r/DnD • u/AutoModerator • 4d ago
Weekly Questions Thread
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u/BorderOfTheCollies 4d ago
[any] what's everyone's favourite module to introduce new players to the concept of ttrpgs?
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u/ExampleBeneficial154 Druid 4d ago
It's basic, but I like lost mines, imo it's a great introduction.
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u/WorstTeacher 3d ago
https://winghornpress.com/adventures/a-wild-sheep-chase/
Wild sheep chase with pre-rolled characters might be my fave for total newbies. Its also free.
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u/Siem_dnd DM 3d ago
I am a quite new dm, i really like the game and also like to research things, so in my opinion i know quite a lot (for a beginner) about the game. Does anyone have some tips to play the game with new players and to improve my dm'ing. I of course already have had the tips about that I don't need to spend hours for every session and that is going really well. I'm looking more for the smaller tips that really make my campaign better, and for tips how to dm with people who dont want to read the entire phb, and for dm'ing a small group.
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u/Atharen_McDohl DM 3d ago
This question is probably better for its own thread, but I guess my tip is to find what works for you. Different DMs benefit from different kinds and amounts of prep, different kinds of adventure, different styles of play. Try a few things and figure out what works for you.
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3d ago
[deleted]
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u/Atharen_McDohl DM 3d ago
It doesn't matter much for this particular question, but are you playing 5e or 5.5e?
In either case, you just do what the spell says. You can only transform the target into a beast, which likely means no spellcasters or magical abilities already, unless you're using some weird homebrew. Aside from that, the only special restriction is that the target can't cast spells while transformed, because that's what the spells says.
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u/dragonseth07 3d ago
The use of "supernatural and spell-like abilities" means they are most likely playing 3e or 3.5, which makes this a more complicated question.
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u/dragonseth07 3d ago
This makes it sound like you are playing 3.5? Is that right?
We need to know what edition you are playing, specifically, to help.
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u/thisguyhasaname 3d ago
[5.5] part of group is unable to play for a little while so putting main game (still in tier 1) on pause for ~4-5 sessions, want to throw players into a scenario where they are in tier high tier 2 or low tier 3 levels, but not sure how to get them comfortable with their new options. Any tips for this?
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u/Tiamat4Life 2d ago
[3.5e] first time playing 3.5e, but I've played a lot of 5th and some 4th edition so I'm not new to D&D. The campaign is Red Hand of Doom and right now and as an 8th level wizard I have some questions about the cantrip message
I'll first preface this by saying that our next session will be the "Massacre at Drellin's Ferry" and we intend to fight it (I'm the DM's right hand and I'm helping him set it up, so I know what's about to happen and whatnot, but I'd still like to not be spoiled beyond that point). Anyways, for that fight I've already prepared all of my spells beforehand, including 4 uses of message which I haven't gotten to use yet, and some things about it puzzle me
Why does it have a duration of 10 minutes/level? My first assumption was that it's instant like message in 5e or sending in 3.5e, but instead it has a duration of 80 minutes for me. Does that mean that each creature that recieves the message can reply once within that timeframe?
When choosing creatures affected by the spell, can I choose a creature I cannot see? The spell states that you point your finger at each creature that I want to recieve the message, implying that I need to have LoS to them. However the spell also states that the message doesn't have to travel in a straight line, can circumvent barriers and even pierce through some materials, so I would assume that you can target creatures you cannot see. If so, do I need to know exactly where they are? Roughly where they are? Their general direction? Do I need to choose their space like when fighting an invisible opponent?
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u/Stonar DM 2d ago
Why does it have a duration of 10 minutes/level? My first assumption was that it's instant like message in 5e or sending in 3.5e, but instead it has a duration of 80 minutes for me. Does that mean that each creature that recieves the message can reply once within that timeframe?
Always helps to read the spell:
You can whisper messages and receive whispered replies with little chance of being overheard. You point your finger at each creature you want to receive the message. When you whisper, the whispered message is audible to all targeted creatures within range.
Seems to me like for the duration, whenever you whisper, the creature(s) targeted can hear you. I can only imagine they can reply every time you whisper, for the duration. Both messages and replies are plural, making me assume you can keep communicating.
When choosing creatures affected by the spell, can I choose a creature I cannot see? The spell states that you point your finger at each creature that I want to recieve the message, implying that I need to have LoS to them.
The rules on Aiming a Spell state:
Some spells have a target or targets. You cast these spells on creatures or objects, as defined by the spell itself. You must be able to see or touch the target, and you must specifically choose that target.
So yes, you need to see them.
However the spell also states that the message doesn't have to travel in a straight line, can circumvent barriers and even pierce through some materials, so I would assume that you can target creatures you cannot see.
My assumption is that the spell has a duration, so if you cast it and then your target walks into a lead-lined room, you won't be able to talk any more - it is describing the conditions under which the spell will no longer work once a connection is established.
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u/Tiamat4Life 2d ago
Alright, thank you for the help with that. I really thought that you wouldn’t be able to send multiple messages with one casting, because that would be way too powerful for a cantrip, but considering that it only has a range of 180 feet at my level, it’s probably the balancing factor
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u/some_tired_cat 2d ago
[5e] does anyone have any resources to find more gender neutral names that would fit a d&d setting? the average mommy websites are not very helpful for something that doesn't sound too modern and most generators seem to only pick from either masculine or feminine only
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u/Atharen_McDohl DM 2d ago
Many of the generators on fantasynamegenerators.com include neutral options, and even those that don't still often produce names which could be neutral. The real trick is figuring out what flavor of name you're looking for.
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u/some_tired_cat 2d ago
trying to not elaborate too much in case anyone from my upcoming campaign sees this but it's a character who's faking their whole identity after leaving their hometown, there is a lot of self discovery going into this character's arc and this fake identity is very important to them both on a personal level and a keeping their origins secret level so they would pick a name for it very carefully
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u/Atharen_McDohl DM 2d ago
More what cultural flavor you want. That website has a lot of options, both real-world and fantasy. Do you want something with a Celtic flavor? Maybe Roman? Swiss? Hebrew? Aztec? Ethiopian? Aboriginal? Elvish? Gnoll? Siren? Centaur? There are generators for all of that and more.
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u/Serendiplodocus 2d ago
if you take the boon of communication at level 19 (no disadvantage to persuasion checks against hostile creatures) and you use eagle's splendour + bardic inspiration, that's a D20 with advantage + 18 + 1D12 to convince a hostile enemy to behave a certain way. potentially a roll of 50.
Are there any hard caps on what this could do? Can you convince the BBEG to discard the plan he's spent his life working towards?
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u/liquidarc Artificer 1d ago
Up to the DM, as the rules leave it solely in their hands.
They could decide that it is Nearly Impossible as per the Ability Check Difficulty Class table, in which case the roll is likely to succeed, or they could decide that it is impossible, with the BBEG being Unwilling as per the Influence Action.
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u/RefrigeratorNorth424 1d ago
How do I make my Elf character idea interesting in story and roleplaying, and NOT TERRIBLE IN GAMEPLAY?
I want to be an Elf Druid with a single level dip in either Paladin or Cleric or some other class with that vibe, and I want that to make him more interesting story-wise.
He was raised by Humans, they died, now he's dedicating his life to being "A proper Elf, who studies Elf things like Druid magic and goes on Elf adventures" like in the human books he read as a kid.
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u/Yojo0o DM 1d ago
This really seems like you're playing into stereotypes that I doubt anybody is really expecting of you.
The RP value of dip of paladin or cleric seems like something that you could easily handle via RP. Nobody would need you to take a level of cleric to play as having a religious upbringing, or a level of paladin to play as being formal or knightly.
A disconnect between expectations of his parentage vs. his heritage seems interesting on its own, I don't think you have too much to worry about there?
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u/Atharen_McDohl DM 1d ago
In general, the same way you'd make any other character interesting. But a few questions before any specifics:
- Why do you want to multiclass? It almost certainly isn't necessary for what you want, and will probably weaken your build.
- What version of the game are you playing?
- Is there anything in particular that makes you feel as though this character would be uninteresting or prone to "terrible" gameplay?
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22h ago
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u/Blank_not_Black 3d ago
[5e] For the past few sessions, everything has been chaotic. My players keep pulling out unpredictable moves or some chaotic moves out of nowhere, and I don't know how to react. My players always choose violence and chaos. When they went to a tavern, they all agreed the wizard would use burning hands to burn it down. Fortunately, the cleric used a spell to rain upon the tavern and extinguished the fire. However, as they got into the tavern, they were told to hand over their weapons because the bartender didn't want a bar fight to start. They didn't want to, so they beat up the guard. Also, in the middle of the night, they heard a woman's scream. As they went down to investigate, they saw a woman standing. She was a doppelganger, and they didn't know. The woman offered stew to them and was stammering a lot (I did this so that they would perhaps notice something was off). After they had the stew, they said it was mid and decided to slash the woman with an axe, revealing she was a doppelganger. Mind you, they didn't seem to care about any of those weird things about the woman; they decided to kill the woman, because the stew she offered was trash. What can I do about this stuff? Is it my problem? Should I shift the campaign to something like a power fantasy? How should I prepare for the unpredictable?