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.

Filter by
Sorted by
Tagged with
21 votes
9 answers
5k views

How to stop a player from looking up monster stat blocks in combat?

In my 5th edition Eberron campaign I have a player who is determined to metagame in combat which makes it really hard for the others to actually get much enjoyment. Recently the problem player gained ...
  • 3,395
9 votes
1 answer
204 views

What happens when a character that is currently possessed by a ghost receives a communication via the Sending spell?

I am running a D&D 5e campaign. I'm pretty certain my player will try to contact one character they've met previously through the sending spell. That character is a ghost hunter. It would fit ...
  • 193
1 vote
0 answers
159 views

Making Golems out of New materials [closed]

For an upcoming Encounter, I want my group to to fight golems made out of paper. I've looked at a few Nearly 2d monsters, such as a Palimpsest, or a Rug of Smothering, bit I haven't found quite the ...
  • 337
1 vote
0 answers
33 views

Spell Slots at Paladin 5/Sorcerer 1 [duplicate]

I've started a new campaign group, with a Paladin main, but starting to spec into Sorcerer, with currently 4 1st level , and 2 2nd level spell slots, however my dm is not sure if that's correct, and ...
  • 11
3 votes
6 answers
348 views

Magic Item for summoning minions?

This question is a follow up for my question Can a player use two characters in a campaign? Instead of adding another PC to the party to make up for how squishy the group is (the group being a wizard, ...
  • 3,395
7 votes
3 answers
964 views

How to increase the chance of a spell's success against a foe that can save vs spells most of the time

I'm trying to work out a way to debuff an opponent in order to increase the chance of a spell succeeding against it. First of all, let me describe the situation: The opponent in question is a Rakshasa-...
  • 1,100
15 votes
9 answers
4k views

Can a player use two characters in a campaign?

I've been the DM in a campaign based in the Eberron world and the party is made primarily out of squishy level 4 characters (wizard, druid, and a bard.) During one of the combat encounters we had an ...
  • 3,395
1 vote
2 answers
260 views

What is the most innocent, defenseless creature on the Material Plane? [closed]

This is most likely a silly question, but here's the backstory: A bit ago, I made a swarmkeeper ranger flavoured as "the kindest, sweetest person you'll ever meet. A gentle woman whose childlike ...
  • 6,483
5 votes
4 answers
583 views

How can I add more roleplay to the game I'm DMing when not all players want that?

This is mainly just a question I decided to ask out of curiosity because sometimes I can get bored of a campaign and I wouldn't want to end it because the players could still be enjoying themselves. ...
  • 3,395
17 votes
4 answers
3k views

Does a legendary action occur “outside” of a turn?

The rules for legendary actions state: A legendary creature can take a certain number of special actions — called legendary actions — outside its turn. Only one legendary action option can be used at ...
  • 200k
3 votes
1 answer
1k views

Multiattack defense vs legendary actions

I have a question about DnD 5E Ranger Hunter Multiattack Defense feature. Should you or do you get Multiattack Defense against legendary actions? For example, when you get a bite and two claw attacks ...
6 votes
1 answer
383 views

Does a druid in wild shape still benefit from the speed increase of the Mobile feat?

Since in wild shape "You retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other source and can use them if the new form is physically capable of doing so" and the Mobile feat ...
  • 7,025
6 votes
1 answer
316 views

In D&D Beyond, how can I make a homebrew melee weapon that uses a spellcasting stat's bonus instead of STR/DEX?

I have a new druid player who is using a normal staff with the Shillelagh spell on it. While the spell is active, [...] you can use your spellcasting ability instead of Strength for the attack and ...
  • 9,547
1 vote
1 answer
108 views

Can forcing an opponent away give an attack of opportunity to an ally? [duplicate]

Assume my ally was fighting an enemy at close range. If I cast a spell, ability, whatever that forced the enemy away, would that trigger an attack of opportunity for my ally?
  • 139
2 votes
0 answers
58 views

If a special melee attack is successful, does it "hit"? [duplicate]

I have a Fighter PC, second level as of last night, who I would like to become a Battlemaster at third. One of the Maneuvers I am considering is Grappling Strike, which says: Immediately after you ...
  • 34k
-4 votes
1 answer
204 views

What is the best ranged weapon for a bard? [closed]

I am making a Aasimar College of Creation Bard and don't really like the Vicious Mockery cantrip very well. It doesn't fit well with the idea I have for it. I need ideas for a ranged weapon that isn't ...
  • 129
6 votes
2 answers
412 views

How much damage do giants deal with unarmed strikes?

A lot of monsters have attack descriptions that include using their appendages to hit characters and those appendages generally can't be disarmed. However, giants are unique in that they almost always ...
1 vote
1 answer
215 views

Problem on how to solve a situation with dragons [closed]

I am the DM of a very chaotic group, which ended up in a very strange situation. Currently I am having a very hard struggle on how to DM this and how to solve this more or less in a group friendly way ...
  • 129
4 votes
1 answer
152 views

Does the save throw DC calculation from the Superior Technique fighting style override the Battle Master fighter's saving throw DC?

As the title says, I am trying to determine if the saving throw DC calculation from Superior Technique overrides the calculation from Battle Master, thus eliminating the STR or DEX choice. You learn ...
6 votes
4 answers
2k views

Are the powers of a Divine Soul sorcerer at the mercy of their deity's will?

The Divine Soul sorcerous origin in Xanathar's Guide to Everything description states: Sometimes the spark of magic that fuels a sorcerer comes from a divine source that glimmers within the soul. ...
1 vote
1 answer
244 views

Could an Artificer / Wizard multiclass add any of their prepared spells to their own spellbook? [duplicate]

Or would they have to go through the process, and cost, of scribing a scroll of, say Detect Magic, then pass an Arcana check to 'learn' and spend more precious gp to scribe it into their spellbook? If ...
5 votes
2 answers
524 views

Is this Alquir race balanced?

The Alquir are a race of semi-aquatic creatures that resemble newts and salamanders. They possess a potent regenerative ability and an affinity for watery magics. My main balance concern is the ...
  • 935
2 votes
3 answers
327 views

What kind of disadvantages can I expect while building a supporting Player Character with low Dexterity?

I am building a Duegar Alchemist with a Folk Hero background who's inspired by the support/utility role builds I have been hearing and reading about. In other words, a character who focuses more on ...
  • 6,483
3 votes
2 answers
289 views

Is this revised Hamadryad race balanced?

Original race: Is this homebrew hamadryad race unbalanced? Hamadryads are creatures born of the forest, connected to the wild lands and the very lifeblood of the world itself. They are liminal beings -...
2 votes
0 answers
60 views

Would a Command spell cause a target to teleport away? [duplicate]

My 9th level Bard character failed his save against a Command to Flee, which states that "The target spends its turn moving away from you by the fastest available means." Would that include ...
  • 109
1 vote
1 answer
131 views

What kind of clues can I give players to help them track down a thief? [closed]

I'm new to DMing. I'm writing some quests for a campaign my friends have shown interest in. This particular quest involves a missing ring. It was stolen from a window sill of the owner's home by a man ...
-2 votes
2 answers
326 views

How much damage can the Paladin's Divine Smite feature do in a single action?

The Paladin's Divine Smite feature description states: Starting at 2nd level, when you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend one spell slot to deal radiant damage to the target, ...
1 vote
2 answers
236 views

What are the rules, if any, regarding equipping a dragon with weapons in 5e?

The question has been asked as to whether or not a dragon can wield weapons in 5e, and for the first time in a long time, I am stumped about how to answer. I first searched the stack exchange, finding ...
  • 71
1 vote
1 answer
360 views

Is this Oath of Bees Paladin subclass balanced?

Mostly I am looking to see if the damage output Channel Divinity, and Aura are on par with other paladin oaths, and dont break the game. Oath of Bees Tenets of the Bees The tenets of the Oath of Bees ...
11 votes
2 answers
1k views

What effect does a potion of giant strength have upon a monster?

An adventure module I own indicates that as soon as a fight breaks out, the villian's quasit minion will drink a potion of hill giant strength. Looking at the quasit stat block, I am assuming its claw(...
1 vote
1 answer
94 views

Can the UA Wild Talent feat change the damage type of the Chaos Bolt spell?

Inspired by this current question: Can the UA Wild Talent feat interact with the Chaos Bolt spell? – and Matthieu's comment on Groody's answer. It seems that RAW, you are replacing the number you roll ...
  • 1,295
1 vote
1 answer
200 views

Can a Harengon take a grappled creature with them when they use Rabbit Hop?

If a Harengon character grapples a target and then uses Rabbit Hop, can they drag/carry the target with them? If they can, is the distance of the hop halved like regular movement would be?
  • 1,111
7 votes
6 answers
866 views

Looking for a DM solution to a Squishy group

I've been playing tabletop RPGs for a while off and on, only a little as a DM, but I get the basics of it. I've convinced some of my immediate and extended family (most of whom are NOT gamers, let ...
  • 189
12 votes
2 answers
2k views

Can the Staff of Defense be used to give all members of a party Mage Armor at dawn?

Running LMOP and the party has already defeated Glasstaff and taken his Staff of Defense. The wizard is now attuned to it, and in our last session they asked a question I was not prepared for: Can the ...
  • 431
0 votes
0 answers
62 views

Do the rules define the minimum area size for light intensity? [duplicate]

(The title gave me a bit of trouble, so if you have a better idea on how to title this question after reading it, feel free to suggest it or directly edit it.) Light levels (bright light, dim light ...
  • 6,796
5 votes
3 answers
1k views

Can a Twilight Domain cleric wearing heavy armor still fly using the Steps of Night feature?

A player in my campaign is a Twilight Domain cleric. The Steps of Night feature (TCoE, p. 35) allows them to gain a flying speed equal to their walking speed for one minute. As a cleric, they have ...
  • 51
5 votes
2 answers
440 views

Does the Enemies Abound spell force a creature to move toward a perceived enemy in order to attack them?

The Enemies Abound spell specifies (emphasis mine): Whenever the affected creature chooses another creature as a target, it must choose the target at random from among the creatures it can see within ...
  • 7,025
3 votes
1 answer
114 views

Can the UA Wild Talent feat interact with the Chaos Bolt spell?

If I take the Wild Talent feat (from UA 2020: Psionic Options Revisited, DM approved) and improve my Charisma, this allows me to do the following: You awaken to your psionic potential, which enhances ...
  • 111
4 votes
2 answers
148 views

How do Polymorph and True Polymorph interact with the Scrying spell?

A wizard has encountered a foe they let flee in a previous fight. They are now planning to use the Scrying spell, to find out where the foe is hiding. Does that spell succeed if the foe has cast ...
  • 425
20 votes
4 answers
4k views

What's a clock and how do I use one?

I've heard of using a 'clock' to help manage encounters and create tension, but how do you create and use one within a campaign/session/encounter? I have seen it used in other games, like Scum and ...
  • 125k
18 votes
7 answers
4k views

Is Gaseous Form + Invisibility + Nondetection such a powerful combo for scouting and infiltration? How can I make it more challenging for my players?

Some context: I'm a newbie DM running a campaign which requires the party to do a lot of scouting and infiltration missions. Especially in buildings. It's a city campaign happening in Waterdeep so I ...
  • 1,667
11 votes
3 answers
2k views

Why record number of Hit Dice?

Brand new to D&D 5e and trying to wrap my head around the accumulation and spending of Hit Die. My understanding is that: Hit Die are used to determine your character's Max HP Hit Die are gained ...
2 votes
2 answers
121 views

Would Find (Greater) Steed summoning a construct be gamebreaking?

My warforged bard has the Find Greater Steed spell. As a reflavouring, the steed is created from animating scrap and nearby objects. Would giving it the construct type instead of celestial/fey/fiend ...
1 vote
1 answer
210 views

What are all the ways to change my attack roll's ability modifier? [duplicate]

Hexblade Warlock has this line in it: When you attack with that weapon, you can use your Charisma modifier, instead of Strength or Dexterity, for the attack and damage rolls. Battle Smith Artificer ...
3 votes
2 answers
204 views

What bard spells work well with the minotaur's racial traits?

I'm going to be playing a level 3 Minotaur Valor bard in a future campaign. I will be the 2nd front liner of the party and want to optimize usage of Minotaur traits in combat. Are there any bard ...
  • 2,250
5 votes
2 answers
391 views

Channel Divinity: Read Thoughts for combat advantage?

My knowledge domain cleric just levelled up and got the Channel Divinity: Read Thoughs ability. Provided I use this ability during combat and the enemy fails their saving throw, would reading their ...
6 votes
2 answers
271 views

How do I determine a baseline difficulty when converting a d100 system to a d20 system?

How do I mathematically determine a baseline difficulty number when converting a d100 "roll under" system to a d20 "roll over" system? The Basic RP system (and variants) uses a ...
  • 2,347
26 votes
12 answers
5k views

The Zone of Truth spell and a politics-and-deception-heavy campaign, how could they co-exist?

Some context: I'm a newbie DM running a campaign which is a remix of the Waterdeep: Dragon Heist adventure. It's a campaign full of politics, alliances, betrayals and deception. All the major powers ...
  • 1,667
3 votes
2 answers
397 views

Is there a spell or item that makes it so enemies have disadvantage when attacking anyone other than you?

I'm thinking of something similar to the effect of Goading Attack or Compelled Duel, but those can only be used on one target at once and require an action to activate. I was hoping for a higher ...
7 votes
1 answer
424 views

Is there a correct way to transfer the gloaming race from 3rd edition to 5th edition?

I've been playing in a 3rd edition campaign for quite a long time and the DM has recently decided that they would like to continue in 5th edition. My character in this campaign is a gloaming which is ...
  • 3,395