D&D 5E Discussion

[Irenaeus II]

Bought Princes and Abyss also.

 

[tdphys]

Bought Princes and Abyss also.

Now you're making me jealous...

 

[Irenaeus II]

It will take a looong time to arrive

 

[Ulminati]

Anyone know a good 5E oneshot? Preferably with pregenerated characters.

It looks like I might have to DM tomorrow, and I think only half the group knows 5E. They've played a ton of 3.x, so I thought I might try giving them a taste of the New Shit™. Time is short, so any and all shortcuts are necessary if I'm going to not grab something from the pathfinder pile.

I ran Mind Fuck for the codex a while back. And while the adventure wasn't bad per se, it was almost entirely combat and started out a bit weak. I don't think we actually got to the meat of the oneshot where they found out what was going on.

 

[Irenaeus II]

Yeah, I wish we could have played more that time. Sorry, don't have anything to recommend you for a oneshot. It seems you don't like entirely combat, which is even harder to design overnight. The 5E DMG is great for creating adventures in the fly, with tons of tables for creating interesting NPCs, quests and locations. Do you have it?

 

[LeStryfe79]

Run an adventure that's half story and half donjon.

Spoiler

The Lost Tunnels of Woe
Level 1

Map Style: Grid:
Download:
General
Dungeon History The dungeon was created by a lawful neutral rogue as a mine. It became cursed by the gods, and has lain empty for many centuries until recently.
Dungeon Walls Masonry (DC 15 to climb)
Dungeon Floor Uneven Flagstone (DC 10 to charge or run)
Temperature Average
Illumination Shadowy (phosphorescent fungus or candles every 20 ft.)
Corridors
room #21

South Entry #1 Archway
South Entry #2 Unlocked Good Wooden Door (15 hp)
Monster 1 x Rust Monster (mm 262, cr 1/2); 100 xp
room #10

West Entry #2 Trapped and Locked Iron Door (DC 10 to open, DC 30 to break; 60 hp)
Ⓣ Fire Spray: DC 15 to find, DC 10 to disable; affects all targets within a 20 ft. cone, DC 10 save or take 1d10 fire damage

West Entry #3 Unlocked Simple Wooden Door (10 hp)
→ Leads to room #12

East Entry Wooden Portcullis (lift DC 20, DC 15 to break; 30 hp)
→ Leads to room #34, inhabited by Hobgoblin and 1 x Goblin

South Entry Unlocked Simple Wooden Door (10 hp)
→ Leads to room #25

Monster 2 x Magma Mephit (mm 216, cr 1/2); 200 xp
room #9, inhabited by 1 x Ghoul

West Entry Unlocked Good Wooden Door (15 hp)
→ Leads to room #32

East Entry #1 Secret (DC 25 to find) Stuck Strong Wooden Door (DC 15 to break; 20 hp) (slides up)
Ⓢ The door is concealed behind a statue of a demonic sorceress, and opened by moving her hand

East Entry #2 Unlocked Good Wooden Door (15 hp)
Monster 1 x Bugbear (mm 33, cr 1); 200 xp
room #21

South Entry #2 Stuck Simple Wooden Door (DC 10 to break; 10 hp)
Room Features Part of the west wall has collapsed into the room, Someone has scrawled "Five steps forward, one steps back" on the north wall
Trap Falling Block: DC 10 to find, DC 10 to disable; affects all targets within a 10 ft. square area, DC 12 save or take 2d10 damage
Hidden Treasure Hidden (DC 20 to find) Unlocked Good Wooden Chest (15 hp)
1500 cp, 600 sp, 100 gp, 3 x Chrysoprase (50 gp), Citrine (50 gp), Jasper (50 gp), Moonstone (50 gp), Quartz (50 gp), 2 x Zircon (50 gp), +1 Ammunition (20 arrows), Potion of Greater Healing

room #27, inhabited by 1 x Gargoyle

North Entry #2 Stuck Good Wooden Door (DC 15 to break; 15 hp)
West Entry #1 Archway
West Entry #2 Wooden Portcullis (lift DC 20, DC 15 to break; 30 hp)
West Entry #3 Stuck Good Wooden Door (DC 15 to break; 15 hp)
East Entry Wooden Portcullis (lift DC 20, DC 15 to break; 30 hp)
→ Leads to room #29

South Entry Archway
→ Leads to room #6, inhabited by 1 x Bugbear

Room Features A carved stone statue stands in the south-west corner of the room, The ceiling is covered with bloodstains
Monster 1 x Ghoul (mm 148, cr 1); 200 xp
room #3, inhabited by 2 x Magma Mephit

Room Features A magical idol in the west side of the room heals all wounds of whomever offers a prayer to a god of death (but only once), A wooden platform hangs over a deep pit in the north-west corner of the room
room #31

East Entry #1 Unlocked Simple Wooden Door (10 hp)
→ Leads to room #3, inhabited by 2 x Magma Mephit

East Entry #2 Trapped and Stuck Strong Wooden Door (DC 15 to break; 20 hp)
Ⓣ One-way Door: DC 10 to find, DC 10 to disable

East Entry #3 Wooden Portcullis (lift DC 20, DC 15 to break; 30 hp)
Room Features A chute falls into the room from above, The south and east walls have been engraved with endless spirals
room #27, inhabited by 1 x Gargoyle

South Entry Secret (DC 15 to find) Locked Iron Door (DC 10 to open, DC 30 to break; 60 hp)
Ⓢ The door is concealed behind a tapestry of a monstrous goddess

Room Features A stone stair ascends towards the north wall, A large kiln and coal bin sit in the north-east corner of the room
room #7

West Entry Unlocked Iron Door (60 hp)
East Entry Archway
→ Leads to room #1, inhabited by 1 x Rust Monster

Room Features A tile labyrinth covers the floor, A carved stone statue stands in the north-east corner of the room
room #3, inhabited by 2 x Magma Mephit

West Entry Secret (DC 20 to find) Trapped and Stuck Good Wooden Door (DC 15 to break; 15 hp)
Ⓢ The door is concealed behind a statue of a troll archer, and opened by pulling an arrow in its quiver

Ⓣ Electrified Lock: DC 15 to find, DC 15 to disable; affects each creature which touches the lock, DC 19 save or take 4d10 lightning damage

Empty
room #16

East Entry Archway
South Entry Locked Simple Wooden Door (DC 15 to open, DC 15 to break; 10 hp)
→ Leads to room #9, inhabited by 1 x Ghoul

Room Features A faded and torn tapestry hangs from the north wall, A pile of bent copper coins lies in the north-west corner of the room
Monster 1 x Gargoyle (mm 140, cr 2); 450 xp
room #9, inhabited by 1 x Ghoul

East Entry Stuck Simple Wooden Door (DC 10 to break; 10 hp)
South Entry Stuck Good Wooden Door (DC 15 to break; 15 hp)
Trap Poison Gas Trap: DC 10 to find, DC 10 to disable; affects all targets within a 10 ft. square area, DC 14 save or take 2d10 poison damage
Hidden Treasure Hidden (DC 20 to find) Locked Strong Wooden Chest (DC 15 to unlock, DC 25 to break; 20 hp)
3000 cp, 600 sp, 30 gp, Azurite (10 gp), Banded agate (10 gp), Blue quartz (10 gp), 3 x Eye agate (10 gp), Hematite (10 gp), Lapis lazuli (10 gp), Obsidian (10 gp), 2 x Rhodochrosite (10 gp), Turquoise (10 gp)

room #12

South Entry #1 Wooden Portcullis (lift DC 20, DC 15 to break; 30 hp)
South Entry #2 Locked Stone Door (DC 10 to open, DC 25 to break; 60 hp)
Room Features Several square holes are cut into the north and west walls, Someone has scrawled "Ran out of swords" on the east wall
room #6, inhabited by 1 x Bugbear

South Entry Locked Stone Door (DC 10 to open, DC 25 to break; 60 hp)
Room Features A mural of geometric patterns covers the ceiling, An iron chandelier hangs from the ceiling in the south side of the room
room #3, inhabited by 2 x Magma Mephit

East Entry Locked Strong Wooden Door (DC 10 to open, DC 20 to break; 20 hp)
South Entry Archway
Room Features A magical idol in the center of the room conjures a vial of poison for whomever offers a prayer to a god of death (but only once), The north and east walls have been engraved with arcane symbols
Monster Hobgoblin (mm 186, cr 1/2) and 1 x Goblin (mm 166, cr 1/4); 150 xp
5e Random Dungeon Generator
http://donjon.bin.sh/

Donjon's are hard as fuck, yo!

 

[tdphys]

The starter adventure has free pre-set characters:
http://media.wizards.com/downloads/dnd/StarterSet_Characters.pdf

 

[LeStryfe79]

Seriously, Characters only take one page in 5ed. You don't need to list every skill, just what proficiencies a character has.

Brief description, Attributes, Proficiencies, Attacks, AC, HP, XP, Misc abilities, and Equipment.

That's all you need. I personally like characters a little higher than 1st level but starting at 0 XP.

 

[tdphys]

That's all you need. I personally like characters a little higher than 1st level but starting at 0 XP.

What? You don't like how squishy a 1st level character is in 5e?

 

[eremita]

What would you say are the most significant differences between 3.5e and 5e Ranger concept-wise? Because so far, I like what I'm reading. A lot of incline after 4th edition... But I don't have an opinion just yet.

 

[LeStryfe79]

eremita The ranger stinks in both, so they are they same. WotC is clearly dancing around this fact and refuses to admit it. I've spent 100+ hours trying to trick myself but unfortunately there is no avoiding it. They have to rewrite it. It is awful, underpowered, and uninteresting. I love 5ed but nothing is perfect.

tdphys Not too squishy. Problem is I like to give xp out during the adventure and 300 xp can come fast. Many classes have big decisions at level 2 and I don't want to stop the game that long. Also, the availability and frequency of play are big factors. Skipping to level 5 might be fun if you can only play 4 times a year for instance. I just thought the xp debt made things more interesting.

 

[tdphys]

What would you say are the most significant differences between 3.5e and 5e Ranger concept-wise? Because so far, I like what I'm reading. A lot of incline after 4th edition... But I don't have an opinion just yet.

eremita The ranger stinks in both, so they are they same. WotC is clearly dancing around this fact and refuses to admit it. I've spent 100+ hours trying to trick myself but unfortunately there is no avoiding it. They have to rewrite it. It is awful, underpowered, and uninteresting. I love 5ed but nothing is perfect.

The regular Ranger in 5e isn't bad. The 5e Beastmaster isn't even worth the paltry few paragraphs they gave it.

 

[LeStryfe79]

Ranger's high level abilities stink. At level 10 he can spend a minute to hide himself if he doesn't move. This ability is horseshit compared to the other classes. Later, he can vanish, but won't do extra damage like a rogue, and eventually he can kind of see invisible prey sometimes. Also, many ranger spells create rules confusion as to what gets damage resistance against non magical attacks. Swift Quiver? Conjure Volley? Beast attacks? It almost seems like a sick joke.

 

[LeStryfe79]

Anyway, I got the new book if anyone has any questions. Keep in mind I'm a piss poor writer.

 

[Irenaeus II]

I have a question: Is it good?

 

[LeStryfe79]

I'm glad it's mostly fluff, honestly, and the lack of Ranger stuff almost gives me some hope that something larger might happen.

 

[Irenaeus II]

Got the book(s)! Much earlier than expected, but only had time to read them late at night, so I had to do it p. fast and sleepy.

Sword Coast: Glanced over it, found the out of place SJW artwork (Gandalf and the little niggers) in the beginning. I'm not an expert in Forbidden Realms, only know stuff from cRPGs, so I wanted to learn more. Not liking much of what I'm reading, maybe I read it too fast? Maybe I need an old book instead for an introduction. The book has a fuckton of content, but from what I read the fluff is kinda boring, sad. Best part seems to be about the Gods. I was not really interested in the crunch because adding more options for powergaming is what turns rpg systems to shit bloated clusterfucks. Oh well... Don't care much about monks or barbs, for instance. Monks never make sense to me, I don't think kaate and kung-fu should be included in D&D. Barbs are bloat and should just be a fighter archetype, not a whole class. But I digress. I'll keep reading and maybe my opinion will change. Read a few interesting things, like the far wanderer or something background.

Out of Abyss: Had barely enough energy to look at the first 5 pages last night. Looked better written and gave me more hope for great reading.

Princes of Elemental Evil: Didn't touch the book.

 

[Lhynn]

I don't think kaate and kung-fu should be included in D&D.

Thats because you dont know what D&D is. Monks are not a bad idea in a campaign, especially evil monks, terrorizing a town from their temple at the mountain, or being extremely disciplined hand to hand assasins. Or wise sages.
They have their own place and while its true that they are not very "medieval", neither is D&D at its core.

Barbs are bloat and should just be a fighter archetype, not a whole class.

Maybe, but they are unique enough that they deserve their own place. Plus i kinda like more fighter classes with different mechanics for variety sake.

But I digress. I'll keep reading and maybe my opinion will change. Read a few interesting things, like the far wanderer or something background.

looking forward to hearing your impressions men o7

 

[Irenaeus II]

Thanks, bro. You know I'm more old fashioned than rocking chairs.

Thats because you dont know what D&D is. Monks are not a bad idea in a campaign, especially evil monks, terrorizing a town from their temple at the mountain, or being extremely disciplined hand to hand assasins. Or wise sages.
They have their own place and while its true that they are not very "medieval", neither is D&D at its core.

You are totally right. I like jap monks like the Ikko-Ikko and other jap temples that trained for combat and controlled regions like I read in Eiji Yoshioka's Musashi. Well, medieval Europe had monks in Abbeys controle YUUGE tracts of lands with thousand peasents attached. They used men-at-arms to enforce rule, afaik, the western monks didn't directly fight, except in really X-treme cases.
I just get irked by the karate/kung-fu/jiu-jitsu/wushia thing. Give me naginata and yari monks then!

On barbs, I like the berserker rage ability thing. As for more fighter abilities, I like DCC's Mighty Deed of Arms system.

 

[tdphys]

Thanks, bro. You know I'm more old fashioned than rocking chairs.



You are totally right. I like jap monks like the Ikko-Ikko and other jap temples that trained for combat and controlled regions like I read in Eiji Yoshioka's Musashi. Well, medieval Europe had monks in Abbeys controle YUUGE tracts of lands with thousand peasents attached. They used men-at-arms to enforce rule, afaik, the western monks didn't directly fight, except in really X-treme cases.
I just get irked by the karate/kung-fu/jiu-jitsu/wushia thing. Give me naginata and yari monks then!

On barbs, I like the berserker rage ability thing. As for more fighter abilities, I like DCC's Mighty Deed of Arms system.

Fighting monks (see Knights Templar) were a huge part of European history... they just followed European martial style and not the asian ascetic we expect in our fantasy role-playing.

 

[Irenaeus II]

Fighting monks (see Knights Templar) were a huge part of European history... they just followed European martial style and not the asian ascetic we expect in our fantasy role-playing.

LMAO I had completely forgotten about the Catholic Military Orders. Yes, me!

Then again, D&D Monks look like this:

And not like this:

 

[Fry]

LMAO I had completely forgotten about the Catholic Military Orders. Yes, me!

You probably forgot because D&D has those covered under "Paladin".

 

[Irenaeus II]

You probably forgot because D&D has those covered under "Paladin".

 

[Caim]

LMAO I had completely forgotten about the Catholic Military Orders. Yes, me!

Then again, D&D Monks look like this:

And not like this:

I propose a middle ground with Lasko, the Fist of God:

 

[Irenaeus II]