Recent content by kigmatzomat

They need 4-8 hours for a long rest (4hrs for elves trancing) so 11 minutes is pretty irrelevant. Not sure I've ever seen a party try to LTH for a rest while enemies have access to their location. I have seen an LTH used when being swarmed by shadows to cast heals & try short-resting to...

I went with 3 because I do have random encounters, even occasionally on main roads, but I don't muck with rest rules or limit access to Leomund's hut and the like. My game tend to have larger groups than normal (I had a group with 11 players for a couple years) and our group tends to get...

It seems like you're saying 3e and 5e casters play radically different.

The binder was very flavorful but mechanically weak unless you had access to all the vestiges and could make the best possible pacts for each situation given your level, which kind of goes against the concept of the binder. It was so fraught with synergies that I understand why they never...

I recommend thorn whip over lightning lure. Thorn whip has more range (30ft) and doesn't have a save on the movement. Conversely Lightning lure can do more damage and has no size limit. I think in general thorn whip is superior unless you plan on fighting a lot of huge creatures with low...

I think Mearls is off the mark with his comment that "...high level 5e looks like high level 3e. Which means that it, like high level 3e, is hard to DM and play." What it looks like and what is are different things. Yes, the spells/powers as written are pretty similar but there is a 400%-500%...

Being a but pedantic, but 5e was an increase in complexity... from 4e. 5e didnt swing as far back as 3e's very granular crunch. As a 3e fan (who also loves the super crunchy Earthdawn) I think in general 5e hit a sweet spot. Not perfect, but pretty good. I think they even saw the path...

As the DM in 2 of the 3 campaigns that went 1-20something, I disagree. I had a blast both times. I relished my players freaking when I unleashed some new terror on them (usually an official RAW foe with a different description) and reveled when they beat it. The 2e game in 1992-94 didn't have...

As apparently the only person on earth who has had a campaign go 1st to 20 (or higher) in 2e*, 3e, and 5e, I pity the rest of you who do not know the glory of high level play. *One 2e campaign started at 20ish and went to upper demigod using the original WotC ttrpg product "The Primal Order".

The "roman soldier who bought a farm" story, which is not "a tale as old as time" but is around 2,000 years old. I agree, some of the populace should have PC classes. Some PCs retired at some point. I liked the 3e DMG because it had a framework for that, as well as for getting the less...

A fairly simple way to handle large forces is to reduce the units to a single CR and have those face off. Ie 10x goblin warriors is 1200xp or CR4. So you could have it use the generic cr4 stat block from the DMG. This let's you simplify complex units (a hobgoblin with 2 bugbears and 6 goblins...

As a forever DM here's my takes BECMI - yay, rules for my toys! AD&D 1e- rules for social interactions (honorable mention: splitting races & classes) 2e -organized rules(yay!) that edited out stuff like Appendix C "Random harlot" 3e - Rules that are universal (same for PCs, NPCs and monsters!)...

Note that the OP was also in the context of wargame-style rpgs. The term "campaign" is a vestigial sign of most fantasy rpg's wargame heritage. Note this is aligned with the oft-neglected "exploration" pillar of game play. The difference between a trek to the north pole and a military campaign...

US - probably 4th grade in an extracurricular program. Other kids had some from comics (Avengers had both Thor and Hercules) and movies (Clash of the Titans, Hercules in New York) and later TV (Hercules Legendary Journeys). 1e Deities & Demigods was also a mythology gateway drug for a lot of...

This is a variant of "geek the mage", where you take out a (relatively) fragile enemy who does damage. Its a very useful tactic where easily killed mooks can hurt the PCs while taking out the boss will take several rounds. You shift the action economy faster by offing mooks as the boss is...