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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Should Tiamat's cold breath target the ability score indicated in its save?
The party is looking at facing Tiamat as the 20th-level epic boss fight that will end the campaign. The evoker has only four spell slots that can directly affect her, due to her limited magic ...
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Can a human who has had their body stolen by an intellect devourer undergo Ceremorphosis?
As the question asks: Can a human who has had their body stolen by an intellect devourer undergo Ceremorphosis?
More importantly - would they allow such a transformation? I have taken a read through ...
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When was the Hither-Thither Staff introduced in D&D?
In the movie Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, one of the magic items the characters come across over the course of the film is a Hither-Thither Staff. This wasn't invented for the film; ...
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How should I handle an unidentified deck of many things?
I know some people hate and fear the deck of many things, but as a GM running a high-lethality sandbox campaign, there's many things I like about it - and I'd like to deploy one for my players to find....
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Which source gave the option for a spellcaster to use wishes as verbal component?
I vaguely remember that I have seen a Dungeons and Dragons subclass, variant or feat that allowed a spellcaster who studied Genies or was related to them to cast spells by using spoken wishes as ...
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Which editions of D&D had Initiative rules like 5E's Speed Factor Initiative?
D&D 5E has a variant Initiative rule called Speed Factor Initiative which has two differences compared to the standard Initiative rule:
Initiative is rolled every combat round
In addition to ...
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Can I use the name Vecna for a different character in my own work?
I am creating my own ttrpg and have reached the pantheon section. I was wondering whether or not I could use the name Vecna (not necessarily the same character) without receiving a lawsuit. Is it ...
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Why would Ahmaergo have a giant stone slab with a Maze trap in his room?
In the adventure "Waterdeep: Dragon Heist", part of the adventure takes place in
One of the two things the location contains is a:
But why? Why the hell does the owner have such a random ...
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Why are all monasteries human?
In "Hero builders guidebook" a recurring theme is that all monasteries are in human lands only, with the book not even mentioning the idea of other races founding them. This makes it ...
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What is the origin of the name Yan-C-Bin?
I'm planning a story arc for my D&D campaign that will heavily involve the elemental plane of air, with Yan-C-Bin being the BBEG at the end.
The name Yan-C-Bin is very strange, and I'm wondering ...
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Is there any canon support for Sympathy and Contagion in Greyhawk?
I am going to be playing a GURPS Fantasy game set in Greyhawk using some of the rules from the Thaumotology book, which include Contagion:
two things that have been in close contact are magically ...
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I'm new to D&D: where to begin?
I'm extremely new to Dungeons and Dragons and I have no idea where to start. I currently do not own any of the books or materials but really would like to get into the game.
How does one start ...
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What is Dungeons & Dragons' unique intellectual property?
With the recent OGL discussions and the probability of people moving out of D&D and making their own games and systems, it got me thinking...
What does Dungeons & Dragons own in terms of races,...
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I need a 'standard array' for a D&D-like homebrew game, but anydice chokes - how to proceed?
So, I'm working on a homebrew RPG that is similar to several FRPs that use 3d6 sorts of starting values for attributes/characteristics.
I know how to calculate the standard D&D (5E or other) '...
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What was going on with D&D's leaked OGL 1.1 in January 2023? How does it affect me?
Most of the communities I participate in are currently ablaze with rumours and speculations about Wizards of the Coast's OGL 1.1 stemming from a leaked document.
As someone that is on the brink of ...
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Are there any published maps of Rhymanthiin and also 'The Path of Light' linking it to the Misty Forest?
I have found a fair amount of info and lore about Rhymanthiin, particularly its creation and even some descriptions of parts of it, including information about The Path of Light, but no maps or even ...
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Is there any in game explanation from any edition of D&D for why Greyhawk 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; I'm aware that this is terminology is not used within said ...
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DM is taking too much time in my opinion on side missions - should I leave?
I'm a first time player so maybe I'm not getting it but I originally had fun with D&D. However, the DM began having a habit of making side quests go off the rails and then us not being able to ...
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Where does the idea of selling dragon parts come from?
I recently played in an adventure with a new group, and after killing a dragon, the rest of the group started talking about butchering the dragon, harvesting its scales, blood, eyes, fangs, etc., ...
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Where do I publish an article about DnD? [closed]
I am currently writing an essay/article about TTRPGs (primarily Dungeons and Dragons) and theatre for my university, but I'm thinking about publishing it for others to see if they're interested and to ...
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Does Weapon Focus feat chain really suck?
I see people are continuing to complain about the strength of this feat chain: Weapon Focus => Weapon Specialization => Greater Weapon Focus => Greater Weapon Specialization, and most builds ...
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What do mailed letters look like in the Forgotten Realms?
I've got a noble NPC that will be sending an important letter to the PCs, but I can't decide how that should work. I imagine he'd be paying a courier to bring it straight to them, so size and shape ...
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When did Wizards of the Coast purge the 4th Edition content from its website?
It is a fact that Wizards of the Coast did at some point remove all content for 4th edition D&D from its site when 5th Edition had come around. Since then, there is no mention of 4th edition on ...
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Is there a layer of hell associated with forging or constructs?
I have an idea for a campaign where a particular villain makes a deal with a an archduke of one of hell's layer and that archduke supplies/assists them with evil constructs or helps them build them/...
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How old is Lathander?
I know some gods are rather young, mortals from hundreds of years ago that ascended, but I assume Lathander is much older, does it ever state his origins?
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When did the Barbarian class get introduced to D&D?
In D&D 5e, Barbarians are a core class for the game, and Conan the Barbarian has been cited by E. Gary Gygax as one of the major literary influcences on the game, and is also listed in Appendix N, ...
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Do true dragons use echolocation?
I know true dragons have Blindsight, but in terms of lore, how does it work? Do they use echolocation? Something else? Or has it not been specified?
I am most interested in 5e lore, but I'm definitely ...
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Why do characters level up? [closed]
Is there any reason given to why characters in D&D get experience points and level up? Is there a background reason given in any of the campaign worlds or rules anywhere?
Is there any description ...
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What is the Legend Lore spell actually doing "under the hood"?
I've been wondering how the spell legend lore actually works, and the best way I can come up with to phrase the question is to use the phrase "under the hood". I know how the spell works in ...
- 140k
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Which are Illithid Adventures?
Does anyone know which adventures have Illithids? I am looking for a tier two adventure or one for levels 7-9 in other editions.
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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.
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Is using an elemental for power for a ship ethical, or can it be?
In Eberron, airships can be powered by bound elementals. This seems like a form of slavery or torture for a potentially sentient creature. A creature that is intelligent enough to have a language ...
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Are ordinary members of dragonmark houses citizens?
Not technically citizens of any nation, the matriarchs and patriarchs of each house live in splendor within their enclaves and emporiums located throughout Khorvaire.
Is this true for ordinary ...
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What are the creative origins of the Storm Giant?
Giants have been part of D&D since the very beginning, with the hill giant, stone giant, frost giant, fire giant, and cloud giant featuring in the original version of the game, and the storm giant ...
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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 ...
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What playable races are there with insect-like features besides Thri-Kreen?
In the recent Spelljammer book releases for D&D 5e, there is the option of playing a race with "insectile features", i.e. Thri-Kreen. (AAG, p.15)
I want to know what - if any - other ...
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Open/Masked Lords of Waterdeep: council voting, term limits, impeachment, election
I've been trying to get to the bottom of how the system of government in Waterdeep works and while there are many resources available I've struggled to find specific answers to these questions:
Are ...
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How far is it from Undermountain to Skullport?
In the Adventure "Dungeon of the Mad Mage", Skullport is connected to the dungeon of Undermountain via various tunnels and the river Sargauth. However, the adventure does not seem to ...
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Is there a canonical corrupted, opposite, or otherwise chaotic Modron?
In any published edition of D&D or D&D fiction, is there lore for a modron that has somehow been corrupted by chaos? A "fallen" modron, akin to fallen angels? Or a creature similar ...
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What's the story behind kobolds being little lizards?
In tradition, kobolds were fey creatures associated with mischief, similar in appearance to gnomes or gremlins, often with the ability to become invisible (like the kobold Pumuckl popularized in a ...
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Is any reason given for the Blackstaff magic item trapping the souls of its owners on death?
I have the Blackstaff. How can I be resurrected? asks how you might go about being resurrected if you're the Blackstaff (the title of the wielder of the Blackstaff magic item; yes it's confusing, I'll ...
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Is there any lore explanation in Forgotten Realms for the change from Infravision to Darkvision?
A long time ago, some races and monsters had the Infravision trait, which allowed them to see in the dark the heat traces of living creatures.
This had very interesting aspects. The drow's sign ...
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Has there ever been any class with the ability to smite neutral?
In the history of D&D and Pathfinder, has there ever been any class with the ability to smite neutral?
We know about the smite evil of the paladin, the smite good of the blackguard, and I can ...
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Have spaceships always cost about the same as putting armor on your horse?
With the release of Spelljammer: Adventures in Space, the Spelljammer setting has come to 5th edition. Much to my surprise, I discovered that I can turn a regular boat into a spaceship for as little ...
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What is the highest level spell ever published by TSR or WotC for any edition of D&D?
What is the highest level spell ever published by TSR or WotC for any edition of D&D, and what source might it be found in?
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When did subscribers actually receive their Dragon Magazine issues? [closed]
Would a subscriber receive issues the month before the posted month on the cover of each issue? None of the publishing info on the old Dragon magazine uploads/scans have anything about expected ...
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What is the origin of the Contact Other Plane spell?
Contact Other Plane is an unusual spell in that it carries the risk for the caster to go temporarily insane, a rider retained through all editions of the game. Similar spells, such as Divination do ...
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In which editions of D&D have druids been able to Wild Shape into owlbears?
In the trailer for the movie Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, we see a druid character use the Wild Shape ability to turn into an owlbear (timestamped link to trailer). Notably, this ...
- 140k
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Does any source published prior to 5th Edition attest that Strahd von Zarovich is the first vampire ever?
Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft calls Barovia the "Domain of the First Vampire", and later says this about Strahd in the chapter 3 section on Barovia (emphasis mine throughout):
The nature ...
- 140k
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Where do the souls that worshiped Kelemvor go?
If the souls of the faithless go to the Wall, the souls of the false get punished or put to work, and the souls of the faithful go to their god's realm (and true atheists go to Nessus for Asmodeus to ...
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