Questions tagged [dungeons-and-dragons]
For questions relating to Dungeons & Dragons as a whole, or to multiple versions of Dungeons & Dragons. If your question is about a specific version of D&D, you probably should tag it with the corresponding tag instead (see the full tag info for this tag if you're unsure which tag is appropriate).
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What to model the behavior of D&D's chaotic evil Orcs on? [closed]
Instinctively, I find myself modeling a tribe of Dungeons & Dragons Orcs as similar to Klingons from Star Trek, or Vikings, or even a gang of bikers or skinheads.
But none of these models truly ...
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Have oozes ever been a playable race?
I would like to play as a gelatinous cube with class levels.
The game is 5e and I know no such option is available in 5e but in previous editions lots of things were possible.
Has there at any time in ...
- 345k
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Have different types of normal clothes ever done anything in DND?
In 5e there are common clothes, travellers clothes and fine clothes, but I don't think they actually have any rules around them.
I have found there isn't much in the way of clothing materials on older ...
3
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1
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Am I allowed to use the name Greyhawk in a group name and website name?
I have been running a 5e D&D group for several years with the tentative title "Spoils of Greyhawk" since the main campaigns have been placed in the World of Greyhawk.
I am now looking to ...
- 96.3k
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Is there any lore about faerzress being used for portals?
The 1st edition of D&D introduced the Underdark with the Adventure D1, D2, and D3, later compiled into the Queen of Spiders supermodule. One characteristic feature of the Underdark was that long-...
- 96.3k
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Is there an AI that is capable of DMing using the 1983 Mentzer Basic DnD rules? [closed]
I'd like to solo play using the 1983 Mentzer Basic DnD rules (red box). Is there an AI that can deploy the rule set if I provide dice rolls and do the record keeping? Either published modules or ...
43
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2
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What is the world record for the longest D&D marathon?
I have been looking for a while to find the world record for the longest Dungeons and Dragons marathon because me and my friends had a plan to try and attempt to beat it and give the money from the ...
- 3,909
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3
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If a Defiler native to Athas managed to get to another Material Plane, could they still use Defiling magic?
From what I understand, in Dark Sun, Defilers can destroy the plants around them to make their magic more powerful. If a Defiler from Athas somehow ended up in another material plane (don't care which,...
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1
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Is there any in game explanation from any edition of D&D for why Greyhawk Powers/Outsiders lost their psionics?
In the original edition of D&D (white box plus supplements version), Outsiders (meaning those who are not from the Prime Material plane, and more specifically Powers; I'm aware that this is ...
- 11.4k
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Are there any canonical correlations or known overlaps between D&D settings' various timelines that could be used to determine when they correspond?
D&D canon has demonstrated numerous times that the various campaign settings are in fact, connected to each other. Powerful beings from Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, and even Athas have found ways ...
- 11.4k
3
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1
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Are there published encounters that send you into an illusion or dream state?
Our DM in a recent adventure had us transported into a matrix like illusion when we used a portal. We thought we were traveling back to Undermountain from an orbiting satellite that was occupied by ...
- 96.3k
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12
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Is it appropriate to address characters by their race in D&D?
Simply, calling an elf an elf or a dwarf a dwarf in a non-defamatory, non-insulting way: is it justified to call this out as racist language in a D&D game?
More specifically, we have a player, ...
- 144k
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What are known portals to the Hells in the Forgotten Realms?
I know that there is (or at least, used to be) one portal in the dungeons under Dragonspear Castle that linked the castle to Avernus, the first level of the Nine Hells. Are there other such fixed ...
- 96.3k
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4
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Through various editions of D&D, why would you use a shortbow rather than a longbow?
Since my beginnings with Advanced Dungeons & Dragons until now (playing Wrath of the Righteous, having played 2e and Pathfinder in between), I'm still asking myself:
Is there, in term of D&D ...
- 345k
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1
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What is the origin of the Beholder?
The Beholder is one of the games most iconic monsters. It is on the title of the fifth edition monster manual. It has spawned a whole collection of creatures, including undead Death Tyrants, Gazers, ...
- 49.6k
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How have the Shadar-kai changed over the editions and is there any consistency to be found in the lore between editions?
In D&D 5e, the Shadar-kai are a sub-race of elves. However, it seems that in 4e, the Shadar-kai were humans. In both cases, they lived in the Shadowfell and served the Raven Queen, so it doesn't ...
- 49.6k
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Does being in the Shadowfell (5E) in any way affect spells that players cast?
The 5E DMG mentions only that the plane has a hatred of light and lacks color, mentions the Domains of Dread, and then gives an optional rule for despair. Does the Plane of Shadow cause radiant damage ...
- 24k
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3
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What is the in-game origin of the D&D clone spell?
What is the in-game origin of the clone spell? I'm looking for the inventor (or the first inventor) of the clone spell within the multiverse of D&D settings. Since D&D settings have a ...
- 142k
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What are known portals to the Abyss in Greyhawk?
In the 2nd Edition Module WGR6, The City of Skulls, the players are to infiltrate Doraaka, Iuz' capital, to rescue a prisoner. They however cannot teleport there because, as the Master Elementalist ...
- 96.3k
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3
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Where did the term cantrip originate?
Forogtten realms wiki contains information about the history of cantrips in DnD, going back to first edition.
Cantrips first appeared in print in Dragon magazine and were then reprinted in the First ...
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What is the etymology of Mind Blank?
The spell mind blank protects you from divinations.
For most spells, I can figure out how their name reflects what they do: mind fog produces fog that makes your mind foggy; meteor swarm creates a ...
- 4,930
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What is the best way to learn 5E coming from 3.5E? [duplicate]
I have been playing 3.5E for the past 7 years. My group wants to try 5th edition. What is the best way to get started for me and my group? What are the major differences between 5E and 3.5E that we ...
- 1,044
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9
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I'm at a loss with “Dungeons and Dragons.” How does one play it, anyway?
I'm no gamer at all, so this could be like a very silly, basic question for you guys. The thing is that I always read about "Dungeons and Dragons" game (not the video game, but the normal game to play ...
- 2,017
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2
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Which Adventures have a Sun Blade?
This is going to be a question to all the old-bees. Which D&D adventures (any edition) have a sun blade as a magic item? I thought Temple of the Frog did, but cannot find it in the module.
- 49.6k
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2
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Which D&D edition is good for newbies? [closed]
I'm totally new to D&D, having only played 2 games, neither of which I GM'd, one being 3.5, the other being heavily home brewed version of 3.5.
I want to GM a game. I have a group ready, but I was ...
- 3,909
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2
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Are there consistent rules or lore guidelines about what creatures cannot be magically put to sleep?
I've recently become unreasonably annoyed by sleep effects and how the game seems to handle them. There is a story tied to this:
I play a level 11 bard in our bi-weekly 5e game. Our party was recently ...
- 49.6k
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2
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Is there any more lore on Maleffluent?
I'm doing a campaign in 5e and I'm going to be bringing my PC's into 'The Forgotten Terror' scenario from the Ruby of Aggarath (Dagger, not domain.) It will have my own spin on it and rules will be ...
- 783
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2
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Can half-Elves interbreed with half-Orcs?
Can half-elves and half-Orcs interbreed with each other and who will be born in this case?
- 96.3k
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Is there a guide/reference for possible character hairstyles in D&D Forgotten Realms universe?
I was playing a D&D session as a female cleric of Qotal and, at some point, the party encountered some kind of wind monster. As I tried to cast spells requiring concentration, the DM argued that I ...
- 43.1k
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Who is "Tucker" from the Dragon magazine article "Tucker's Kobolds"?
Tucker's Kobolds, from an article in Dragon magazine issue 127, is an example of challenging higher-level player characters with lower-level monsters.
Who is the real person behind "Tucker", and is ...
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1
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Are there any official references to the "a cat is a deadly encounter for a commoner" meme?
I have encountered several times the claim that cats are rather deadly encounters for any commoner and the difference between a commoner and an adventurer is, that the adventurer actually would have a ...
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4
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How do aquatic races write underwater?
There are lots of situations where underwater races will want to send messages to each other, write in spell books, create maps, etc.
Are there any examples out there in D&D lore (any edition, any ...
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What are Astral Diamonds made of?
In any edition of Dungeons and Dragons, or in any related fiction in any campaign setting, is there official word for what Astral Diamonds actually are? Lacking that, any hints or clues in any ...
- 144k
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What is a Gloomblade (the magic item) in D&D lore?
In Adventurers League Season 6 (for Tales from the Yawning Portal), there were two adventures that mentioned the gloomblade:
DDAL06-02 The Redemption of Kelvan
DDEP06-02 Return to White Plume ...
- 144k
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2
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Does the interior of a portable hole rotate to adhere to the hole's orientation?
I've always accepted that you could place a portable hole on any flat surface, but I've never really thought about it.
Let's say I was a eccentric Faerûnian wine collector who recently got his hands ...
- 144k
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How to reconcile Planescape's multiversal gods with the Time of Troubles?
The Forgotten Realms setting's cosmology famously clashes with the Great Wheel cosmology, but large parts of it, for example the tree placement of their Outer Planes, can be easily dismissed as "...
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As a GM, how do I keep Dungeons & Dragons more interesting for young players?
Currently, my group of players is my children, ages 7+ through 14+ (and several in between). They all are really excited about playing, but I am having great difficulty keeping them all interested ...
- 49.6k
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Where can I find more information about the Cat Lord?
I'm writing my own D&D universe and there are two deities I've chosen from the official setting to incorporate: Lolth and the Cat Lord
The Cat Lord seems to be depicted as a deity for the Tabaxi ...
- 1,148
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DND while travelling [closed]
Me and My friends every weekend travel for about 3 hours (each saturday and sunday). I was wondering if there was a way to play dungeons and dragons with them while travelling in the cab (for free) , ...
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Can I make a entirely homebrew D&D campaign? [closed]
Can I make a entirely homebrew D&D campaign? Or do I have to follow the books for D&D?
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Are there any monsters in D&D lore that focus on devouring memories?
Are there any monsters in D&D that would feed on memories/emotions?
I know about illithid and intellect devourers, but I was hoping there might be another type of monster that is known for that ...
- 6,481
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Is there a common in-universe term to refer to civilized mortal humanoids in D&D?
Out-of-universe we would call them "playable races" or "character races".
Is there an in-universe term to refer to a member of a civilized humanoid race, for example humans, elves, ...
- 43.1k
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Is there more information on the spell Galder's Tower available from previous editions?
I'm playing 5e, and planning my 3rd level spell acquisitions. I came across the spell Galder's Tower. The spell description says:
You conjure a two-story tower made of stone, wood, or similar ...
- 49.6k
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2
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What information is there on the latitude of different countries/cities in the Forgotten Realms setting?
My party has relocated our 'base' to the island of Lantan, and I'm wondering what latitude it's at in the Forgotten Realms setting.
According to the Forgotten Realms Wiki, in 3e Waterdeep was at about ...
2
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0
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What reason could a Mind Flayer colony get involved with lycanthropy? [closed]
Recently I ended a campaign centered around lycanthropy where a few lycantropes were acidentally let loose and wild, in the same world with other players I hinted towards mindfalyers starting to make ...
- 21
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4
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Are there limitations/cautions to "Vorpal"?
I want to give one of my good characters a vorpal Dwarven Ax. My first thought is about alignment issues. I realize that it's how it's actually wielded that would cause alignment conflicts, but is it ...
- 96.3k
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Would The Map Of The Sword Coast In The Front Of Tyranny Of Dragons Be Considered A Province, Kingdom, Or Continent Scale?
I need an answer to this because I'm trying to figure out the distance between some of the towns for chapter 4. Now, I'm not running this chapter as it is because...well...if it's boring to read it's ...
- 206k
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1
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What is the origin of the Vorpal Sword?
This question reminded me of the peculiar "vorpal" swords. Vorpal blades are great flavor, but in many editions of the game, they also have been quite overpowered -- in 1e, it really was not ...
- 96.3k
2
votes
2
answers
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Is speed or momentum preserved if a moving object is shrunken or if the shrinking is dispelled? [closed]
Shrinking a projectile and then removing the effect after launching it (for example, shooting it across an anti-magic field) raises the question whether the now restored (and larger) projectile ...
- 407
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1
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Can a Bard restart a Glamour Bard's Enthralling Performance after being interrupted or is the ability used for that day?
I have a friend playing with a Bard and wants to use the class ability, but he is asking me if the person he wants to enchant leaves the place for a moment during the use of the ability he can ...
- 43.1k