once i realized that the characters in a game of D&D are supposed to be overpowered that made DMing make a lot more sense
@ltloxa1159
2 жыл бұрын
@@DabroodThompson If you want low power it would probably be a good idea to try another system. The problem with dnd is that much of the things destinguishing different characters are unlocked at higher levels. You would really want a system that distinguishes evasion/armor AC, a point with the differences in weapon damage types and any other change that creates variety. There is nothing wrong with enjoying low power dnd, but one shouldn't be afraid to look into other systems either. DnD is only considered the best because it's so good at those sweetspot levels.
@bensutherland5209
2 жыл бұрын
Just means you have to throw more difficult stuff at them and let the pieces fall where they may.
@jeepersmcgee3466
2 жыл бұрын
@@ltloxa1159 I will readily admit that I haven't tried enough other rpg's to compare them fairly, but from my limited experience outside of DnD and my extensive experience within it, my very favorite play style is low-power, low magic, high grit. For me, there's no better game to play or run than 5e with moderate to high realism and no full casters. edit: because let's be honest, it's not the martial characters who "break" games. I love full-casters, but I like the gameplay better without them.
@PhoenixM13
2 жыл бұрын
@@ltloxa1159 You might check out the Dungeon Coach. He has a neat homebrewed armor system
@guguyao
2 жыл бұрын
Yoooo T1J! love your videos man, I have learned so much from them.
@markstruckmeyer9193
2 жыл бұрын
My favorite trick for dealing with Counter Spell: stand 65ft+ away from the caster with it. As a player, I quickly found out the hard way that Counter Spell's main weakness (imo) is that range.
@seanjardine3128
2 жыл бұрын
Kelly is slowly becoming a real necromancer before our very eyes.
@neil_thomas_aviles
2 жыл бұрын
Looking good Kelly! I like the hat!
@ashleyhoughton8592
2 жыл бұрын
Looking exceptionally fine in this vid.
@davidcrosby3215
2 жыл бұрын
Maybe a necromancer who got into smooth jazz before he became evil
@nicholasegan1680
2 жыл бұрын
Kelly looks so rad
@Haveuseenmyjetpack
2 жыл бұрын
& Monty has the skin tone of a vampire
@mikegould6590
2 жыл бұрын
The greatest lesson I've learned when it comes to OP player characters is just to roll with the punches. Most time, just give them that heroic fantasy. However, when it comes to "boss fights" where a creature has learned of these OP tactics, have them prepared. This also applies when the PCs become ambivalent about their own power, and start taking things for granted.
@bensutherland5209
2 жыл бұрын
This. I had a "boss fight" a few sessions ago and half the party wasn't there. The ones that attended were like, "Nah, it'll be fine". It was not fine; one member died and the rest were unconscious and the boss got away (and will now wreak havoc while they regroup). They were overconfident in their abilities because most of the fights they'd had up until then were pretty easy, but a good DM will bloody their noses every once in a while to remind them that there are consequences to their actions.
@Thetruepianoman
2 жыл бұрын
I like this advice but from an outaide perspective that seems like a balance issue
@AnotherDuck
2 жыл бұрын
The main problem with OP characters is if it only applies to some of the player characters. On the whole, it doesn't matter what power level the characters have, as long as they all can play on the same level.
@jayspeidell
2 жыл бұрын
I won't allow powergaming or superhero / main characters because it screws over players trying to seriously engage with the game and roleplay. Anything goes in one shots or 3 shots, but not in campaigns.
@absolutez3r019
Жыл бұрын
I'm mainly dnd3.5, but as long as each member of a party is over powered to roughly around the same level, its easier to work around. Make dice rolls higher, bump up monster stats a bit, choose monsters with higher CR, etc. It's when one or two outclass the others is when things get out of hand. The challenge can't be too high that other players can't compete or too low that is too easy for the OP characters
@beastslayer8729
2 жыл бұрын
Actually, large groups are a great way to deal with High AC players. Flanking can do wonders for an enemy group in the same way it does for the party.
@Hazel-xl8in
2 жыл бұрын
ah, not everyone uses flanking. i don't because i only have three players and they already have ways of getting advantage.
@Team_BaM
2 жыл бұрын
@@Hazel-xl8in Even if you don't use flanking a swarm of goblins is still capable of using actions like Help, Shove, and Grapple. A prone/grappled fighter/barbarian isn't getting much done while every enemy around them gains advantage and they lose any Dex bonus they have. Quick Edit: Imagine the scene of a player walking up to a swarm he expects to be invincible to only to have them pile all over him.
@Alex-cq1zr
2 жыл бұрын
@@Team_BaM Horde of Zombies. Not a horde npc, but a horde of zombie npcs. After all, the grappling zombies + Cloudkill combo is probably popular in necromantic circles.
@archmagemc3561
2 жыл бұрын
Or mob combat rules. You'll never crit with them, but you can guarantee hits on even infinite AC players with 20 mobs attacking at the same time.
@Team_BaM
2 жыл бұрын
@@Alex-cq1zr Oof that's a scary combo.
@ianvuyk3147
2 жыл бұрын
This is more niche than most of the list, but moon Druid wild shapes at low levels are rough to dm for. As a moon druid, when I got wild shapes I went from a scrawny pc with 9 hp at level one to a juggernaut with over 100 effective hp at level two by wild shaping into a giant Hyena twice a day.
@heitorsouzademoura7747
2 жыл бұрын
True
@schwarzerritter5724
2 жыл бұрын
DM in a game I played limited the hitpoints to 20 and attacks to 1.
@BurntBuntCake
2 жыл бұрын
100 hp??? It's 6D10 +12 And how are you getting access to giant hyena at lvl 2 moon druid when it's a cr 1 and you can't get cr 1 creatures till 8th druid lvl????
@nplillustration
2 жыл бұрын
@@BurntBuntCake Circle Form, the Moon Druid subclass rite, states specifically that you can transform into CR 1 creatures at lvl 2.
@nplillustration
2 жыл бұрын
Also I'm assuming the 100 HP calculation is over a day; 45(giant hyena) x2 (twice a day) =90 + 9 (the mentioned HP at lvl 1)+ 5 something HP for lvl 2. It's over 100 HP and at lvl 2 that's massive even if it's over a day.
@maxthillens1324
2 жыл бұрын
We had a classic princesse bride poison cup stand off and the wizard used “create/destroy water” to see if there cup has poison and we found it
@CloudyDaze
2 жыл бұрын
The way our DM handles characters with flight is that we only give them to our newbie characters because _they forget they can fly 90% of the time_
@angelalewis3645
Жыл бұрын
😂
@aaronmacdonald1370
2 жыл бұрын
okay so on the note of social rolls there's already a system for loyalty which determines the dc for a request and what will or won't be possible regardless of roll. on the other hand deception most definitely DOES allow you to lie through your teeth and get away with murder. The knife is in your hand? "I found it next to the body and was checking for poisons" Your covered in his blood? "I was checking for vitals to administer first aid but I was too late" And if you player can't come up with something that doesn't mean the character can't. Remember a character can be smarter than it's player they just need to roll and your free to add disadvantage or make the dc as high as you want plus a success doesn't mean they never find out it just buys you time until they inevitably start looking into what happened and quite possibly find proof that you did it.
@johnn.2017
2 жыл бұрын
Yes! I would say ok as soon as you notice the guards you drop the knife, put pressure on the wound, and start yelling "who did this to you?!"
@MC-gj8fg
2 жыл бұрын
To be fair, a difficulty of 30 is defined as "nearly impossible" which is to say that if the odds of succeeding aren't statistically indistinguishable from zero, then the player should succeed even if it seems ludicrous. I think the disconnect occurs when, assuming the player can accomplish a 30, their odds are at worst 5% when...while there is no hard and fast definition...."nearly impossible" in the minds of most reasonable people is almost certainly far less than 1%. Hell, maybe a 1 in a million shot. Turning a 1 in a million into a 1 in 20 is just what heroes do though right?
@Illianor123
2 жыл бұрын
I have wondered about imposing disadvantage on ludicrous things. To make it more like a 1 in 400. Or accepting 19-20.
@absolstoryoffiction6615
2 жыл бұрын
It depends... Not every character is a hero.
@pencilbender
2 жыл бұрын
@@absolstoryoffiction6615 when youre playing dnd youre playing the hero in a storyline. Theyre main characters, not "background guy 214"
@absolstoryoffiction6615
2 жыл бұрын
@@pencilbender I've seen player characters become farmers because they rolled for Stats with no floor or ceiling rules... Sometimes, you are not the hero nor the villain of the campaign.
@danielmunchinsky3644
2 жыл бұрын
@@absolstoryoffiction6615 dog stop trying to be deep, PCs are literally heroes, or you’re playing with assholes
@damiandeavers7489
Жыл бұрын
As a not so new player, but new DM , I recognize a lot of things. Most of this video I already know about but y'all definitely provided some insight into my campaign. (First time). Thank y'all
@zeik27
Жыл бұрын
I was a 5th level druid and we were defending a town from a hoard of enemies, we were on a high wall and were in charge of a large field in front of us. I cast spike growth once the enemies started getting in range, then call lightning on my next turn. The fight was over very quickly without any losses on our side. The DM had to take some creative twists to make sure the battlefield wasn't completely one sided. It was a good time.
@binolombardi
2 жыл бұрын
26:00 Passive perception would apply, you just don’t want it to because you believe it to be cheap for some reason. Passive perception doesn’t turn off, though it is directly impacted by situational advantage/disadvantage. If you have a player that has heavily invested in the perception but isn’t finding things then the DC is probably unnecessarily high or you’re not giving them the information necessary. You should also remember that all sensory information falls under the umbrella of perception. Feel, taste, smell, sight, and hearing.
@restoredtuna8264
5 ай бұрын
At one point I had made a small campaign arc that relied on a few mainstays. Grimlocks (AD&D version), vampires and a variety of undead like skeletons and vampiric monsters. And I got a bit frustrated because I seemingly couldn’t challenge my players near the end. But then I realized that in the beginning they were challenged. They have been fighting these monsters for a few session now in different scenarios and learned how they work. The players weren’t bored that they won so easy, they felt cool for having figured the monsters out, and those couple sessions where they destroyed multiple vampires were the reward, not a dull moment.
@Cblade031294
2 жыл бұрын
The Hexblade in my game used Silent Image to make cloud of smoke, then explained the trick to the rest so they could "see through" the illusion in the future.. And now they are using it as a pseudo-Darkness effect against anything that's larger or more brute than the Hexblade to gain advantage and inflict disadvantage
@jlaw131985
2 жыл бұрын
One combatant who sees through it could explain it’s an illusion to the others also, so it can still fall apart
@Cblade031294
2 жыл бұрын
@@jlaw131985 absolutely.. but few large beasts and monsters are gonna investogate to check while being assaulted with arrows, bolts, blasts, etc.
@tarrickmerdev2324
2 жыл бұрын
@@Cblade031294 Any creature of average intelligence (10+) that walks into the "smoke" should automatically realize that it isn't real. Being an illusion, the smoke isn't going to sting their eyes or stir from movement. Below average intelligence they should probably get a roll for it. Clever uses are good and should provide an advantage, but they shouldn't just automatically turn a 1st level spell into something far beyond its power level. You could even give them a full turn of it before the enemies realize but it shouldn't just be a permanent solution to combat.
@Cblade031294
2 жыл бұрын
@@tarrickmerdev2324 oh absolutely, when they get to the smoke. This party puts the smoke around themselves, so the only way the enemy would get into the smoke would be to push past one of the PCs. Its not a 100% effective solution to every encounter, but a good and creative use of a 1st level spell against monsters like Dire Wolves, Ankhegs, and creatures that are similarly dangerous to a low-level party
@AnaseSkyrider
2 жыл бұрын
I think anything interacting inside of it would tell it's an illusion. So it should only work if using it to fire at range from a distance.
@WexMajor82
2 жыл бұрын
Warforged Forge Cleric. No magic items. 22 AC at level 3. At level 5 started using Spirit Guardians. The sorcerer has 15 AC.
2 жыл бұрын
About stealth: I have once participated in a hide and seek game outdoors, and one of (admittedly smaller size) participants hid in a tall grass so well, that others walked near by, and one person climbed a pole that was literally a step away from the hiding place... we had to concede, not finding him.
@kathrynck
2 жыл бұрын
"huh, musta been the wind"
@vinny8720
Жыл бұрын
My favorite moment of using a spell in a way that it isn't necessarily written to be used as was in a big ambush of my level 5 party that had teamed up with another party of 6th level to defeat an ancient white dragon. As the wizard, I talked to the dm beforehand about if the spell wall of water could be used to block the breath weapon, as that was the only thing truly making the encounter potentially difficult. He agreed it could be, and we set an ambush and fooled the dragon into believing we had accidentally stumbled upon it. I held wall of water as my prepared action, and as the dragon released its icy breath, my spell went off and encased the entire cone in ice, making it shatter into harmless snowflakes on the way down. It was my proudest moment of that campaign, and it all came down to the dm allowing the spell to do something different than it was directly intended to do. I recommend as a fellow dm, if a player has a cool idea that, while it might make your encounter less challenging, is really cool and unique, just let them do it. Their reaction and the party's reaction are well worth it
@Bongus_Bubogus
6 ай бұрын
For the first issue with high AC, in my very first game I did exactly that, my character was a fighter with great armor and the defense style. How the DM dealt with it was to allow the enemies to realize that they should go for the squishier party members first, which worked really well because it forced my tank build to actually go intercept and do my job. Without party support I could easily die to ranged assault.
@xTobsecretx
2 жыл бұрын
After our last session I asked our DM to nerf our familiars. We had just finished a super awesome dungeon that she put lots of work into but it felt like the optimal thing to do was to worg into our familiars and scout everything ahead of time. This sidelines the players without familiars and makes it boring for em. I noticed this halfway through the dungeon and adjusted my play to only use the familiar sparingly for scouting. The way we nerfed them is that we removed the worging ability and instead made it so we can just send the familiars out and get a summary upon their return.
@shaun4033
2 жыл бұрын
You do not need to nerf find familiar. You can only communicate and use your familiars senses if it is within 100 feet of you. You can not scout an entire dungeon with it and something as simple as a door can stop the familiar.
@xTobsecretx
2 жыл бұрын
@@shaun4033 yes you can - bit by bit which makes the game even slower. Also unless that door is airtight, a spider can get through it.
@billionai4871
2 жыл бұрын
A player of mine had a warlock with a familiar. I prepared a whole prison break assuming they would use it to scout, figure out where their weapons were and use that to plan their escape. The warlock was the only one that knew, though, only he could see and had to remember and describe later to the players. It was a REALLY cool moment! But only worked because I had the familiar in mind, as you mention
@tmanknoll9702
Жыл бұрын
Point of correction in something you touched on here. Its been verified a couple of times that in 5e, the passive perception is still supposed to be a baseline minimum on perception checks as well for the character.
@Tusitala1967
2 жыл бұрын
Star Wars sequel example of Persuasion impossibilities was a glimpse behind the scenes, methinks.
@jamesknapp64
5 ай бұрын
I'm sure that comes from a real world arguement.
@toxicbangbang
Жыл бұрын
I'm excited to DM for the first time. Thank you both so much for all of your videos. They're really coming in handy.
@DvirPick
2 жыл бұрын
About ambushes, if someone has Alert or other surprise immunity, surprising everyone but them can make them feel that they made the right choice rather than not bothering with ambushes at all.
@thelbs6500
5 ай бұрын
"The shenanigans can get off the charts" - possibly my favourite quote of this video!
@tatersalad76
2 жыл бұрын
My player: "NYAHAHAHA HOW WILL YOU HURT MY PALADIN/FORGE CLERIC/ARTIFICER NOW!? THEY HAVE AN AC OF 22 AT LEVEL 5!!!" Me, the DM: "Yeah I need you to make a Dexterity Saving Throw." Them: :o
@Order_of_Chaos
5 ай бұрын
High AC usually means low speed. So use terrain against them. Lure them into rought terrain or pit traps. Get them imobile - prone or in a net. AC also doesn't help against things like fire damage or other environmental hazards.
@DutchOrBelgian
2 жыл бұрын
So fairly new player here. I did my first multiclass of bard and warlock and have been using the invocation with the free silent image for pretty much every encounter. One of the neatest things my DM did was give our party extra XP for creativity. This has been especially meaningful as I used the spell to distract a mom and baby yeti - trying to avoid fighting them - and it worked. So otherwise we would have missed out on XP except for the creative play bonus :)
@novaprime9084
2 жыл бұрын
I've been struggling a lot with balancing combat. I have some people very familiar with the game. These videos help a lot in trying to find creative solutions that don't eliminate player agency.
@mikecarson7769
2 жыл бұрын
Thank you for preparing and sharing another great video! Your videos are so informative, comfortable, and fun to watch and learn. Please keep up with your good work!
@waynekerr4220
2 жыл бұрын
As a relatively new player, I’m just here for the tips Nobody tell my DM, ok?
@charlesstephenson875
Жыл бұрын
I have a college of eloquence bard named Scamp Honeytongue who has a +13 on his Persuasion, Deception, and Performance skills as well as a high Perception score. (good stats and expertise in the those skills). With the silver tongue ability of my bard archetype I couldn't have a result of less than a 23 on my persuasion and deception rolls. I got a lot of mileage out of that in negotiations with NPC's. But what I enjoyed most was using the Enhance Ability spell to get advantage on Charisma checks right before performing with my lute at an inn or tavern. I earned much extra gold and silver that way and gained a following. (the tavern wenches loved him for sure because I gave them great tips) I even created an insulting song about a greedy local lord which even his soldiers started singing about him behind his back. Made him a laughingstock. Good times!
@MC-gj8fg
2 жыл бұрын
I think of the real world as a living, breathing place and yet still approach everything as a combat encounter.
@Hazel-xl8in
2 жыл бұрын
rolling initiative whenever i enter the bathroom after forgetting my lactase
@kori228
2 жыл бұрын
10:53 funnily enough, Sneak Attack is on the low end of damage when optimized, it's just that it scales regardless of how bad you rolled for stats so it feels high cause you roll a lot of dice. In terms of damage output when optimized, a monk or Barbarian out-dps Sneak Attack.
@DungeonDudes
2 жыл бұрын
Indeed, but from our conversations with new DMs, Sneak Attack tends to be the feature which makes their eyes pop out.
@kori228
2 жыл бұрын
@@DungeonDudes Yeah, the reaction of "holy cr*p, you're adding rolling d8 + 3d6" is a shocker lol.
@bensutherland5209
2 жыл бұрын
I would add paladin's smite to this list as well. Properly used it can make short work of what should be difficult encounters.
@fendelphi
2 жыл бұрын
I think part of the reason why Sneak Attack surprises people, is due to how often it triggers. It can come from melee and ranged attacks and you just need to land 1 hit(with advantage etc.) for the payoff. And you even have a chance on Attack of Opportunity attacks(where other classes need high specialization to deal good damage). A Monk in the early levels have pretty good damage output, but it relies on multiple attacks landing and possible also spending Ki. And it is mostly done in melee, which gives the DM ways to negate or minimize it, if need be. A Paladin can have huge spike damage with Smites, but it is a finite resource and those spell slots are also valued for stuff like Bless, so they occur less often during an adventure day at the early levels. And again, they are melee only.
@GOLD-gr8hg
Жыл бұрын
The high ac issue can be resolved with magic. Heat metal or cones that cause a skill check makes things more interesting for that guy while still letting him be a menace to the non magic using enemies
@TELichty
2 жыл бұрын
I had a player cast Absorb Element to stop a bellow of wind that threatened to break the rickety bridge they were on. Great thinking on their part.
@MissMysteryMusic
5 ай бұрын
You can do environmental effects and traps in combat zone can help overcome a lot of imbalance
@pungoblin9377
Жыл бұрын
As a DM who has fallen victim to the good ol’ Hold Person+300 stab wounds combo, disabling spells are pretty powerful, especially when you suck at rolling and get two nat 1s in a row.
@darkelf2040
Жыл бұрын
May I suggest a dm go with a standard encounter. After that gets stomped, the big bad doesn't hear from a patrol he then sends a Sgt. Mob along, then more ranged. About this time, lvl3 perhaps, they start seeing a spellcaster or two, Then by level 5, the characters are running against encounters designed to truly test them in the Big bad fight. This strategy can slow go with higher level threats as well. They have eyes and ears to spy, possibly infiltrate the party via sidekicks, they have a better way of making the encounters more thrilling and more deadly to match the power of the party
@johnrechtoris9796
2 жыл бұрын
Add to that list Paladins being immune to disease at low level and able to cure any disease or poison effect with Lay on Hands. Monks being immune to disease AND poison (all poison and poison damage) at Level 10. But the one that still gets me is a mid-level party's abilities to tunnel through blocked corridors and dungeon walls with various spells like Stone Shape, Rock to Mud, Catapult/Mage Hand. Used to be more of an issue in 3e, but still makes me a little paranoid when designing dungeons.
@shawnmayo8210
2 жыл бұрын
For "Confusing and Misunderstood Spells" I'd add a point to what Kelly said that there's a limit to how much a spell or other rules related item should be discussed. Everyone at the table should be prepared for IF there's a debate about what something means you as DM make a judgement call about the spell and move on, make a point of reviewing the details and looking up errata after the session and then IF (and only IF) that one decision would have resulted in the avoidance of a player character death or TPK, then you can retcon the decision. Otherwise, everyone moves on with a better understanding of the debated rule.
@Words-er5ez
6 ай бұрын
In the cases where my players have ridiculous charisma and want to convince someone to do something they just wouldn't do, I will usually say something like, "Your nack with persuasion tells you that this person will never be convinced to betray his superiors, but he could be convinced that helping you is actually helping his superiors." This rewards they're high scores and good rolls with a viable alternative to using persuasion like mind control.
@Rcoutme
Жыл бұрын
11:00 The rogues used to have the Backstab ability, which was their PRIMARY means of contributing in combat! They are supposed to be nearly assassins in combat. That is their thing! Earlier versions gave them x2, x3, x4 and x5 (depending on level) damage.
@TopPigg
Жыл бұрын
Something I do for racial flight is give a weight restriction. If the aracakra wants to fly to bypass traps or scout, they can, but remove your plate mail. It makes logical sense and buts heft on the decision. Magic not so much but by that level DMs have options
@banan9377
11 ай бұрын
For the persuasion thing, I think I found this in a video about crit successes for ability checks (which is not RAW). Let's say you ask a King to give up all his wealth and you roll a high persuasion, instead of him giving up everything which he'll never do, maybe he instead finds it as a hilarious joke so he doesn't try to imprison for that, or maybe he decides to give you just a little bit of extra reward he otherwise wouldn't have just because he thinks you're a funny guy.
@K_i_t_t_y84
2 жыл бұрын
Kels looks great today, love the bracelets and hat!
@TheMatthew001
Жыл бұрын
another thing about the high AC being swarmed by minions who can't hit them, is if their are enough, 8+ you functionally have immobilized them, allowing other monsters to threaten the other players. this way you lean into their fantasy of an indestructible tank cleaving through enemies while also creating a potentially hard combat encounter for everyone else who needs to survive without the tank, I can even be a meta game about preventing the tank from being swarmed so they don't get overrun.
@1003JustinLaw
6 ай бұрын
Players who really max out their AC might find it difficult to maneuver in difficult environments, such as say a goblin Warren with rickety rope bridges or a mountain pass with icy ledges. If a party of players are min/maxing their combat abilities only, a great way to challenge that party is to use things they can’t just swing a sword at.
@gordol66
2 жыл бұрын
Social skill, roll/don't roll: At the table I play at, if a PC is trying to persuade, etc, an NPC with a line of patter that just won't work for the basic reasons you said, the DM will have the player roll, not a persuasion or deception, but an INSIGHT check to see if the character can realize it's a waste of effort. Usually at a DC of 10. Ah, Teleportation. In one game, my Warlock had three or four different teleportation options available ranging from Misty Step up to Teleportation (via an item). DM kept forgetting I had them: Me and my buddy being attacked by a swarm? Thunderstep, bye-bye swarm. Buddy got swallowed whole by the giant worm thing? Goaded it to swallow me too then Thunderstep both of us out. In-game Capture The Flag? Combo of Teleport, Dimension Door and Misty Step. We're chasing some baddies and racing the clock to get where they're going before another party of high level baddies with minions show up? Teleport to the destination and wait.
@CrazyBusDriverDave
Жыл бұрын
The damage things is real. My first game, 10 years ago in 3.5 - the party (level 2) fought a gelatinous cube and it took about 10 round of combat and 1 player dropped to 0 hp. The stakes were high and it was fun. Recently on my return to D&D (now 5e) the level 2 party got to a gelatinous cube at the end of a long dungeon crawl and killed it in 1 round. I had high expactations and it was boring as heck.
@vitustrinity8879
2 жыл бұрын
I am in two different sessions, and for both I have asked for something that doesn't technically fit within the realms of the rules. I gave a very compelling reason for wanting to try these things that ranged from having a simple item you would normally not get at the start (dancing sword for my warlock lizardfolk) and playing two archetypes for my class (Oath of Redemption and Oath of Conquest, changing from one to the other during the time of day along with switching back and forth from lawful good to lawful evil). The idea always came to mind for me is that if you want to make a busted character without minmaxing, then ask your DM, especially if they are one that is all for stupid good stuff. Having certain things that are insane to have are what makes for flavorful characters, and I am all for it.
@freman007
2 жыл бұрын
It's a similar thing with the board game Hero Quest. Once your players start investing in armor and good weapons they can actually mop the floor with a lot of encounters. But, that's not really a problem as long as they're enjoying themselves.
@redelephantsdotnl
Жыл бұрын
What I find is, let's say you have a final encounter in a dungeon; the big showdown. You can have one dangerous caster/creature with a hanful of goons protecting him. The party will put every effort on disabling the caster/creature first, everytime. In a party of four: I will tank the goons. I will shoot the boss. I will disable the boss. I will defend the backline and buff you. Switch that up. Have the goons be the threat, whilst the boss man tries to escape. Now, there are four less powerful casters/creatures in each corner of the map, archers on balconies and pointy sticks running around, harassing your backline. Nothing they can't handle, but everything is an threat. Now you have something that requires teamwork, resources and tactful positioning instead of individual actions. Do we let the archer arch the archers? Or do we find a way up there? Do I break concentration on my hold, or do you need assistance? Do I try to tank these melee dudes, or do I go for the casters?
@jackala2783
Жыл бұрын
A favorite ability I use to the spell Misty Step to teleport next to a flying creature within 30 feet and grappling them. High risk, yes, but does it ever surprise the flyer. And the DM.
@fatewalker
2 жыл бұрын
I think the DMG covers social iterations pretty well. I can't remember what page the table is on, but it's good guidelines when trying to Persuade a hostel creature/NPC.
@davidstares985
2 жыл бұрын
Im new to your channel so forgive me if this has occured but I have a possible video idea for you. Its along the lines of "this specific moment happened in a game when I was a DM Noob and this is the wrong way I handled it, now as an experienced DM, this is how I would have done it" I think it might help new dms (particularly ME) get a grip on some of the abilities and stuff you talk about here. Thanks yall
@starhalv2427
2 жыл бұрын
As a DM who prefers to be a player, I'm gonna use these on my players throught npc enemies. That way I'll become a forever-player. P.S. Nice hat.
@MrGBH
2 жыл бұрын
I found a type of Kobold called a Swolbold who attacks by grappling enemies and squeezing, which is an effective way of making the high AC tank think about their battle strategy
@justinoosterom8533
Жыл бұрын
I played a cleric once, we walked into the boss room first thing by accident, and one shotted the boss with guiding bolt. We had a little conversation about how to keep playing after that.
@paulsavas2394
2 жыл бұрын
Great vid! I certainly do throw easy encounters at them all the time! There are so many great creatures out there to throw at them…can’t wait to use the Lord of the Hunt!
@tazman2253
2 жыл бұрын
my favorite surprise of the Dm was when I cast prestidigitation to create a disco ball to reflect sunlight to eliminate the threat of a vampire cave that we accidently walked into while looking for a place to recover.
@jordanspackman2494
2 жыл бұрын
I have companions and familiars go on the PCs turn, and I let them pick which order they and their companion act in. It opens up options, like having the Drakewarden companion attempt a shove to set up the Ranger and the Fighter to just nail the prone monster.
@jesseholder9795
2 жыл бұрын
I really love and have followed you guys content for years. Would you ever do a video on holy characters that aren't paladins and clerics? Like a better themed favored soul sorcerer? And did you know there are 0 youtube videos on Pact of the Blade or Pact of the talisman Celestial Warlock. Would you ever do something like that?
@Yertle_Turtle
2 жыл бұрын
As a DM I was horrified when a charismatic player had read the multi-stage adventure arc I was running & used that knowledge to create the perfect character to easily defeat most of the monsters in the encounters. Even worse, he would telegraph to the other players when ambushes would happen, monster abilities, etc but pretend like it was intuition. He was cheating, he lied about it when confronted & this combination of events almost made me stop DMing on the spot. I discussed the issue with the LFR coordinator, and he said "just let him cheat, we have to let everyone play" which was the opposite of what I expected. So, I swapped out all the monsters with new ones, planned out solutions to neutralize his character's abilities & didn't allow him to roleplay his way to glory with all of his foreknowledge of the mysteries of the whole adventure. It was a waste of time interacting with him, and the entire 3 weeks of weekly games was a serious slog to get through, because I wanted to make the multi-part adventure fun for everyone else as much as possible, while he trolled me as much as possible. After that, I was careful to ensure that my table was always full of pre-committed players before I offered to DM for my "friendly local gaming store."
@dCash117
2 жыл бұрын
I just gave my players an unbeatable boss, that just kept taking damage until the players were almost dead and I had reinforcements come in to save the day. They now have 10 game days until the rematch
@mrdrprofsteve4455
2 жыл бұрын
Was your boss literally unbeatable?
@dCash117
2 жыл бұрын
@@mrdrprofsteve4455 I made up a stat block on the go and just added up health. Four level five players (unexperienced), once they did 100 damage the guy dropped one drop of blood. As soon as I had a player down and two more close by I had overwhelming good reinforcements come in to save the day and the guy teleported away. So not technically unbeatable but I decided they were not going to kill him this session
@dCash117
2 жыл бұрын
@@mrdrprofsteve4455 in my head it was like Vegeta coming to Earth
@AnaseSkyrider
2 жыл бұрын
@@dCash117 That doesn't sound like a fun session. The other week, my DM pitted us as level 6s against a 20th level Barbarian who "didn't even have hit points", and it only worked because the entire character was a giant gag. The Strength Wizard, who "casts" "spells" like Burning Hands (a backhand slap), Shield (just pops on a shield), Magic Missile (throws a weapon with advantage), and Mage Hand (he is a mage who throws hands). Dude graduated from a wizard college on a sports scholarship. All we had to do to end the encounter was to apologize for insinuating he's not a real wizard.
@G-and-J-Chapel-Artworks
9 ай бұрын
3:18 ❤❤❤ I ran into this with a dragon. I had a powerful dragon v half orc barbarian. The half orc has AC 20. My dragon had AC 17. After several rolls, I realized that my dragon had no chance of hitting. I went OOC and explained to the player "if you don't drop your shield, only dropping your AC by 2, this won't be a battle. You're basically just going to torture my dragon to death." The player agreed to drop his shield and it finally became a battle. (Extra context: this was a battle training campaign. Nothing but battles. A virtual flight club.)
@RockHeiland
9 ай бұрын
How? Even a young dragon has 18 AC and between +7 and +10 to hit. How is it your „powerful dragon“ couldn’t hit the Barbarian?
@G-and-J-Chapel-Artworks
9 ай бұрын
@@RockHeiland bad rolls and screwed up mechanics in the online app. Said dragon had now advantages or disadvantages on the roll. There are a lot of mechanics problems with the Dungeon Realms app. Many of which we figure out how to circumvent but, some are built right in to the creature.
@akashambatwamiller6924
Жыл бұрын
With training it is possible. on a mission, while I was in the military Ai was so close to a guard that he stepped on my hand and dropped a cigarette but inches from my nose. he turned around and went back to his post. my whole squad was present (each of us 5 meters apart). Yes, this was part of a training mission against another unit in the Army. Yes, we got that guard. Yes, we infiltrated that sight and accomplished the mission
@broomemike1
8 ай бұрын
I've definitely gotten into arguments about passive ability scores, like passive perception. I've had friends tell me that there is a passive version of every check (sure, why not) and that this determines a floor of the roll. Be careful of this argument. It effectively gives everyone in the game "Reliable Talent."
@madcinder257
Жыл бұрын
Every combat encounter is a puzzle with more than one answer. You're presenting a puzzle to see how your players handle it.
@sirellyn
2 жыл бұрын
For flight specifically I just add more realism. Honestly being up in the air is hard. You can't balance well, even a tiny wind can push you around and all that is when you are fairly close to the ground. When you go up high up its much more of a nightmare. It's crazy cold high up, it's almost impossible to aim anything (even with gravity helping out), and go high enough and you'll have a hard time breathing too. Not to mention wind can be so bad (and different) up high that really won't be the one controlling the flight, you'll be the one going for a ride. Finally remember whatever power makes you ascend should get weaker as you get farther from the ground. Even with the fly or levitate spell, you aren't a rocket ship, and it's ignorant to think you can equivocate to that amount of power needed to keep you aloft.
@d0natr0n47
2 жыл бұрын
The easiest solution to non-magical flight is "do they have a hover feature?" If not they can either use an action to maintain position, or Must use their full movement/land. Breaking movement up is fine but staying in the same spot for a full turn in mid air or stopping short of their full fly-speed results in dropping their remaining movement at the end of that turn.
@Wesmin
Жыл бұрын
Rolls a 25 on deception. Guards: "Must have been the wind!"
@Comicsluvr
Жыл бұрын
As with all things, balance is important. The idea that the monsters are smart is a perfect example. The DM should be willing and able to switch things up so they cannot rely on the same technique all the time. If they use stealth to sneak into the well-guarded base, ambush to overcome a superior force, or massed ranged attacks against melee-only enemies, then that means that they're using their heads. However, they'll appreciate the wins they earn when they have to think on the fly or step outside one of their established routines.
@kvici
2 жыл бұрын
...right. Our dm was whining we were overpowered all the time, but with lack of tactics and cohesion in battle we were scraping to survive in each combat encounter.
@brandond2768
Жыл бұрын
most of these "issues" talking about fight balance can be "solved" by making sure to have enough encounters planned for the day. 5th ed is designed around 6-8 encounters in an adventuring day. not all of them have to be fights, but all of them should mostly encourage the use of player resources. when a party only has to get through 1-3 encounters in an adventuring day then of course they can just burn resources, especially the casters, to triviliaze encounters. when players have to consider that there may be more encounters to come then the encounters become more challenging.
@chrisjordan6432
2 жыл бұрын
probably my second time ever playing. I was i think lvl 3 land druid. can't remember why we were there but we were going to hit an orc camp. my genius butt says "I'll turn into a squirl and scout around!"... dm has me roll stealth... I fail... orcs get hungry too... now we're fighting and I'm all the way on the other side from my party. idk how we survived but I learned a valuable lesson about the dieting habits of orcs.
@thomascook3336
2 жыл бұрын
1) high armor class individual? I solved it by having the armor also have hit point that can be broken, same with shields and swords. Magic items get "shield" hp that can be whittled down. Any attack roll above natural armor (10+dex) does damage to the armor itself instead of the player.
@Yogue7
2 жыл бұрын
Jurrasic World had the raptors hiding in the tall grass and taking out the people without being seen till the attack.
@jaredlocke4300
2 жыл бұрын
New DM's? I've been DMing for years and I still appreciate reminders/reality checks like this. Party on dudes
@snthanks
11 ай бұрын
for my first ever campaign my players partook in a prison break, and my level 2 druid cast thunderwave on my 10 guards holding a line, all of which proceeded to fail the saving throw, causing every single one of them to get oneshot.
@xcelentei
2 жыл бұрын
My party has a funny dynamic where, since everyone is a really experienced player, we all consistently make strong characters. But we the players are total scaredy cats even though it's been entire campaigns since any PCs died. Our DM will put a monster of considerable challenge rating or description in front of us, and even though we punch above our weight ALL THE TIME We still, without fail, crap our pants and freak out about how dead we are. So if your players are broken and killing everything, but they're still freaking out and panicking in fear, don't feel pressured to actually kick it up and kill the PCs. Because the few times we WERE killed by higher level monsters, our reaction was disappointment or apathy because all that fun tension went away. Player reactions speak more to your DMing than mechanical outcomes.
@Vararx
Жыл бұрын
i just remember this wholesome story about a very anxious girl that had some speaking condition that wasn`t there when singing. She apparently played a bard and when they noticed everybody was super happy and she had a really high persuasion score. Then the poster said yeah thats great, we had to nerf it a little. like wtf, be happy she can now actually persuade people and not ruin it for them again. why ruin the usp of a class after this story unfolded.
@thefoxyramirez
Жыл бұрын
Remember this classic 3E parable; "When in doubt, Rust Monster."
@atomkuehne
2 жыл бұрын
It's so sad, the stealth segment made me remember one of my players casting Pass Without Trace... he constantly uses it against creatures with tremorsense. It's so sad that it's constantly doing nothing, but they'd know I'd be metagaming if I chose something else. I just wish he'd use it against the monsters without tremorsense.
@LaneBee
Жыл бұрын
When the players have really strong abilities that quickly overpower balanced enemies, just add a tonne of extra monsters (and have them run away if you overdo it) rather than changing enemy types to resist the player's abilities. E.g. Undead against paladin/cleric. I've played games where the DM just doesn't send any undead against me as a paladin. Instead, send a wave of undead to keep the paladin mowing through them while a separate set of monsters attack the rest of the party.
@phopainter
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks guys. Always great!
@mrmanic4151
11 ай бұрын
DM'd for the first time two weeks ago, didn't read the DMs guide, had basically no prep done. It really was not that hard, I just looked up some enemies while they were talking thought of one puzzle and have them three combats. I just reskinned enemies and when combat was starting to look unsatisfactory for one of the players, I just fudged the numbers and he started beaming smiling again. Don't know why I didn't do it before. The player that was having unsatisfactory combat had his connection to his god severed (which he did seem to enjoy) but had to go home. I just made him an offer that he felt something trying to slip into the empty space he held previously for his clerical powers, he blasted the enemy some undead warriors that felt rageful and vengeful, he frigging loved it and was finished soon after.
@anathema1828
2 жыл бұрын
Nice work on the video!
@Rcoutme
Жыл бұрын
9:50 Invisible guard dogs come to mind, btw. They can smell the characters, and know, even if the characters fool the guards, that the characters DO NOT BELONG!!
@Reepicheep-1
2 жыл бұрын
DMs should also be wary of how they deal with abilities. Example, I was on Night Watch. The vampires attacked my owl familiar first. I'm still annoyed about that one.
@mysurvivalspot
2 жыл бұрын
You look great, Debbi Gibson! :D
@_emory
Жыл бұрын
“Not every argument can be won with logic, some people are won over by emotional arguments, or ethical arguments” Now, off to Theros with you. Philosophizing the rhetorics. I see you, Monty 😏😉
@robbrewsbeer
Жыл бұрын
I recently derailed one of my campaigns main plot points on the second night. Based on past experience with Deadlands, if it is evil it will try to kill you. A party member cast Detect Good & Evil, creature was Chaotic Evil so my past gaming experience kicked in so I raged, charged, and initiated combat. Nope, we were supposed to try and reason with this witch. 20 years of Deadlands, I quickly learned that not everything wants to kill you that's pure evil in D&D. Oops. Needless to say, the DM is new and was befuddled on how to proceed. Fortunately it was at the end of the session time so he had time to plan for the next week and I now do not attack everything that's evil...but am definitely ready for something to come my way.
@HI-kb2cg
2 жыл бұрын
on the high social skill don't ask them to role the example they give you don't ask for a roll they fail auto as they were caught redhanded.
@soldierbreed
2 жыл бұрын
Ud be surprised how well tall grass works in real life
@pjhue6607
2 жыл бұрын
thank you guys
@neildenny
Жыл бұрын
I think this is the best video of yours that I have watched... No more salty DM here. Thanks guys
@silasrobertshaw8122
2 жыл бұрын
In my current game the lowest AC is 18, with the rest at 20 or more. Minion crits are the best!
@fasterpet
2 жыл бұрын
One missed thing... Don't underestimate the power of magical items. Many magical items completely negate the challenges faced by the characters. A fighter can easily slice through enemies with resistance to non-magical weapon damage with a +1 sword. A wizard isnt so fragile with an amulet of health (19 con). Magic items can help balance players who deal little damage with those that deal a lot, but giving out magic weapons to the highest DPS character removes a limiting factor you can use to help everyone do well. Also, many fights get too overpowered when the characters have 2-3 magic items each.
@shavingwithnick
2 жыл бұрын
Are you guys gonna do a how to play phantom rogue video?
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