D&D General Things That Bug You

[Minigiant]

It's a DCCRPG thing.

I mean, have you seen what that system does to its casters?

Yeah. I think too many people are think the D&D base is a low magic, dark fantasy, sword and sorcery gameplay. But a fire and forget, barely restricted, wizard PC never meshed with that.

Anyway

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What bugs me?

Not enough named spears and axes.
One would think the magic items in tombs would have more Ancient and Classical era weapons.

 

[Lanefan]

I do not get this joke?

In DCCRPG, pretty much every time a caster casts a spell there's a risk of failure. A relatively common result of a significant failure is that the caster becomes somehow physically deformed.

Therefore - and there's a series of (I hope comedic but I'm really not sure) illustrations in the rulebook that show this progression - casters in DCCRPG really can end up as twisted wrecks by the end of their careers.

 

[Xetheral]

Well, different people have different theories of best tactics. But by-and-large I don't see giving up two attacks (which may both fail) in order to make an opponent prone is particularly worthwhile. Both the attacker and target are now prone, so attacks between those two are normal while anyone attacking from more than 5 ft away is at disadvantage. Oh, and the person doing the grapple has to have a free hand to make the grapple. I would also rule that you need to continue using that hand in order to maintain the grapple (although it's not clear).

I guess you could rule that the grappler isn't prone, can still use both hands and so on, but that's not how I read the rules.

Might be useful to stop someone from running away I suppose but it doesn't come up often.

Always interesting to hear about different styles! I would say that most combats at my table end up involving someone (usually an NPC) trying to run away, and the PCs trying to stop them. It's pretty rare at my table for a combat to be so evenly balanced that both sides think they can still win right up until the end. Usually one side or another realizes they are in trouble and tries to retreat (either an orderly withdrawal for disciplined foes, or a rout otherwise).

The big exceptions where stopping a retreat doesn't come up are the occasional mindless opponents who fight to the death, or if the PCs decide that a rout is victory enough and let the enemy go.

Grappling also comes up a lot at my table when there are environmental hazards or persistent AoE spells on the battlefield. The chance for 2x2d10 extra damage from dragging someone into a 2nd level Moonbeam (2d10 upon being dragged into the area, then another 2d10 at the start of the dragged enemy's turn) is easily worth giving up one attack to grapple.

 

[Oofta]

Always interesting to hear about different styles! I would say that most combats at my table end up involving someone (usually an NPC) trying to run away, and the PCs trying to stop them. It's pretty rare at my table for a combat to be so evenly balanced that both sides think they can still win right up until the end. Usually one side or another realizes they are in trouble and tries to retreat (either an orderly withdrawal for disciplined foes, or a rout otherwise).

The big exceptions where stopping a retreat doesn't come up are the occasional mindless opponents who fight to the death, or if the PCs decide that a rout is victory enough and let the enemy go.

Grappling also comes up a lot at my table when there are environmental hazards or persistent AoE spells on the battlefield. The chance for 2x2d10 extra damage from dragging someone into a 2nd level Moonbeam (2d10 upon being dragged into the area, then another 2d10 at the start of the dragged enemy's turn) is easily worth giving up one attack to grapple.

Sentinel seems to be the go-to tactic for stopping people from running away in the games I've played (or just chasing after them because I have a rogue and a monk in my current group). After all you don't know who's going to run until after they've, well, run.

The 5-11 points from moonbeam or 7-14 points from spirit guardians average damage (twice in most cases as you say) is decent, but it assumes a lot of things. Like a strength based PC with a free hand and that sacrificing an attack is worth it and that the grappler succeeds while also being able to get to the AOE with only half movement.

But maybe I just haven't played with the right groups.

 

[jmartkdr2]

Always interesting to hear about different styles! I would say that most combats at my table end up involving someone (usually an NPC) trying to run away, and the PCs trying to stop them. It's pretty rare at my table for a combat to be so evenly balanced that both sides think they can still win right up until the end. Usually one side or another realizes they are in trouble and tries to retreat (either an orderly withdrawal for disciplined foes, or a rout otherwise).

The big exceptions where stopping a retreat doesn't come up are the occasional mindless opponents who fight to the death, or if the PCs decide that a rout is victory enough and let the enemy go.

Grappling also comes up a lot at my table when there are environmental hazards or persistent AoE spells on the battlefield. The chance for 2x2d10 extra damage from dragging someone into a 2nd level Moonbeam (2d10 upon being dragged into the area, then another 2d10 at the start of the dragged enemy's turn) is easily worth giving up one attack to grapple.

Grappling is great in optimized teams, it's easy to build a character good at it, and it's easy for other pc's to take advantage of it if they know it's coming.

But it depends on planning, really: if no one want to play a grappler, or people want to play characters that can't really benefit form it (ie all ranged-attack builds) or even if all players build their characters in isolation and try to forma a party during play, it's not nearly as good.

Note: this does the opposite of bug me - I'd say it's a feature that such a teamwork-focused option exists.

 

[Gorg]

It bugs me that they are pushing alignment out of the game slowly. I LIKED that part of it- esp as it pertained to magic.

Not very convinced by how 5E handles it.

 

[Xetheral]

Sentinel seems to be the go-to tactic for stopping people from running away in the games I've played (or just chasing after them because I have a rogue and a monk in my current group). After all you don't know who's going to run until after they've, well, run.

The 5-11 points from moonbeam or 7-14 points from spirit guardians average damage (twice in most cases as you say) is decent, but it assumes a lot of things. Like a strength based PC with a free hand and that sacrificing an attack is worth it and that the grappler succeeds while also being able to get to the AOE with only half movement.

But maybe I just haven't played with the right groups.

Definitely differences in table styles--I think I've only had one of the PCs take Sentinel. It's thought of as a good feat, but just never seems that anyone actually takes it.

And yes, the grappling to take advantage of hazards is definitely situational. @jmartkdr2 makes a great point that how often it comes up is going to depend on the PCs' tactics (and advanced character design planning) as well.

Grappling is great in optimized teams, it's easy to build a character good at it, and it's easy for other pc's to take advantage of it if they know it's coming.

But it depends on planning, really: if no one want to play a grappler, or people want to play characters that can't really benefit form it (ie all ranged-attack builds) or even if all players build their characters in isolation and try to forma a party during play, it's not nearly as good.

Note: this does the opposite of bug me - I'd say it's a feature that such a teamwork-focused option exists.

That's an excellent point. The difference in expected utility for grappling skyrockets with coordination on PC builds. I've never seen the whiteroom optimized Hasted grappling concepts in actual play, but once you start combining on-turn grabbing with off-turn readied pushes into something like Spirit Guardians it gets scary quickly. But even the lower level of unplanned coordination (e.g. a druid player starting to memorize Moonbeam when another player shows up with a decent grappler) makes grappling far better than it is with no coordination at all.

 

[turnip_farmer]

In DCCRPG, pretty much every time a caster casts a spell there's a risk of failure. A relatively common result of a significant failure is that the caster becomes somehow physically deformed.

Therefore - and there's a series of (I hope comedic but I'm really not sure) illustrations in the rulebook that show this progression - casters in DCCRPG really can end up as twisted wrecks by the end of their careers.

See post 276!

It is a Warhammer thing as well though. Using magic is exposing yourself to the corrupting powers of Chaos, and always runs the risk of being transformed into a Chaos Spawn or pulled from the mortal sphere by some angry daemon.

As it should be.

 

[fearsomepirate]

Sentinel seems to be the go-to tactic for stopping people from running away in the games I've played (or just chasing after them because I have a rogue and a monk in my current group). After all you don't know who's going to run until after they've, well, run.

The 5-11 points from moonbeam or 7-14 points from spirit guardians average damage (twice in most cases as you say) is decent, but it assumes a lot of things. Like a strength based PC with a free hand and that sacrificing an attack is worth it and that the grappler succeeds while also being able to get to the AOE with only half movement.

But maybe I just haven't played with the right groups.

Knocking something prone is a slick move when you have at least two people in melee against an opponent with a fair amount of HP. It also forces the enemy to choose between using an action to break the hold or attacking with disadvantage.

 

[Nefermandias]

I get you too many utility cantrips render everyone else pointless. also, where did you get the cool icon?

You mean the Kamen Rider Kabuto avatar? Just googled it a few years ago.