Most Popular
1500 questions
47
votes
5 answers
Is there a D&D 5e equivalent of the e6 variant style?
Now that 5e's been out for a few years, has anyone found a point past which characters have a significant jump in power and developed a set of rules for capping levels below that, similar to the "E6" system in 3.x?
If there's not a generally…
SirTechSpec
- 16,317
- 10
- 61
- 117
47
votes
4 answers
What happens if you cast Resurrection on a found body part?
Assuming the soul is untrapped and willing, and the creature is indeed dead, if a character casts Resurrection on the severed hand of a dead creature, what memories does that creature have (i.e. from the time it died or from the time its hand was…
Gavin42
- 2,265
- 1
- 15
- 30
46
votes
7 answers
How do you handle verbal exchanges between NPCs without taking the PCs out of the spotlight?
One of the assumptions I make as GM is that the players should always be in the spotlight. Sometimes the players find themselves in a situation where they watch NPCs speak to each other. I don't like using this kind of situation, because it forces…
valadil
- 19,668
- 2
- 46
- 93
46
votes
6 answers
What's the point of blowguns?
I don't get the blowgun. Given that a blowgun is just a pipe-like thing that you blow on one end and a dart-like thing flies out the other end, why is it the case that:
it requires martial weapon proficiency?
it only does 1 damage whereas a dart (a…
NathanS
- 78,934
- 67
- 381
- 661
46
votes
1 answer
What is this story I recall about an extremely long ever-changing character backstory?
I read recently a post that was going around about a player who didn't like his DM, so he wrote an ever-changing backstory (hundreds of pages so no one would read it) for his character that allowed him to get out of just about every situation. The…
SeanFromIT
- 587
- 4
- 5
46
votes
9 answers
How to improve my descriptions of the health status of monsters
A bit of background; I'm a new GM to two players, one of whom played a bit of 3.5e and 4e while the other is a complete newbie. The veteran is used to knowing when creatures are "bloodied", as per 4e, and frequently checks in with me as to a…
Alex
- 8,100
- 8
- 46
- 78
46
votes
5 answers
What are the differences between D&D 3.5 and D&D 4th edition?
I have a small group of players who don't play often and we've been playing D&D 3.5.
I wanted to know if there are any significant differences between D&D 3.5 and D&D 4e? Do they use a different style of game? Is one better suited for certain…
Heather
- 1,741
- 2
- 15
- 26
46
votes
7 answers
Techniques for making high level D&D play more manageable?
Many people complain about high level D&D 3.x play. It can become less enjoyable for both players and GMs because of the huge nest of rules and complexity required for every character, the prep pain of creating high level NPCs and monsters, super…
mxyzplk
- 175,309
- 30
- 437
- 660
46
votes
8 answers
Can party betrayal be done successfully?
After reading How much experience should a PC be worth? I was wondering if and how party betrayal can be done successfully, especially since it's a real possibility in my campaign.
Criteria for success
The campaign does not end immediately because…
C. Ross
- 24,182
- 22
- 114
- 227
46
votes
2 answers
If a spell cast from a Spell Scroll is Counterspelled, is the scroll consumed?
A spell scroll allows someone (with that spell on their class's spell list) to cast a spell. DMG p. 200:
If the spell is on your class's spell list, you can use an action to read the scroll and cast the spell without having to provide any of the…
PurpleVermont
- 23,605
- 30
- 121
- 173
46
votes
1 answer
What happens when you put a Portable Hole inside a Bag of Holding while on the Astral plane?
What would happen if someone were to place a Portable Hole within a Bag of Holding while being within the Astral Plane? Would it be the reverse effect?
The Grand Fisher
- 723
- 3
- 8
- 12
46
votes
7 answers
Can an unconscious person drink a potion?
PHB 153 reads:
Potion of Healing. A character who drinks the magical red fluid in
this vial regains 2d4 + 2 hit points. Drinking or administering a
potion takes an action.
By my interpretation, this means that while the rules are flexible in…
Robert
- 12,879
- 28
- 75
- 138
46
votes
14 answers
Creating the personality of a character different from myself
I am a newbie in playing role-playing games, and after several games, I've come to the conclusion that character personality creation poses a bit of a problem for me.
I mostly tend to create and describe somebody with whom I feel rather comfortable.…
noncom
- 561
- 1
- 4
- 6
46
votes
4 answers
Does a bard have to play a musical instrument when using it as a spellcasting focus?
At my table I have ruled that 'to use as a spellcasting focus' does not imply 'to play'; since the sorcerer can simply point a wand, it seems like an undue burden that the bard should have to use both hands and/or his mouth to cast the same spell.…
A. Foster
- 4,713
- 2
- 27
- 36
46
votes
3 answers
How can a character escape after being engulfed by a shambling mound?
A shambling mound will be attacking the party I DM for during tonight's session, and I am unsure about how to deal with the monster's Engulf feature.
The shambling mound's multiattack action states (MM p. 270):
The shambling mound makes two slam…
Benrimi
- 792
- 1
- 6
- 13