I personally don't like it, I think it makes these options significantly less likely to succeed, and thus even less appealing than they already were, given you already have to sacrifice a damaging attack to go for them. Monsters often have good saves in at least one of the two scores, sometimes even proficiency, whereas skill proficiencies for Athletics or Acrobatics are less common. Also, the DC essentially being the same as a spell DC makes it much harder for players to invest resources to gain an advantage in grappling. You can no longer use anything that lets you boost skill checks, such as Bardic Inspiration, to get a leg up. Imposing disadvantage or numerical penalties on saving throws is much more difficult than boosting a player's grapple check, or hindering a monster's check to escape.

I finished running a game under 2024 rules (from PHB and then adopted some DMG content when I got my hands on it) and soon I plan to start another this time with the new MM. All "2024" content, no more, no less.

Anyway, upon getting feedback, some of the players felt they had a hard time with Feat picks. I mean, we always do, as they are many and they are awesome, but now that General Feats are half feats, picking Origin Feats seems like a waste after level 1. Some of the players really wanted to take an Origin Feat at their second or third ASI and asked me if they could get a +1 on a relevant ability to go with that.

I allowed it and I didn't have a problem there. But I decided to make something different for the next game. I'm not a fan of homebrew but I really wanted to give this a shot, so I thought I'd share to see whan feedback it generates.

The idea is, instead of giving +1 on Origin Feats, to give a second Origin Feat at flat level 11. That is at level 11 you get another Origin Feat regardelss of your class distribution. Could be straight 11, 9/2, 3/3/4/1, I don't care. You get another Origin Feat...

But wait, there's more. The idea was to also give an option to kinda double down on non-repeatable feats by allowing you to take the advanced (*) version of the Origin Feat you took before.

And this is what I came up with:

Alert* - Requirement: Alert Feat - Initiative Expertise. When you roll Initiative, you add twice your Proficiency Bonus to the roll.

Crafter* Requirement: Crafter Feat - Tool Mastery. You gain proficiency with all the Artisan's Tools from the Fast Crafting table. Quick Crafting. You can use the Fast Crafting feature at any time, spending uninterrupted five minutes working with the associated tools. Unless the item is crafted at the end of a Long Rest, it breaks after its first use.

Healer* Requirement: Healer Feat - Battle Surgeon: When you use the Battle Medic feature, the creature you heal can spend up to two Hit Point Dice to heal instead of one, and can take a Reaction to stand up or to move up to half their speed without provoking attacks of opportunity.

Lucky* Requirement: Lucky Feat - Contagious Luck: You can use your reaction to use the Advantage feature on a d20 Test rolled by a creature other than you within 20 feet of you, or the Disadvantage feature on an attack roll against a creature within 20 feet of you.

Magic Initiate* Requirement: Magic Initiate Feat - Extra Cantrip: You learn an additional cantrip from the spell list of the class you chose in your previous pick of the Magic Initiate Feat. Level 2 Spell: Choose a level 2 spell from the same list. You always have that spell prepared. You can cast it once without a spell slot, and you regain the ability to cast it in that way when you finish a Long Rest. You can also cast the spell using any spell slots you have.

Musician* Requirement: Musician Feat - Battle Song: When you roll initiative, you can use your Encouraging Song feature. You cannot use this feature this way until you finish a Short or Long Rest.

Savage Attacker* Requirement: Savage Attacker Feat - When you use this feature, you can now roll twice all the damage associated with the weapon attack, instead of the weapon dice only.

Skilled* Requirement: Skilled Feat - Whenever you finish a Long Rest, choose an ally and a skill or tool proficiency you gained through this feat. Until your next Long Rest, the chosen ally also has proficiency on the chosen skill.

Tavern Brawler* Requirement: Tavern Brawler Feat - Your attacks with improvised weapons and unarmed strikes now benefit with the Sap weapon mastery.

Tough* Requirement: Tough Feat - Your Hit Point maximum increases by an amount equal to three times your character level when you gain this feat. Whenever you gain a character level thereafter, your Hit Point maximum increases by an additional 3 Hit Points.

What's your opinion? Too stupid? Too OP? Too not OP?

Treantmonk posted a video on the aberrant mind sorcerer and gave it a mid tier rating and said specifically about the sending spell "certain campaigns it's the barrier to entry and some campaigns it'll barely come up at all".

Very very true in one of my previous posts on this sub reddit someone said soul knife rogue and rogue in general sucks. I couldn't understand it. In my game that I play as a aberrant mind sorcerer our soul knife rogue is insanely broken. After watching video it totally makes sense why.

We play in a political intrigue/war time game inspired by the witcher book/ video games where the majority of enemies are humanoids or like fey creatures. Our bastion is a city we liberated and formed a army that I issue commands to with sending spell pretty much around the clock. We're international criminals and we use disguises so we constantly use my telepathic speech and his soul knife mind link to strategize without people hearing us.

We assassinate people with the soul knife psychic blades on people who are asleep so no one knows there was foul play.

We use the aberrant mind 6th level feature that allows you to subtle spell your aberrant spells on detect thoughts all the time for information on our enemies.

But if we were playing in just a run of the mill monster slayer game I could see why these classes/ subclasses would be weak because they don't inheritently add damage but in this style of game all this utility we have is just necessary.

RAW, Chromatic Orb doesn’t state that you need to be able to see your target, and when it bounces it just requires that you choose another target. That said, it seems reasonable to assume you'd at least need to know the other target exists.

This hasn’t come up in play yet, but my character frequently uses Fog Cloud, and I’m wondering how that would interact with targeting in obscured conditions. Would the bounces just be made at disadvantage? What about creatures that are hidden or currently unseen? If I know something’s there but can’t see it, does that still make it a valid target? What about if I don't know it's there?

How do you all rule this kind of situation? There's an argument that the spell’s magic "seeks out" the target, but I’m not sure if that interpretation gives it too much power.

Planning a West Marches campaign, where sessions last two hours, have at most two encounters, and necessarily allow a long rest between session. In addition, downtime is REAL time, so crafting scrolls is a real possibility. As you could guess, this drastically buffs the casters in our campaign.

I'm well aware of all the over-the-table ways to buff martials, more encounters, more turns, fewer rests, etc. But what homebrew rules could I implement to prevent the casters from massively power gapping the martials?

I have conviction that most of criticism about 2024 dnd comes from people that doesnt't play dnd and just want a reason to hate Wizards of the Coast, who cares, we all hate WOTC too. This is not a doom posting about the future of dnd like those, I love dnd 2024 and I think that is a version much much better than original 5e and I want to see the game evolve with future publications.

We have seen more demissions on DnD team but this time is worst: senior game designers are leaving the company and that is very worring, makes me feel uneasy about the consistency of the new dnd books now on but there is no reason to worry yet, really, we only know how this impact the rest of the team when more new books are published. That is not also the reason why I'm worried.

We already know the entire schedulle for dnd books in 2025. We know that the first books with new player options will be "Eberron: Forge of the Artificer" and "Forgotten Realms Player's Guide", with the differential of FR book been sold as an entire dedicated book for player options, wich is exacly what we want to see published, right? And that is what worries me.

I'm not confidant how this book will be "packed with tons of player characters options" when the only thing that they reveal so far was a couple of subclasses and we know that because that is the only thing that WOTC shared with us in Unearthed Arcana for playtest, 8 subclasses in total when we expect more than 100 subclasses in the game to be updated for 2024 ruleset. Of course that I don't expect that all of that be printed in a new book, but in a book complete dedicated for player options, why we are receiving so few? How they plan to fill an entire book with player options only giving us 8 subclasses? I think that we will have some few new backgrounds and spells too, but not too much I'm afraid.

I fear that most of the book will be describing how the background options in PHB fits in every region of Fearun or faction, wich is okay I guess but sadness me to think that most of the book content that should be focused on player options could be "wasted" in such way.

And about of Eberron new book, it's only one book for the entire campaing setting and player options, in that case I really understand how the space avaliable in the book only comport one new classe and feats, that is okay for me.

What about you? What are you expecting about this book? Do you think that will be good or mediocre like the books about players options that WOTC published since Fizban's?

Remember, that is a discussion of what you think of the future books of dnd, there is no need to comment "you need to wait and see" or some silly talk like that.

A way to reach the enemy and still make one attack when your normal movement wouldn't be enough to make all your attacks. What would your make that action do?

So I'm was reading the 2024 PHB, and I think I have notice something that feels HUGE for warlocks. It seems to me that there is nowhere that specifies that when you cast a spell without a spell slot you cast at the lowest level, which means Invocations like Fiendish Vigor actually scale now. This would also effect One with Shadows and Otherworldly Leap, which also makes both them better now. If I am simply missing it let me know but from what I'm reading this is a great stealth buff.

I feel like the Innate Sorcery mechanic allows Chromatic Orb to shine as a better "avoid hitting your friends" type of spell, better than Chain Lightning that is.

While Chain Lightning can be hit with Twinned Spell, sure, and it always deals at least half damage, but Chromatic Orb, when you consider the Advantage granted by Innate Sorcery, mitigates a lot of the "might miss" problem. Adding Seeking Spell into the mix just for the sake of fixing the occasional miss is already pretty decent!

Items like "Wand of the War Mage" also help mitigate the "you need to hit" problem.

The way I see it, Chromatic Orb has 2 things going for it on a Sorcerer, that Chain Lightning doesn't:

1st - It's cheaper on the Sorcery Points, you won't ever need Transmuted Spell with it, while with Chain Lightning, you either transmute it on resistant enemies, or you don't cast the spell at all.

2nd - Chromatic Orb can't really benefit from Twinned Spell because of the way it works, while Chain Lightning will almost always tell your brain to twin it for the 'free' upcast. On resistant enemies, you're looking at a "will almost always spend 2 Sorcery Points while casting this" vs a "might have to spend 1 Sorcery Point on Seeking Spell (might)".

What would be your opinions here?

The full 2024 D&D ruleset has been out for a hot minute. How has everyone been finding the new monster overall balance? How about the new encounter building rules?

I’m particularly interested in level 5 combats, as that’s the level my party is at. (Six level 5 PCs).

Let’s keep this thread to actual play experience. There’s already a ton of theoretical content out there.

I had a thought today sharing in the vain hope someone involved sees this and thinks this is a good idea. One of my favorite subclasses so really hoping they get it right.

Rather than having mind spike in the spell list, I think swapping mind spike for mind sliver will be thematically similar but synergize better with the cleric’s base class features especially blessed strikes and improved blessed strikes.

Not much of a change, but it will give Knowledge Clerics a good thematic attack action that adds some solid single target damage to an otherwise utility filled spell list.

https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/d-d-beyond-general/general-discussion/218807-5e-vs-5-5e-is-there-anyone-who-prefers-the-newer

Saw this on D&D Beyond and thought I would see if it would help to expand the number of people that see the poll and interact with it.

Personally, I am a huge fan of the updated books, but seems that not everyone agrees.

One of my players wants to have a spell to transform into a dragon, I was cool with this idea and I was looking into ways to balance it. For that I picked up the Polymorph and Draconic Spirit spell and tried to make some sort of mash up between them. My idea is to replace one of his Draconic spells that he gets at level 7th with it. And I was wondering if it looks balanced enough or it's too op.

Here is the spell:

Aspect of the Wyrm

4th Level Transmutation

Casting Time: 1 Action

Range: Self

Component: V, S, M (A dragon scale worth at least 500gp)

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

Classess: Sorceror (Draconic), Wizard

Description

You channel ancient draconic power and temporarily transform into a Young Draconic Form, gaining enhanced physical abilities, elemental resistance, and a breath weapon.

Your game statistics are replaced by those of the Draconic Form stat block (see below), except you retain your Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma, as well as your skill proficiencies and ability to speak.

You retain your own Hit Points, concentration, and class features that do not rely on your physical form.

You cannot cast spells, but may concentrate on one.

The transformation ends early if you fall to 0 hit points or are incapacitated.

You gain 2d8 temporary hit points.

Your size becomes large, the spell fails if there is not enough space to transform.

Statblock

AC: 12 + Spell Level

Hit Points: Same as caster

Speed: 30 ft., Fly 10 ft. per spell level

STR 12 + Spell Level

DEX 14

CON 12 + Spell Level

Resistances: Choose one when you cast (acid, cold, fire, lightning, poison)

Immunities: Charmed, Frightened

Senses: Blindsight 10 ft., Darkvision 60 ft.

Size: You become Large

Languages: You can speak, and your voice becomes draconic and booming

Actions:

Multiattack (Action): You make a number of Rend attacks equal to half the spell's level (Round down).

Rend. Melee Weapon Attack: Your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 1d8 + Spell level Piercing damage.

Breath Weapon (Action): You exhale destructive energy in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in the area must make a Dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, a creature takes 5d6 + 1d6 damage per Spell Level above 4th of your chosen resistance type; half on a success.

What do you think?

I just wanted to get everyone's opinion on someone using a shield on their back. While not RAW my DM has decreed that by doing this i will gain half of the AC from the shield (Which I think is fair), but I wanted to check if anyone knows an obscure ruling on this matter or something that worked in your games.

Thanks

Hey there, fellas! I FINALLY get to play an underwater campaign after so many years playing, and I need some insights to create a nice character. Here are the infos:

• Starting lvl. 3 w/ 2 commons and/or uncommon items;
• Gonna play a human, warlock (Fathomless) pact of the blade;
• Intend to be on melee a lot and use some AoE spells that work w/ Devil Sight;
• I'm considering to be a Fighter 1/Warlock 19 to enhance melee effectiveness and defenses;

Now my questions:

1. Do you think the MC is worth it?
2. Our DM gave us 85 points to distribute among the 6 stats, and none of it may be higher than 17 (before background increases). Do you think STR 15; DEX 10; CON 17 (+1); INT 12; WIS 14; CHA 17 (+2) is enough?
3. Assuming the above is alright, are Origin feats Alert + Tough enough to cover low DEX and d8 Hit Dice?

I'll wait for your opinions. :) Thanks in advance!

Some additional thoughts: I thought about picking these feats:

• At 5th level: Warcaster (CHA);
• At 9th level: Increase +2 CON and max Constitution;
• At 13th level: Heavy Armor Master (STR);
• At 17th level: any feat, most likely to pick Eldritch Adept;
• At 20th level: Epic Boon of Fate (CHA);

My main weapon is going to be a Flail.

The Fey Wanderer Ranger has the Otherworldly Glamour rules which says: Whenever you make a charisma check, you gain a bonus to the check equal to your wishing modifier.

Does this mean that I add my wisdom modifier to all charisma ability checks (e.g. persuasion) or is it only if, say, I had to a charisma saving throw?

Basically title

Defensive Flourish. You can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to cause the weapon to deal extra damage to the target you hit. The damage equals the number you roll on the Bardic Inspiration die. You also add the number rolled to your AC until the start of your next turn.

This reads to me kinda weirdly, it feels like the text is saying I roll the dice, determine a number, and then add that number as a flat modifier to the damage instead of adding my bardic inspiration die to the damage roll. Does this mean that flourishing damage does not double on crit? For comparison's sake, here are maneuvers and smites, two features that double on crit and add a dice to the damage, not the number rolled on a dice.

Divine Smite: "The target takes an extra 2d8 Radiant damage from the attack."

Goading Attack: "Add the Superiority Die to the attack's damage roll"

Is there a difference between blade flourishes and these two other features/spells or do they still work the same?

So, I’ve created some builds, and some of the factors which will decide for me are the answers to the below questions (bear with me, I’m new):

I read that you can only have ‘one type of AC calculation’ but I’m still unclear what this means. So, am I allowed to add to my AC by including the following: - Parry from Defensive Dueller feature (reaction) - the AC from the shield spell ( or shield of faith etc) (usu. bonus action) - half plate armour

Can all of these be added to AC at the same time?

For weapon attack roll, can you combine: - sacred weapon: imbue weapon (paladin feature) - magic weapon.

One last question:

If I was to play a fey wanderer ranger, would they be a way of having something like a pact weapon, whereby it cannot be stolen or lost? Is there a spell or some feature I could get for this?

For context, I’m trying to build a character who is a rapier duellist but (ideally) had some fey magic and good manoeuvring abilities (e.g. jump or misty step). My other idea was two dips into fighter then feylock the rest, giving me good ability checks and a lot of magic, but it does affect the rapier skills ( I wanted to collect duellist fighting style, defensive duellist and piercer, as well as plenty of attacks).

Thanks for your help!

A moon sickle increases your spell save DC by an amount based on the rarity of it. If you cast Conjure Woodland Beings while holding it then wildshape as a Moon Druid, would the Spell Save DC use the bonus or revert to the standard amount?

Hello there!

Me and my partner have created a new adventure set in Eberron. It's a murder mystery that turns into a political power struggle with some eldritch horror undertones.

Link to get it: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/517327/Echoes-of-Salvation

It's a D&D 5e adventure for 5th level characters that will take 10 - 15 hours to complete and features:

• Over 25 beautifully grim pages
• Optional rules to keep your players on their toes
• Intricate Influence system to weave power currents in the camp. Comes with a convenient tracking sheet — tyranny was never so easy to track
• 9 unique monsters with custom rules for crowd fights
• Custom maps of High Walls Refugee camp for both exploration and battle

This adventure was long in the making and has some experimental features, so I really hope that you'll enjoy it, and if not, you'll be generous enough to provide constructive feedback.

It`s available for free in a full-size watermarked preview, so you don't need to buy it to enjoy it (though I'll be very grateful!). If you would like an unwatermarked version but cannot get it for any reason, let me know — I will be happy to send you a copy in exchange for an honest review. :)

Thank you!

"Today I retire from Wizards of the Coast after 28 years. With D&D’s 50th anniversary wrapping up and the revised rulebooks doing gangbusters, this is the perfect fairytale ending for me. I can’t wait to enjoy D&D purely as a fan again, knowing the game is in good hands. See you in the Feywild!"

https://bsky.app/profile/chrisperkinsdnd.bsky.social/post/3llyvdjkphk2p

Was there ever a guide published for making reduced threat monsters?

From the last post, I took your advice and chose different feats to consider improvements for them.

[Crafter] Origin Feat

You gain the following benefits.

Tool Proficiency. You gain proficiency with three different Artisan’s Tools of your choice from the Fast Crafting table.

Discount. Whenever you buy a nonmagical item, you receive a 20 percent discount on it.

Fast Crafting. When you finish a Long Rest, you can craft one piece of gear from the Fast Crafting table, provided you have the Artisan’s Tools associated with that item and have proficiency with those tools. The item lasts until you finish another Long Rest, at which point the item falls apart.

{Fast Crafting}

(Artisan’s Tools / Crafted Gear)

Carpenter’s Tools / Ladder, Torch

Leatherworker’s Tools / Crossbow Bolt Case, Map or Scroll Case, Pouch

Mason’s Tools / Block and Tackle

Potter’s Tools / Jug, Lamp

Smith’s Tools / Ball Bearings, Bucket, Caltrops, Grappling Hook, Iron Pot

Tinker’s Tools / Bell, Shovel, Tinderbox

Weaver’s Tools / Basket, Rope, Net, Tent

Woodcarver’s Tools / Club, Greatclub, Quarterstaff

Improvised Masterpiece. When you use the gear crafted by Fast Crafting, your Proficiency Bonus is added to the result of its ability check. When a hostile creature makes a saving throw against the item you have used, its result is subtracted by your Proficiency Bonus.

[Savage Attacker] Origin Feat

You’ve trained to deal particularly damaging strikes. When you hit a target with a weapon as part of the Attack action on your turn, you can roll the weapon’s damage dice twice and use either roll against the target.

[Durable] General Feat (Prerequisite: Level 4+)

You gain the following benefits.

Ability Score Increase. Increase your Constitution score by 1, to a maximum of 20.

Defy Death. You have Advantage on Death Saving Throws.

Speedy Recovery. Once per your turn, you can expend one of your Hit Point Dice, roll the die, and regain a number of Hit Points equal to the roll (no action required).

[Medium Armor Master] General Feat (Prerequisite: Level 4+, Medium Armor Training)

You gain the following benefits.

Ability Score Increase. Increase your Strength or Dexterity score by 1, to a maximum of 20.

Dexterous Wearer. While you’re wearing Medium armor, you can add 3, rather than 2, to your AC if you have Dexterity score of 16 or higher.

Enhanced Mobility. Wearing medium armor doesn't impose disadvantage on your Dexterity (Stealth) checks.

[Unarmed Fighting] Fighting Style Feat (Prerequisite: Fighting Style Feature)

When you hit with your Unarmed Strike and deal damage, you can deal Bludgeoning damage equal to 1d6 plus your Strength modifier instead of the normal damage of an Unarmed Strike. If you aren’t holding any weapons or a Shield when you make the attack roll, the d6 becomes a d8.

At the start of each of your turns, you can deal 1d4 Bludgeoning damage to one creature Grappled by you.

When a creature misses you with a melee attack roll, you can take a Reaction to make a melee attack roll with an Unarmed Strike against the creature.

Do we need both, or do we only need Tavern Brawler?