Recent content by James Gasik

The thing with knowledge checks is that it's possible to forget something in the moment and recall it later when you're not really thinking about it- something that I'm sure happens to many of us all the time. Heck, as you get older, you may find yourself forgetting something that you shouldn't...

I call this the Druid problem, because of my experiences with 3.5 Druids. I watched as a new player looked over the classes and thought "Druids sound neat!" and she proceeded to make a high Charisma, Disney Princess type character. She fooled around a little with wild shape, but she really...

I've seen the opposite problem as well- the player that refuses to optimize. They have their character and backstory perfectly in mind, and it doesn't matter to them if they can't contribute in normal ways. They will continue to play their character, their way, to the bitter end. This can be...

Well sure, I get that, but a lot of posts in this thread are made by people who want to make rulings based on "realism" (or verisimilitude, at the very least). But when you produce counterpoints like lockpicking videos on YouTube or real life examples of how "one and done" checks are kind of...

Ok, but a part of my point is that the ability to perform a task as a bonus action should imply that it takes a very short amount of time to make the check, even outside of combat, right? So if, as in the original post (so long, long ago), the DM wants to say "ok, the check takes 1 minute, a...

The problem I have with "one and one" is it doesn't make any sense. My front door warps a bit with the weather. This means sometimes I try to open it, and it sticks, forcing me to try a few times. Imagine if I lived in a "one and done" world! I'd be calling a locksmith every time I tried to...

My question then is what about Thief Rogues, who can use Thieves' Tools as a bonus action?

So who's the better drummer? An Unseen Servant or Lars Ulrich? : )

That's the rub isn't it? 5e is "sort of" designed around not needing as many magic items-some, like magic weapons, or saving throw boosters, do become necessary, items that enhance mobility or allow survival in crazy places like worlds that are on fire or deep beneath the sea for some...

So if I'm understanding this right, they want a bow using class but don't want to play Bards. I'm assuming they want it to be a ranged damage class and don't want to use magic, because I don't really see why Ranger would be "necessary". Because in Final Fantasy, the "Ranger' is either A) an...

Generally, the way I see it is, if any companion can use magic, they all should be able to. If you rule "well, this one can and this one can't", then everyone will feel like they should take the one that can, even if they'd rather have something else- all choices should be equal, otherwise...

On the other hand, when a subclass requires you to make choices to best utilize it before you get it, that's at least somewhat problematic. For example, let's say you're destined to become a dragon sorcerer. You better not take Mage Armor for the first two levels, because you're going to get...

I just ran Sea of Bones, which has a few "skill challenges" in it. The first happens in the midst of battle, which proved to be kind of rough for my party (Bard, Fighter, Mechanist, Sorcerer). The second is a simple "get past this locked door in a timely manner" (the adventure has a very tight...

Not a staff, but in a Pathfinder 1e game, I played a character who wielded a lucerne hammer. We were in town, and the DM told us the local ordinances insisted that weapons be peace knotted. Naturally, we got ambushed in town, and when I stated I was moving to attack, he told me I needed to...

I solved the issue of it's fragile nature by buying the Premium Edition when it came out. : ) I never said the book wasn't flawed, it totally is. Many (ok, most, lol) of it's ideas were poorly implemented. I could have gone with the DMG, and only a few years back, I would have put it here...