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Feltheleb
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Добавлен 22 дек 2017
I'm here for #TTRPGs and also for my bad opinions. "Pedantic RAW Analysis. Avoid this Video!" "A Creator Noone Watches" Content creation is one of several hobbies of mine. I hope you all enjoy!
Creating a Cult in DnD 5e: Mechanics and Benefits
In this video I discuss the mechanics behind creating a cult in DnD 5e. Specifically, I examine the rules as written in several sources to determine what rules may be relevant to that endeavor.
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Also hello to all the people who came here from Jocat's Heart of #Elynthi video! Hope you'll stick around!
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#DnD #DungeonsAndDragons
Thank you very much to World Anvil for Sponsoring the video. Please check out the link below and use coupon code: FELTHELEB to get 40% off any yearly subscriptions to World Anvil.
World Anvil Link:
worldanvil.com/?c=feltheleb
Halfling Hobbies Video:
ruclips.net/video/gJ2iZjawA2M/видео.html
Also hello to all the people who came here from Jocat's Heart of #Elynthi video! Hope you'll stick around!
Follow me on twitter: @Feltheleb
#DnD #DungeonsAndDragons
Просмотров: 5 934
Видео
DnD 5e Without Gods? Is It Possible?
Просмотров 1,3 тыс.Год назад
Please forgive my voice, I am currently getting over my second case of Covid. In this video, I discuss what a world without gods would look like for DnD 5e, specifically addressing how divine classes would cope without their deities and the campaign setting of Dark Sun. If there is anything else you want to see me cover, please let me know thanks again for watching! Todd Talks: ruclips.net/vide...
The King's Lockbox: Why Roll if You Can't Succeed?
Просмотров 508Год назад
Oh boy, twitter ain't going to like this one. In this video, I discuss why I think its ok to roll even if your players can't "succeed." Davvy said I couldn't use his tweet unless "bazongas" was in the video. Well, guess what? Its in the video! Thank you for watching, and let me know what you want to see in the future! "Tiny lockbox" by quinet is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this ...
Ranting about Minor DnD "Controversies"
Просмотров 3,6 тыс.2 года назад
I'm back! In this one, I just...well I just want to talk. This was a more freeform video that I made with no script. Just talking. Nothing in this video is super important. Its just been a while since I've put something out and a lot of these things have been on my mind. Let me know if you like this kind of content and if you want to see more in the future. As always, thanks a lot for watching!...
My LEAST favorite DnD Combat "Advice"
Просмотров 3,3 тыс.2 года назад
In this shorter video, I talk about a piece of DnD "advice" that has always irked me: this idea that we should be thinking or deciding what to do before our turns. Not a lot going on there, just something I thought I'd talk about since I've seen a few memes about it recently. I have a bunch of fun new stuff in the works so I am very much looking forward to the end of the year. Please let me kno...
A Stabilization Check: DCs as They Might Be
Просмотров 5012 года назад
In this video, I discuss DnD 5e ability checks through the lens of the stabilizaiton mechanic. I argue that the listed 10 DC, though useful in its own ways, is not immutable and can be changed to fit the circumstances. Once again, I'm being pedantic for...well I'm not sure I ever have a reason. Please let me know if you would like to see this kind of content in the future, or leave a comment an...
DnD Roleplay Tip: Emotional Honesty
Просмотров 18 тыс.2 года назад
In this video, I attempt to break down the steps in responding with emotional honesty to help improve roleplay. Links to the clip(s) original source material is below. Please comment below for any content you might like to see! Critical Role Ep 85: ruclips.net/video/N7DuwqJtCGI/видео.html Dimension 20 Fantasy High Ep 14: ruclips.net/video/C6lnrDGbOag/видео.html Antumbra Echoes of the Eclipse St...
Revivify DOES Work: A Response to Pack Tactics
Просмотров 4,7 тыс.2 года назад
I'd like to thank Pack Tactics for being a good sport in allowing me to use portions of his 1 minute video in my 16 minute response. In this video, I talk about Revivify in DnD 5E and make the argument for how/why it works. Big thanks to @VitaminDitter for helping me with some script editing. Kobold's Original Video: ruclips.net/user/shortsjKglAJCKF9k?feature=share Please check out and subscrib...
Gold in DnD: A Rant without Value
Просмотров 5 тыс.2 года назад
Well, I'm back. Who knows if it will take me more than a year to complete my next video. Either way, I hope you enjoy me attempting to grapple with matters I am unworthy of. (That was a economics pun). Thank you so much for watching, and I hope that you stick around for more 5th edition DnD Content. Thanks! Discerning Merchant's Guide: www.dmsguild.com/product/205126/Discerning-Merchants-Price-...
A DnD Game, but Make it Bingo (Tall Tales Stream Highlight)
Просмотров 9403 года назад
If you aren't already, subscribe to @talltales2039 , an improvised DnD Comedy Show starring myself, @BirdCyclops , @XPtoLevel3 and @Runesmith! We play every other Sunday. Hoping to have some cool guests some time soon. These clips were drawn from episode 5, which you can find here: ruclips.net/video/SDjoTkj7YPU/видео.html Follow me on twitter: @Feltheleb #DnD #DungeonsAndDragons
Use a Dartboard in DnD!
Просмотров 9353 года назад
In today's video, I discuss a non-traditional tabletop tool: the average dartboard! I attempt to make the case that a dartboard can be utilized for various checks to try and bring a little spice to your table. Thank you so much for two thousand subscribers! I am so honored. Please let me know what topics you'd like to see me handle in a video. I do not have a consistent theme at all for my vide...
Using Stibble's Codex for a DnD Mystery Dungeon
Просмотров 3,1 тыс.3 года назад
In this video I explain a "playstyle" that uses Eldermancy's Stibble's Codex of Companions to create a Pokemon-mystery-dungeon-inspired #DnD One-Shot! I wish I could use bigger quotation marks around playstyle but here we are. Purchase Stibble's Codex here: eldermancy.com/ Link to Tall Tales ft. Adan, Feltheleb, Runesmith, and XPtoLevel3: ruclips.net/channel/UCM2gY_4vGrN_ozGAXZMyhZA Link to Spr...
A DnD Looters One Shot
Просмотров 10 тыс.3 года назад
In this video, I describe my idea for a #DnDLooters OneShot! Party members will complete tasks on their first day on the job before the dinner rush rushes at them! Please let me know if you'd like to see more content like this in the future. Also, yes I am aware Feltheleb is a strange name! I get it! DnD Looters was created by: JoCat YT - ruclips.net/channel/UCRDVE5L1LTWhmPAKKbUBGtg Twitter - t...
Blazing Saddles and DnD World-Building
Просмотров 7983 года назад
Hi all! In this video, I discuss my theories about DnD World Building through the lens of Mel Brooks' 1974 comedy, Blazing Saddles. I know what you're thinking: "What in the Wide World of Sports issa going on?" I hope you enjoy my takes! Please let me know if there is anything else you'd like to see me contemplate in my usual style! Thank you for watching Follow me on twitter: @Feltheleb #DnD #...
Why Are Bards The Way They Are?
Просмотров 1,4 тыс.3 года назад
In this video, I respond to Esper the Bard's...response to XPtoLevel3's...response? Anyway, I discuss the archetype of "the bard" and theorize about why we've come to see the bard as a wiley musician with a pension for...ehm...persuasion. Follow me on Twitter: @Feltheleb XP to Level 3's Video: ruclips.net/video/zLLMGq6RgsE/видео.html XP to Level's 3's Response to his Video: ruclips.net/video/od...
My Opinion on the DnD Combat Wheelchair
Просмотров 4,4 тыс.4 года назад
My Opinion on the DnD Combat Wheelchair
Feltheleb Teaches DnD [Masterclass Parody]
Просмотров 1,8 тыс.4 года назад
Feltheleb Teaches DnD [Masterclass Parody]
No Racial ASI's? Exploring a 5e Supplement
Просмотров 8214 года назад
No Racial ASI's? Exploring a 5e Supplement
How "Reaction" Gaming Ads are Made [SKETCH]
Просмотров 2284 года назад
How "Reaction" Gaming Ads are Made [SKETCH]
A Scrapped Guide to D&D? Bard Subclass Idea
Просмотров 6094 года назад
A Scrapped Guide to D&D? Bard Subclass Idea
Making DnD Character Creation "Spicier"
Просмотров 1,3 тыс.4 года назад
Making DnD Character Creation "Spicier"
The Improv Rule of "Yes, And..." Can Make You A Better DM
Просмотров 16 тыс.4 года назад
The Improv Rule of "Yes, And..." Can Make You A Better DM
Me when the DM says not to make an edgelord character again
Просмотров 2754 года назад
Me when the DM says not to make an edgelord character again
My Girlfriend Guesses the Names of DnD Monsters
Просмотров 5404 года назад
My Girlfriend Guesses the Names of DnD Monsters
I really think what they should have done is give each race a +1 bonus to a stat and a -1 penalty to another to help give the race/species/lineage identity. Then there should be a +2 bonus or two +1 bonuses from your background, and one final +1 bonus from your class, with the stipulation that you cannot get a total bonus higher than +2 for one ability score (I would have to work a bit to hash out all the details, but the background and class ASI would each be semi-flexible, with two choices of where to put the boost). So, in total, four +1 bonuses derived from the various facets of the character's identity, and a -1 penalty from the character's species. I'm sorry, no matter how you want to slice it, it feels silly to say that a gnome has the exact same biological capacity for strength as an orc. Sure, the strongest of gnomes may be stronger than the average orc, but they (should) need to work harder to do it and sacrifice something in exchange (for example, using the +2 bonus from background and the +1 bonus from class to offset the -1 penalty from species). A system like that would allow enough flexibility to allow for more variance in race/class combos, while still giving a slight edge to the more traditional choices. Yes, I know that One D&D is already finished anyway, so it's not going to change, but I still think it would have been a better way to balance the natural tendencies of species that are obviously different from each other with allowing players the creative freedom to build what they want.
My campaigns are on a copper or silver standard. Figure an unskilled laborer makes 5 copper a month and can usually save 2 of those if he lives alone in a rented apartment for 1.5 copper a month. Briefly, 100 copper commons equal a silver noble and 100 silver nobles equals a gold sovereign and 100 gold equals a platinum. There are also electrum, bronze, brass and even iron coins, but you get the idea. Also, every realm uses the same ratio of precious to alloy substance so that their coinage isn't considered less valuable than that of another realm. Close allies will often mint the exact same coins (even jointly minting) as each other, with each side representing a different ally. This allows trade to flourish. Few have even ever seen a silver coin and NO ONE walks around with gold. Unless you are buying something EXTREMELY expensive like magic items or a caravan full of goods, they are hard to spend. Adventurers might find, after a hard fought plunder session for say 4th level characters, might waltz into town with .5-4 gold (in all kinds of bulky forms) for a party of 6. They have to sell their gains, at a loss compared to their actual face value of course, and then they can celebrate. Unless they have to replenish supplies anyway. What random things cost is a direct result of how plentiful the raw materials are, how many artisans can make the item and is there enough demand to actually make the item for inventory or are they special orders.
One of the fundamental conceits of D&D is that the story takes place in a dangerous and violent world, one in which travel between cities and towns is inherently dangerous, and so the average person leaves home only when there is no other choice. In such a world, an Adventurer is an anomaly, someone who not only braves the wilds, but does so by choice, and deliberately explores the dangerous and wild places that no one else will. In the 4E handbook takes pains to describe there there is just something *different* about the adventurer. Even at level 1, they are capable beyond the reach of a normal person. They might have a special destiny, or be one of only a scant few capable of casting magic, the scion of some forgotten god, or even a reborn god themself. Adventurers are special, and they only get more special as their power grows. I think that the economic setup of the world of D&D is meant to reflect this reality. A day's adventure for a level 1 party is worth nearly a nobleman's lifestyle specifically because it is beyond the capabilities of any but a foolhardy adventurer to survive such an experience. Those treasures were always in that cave for the taking, but naught but an army could have entered it and survived. And as your powers grows and you realize your special destinies, the rewards become even greater, rewards that will allow you to harness that special destiny and bend it to your will. In the end, an Adventurer could find themselves the lords of an estate, kings and queens, Generals in the Kingdom's Army, or even with funding enough to create a Kingdom of their own in the wilds they have tamed. The GP as a standard, with its value representing the average daily take home of a skilled laborer, exists to show you how much MORE your collected value is than that. it's not a broken economy, it's a special economy, one which only exists and works for the Adventurer and other higher-order beings.
I personally made a table based off of the Infernal Deals section of Decent into Avernus as well as the content on what Archfey contracts can reward you (which seemed like a polished version of the Infernal Deals) I love all the resources you put together to make this a smooth system. I'm definitely going to review all of this and take the group patron approach so its all bundled nicely under one roof. Amazing video!
Making a tower with stairs is a "jerk move" JFC dude
Yea, but if they have one week worth of modest living, and they choose to use their gold for just that, then their down time between adventures is gonna be boring and unproductive. If they have anything to do besides just live, that's going to shorten the time they can spend between adventures. One they're taking dragon hordes, they get to deal with powerful (or even royal) interests claiming parts of our that were allegedly stolen from their families, kingdoms or institutions etc. Mo money, mo problems, a they say
Forgotten Realms is shit. It's overcomplicated, overburdened with lore, and just way too crowded. Stop using FR for your setting. On top of that, the modules give stupid amounts of treasure/gold. Like way beyond what a shopowner should have, especially considering what they charge for stuff. Ditch it all, have prices rise and fall for certain consumables where your party travels, and give random crap rather than gold more often. And by crap, i mean crap. A fancy red bottle, a silver button, a week's rations, etc. Just give them crazy amounts of random things. It's more realistic that people are carrying everyday items like a ham sandwich than their life savings in gold.
2:28 You know, something like that happened in England once. It caused a giant economic crisis because people would buy English coins and sell it in France for more than they were bought in England and just keep going back and forth. The English economy was flooded with Franch currency and vice-versa.
That ending scene you shared was so sweet❤
The simplified way to resolve this is with trade rout maps. Min max on commodities. You know you have places where art sells at full price others where grain is at it's best. Economics is resource handling real sale items have an aria of effect centered from the point of origin. So using your world map bandwidth circles trade routs extending it you can calculate demand eventually reaching max shipping cost value damage. I know this seems a little complex but it can be applied to all items as a system. Plus if you study civics sandbox auto stories just tell themselfs.
I dont think the game was meant to go deep into economy. A huge undertaking for the DM to keep track of scales of economy.
Me I think the main problem with the concept of a wheelchair in DnD is that it's inclusion is predicated on the idea that it's the only possible solution to the problem of having a particular disability.... This is a magical fantasy world with flying carpets, animated chairs and armor, and all manner of fantastical beasts that could be used as mounts... It also seems to not take into consideration what a disabled player character could potentially do without a mobility aid in the context of the setting.... (As well as forcing the DM/Player to come up with some cause that can't be healed by the abilities accessible to the player characters or NPCs that populate the world... Namely a cause not tied to any form of injury or disease...) That said I think when it comes to wheelchairs their use by disabled characters should not be the only use considered.... (Things like maximum weight capacity, how many player characters it can hold, how fast it can go when being pushed by another PC, because I could see in an emergancy the dwarven fighter gets in the chair users lap, and the monk grabs the handle bars to push allowing the entire party to travel at monk speed while running from something bad.....)
Good tips, I think. Trying to enhance my character and really make the others at my table *think* and *feel* the implications of his situation, rather than simply observe them. I hope this might help.
So glad I found this video! I have a player who wants to start expanding his cult out past the handful of followers he already has. I wasn't sure how to go about it mechanically, but this was perfect! Really appreciate you putting this together!
I really think that most of these types of vidoes are a LOT of overthinking. I dont think its "punishing" to attach a risk to resting, BUT you can absolutely hand wave the resting if you think it does. OR you can, like I do, make short rests 10 min. Again, it actually doesnt matter, and if I have a party member who wants to short rest, i'd let them as a fellow player....it doesnt eat into the real world time, not like we are taking 1 hr of game time to short rest, it can be 20 sec, and good to go. I think this is a whole lot ado about nothing...
The obvious issue here is that "creature" is a mechanical term. Yet, "a creature that has died..." is used as a new, separate mechanical term, that includes said existing mechanical term. It is a mistake as a mechanical system. It should, of course, use wording that mentions objects turning into creatures specifically.
Honestly, BECMI had a pretty decent economic balance overall... Mind you, coin weights were ridiculous, but the overall economy made relatively fair sense, given how XP was derived from income, not just from monster killing...
/= D
Where I'm at as a DM, the example used is way too OP and is far better than normal legs. I would not allow a chair with wheels, but I would allow spider legs on a chair and have it skitter around.
Here's the thing you're ignoring just support your argument: There are Hindrances in EVERY SINGLE D&D game. There's a gap between 2 cliffs, some characters can make it, others cannot. It doesn't matter what character you are playing as, you fail that athletics check, you won't make it. By your logic, "the gm is just being a dick". And seriously, people who are bound to their handicap don't want to be handicapped. I have loads of medical issues that make my life an utter living hell, WHY THE HELL DO YOU THINK I PLAY FANTASY GAMES? To be reminded of it or to escape it? Its not insensitive, its not being a dick as you claim to put roadblocks in the way. And seriously, your door example is dumb. Play an Ice Giant, see a Gnomes house, do you honestly believe that Gnome who is barely the height of a human toddler is gonna make their door big enough for an ice giant to come in? Its not a cool idea, its dumb. Xavier has mind powers, his disability is a non-issue, and FFS his chair can fly. Real wheel chairs themselves are a hindrance for those using them, not because they want to use them, but because THEY LITERALLY HAVE NO CHOICE. Do you honestly think I'd find it enjoyable to play what I live every single of my life? Ask any disabled person if they were given the chance to walk and never have to deal with the crutches or the chair again, YOU REALLY THINK THEY'D SAY NO? Yes, its an option. But its an option that actual wheelbound folks would not use. And seriously, THE BIG BAD EVIL GUY IS NOT GONNA MAKE A DUNGEON TO ACCOMMODATE FOR YOUR INABILITIES. Try telling a Lich to be considerate of Fighters who can't use magic. See how well that works out.
"It doesn't matter what character you are playing as, you fail that athletics check, you won't make it. By your logic, "the gm is just being a dick". " - That is a really good point. Yes. With this logic there is no reason to have skill checks and no reason to have a challenge. In D&D 5e there are many attributes considered "dump stats". Like Intelligence, and Strength. The reason they are dump stats is because players and DM's do not use them a lot. If the DM want strength to matter, have more physical challenges. Like climbing cliffs, jumping over pits and lifting and pulling things. If the DM wants intelligence to matter. Have more lore like history, politics and investigations. In my game we have quite a lot of it, and it is noticable when our barbarian with 8 in Int, Wis and Cha has to do those checks. They gotten into quite a lot of issues because of it. However a DM is not a "dick" for having a failure state because a character did not succeed. There is plenty of ways to resolve issues. But most players do not prepare when they go out on adventures. Like. Not trying to read through the advanture gear supplies. "I have loads of medical issues that make my life an utter living hell, WHY THE HELL DO YOU THINK I PLAY FANTASY GAMES? To be reminded of it or to escape it?" - Because these things are empty gestures and for virtue singals. It is made by people that just "want to be more open to people", while failing to understand the subject matter they are talking about. Most of them also don't play the game.
so the wheelchair cost 200gold. New characters can opt to start of with Gold instead of Starting equipment. Gold is randomized, (5D4 x 10Gd). You have 0.000976563 chance to buy a Standard wheelchair at Level 1.
The Dark Sun thing always weirded me out. 😅 "Look! Look what a world without gods looks like!", and I'm like, "Well, it's more like _this is what a world with a climate that destroys most plant life_ looks like." 🤷🏾♀️ I keep toying with the idea of making a campaign setting out of a novel I'm writing. There's magic, but no gods...yet, just because there are no gods, that doesn't mean that humanoid groups haven't simply made up ones to believe in! One "devoted god-fearing" culture has a very permissive, helpful, compassionate, justice-loving, and passionate way of life. The other, has a very rigid, depressing, tyrannical, abusive, hierarchial way of life. So what makes the difference? Clearly not gods, whether existence of, or belief in. Nor is a 'willingness to fight' factor in either, since both groups have their warriors. The difference is that the first one has a love of the land as a being in itself (which it also weaves into its belief system)...meaning that, the first culture has a very vibrant, healthy, sustainable ecosystem to subsist from. As well as a deep devotion to care for, share with, and support each other, and to collaborate with other cultures, as people. The other? Sees the land as 'dead resources' that the powerful 'should own'...and treats it that way (this view is also tied into their belief system). And, in treating the land that way, they partially CREATE the awful scarcity and environmental devastation that leads to the hierarchies that become abusive, non-permissive, insular, overly competitive, and, ultimately, carelessly murderous towards all those that they (unjustly) designate as "subhumanoid", and therefore "unworthy" of literal life.
My criticism of the combat wheel chair from a creative stand point is that I find it to be unimaginative. There are several games that circumvent the physical disabilities of characters or units. Lucio from Overwatch, the Protoss Dragoon from StarCraft, and the Imperium Dreadnought from Warhammer 40k are a few I can think of. All of these examples are in keeping with the aesthetic and technology of the world they are in. If you were to give Lucio a wheel chair instead of cybernetic legs it would look silly. A space marine wheeling down a hill firing at a squad of Orks looks silly. In the world of dungeons and dragons a wheel chair looks fine for a former adventurer in retirement in his/her mansion. But within the confines of an ancient crypt it looks silly. You have a world of magic, artificers, lost dwarven technology and the best this creator could come up with for allowing a paraplegic to go adventuring was a wheelchair that can do magic? It's at this point that I believe it's more about the wheelchair itself than about being inclusive toward the physically disabled. The creator like many people from this generation want to play characters who are exactly like them, in a world that caters to them instead of playing characters in a world that reacts to their decisions. Gh0stMan0nThird on Reddit says it beautifully: "Let's replace "wheelchair" with "breastplate," and I don't think anyone would be singing this items' praises. This is the epitome of overpowered, Mary Sue homebrew that nobody should take seriously. Coming from a disabled veteran, regardless of how you feel about the idea of a combat wheelchair, this ain't it."
Also, specific demon lords and arch devils have benefits for their cultists, such as Yehegeru (the gnoll one) gives his cultists rampage (extra attacks on a kill) and Gritzzt (the sexy one) gives his cultists pleasure from pain (a reaction attack after being hit). You could talk to your dm about deities giving benefits like that, otherwise fiends actually give you benefits for being their cultists (aside from the other benefits)
Primordial forces are not divine in a theological sense. They are fundamental to the material world but themselves "created" and contingent on the metaphysical. Clerics of nature or elemental forces are materialist / pagan literally by definition and are not to be trusted because of it. Likewise believing in justice requires a justice giver. There is no difference in having devotion in the embodiment of the concept directly or the moral expression downstream. If there was a difference it would mean that justice wasnt contingent on divinity and thus it would also be cut off from divine energies logically
It is not the same as soldiers. Soldiers risk their lives but only in very certain situations and in most cases they are guaranteed a lot of advantages and social benefits (such as having guaranteed rations, a place to sleep, a weapon, a uniform, companions with whom to combat, an experienced leader/captain, etc.) and the rest of the time, in times of peace, they live quiet lives. An adventurer has none of this. The life of an adventurer is practically the life of the desperate or reckless, whoever dedicates themselves to that is risking their life by betting that perhaps they will find a chest with several coins that will allow them to stop being poor. It is something comparable to the life of a criminal, in a single robbery of a store they can obtain in seconds what it would take months to earn by working, and if they rob a bank they obtain a small fortune in seconds. That is what makes criminals risk everything: their lives because they could die in a shooting or car accident during the chase, or their freedom by having to spend up to 30 years locked up. Not everyone is desperate or reckless enough to try it, but the potential gains are attractive enough for some to risk it all. A normal person would throw themselves into one of those dangerous jobs (eliminating a tribe of goblins that settled nearby and are attacking the town) just wanting to be able to earn enough to be able to live a few months or years in peace... and if the job is bigger, many would be wishing they could say "we will do this job, just this last job, and we can retire to buy a cabin, a couple of animals, and live quietly for the rest of our lives". It should not draw attention to how much the characters can earn in adventures, perhaps the low mortality or risk should draw attention. The rules in D&D, especially today, are made to create characters well above the human average (no character starts with all their characteristics at 10, and I bet very few do so with their main characteristic being 14 or 15... that's 4 or 5 points above the human average), and exponentially they become more and more powerful until they become almost semi-divine. That's why these characters, when they get 50 gold coins after a dangerous job, think about using that money to buy some health potion or a new weapon to continue dedicating themselves to those "adventures" instead of using that money simply to live a peaceful modest life for a couple of years.
I think you are doing a mistake here in how you portray the tables in DMG. You can roll once individually yes. But if you have already planned to run 6 encounters, you have most likely planned out an adventure. At that you should use the Hoard instead. Here is how it can be used. Example: You make a dungeon for a 1-4th level party. Lets say we use the 0-4 Challenge hoard. I rolled (in real life with real dice) 1700cp 1000sp 60gp 01 for gems or art objects: which means none. So in this example we have 177gp to distribute through the dungeon. Even if it said that there were no gems or artwork in this dungeon, we can just buy it using the gold pot we have. We can use 25gp from the 60gp pool and get a 25gp artwork. Lets say a golden bracelet. We can then exchange 500sp to get 5x 10gp gemstones. We can then exchange the 10gp and 150sp for a signet ring of a local noble house worth 25gp. Then we also get some trade goods. 50 lb of salt (250cp), 40 sq.yd of canvas (400cp), 60 sq.yd of cotton cloth (300sp) and 100 lbs of iron (1000cp) So we then have: 50cp 50sp 25gp 2x 25gp art objects (a bracelet and a ring) 5x 10gp gemstones 50lbs salt 40 sq.yd of canvas 60 sq.yd of cotton cloth 100lbs iron So now lets make the dungeon. The mission is for the party to go to and old temple a clerical order has been using in the past, but it is now overrun by Goblins that uses it as a headquaters to rob merchants as they travel the road. The clerics have already sent a few people over to try and clear it out, but they have not returned. They have sent out a party made up of 4 people led by a roaming young knight. The clerics therefore pay 20gp (1 weeks wage for a skilled worker) to anyone who can go there and remove the goblins. When the party arrives at the temple they discover that the last group was killed by the goblins and have been strung up on poles to show their strength and scare people away. The bodies has been rotting for some time now and can not be carried for long. You only discover 3 of the people from the last group. You kill the guards at the front and take the bodies down. If you loot the dead bodies you discover that the 3 bodies have 10 cp and 10sp each. The goblins have nothing of value. They then continue in into the main hall where they encounter more goblins, but also get ambushed by a patrol that had just returned. After defeating the goblins in the main hall they notice that the 5 statues in the main hall depict great paladins of old. Each sword hilt has a small gem inside of it. If the players want they can climb up and steal the gems from the statues. Maybe they can blame the goblins for it. Then then continue on to the Goblin boss ( a bugbear or maybe a hobgoblin). He has made camp in the catacomb where clerics of the order were buried if proven worthy. After defeating the boss and his minions you find the last member from the team that was sent there before you. Turns out it was a 3rd son of a noble who went out to try and seek fame and glory as an adventurer, but was killed by the goblins. He has his signet ring on him as well as a money pouch with 5gp. In the boss room there is a few unopened graves. In one of them a skeleton has a golden bracelet that can be taken. Maybe blame the goblins again. The players can also find what remains after the goblins have plundered a merchant rather recently. Seemed to have been a goods transport. You can find salt, canvas, cotton cloth and iron. All of it is marked with the trade guilds iconography. If the players want to take the trade goods they can do so, but have issues selling the grade goods in town as it is marked by the guild and everyone will know it is stolen. However with the right connections it can be fenced. They can also hand the trade goods back to the guild who were most likely waiting for them, or can find where they were supposed to go. But the reward they get is only worth 75% of the value, so 1237cp and 225sp. Unless they have a connection with the guild and can get a favorable price, or maybe allow for someone who is persuasive to get a better deal. Since the bodies of the old adventurers are to rotten to recover. The bodies can be left there or buried on site. But if the signet ring is returned to the noble, he will reward you with the same value the ring is worth to sell. You also notice a small money pouch filled with the remaining money, 20cp and 20sp. It used to belong to the merchants. So. Lets say we play a good guy party that do not plunder temples or rob graves. You do take the money from the dead however. That means you will get the 50cp, 50sp, and 5gp. You recover the signet ring and get 25gp for that. You get the trade goods back and get 1237cp and 225sp You also get the reward for 30gp This means your reward for this is 321 cp, 69sp and 12gp each. So about 21 gp, 9sp and 21cp This means it will provide you with almost 2 weeks and 2 days of modest living. Or almost halfway to get a Studded Leather Armor instead of the Leather Armor you already have. But if you are more evil and loot the place more. You can get much closer to the 44gp each that the adventured offered. Like if you consider things like this. It isn't actually a problem. You should just consider the random tables as suggestions to see if you can create something that make sense. You should use it first get an idea of what and how much you should reward with, and then change it to be what you want. You should give out treasure as a reward or things that incentivize roleplaying. Give moral dilemmas between robbing the dead or destroying a temple for gain. The issues you bring up is what happens if you do not think about what you are doing. So the question will be. Why are you as a DM not thinking about the money you give out?
I do not really see this as a problem. If you are an adventurer and risk your life, you should be able to live as a king. That is why you risked your life. If you wanted a safe life you shouldn’t be an adventurer.
The idea is nothing new so I dont see why people complain so much about it my only personnal complain woudl be about it being too good and making you better than a non crippled person... so all the need multiple crits cannot be shoved out of it or thrown ont he side is a big no for me... but since there is magic and some anachronic tech, it could be quite easy to make it a weelchair with extra trick gained throught the campaing(having build in levitation to climb stair low height...being able to fold it when you can use it or senhd it into a demi-plane for the time beeing for exemple if you need to cross a river) If its just to be in a wheelchair and have none of the problem(be better than normal people) of such an object/situation it would recieve a big no from me... its like giving a steam mecha/magic item other dont get it need to be somewhat balanced by an oportunity cost.
I tend to ignore the medieval context of living costs and use a modern context for costs. Players tend to wrap their heads around it better. A gold piece is essentially a dollar in value. It’s a world of magic. Gold is everywhere. Its value is diminished relative to ours to that of a real world buck. Now a healing potion costing 50 gp isn’t astronomical to a regular npc but a joke to a player. It’s $50 bucks and attainable to most.
I disagree. Most of the time the battle's not going to change SO drastically that all advance thinking will go to waste. Even if you end up having to alter your turn, should things change before you go, modifying your course of action is going to take less time than starting from scratch EVERY turn. What's more, you don't lose anything if you look up how a spell or ability works before your turn if things change, something else that players should be doing while their turn is coming up. Considering what could be wrong with the combat itself IS a good move, but "you should be thinking about your turn" is 100% good advice. Players getting to their turn without a plan absolutely slows things down, 'active listening' isn't enough.
I think the way you subtly jabbed at the imbalance of the price economy for things like castles and a potions with your delivery was pretty top-notch lmao
So tweak it. Rule number one is everything is up to the discretion of the DM.
Just what I needed.
My Enchantment Wizard's goal in the current campaign I'm part of is to make a cult that worships him as their God. I play him as the party face most of the time considering most of the party are martial classes. Me being an Enchantment wizard I can rp it as I am actively brainwashing my followers and so far the roleplaying has been real good as my cult gains traction.
While I like to reward my players with gold, I like to reward them with world info and weapons more. Usually with my post fight treasure hoards, I do throw in some gold but most of the treasure is information, maps, and weapons/other tools for the party to utilize. I’ve been told that my party like this system more than just getting gold since they have rarely used their gold outside of minor shopping and one ship upgrade (which was most of their gold).
I have experience with both dming and playing. As a player specifically in combat, I like to have a Plan A and a Plan B. Plan A is usually “what can I do at the immediate moment” and Plan B is “If the battlefield changes, what can I do then”. I like to have the two options depending where I’m at in the turn order.
I started running my first campaign a few months ago. Recently, they had some down time and were messing around trying to throw potatoes into orbit. Of course that’s unrealistic if not impossible but it sounded fun. So I told my party “if you roll high enough, I’ll allow it” they then rolled multiple Nat 20s in a row so I allowed it. After the fun was over. I let the party know that, that probably won’t happen again and ruled it as surprise divine intervention that allowed it. It didn’t have any consequences on the story or any long term effects so I saw it as some fun shenanigans.
Gotta disagree… gods are vital to have clerics. The revisionist take of domains over Gods is to allow the atheist or agnostic to play and not upset their world view.
New DM here, killed my first PC recently. Their long lost, recently found daughter, was begging them not to leave her, and their long deceased mother, whose death set in motion their whole character arc, was lovingly guiding them to the other side. I ended up getting super into both these characters at the same time, jumping back and forth between the sheer anguish of losing a father you had just barely found and the immeasurable joy of seeing your child again after so long. I really thought I’d be able to keep it together and just pretend to be emotional, but it really got me and I started bawling! So I just decided to lean into it, quickly swapping back and forth between tears of anguish and of joy. It was an incredible experience for everyone at the the table and I wasn’t even acting! I just felt the emotions and ran with it instead of pushing them down.
The non-standardized coinage is a whole problem onto itself. Assuming a standardized currency (GP), the real issue with RAW is it treats every reward as the equivalent of winning the lottery. In 5e, PC are not working adventurers or bounty hunters trying to make a living. They're game show contestants who win a million dollar jackpot every session. I've given a lot of thought to the money problem in 5e. I'm thinking about scaling the loot to be much smaller like a generous wage. Closer to the annual wages of workers = 72-720 GP per reward. Monsters and creatures with no ties to the economy will have no gold rewards. I've read about a few DMs on reddit talk about running cash strapped games which gives low GP and requires the party to budget. At the reward levels listed in RAW, money is essential meaningless. Money can only maintain value if there is a level of scarcity. Every party can't be walking around with Fort Knox in their bag of holding.
Well. I don't fully agree. If you are a DM that just have a chest full of gold at the end, then yes. It is like playing a lottery because that is how you designed it. But if you do not want it like that, you should instead dish out the reward through the dungeon. Like having a valuable ring if the players rob a tomb, giving the party a RP reason if they are willing to rob tombs or not. Having statues made out of ivory or obsidian in the dungeon, or a well made tapestry or rare books. That way the reward is technically there, but the player is required to grab it and recognize the value of it to gain the reward. Just because you roll on the table and get 600gp does not mean the adventure require that amount of gold as a reward.
Why does almost everyone make the same faulty assumption that every 'encounter' is going to result in a) combat or b) with all of the enemies being killed or c) with all of the enemies carrying loot. None of those conditions are required for an 'encounter'. Even the sample Sylvan Forest Encounters table has mostly non-combat encounters (assuming a non-murder-hobo party). Even if the party instantly attacks, at least some of the opponents could run away if they're obviously losing. If you are lucky enough to have competent players you could even include encounters which they need to retreat from to avoid a TPK. Beasts and other low intelligence creatures are highly unlikely to be carrying stuff around. Even those that do collect shiny things would leave them back in their lair which could be quite well hidden. Anyways, the flow of money and magic in the game is totally under the DM's control.
As an amateur player who experienced several wonderful interactions and emotions, I find myself supported by your tips. They are basically what I am already doing and I have noticed the other players in one of my groups latching on to it and getting the same results. Our characters feel like real people to us. Each and every one of them has a unique connection to each of the others, and we can all predict certain reactions. We are also very much aware of the differences between the player and the character. I think the tip by @colbymunro7736 to run big choices by the (other) players is a good addition. For me, this comes down to being aware of what the other players around the table need to feel safe and comfortable, and make sure to keep open out-of-character communication during in-character conflict. My best friend and I did an online session and our characters got into a massive row that ended up with mine distancing herself from the party for the night; throughout, we were in touch on WhatsApp to reassure each other that we were still having a good time. By contrast, that same friend is the DM in my other group and one of her favorite NPCs is bullied by my character; after recent events, I let her know I intended to have my character make amends with her NPC. She told me she was nervous about that talk, so I let her know what my character is going to say - more or less. Same person, different feelings and needs in a slightly different situation. Lastly, I would like to add one little piece of advice: if a player is emotionally invested in an interaction or event and it turns out you (as another player or the DM) made a mistake in presenting said interaction or event, check in on the player. Once I managed to get actual tears in my eyes when my character was in a certain situation, only for the DM to rectify the situation and another player taking back her character's action that had upset mine. I had to emotionally rewind and experienced this as unpleasant, immersion-breaking and emotionally difficult. At that time, I would have liked anyone involved to acknowledge my feelings, no matter in how minor a way. And of course: if this is you at some point, speak up yourself to state your needs! (I did, but it fell on deaf ears as they were apparently in some kind of debate. So I told them later and they graciously apologized for what happened and failing to recognize the impact.)
The economic system in D&D is completelly broken. In no way does it reflect reality. The way I went around it is to reprice everything. I changed the basic value of all the coins and reprices items based on the new value. The result is that silver is the base coin, has it has always been historicly. Copper purchases day to day items, silver is for big purchases and electrum, gold and platinum is reserved for the rich. I don't use the loot tables. I give loot to what I feel the enemy would normally carry based on his/it's profession or social class. For monsters, why would they have loot? I can't figure out what a basilisk would do with a gold pouch ;) Same goes for fees and expenses. The amount of gold needed to craft potions and scrolls is just insane. No one would ever do it if this was a real world. Think of it, who would spend 28 years to scribe a 9th level scroll and spend 500,000 gold to do it? Remember that 1 gold piece is 1/3 of an ounce of gold, so roughly 633$ each. So 316.5 million dollars to scribe the scroll... who would ever purchase that? Remember that this is base cost, it doesn't take into account profit for pretty much a lifetime of work. Just utter madness. Same goes for pretty much everything in the equipment lists. Everything is so expensive no one could ever purchase anything. A full revamp of the economic system is needed if you want a shread of realism to be present in your game.
Player 1: "Whats my mothers name?" Player 2: "I subtle spell cast detect thoughts"
Aside from Dark Sun there are several WotC published settings where the gods are either gone or so distant they no longer interact with mortals. Eberron has a pantheon of gods, but no living mortal remembers any of those gods manifesting an avatar or speaking through a celestial emissary. Ravnica had gods, but they all died millennia ago or were turned into eldritch abominations. The closest thing to a god still being worshipped is one really big tree in the capital district of the world city. Ravenloft is cut off from all gods. Only the Dark Powers hold sway. Dragonlance is a world where literally all the gods got together and decided to end things with a dragon apocalypse because the lawful stupid clerics were too powerful and needed to be taken down a peg. TSR era godless settings are pretty bleak. WotC era godless settings are actually better places to live than any TSR era setting regardless of divine presence.
Divide the results from all the treasure charts by 10, but use silver instead of gold, so it still feels like the players get a lot of moolah Keep the rest of the prices the same, because otherwise you will inevitably forget what your own determined price was for things, and it is way easier if you can just consult the books for those things
90% of this argument revolves around the fact that the average D&D player has grown up in capitalist societies and has no clue how economics worked in the medieval world the game pretends to be mimicking. A gold piece minted by the local government is worth a gold piece minted by that government. A gold piece minted by a long dead government has value as a collector's item and value roughly equivalent to foreign minted gold coins. Silver and copper exist because the player base only understands capitalism, and the idea of 80% of the population not buying stuff with a standard currency makes their heads hurt. Non-standard coins like electrum and platinum exist for the same reason venmo and crypto currencies exist. For criminals and degenerate nobles to buy and sell drugs, slaves, and young girls' undergarments. These coins are what gets passed around in the black market and in upper upper class invitation only auction houses. If you don't know what to spend gold on in the game, then dig up the 3e book Stronghold Builders Guidebook. If your players don't have a base of operations they need to spend 40% of their gold to maintain by the end of tier two, then you're never going to come up with a use for gold. If you want to let players spend gold buying magic items, then make the players work for it. Outside of common potions and low tier tools or alchemist supplies, magic items, scrolls, and anything rare or higher should require legwork. No matter how much gold you have, you can't buy these items unless you know the right people and are known by the right people. Getting into a magic item black market or auction house is a quest reward, and it should probably require multiple renown points earned with the faction that runs that market/auction. If you still can't figure out medieval societies using gold coins, then the only answer is to not play in medieval settings. Play in post industrial settings like Eberron, Ravnica, or Planescape/Spelljammer. Play in bronze age settings like Theros or Odyssey of the Dragonlords. Play in post apocalypse setting like Dark Sun where metal coins don't exist and everyone trades shiny pebbles or teeth.
As an armchair economic theorist, I infuse my setting with realistic & rational financial activity. To me, gold is gold, silver is silver, and it really doesn’t matter where it came from. The same processes extracted & refined the ore, and the only variations in value from place to place would derive from the cost of the labor & capital used to produce it (a negligible variation IMO). Think of gold on a worldwide scale, as a universal standard, allowing certain mundane items to cost more or less from place to place - while the value of gold remains the same. Where something is more scarce (imports & hard-to-produce items), it costs more. Likewise, certain things in a locale are more common or easily acquired, so they cost less. Just pick out several items in every city - study the resource legends of maps to help you - and let some of them be more expensive or less expensive. Labor prides, too, can vary from place to place, but, to me, the greatest problem is that labor prices listed in the DMG are too high. We must be careful not to allow our inflated real-world labor markets to influence our fantasy-world economies. Oddly, in our fantasy settings, we have a chance to get it RIGHT! Study your item price lists & do some quick & easy math. How much does it cost an average commoner to eat, drink, clothe themself, commute to work, visit family, or take a vacation each year? Add that up & divide by the number of days/year (I use 360, 36 tendays). This number will be 50%-70% or more of their earnings per day (lower % is a “consumer friendly” economy, while higher % represents more hostile or corrupt government). You are totally free to vary these percentages from place to place - let certain places be more friendly to labor, others more controlling & expensive. Thus, in some places, rare imports might be totally inaccessible by average workers, while in very rare circumstances, common laborers can live quite well on their average wage. Two gold pieces per day is IMO arbitrary & ridiculously high, and should immediately cause all prices to rise. The actual value of unskilled labor might be closer to 2 silver pieces, with increases commensurate with skill, experience, productivity, etc. In my setting, certain skilled laborers & craftsmen, busy merchants, military officers, etc., can earn 2 or more gp/day.
I have a group of new players (one of whom is a barely sentient 8yo), so I’m trying another approach. I give them 4-6 encounters per day, some easier & some more difficult, and I coach my players, so they can learn how to manage their resources. We have used “down-time,” but they so far recover resources only from long rests. As they learn & rise in level - and have more resources available - I will increase the difficulty & frequency of encounters, so that we will eventually need & learn about short rests. This, I believe, is more realistic, making it more comprehensible for my (overwhelmed, at times) new players. Honestly, I think this is the way we did it in the old 1980s AD&D, but that was long ago & my buddy Joel, who was a great DM, is no longer with us to explain.