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This Week in D&D www.wizards.com

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This Week in D&D www.wizards.com

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2 / 286

moes1980

Umm, in my last session my level one party encountered a band of orcs. I went through both my magic missile spells, one of them empowered to do maximum damage, and I only killed one Orc. Granted, my first casting was split my missile between three different orcs (as they all were already damaged by a fire trap) but didn't kill a single one despite the fact that they were each already hurt. My second cast used my daily feat to empower them and two missiles hit one Orc and killed him, and one...

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May 11, 2013 7:54 AM PDT

moes1980

Maybe what they should do is have "classic" advancement, which is more of what we are used to and then "official advancement" for use in dnd encounters and living campaigns, as i suspect that's what is behind this move any way. Then people can chose. That could work but it involves not singling out the fast track approach as the default or "right" way to play.
I know this for sure, it will fail miserable in its goal of attracting old school players back into the fold if they read that the...

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May 11, 2013 8:59 AM PDT

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Things from Beyond the Stars www.wizards.com

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The Walking Dead www.wizards.com

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Votax

Facts about Ghouls:
A ghoul is a (folkloric) monster associated with graveyards and consuming human flesh. In fiction, these creatures dwell in cemeteries and other uninhabited places. The oldest surviving literature that mention ghouls is One Thousand and One Nights. The term was first used in English literature in 1786, in William Beckford's Orientalist novel Vathek, which describes the ghūl of meddle eastern folklore.
Ghoul is from the Arabic ghul, from ghala "to seize". Marc Cramer...

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November 21, 2012 9:49 AM PST

proudgeek159

I like most of what you've presented, but if you're looking for a definitive description of ghouls, you could do worse than reviewing your H.P. Lovecraft. "The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath" taught me everything I know about ghouls. You have their ancient combination of bestial hunger and human intelligence, as well as the implications of their grim, subterranean society.

November 22, 2012 12:22 AM PST

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By the Nose www.wizards.com

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The Scaly Things www.wizards.com

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2 / 90

Otherworldly

I never liked Kobolds as reptiles, I always preferred the dog people from 2e. Otherwise to barrow from Palladium, I like the idea that kobolds are smart, very smart.
I'm fine with the other two.

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September 4, 2012 2:56 AM PDT

Gnome_DePlume

I prefer that mermaids be considered fey. They fit that charm-the-mortal feel to them.

October 1, 2012 8:32 PM PDT

Scottbert shared an article.

When Is a Goblin Not a Goblin? wizards.com

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2 / 124

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

Scottbert shared an article.

Da Ga-Noll www.wizards.com

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2 / 301

volfur

gnolls are one of my favorite threats as a DM.but the ultimate is giant wasps that try killing the characters to feed to there young.

December 16, 2012 10:42 PM PST

NemeiaDarkblood

In my opinion, there are a few things the wrong with this gnoll; a) the little braids near the ear, need to go, this is, in a sense, a bipedal, humanoid hyena, so the ear hair, looks unnatural, b) they need to look dumb, but not like Quasimodo, the hunchback thing is weird and awkward, it needs to look hyena like, so have their back straighter, but give them sloping shoulders, c) their knees do not ALWAYS have to be bent, they are humanoids, so give them something that says 'feral' without...

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December 22, 2012 12:48 PM PST

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

Modularity and Combat Subsystems

We’ve talked a lot about the existence of optional rules modules in D&D...

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2 / 6

dorovinaire

The idea of subsystems being placed on top of the core system is very appealing to me. I have been a heavy user of house rules across my D&D experience (Basic Set through to 4e). What I think would be an outstanding add-on to D&D Next would be a generic set of guidelines that allows DMs to develop their own subsystems in a controlled and balanced way...
I'm excited about the developments occurring with D&D and look forward to hearing about developments...despite truly enjoying...

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August 3, 2012 11:40 PM PDT

eheide

I can see the narrative combat module becoming a mainstay in my group, however, are there plans to include spell options? I would like to see the return of 3E meta-magic feats (i.e. Enlarge Spell) and this would be a perfect fit for them. As spellcaster declares if they want to "enlarge" a spell and take the appropriate modifier to their attack; this makes spells more dynamic in combat.

August 5, 2012 6:57 PM PDT

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

The Advantage of Rolling Dice

Advantage (and disadvantage) debuted in the May 24th D&D Next playtest packet...

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2 / 105

Azoreth

"I like many of the opinions pro A/D floks."
Folks... I meant folks...

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July 19, 2012 11:36 AM PDT

Azoreth

Uhg. Nuts! In the future I will endeavor to READ the published rules a little bit better before putting up posts. Sorry.
The bit with the hobgoblins getting a +2 to AC rather than pcs attacking with disadvantage is right there in the "cover" section for half cover. Seems like I made the same call the developers would, but it creates a new, perhaps tougher, question. 5th ed still uses a form of the +/- system, not A/D exclusively. So what will the difference be between gaining a +/- to a...

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July 25, 2012 2:03 PM PDT

Scottbert created a new forum thread on the DnD Next group.

Forum Topic: Chimneysweeps are OP: a D&D Next playtest report

Scottbert created a new forum thread on the DnD Next group.

Forum Topic: Unclear Rules

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

Sword +1, Flame Tongue

The first magic item I remember finding when I started playing Dungeons &...

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2 / 259

jesterg86

What about artificers?

July 18, 2012 3:30 PM PDT

Righel

I like having some example unique items pre-made in the books. Especially some throw-backs and classics. But they're usually more of a jumping off point for me. I like to design my own items and I don't particularly care for rules (and a chapter thereof) to tell me how to do it "the right way". I generally disregard these rules and generate my ideas. My players enjoy the weapons, items, and artifact I create, and that's the important part. I work hard to make balanced items that don't break...

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August 5, 2012 10:33 PM PDT

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

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

Skills and Task Resolution

Since 2nd Edition, the principle methods of character customization lived in...

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2 / 177

name_less_one

I agree with some observations. One thing that frustrated me to no end in 4ed was that players looked up to "Skills" section of their character sheets as some kind of choice menu.
Considering that skill system is mostly used out of combat, in roleplaying situations - it felt like it was overly restricting. Furthermore, penalizing party for failures created a situation where players would pass on interesting ideas because their characters are unlikely to make the roll.
I also didn't...

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July 22, 2012 10:31 AM PDT

rghammill

I think that ability checks could work for all 'skill' checks. But there are two things missing from that basic approach. The first is that some skills really do require learning and, secondly, people can get better with practice.
But I think it's a very simple prospect to address both while still retaining the same mechanic.
First is to have a small list of skills that require training (acrobatics, swimming, etc.). There would have to be a mechanic for limiting the number and types....

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August 13, 2012 3:16 PM PDT

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

Paladin Design Goals

A few weeks ago, we shared a high-level overview of the design goals for the...

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2 / 220

Marandahir

Except then You have to sacrifice your background and specialty choices just to approximate that class, rather than having an equal ability to explore different stories within the class as the Fighter, Rogue, Cleric, and Wizard do.
NO WAY.

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January 25, 2013 6:22 AM PST

The_MeatShield

I think in relation to paragraph 2 above, 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 9:32 AM PST

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

Goblins Care Only About Your Axe

I’ve played a lot of D&D lately. But even when using rules prone to...

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2 / 86

Azoreth

It is a very smart idea to be able to incorperate both styles of play (TotM/grid) into one game system. Not only do you find both types of encounters (2 guards/big final battle) and both types of players' tastes. But it would create a great amount of flexibility in the game itself. That is what our imagination can do, now D&D might do it as well. I love the fact that a DM or module would have the freedom to say "You know, they would probably post a pair of guards." and be able to run it quickly...

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June 16, 2012 1:29 PM PDT

Gnurd0

This is intriguing, and I have to admit, I haven't really given much thought as to whether or not a particular encounter warrants grid and minis (I'm a bit of a grognard). This will be interesting to see. I'm actually going to start trying more TotM style combats in my games for the smaller encounters.

July 12, 2012 2:42 PM PDT

Scottbert 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

Scottbert 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

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

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Scottbert created a new forum thread on the DnD Next group.

Scottbert created a new forum thread on the DnD Next group.

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

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

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

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

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

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