D&D 5E Discussion

[Cael]

I want to do exactly that, use 3d6 (or maybe I'll go truly insane and use something like 5d5-4) as the core roll instead of 1d20, but I'm
A) Dming for a group that includes several brand new players and I don't want to overburden them with learning their class and their allies, and learning that half of what I'm telling them won't apply to anyone else's game because for some reason I'm the only person who thinks that having the same odds of doing a task perfectly as doing it normally is asinine.
B) using roll20 to play. you can change the dice in roll20, but then I'm at the issue of manually checking every single roll for criticals which is a pain in the ass because it doesn't automatically show each die, just the sum, and if I use their basic automatic system for checking for criticals from a multi dice roll, it just doesn't work. It works great for a single die, you can do things like 1d20cs20cf1 to set the critical success to 20 and the critical fail to 1, but if you tell it 3d6cs16 in checks each d6 individually for a 16 and obviously that never happens. So since the simple tool doesn't work, my options are manually check every roll that should be a crit and hope I never miss one and that it doesn't overwhelm the new players, or write a script extension for r20 to do what I want. Except I can't actually write the script, since their API isn't exposed unless you pay them $100/year.

5d5... Riiiiight. I knew there is only bottom-of-the-Challenger-Deep level shit tier after 3.5, but this takes the cake.

 

[deuxhero]

I want to do exactly that, use 3d6 (or maybe I'll go truly insane and use something like 5d5-4) as the core roll instead of 1d20, but I'm
A) Dming for a group that includes several brand new players and I don't want to overburden them with learning their class and their allies, and learning that half of what I'm telling them won't apply to anyone else's game because for some reason I'm the only person who thinks that having the same odds of doing a task perfectly as doing it normally is asinine.
B) using roll20 to play. you can change the dice in roll20, but then I'm at the issue of manually checking every single roll for criticals which is a pain in the ass because it doesn't automatically show each die, just the sum, and if I use their basic automatic system for checking for criticals from a multi dice roll, it just doesn't work. It works great for a single die, you can do things like 1d20cs20cf1 to set the critical success to 20 and the critical fail to 1, but if you tell it 3d6cs16 in checks each d6 individually for a 16 and obviously that never happens. So since the simple tool doesn't work, my options are manually check every roll that should be a crit and hope I never miss one and that it doesn't overwhelm the new players, or write a script extension for r20 to do what I want. Except I can't actually write the script, since their API isn't exposed unless you pay them $100/year.

If you're teaching new players, give them a system that isn't shit. 5E's RNG fest is shit experience.

 

[J1M]

May as well just remove hit rolls and crits if you are going to roll 5 dice.

 

[Drew]

If you're teaching new players, give them a system that isn't shit. 5E's RNG fest is shit experience.

That would imply that any of them want to play anything that isn't the newest D&D. They don't know anything else exists, by choice.

 

[Savecummer]

B) using roll20 to play. you can change the dice in roll20, but then I'm at the issue of manually checking every single roll for criticals which is a pain in the ass because it doesn't automatically show each die, just the sum, and if I use their basic automatic system for checking for criticals from a multi dice roll, it just doesn't work. It works great for a single die, you can do things like 1d20cs20cf1 to set the critical success to 20 and the critical fail to 1, but if you tell it 3d6cs16 in checks each d6 individually for a 16 and obviously that never happens. So since the simple tool doesn't work, my options are manually check every roll that should be a crit and hope I never miss one and that it doesn't overwhelm the new players, or write a script extension for r20 to do what I want. Except I can't actually write the script, since their API isn't exposed unless you pay them $100/year.

anydice.com has arbitrary dice, custom functions as scripts and a roller all fo free, decent docs and a blog with examples

 

[Stella Brando]

Would 2d10 work?

 

[Gyor]

Well one of the celebrity writers for Candlekeep Mysteries seems to be on bridge burning mode with WoTC now.



Apparently hes not happy that they edited out a lot of his lore and added the word primitive to describe a faction of frog people or something?

Also debating if I should throw worthless updates like these to the Game Drama section or if its wotc related just keep it in the 5e thread.

For something less drama related for 5e DC's comics The Last God is getting a trade paper back this August.

Decent if edgy at times fantasy comic at least better than a lot of modern comics. Some what 5e related as it'll include "Tales from the Book of Ages" in it which was their campaign source book for 5e.

I really thought that the first of Candlekeeps writers to burn their bridges would have been the guy who wanted WotC to completely cancel Oriental Adventure, but WotC only put a warning label on it. I would have lost the pool if we'd been betting on it.

Sad thing is, is that the author is right, it would have been been better with the all the extra stuff in it and now I'm pissed at WotC for needlessly cutting.

 

[Bara]

Sad thing is, is that the author is right, it would have been been better with the all the extra stuff in it and now I'm pissed at WotC for needlessly cutting.

Have to disagree about that sounds like he was trying to do a info dump of his own interpretation on FR lore without clearing it with anyone else on top of adding Grippli as a playable race. In a book that's just supposed to be an anthology of adventures his sounded like it was trying to be bigger than what wotc wanted. Plus we'll never see what the cut stuff was and I feel like just assuming its good because he says so is a bit generous.

Anyhow for more 5e news Goodman Games is releasing a conversion of the Temple of Elemental Evil module along with Village of Hommlet.

Already available for pre-order and ships this August only for the low price of $100!

Goodman Games expanded content on the original adventures has been pretty great so far but man I'm going to have to see a review before I pay that price. Like really you can get PODs of the originals for both Hommlet & ToEE if you wanted it print and just convert it to 5e yourself. Or better yet just play it in the edition it was meant for.

 

[Cael]

Sad thing is, is that the author is right, it would have been been better with the all the extra stuff in it and now I'm pissed at WotC for needlessly cutting.

Have to disagree about that sounds like he was trying to do a info dump of his own interpretation on FR lore without clearing it with anyone else on top of adding Grippli as a playable race. In a book that's just supposed to be an anthology of adventures his sounded like it was trying to be bigger than what wotc wanted. Plus we'll never see what the cut stuff was and I feel like just assuming its good because he says so is a bit generous.

Anyhow for more 5e news Goodman Games is releasing a conversion of the Temple of Elemental Evil module along with Village of Hommlet.

Already available for pre-order and ships this August only for the low price of $100!

Goodman Games expanded content on the original adventures has been pretty great so far but man I'm going to have to see a review before I pay that price. Like really you can get PODs of the originals for both Hommlet & ToEE if you wanted it print and just convert it to 5e yourself. Or better yet just play it in the edition it was meant for.

$100 for a module that has been around for 30 years is criminal.

 

[Savecummer]

You want to take action versus a company you don't like? Don't buy their product and don't use it. It's called boycotting.

What a pathetic faggot. If you want to take action against a company you dont like, than you burn everything they have. Death and Hatred.

 

[Nikanuur]

Nice one Dungeon Master Adren :D
--------
..however, I decided to just rule it's a 1d8 Finesse weapon. Mechanically, it's a Rapier, the best weapon for a Rogue. It just looks like a Frying Pan. Gobby the Cook, Slayer of Giants, became one of the most iconic PCs in our...
...and more at:

https://www.reddit.com/r/DMAcademy/comments/mgwero/always_reward_creativity_in_combat_always_or_at/

 

[Mortmal]

Sad thing is, is that the author is right, it would have been been better with the all the extra stuff in it and now I'm pissed at WotC for needlessly cutting.

Have to disagree about that sounds like he was trying to do a info dump of his own interpretation on FR lore without clearing it with anyone else on top of adding Grippli as a playable race. In a book that's just supposed to be an anthology of adventures his sounded like it was trying to be bigger than what wotc wanted. Plus we'll never see what the cut stuff was and I feel like just assuming its good because he says so is a bit generous.

Anyhow for more 5e news Goodman Games is releasing a conversion of the Temple of Elemental Evil module along with Village of Hommlet.

Already available for pre-order and ships this August only for the low price of $100!

Goodman Games expanded content on the original adventures has been pretty great so far but man I'm going to have to see a review before I pay that price. Like really you can get PODs of the originals for both Hommlet & ToEE if you wanted it print and just convert it to 5e yourself. Or better yet just play it in the edition it was meant for.

$100 for a module that has been around for 30 years is criminal.

At this price i want it hand written on vellum, with semi precious gems on cover. What the fuck ...It requires not much effort to convert to 5E i am doing it all the time for free.

 

[Cryomancer]

If you wanna play Temple of elemental Evil, why not play it on 2e??????

2E is a superior system in every aspect.

 

[Nortar]

Have you actually played the 2nd ed., except in computer games which you masterfully solo as a caster?

 

[Lhynn]

Have you actually played the 2nd ed., except in computer games which you masterfully solo as a caster?

I have, its pretty great.

 

[Cryomancer]

Have you actually played the 2nd ed., except in computer games which you masterfully solo as a caster?

Sadly no. I tried to find a group but sadly most people only care about 5e. I know that TT is very different than CRPG's. For eg, pick the conjure earth elemental on BG2. It has a risk of losing control over it. It in P&P can mean a party wipe. In CRPG can mean a... reload. But I played 3rd Edition D&D much time ago and loved. DM 3rd edition in other hands was a chore. Nobody in my group was wanting to DM and we had a DM rotation. Not a optimal solution but was the best that we had.

I readed a lot of books of 2e BTW. At moment, I an reading the Glantri, Kingdom of Magic. Is so sad to know that so many cool places will never be played because people only care about kobold slaying on sword coast.

As for CRPG adaptations, magic is not strong on all of then. On Dark Sun, my preserver is much more valuable as a support caster. Even on Wake of the Ravager with lv cap = 15, is much better to cast haste and stoneskin and other spells like that into my half giant gladiator than to try to kill stuff with my magic. And you don't see me complaining about it cuz spell scrolls being extremely rare on Dark Sun and a freaking half giant being ridiculous strong makes perfectly sense in that setting.

 

[Arrowgrab]

To be fair, most of 2nd ed. AD&D's serious problems had nothing to do with the basic ruleset as such. Now, sure, the rules weren't perfect: specialised magic users were bland compared to 1st ed., and other bits and ends can be criticised. However, the edition's real decline manifested elsewhere: shit modules; a questionable publication/marketing strategy; the way the corporation was run (namely, "into the ground"); the endless treadmill of unusable setting info and splatbooks, and the TSR Code of Ethics.

 

[Mortmal]

Have you actually played the 2nd ed., except in computer games which you masterfully solo as a caster?

Sadly no. I tried to find a group but sadly most people only care about 5e. I know that TT is very different than CRPG's. For eg, pick the conjure earth elemental on BG2. It has a risk of losing control over it. It in P&P can mean a party wipe. In CRPG can mean a... reload. But I played 3rd Edition D&D much time ago and loved. DM 3rd edition in other hands was a chore. Nobody in my group was wanting to DM and we had a DM rotation. Not a optimal solution but was the best that we had.

I readed a lot of books of 2e BTW. At moment, I an reading the Glantri, Kingdom of Magic. Is so sad to know that so many cool places will never be played because people only care about kobold slaying on sword coast.

As for CRPG adaptations, magic is not strong on all of then. On Dark Sun, my preserver is much more valuable as a support caster. Even on Wake of the Ravager with lv cap = 15, is much better to cast haste and stoneskin and other spells like that into my half giant gladiator than to try to kill stuff with my magic. And you don't see me complaining about it cuz spell scrolls being extremely rare on Dark Sun and a freaking half giant being ridiculous strong makes perfectly sense in that setting.

Theres 20 players for 1 dm for 5E . For 2E ? its quite impossible. The only way to make it works is to pay someone to do it , then probably pay players as no one is interested at all.

 

[Cryomancer]

Theres 20 players for 1 dm for 5E . For 2E ? its quite impossible. The only way to make it works is to pay someone to do it , then probably pay players as no one is interested at all.

I would DM it. Is not 2e but I entered the discord server of Frog God games and there are a lot of people organizing play for it. IDK if is due lockdowns or what, but looking into the "notifications" about groups formed, on the last 20 games :

• 16 games on 5e
• 2 games of S&W
• 2 games on PF1e

In the discord of the creators of the most famous retroclone, D&D 5e is 8 times more popular than their retroclone. I don't get the popularity of 5e. I mean, a lot of people say that is "easy to get into", but is not as if D&D 1e and 2e are complicated, nor the retroclones. On S&W, there are a "basic" version where you only need d6 and d20 to play. And even in the most "complicated" book, the player session ends on page 73. If you don't plan to hire hirelings, play as a magic user or build stronghold, you can learn how to play the game by reading just 45 pages.

And yes, I tried to play S&W. A lot of DM are only accepting players from previous sessions among other problems. But you guys have no idea about how much I wanna play Glantri in Myastara for 2e. I know that there is a guy wanting to convert Mystara to 5e but Glantri on 5e would't make ANY sense. For eg, taking out some 2e dwarf limitations and advantages, makes the reason which Glantri hates then nonsensical. There are monsters with really nasty abilities that if you nerf to fir the low lethality 5e gameplay style, you would kill the atmosphere. Having to deal with powerful enemy mages on 2e and on 5e are completely different. And in Glantri, you DON'T WANNA make a high level magician your enemy. And they have spells that doesn't exists outside of Glantri that has really nasty effects and the PC can only learn this spells by working for the high members of the principality for a long time.

 

[Nortar]

Have you actually played the 2nd ed., except in computer games which you masterfully solo as a caster?

I have, its pretty great.

And so have I, and so it is.
AD&D was my stepping stone into PnP RPGs, so I have tender feelings for it.
But nostalgia aside (you know, back in the days, when the girls were younger and the days were longer), saying the 2Ed is "superior in every way" to the 3Ed is absurd.
The amount of QoL improvements 3E introduced is the reason why there's a lack of DMs for earlier editions.
Our group had moved from 2ed to 3ed and never looked behind.
In comparison, when the 4th got out, we tried it and reverted right back to 3.5 until the 5th.

Sadly no.

Right. You've watched the Muppet Show and think yourself qualified enough to bring your words of wisdom about frogs and pigs to the farmers.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

3e/3.5e might as well be considered a completely separate game. 2E was iterative upon AD&D, 3E threw everything out the window.

 

[Nortar]

3e/3.5e might as well be considered a completely separate game. 2E was iterative upon AD&D, 3E threw everything out the window.

AD&D is the 2nd Ed.
It is the only edition that included "advanced" in its name.
You can consider 3E a separate game or whatever, it is still easier to DM and way more fun to play than 2E even with PO.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

AD&D is the 2nd Ed.

That's the reprint, btw.

 

[Nortar]

AD&D is the 2nd Ed.

That's the reprint, btw.

Interesting.
I have to admit that I did not know the 1E had both D&D and AD&D versions.
But I wonder were there more differences between those two versions or between 1st and 2nd editions of AD&D.

 

[Cael]

Didn't 2e do away with the race-based stat limits and relied purely on racial stat adjustments?

It also revamped the dual-classing and got rid of ranger/elf casting arcane spells in armour.

It toned down a lot of the 1e power creep, IIRC.