Questions tagged [dnd-5e]
For questions about Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition, an RPG published in 2014 by Wizards of the Coast. D&D 5e is a heroic fantasy RPG inspired by the mechanics and settings of all previous D&D editions. It was previously code-named D&D Next during the playtest period.
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My DM insists on rolling a single save for groups affected by AoE save spells. How does this affect my odds of successfully affecting the enemy?
As the title question, my DM rolls a single d20 save for groups affected by my area of effect spells that require a save, in order to save time. I can't help but feel like I'm being ripped off by ...
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Our DM keeps interrupting our long rests
In the latest campaign, we're still around the third level, but every single night we've spend in the wild so far, we were interrupted by hard combat encounters (as in DMG-worded "hard"), forcing us ...
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Do I have to allow someone to play at my table in Adventurers League public events?
One player, a couple of months ago, had a problem about a ruling I made in a tier 1 game. It was a minor ruling in which I gave an npc wizard in a carriage a +2 AC bonus for 1/2 cover. She argued ...
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Does Warlock combat just equal Eldritch Blast spam?
Been looking over the warlock because I thought it would be cool to make a spellcaster that can also mix it up in melee combat. After all how awesome is it to conjure up a magical weapon and start ...
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Realistically, does Leomund’s Tiny Hut allow for indefinite long rests in a dungeon?
I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around this, but the more I read into Leomund’s tiny hut, the more it looks like it’s a spell designed entirely around taking free long rests in dungeons, or ...
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What is the purpose of easy combat scenarios that don't need resource expenditure?
This is something I've been thinking about as a DM in my encounter design: Why have easy/medium/etc combat encounters that don't really require resources to successfully complete?
Given the limited ...
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How to work with a player who cites ADHD as reason for disruptive behavior
I regularly run an Adventurers League table at a local game cafe. For the last few weeks I've been trying to incorporate a college age player into the group who hasn't worked out at other tables.
He'...
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How can I prevent players from using Persuasion or Deception to weasel their way out of a murder?
Background
My players accepted a quest to basically be drug mules, delivering illicit goods to a faraway town. While alone with the NPC giving the assignment, they decided to kill him and take the ...
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How to deal with a player who refuses to learn the description of their spells and abilities?
I am currently running Lost Mines of Phandelver for a fluid group of about 10 people. We play once a week and on a given night 4-6 people will show up. We've been doing this for 4 months now. I have ...
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How does D&D 5e compare to AD&D 2e?
I played 1st and 2nd edition AD&D a lot back in the day. But when 3rd edition came out, I dropped out of the hobby. Partly I just couldn't be bothered to re-learn the rules. The conversion systems,...
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How can I run an open-world game with vast power differences, without resulting in constant TPKs?
I would like to run a game with an open world, where the party can explore unconstrained. I would like to do it in D&D 5E, but the power differences are very stark between levels. How can I make ...
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What happens when you run out of movement while jumping?
According to the PHB (p 182) after a 10 foot movement the player is able to make a long jump whose length is equal to their strength score. Each foot jumped costs 1 foot of movement.
I have a ...
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Is it possible to fail an ability check on purpose?
Here are the general guidelines regarding ability checks:
The GM calls for an ability check when a character or monster attempts an action (other than an attack) that has a chance of failure. When ...
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How can metagaming retries on poor skill checks be prevented?
I'm sure every DM has had this happen: one PC is trying to find something cool on a dead monster's body. The player rolls poorly, and instead of accepting the paltry 2 copper pieces, the PC calls all ...
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What is the probability of surviving my death saves?
If my character drops to 0HP but is not killed instantly by massive damage, what is the probability that I will stabilize via death saves unassisted/unhindered?
As a refresher, here are some of the ...
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It seems like every skill check should always be made with advantage due to the 'Working Together' rules. Is this accurate?
My group just started playing 5th last night, and we immediately ran into issues with the 'Working Together'/'Skill Assist'/'Skill Help' rules. By the rules it seems like nearly every single skill ...
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Is the old "Linear Fighters Quadratic Wizards" problem still around in 5e Basic?
(This question is a comparison to 3.x, though things might have been different in 4e)
In 3.5e there is a large power and capability gap between fighters and wizards that fighters couldn't hope to ...
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I gave my players far too much wealth and they have far too much power. What do I do to get things back on track?
Very recently I made a huge miscalculation during my D&D campaign.
The players in my D&D campaign were chasing after several pieces of a broken magical item. They had been spending their ...
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Is starting a group with 5 newbies (DM included) possible?
Some friends and I want to start playing D&D (5e), but none of us, DM included (not me) have played before to any great extent. The DM and I have some cursory experience with 4e, but have never ...
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The fastest way to remove bones from a man
I'm likely going to be playing a human necromancer in an upcoming return to our Out of the Abyss campaign. My character is morally "scrambled" at the best of times, and has no qualms about raising the ...
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In a low-combat campaign, most PC abilities seem useless; what few fights there are barely use up resources. How do I deal with this as the DM?
As part of session 0, I discovered my group wanted a campaign with a heavier amount of intrigue, exploration, investigation, etc. Well, I did it. And I think the general perception is that it's going ...
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Does Bard's Jack of All Trades grant them greater initiative?
Bards get the ability "Jack of All Trades" which reads:
Starting at 2nd level, you can add half your proficiency
bonus, rounded down, to any ability check you make that doesn't already include ...
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How do I indicate to my players that an NPC is no longer useful and that they should move on?
I am a rather new DM, still learning stuff.
So I have noticed that my characters tend to talk too much with the NPCs, trying to get a lot of information, and probably even trying to 'cheat', thinking ...
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My player wants to watch the world burn
Several times I've had experiences where I was running a fairly standard campaign, and I got a player who wanted to, essentially, watch the world burn.
I had a character who offered up his life force ...
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Are there any penalties for wearing armor all the time?
In our campaign we have several characters who never remove their armor. They wear it while adventuring, sleeping, swimming, bathing, etc.
Are there any penalties for:
Wearing armor while sleeping?
...
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How should the DM manage the discrepancy between the player's memory and their PC's memory?
It may happen that, during a session, players don't remember the name of a NPC that they met (or, more generally, information about something that happened) during the previous session. Obviously, ...
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How do I manage a player who is handling traps by metagaming?
I have a high-hitpoint character who barges down hallways without regard to traps because that's what His Guy would do. In reality, he's metagaming: doing this because he knows he has the HPs to soak ...
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I think my DM is consistently faking dice rolls for saves against a specific spell; how do I call my DM out?
I've been watching one of our players repeatedly cast toll the dead (Xanathar's Guide to Everything, p. 169), across seven sessions, and a dozen different combat encounters, and the DM has never once ...
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What are the rules for PC-PC seduction attempts?
Last session we came to a very weird situation. Now, its outcome was meaningless and we argued friendly and politely, having fun and settling the matter with ease, but it's likely it will happen again ...
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Dealing with PC that constantly lies to NPCs
I have a player playing a rogue in her first RPG, and she is constantly lying to NPCs. She says it is one of her character flaws and I like that she is playing the character to the fullest, but she ...
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Does Burning Hands really require touching thumbs?
The D&D 5E spell Burning Hands has verbal and somatic components, and is described like this:
As you hold your hands with thumbs touching and fingers spread, a thin sheet of flames shoots forth ...
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Why do Warlocks only have spells up to 5th level? What's the correct progression for their slots?
Instead of a “Spell Slots for Spell Level” table, the warlock just has two columns: one for number of slots and one for slot level, because all of their slots are the same level.
However, the table ...
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Is there “flavor text” in D&D 5e spells?
Is there any evidence, in the rules or from developer comments, that parts of the description of a D&D 5e spell is “only flavor text” and should be ignored for determining what happens in-game?
...
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I dislike how players accurately place fireballs. Is there an alternative?
I'm running 5e on a grid with minis. The one thing that I hate is when sorcerers or wizards cast a fireball that perfectly hits enemies in the AOE. The player counts the squares on the grid to ...
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How can I impose consequences when PCs commit severe crimes?
For context, this is my first adventure as a DM. The PCs are level 2.
About 40 minutes into the first session, while investigating the rumours about a ghost ship, the group meets with Aleyd Burrows, ...
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Is there a way to ask in game (i.e. in a non-meta way) what a character's class is?
Is there a way to ask in game (i.e. in a non-meta way) what a character's class is? There have been a few times when my character is meeting an NPC (allied combatant) or another PC and it's bugging me ...
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How should I handle players wanting to aim their attacks at specific body parts?
My players have been asking to improvise specific combat actions, mostly the archer wanting to aim at specific body parts. I haven't been able to find anything in the DMG or the PHB on the subject so ...
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Are melee combatants limited to standing around saying "I attack"?
Recently I heard a friend saying that melee combatants had fewer options than 4e or 3.x:
Ranged combat was somewhat interesting in that you could deal with
cover, aiming, and so forth. Fighters ...
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Why is mayo in the alchemy jug?
The 5e Alchemy Jug (on page 150 of the Dungeon Master's Guide) has several uses. Some are common and useful, like water, poison, acid. Some are natural ingredients and liquids, like honey, vinegar, ...
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Does D&D 5e have a rule for character knowledge about monsters?
In the 3rd and 4th editions of D&D, there were explicit rules for determining if a character knew anything about a monster before them. In 3rd edition, for example, use of the Knowledge skill ...
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Can Ogre clerics use Purify Food and Drink on humanoid characters?
Can Ogre clerics use Purify Food and Drink on humanoid characters to cure them as humanoid creatures are regarded as food in Ogre culture?
Similarly, can Ogre clerics use Create Food and Water to ...
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Is it necessary to purchase all the D&D 5th edition books to have access to all player character options?
So basic background: I am an experienced 3.5 player moving to 5th. I rarely use pre-made adventures and like to homebrew campaign settings based on as many published rules as possible.
While it is ...
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What spells are available to resurrect characters?
What official spells exist that can be used by characters to resurrect their fallen comrades in Dungeons & Dragons? Which classes can cast them and at what level?
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Does Power Word Kill kill druids in wild-shape?
Power Word Kill is a 9th level spell that "compel[s] a creature to die" as long as it has less than 100 hit points.
If this is cast on a druid in wild-shape form with less than 100 HP, does the druid ...
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Is Greatsword superior to Greataxe?
Greataxe
6.5 (1d12) slashing Heavy, Two-Handed
Greatsword
7 (2d6) slashing Heavy, Two-Handed
This is why I think Greatsword is superior to Greataxe:
Slightly higher average damage
Higher ...
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Can the dungeon master have a player character?
I’m starting a campaign with some friends with me as the DM even though I’d rather be a player, I am the only person in my group who has had experience being a DM. I asked my friends if a DM is ...
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Are there ways to concentrate on more than one spell at a time?
Are there any ways to maintain concentration on more than one spell at a time, or to interrupt and later resume concentration on a spell?
I do know the general rules says it can't be done, but the ...
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How do I kill a 20th level raging Zealot Barbarian?
At 20th level, the Path of the Zealot barbarian (Xanathar's Guide to Everything, p. 11) can rage indefinitely by virtue of starting a new rage just prior to their initial rage ending. This is ...
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Does passive Perception score supersede the result of a lower active Perception check?
If a player makes an active Perception check and the result is lower than their passive Perception score, should we use the passive Perception score instead?
Background:
During our weekly game ...
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Players get angry if anything negative happens to them
I'm having a tough time handling encounters with the players at my table.
Sometimes, if anything negative happens to them they get angry. For example:
During an encounter, a hostile NPC Cleric ...
- 561