Yaldabaoth > The Wizards Community

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

D&D Next Q&A: Caster Level, Multiclassing & The Apprentice Tier

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

2 / 37

Tiers and feats for multiclassing made it very unappealing to me to multiclass. 1st edition and 2nd edition multiclassing was also pretty unappealing. You were often way behind. 3 edition had the most 'love' for the multi-classer, but maybe simply limit it to just two or three classes at most. It wasn't until you added multiple prestige classes with multiple classes did the munchkin army arrive. Even then it was sometimes fun to see the circus. But the tier system and the old way of doing...

View full comment

May 4, 2013 11:34 PM PDT

nattravnet

Nalehw and Schwarg: The issue brought up about a multiclass wizard 5/Cleric 5 not being effective in a level encounter had me thinking. The first 3e campaign I was in (to learn the system), I played a multi class wizard/cleric as I liked half elf druid/wizards in 1e/2e. I was VERY effective in the campaign, even though I was only able to cast low level spells- my 5d6 fireballs still did damage and my 3d8+5 cure spells still helped the party.
I agree all the prestige classes really amped...

View full comment

May 5, 2013 1:27 AM PDT

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

D&D Next Q&A: System Mastery, Unbound Accuracy & Terminology

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

Show previous 5 comments...

2 / 25

MacLar

bounded accuracy still confuses me
4e is being prematurely burried like a character out of Poe for the unforgivable crimeof 'not being D&D' enough yet every version of D&D has always had attacks get better with level.
how does bounded accuracy not make Next even more "not D&D" than 4e?

View full comment

March 1, 2013 2:06 PM PST

mbeacom

I think part of the reason you are confused is because you perhaps think bounded accuracy means that attacks rolls do NOT improve with levels. They do. Just much slower. This is actually a lesson learned FROM 4E, not a regression. This is moving the ball forward into a better game (hopefully). The problem with 4E (as some saw it, and this apparently includes the 5E designers) was that the numbers scaled up too fast. This made for very high numbers as you went up in levels. It made mental math...

View full comment

March 7, 2013 9:48 AM PST

Yaldabaoth shared an article.

The New Underways www.wizards.com

Show previous 5 comments...

2 / 13

Alphastream1

Maybe the beards can return for dwarven women! ;-)

1 person likes this discussion post.

February 17, 2013 9:24 PM PST

PinkRose

Don't tease me like that, Alphastream.
If only.

View full comment

February 18, 2013 5:15 PM PST

Yaldabaoth shared an article.

What’s in a Monster? wizards.com

Show previous 5 comments...

2 / 164

anomalousman

Ultimately, I'd like to see this edition tread lightly with setting dependent material. This includes things like the social details of races, languages and the like. A lot of this material is OK for a 'default setting', but some thought should go into how this will interact with setting material.
This is a general comment that extends to PC things like race fluff, language, and alignment.

View full comment

November 19, 2012 6:51 PM PST

proudgeek159

The only thing I really don't like about the stat block is the average damage stat. I guarantee I will never use that rule, and it will only get in my way. I'd prefer that you stick with the old school damage dice plus modifiers only.

November 24, 2012 11:15 PM PST

Yaldabaoth shared an article.

Nature vs. Nurture www.wizards.com

Show previous 5 comments...

2 / 152

Pa11ad1n

Should all elves be the same body type? No, of course not. Should some elves be fat? Yes. But What is fat for an elf? It isn't the same as what is fat for a human or a dwarf. An Obese elf may well have a similar body type to a plump human.
Just look at real world animals... I'll use different breeds of dogs for examples. A fat greyhound isn't very fat compared to a bulldog. .. it is still fat for its breed but the "natural" body shape of a greyhound is so thin to begin with that...

View full comment

November 14, 2012 2:24 AM PST

MisterCynic

I would love to see variations in bodytypes among all non-humans, not just the standards like dwarve and elf. I think the tendency to label any somewhat significant variation a subtype to be kinda ridiculous. Races should be allowed some realistic variation while still being consider part of the same group of elves or lizardmen. consideration should always be taken to what their specific race ideal is though, lest they lose the uniqueness that makes them an identifiably non-human race.
...

View full comment

November 22, 2012 1:31 AM PST

Yaldabaoth shared an article.

Bringing a City to Life www.wizards.com

Show previous 5 comments...

2 / 10

Blue23

Wow, this is as solid a piece of world-building advice as I've ever heard. I've been a longtime fan of the old Dungeoncraft series of articles, and this is a worthy addition for designing cities. I love the starting point and natural flow from there.

October 24, 2012 5:55 AM PDT

Pyrate_Jib

Ed always creates the most unique details that really breathe life into his creations.

October 25, 2012 7:04 AM PDT

Yaldabaoth shared an article.

Only My... www.wizards.com

Show previous 5 comments...

2 / 7

Seeker95

"Why not just have no-nonsense swords +1, and magic items straight out of the rulebooks? Why earrings of lordly might or ale casks of the blinding strike? Well, because it's more fun, that's why."
I reverse the question and direct it to the powers-that-be.
Why have non-nonsense swords +1?
The math of the game has become a component examined under a microscope by character optimizers. It is understood with such precision that an entire Board devoted to this aspect of the game has...

View full comment

4 people like this discussion post.

October 13, 2012 10:36 AM PDT

videopete

Been doing this with hackmaster for a while, infact it does it out of the box.

October 14, 2012 6:54 PM PDT

Yaldabaoth shared an article.

Goblins! www.wizards.com

Show previous 5 comments...

2 / 15

gizmo33

In the module Bree-Yark says its the equivalent of "hey rube" - a traditional shout of alarm amongst carnival folk (see wikipedia). I'm not sure if this is intended to be an insult, as the author of the article suggests.

October 21, 2012 9:31 AM PDT

gizmo33

I think it's pretty safe to say that the (subconscious, to be generous) motivation for humanoid monsters for thousands of years of mythology has been other ethnic groups and the fear of the (human) outsider. Your same concerns have been leveled against Tolkien, the black-n-white Nosferatu movie, and so on. There are all sorts of symbols, systems of government, demons (named after other people's gods) etc. used by fantasy settings that can start to be disturbing if you are aware of their...

View full comment

1 person likes this discussion post.

October 21, 2012 9:48 AM PDT

Yaldabaoth shared an article.

Magic Systems in D&D Next wizards.com

Show previous 5 comments...

2 / 195

MorghulKale

Ummm...why not just keep it simple, ala the original 1st or second version of the AD&D game. I see it far too often that the issue is trying to be over complicated, or trying to overdefine the mechanics instead of the story. There were a bunch of additional appendices with the second edition that were there for DM's to utilize, so in essence i'd leave it up to them. Keep the system as it is, or was....

October 17, 2012 12:08 PM PDT

Sir_Kraemer

Because not everyone likes Vancian magic. I personally prefer spell points, because it provides a way to limit the power of spellcasters while, for me at least, it makes it a bit more fun to play as.

October 24, 2012 1:28 PM PDT

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

D&D Next Q&A: Action Economy, Power Creep and Monster Immunities

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

Show previous 5 comments...

2 / 26

Haldrik

I suspect the disparity between racial ability score boosts will accelerate power creep. Nonhuman races will inevitably get mechanical options that are better than Human options, in order to “balance” the races better. But then the Human will use the better Nonhuman options as a baseline for new Human options. And the armsraces soar up from there.

October 4, 2012 5:27 AM PDT

RadperT

Giving humans a blanket +1 to ability scores is a pathetic attempt to pander to Pathfinder power gamers. The way they're described it would be more appropriate to give them a +1 to Charisma, and go back to the extra skill or feat rationale of Third Edition*.
On a related note, allowing elves to roll Perception with advantage is a little more than saying they're not often surprised. That, especially combined with the fact that low-light vision is overpowered for them and underpowered for...

View full comment

October 4, 2012 2:42 PM PDT

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

D&D Next Q&A: Combat Goals, Specialist Wizards & Next Playtest Packet

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

Show previous 5 comments...

2 / 44

Kayal

In the first playtest packet, it was mentioned under "magic attacks" on the pre-generated wizard character. In the more recent playtest packet, the pre-generated wizard does not seem to get that bonus, as his magic missile damage is listed as 1d4+1 (not 1d4+4).

September 26, 2012 3:18 PM PDT

Avric_Tholomyes

"Keep in mind that we’re still working out these mechanics, but we’d also like it if a player could choose how many spells of the various frequencies to memorize. Want to play a 4E-style wizard? Prepare some spells that refresh after 10 minutes, some spells that don’t come back until the end of the day, and some spells that you can cast at-will. Want to play a classic pure-1E-style wizard? Only prepare spells that refresh at the end of the day."
Music to my ears. This was the one thing,...

View full comment

October 3, 2012 1:55 PM PDT

Yaldabaoth Ugh.

Mood: sick

Yaldabaoth is reading the playtest materials... JUST KIDDING!

Mood: sick

Yaldabaoth posted to square64's forum thread.

Forum Topic: Return to Role Thinking

Yaldabaoth shared an article.

Multiclassing in Next www.wizards.com

Show previous 5 comments...

2 / 256

tesseractive

Lots of things were broken about it, but tons of people absolutely *loved* it anyway, because but made it practical to achieve all sorts of character concepts you could never have made otherwise. So if they can design an *optional* system that has built in mechanics for fixing game balance issues while still giving folks the things they love about having that flexibility, as far as I'm concerned, that's the best of both worlds.
But already in Next, you can do a lot of things with...

View full comment

October 25, 2012 1:31 PM PDT

tesseractive

Actually, with separate advancement rules for multiclass characters, it sounds like a compromise with hybrids -- much more flexible than just playing a hybrid (you many more degrees you can use to balance your mixture of classes), but much more level-scaled than 3E, which resembles a hybrid.

October 25, 2012 1:42 PM PDT

Yaldabaoth shared an article.

Big, Strong, and Dumb www.wizards.com

Show previous 5 comments...

2 / 76

paradox23

I like a big dumb ogre as much as the next guy, but the occasional cunning ogre makes for great story telling. Someone has to lead the band/tribe.
I am totally OK with ogre mages being a separate thing, but they should be a subspecies of ogre, related to onis but not 100% identical there either. Possibly born as ogres under great auspices.

View full comment

September 13, 2012 2:52 PM PDT

Kesh

Ogre magi aren't that difficult if you make one slight tweak: they act like Sorcerers instead of Wizards. Their powers are innate and come from practice & natural skill, rather than education.

September 16, 2012 3:33 PM PDT

Yaldabaoth shared an article.

Who Wants to Be an Abomination? www.wizards.com

Show previous 5 comments...

2 / 77

Kavon

The way my current group decided on the naming convention, is to reverse the naming - the "Abominations" (powerful snake-like beings) are called Purebloods, and the "Purebloods" (human-like yuan-ti) are the Abominations.
The way the names are right now, you'd think it's the other way around - where the Purebloods are the top tier and Abominations are the manual labor rejects.
And what to call the hybrid middle tier - I don't care. I'm not offended by the term "half-breed" or...

View full comment

September 5, 2012 11:30 AM PDT

Guldensupp

I always had the purebloods leading the yuan-ti. The abominations may have been the strongest and most alien, but they followed the commands purebloods. I think 4E got it right, when the anathema went made and were thrown down and imprisoned. I like this version of yuan-ti.

September 13, 2012 11:08 AM PDT

Yaldabaoth shared an article.

The Scaly Things www.wizards.com

Show previous 5 comments...

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.

View full comment

1 person likes this discussion post.

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

Yaldabaoth shared an article.

From Jose Chung wizards.com

Show previous 5 comments...

2 / 21

OFTHEHILLPEOPLE

"A pensive Ardyn grumbles and scratches at his scaly chin, thinking long and hard about the fate of the hated enemy trapped within the aquatic vessel. Suddenly a deep gargle from within Ardyn's throat culminates in a sharp, bright, elemental blast aimed at the vessel and a loud crash echoes through the smokey blast. The air hangs heavy with choking smoke and you all struggle to catch your breath or to see the result of Ardyn's decision. Moments later the smoke is dispelled by a brisk flap or...

View full comment

August 9, 2012 10:03 AM PDT

Pesky

"Bad Blood"

August 10, 2012 1:39 PM PDT

Yaldabaoth shared an article.

When Is a Goblin Not a Goblin? wizards.com

Show previous 5 comments...

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

1 person likes this discussion post.

September 13, 2012 11:15 AM PDT

Community

Profile

Activity Feed

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

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

Yaldabaoth shared an article.

Yaldabaoth shared an article.

Yaldabaoth shared an article.

Yaldabaoth shared an article.

Yaldabaoth shared an article.

Yaldabaoth shared an article.

Yaldabaoth shared an article.

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

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

Yaldabaoth Ugh.

Yaldabaoth is reading the playtest materials... JUST KIDDING!

Yaldabaoth posted to square64's forum thread.

Yaldabaoth shared an article.

Yaldabaoth shared an article.

Yaldabaoth shared an article.

Yaldabaoth shared an article.

Yaldabaoth shared an article.

Yaldabaoth shared an article.

My Profile

About Me

D&D

Magic

Axis & Allies

Star Wars

Blog Posts

Comments

My Characters

Lair Assault

Vitals

Calendar

Calendar Events

Friends

My Groups

Corporate

Wizards.com Sites