Atlemar > The Wizards Community

Atlemar added a comment to WotC_Rodney's blog post on the DnD Next group.

D&D Next Q&A: Subclass Basics, Subclass Customizing & Non-Vancian Subclass...

You've got questions—we've got answers! Here's how it works—each...

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moes1980

Wow, I really like the part about DMs working with players to create their own subclasses that fit for their campaign and story. I also like the part about subclasses focusing on fluff and background, thus, the are things like Knight and not Defender (defender/slayer can be dealt with through feat and expertise dice maneuver selections). I like where subclasses are going!

May 17, 2013 6:54 PM PDT

Killwalla

4E edition was very Controller based, like confusing, slowing, stunning, dominating enemies and even going as far as scrambling their positions on the battlefield. The 4E Psion is a perfect example of how they are not the Wizard, even though they are both Controllers, and with augments (similar things already in the packet) I think they could easily stand on their own. Subroles could be Telepath, Kenetic, Shaper and maybe even Psychic Warrior, to roll them into a single class.

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May 18, 2013 6:02 PM PDT

Atlemar shared an article.

Monsters of Many Names www.wizards.com

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2 / 67

Mechagamera

BlakeRyan,
I found it helpful to think of gehenna, bytopia, etc. as estuaries (between the "big 8" planes) as much as full blown planes in themselves. It makes them more up for grab: boundaries shift easily (ditto the nature of the planes), power converges--new items and races can come from the convergence, souls are up for grab, and even good planes can have intrigue. You could have: Archeron as a heavily patrolled demilitarized zone between Hell and Mechanus, Gehenna as a part of Hell...

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May 10, 2013 12:47 PM PDT

Ramses42

I preferred the newer names of Yugoloths, Gehreleths etc. Otherwise, it Demon, Daemon, Demodand, basicly - Demon, Demon, Demon... Anthraxas is a good name, because it makes it sick just hearing it. You know is bad without any explanation. Phraxus could be anything - it could be a new model of car.

May 12, 2013 11:33 PM PDT

Atlemar shared an article.

Defining Our Terms www.wizards.com

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2 / 160

RangerWickett

I don't think creature types should have much if any mechanical consequence. I'd rather label creatures with keywords, so special effects can work on them. Hide from Undead needs the game to notate what is an undead creature, and an Amulet of Protection from Vegetables needs you to define what is a plant.
But I don't want dragons inherently having different stats than bears. The complexity of 3e-era monster creation was WAY too high. 4e monster design suffered from divorcing mechanics from...

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April 16, 2013 4:15 PM PDT

DramoxTheIronLord

Much preferred the Origin, Type (Subtype) system from 4E than this.
I understand that, without the core assumptions that 4E had, there would be problems in labeling something as having a Fey origin in a setting without a Feywild, I think this is one thing that the previous edition just plain got right.
Although, when it comes to 5E monsters, I'd be happy just to see the Level and XP value at the TOP of the write-up

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April 18, 2013 1:37 PM PDT

Atlemar shared an article.

This Week in D&D www.wizards.com

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2 / 234

Nalehw

The generic environment rules are a neat point, actually. I'm always a fan of wider applicability. Maybe have some pre-composed weather, though (like heavy rain = wet + obscuring), as examples if nothing else.

February 16, 2013 10:04 PM PST

wyverndrake

For weather, I agree with you for the most part, but every once and again, throwing out a rainstorm and keeping the PCs from moving, or even making it affect the campaign in some way can be fun. There was a DM who used a hurricane to affect the game, wiped out a village and spawned strange ocean creatures in the local lake, kinda cool.
The other point about the rules? I do like it, yet I think some players will think that EVERYTHING needs to be written down.

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February 18, 2013 2:07 PM PST

Atlemar posted to Plaguescarred's forum thread.

Forum Topic: Dungeon 209 Compilation

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The Bigger They Come . . . wizards.com

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2 / 81

Asteron

I don't like the hierarchy bit, but other than that, I like this.

September 29, 2012 9:29 PM PDT

Gravediggeh

This is exactly as I recall the 2E giants. That's neither inherently good nor bad. Also, my memory of 2E is as old as the edition, so there may be some false recall. I like this history/ecology for nostalgia reasons. On the other hand, I'm not sure we need all this hierarchy across the giant subraces. I think the older editions ensconced much of the fauna in needless structure. It's like designing an entire universe on the fundamental attribution error ...

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September 30, 2012 8:52 AM PDT

Atlemar shared an article.

When Is a Goblin Not a Goblin? wizards.com

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Galadare

Those are sounding pretty good to me, but where in the hell did the carnivorous apes come from?

August 26, 2012 5:12 PM PDT

Haldrik

Here is some info toward a folklore accurate Goblin. Altho many nature spirits translate into English as “goblins”, most of the stories about the actual Goblin come from Britain during the Romantic Era, late 1800s.
The D&D Goblin can match up well with the folklore, especially when a player race.
• Typically: Very high Dexterity, high Intelligence, low Strength, low Charisma, very low Wisdom.
Goblins are stealthy and surprisingly spry. They are knowledgeable and clever, but...

View full comment Here is some info toward a folklore accurate Goblin. Altho many nature spirits translate into English as “goblins”, most of the stories about the actual Goblin come from Britain during the Romantic Era, late 1800s.

The D&D Goblin can match up well with the folklore, especially when a player race.

• Typically: Very high Dexterity, high Intelligence, low Strength, low Charisma, very low Wisdom.

Goblins are stealthy and surprisingly spry. They are knowledgeable and clever, but tend to be oblivious to the obvious that is going on in front of them. They are capricious, cowardly, and difficult to take seriously. They are small, and their Strength suffers proportionally.

• The Goblins are fey, so a connection to magic is a given. They are knowledgeable about magic, and often use rituals.

• They have a vicious sense of humor, typically playing pranks that are mean, harmful, and fatal.

• They (most of them) hate Humans, and seek to destroy Humans in amusing ways.

• In physical appearance, they are small and grotesque. They lack toes, and find the sight of toes offensive and sickening.

• The Goblins see themselves as much more refined than Humans, which is humorous.

• Nocturnal with darkvision and sensitivity to sunlight.

• Goblins live in caves and mines, with a Goblin King, plus intrigues of the royal court.

• Goblins abduct children. This can be a good plot hook, especially for low-level adventures. The adventurers need to rescue the children before they suffer the ritual that traps them into goblinhood. This is how Goblins increase their numbers, especially as spouses, slaves, and armies.

• But the most interesting Goblin trait is ...

Singing and poetry (specifically rhymes?) repels Goblins, till out of earshot. This is a quirky and fun trait that can make encounters with Goblin vivid and memorable. A great way to lighten the mood while in the context of evil monsters. It is necessary to come up with a balanced mechanic to represent this, but an

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September 13, 2012 11:15 AM PDT

Atlemar shared an article.

Monster Design in D&D Next, Part 2 www.wizards.com

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Playtest: First Round Overview wizards.com

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AngryPockets

This is... very awesome. I like the idea of moves you activate when needed. You don't necessarily have to risk wasting a daily power when you might miss, you can just follow up a successful strike with an opportunistic combo. It also clearly separates the fighter's fighting mechanic from the wizard's casting mechanic, which is always activated daily-power style (with a few exceptions, like Feather Fall).

June 7, 2012 11:41 AM PDT

LupusRegalis

"We thought about casting minor spells as the kind of thing a wizard might use around a laboratory that also happened to be useful in a fight. For example, a cantrip used to ignite a torch could also burn a goblin. At the last minute, however, we decided that trying to make that design work would take too long to hit this playtest." - M.Mearls
This is what I expect from DnDNext. Original ideas that may or may not work, but sound awesome. Give us the chance to playtest it and find out if...

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June 13, 2012 6:17 AM PDT

GMChris voted in the poll, "Magic properties 2".

1 person likes this poll.

Atlemar shared an article.

Hit Points, Our Old Friend wizards.com

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2 / 422

LupusRegalis

First off, I like the Hit Dice mechanics for healing, and don’t have a problem with how HP’s are gained each level. Those are fine, but I think some of the other posters are right, just call ‘Hit Dice’ used for natural healing something else (surges, first aid, recovery dice, etc).
‘Hit Points’, as defined by M.Mearls, raises my hackles. Actually, it’s just a different way of saying ‘Wound Points’ and ‘Vitality Points’ like the Star Wars games. Which I liked, and they worked well, but...

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June 13, 2012 5:47 AM PDT

Skyshroud7

its fine, please turn this game back to 3.5 make your millions again, revamp it correctly and we'll love wotc for it.

July 11, 2012 9:42 PM PDT

Atlemar shared an article.

The Making of an Owlbear www.wizards.com

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2 / 226

Zustiur

I like concept A the best. The other examples don't show enough 'bear'. See also Curse of the Asure bonds - my original introduction to owlbears. www.gamebanshee.com/curseoftheazurebonds...

July 26, 2012 2:58 AM PDT

Carmajinn

I like the anatomy and the "mammal snout" of the second design but the exposed skull looks too wrock.
While I always though of it as a creature of mystical (almost fey) origin it also was clear to me that it is "of the forest". I might be totally wrong.
The skin on the legs and feathers on the body should feel to the touch like an owl but the feathers and pigmentation of the skin should look different in each forest depending on foliage and season. Thinking of this I wouldn't be...

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July 31, 2012 10:55 AM PDT

Atlemar shared an article.

Balancing Wizards in D&D www.wizards.com

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Atlemar added a comment to WotC_Trevor's blog post on the DnD Next group.

Tone and Edition

A few years ago, I woke up and realized what I thought was fantasy...

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2 / 292

Marandahir

I'm a big believer in "Getting to Yes." Present the options, all the options, to the players, and see what they latch onto. Then build a game around what they are playing. If they want to play a Tiefling, don't screw them over for wanting to play the Tiefling. Build a story that will accommodate that choice. If the player WANTS to have risks involved with the racial choice (because those risks could be a roleplaying MINE, like having to wear robes to disguise a devilish appearance), that's...

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September 27, 2012 7:22 AM PDT

GMChris

My campaign is quasi-historical, so I'm constantly saying no to races I haven't already distorted history to accommodate. I don't care one way or another about the frequency designations, because it should vary greatly from setting to setting.

March 19, 2013 8:27 AM PDT

GMChris voted in the poll, "In a game that provides limited access to self-healing, which do you prefer?".

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GMChris voted in the poll, "What kind of access should player characters have to self-healing?".

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Atlemar shared an article.

Cleric Design Goals wizards.com

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BerylBrightshade

Clerics were more fun in 2nd edition. They were still healers which is (to me) their main distinction, but they did not fall behind as fast on the "I can hit that" scale because feats did not exist. In trying to balance the cleric in 3rd ed. someone somwhere thought they needed to have the same amount spells per day and the same top spell level as wizards. sounds good...but that means they have to lose ground in combat. But the 1st and 2nd edition description of cleric call the class a holy...

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June 11, 2012 6:50 PM PDT

LupusRegalis

1. The Cleric Is a Healer:
“This one should seem obvious, but it's worth making it clear that we assume that clerics can heal and that their abilities should reflect that. A player new to D&D who creates a cleric could focus on keeping the rest of the characters on their feet, and the mechanics would make that easy to understand and do.” - M.Mearls
No, absolutely not. Especially not at the top of the list. A Cleric has the ability to aid his allies, including the ability to Heal...

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June 13, 2012 4:29 AM PDT

Atlemar shared an article.

Pointy Hats, or a Tale of Two Wizards www.wizards.com

Atlemar added a comment to WotC_GregB's blog post on the DnD Next group.

Paladin Versus Cleric: FIGHT!

Okay, so you’re not likely to see a paladin and a (good) cleric throw...

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2 / 270

ulrikbb

I feel that a character needs to have abilities that are consistent. Mounted combat won't be viable always - in fact, in my campaigns, characters have hardly bothered to explore it at all since you can't bring a horse 50% of the places you go.
Also, by letting abilities depend on alignment, you make the game a whole lot less interesting when evil can be distinguished so easily from good as in previous editions. There should be no detect evil since such an ability means that I as a DM will...

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August 7, 2012 1:47 AM PDT

The_MeatShield

It would be awesome if a paladin had martial dice to use but instead of straight damage they could be used to provide effects based on deity choice. For example: I follow the edicts of a god of healing and as an option I can spend a martial die on a hit allowing the party member with the lowest HP to gain HP equal to a given modifier.

February 24, 2013 9:35 AM PST

GMChris voted in the poll, "Even more crazy or new stuff (elaborate in the comments)".

1 person likes this poll.

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Atlemar added a comment to WotC_Rodney's blog post on the DnD Next group.

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Atlemar posted to Plaguescarred's forum thread.

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GMChris voted in the poll, "Magic properties 2".

Atlemar shared an article.

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Atlemar shared an article.

Atlemar added a comment to WotC_Trevor's blog post on the DnD Next group.

GMChris voted in the poll, "In a game that provides limited access to self-healing, which do you prefer?".

GMChris voted in the poll, "What kind of access should player characters have to self-healing?".

Atlemar shared an article.

Atlemar shared an article.

Atlemar added a comment to WotC_GregB's blog post on the DnD Next group.

GMChris voted in the poll, "Even more crazy or new stuff (elaborate in the comments)".

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