Most Popular
1500 questions
41
votes
3 answers
Are Drow Cities Illuminated?
I am delving into DM'ing a Drow campaign. Despite having read numerous novels and publications spanning from TSR to WotC to Paizo, I am now having trouble wrapping my head around the idea of their inherent light blindness and illumination within…
Ruut
- 18,042
- 5
- 59
- 122
41
votes
4 answers
What is the use of a little bag of sand?
In the Scholar's pack on page 151 of the PHB it notes that you get a 'little bag of sand'. Is there any mention of what the intended use of that is in-game? I haven't found anything in the equipment chapter.
Given the volume of off-topic answers…
MC_Hambone
- 7,131
- 9
- 45
- 84
41
votes
5 answers
Is the "+1" in "Long Sword +1" for OOC use only?
Do your characters say, "I'd like to buy that Long Sword +1," or is that "+1" for OOC reference only?
BladePoint
- 1,713
- 13
- 14
41
votes
6 answers
Problems to look out for if you are a D&D group who play Fate for the first time?
Soon I will be hosting my first two games of Fate. One will be an intro-session with one GM and one player and the other will be a more serious gaming session with one GM and three players, which will probably contain multiple Fate sessions over the…
Erik
- 80,810
- 26
- 280
- 365
41
votes
14 answers
How do I create a great fantasy villain that inspires the party to rally against them?
In my early years of GMing it was simple enough to say that the badguys were evil and that was all the justification we needed. They are attacking the village because they are evil, they are stealing the princess because they are evil, etc.
Over…
Maximillian
- 10,022
- 10
- 65
- 111
41
votes
4 answers
Does an attack without a damage die get double damage on a critical hit?
A critical hit allows you to roll all damage dice twice.
Critical Hits
When you score a critical hit, you get to roll extra dice for the attack's damage against the target. Roll all of the attack's damage dice twice and add them together. Then add…
Miniman
- 144,275
- 45
- 644
- 782
41
votes
4 answers
Is there any sort of mechanical reason to use a trident over a spear?
First, let's take a look at the Spear (D&D 5e Player’s Handbook p. 149):
Spear (Simple Melee Weapon)
Cost: 1 gp
Weight: 3lbs
Damage: 1d6 piercing
Properties: Thrown (range 20/60), Versatile (1d8)
I ask this because, when you check the Trident (D&D…
Davi Braid
- 4,399
- 6
- 24
- 50
41
votes
3 answers
Does a sorcerer's metamagic work for non-sorcerer spells?
Can a multiclass sorcerer/cleric use the Metamagic class ability with non-sorcerer spells? For example, using Twinned Spell when casting cure wounds to heal two creatures instead of just one?
Karl
- 3,441
- 7
- 29
- 39
41
votes
2 answers
Does rolling a critical hit on a spell attack do double damage?
Does rolling a critical hit on a spell attack do double damage? Specifically, do you double the number of damage dice if the spell attack roll is a natural 20?
This came up in a game with the Guiding Bolt spell, which seemed really powerful with…
Taejang
- 5,213
- 10
- 30
- 52
41
votes
7 answers
Can you cast spells with a Somatic component if you're holding a two-handed weapon?
I have a halfling cleric of Bahamut who wears his holy symbol as an amulet around his neck as a spellcasting focus (so material components are not an issue).
However, as per this question, this does not cover the Somatic component of any spells he…
Shalvenay
- 11,074
- 4
- 54
- 117
41
votes
3 answers
Are paladins required to follow a god?
One of my players just submitted a character sheet for a paladin who doesn't follow or worship any god. This seemed strange to me, but looking at the Player's Handbook, the only relevant line I could find was this:
Player's Handbook, page…
AgentPaper
- 8,513
- 2
- 40
- 60
41
votes
14 answers
How can an aristocracy be perpetuated between creatures that can't interbreed?
The 25-year-old human prince of a 50-year-old small nation (total population maybe 100,000 spread out in a rather large valley among settlements no larger than 5,000 creatures each) is looking to secure the goodwill of his neighbors. Marrying into a…
Hey I Can Chan
- 191,258
- 18
- 357
- 866
41
votes
2 answers
What is a "Melee Spell Attack" and how does it differ from a regular spell?
In 5e a lot of the spells in both the Monster Manual and PHB talk about a spell being a "melee spell attack". Is this simply to do with the range of the spell or are there additional rules to rolling?
The reason I'm slightly confused is because…
Bigern
- 731
- 1
- 8
- 15
41
votes
6 answers
How does the Evocation wizard's Empowered Evocation feature work with the Magic Missile spell?
The Evocation wizard's Empowered Evocation feature (PHB 177) reads:
Beginning at 10th level, you can add your Intelligence modifier to the damage roll of any wizard evocation spell you cast
I have an evoker with a 16 intelligence (+3 modifier). I…
briddums
- 10,845
- 14
- 52
- 77
41
votes
13 answers
Playing 4th Ed D&D for the first time, what should I read to avoid holding everyone back?
I've been invited to join a new game of D&D 4th edition this weekend, but haven't played proper D&D before. Are there any resources I ought to read or get before I turn up, so that I'm not a real drag for the rest of the party?
I googled a bit, and…
Andrew M
- 765
- 1
- 6
- 11