For discussion of D&D 3.0 and 3.5e> Toolshttps://srd.dndtools.orghttps://dndtools.one/https://d20srd.orghttps://www.realmshelps.net/> Indices> 3.5https://archive.burne99.com/archive/4/http://web.archive.org/web/20080617022745/http://www.crystalkeep.com/d20/index.php> 3.0http://web.archive.org/web/20060330114049/http://www.crystalkeep.com:80/d20/rules3.0.php> Dragon Magazine Indexhttps://www.aeolia.net/dragondex/> Web Articles Orbital Flower Index PDFhttps://archive.4plebs.org/tg/thread/91811106/#91824954> Erratahttps://web.archive.org/web/20201111205827/http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/errata>3e Resource Index Version 2024-04-17https://archive.4plebs.org/tg/thread/92491374/#92530275Previous thread: >>94129592Thread Question: What's the weirdest creature you've personally seen in play?
>>94271809TQ: A friendly Xorn. I don't know what was weirder, the actual description of the creature, or how he was portrayed.We had to fight a giant fucking lava golem to retrieve a "hammer" (actually something like a cousin of his from the elemental planes) and throw it on a lava flow.That was a pretty fun encounter.I hope I didn't fuck anything up in the OP.
>>94271852OP looks fine to me. Apologies for that, wasn't aware we'd hit bump limit. The autosage removal made me complacent.
>>94272298Same. Also didn't realize. My bad. autosage did have one benefit, I used to actually set an alarm for when it would start so I could make sure to make a new thread when we hit page 9 of autosage.>>94271809Looks right, good job.
>>94271809TQ: I used to play with a group of seasoned DMs, some of us with more than a few years of RPGA service/frustration. Amid taking turns running campaigns for each other, we'd run test sessions just to try out wacky shit. One of them recommended a fight against the "Max Template Tarrasque" - a hypothetical Tarrasque build theorycrafted back on the official WotC forums using a specific pattern of template applications to achieve a Tarrasque with as many officially printed templates as possible from as many official 3/3.5 books as possible before 4E came out. I don't remember the party composition, but it took us about two months of sessions to come up with a setup that could legitimately beat it without relying on god powers, psionic metagaming or magic metagaming.
>scribe scroll is based on spell level, not spell slot levelHow does this work? A level one human wizard can just set up shop and spit out up to 75 maximized + empowered spell scrolls at 1st level after killing his first cat? It all makes sense now…
>>94274009You missed the whole part where the spell must be prepared or available and is consumed on scribing. So, no, a Lv.1 Wiz couldn't scribe scrolls for metamagic'd spells as he wouldn't be able to prepare the spell in the first place.
>>94273567>"Max Template Tarrasque"That sounds kind of hilarious.You wouldn't happen to have the statblock stashed somewhere right?
>>94278781Phrenic, Half Dragon, Half Celestial, Half Fiend, Pseudonatural Paragon Tarrasque.
>>94278781No, this was years ago. I lost all of my homebrew to a drive failure long ago.>>94279455It was a LOT more than that.
>>94280024>It was a LOT more than that.Probably using a specific order of application ti change types so that it met the requirements for other templates and the like.Man, I'd love to see that.Guess I'll try and look for an archive of the forum post.For now, I got something similar out of GiTP.>https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?304556-Apocalypse-The-Tarrasque-Templates-WIP
>Shackled City>Age of Worms>Savage TideHave you run any of these three adventure modules? How did it go? I'm torn between AOW and ST for my next campaign and I love them both. Leaning towards ST atm, just cause I use a lot of undead
>>94281075Indeed. There was an order of application that would allow for looking through types a few times. The GitP thread goes a lot father, since it delves into third-party works, but even constrained to official it was on the order of a couple score.
What should be the main item of my level 13 Battle Cleric's shopping list be?Pearls of Power? Scrolls and Rods?Items to protect him from dispel like Spellblade enhancements, ring of spellbattle, etc?Maybe a Domain Staff?Actually, can a Cleric use Domain Staves of Domains he or his deity doesn't have access to?
>>94281922You've got all the strength you'll need and then some as a Cleric by that point, so counter-bullshit items. Anti-dispels, anti-failed saves, immunity items.
>>94282547>immunity items.Right.I should get some of those shouldn't I?Negative energy is the obvious one yeah?Stuff like attribute damage, level drain. Instant death.What's a good way to go about it? Just go through the MIC?
>>94271809Hello 3.5gCould you help me find a specific setting I'm looking for?The setting was a 2e / 3.5e setting.Was something "similar" (but not quite the same) to planescape torment and Dark Sun.Basically a pocket dimension where evil demigods kidnapped people for a gigantic survival game.And I'm 100% it was a SETTING not an ADVENTURE. The whole setting was about this mass scale survival game of kidnapped races.I'm 100% sure that I found about the setting in the old 1d4chan, but the new 1d6chan gives me nothing.
>>94284340Was it a homebrew thing or something you saw in a supplement/dragon magazine?
>>94284295Death Ward, Sheltered Vitality, True Seeing, Freedom of Movement, Mind Blank, some sort of Flight.These are the go-to effects you want on your character.Death Ward, Flight, Freedom of Movement and True Seeing is something your Cleric can already cast though.
>>94284551The more I can offload to items in order to save my spell slots, the better.
>>94284556>Death WardMinimum price for a continuous Death Ward item (say an amulet) is 112k (4 x7 x2000 x2), or 11.2k if you want to activate it once for 7 minutes (4 x7 x2000 / 5)>Sheltered VitalitySame pricing as Death Ward.>Mind BlankQuite amusingly you can have an item (say circlet) of Mind Blank that is activated once per day, lasts 24 hours for... 24k (8 x15 x2000 / 2 / 5).>True SeeingAn item of true seeing (say lenses) would cost 192.5k if continuous (5 x9 x2000 x2 +12.5k) or 30.5k to activate it once for 9 minutes (5 x9 x2000 / 5 +12.5k)>Eternal FreedomContinuous is 84k or 11.2k to activate once for 70 minutes per day.
>>94284662*Freedom of Movement (Eternal Freedom is an epic spell)
>>94284295Yeah, MIC's got some good ones. One of the Third Eye items blocks daze and stun once per day, which can save your life.
>>94284662A Ring of Freedom of Movement is only 40k though.
>>94284765Yeah, I just used the formula provided in the "Creating Magic Items" section (which is very... variable when comparing it to established items.)Also I think I messed up the calculation for Mind Blank (the correct should be 48k) and for continuous True Seeing (205k).
>>94284340The whole "dimension with evil powers kidnapping people" sounds like baseline Ravenloft. Its whole thing is being a predatory plane that overlaps with other material planes to steal people, places, sometimes whole continents. The survival game part sounds like an adventure within the setting, or at least a motivation of one of the lords of Ravenloft.
>>94286134>Basically a pocket dimension where evil demigods kidnapped people for a gigantic survival game.I wanted to mention Ravenloft to0, but the 'for a gigantic survival game' makes me second-guess. Although, in all honesty, I don't know much about Ravenloft beyond it being a pocket dimension made by evil deities.
>>94284340That sounds uncomfortably like Gor.
>>94284662>>94284691>>94284757>>94284765>>94284784Great information. Thank you very much folks.
join the 3.5 discord https://discord.gg/2QRA7KJX
>>94290360No
>>94290360I'm not spending 5x as much for cell phone service instead of my cheap VoIP plan + internet only tablet plan when I make like 3 calls a month at most, just so Discord can 'verify' my phone number because Discord hates VOIP numbers. Thats stupid and I would rather just not join your server. I'm not giving paying a telco $80/mo just to use your discord server. Pass.
>>94290360>Join 3.5e Discord so can we all continue to argue over what each of us thinks 3.5e "should be", fail to actually discuss anything without calling each other retard, and occasionally provide some advice to the random tourist - but now with user IDs (which won't somehow prevent the usual schizos here from accusing each other for samefagging).Thanks, but I'll pass.
>>94290360No.Private communities becoming the norm is one of the many things turning the internet into the shit hellscape it currently is.Even 4chan threads are indexed by search engines.
>>94290360...That's the GiantITP spinoff one, isn't it?
So are petitioners the NPCs of the spiritual realm?
>>94294324Hmm. Sortof? template is on motp p.200. they more or less lose their identity and live in a fog as whatever sort of thing their deiry wants them to do forever, per the template. Per the novels they remember their life but usually have no drive and exist in a sort-of goalless indifferent state.In your homebrew you could do something different of course, but I think by default they're pretty flat compared to actual NPCs.
>>94271809I am so sad I lost my FF and FCs.>>94274009>>94274440BUt the item's cost to create just ignores the metamagic part? >>94281580I was ordering the dragon issues with the Igglywylv demonomicon articles and that had lots of hints about Dungeon and its Savage Tide path and I was always interested but never did run it. >>94291088Just make it with an email.>>94294324>>94296058Less like an actual PnP NPC and more like a video game background NPC.
>>94297393>BUt the item's cost to create just ignores the metamagic part?Not really. Item creation generally assumes minimum caster lever for what is used: A 1st level spell typically has CL1, a 2nd CL3, etc. Since the spell is consumed from the slot in which it's prepared, metamagic is factored into the price. A proper reading would be the minimum level of the slot, not the minimum level of the spell (though they are effectively interchangeable). A 1st level spell, meta'd into a 5th level slot, for example, is treated as a 5th level spell in most respects and for item creation it would reasonably be treated as 5th level/CL9 (unless the item creator wants to further raise the level, which is allowable).
>>94297393>make it with an email.I already /have/ Discord, I've had it for almost a decade. Your server is set to "dont let them post unless they verify their phone number". And Discord won't let you "verify your phone number" using a VoIP number. But that's my phone number. And I'm not willing to spend a ton more each month for your server to accept my Discord account.
>>94297519>>94274440Gotcha, but where does that leave artificers? They only care about SL, then seem to jam in their CL to season after the fact (ie a sky high UMD check).
>>94298031Oh, that would explain it. Fuck them then.
>>94298075Which artificer? There have been a few. If you mean ECS Artificer, they're weird just like a lot of things in Eberron. They don't have the spells available to be metamagic'd - infusions are explicitly stated as not filling prerequisites for item creation - and UMD can't emulate the preparation of a metamagic spell, so for item creation it's simple to say that Artificer can't create metamagic'd anything unless they also have a spellcasting class to fill in some prerequsites at which point it would be a DM call (which should still be refactor for adjusted slot level since the spell is now actually the spell and not emulated).
>>94298297Wait, artificer infusions can't be made into permanent items?So what the fuck are they supposed to do?
>>94298075Artificer is actually the only class that has to follow minimum CL rules. Everyone else can scum them with mage slayer and negative levels.
>>94298263Yep. Exactly. I barely ever use it as a phone, and rarely use it as a handheld PC without WiFi.I'm fine spending ~$5 / mo for a pay as you go number + ~$15 for a tablet data plan so I can check my texts and email and open some webpages when I lack wifi.But no way am I going to find a typical mobile phone plan in this country for that price.Hence, for me, that discord server has like a $60/mo - $80/mo pricetag to post. And hell no. So fuck 'em.
>>94298336Anyone who slaps the phone requirement on does it because they want to be able to truly ruin the social life of anyone they tattle to the cubfurs running Discord itself by making it extra hard to ban evade afterwards.
>>94298314Make ephemeral items daily that fade at the end of the duration or buff construct allies.Artificers CAN make permanent magic items, but only using UMD to emulate everything and with strict cost rules.This is why, at my table, Artificer is NPC-only. Too many times over the years I've had players create an artificer, see how worthless the infusion system is, realize item creation in 3.5 generally sucks ass, and then dump the character partway into a campaign. About the only thing Artificer has going for it is the ability to eat charged items to gain reserve points, but those are wasted if they're not spending every day crafting items as their reserve is lost and reset whenever they level.>>94298332Artificer uses the minimum CL rules... until they don't. Per RAW, they use minimum CL or their own class level, whichever is higher, when determining resource cost, but as you say they are forced to set the item CL to minimum.
>>94298350Probably true. I hadn't even considered it from that angle. But I had considered1. I don't really want Discord selling my phone number to spammers but I was willing to risk it for one server I was really considering.and2. But I'm not getting a way more expensive phone plan than I need just to satisfy them.If you demand I give you my phone number and demand I go out and get an overpriced phone plan, you're a cunt.
>>94298367Sounds like youve messed with crafting a lot. What's your opinion on a wizard who does item crafting?
>>94298367>item creation in 3.5 generally sucks assWhat did he mean by this?
>>94298391>>94298415 (for reasoning)Slightly better than Artificer because it gives the freedom of customization (setting CL, metamagic, etc.) But item creation in 3.5 still sucks in general from a player perspective: Time, and XP (for non-mundane) cost take players away from actually playing and advancing, and creation cost means there's zero profit unless the player takes the time to sell the item themselves rather than to a shop which cuts further into actual gameplay.In my games, if players want custom magic items I figure out the maximum value of items for the area they're in (usually based off of a point of interest's total asset value), they submit what they want to have created, I go through the process of calculating out the market value of what they want, and if it falls within the asset value of the area and there's no reason to give an RNG chance then they can just buy the desired item like any other magic item. If a player REALLY wants to create a crafter, I let them but warn them they're going to end up trailing behind in experience and comparative party power thanks to crafting feats, which is the honest truth.
>>94298453>trailing behind in XPNot really though, you just sit at your desired offset and get more XP>comparative party power>trailing>from craftinglmaoIt's understandable to softban them in a metagame sense over not wanting players to have downtime advancement options leaving banning them over power aside
>>94298496>desired offsetNo idea what you're talking about. When a crafter creates an item, they pay the XP cost up front at the start of the process; per XP cost rules, a character can't spend so much experience that they would drop into the previous level, so they can't craft if they don't have spare XP or they have to decide not to advance a level when hitting threshold to instead spend on crafting. This sets the character apart from the rest of the party, produces more work for the DM when level-splits occur (if there aren't any already due to ECL, multiclassing, and other factors), and shifts balance (slightly).In terms of power, yes, a character that takes an item creation feat is objectively weaker than a character that took something else relevant to their class or build as item creation feats only have any appreciable benefit during downtime compared to the bulk of adventuring, interaction, and combat.I never said I outright ban item creation. I discourage but allow. I only ban Artificer due to a history of player misunderstandings and gameflow interruptions, but even then allow it if the player in question expresses proper knowledge of how the class functions.
>>94298586Personally I think they should have use Monster Hunter approach - use monster corpses to craft items. Fire monsters for fire items, armored monsters for armor and so on. It's already part of the fluff but rules don't really support it properly.
>>94298586You get more XP for being lower level, so you just stay offset at -1 or however many levels and use the extra XP for crafting>In terms of power, yes, a character that takes an item creation feat is objectively weaker than a character that took something else relevant to their class or build as item creation feats only have any appreciable benefit during downtimeSo what you're saying is that you're banning item crafting in general as a metagame issue, as was mentioned as the norm, you colossal fucking sperg faggot nigger retard. This has nothing to do with how strong MIC is.
>>94298657>explicitly says does not ban item creation>gets called a colossal fucking sperg faggot nigger retard for banning item creationDo you need a hug? Or maybe a helmet and a juice box?
>>94298297They don’t need the spells though, so long as they have the feats they can be applied to spell trigger items during creation according to item creation rules. Then after a umd check based on SL, the item is made with creators appropriate caster level and applicable feats, since the umd check covers the need for the spell.
>>94298780That would be an exception, yes, especially since there's precedent that such an act wouldn't raise the spell level as it's "paid for" already, but the charges would still be consumed as they are now filling in for the requirement; UMD can't cover a spell you're already supplying.But a DM with any sense would have to consider campaign balance implications, otherwise an Artificer (let's use a 7th level as a hypothetical since they get Craft Wand at 6th and MST at 7th post-eratta and have had 3 feat slots) could create, say, an Empowered Heightened (9th) Maximized Wand of Fireball (CL5) for 7 * 3 * 375 = 5,625 gp + 225 xp/points + 12 Wand of Fireball charges for an item that would otherwise cost be impossible if slot levels are normally accounted for.
>>94281580do savage tide, worms is pretty bad
Is there no easy way to add the Shield Spell to ta Bard's spell list that's not taking a level of lyric thaumaturge?
Cute and/or Funny feats for a 6-9 HD paragon nupperibo?
>>94300545"Personal research" is always an option. It's one of the more ambiguous mentions in the PHB and DMG, but the way I handle it is:Player wants to add a non-class spell to his spells known. The spell isn't otherwise prohibited (cures on Sor/Wiz, divine-themed in arcane, etc.). The character obtains a scroll of the desired spell and begins research similar to item creation, spending 8h a day for a number of days equal to the normal spell level. At the end of the research period, the player makes a Spellcraft check (DC 25 + spell level). If they succeed, the scroll is consumed and the spell is added to their class spell list at one level higher than it was on the list they were pulling from; wizards may add the spell to their spellbook at any time from another scroll, Sor/Brd must wait until they level as normal. If they overshoot the DC by twice the spell level (so if the DC is 27 and they hit a 29+, for example), the spell is added at level instead of one over. If they fail the scroll is still consumed and they may not try that spell again until they gain another rank in Spellcraft. For bards, I allow swapping Spellcraft for Bardic Knowledge if it is favorable.Beside something like that, I think there's a feat or two that allow list-crossing, but I can't remember them off the top of my head. I get the feeling they'd be in FR books, but relatively restrictive in prerequisites.
>>94300545I've seen a few taking this text to mean Extra Spell from Complete Arcane works like Expanded Knowledge:>For classes such as wizard that have more options for learning spells, Extra Spell is generally used to learn a specific spell that the character lacks access to and would be unable to research.
>>94302190>I think there's a feat or two that allow list-crossing,I thought about Arcane Disciple, but it turns out that there isn't a single Cleric Domain out there with Shield as a spell.>>94302342Interesting that they single out >classes such as wizard that have more options for learning spellsThat could be interpreted that for Sorcerers and Bards it doesn't work like that, but it would for, say, an Archivist.Also, that it would do nothing for a Cleric or Druid.Maybe I'm interpreting it wrong.
>>94302375Huh. I'd've sworn I saw a domain somewhere that had Shield, but I must be confusing it with all of the domains that have Shield of X and Shield Other.
>>94302375>That could be interpreted that for Sorcerers and Bards it doesn't work like that, but it would for, say, an Archivist.Sorcerers and Bards have enough goodies on their own native lists that they're likely to pick one of those, rather than need a specific silver bullet option from e.g. the Cleric, that's all.
Rate my Icewind Dale 2 party of adventurers.SAIKO SIS - Paladin of Mystra / Wizard / FighterLIL SIS - Monk / RogueCRYSIS - Cleric (Silverstar of Selune) / DruidBIG SIS - Bard / RogueISIS - Sorceress / RogueCIS - Wizard / Rogue
>>94302485Same. Then I looked for it everywhere and couldn't find it.Force Magic and Spell Domains have Mage Armor, and Protection has Sanctuary.
I want to make my weapon into a swiss army knife.I know that are the sizing, morphing, and metalline enhancements that can work towards that ideal.Also, the myriad weapon crystals.Anything else worth considering?Is that even a worthwhile investment for a real game?My character currently walks around with a +1 keen longsword, which is pretty boring.
>>94308104Best way to do this is Dragonshard Pommel Stones from Forge of War. 25% markup on weapon enhancements to be able to attach and detach from virtually any weapon with one minute each way, overriding its previous effects. Technically not limited to melee weapons so you can switch it between a bow with special material ammo and a special material bag of melee.
>>94303928Bro your deep gnome Monk 1/Ranger 1/Paladin 2/ Rogue 1/Moringlord 14/Illusionist 11?
How much do you bend the rules of item creation cost in your games, /tg/?Personally I'm experimenting with having the base price of weapons be bonus squared, times 1500 gold instead of 2000. It feels a lot better for martial classes to get a good sword a level or two earlier (though in the pacing of my games, level-ups occur on the slower side anyways).
>>94313065I "don't", I just allow restricted usage magic items (which have the discount therefor) for things which I want to encourage existing.Games where I'm not the DM have all had either no magic mart or fullon sillymode under-CL'd spell item crafting.
>>94313065I probably need need compile it properly but I modify item cost based on if they just enhance what non-magical item does or add a completely new capability. So an enchantment that adds ability to throw fireballs to a quarterstaff gonna cost as normal - since it normally doesn't have such capability.An enchantment that turns physical damage from quarterstaff to fire gonna cost 1/2 since you still need to use it as normal to actually deal it.An enchantment that just adds additional damage, reach, attack bonus (in case of masterwork) is gonna cost 1/5 the normal price since it ultimately doesn't change the function of the item just the magnitude of its effect.
>>94299266Thanks anon, that settles it. I will.
>>94299099That sounds horribly OP so any Artificer metamagic would have to be mroe direct mother may I.
>>94309335That's pretty wild. Kind of like making your own weapon crystals.That said, 25% sounds expensive as hell.Can you, say, find a weapon with a cool effect and adapt it to receive the Dragonshard Stones? Is the Pommel something the weapon needs to be crafted with from the get go or is it something that can be added later on?
Would anyone want epic level 3.5 adventures to be published?Thinking of writing up some for DriveThru. Maybe for 2 or 3 dollars. Or just PWYW. I've made very professional tier content for 3.5e before. Better than some of WotC products that literal errors in them. I ask because the only time I got to epic levels was with a DM who eould only run published modules. But I imagine that's pretty rare.
>>94321092Oh fuck yeah.In the case of my group, we don't run premade adventures, but the DM takes inspiration from tons of modules and setting material, sometimes plopping whole questlines and dungeons from third party adventures in the sandbox.
>>94321092>>94321103Oh yeah, when you do, send the link here. I'll buy it for our DM.
>>94320812I repeat:>to be able to attach and detach from virtually any weapon with one minute each way, overriding its previous effectsThe entire point is to add to assorted Masterwork-but-not-magic weapons, with that 25% markup letting you move it between melee, ranged, damage type, and special material freely when you'd otherwise need to spend full price for each. There's an edge-case in that a cool effect on one side of a Double Weapon isn't bothered by putting a dragonshard pommel stone on the other, unless it's an Artifact, Epic magic weapon, or Weapon of Legacy.
>>94321335>overriding its previous effectsAh. I glossed over that.Still, not that bad a price to pay for the flexibility.Having different masterwork weapons of different types and materials and all that jazz sounds pretty cool version of a martial's toolbox.
>>94321335>>94321356>>94309335Can you do more than one 'pommel stone'?
>>94321119>>94321103Will do. I know that "asking permission" to do something creative is cringe and pathetic, but I do want to make sure that if I make something that is motivated by sharing with a community that I at least make sure I'm not totally off mark at first.
>>94321943I mean, that was less asking permission and more gauging interest, which is perfectly valid as far as I'm concerned.
>>94321613Only if it's a Double Weapon, maybe three for an Elvencraft Longbow. Though the nearest thing to FF7 Materia is probably Wand Chambers out of Dungeonscape, which let you clip/socket/enclose a wand in a weapon such that you can use the wand while holding the weapon. Could probably get closer twisting Advanced Psionic Tattoo rules since those support SOME alterations to Powers.
Does anyone know where you can buy physical 3.5e books for cheap or if they'll be doing a reprint release anytime soon?
>>94322176The used market I guess.I just bought a couple of PODs from DrivethruRPG.
>>94322176You can get some of them PoD from DTRPG. They're not a horrible price.Otherwise you're looking at printing and binding them yourself; or buying from scalpers.
>>94322187>>94322264Honestly, I was considering binding them myself. I just didn't like the idea unless it is absolutely necessary, it looks like it just might be since we're doing a "no computers" rule. Thank you for your responses.
>>94322702I've been thinking about doing the same.There's some books you can't buy a POD of, like the Book of Exalted Deeds. They only sell the PDF.
>>94322187Another anon here, how close are the results to the original books, do you know? Cover, binding, etc
>>94324175I have no idea. Never touched an original book, sadly.
>>94298586To wit, anon, because xp gains prorate, unless the pc is churning out dozens of items, they will never really be more than 1 or 2 levels behind.Crafting is a convenience for the party, but not so absurd as to be a hindrance.
>>94324175I only have the originals but have looked at PoD to finish out my collection. Reviews say they tend to be larger, thicker, and on matte paper rather than glossy.
>>94324175I have gotten some other PoD reprints from DTRPG where friends had the original.1. The colors are a bit dark.2. There's often (or there was last time I looked at a DTRPG book was 2017) a white edge around the edge of the pages, they don't print all the way to the edge, nor do they print at a bigger size than trim the pages down like the original prints did.2. The binding wasn't quite as good. They don't do folios folded into signatures stitched together like a high quality hardcover, the pages are bound with glue like a magazine.So not as good as the originals, but not terrible.Much better than a copy shop print job.>>94324963Also yeah, often thicker paper, and not glossy paper.
>>94325444*Note, my PoD books are for VtM (and I'm in the middle of moving, so everything is packed). Oh. They were also slightly larger books overall. They don't like up with the originals on a shelf. You can tell which ones are POD at a glance because they're a slightly bigger size.
>>94324314>>94324963>>94325444>>94325471Thanks y'all.Oh well, sucks to miss the 2e days. Would love to someday build a library of Complete Handbooks and stuff or get nice setting stuffs.
>>94326754Oh. I was comparing against 3.5 books which had much higher production values. AD&D 1&2 books were often on cheap paper, and were either black and white, or black and white with one other faded color pattern added in as a watermark to make the books harder to photocopy.I've got a few 2e PDFs I printed out at a print shop 20 years ago, they're not bad even with a vinyl cover and coil binding.If you get decent PDFs of the 3.5 books, a lot of them the background is a separate layer. You can remove it in Acrobat or something with a bit of effort to make a print friendly copy. I stripped the background out of my PHB as a test at one point.
Are there ways to get True Strike or Wraithstrike (preferably, both) as a move or swift/immediate action on a divine caster?Items, feats, classes, whatever. The less complicated and more "plug-and-play" (ie. without convoluted prerequisites, easily obtainable by any given character) the better.
>>94329557>Are there ways to get True Strike or Wraithstrike (preferably, both) as a move or swift/immediate action on a divine caster?Wraithstrike is already a swift action cast. And True Strike could be gotten through Sudden Quicken (may those who wrote it lose all of their teeth and have hair grow under their nails).
>>94330580>Wraithstrike is already a swift action castOh yeah, I totally missed that.A weapon with a wand chamber to hold a wand of that sounds pretty nice, although my character would need UMD to use it.> And True Strike could be gotten through Sudden QuickeAlright, noted. Although you'd still need to be able to cast the spell yourself right, as well as have the Quicken Spell feat?
>>94331443>Alright, noted. Although you'd still need to be able to cast the spell yourself right, as well as have the Quicken Spell feat?It has a lot of prerequisites. It's still bullshit. At higher levels you can just go with Metamagic Rod. It's only 35k at level 17 for 3 times per day. Frankly, it's cheaper to buy feats than get them a lot of the time. Another way is to abuse Contingency/Craft Contingent Spell. Retards made True Strike a level 1 spell with no duration or save needed. So you don't need caster level to do it. Crafted Contingent True Strike that is keyed to you casting Wraithstrike at caster level 1 is laughably cheap for the kind of shit you can do with it. It's basically "Omae Wa Mou Shindeiru" the combination.
>>94331943Well, that's a disgusting idea.I love it.Thanks.
Just to be sure that I'm not missing anything.Metamagic rods, let's say Extend and Chain.Can I combine them? Say, cast a chained extended spell using charges from both rods.Is there anything preventing me from buying more than one of the same rod to have more total charges I can use per day?I think the answer to both is no (can't combine, there's nothing preventing me from having multiples), but I figured I'd tap into the collective pool of knowledge before I try any of these things at the table.
>>94336149Oh yeah, and is there a VTT you guys would recommend for playing D&D 3.5e?
>>94336289I don't know any that have more than the SRD built in, so I don't know of any I would pick for character building, but Foundry looks good, and has a (purchaseable) 3d plugin and other (free and purchasable) usermade extensions.
How do you guys handle prestige classes? Do you find a list online that you incorporate or do you make some up yourself? Do players bring their own?
>>94338257My philosophy is to let the players do what they want within reason, but it's good to clear things well in advance because many of them require focused investment multiple levels before you actually take them. Same as spell lists, let the players be creative but the DM has the final say of what is and isn't kosher.
>>94338257>How do you handle [core mechanic]I use the core mechanic?What sort of a question is this lmao.
>>94338257Our DM is pretty much >>94338275.We can mostly do whatever we want as long as it fits the group and the game as a whole as far as crunch and fluff goes.We try to not give the DM extra work.
>>94338310I was being more charitable because there's lots of prestige classes that have a lot of lore implications for the societies/religions/orders/etc. that exist within the world. A munchkin trying to finesse some random shit from dragon magazine or even just a Forgotten Realms book can leave the DM in a weird position even if they don't disagree with the class mechanically.
>>94338257I handle them the 3.0 way, tying them to factions. You can take one if you find a means to be trained in it. If you can't find someone willing to teach you, find documented manual of the techniques to teach yourself. I also use the UA Test-Based Prereqs. Normally I just use all the FR ones and ignore the rest.But I specifically run 3.5 for a Faerûnian RPG.
>>94338310Lmoa, problem is my players are total noobs so I have to nudge them every time into interacting with the mechanics.>Y-you can do that?!Ad nauseum. Other fellas thanks for all the replies
>>94336289Fantasy Grounds has been pretty versatile. No VTT has robust support thanks to Hasbro of the Coast refusing to license 3/3.5, but between user extensions, the Advanced Bestiary premium extension (mostly for the importer) about the only things I find myself lacking in my games beyond what I can transcribe myself are some sense rendering (low-light, blindsense/sight) and persistent area effect support (something apparently being worked on across all modules).
>>94339155I'm convinced a human didn't make this post>A munchkin trying to finesse some random shit from dragon magazineIf people try to bring homebrew into your game unprompted you have nobody to blame but yourself.>a munchkin>3.5stop playing games with children
>>94336505I always hear good things about foundry in general.How difficult is it to add new content and share it with players?>>94340434Now that's a piece if software I haven't heard about in a while.Looking at theit forums, it seems that they are still thriving, which is nice.Guess I should check it out.
>>94339155Fair. Out table doesn't take the fluff of most classes word for word, but we do tend to stick to the general flavor, so I get that that can come with implications for the setting itself.Which is not always bad, mind you, but it's good to get those things through the DM before they "materialize" in the world so to speak.I wonder how much of the class/feat/spells/etc fluff most tables use if at all.I know that online there's plenty of people who claim to use classes as bundles of mechanics for example, but I have no idea how that generalizes.
>>94340992>I know that online there's plenty of people who claim to use classes as bundles of mechanics for example, but I have no idea how that generalizes.It's RAI, unless you're playing specifically in FR or a very specific version of greyhawk.
>>94340859If you're going to use it as a DM, bite the bullet and buy an ultimate license. It means any player that connects to you, even using the demo, is treated as if they had purchased the normal client and any modules (not dice skins) that you've purchased (not really relevant for 3/3.5 but useful if you play any other supported systems or the rare PF1 module that is transparent with 3.5) are also shared to players connected to you.
>>94340859>How difficult is it to add new content and share it with players?I only bought it recently - but I do have it installed. My understanding is the players don't have to install anything.As for the ease of editing:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFV9z59nkHDccUbRXVt623UdloPTclIrzIt seems to be Javascript + CSS + HTML, with a database format that you can convert to JSON.You can also take some of the simpler ones, and embed iFrames in the UI to link to webpages. For my campaign using foundry, I plan to not use Character sheets in the app, and internally link to Google-Sheets based Character Sheets - but that will mean no lazy click a stat to roll it in Foundry. YMMV.I picked it up because of this usermade extension that adds 3d maps. It came down to "Foundry or TaleSpire" for that reason.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHzUG64EMJk&list=PLbNUuLLqMgaBfNAyYb6mhg4pR4bPcHXqMhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMTOZuLCuQU&list=PLbNUuLLqMgaCpFyHQnTuOGLnljT22XWVpThis "Scenescape" setup also looks good.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8CTJt8vla4And I picked up this one before Baileywiki dropped Scenescape.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1iNupQLZZ8I had 0 interest in a 2d top-down token map interface, which eliminated most of the options.
>>94338310This core mechanic? ;)
>>94348263>>94338310>whereDMG 3.5 p176, "Prestige Classes".DMG3.0 p.27 says instead:> Characters who qualify can choose a prestige class as a multi-class to pick up as they advance in level. Taking a prestige class does not incur the experience point penalties normally associated with multiclassing. Prestige classes allow DMs to create campaign-specific, exclusive roles and positions as classes...> Prestige classes are acquired only by meeting the requirements specific to each example. This almost always requires—in effect—that a character be at least mid-level (say, around 5th or 6th level). Additionally, the character must meet nonrule-related requirements in-game, such as group membership fees, special training exercises, quests, and so forth...> Allowing PCs access to prestige classes is purely optional and always under the purview of the DM. Even though a few examples can be found below, prestige classes are idiosyncratic to each campaign, and DMs may choose to not allow them or to use them only for NPCs...> Dungeon Masters should use prestige classes as a tool for world-building as well as a reward for achieving high level. They set characters in the milieu and put them in the context of the world.Followed by guidelines for designing personalized PrCs for your campaign.The "Core mechanic" in both 3.5 and 3.0 states they should not be commonly accessible, and should be campaign specific.
>>94348322Yeah and then they published like 300 of them.
>>94348528Sure. It's an effort saver for the DM to not have to make them yourself, even if you run them by the text of the DMG.I'm simply not seeing the part where they decided "actually, don't cherrypick which ones to include in your campaign or require 'nonrule-related requirements in-game, such as group membership fees, special training exercises, quests, and so forth', we were wrong, allow all of them and just make them freely available character options to take when leveling up."
>>94348263>>94348322It's worth mentioning that Monte Cook was the primary author/designer of the 3/3.5 DMG. Cook is a bit of an oddball. He has always been a proponent of the "DM does and rolls everything and players just sit there" playstyle, so pretty much everything he wrote leans on the DM deciding if something "core" is even available in their games.It also feels like the wording used is a holdover/re-dig from how Prestige Classes evolved out of Player Character Kits from 2nd Ed. To quote The Complete Book of Elves:>Kits are optional additions to the campaign, allowing a player to add detail to his or her PC. These kits are collections of various abilities and disadvantages that can help a player better define his or her character.If a DM wants to limit PrC access for "world-building" reasons, so be it. But considering the "core" PrC list expanded in 3.5 by copying FR lore and world-specific classes, that entire concept is already on thin ice.
>>94348969How involved was Cook in the 3.5 revision? He didn't work there anymore by that point, right? If the rest of the design team was inclined to change that decision for 3.5, and just tell the DM to run PrCs the way a lot of later 3.5 DMs do, where they're just options you need to meet the Prereqs to start taking, you'd think they would have done that, no? Or did Cook do the 3.5 update as well?
>>94348991He did the 3.5 update for the DMG and was on the design team for PHB and MM 3.5. Even after leaving WotC he continued core and option work as a freelancer for a few more years as well as a constant contributor to Dungeon and Dragon magazines.
>>94349075I see. Somehow I thought by 2003 he was off only doing his own d20 stuff, aside from the occasional entranced in Dragon Magazine. Didn't realize he actually worked on the 3.5 revision. So then his tastes about gatekeeping PrCs behind faction membership and making them not universally available was still very much in play when they wrote the 3.5 revision, still coming from him, and not from Andy Collins and whomever else.
>>94349164Pretty much. To be fair, it does have a semblance of reason. There are some extremely disruptive PrCs (like Apostle of Peace) and sometimes lore is a factor (hello Red Wizard and any other "seat of power" PrC), especially in custom worlds. The DM should have the right to outlaw as they see fit for their games. But that's already enshrined much earlier in the DMG as a general rule, so the whole paragraph in the PrC section feels unnecessary and heavy-handed.
>>94280024>>94279455>>94273567I did something like this once. I had a whole in-universe reason for its existence that I may want to re-use at some point so I won't go far into it.The idea was there being a True Tarrasque that every published version of the Tarrasque was just a part of. Put them all together for the real version.AD&D is blanket immune to Psionics, severs a random limb with any bite that hits with an 18 or higher.3e D&D has many versions and the best Regeneration. It gains the bulk of its immunities here, epic DR, its bites now crit 18-20/x3, and it gains the gamut big monsters of this era got. Swallow whole, frightful presence, spell resistance, etc. It also has variant versions like the 30-headed Tarrasque published on the website, the half-Fiend Tarrasque, and I believe there was a nature spirit Tarrasque partially made of living wood there and another one that breathes fire too. There's also the Aquatic Tarrasque, published in a hardcover book. And, of course, the Tarrasque with 20 levels of Wizard. It also increases the Tarrasque's odds of bouncing a magic missile, ray, or cone back to the caster from 1/6 to 1/3.The Black Tokyo setting's Tarrasque is an outright riff on Godzilla, taller than a skyscraper.The Pathfinder 1e Tarrasque is capable of firing the spines on its back as a hail of javelins and I think it also has its burrow speed codified and can jump like the Hulk.Pathfinder 2e turns those javelin spines into an AoE cone effect.4e lets it make a Whirlwind Attack equivalent with its bites, which now also penalize AC on hit. Also ignores resistances, and has tons of fringe immunities like Immobilized, Knocked Prone, Restrained, etc so you can't even slow it down. It has an aura that draws flyers in.5e Tarrasque can curse flying enemies to drop to the ground, and has its whole legendary actions mechanic to mulch the turn order.I basically gestalted all of these into one big problem for the setting.
>>94348969>It also feels like the wording used is a holdover/re-dig from how Prestige Classes evolved out of Player Character Kits from 2nd Ed.I used to think that, but the way you have to qualify for prestige classes seem to be taken straight from AD&D 1e. Variant classes are more like the late return of the character kits.
Looking at feat timings and common prerequisites for homebrew Fighter Bonus Feats designed to advantage them.Requirements hitting at 4th, 10th, and 16th level seem the best targets for "power spikes" as you can design for 6th, 12th, and 18th with the "happy coincidence" of being fine for Fighters two levels earlier, though this requires identification of sensible prerequisites. 4th and 16th are simple as BAB +4 is what Average progression has at 6th and BAB +16 is the final iterative attack, but I can't find a similarly-trivial "clean" reason at 10th.6th, 12th, and 18th are the levels where a single-class Fighter gets both a general feat and a bonus feat, allowing for "off-theme" feat functions like Improved Dragon Wings to receive their "in-theme" follow-ups like Winged Warrior exactly on time. Though that particular example doesn't work because of the Hover prerequisite, it's an important character-building consideration. 6th is neatly first-iterative and 12th has a decently-round 15 ranks in a skill.
>>94354910You could gate it behind a minimum number of fighter-list feats possessed. 5 if you want fighters to be able to qualify at lv10.
>>94357069Sorry. 5 for fighters to qualify at lv8.
>>94357069Part of the reason is specifically wanting to AVOID the cumbersome chain approach to "designed for Fighter" seen in feats like Spring Attack, so the feats are well worth taking on characters without a pile of Bonus Feats.Advantaging having a lot of them would be better served by the like of the PHB2 [Combat Form] feats, giving additional value for follow-up rather than a strict path to reach it.
>>94359235I didn't suggest a chain, I suggested a minimum number of total combat feats. Because a barbarian or paladin may be full BAB, but they will only have so many combat feats, and a cleric will have a even fewer.
>>94359276The points still stand. The Fighter isn't on as hard of rails, but it remains neutered for everyone else by the exorbitant opportunity cost. Also, "Fighter Bonus Feat" isn't a tag, but instead a Special clause, so it'd be really awkward wording for a prerequisite.
>>94359467Then I don't know of another target you could choose if BAB 10 isn't appropriate.BAB + HD, maybe?orBAB + HP?
From the d20 thread:>>94355692>>94356478>>94360384What's your preferred LA+HD approach out of the official 3.0 / 3.5 approaches?Do you like LA+HD+Retraining+Buyoff? Is it worth the extra steps? Do you like Savage Species+Retraining+Buyoff? Just ban everything with more than +1LA and ban everything with RHD because it's too much of a headache?
>>94360405Adjusted LA from GITP plus buyoff, possibly even negative RHD.
Have any of your tried making Signs of Apocalypse from the Elder Evils book for your campaigns? What were they?
>>94360518How do negative racial hit dice work?
>>94370493A few different ways. Partial Gestalt just removing them and one other way.There was a nice Giant in the Playground thread on it but I'm having a hard time finding it.I can't even find the rebalanced level adjustment thread. Dammit.
>>94370551These?https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?518086-The-LA-assignment-archivehttps://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?629100-Negative-LA-Assignment-Resurrection-but-no-diamond-herehttps://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=25853543&postcount=452
>>94370599Yes. Thank you.
For LA buy off, since you always get the ECL reduced by 1 per buy off. Wouldn’t it be the same but simpler to parse if the text said it takes twice as much XP to advance the indicated ECL, drop one LA?
>>94349946>I basically gestalted all of theseThis is the only sane option. Anyone that doesn't do what this anon did is not wrong, or stupid.Is insane.
>>94370946I don't think so, just because the amount scales off current ECL and you need to be at certain breakpoints of class level >= 3 x LA to start spending the XP. The math doesn't quite check out for your version.
Alright.So it's come time to decine on my character's next level.Currently, he is :>4 Cleric/3 Ordained Champion/6 Knight of the Raven>Domains: War, Law (traded in for Law Devotion), Healing, Sun>Feats from Level ups: Extend Spell, Persist Spell, DMM: Persist, Practiced Spellcaster, Holy Warrior>Bonus feats: Power Attack, Parrying Shield, Diehard, Enduring LifeWe use retraining rules, so I won't bother with listing the skills.Thematically, he works under the church of the god of the sun but is a worshiper of the goddes of "fighting evil shit with swords", which just so happens to be wedded to the god of the sun.Thematically, I was thinking my next level could be more Knight of the Raven (get Channel Spell for my bird) or a level of Radiant Servant of [god of the sun], since that would be thematic as fuck. I also though about taking the first level of The Righteous Cohort of Kiri-Jolith (Dragonlance - Holy Orders of the Stars) to get the feat in its third level.two things to note are that, one, at level 15 he will get a level in Crusader, so I'm deciding all my levels from 14 to 20 save level 15, and two, I'd like 9th level spells by level 20, since I'm pretty sure we will get there, and probably beyond.Other classes that I'm considering for thematic and/or mechanical reasons are Divine Disciple, Sacred Exorcist, Contemplative, Divine Oracle, and Fatespinner.So, what do you folks think?I'm mostly planning in order to decide his 14th level, since everything beyond that is subject to change depending on the happenings of the campaign, but I might as well pre-plan ahead like I did with the previous levels.
>>94382603>So it's come time to decine on my character's next level.I swear to the gods that I'm not drunk.I really shouldn't work and post at the same time, fuck me.
>last campaign>play an extremely un-optimized warblade>apparently this was enough to get the gm to consider tome of battle characters OP, so it has been banned for this next campaignHow should I make him regret his choice, playing a hyper optimized non-ToB martial, or playing literally a PHB only cleric.
>>94383821>playing literally a PHB only cleric.Do that with about the same effort of optmization you did for the warblade.I get how people can think ToB characters are OP when everybody else is playing at 25% of their capacity, but still, the game is so old, there's not much in the way of excuses for him to not have at least a notion of how things are playing out at the table.Were he to say he thought the warblade was a lot stronger than the other PCs, fine, but that's something else entirely.Of course, don't go out of your way to ruin the game out of spite or anything.
>>94383856>there's not much in the way of excuses for him to not have at least a notion of how things are playing out at the table.Yeah, it is an odd situation. I'm by far the most experienced person at the table with 3.5, indeed, I introduced it to them well after 5e had been released myself. They are more familiar with other systems as a result, but the GM and some of the other players have some qualms with 5e that make them want to play 3.5 instead. The result has been this kind of odd retread of mid 2000s 3.5 discourse except there is one person at the table (me) who has the full modern and historic perspective on it, leading to situations like this.I'm not out to ruin the game or anything, but I will admit that I feel a little spiteful, because chances of playing 3.5 come few and far between these days, and tome of battle was always my favorite supplement. As some additional oddities regarding our past campaign for context here, our party was evenly split between full, prepared casters and tome of battle classes last time around, so it isn't like there was a PHB only fighter I was showing up by playing a warblade.
I'm making a base class called the Occultist. They're going to have extra designated spell slots that are "Blessed" unlike the others. They cast Arcane Spells from Cleric's and/or Druid's spell lists, and they follow Rites like one would fine in freemasonry, celtic druidism, witchcraft, the pythagoreans, etc.I need some ideas. What would it mean for a spell slot or two to be "blessed" with regards to the concept of the occultist?
>>94384397>What would it mean for a spell slot or two to be "blessed" with regards to the concept of the occultist?Free metamagics like silenced, still, and the like?Or maybe it changes the spell in some other spooky way.Or the slots are also a resource that fuels some other feature that also changes depending on the spell memorized.
>>94384413The "spooky way" change sounds like the best way to go. I don't want the power of the class to be wholly in those "blessed spells". It ought to be the Occultist's class feature the same way Domains are the Cleric's me thinks. Anyways, I do appreciate your input! I'm just wondering how to make all the elements of the occult have those "blessed spells" in common. I don't want to make each branch have its own spell list, because it would look too much like domains. I want them to be features that represent concepts by which to get the most out of a spell.
>>94384640>The "spooky way" change sounds like the best way to goOkay. Then what are some spooky things we could use as a source of ideas?Binders, warlocks and shadowcasters?Maybe taking vestiges as inspirations could be interesting?Hell, you could even look outside of 3.5e. Give the Thaumaturge class from PF2e a read, see if any of that flavor helpsOr use the PF1e Occultist class as a jumping off point.What are these occult branches called? Enigmas? Oracles?
>>94384830Conceptually, I'm looking at the principles behind those Rites and/or Occult fields. I'm looking at Mathematics (both the classical Astrological sense, and the more modern numerical aspect) wherein some numbers and angles behold and others don't.Witchcraft will call for the properties of various animals and herbs to tweak the spells they have prepared with.There is already Metamagic, but that is available to everybody. I need something unique, perhaps a set of Rites to reference with certain Spells and how to tweak them. General stuff like +Caster Level and Metamagic again can't come of this. It'll have to be like casting a spell within a spell. We both know of Pathfinder's infamous Sacred Geometry feat, but that kind of extra flourish I think is the right idea here.
Gonna be playing a factotum soon, I've never really gone hard on breaking skill checks before, so I figure now or never. What are the ways of boosting skill checks to truly absurd values? Like, hitting max extra damage dice on iaijutsu focus type shit.
>>94271809What would be the best way to play an alchemist, who would rely on potions, poisons, acids, etc without getting left behind by the more traditional characters? Or should I just go with the obvious solution and use Artificer?
>>94386407Ask the DM if you could play as an alchemist from pathfinder, it fits what you want to a T.
>>94281580I ran Shackled City and Savage Tide, played in Age of Worms. They're 3.X-era homages to old adventures and the Greyhawk setting, and I love them.
>>94388563They have that? Awesome, thanks anon
>>94389045Bear in mind that PF1 number scaling is a bit silly particularly for HP/damage so backporting it isn't necessarily 1:1, but it's very much the archetype of brewing vials of bullshit and then yeeting them into crowds
Snitties.
>>94389335We had a comparison a while back. The math is the same (at least on the monster side), excluding ELH silliness
Anthropomorphic (Giant) Octopus Ruby Knight Vindicator could be neat. Six arms means three Standard Actions with Multitasking, which can rip through Granted maneuvers like crazy.
>>94400858I don't think even with multiweapon fighting you get extra actions from extra arms
Does anyone know the artist who illustrated Tales of The Wee Folk (older edition)And on another matter - is exterminating fey goatmen who debauch local village girls an automatically good aligned action?
>>94402311No. Vengeance may be lawful and cessation of misery is kind, but to be GOOD you must endeavor for the betterment of all. You must go to the homeland of the fey, find the goatwomen, and debauch them. Beat them at their own game until they stop playing.
>>94402496do goat women even exist though? Aren't satyrs a male only race in DnD
>>94401813Multitasking is from Savage Species:>Prerequisite>Improved Multiweapon Fighting (SS) , Multiattack (MM) , Multiweapon Fighting (MM) , DEX 15, INT 15, four or more arms>Benefit>If you have four or more arms, you can use each pair of arms to perform a distinct partial action. All such partial actions occur simultaneously. Thus, you could attack with one or two arms while using a magic item, reloading a crossbow, or casting a spell with two other arms.
>>94402311Checking the book>Interior Artist: Valerie ValusekThey're chaotic and usually neutral, but the same book says they dislike violence and seriousness. Other books say they like to charm women and sometimes put adventurers to sleep and steal their stuff. So, I guess it depends on the debauchery and if you're feeling patient? In OD&D they're aligned with Chaos, so in the Gygax school of thought, I guess it's always a Lawful action.>>94402311>>94402573The same book says there aren't females, they reproduce with other races, particularly dryads. In 3e Deities & Demigods they introduce Fauns which aren't Satyrs and actually have females.
Back in the day we were poor, I gave my mom PDF to print at her work. She didn't know much about printing, so made the whole thing colored, manually flipped pages and everything. Love you, mom.
>>94404518That's really cool. Huge kudos to your mom.You still play 3.5e or is it just a nostalgic memory these days?
>>94404518Haven't played it since beginning of covid sadly, old nerd team disbanded back then. This general kind of inspires me to open this dusty old tome again and get a game going with some local 5e players. Hopefully reading it will restore my memory and separate all the other systems and rules I've been using since then
Remember the anon that was trying to make a custom avrae alias to automated the crusader's maneuver shuffling and selection?Well, here it is : > https://pastebin.com/Kyh4K75e>>94405613>get a game going with some local 5e playersIt might just be me spending too much time in 3.5e forums, but I feel that I've seen that a lot in the last year or so.Here's hoping there's a sort of 3.5e renaissance. Not at the level of OSR, just a small expansion of the niche, more people playing and talking about the game and such.
Any feat or ability to put a dischargeable DIVINE spell on an arrow? These things are usually (perhaps understandably) limited to melee.
>>94409254I tried doing some light research and I couldn't find anything like Channel Spell for melee.I guess you could make a bunch of adamantine arrows of spell storing or some such.
>>94408626>Here's hoping there's a sort of 3.5e renaissance.Considering modern sensibilities, something like a YouTube essay ala "D&D3.5 secretly the best system ever" could possibly generate enough momentum.I'm a bit disappointed Wizards haven't reprinted and marketed every editions core rulebooks to celebrate D&D 50th anniversary this year. Would have been the perfect chance to create hype and interest. I know some new-ish people who would have noticed and tried older stuff, if there was an official endorsement.
>>94412701More than that. Look at videogames and how many of the most played (non-live service) old games or remakes of old games.They already have all the designs and rules, there's very little reason from a market standpoint to no have a skeleton crew taking care of old editions in a sort of legacy brand.It would be very little investment for what I'm pretty sure would be decent returns.
Is the only public online character sheet people use these days myth weavers?
Something likehttps://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/s/88GuT7xLqQ ?
>>94415076If you are responding to >>94414689, it was more a comment about people linking their characters online in discussions and such.I've only really seen people link mythweavers.The pifro the other guy your linked mentioned seems pretty alright.
>>94415154>The pifro the other guy your linked mentioned seems pretty alright.Holy stroke batman.
Clarify something for me, will you?Tome of Battle Martial Initiator Classes in a multiclass.The snippet of rules regarding the highest level of Maneuver a character can select says : >Your level in a *martial adept class* determines the highest-level maneuvers you can select..Then the table headers are >*Initiator Level* Maneuver LevelSo, which is it?Would a level 4 Fighter / 1 Warblade have access to 2nd level Maneuvers?By text over table, the answer would be no, correct?I ask because I always had this notion, either because I read it somewhere or due to a misunderstanding on my part, that multiclassing martial adepts actually enabled the selection of higher level maneuvers if you got the ToB class after a number of non-ToB class levels.If my understanding was right, meaning that in my example the character would have access to 2nd level maneuvers, then where can I find that clarification?I'm aware that ToB is the single most badly written book in 3.5e's run, so it wouldn't be a surprise if there's a piece of text somewhere agreeing with the table and disregarding that text.Either that or I'm misunderstanding that there's a possible misunderstanding to begin with.
>>94415906The snippet in question.The first reading, that only your Martial Initiator Level is checked for the highest level of maneuver you can select is a lot more natural way to read the rules, I think, since it mimics spell casting. Just because I have 4 levels of fighter, one level of wizard, and Practiced Caster, that doesn't mean the character can access spells higher than 1st level.But, martial initiators are not spellcasters and they work under a different sub-system, so that being yet another difference from how spellcasting works wouldn't be all that surprising, since IL itself works differently from CL when multiclassing.So yeah, trying to wrap my head around that so that I can present the information to my DM and participate in tomorrow's session without just straight up cheating.
>>94415966Your non-initiator level basically count as half-levels towards your ability to use maneuvers. So your example of a 4/1 fighter initiator accessing 2nd level maneuvers would be correct, since you end up with an initiator level of 3. I don't know where that is in the book though.
>>94389005Doesn't savage tide use a knockoff of Mystara's Isle of Dread for part of it?
>>94416198I know that that's the preevalent interpretation, my question is why, since at least that text snippet seems to support maneuver acces being tied to MI class levels rather than just raw IL.Seems odd to me that everybody simply decided to ignore that, so I'm thinking that there's a something else somewhere (in the book, in a FAQ, whatever) confirming, or at least supporting, the common reading.I hope my question is clearer now, my question could have been less roundabout.
>>94417369From page 39 of the tome of battle
>>94417879>For example, a 7th-level crusader/5th-level swordsage has an initiator level of 9th for determining the highest level maneuvers he can take as a crusader.>As a result, he can take 5th-level crusader maneuversOoooooh.That's right above the rules snippet I posted. Amazing.Yeah, that's pretty clear, even if seemingly slightly contradicted by the later text, but then the table agrees with it.Yeah, cool.Thanks bruh,
does anyone remember what adventure book the stats for Mercykillers where in. it was super random
>>94422063nevermind it was lords of the iron fortress
>>94422063>>94422092What? Planescape Mercykillers?
>>94422139yeah.
>>94422160Oh wow.Anyway, in case you don't know, they got detailed a bit in Dragon #339, too, with a Son of Mercy prestige class.
>>94422323I'm running a planescape game so I have that magazine. they have a prestige class buried somewhere as well I think
>>94422337Oh neat
Well, our crafting focused player didn't know about the thought bottle.He does now.Things are about to get a lot more interesting.
I'm >>94382603 and, after >>94417879, I now realize that I was counting the maneuver progression wrong. It's akin to a wizard's spell progression not sorcerer, meaning that my character can dip Crusader as his 14th level. Now he has access to 4th level maneuvers, so that's nice.With that out of the way, I think it's high time he goes on a shopping spree.Currently, his main possessions are : >Weapon: Keen Longsword +1>Shield: Sanctified Durable Animated Steel Heavy Shield +1>Head: ->Face: Googles of Night>Neck: Reliquary Holy Symbol of Natural Armor +2>Body: Restful Full Plate Blurring +1>Torso: ->Waist: ->Shoulders: Cloak of Charisma + 4>Arms: ->Hands: Gauntlets of War of Dexterity +2>Rings: Ring of Sustenance of Protection +2>Feet: Boots of the Unending Journey>Misc: Lesser Crystal of Return (on the Longsword), Metamagic Rod (Extend, Lesser), Nightstick, Handy Haversack, ShapesandAny other items or enhancements in special he should shop for?The simpler the better.I imagine that going after Enhancement Bonuses to Stregth and Resistance Bonuses to Saving Throws and other bonuses covered by spells aren't worth buying, at least not until after he has bought all the other important stuff.The one thing that's on his shopping list are pearls of power and a +4 Enhancement bonus to wisdom.Maybe a continuous item of Protection from Evil too.
>>94428689>Any other items or enhancements in special he should shop for?>The simpler the better.10-100 more nightsticks :^If you're allowed 3.0 then you should be pushing towards Arms of the Naga (SS) by this level.If you DM allows non-sword defending weapons then put +1 defending spikes on something (or everything).If you care about weapon damage you can pick up 6 average damage by grabbing Strongarm Bracers and a Large Greatsword. Otherwise consider swapping to a scimitar/falcion if your god will allow it.A trip to the shriver
What's that unsecured http site with all the 3.5 books? My old search engine brought it up all the time but I've forgotten what engine that was. Etherealspheres or something I only really got it with like searx or some other mirrored search engine on like librewolf.
>>94429652Etherealspheres seems to have been down for a while. I usually find them by searching "D&D 3.5 [sourcebook] PDF". Given the complaints the last time I mentioned my PDF sources I'll not spoonfeed.
>>94429886I have ghree or 4 different repositories bookmarked thabks to doing exactly that. It's been pretty painless finding these pdfs, really.
>>94429652You know the rem uz mirror on the-eye is still up, right?
>>94429035>Arms of the NagaAlright, that's pretty fucking neat. Would be great to use metamagic rods while still wielding his longsword with both hands alongside his animated shield.>Strongarm BracersWould be cool if he didn't have to stick to the longsword.Even a large longsword would be about 3 extra damage. That wouldn't be worth the investment, I think.A friend suggested a Horned Helmet for the Gore attack. A shame I can't GMW that.>>94429652>>94429886>>94432196There's a lot of stuff on archive.org too.
Are there any feats representing an expertise at a kick to the nuts?Specifically a kick or a punch, not like generic critical hits or rogue's sneak attack
>>94435135Sounds like called shot rules.DMG pg27 has >pic related
>>94435135>>94435193Or stunning strike.
>>94281580I'm currently running savage tide, currently in the lightless depths section, fantastic dungeons, but the exploration of the Isle of dread and the defence of Farshore dragged on for a bit.Of note I am converting it to Pathfinder 1e.
>>94424985I feel like if a DM lets a player do thought bottle shit they may as well just remove crafting XP costs entirely. Like, it's a cute puzzle to figure out but the end result isn't particularly interesting for the party.
>>94439441In this case, the player is mostly doing fun shit rather than trying to break the game and he enjoys the whole crafting puzzle, so it's fine, I think.But in general terms, I agree.
>>94429886Personally, I download my shit to avoid the inevitable dmca shitshow that breaks all the links every 5-10 years.
>>94439441Thought bottles still have an xp cost. They allow a shit ton more room for crafting, but it's still very easy to fall behind onto the crafting treadmill if you overdo it.
Since there's some crafting talk happening, I might s well ask.Am I insane or was there an enhancement somewhere that improved the likes of a Spell Sword's or Duskblade's Channel Spell? Something like a bonus to hit when channeling I think.>>94439802Same.
>>944398561st party? Probably not. Wotc were too busy sucking off wizards, clerics, and druids to produce much for nonstandard classes.
>>94439856Nope, you're not insane. You've just got the wrong game. That's a feature from the Owlcat Pathfinder games, weapons could have the Runic Mageblade enhancement which improved weapon enhancement bonus by +2 while charged with a touch spell.
Oh yeah, since I'm already asking, might as continue with the questions.Is there anything better for the slot than a Belt of Battle for a Gish type character?Manipulating the action economy like that seems incredibly powerful. Even an extra standard action to be able to do something then get out of a tight spot using a magic item or scroll or something would be a cool enough panic button of sorts.>>94439882Lol fair.>>94440347Could be. Although I don't remember that in game, funnily enough. I guess I got my eggs scrambled.Thanks.
>>94440534Belt of Battle is the best item for that slot for everyone who isn't a Factotum, really. You can use the MIC rules to build other item enchantments into it too.
>>94440692>Belt of Battle is the best item for that slot for everyone who isn't a Factotum, really.That's an interesting exception. Is there something that the factotum really wants in their belt slot other than that? Or is it just less useful for them?
>>94440692>You can use the MIC rules to build other item enchantments into it too.That's the plan yeah.Thank you mate.
>>94440534Early pathfinder content was made for 3.5, that might be why
>>94440748It's more that extra actions doesn't have as much value for the class who gets a truckload of them natively.
Back in the day when I used to play Neverwinter Nights 2, one of my favorite spells was Battletide, which, for some reason, for a long time I thought was a homebrew spell created for the game.Until just a moment ago when I stumbled upon a post talking about it.Then I google and the spell is insane. An extra attack and extra speed a la hastes, bonus to attack rolls, reflex saves, and AC for each enemy affected by the spell.And the cherry on top, the ability to eventually prepared spells, up to 5th level eventually, as a Free Action (!) if you decide to not make the extra attack.Holy fuck.The caveat is that it's only accessible via a feat (nitiate of bane), so that sucks.What are some clever ways to access this spell without the feat?
>>94441556The spell is also in the first Neverwinter Nights https://nwn.fandom.com/wiki/Battletide
>>94441835That's neat, I didn't remember that at all.I didn't play as much of the first game as I did the second, and I played NWN2 first too.That shit as my main source of entertainment for a solid 5 or so years.Meaning that Neverwinter Nights 2 lives rent free in my head.Anyhow, how can my goody two shoes Cleric get his hands on that sick ass spell since it thankfully doesn't have the Evil descriptor?
>>94439856>Am I insane or was there an enhancement somewhere that improved the likes of a Spell Sword's or Duskblade's Channel Spell? Something like a bonus to hit when channeling I think.Magic Item Compendium page 64:CRYSTAL OF ARCANE STEELPrice (Item Level): 500 gp (3rd) (least);2,000 gp (6th) (lesser); 6,000 gp (10th)(greater)Body Slot: — (weapon crystal)Caster Level: 5thAura: Faint; (DC 17) transmutationActivation: —Weight: —The needlelike iron deposits in this spherical quartz crystal pulse with arcane energy.A crystal of arcane steel is designed for those who can blend magical and martial arts into a single strike. It functions only when attached to a melee weapon.Least: This crystal grants a +1 insight bonus on your weapon damage roll when delivering a spell or spell-like ability through a melee attack with the weapon.Lesser: As the least crystal, and it also grants you a +1 insight bonus on the attack roll.Greater: As the lesser crystal, and it also increases the save DC of the spell or spell-like ability by 1. Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, magic weapon.Cost to Create: 250 gp, 20 XP, 1 day (least); 1,000 gp, 80 XP, 2 days (lesser); 3,000 gp, 240 XP, 6 days (greater).
>>94443193You motherfucker, that's it!I must have seen that in some website and got into my head that it was an enhancement, I didn't even think to read yhr crystals section of the book when searching.You are the mvp anon.
>>94441556>>94442015I tried responding earlier, but I got a 900 second timeout for "spam" when I haven't posted in days. Thanks 4chan. Anyway...The spell isn't even feat-related. It's one of the few faith-locked spells, this one to Xvim/Bane as mentioned in Magic of Faerun and reprinted in Lords of Darkness. As to getting it as a non-Banite, independent research is always an option, though that's always up to DM discretion and would usually carry a level bump for non-Banites.
>>94441556>What are some clever ways to access this spell without the feat?The dumb way is just archivist or erudite.You can always just get it on an item.>transmutationCan't cheat it onto a partial sorcerer, unfortunately.>>94443683There is no such thing as independent research>The spell isn't even feat-related. It's one of the few faith-locked spellsIt's not, it's explicitly granted by Initiate of Bane and listed in the book as Initiate of Bane 5 only.>this one to Xvim/Bane as mentioned in Magic of Faerun and reprinted in Lords of Darkness.Superseded by PGtF
>>94443753DMG chapter 2 and PHB chapter 10. Independent research has always been a thing, I don't know why you think it doesn't exist.As to PGtF superseding, that's up to DM discretion. Either the DMG or a statement from one of the authors (I can't remember which) states that while book age and campaign relevance is important, you should use which ever version of content works for your game.
>>94443850(you)
>>94443753>You can always just get it on an item.The most neat part of the spell is how the free quicken scales qith cl.Although, even at the lowest caster level it's a banging spell.
Why has neither 3.5 or PF1 ever experimented with buffing up major monsters/creatures by giving them extra actions?It seems like a relatively straight forward way to make such creatures more of a threat to a group of PCs.
>>94444273I've been reading MMI latelybig monsters are rarely supposed to fight alonefor example the BalorOrganization: Solitary or troupe (1 balor, 1 marilith, and 2–5 hezrous)yeah fighting a single boss monster is cool, when the monster is actually a challenge to the party, if not, throw them 'the mob'
>>94444464Our DM does that and gives big important monster something akin to 5e lair actions in their home turf.Also, things like desperation attacks that the PCs can use their immediate action to try and defend against or even trade blows with the enemy.Made for some really intense "two dudes duking it out in the sunset" moments.
>>94444273Action economy still requires you to get to your turn. For a lot of the most threatening monsters if people are actually rolling initiative someone fucked up badly.
>>94444273Because than half the party gonna die. Depending on how optimized the monster additional actions can mean anything from slapping one PCs into the ground to finishing a combo in a single turn and wiping a good chunk of the party with no way to counter it.
>>94443866(You) seem to be absolutely seething that not everyone runs with all books using the newest printing of all options they allow. Why is that?
>>94443753> No such thing as independent researchThe Tome and Blood spell research rules?
>>94444273Isn't that sort of the case with dragons?
>>94445706How so?
>>94444273It's been done plenty. The reason it's not more common is because it's a terrible idea. See Thoon Elder brain (M5) for a reasonable 3.5 version and Chronotyran (FF) for an example of why it's a bad idea: every outsider or similar past a certain level has at-will teleport. High level outsiders already turn into a game of meteor shower kiting if played intelligently, extending the distance they teleport from 1200ft to 100 miles doesn't help.Once you start readying actions as well it gets really stupid.
>>94428689I've mentioned our DM's house rules a couple of time, with one of those being the ability to use standard actio maneuvers and feats during a full attack by replacing any number of attacks.My DMM:Cleric, as gimped as he is (in comparison to his potential), with his newly gotten Crusader level, will be able to Full attack every round and unload as many as 3 maneuvers each time.I think the DM will regret that house rule when he sees it in action. When I mentioned that in the group chat, how my character has gotten quite the power spike, he didn't express anything but amusement.This will be interesting.The first time my character deletes a boss in a single nova round, I'll suggest he does something to limit that to pure martials or something. Maybe key it off if IL.
Any builds for this feel?
>>94451715If you can squeeze War Hulk past your DM it's perfect for this. +2 Str per level, being able to sweep the mooks aside. Just add some grappling feats and don't forget to get a way to negate Freedom of Movement and a way to apply Divine Power to yourself. So a level 15 character with 10 levels in War Hulk would be something like Str 45-47, minimum large and additional +4-8 to grapple from feats.
>>94444273Because they tried it in 3.0 and learned extra partial is a terrible mistake.>>94446829>ChronotyrynAt least Thoon Elder Brain has to use two initiative slots. Dual Actions is a utterly fucking bullshit ability even for a 3.0 monster.
>>94451715Dragon Cohort feat with your cohort being a large (red or gold most likely) dragon that decided to follow you for *reasons* but is reluctant/not receptive to your advances.
>>94451918>Haste was meant to be a fighter buff>nerf it for fighters
>>94451715The least believable aspect of D&D is thinking Humanity could exist on the same plane of existence as any compatible race and Not cross-breed them to extinction(or themselves to extinction in the case of faerun dwarves).
>>94453369I'll chalk it up to small amounts of divine intervention making humans wanting to fuck other humans and have lots of children.
>>94271809>a single bugbear has rolled 4 crits and put down 3 party members before a summoned monster got it>encounter ended before the post timer was upwe took him alive
>>94456579Better turn that guy over to your side.
>>94456671we let him live to go back to his tribe, and I steered him to tell the tribe to attack the side of a war I'm against
>Insight of Yarus> Divination [Good]> Level: Clr 4, Pal 4> Components: V, S> Casting Time: 1 standard action> Range: 50 ft.> Area: 50-ft. radius> Duration: 1 round/level> Saving Throw: None> Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)> This spell causes the caster and all of his allies to see >slightly blurred emanations of their opponents’ immediate >future actions. This gives +2 insight bonus to attack rolls, >armor class, skill checks, and saving throws. Furthermore, >when any character makes an aid another action either for >skill checks or attack rolls, they provide a +4 bonus instead >of a +2 bonus to the receiving individualYou know what? That's not bad.I guess I should give the dragonlance a proper read, there might be some real good stuff in those. A shame nobody has compiled this stuff online like it's been done for the other books.Anybody aware of any lesser known hidden gems? Spells, classes, feats, etc.
>>94459377The dragonlance books are third party though, right? I thought on FR and eberron were first party.
>>94459420My understanding is that they are kind of third party.They do have the wizard's official seal, so it's more like second party I guess.Kind of like the material from arthas.org, maybe, kind of.
>>94459420>>94459436And I forgot the image.
Do you think war in DnD universe would look anything at all like the real life medieval analogues with close-knit formationsor more like modern warfare with relatively small individual units fighting in near constant skirmish mode?The presence of area effect spells, starting as low as lvl 1 sleep and Sound Burst by level 2 suggests to me that things like a phalanx or a shield wall would have never been invented in a world with DnD magic.
>>94459851I think Heroes of Battle deals a lot with that kind of stuff, including anti-army spells.There's feats for things like Phalanx formations too, small bonuses for fighting side by side with shield bearers.
>>94459851A lot closer to the latter. The need to dragon-proof your fortifications or stop griffon cavalry from burning your camp is going to make it closer to modern warfare than rank and file combat.In the implicit setting, you have a 10:1 ratio of Warriors to Adepts, not all of whom will be warmages of course - but Cause Fear, Endure Elements, Purify Food and Drink, Create Water, and Obscuring Mist are all 0th and 1st level Adept spells.
>>94459420>>94459436It's also by the original Dragonlance writers from TSR, so that's nearly as official as it could ever get.
>>94459436That would be second party, yeah.>Kind of like the material from arthas.org, maybe, kind of.It's more or less the same position as dragon magazine>>94459456For comparison, these are PGtF and ECS, first party books.>>94462833>so that's nearly as official as it could ever get.Official dragonlance, not official D&D, sure. What?
>>94459851Skirmishes make far more sense as clustering up for a fireball is asking for trouble. Martial on Martial combat is still the bread and butter unless magic is common enough that one every few dozen people has the potential to become a mid/high level mage, but even if it's 1000 troops to 1 wizards that can cast lightning bolt it drastically alters how you can position troops to say nothing of the magic/antimagic arms race akin to aerial/antiair combat
>>94462930>akin to aerial/antiair combatI mean given the Monster Manual contents there's also going to be plenty of this directly.
>>94463640Certainly, but I'm talking more in terms of the arms race and complete overhaul of military tactics in the 20th century. Compare standard procedure between WW1 and WW2 and you can see how entrenched positions and wars of attrition through raw number of bodies were no longer tractable because positions that are easy to defend on the ground are easily mulched by aircraft. Similarly a bunker holding two dozen pikemen is a nightmare to storm directly but a cloudkill takes care of them trivially. You also have the additional layer of divination aiding in reconnaissance and illusions serving similar roles to the US Ghost Army.
>>94462898Second party it is then, good to know.Anyhow, I found a couple of cool things in the Holy Order of the Stars book.Any other officially licensed Dragonlance books I should be reading for character options?
What types of weapon should a weapon-using character have regularly to overcome damage reductions? I'm talking combinations, not singles. Like you often need a silver-and-good weapon or a silver-and-magic weapon. Are there other combinations I need to worry about?>silver + good + magic>cold iron>adamantine>+4 if you're using 3.0>epic if you're epic levels>one each of slashing, bludgeoning, and piercingAnything else that frequently comes up? Any s/b/p selections that are necessary to be combined with anything? Are there monsters that you need enchanted cold iron (I know it's more expensive) or adamantine?I'm not playing an evil campaign so I don't need to worry about damage reduction /evil. Not sure how often /law and /chaos come up though. I haven't run into them yet so probably not often.
How much of a jump is it from level 20 to 21? My players are enjoying high-level gameplay a lot but I'm worried the ELH will be too much of a jump for them.
I am currently writing an adventure. I've tried to do this before but I've never successfully pulled it off. Despite 10 years of DMing I've just made up everything or run premade modules.Level range is probably 5-7. How do I balance encounters? I'm still relatively new to 3.5
>>94465414Depends on what you're asking about. In many senses, ECL21 is almost exactly the same as ECL20 because spellcasting stops progressing.>I'm worried the ELH will be too much of a jump for them.Ironically, ELH actually reduces how large the jump is (by reducing WBL compared to core rules)There's a ton of CR 21-24 stuff in non-ELH books (including core dragons) an I expect your players should have seen a reasonable number of CR 21+ encounters already anyway, right?>>94465534>How do I balance encounters?You can't, really, because group power level varies pretty wildly. Just run the module and compare how it feels with one party inside the adventure itself and make sure that things feel as hard as you think they should be, relative to each other.
>>94464630>Are there monsters that you need enchanted cold iron (I know it's more expensive) or adamantine?Big tanari are mostly cold-iron-and-good. This is just DR though, not Regen, so it doesn't really matter. Obyriths are cold-iron-and-lawful.>epicEpic damage reductions can get pretty funny>damage reduction 10/chaotic and epic and adamantineThere's very little reason to not just push through it with damage per hit, though.
Elon Musk buys Dungeons and Dragons.
>>94465550I mean the level of involvement needed in making their characters progress into epic levels. Not powerlevel.
Not actually 3.5 material, but it's mostly setting neutral.Community made Greyhound campaign setting. PWYW. https://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/503532
>>94465695*edition neutral.
>>94463985This bad boy right here.Do you want to be a badass dragon rider? There's a PRC for that.
>>94465534you can always fudge dice or lower the power level of the enemy during the encounter, than readjust after you finish
Three Five Archive guy, how is the channel doing, subscribers aside.You can see a bunch of metrics like engagement, average watch time, that kind of thing, in the dashboard, right?
>>94465534Like to publish? Use the DMG guidelines. 4 CR=LV encounters is supposed to be enough to burn put most of their daily resources, more if you use weaker encounters, less if you use tougher encounters.Read thishttps://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/2050/roleplaying-games/revisiting-encounter-designAnd then read this.https://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/2747/roleplaying-games/random-gm-tip-how-to-use-published-3rd-edition-modulesAnd read this for setting task DCs.https://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/587/roleplaying-games/dd-calibrating-your-expectations-2And https://archive.4plebs.org/tg/thread/92584595/#92599904Is a table of what DCs can be hit or take-10'd at what level.
>>94468452Thank you SO MUCH
>>94468492You bet, dude. Tag this post if you have any questions. It's been a busy couple weeks, can't check the thread as often as usual, so you might end up waiting a day for a reply.That said, the other guys are right that actual party power levels can vary about by optimization. But if you are looking to publish something 3.5 or PF1 compatible, these should help.If you're starting up custom monsters, the PF1 guidelines give you math on the same scale, and should help you keep your monster CRs a bit more consistent (3.5 math varies a bit more widely, but the trends are the same if you exclude the dragons, which are tougher than their CR would imply - a couple people in these threads angrily insist that'd a feature, but it's still something you should be aware of).Anyways, here are some sensible number benchmarks to compare your custom monsters against, by CR.https://legacy.aonprd.com/bestiary/monstercreation.htmlhttps://legacy.aonprd.com/unchained/monsters/index.html
>>94468492I don't /quite/ have a guide on how much treasure to put *in a module* of which type, but the DMG tells you the totals; and Trailblazer meticulously breaks down what that should usually look like - most of the treasure gets used just keeping up with the math treadmill, but a few items get swapped out on spellcasters. I'm not at my PC, but maybe someone else can post the PDF for you.So, the links I mentioned + the DMG + Trailblazer, should hook you up.
>>94468536Dragons are understatted for their CR lmaoYou can't read
>>94468661Okay. Sure. And grass is purple. Compare the dragons against the aggregated MM statistics and show your results that demonstrate how they're below-average for their CRs then. If you know better than the trailblazer guys, PF1 guys, the 3.5 devs, and the rest of the world, show some numbers comparing the statistical averages for dragons at a CR against the statistical averages for the other creatures at that CR. You show me the statistical proof and I'll stop agreeing with the rest of the world. But until then, I'm not interested in arguing with you about it.>>94468492There's one of them. I think there might be two.
>>94468746It was already demonstrated that every single dragon you were able to bring up had worse stats than other beatsticks of it's level lmao.>the statistical averages for the other creatures at that CRThe statistical averages for other creatures at that CR are based on creatures that beat dragons assuming they roll only 1's on every possible die of every type because they have unlimited use SLAs that completely invalidate anything the dragons can even try to do. You're literally saying>hurr the monk class is so strong, look how much higher it's stats are than wizards!
Could this theoretically be used to create a scenario like Slurm from Futurama? Are dragons too prideful to willingly do this? Would other dragons catch on to this, or would their "natural disdain" for sweet flavors let this fly under the radar?
>>94468895What would a dragon gain from the sale of his loin's juice that could not be acquired with his mere presence?
>>94468805>It was already demonstratedNot in any thread I've been in it wasn't. I saw a thread where Dragons where Trailblazer had to raise their CRs so they fit the trendline, because they had the stats of a ~CR+3 beatstick (may have been +4, I'm not going to crawl the archives for it). >The statistical averages for other creatures at that CR are based on creatures that beat dragons assuming they roll only 1's on every possible die of every type because they have unlimited use SLAs that completely invalidate anything the dragons can even try to do.Really now. Not just a few exception monsters in the MM, but so many that they set the math patterns? They all have unlimited use SLAs so powerful their math doesn't really matter? Even the beatsticks? The many animals?
>>94468895>>94469236Blue dragons might use it as a way to expand sphere of influence and green dragons might do it because they find it funny.
>>94468895It reaches a point I wonder if he's just shitposting
>>94469287You mean the thread where you said dragons had abused STR and to-hit it was shown that the dragon had like literally half the strength-mod of same-CR beatsticks?>Really now. Not just a few exception monsters in the MM, but so many that they set the math patterns?Yes? Fey/aberration/outsider/undead are like half the creatures in the game and creatures outside of that category aren't all beatsticks (looking at you, gaze-on-a-stick magical beasts).>They all have unlimited use SLAs so powerful their math doesn't really matter?Depends on the level. At lower levels the math on anything other than the ability doesn't matter (e.g. a basilisk or bodak isn't going to slam you to death), at higher levels letting beatsticks roll dice becomes optional yes. Hell, an Erinyes is CR8 and is a unlimited teleporting flykiter with an untyped damage spell (range 220ft, still does damage on a successful will save).>I'm not going to crawl the archives for itYou mean you're not going to link the post because you claimed that the CR13 dragon had the to-hit of a CR24 beatstick and then I posted an actual CR24 beatstick and it proved you comically wrong? You mean you're not going to link the post because you claimed that the CR13 dragon had the to-hit of a CR24 beatstick and then you yourself posted an actual CR20 beatstick and it blew the CR20 dragon out of the water? You mean that you're not going to link the post because you claimed that the the CR24 beatstick was too much stronger than the CR20 beatstick which it had 25% more to-hit than to match it's 25% more CR than?I'll link it for you, not like it's hard to find>>94240463 (you)>>94241551 (me)You literally don't even play 3.5 lol
>>94468895The logistics involved in this would be a complete nightmare. Unless dragons also have no refractory period, industrial scale production from just one dragon would be impossible since even if you attached them to a milking machine they would succumb to exhaustion long before producing the literal gallons needed for distribution.
>>94469440It depends on how potent the narcotic effect is. It could be a cocaine-cola scenario where you take a standard light ale, fill it with sugar, then only some dragon cum is mixed in. This could stretch the use of each load across a larger supply batch. Given how Greenwood described it as "powerful", you could likely get away with using very little DCBV (Dragon Cum By Volume) since its undiluted form is strong enough to give a kick to an adult dragon. Other races weigh considerably less and would thus be more susceptible to its effects in smaller doses.
1/2I want to flesh out the military side of nations in my world building, given your standard d&d rules in effect. Not sure how to approach it.Given mostly feudal society:>both potential threats and countermeasures are so varied that no summary of military stratagems is even possible as every region, settlement and fort have to adjust and make do with whatever options they have on hand against whatever kind of threats currently present themselves and both the array of options and threats are relatively fluid and can change drastically from year to year. Especially on the outskirts of civilized nations where in-fighting, migrations and territory shifts between the denizens of the wilds might see a realm have to deal with new neighbors very frequently.>As feudalism thrives across most civilized lands, most militaries are formed ad-hoc out of patchwork contributions of titled nobility. >In turn each landed lord responding to a call-to-arms will cleave off a portion of his own forces into a relatively self-sufficient band, submitting this troop, lead either by someone from the noble family or a particularly trusted servant, as a form of tithe to serve his liege for a given duration. >In most cases the bands are expected to be able to operate independently.. Their numbers, makeup, equipment and array of capabilities can vary greatly. Though there are some general guidelines across the land for accounting the measure of a troop in terms of fighting men, spell casters, cavalry and such, the variance in ability is so great that most kingdoms choose to instead track a troop's accomplishments and sort these into a generic set of ranks such as 'novice, battle-tested, veteran, elite'>the imprecise nature of measuring both a noble's tithe and military might is highly troublesome, often leading to disputes, ill judged commitments of force and generally turning most large scale warfare into a most chaotic affair.
>>944695552/2These are the core points I am leaning toward so far.They conflict with most setting books I've read which describe nation militaries being made up of X and Y classes of A - B level ranges..., having this many fighters, mages, clerics etc...those efforts look to me to be an attempt to plug military elements from real history into the fantasy setting and don't quite correspond to how a setting with magic, a hidden 'experience' gauge and class system would work out. I can't imagine how you could have a prolonged war and several years later end up with a relatively uniform distribution of experience and levels across your military. And once that differential appears it would be expected to increase as higher level soldiers are way more likely to survive any given situation than lower levels accruing even more experience...So you would naturally soon get this giant mess of a military where you can have 10 lvl 7 warriors in one unit and a 100 lvl 1 warriors in another and very little way to properly gauge the threat / capability level of any given formation. On top of that, uniform formations just make no sense as per >>94460221>>94462930>>94463697you would by necessity have to lean into mixed unit tactics. its not just about magic, but even things like having the potential of 'Large' combatants on the field that just plain have longer reach then your troops - makes shield walls and phalanxes entirely pointlessIn real history those were the only real counter to cavalry charges btw... so I guess it might make sense to have all sorts of cavalry be way more common?Tl,DR - would D&D armies naturally tend toward being made up of patchworks of larger 'adventurer' bands?
>>94468661No, they're not. By admission of the devs. Unlike every other monster type in the game dragons are designed under the idea that the party has prepared for them.
>>94469412>The thread where you...Don't remember saying that, but probably the same thread. I wasn't the only one in the thread who stated dragons were tough for their CR.>REEEEEEEEE rambles.Several of the things you're bitching about I've never said, but a couple of them I did say, so you must be doing a samefag hallucination. Take your meds.>CR13 dragon vs CR24 on the monster math table. Yep. That post was me. I admitted in that thread that I fucked up and read the wrong statblock. The CR13 dragon had numbers from the CR17 row, which is still not the CR13 row.>you>meRight right, you're the guy who posted some offtopic ELH nonsense because you couldn't read, and then someone else who actually uses ELH said you cherrypicked an extreme outlier example to be an asswipe.>You literally don't even play 3.5Exclusive 3.5? No. I'm not enough of a WotC fanboy for that. Been mixing 3.5, 3.0, WoW, misc 3pp, and PF1 to taste for like 15 years.>You literally don't even play 3.5K. Have a good day.
>>94470015>The CR13 dragon had numbers from the CR17 row, which is still not the CR13 row.Which still has nothing to do with 3.5, which is the game in which the dragon has 13CR. CR17 beatsticks have higher attack than the CR20 dragon, let alone the CR13, as was already established.Cope, seethe, dilate, etc.. Most importantly though, stop posting.
>>94470033A young adult red dragon is clearly stronger than the iron golem of the same CR, a monster that is nothing but beatstick. Half a dozen natural attacks compared to 2, over double their save bonus, a lead of +9 in grapple bonus, flight and twice the mobility, a breath weapon, 1st and 2nd level spells, 7 open feat slots. All that for having 2 less STR, 4 less unbuffed AC, and less DR.
>>94470085They're also better than Storm Giants, are strictly better than the CR 14 nothing but beatstick Werewolf Lord, and when spells and feats are applied is more threatening as a beatstick than the CR 16 golem that gets removed as a major threat by miss chance or a literal 1st level spell.
Monster classes / progressions are generally considered to suck balls, but what if you use them on one side of a gestalt build? I should go looking for weird, unique monster abilities worth a lengthy "dip" to get... any known research / cataloguing on this subject?
>>94470085Iron golem is a save or lose dispenser with an overcosted magic immunity. Red dragons are very much notably, not magic immune.Storm giants have one point less to-hit and outdamage the red dragon by like 20%, while also being much better casters? Lol?Werewolf lord is a built NPC, not a standard monster.>>94470283Extreme cheese aside the usual meta is to grab stuff like the fey with CHA to AC and saves.The potential for abuse is largely unlimited though so it depends on what you're looking to do.
>>94470345DC 19 Fort save at level 13 isn't save or lose, it's just save, and that's before the multitude of ways to deal with poison.>Storm giants have one point less to-hit and outdamage the red dragon by like 20%A red dragon that has spent no feats and used no spells. Multiattack alone pushes them within one point of damage of each other against AC 33.>while also being much better casters?Not off of that SLA list with those DCs they aren't. They're not competing with the dragon's spells, they're competing with the dragon's breath. DC 19 to do 15d6 electric damage to one target and half that to everyone else once a day is nothing. DC 24 to do 10d10 fire damage to everyone in a cone is not.
>>94470345If you're offering insight, then here are a few capabilities that interest me, in no particular order:>Being a big guy but a smart guy>Action economy>Something that synergizes well with factotum>Your favorite weird cheese option that doesn't go infinite
>>94465605Thank you!I think I'm safe on the obyrith front, chances are pretty low that my DM has that book and even lower that he'd use those.Cold iron and good... is a possibility. Not sure I want to spend 16k on enchanting for that when we've mostly been fighting silver-and-good, so I might just get a cold iron weapon and either get someone to align weapon/bless weapon it or>push through it with damage per hit
>>94469962Do you happen to remember where? I'd like to read the original source if yes.
>>94459851cannon era formations, though it depends on how common cavalry, flying cavalry, and flying cannons(wizards) areIf it's just petty conflict between feuding earls and counts(or whatever, if anything, a small ruler is), probably not too different from historical warfare, unless they have really good casters at their disposal. Wars between nations might have caster balancing fighting armies and fortifications with playing tag with each other. If wizards are like medieval mercenaries, expect a lot of turncoating and betraying sides to team with the other casters side and avoid death
>>94462930>Skirmishes make far more sense as clustering up for a fireball is asking for trouble.and then you get routed by mundane cavalry, like napoleonic warfare. Clustering up lets you benefit from buff and protective spells the most, if those are available on the squad/platoon/company level
>>94471386WotC forums, so no luck.
>>94471520And if we treat game mechanics as laws of nature, you disproportionately benefit from investing into elite strike teams of mid-level characters (because PCs basically turn into celebrities from 6-ish based on the demography tables).
>>94471573Man, so much was lost from there. I probably still have saved some threads where the users came up with original d20 games.
>>94466708>Do you want to be a badass dragon rider? There's a PRC for thatInterestingly, both that PRC and the Dragon Cohort feat from the Draconomicon use the same ECL mechanic and I think the same table of valid dragons.
>>944700331. Monster math patterns are the same everywhere else, even if ELH really is different quirky zany bullshit.2. ELH is 3.0, not 3.5.3. That was not in the 3.5 thread, it was in a 3.x d20 mix-and-match-general thread.>[Pathfinder monsters follow a totally different math progression!] No, they do not, as has been demonstrated repeatedly. Often by people in this thread.You're the one guy on the planet who thinks WotC built the dragons crappier than the rest of the same-CR monsters. You're totally delusional.>Stop Posting.Nope. If seeing my posts triggers you, you can be the one to leave. I hear Bluesky is the popular new venue for snowflakes.
NEW THREAD>>94475236>>94475236
