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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244 votes
16 answers
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Without a magic item economy, what is gold for?

PHB page 144, Equipment, Wealth, Selling Treasure Magic Items. Selling magic items is problematic. Finding someone to buy a potion or a scroll isn’t too hard, but other items are out of the realm ...
synesthesia's user avatar
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206 votes
10 answers
96k views

How does rolling two d20 and taking the higher affect the average outcome?

D&D 5E has an "advantage" concept where instead of rolling 1d20, you roll 2d20 and take the higher. Likewise, disadvantage means rolling 2d20 and taking the lower. How does this affect ...
Sterno's user avatar
  • 3,074
194 votes
21 answers
78k views

Player claims their wizard character knows everything (from books). Solutions?

I have a player who is an elf wizard and his entire backstory and goal is knowledge related. He made his elf well over 200 years old and claims that his character has read a massive amount of books (...
krakenships's user avatar
  • 2,503
187 votes
6 answers
15k views

What's the greatest number of hands I can have to annoy my mother-in-law with?

My mother in law is coming to visit tonight, for dinner. She hates me, and will criticize my food. But tonight is my night. I've prepared the dish she most hates, a beautiful roasted Tarrasque chop, ...
BlueMoon93's user avatar
  • 45.4k
171 votes
7 answers
25k views

What is the source of the "spells do only what they say they do" rules interpretation principle?

Every time somebody asks a question like "can I use X spell for doing Y" the answer is usually "no" because spell descriptions are very short in 5e, and usually they don't ...
enkryptor's user avatar
  • 62.9k
155 votes
26 answers
55k views

Players skipping side quests just to have a laugh at the DM

Something that's happening frequently at my table recently is that the players are making choices deliberately to waste my preparation. If they see something that obviously took some preparation that ...
Manner's user avatar
  • 5,273
153 votes
5 answers
16k views

Is there a maximum attainable beard thickness?

This other question asks if attuning to a Belt of Dwarvenkind grants the following benefit (and literally nothing else): you have a 50 percent chance each day at dawn of growing a full beard if ...
aroth's user avatar
  • 1,533
145 votes
11 answers
38k views

Can you drink a potion one-handed underwater?

I have a player who wants their PC to drink a potion underwater while one-handed, and as a DM I'm not sure how to rule it. Ask for a Dex check? What DC? Is it even possible? I couldn't find anything ...
L..'s user avatar
  • 1,543
137 votes
5 answers
48k views

Are peoples' competencies really as flat in D&D 5e as its math suggests?

Bounded accuracy is a major feature of the new system. It promises that bonuses to rolls won't grow too much throughout a character's career. And indeed, a first-level fighter would have an apex skill ...
Magician's user avatar
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130 votes
9 answers
27k views

What's the point of long, empty hallways in dungeons?

Many dungeons—published and homemade—often contain a multitude of long, empty passageways between rooms. For example, my DM is running "The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan" from Tales from the Yawning ...
Icyfire's user avatar
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127 votes
9 answers
32k views

PC ate a necklace of fireballs bead. How dead should they be?

So one of my loony players found a necklace of fireballs. He is a suicidally over-confidant Tiefling sorcerer. Against all logic and reason, and probably just to prove that he could, he ate one of ...
Overthinks's user avatar
  • 4,375
127 votes
7 answers
127k views

Why would I ever cast True Strike?

One of my players has complained several times that True Strike is a useless spell. The effect of True Strike is: On your next turn, you gain advantage on your first attack roll against the target, ...
Miniman's user avatar
  • 143k
124 votes
11 answers
23k views

Given powerful low-level Clerical healing, how can sick, crippled or otherwise unhealthy people exist?

In my attempt to make a more harsh, uncaring setting, I’ve hit a stumbling block in terms of the ease with which even low level Clerics can treat the poor and the sick: A 1st-level Cleric can bring ...
abza's user avatar
  • 2,319
118 votes
2 answers
325k views

What are the most and least-resisted damage types?

Inspired by these related questions, as well as my previous question on the matter, I'm curious what the most and least resisted damage types are in DnD 5e? Ideally I am looking for a list similar to ...
B. S. Morganstein's user avatar
115 votes
6 answers
18k views

Can a snake be prone?

It sounds like a silly question, but it caused way more discussion the other night in my Adventurer's league game than I'd care to admit... In 5e, the prone condition is described as: A prone ...
Chumblechops's user avatar
  • 1,573
113 votes
11 answers
39k views

I failed to open a lock. Now what?

Picking a lock typically requires a DC 15 Dexterity check (Basic rules, p. 49). Likewise for manacles (p. 50), which can alternately be escaped with a DC 20 Dexterity check or broken with a DC 20 ...
Bradd Szonye's user avatar
  • 9,144
113 votes
10 answers
19k views

As a player with ADHD, how do I avoid disrupting the game?

I read a question by a DM wanting to know how to work with a player who cites ADHD as reason for disruptive behavior. Almost all answers are of course things the DM could do. Now I am wondering, what ...
ONOZ's user avatar
  • 1,073
113 votes
7 answers
214k views

Is there a legal way to get D&D 5e core rulebook PDFs?

As much as I like having the hardcover core rule-books in front of me, usually I read or reference most information for RPGs on my computer. Unfortunately, my google-fu has failed me at finding ...
user avatar
103 votes
10 answers
51k views

Where do adventurers keep all their stuff?

This is a bit of an equipment logistics question so might not be all that interesting to everyone but... Reading the 5e PHB, the backpack weight listing says: Backpack: 1 cubic foot/30 pounds of ...
Tommy's user avatar
  • 2,691
101 votes
1 answer
485k views

What are the playable D&D races in 5e, and where can I find them?

There's not a lot of material published by WotC for 5e (relative to previous editions), nor is there planned to be. However, there are playable races for D&D scattered around in a few different ...
nitsua60's user avatar
  • 100k
99 votes
15 answers
31k views

How do I handle my players killing things by catapulting a folding boat?

So, I'm not sure where to begin... I planned some epic battle and "that guy" showed up and ruined it. He took a magical item I (stupidly) gave him (folding boat, DMG 170), cast Catapult (EE, p.15) on ...
Jeff's user avatar
  • 2,190
98 votes
13 answers
281k views

Is there a real use for the Medicine skill?

Does the Medicine skill have a hidden use I don't know about? All I can see in the rules is that it allows a successful skill roll to stabilize a dying character, which a healer kit does without a ...
ProfessorZ's user avatar
  • 1,269
96 votes
6 answers
18k views

Does this character concept involving never taking a long rest and converting spell slots to sorcery points (aka coffeelock) violate RAW?

Does the following, very cheesy character concept, violate any RAW? Please cite rules or official rulings in your answer. (Apart from RAW, I expect my DM to disallow or limit the concept, in the ...
SorcererQzot's user avatar
  • 2,015
95 votes
4 answers
74k views

Can you multiclass the same class twice for different class features?

The way that 5e works, each class has a sub class that dictates a heap of class features. The question here is generally, can a character of a specific class take levels in that same class in order to ...
wax eagle's user avatar
  • 103k
94 votes
5 answers
186k views

Do Cantrips use your character level or class level?

Cantrips seem to be the only type of spell that cares only about your class level. However, in the multiclassing section they are not mentioned, does this mean that cantrips use your character level, ...
András's user avatar
  • 59.3k
93 votes
2 answers
18k views

Why do Crawford's tweets seem to be treated on par with the actual rules?

I keep running into quoted tweets from this 'Jeremy Crawford' guy in 5e answers. My understanding is he's sort of in charge of the edition, like James Jacobs with Pathfinder. It makes sense that his ...
Please stop being evil's user avatar
92 votes
5 answers
126k views

Is the Moonbeam spell amazing, or are we doing it wrong?

The description of the moonbeam spell (PHB pg. 261) says: When a creature enters the spell's area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, it is engulfed in ghostly flames that cause ...
Taejang's user avatar
  • 5,173
92 votes
3 answers
14k views

What does upper-case-A-Attack action vs. lower-case-a-attack mean?

What exactly is the difference between Attack action and attack? It seems each time a question regarding this pops up, there's always somebody arguing they are not different. I feel there should be a ...
Exempt-Medic's user avatar
  • 74.2k
91 votes
17 answers
23k views

How do I communicate to my players that a door is, for the time being, absolutely locked to them?

I have a small dungeon in my campaign, a temple, that is a significant location for the broader story of my world. The players might very well enter this temple pretty early on in their adventuring. ...
Pink Sweetener's user avatar
90 votes
5 answers
24k views

Rolling a D10 (0-9) for hitpoints. What do I get with a zero?

My character leveled up and I rolled a D10 to determine the rise in hitpoints. The dice that I used goes from 0 to 9 and I rolled a zero. The DM told me that this means I only add my modifier (0 + 3 = ...
Iarwain's user avatar
  • 1,025
89 votes
11 answers
138k views

How much is a Gold Piece really worth?

I have been wondering what a gold piece is worth, due to the fact there are many things that cost the same, but in reality, are probably worth radically different prices, such as a Goat and a Whip, ...
Tobias Fizzlewig's user avatar
89 votes
10 answers
36k views

What happens when an Immovable Rod is activated while in a vehicle?

The Red Bandits have boarded the train, hidden among the other passengers. They wait an hour or two - to be sure the train is far from any city - then, on the boss's signal, they all pull out their ...
Martin's user avatar
  • 1,011
88 votes
21 answers
92k views

Why would I ever choose rolling hit points?

In DnD 5th edition, all classes seemingly have the option of rolling hit points -or- just increasing their hit points by a set value. That set value is defined as the dice roll's average, rounded up. ...
TheMorten's user avatar
  • 1,117
88 votes
7 answers
53k views

Can you choose to fail a saving throw?

(Yet another) follow-up from this question: As someone mentioned in the question above, some 'friendly' spells (Calm Emotion, IIRC) specify that one can choose to fail the saving throw. In this case,...
Khashir's user avatar
  • 13.2k
86 votes
15 answers
38k views

A player always wants to recruit NPCs into the party. How do I handle this?

TL;DR: I have a player who wants to recruit lots of NPCs to avoid putting his own character in danger and to grab more spotlight for himself. I'm concerned about how this will affect challenge balance ...
Foxy_Japacan's user avatar
85 votes
7 answers
36k views

D&D 5e and "Theatre of the Mind" in combat

Our target play style for combat encounters would be to use battle boards roughly half the time (when there is enough of interest in play that the tactics are fun to play out), and to skip that with ...
Neil Slater's user avatar
  • 14.9k
84 votes
2 answers
196k views

Who can use magic scrolls?

I'm confused about who can use scrolls in 5e. In the DMG, p139 under Magic Item Categories: Scrolls, it states that: Any creature that can understand a written language can read the arcane script ...
Jason K's user avatar
  • 5,237
83 votes
14 answers
29k views

What should I do about a religious player who refuses to accept the existence of multiple gods in D&D?

I am working on a campaign which I am going to run for a group of friends, all of whom are new to D&D. I was discussing available classes with one of the players, more specifically classes with ...
eeeee's user avatar
  • 799
83 votes
17 answers
20k views

How should a DM resolve a smooth-talking player with a weak Charisma score PC? [closed]

If a player is naturally a smooth-talker, does well with on-the-spot dialogue, is instinctively persuasive, and is overall great in social situations, but role-plays a character with a poor Charisma ...
He Who Rules As Intended's user avatar
83 votes
4 answers
86k views

Do you have to have thieves' tools in order to pick a lock?

Does a character have to have thieves' tools (TT) in order to pick a lock? Not necessarily proficiency in the tool, but at least have the tool itself? I'm confused about picking locks and whether or ...
Jason K's user avatar
  • 5,237
82 votes
7 answers
14k views

How can I get a player to accept that they should stop trying to pull stunts without thinking them through first?

How can I get a player to accept that they should stop trying to pull stunts without thinking them through first? To explain the issue, one of the players in my game wants to assassinate a high-...
Maiko Chikyu's user avatar
  • 19.8k
82 votes
1 answer
10k views

Where do I find the "official" rules for D&D 5e?

I play D&D 5e and sometimes come here with questions. But sometimes I see things referenced here as sources that I don't have or am not aware of.... Which are the "official rules" for D&...
nitsua60's user avatar
  • 100k
81 votes
11 answers
36k views

How can I suggest the DM stop trying to kill us?

We have been playing a game for a while now, and while the game itself is quite enjoyable, the only problem is that the DM seems to be aiming to kill us. Sort of. For example, there have been three ...
Ben's user avatar
  • 22.9k
81 votes
13 answers
40k views

Can a Black Dragon Hatchling be raised to be good? Or is it inherently evil?

The following came up during my campaign: The characters got their hands on some Black Dragon eggs. The PCs put out the thought that if they got the eggs to hatch, they could raise the dragons to be ...
Iajitsu's user avatar
  • 1,038
80 votes
11 answers
16k views

Are Trolls immune to all instant death effects?

Part of the Troll's Regeneration feature says: The troll dies only if it starts its turn with 0 hit points and doesn't regenerate. Does this case beat instant kill effects, such as Divine Word or ...
Deltatheduck's user avatar
  • 2,100
78 votes
13 answers
28k views

How can I explain to my player that Alchemist's Fire is safe to carry?

The Player's Handbook (p. 148) says that Alchemist's Fire "ignites when exposed to air": Alchemist's Fire. This sticky, adhesive fluid ignites when exposed to air. As an action, you can throw this ...
enkryptor's user avatar
  • 62.9k
77 votes
10 answers
17k views

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 ...
LegendaryDude's user avatar
77 votes
6 answers
19k views

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 ...
Olivier Grégoire's user avatar
77 votes
7 answers
100k views

Is 4 hours long enough for a long rest for Elves?

The Long Rest rules read: A long rest is a period of extended downtime, at least 8 hours long, during which you sleep or perform light activity: reading, talking, eating, or standing watch for ...
Aaron's user avatar
  • 1,175
77 votes
3 answers
9k views

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 ...
Ἄρτεμις's user avatar

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