border-width: 0pt; padding: 4pt; vertical-align: top; width: 7.661in;"><ul style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.199in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<ul style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed;" type="disc">
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">This article says that
"Flanking" includes threatening: </span><a href="http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20040302a"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20040302a</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">: "</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: italic;">To flank an
opponent, two allies must be on opposite sides of that opponent, and
they both must threaten the opponent</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt;">"</span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed;" type="disc">
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Even though the PH
description under Rogue on page 50 says: </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">"Basically, the
rogue’s attack deals extra damage any time her target would be denied a
Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity
bonus or not), or when the rogue flanks her target."</span></li>
</ul>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.75in;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">
</div>
<span style="background: white; font-family: arial;">Attacks of Opportunity (Part One): </span><a href="http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20041026a"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20041026a</span></a><br />
<span style="background: white; font-family: arial;">Attacks of Opportunity (Part Two): </span><a href="http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20041102a"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20041102a</span></a><br />
<span style="background: white; font-family: arial;">All About Sneak Attacks (Part One): </span><a href="http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20040217a"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20040217a</span></a><br />
<span style="background: white; font-family: arial;">All About Sneak Attacks (Part Two): </span><a href="http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20040224a"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20040224a</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">All About Sneak Attacks (Part Three): </span><a href="http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20040302a"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20040302a</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">All About Sneak Attacks (Part Four): </span><a href="http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20040309a"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20040309a</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="direction: ltr;">
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: 0pt solid rgb(163, 163, 163); direction: ltr; margin-left: 0.333in;" valign="top">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: white; border-width: 0pt; padding: 4pt; vertical-align: top; width: 4.378in;"><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
All articles: <a href="http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/arch/rg">http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/arch/rg</a></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: white; border-width: 0pt; padding: 4pt; vertical-align: top; width: 4.378in;"><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
</div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6139304140457158805.post-81170628780913047502015-04-05T12:15:00.000-05:002015-04-05T12:15:49.681-05:00My Favorite MetaMagic Feats in D&D 3.5 are from Complete MageI am in the process
of adding a few wizard levels to my rogue and at 5th level she earns a
metamagic feat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I've never been very
satisfied with the metamagic feat list in the PH, so I was pleased when I found
the "Reserved" class of metamagic feats in the "Complete
Mage".<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These feats allow your
character to do some minor but potentially useful magic all day long; as long
as they hold some magical energy in reserve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That means your character has to refrain from casting certain spells;
because once those spells are cast, you no longer have the reserve energy
remaining to use your reserve feat.<br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
There are twenty
five reserve feats in the book, and they allow things like:</div>
<br />
<ul style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.375in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed;" type="disc">
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">The ability to cast a 3d6
lightning bold every round all day</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">The ability to cast a 3d6
fireball every round all day</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">The ability to teleport a
short distance every round all day</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">The ability to fly for one
round, but every round all day</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">The ability to summon an
elemental every round all day</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">The ability to detect magic
every round all day</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">I think you get the picture</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
Each reserve feat is
keyed on a type of spell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example,
the Storm Bolt reserve feat allows you to cast a line of electricity that does
a d6/level of damage every round as long as you have a spell of the electricity
type currently in mind that is 3rd level or higher and is uncast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also,
the caster gains +1 Caster Level on all electricity spells cast.</div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
So get your hands on
that book if you want a good alternative to the PH list of metamagic feats!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6139304140457158805.post-8824724665688855092015-02-15T08:32:00.002-06:002019-05-11T07:32:23.622-05:00From D&D 3.5 to 5.0(5E) - 18 - Spell ConcentrationI'm not sure what
the rules were in 3.5, but we always played that you could not cast a second
spell while you are still concentrating on the first spell you cast, without
giving up the first spell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But in the
5th edition it is clear from page 203 that you can cast additional spells while
continuing the concentration of the first spell, as long as the subsequent
spells do not also require concentration.<br />
<br />
Normal activity such
as moving and attacking (I think it is funny that attacking is "normal
activity") doesn't break your concentration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But getting incapacitated does, so does
getting killed, and so does casting another spell that requires
concentration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Getting hit in combat may
also cause you to lose concentration if the damage is severe enough.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6139304140457158805.post-84734042661314600862015-02-14T19:33:00.000-06:002019-05-11T07:32:32.772-05:00From D&D 3.5 to 5.0(5E) - 17 - Preparing Your Wizard SpellsIn my last post I
was careful to say you have a limited number of spells <span style="font-style: italic;">until you rest again</span>, instead of <span style="font-style: italic;">for
the day</span>, because in the 5th edition of D&D you can recover some
spell slots during the day without an 8 hour overnight rest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Under the ability known as Arcane Recovery, a
wizard can choose to reclaim some spell slots after a short rest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can recover up to half your wizard levels
in slots, rounded up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So our 3rd level
wizard could recover 1.5 spell levels worth of slots (round that up to 2).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 3rd level wizard could choose to recover
2 1st level slots, or 1 2nd level slot.<br />
<br />
Spell casters of
many varieties start with a few cantrips, and in the 5th edition you don't have
to keep track of how many cantrips you have cast because you can cast them
every round all day long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cantrips are
embedded in the caster's mind and don't require a spell slot to cast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can cast them at will.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No preparation is required.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6139304140457158805.post-82417169182253613832015-02-13T06:37:00.001-06:002019-05-11T07:32:41.633-05:00From D&D 3.5 to 5.0(5E) - 16 - Spell Slots for WizardsThe big change for
wizards is the use of spell slots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just
as in all previous editions of D&D, wizards will learn spells and record
them in their spell books, but each day the wizard will only be able to <span style="font-weight: bold;">prepare</span> a few of those spells.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The number of spells that a wizard can <span style="font-weight: bold;">prepare</span> is the sum of his spell level and his
intelligence ability bonus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So a 3rd
level wizard with an Intelligence of 18 could prepare 7 spells a day, 3 for
being 3rd level and an additional 4 due to his +4 Intelligence modifier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
So after your wizard
has reviewed all his spells in his spell book and selected the spells he wants
to prepare he is ready to go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A wizard
would never prepare a single spell more than once.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 3.5, your wizard might memorize three
magic missile spells before adventuring, but in the 5th edition the wizard can
prepare magic missile once, but still have the flexibility to cast it zero or
many times during the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>
<br />
A 3rd level wizard
gets 6 spell slots as shown on the table on page 113.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He gets 4 1st level slots and 2 2nd level
slots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This means that he could cast
prepare many different 1st level spells (up to 7), but he could still cast
magic missile 6 times, once from each slot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When a wizard casts a spell, the cast spell essentially fills one of his
available spell slots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And notice that
the wizard could cast 6 magic missiles (a 1st level spell) even though he only
has 4 1st level spell slots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is
because you can always use a slot from a higher level to cast a lower level
spell, but you can't use lower level slots to cast a higher level spell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our 3rd level wizard could cast, at most, 2
2nd level spells before resting.
<br />
Some spells, like
magic missile, have greater affect when cast from a higher level spell
slot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When casting magic missile from a
1st level spell slot you get three missiles, but when you cast it from a 2nd
level spell slot you get four missiles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When you cast fireball from a 3rd level spell slot you do 8d6 damage,
but when you cast it from a 4th level spell slot you do 9d6 damage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Notice that, unlike the 3.5 edition, fireball
damage is not dependent on caster level, only upon the spell slot from which it
is cast.
<br />
Check out my next
post for more changes for wizards.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6139304140457158805.post-47335382432077837402015-02-12T07:29:00.000-06:002019-05-11T07:32:48.457-05:00From D&D 3.5 to 5.0(5E) - 15 - Stuff That Stays the SameInstead of listing something that changed from 3.5 to 5.0, here is a list of some things that stayed the same:<br />
<ul>
<li>
For the most part, we still roll similar die for each class for hit points.
</li>
<li>
Rounds still last six seconds.
</li>
<li>
Initiative is still the same.
</li>
<li>
In combat you generally can perform one move plus one action.
</li>
<li>
We have the same six ability scores and the same modifiers based on those scores (a score of 12 is +1, 18 is +4, etc.)
</li>
<li>
Critical hits still cause twice the normal damage, though rogues now get to double their sneak attack damage, and your strength modifier is only applied once to the total damage.
</li>
<li>
We still have slashing, piercing, and bludgeoning weapons.
</li>
</ul>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6139304140457158805.post-77057840042535705502015-02-11T06:30:00.002-06:002019-05-11T07:32:56.626-05:00From D&D 3.5 to 5.0(5E) - 14 - Ability Score Max is 20You can't increase
your ability scores above 20.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is
mentioned several places, including on page 15 and again in sections on classes
such as "Ability Score Improvement" on page 49 for Barbarians.<br />
<br />
We will still be
able to use magic to boost our ability scores though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I would be surprised if future content
for epic characters does not allow it.
<br />
Also, don't be
caught of guard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ability score limit
of 20 applies to characters, not to monsters and divine beings.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0