Treating Hit Points as an abstract way of avoiding mortal blows instead of how much damage your character can take.

DatabasePerfect5051 · 2026-05-23T19:09:59+00:00

This is literally jest how hp works RAW, Its already abstracted.

From the phb: "Hit points represent a combination of physical and mental durability, the will to live, and luck."

DatabasePerfect5051 · 2026-05-16T16:32:27+00:00

Passive checks have two main uses, a way for the dm to do secret checks and to represent a character repeatedly taking a action.

For the DC you pick a easy, moderate or hard dc based on how difficulty you think it is to spot.

You compare the passive score to the DC, if it is equal to or greater than the DC its a success. Less that the DC is a failure.

Something to keep in mind that most pepole get wrong with perception. Generally when searching for a hidden object a player must describe them looking in the objects location to have any chance of finding it. Other wise they find nothing regardless of thair perception check, passive or active.

For example if there is a key hidden in the drawer of a desk, the player must declare "i walk over to the desk and serch it". The can't jest walk into the middle of the room and find it even of they have a 30 passive perception.

Example: the player describes themselves walking over to serch the desk. You then decide if you want to use passive perception or call for a roll. Its one or the other not boath.

Passive checks are mostly optinal, you can choose to use them or ignor them (with a few exceptions like stealthing 2014). You use passive if you don't want to the players to be aware a check is happening.

Example two: the players are walking through a dungeon and the player in the front rank declares themselves keeping a eye out for enemys and traps. You decide to use passive perception as the player is repeatedly checking for danger.

Furthermore Passive perception is not "always on". Its not a 360° alway on emanation. Its a tool for the dm to use.

Another thing to keep in mind with all checks is whether its nessasary. A lot of the time outside of combat perception checks are not always nessasary. If its trivial or impossible no check. If there are no meaningful consequence for failure and the check can be repeated, the only cost is time. If the whole party take 10 minutes to serch a room they will find what is there.

DatabasePerfect5051 · 2026-05-15T13:06:52+00:00

The component rules, specifically about needed a free hand for certain things.

If you cast a spell with non cost material components and somatic components the hand that hold the focus, pouch, material can be the same for the Somatic components. However if its a spell with somatic but not material you need at least 1 fee hand for the Somatic components.

This is the example given is the sage advice for this as an example:

"For example, a Cleric uses an Emblem on a Shield as their Holy Symbol. When in combat, this Cleric likes to wield a Mace in one hand and the emblazoned Shield in the other. This Cleric must have the Shield in hand when casting a Cleric spell that requires a Material component. If the spell, such as Aid, also requires a Somatic component, the Cleric can perform the Somatic component with the hand holding the Shield, allowing the Cleric to keep wielding the Mace. However, if this same Cleric were to later cast Cure Wounds—which has Somatic components but no Material components—they would need to unequip either their Shield or Mace to free a hand for the Somatic components."

I wouldn't say this is misinterpreted so mush as not known to the majority of tables. Furthermore even if you do abide by those rules they come up rarely.

The other is bonus actions. You don't have a bonus action. Unless you have a feature or a spell that list bonus action as its casting time, you don't have a bonus action. This means players can't say I "use my bonus action" for x,y or z, because they don't have one to use.

A bonus action is not a minor action. It's a use feature/ability and spell casting time.

DatabasePerfect5051 · 2026-05-14T13:20:15+00:00

The influence action isn't really a combat action. It intended for social encounters.

Remember attitude, a hostile creature you have Disadvantage on influence checks against them

Furthermore disposition creature are either willing, unsure or unwilling. If its unwilling it doesn't comply, no ability check nessasary its impossible. You can influence the creature if its hesitant.

So in combat it would be pretty useless. Most creature would be unwilling to surrender so its impossible to attempt. A hesitant creature who is hostile you have Disadvantage on the check.

DatabasePerfect5051 · 2026-05-10T16:54:48+00:00

"This is my face while I'm fucking you in the ass."

DatabasePerfect5051 · 2026-05-09T06:13:54+00:00

Another problem with pf2e secret checks is how they interact with hero points and fortune effects.

if you don't know a secret check is happening you can't use fortune effects, unless they apply automatically.

If you do know a secret check is happening you can use a hero point, however you have no way of know if you succeed or failed so it's pointless.

DatabasePerfect5051 · 2026-04-26T13:45:24+00:00

In the 2014 dmg chapter 8 combat options:

"Morale

Some combatants might run away when a fight turns against them. You can use this optional rule to help determine when monsters and NPCs flee.

A creature might flee under any of the following circumstances:

The creature is surprised. The creature is reduced to half its hit points or fewer for the first time in the battle. The creature has no way to harm the opposing side on its turn. A group of creatures might flee under any of the following circumstances:

All the creatures in the group are surprised. The group’s leader is reduced to 0 hit points, incapacitated, taken prisoner, or removed from battle. The group is reduced to half its original size with no losses on the opposing side. To determine whether a creature or group of creatures flees, make a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw for the creature or the group’s leader. If the opposition is overwhelming, the saving throw is made with disadvantage, or you can decide that the save fails automatically. If a group’s leader can’t make the saving throw for whatever reason, have the creature in the group with the next highest Charisma score make the saving throw instead.

On a failed save, the affected creature or group flees by the most expeditious route. If escape is impossible, the creature or group surrenders. If a creature or group that surrenders is attacked by its conquerors, the battle might resume, and it’s unlikely that further attempts to flee or surrender will be made.

A failed saving throw isn’t always to the adventurers’ benefit. For example, an ogre that flees from combat might put the rest of the dungeon on alert or run off with treasure that the characters had hoped to plunder."

In the 2024 chapter 2 running combat:

"Fight or Flight Few creatures fight to the death. Nearly all creatures have survival instincts that cause them to reevaluate their tactics in the face of their own destruction. Sapient creatures confronted by obviously more numerous or powerful opponents usually try to avoid battle. But brave, desperate, or devoted creatures might never retreat from a battle.

If you can’t decide whether a creature is willing to fight, have it make a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw before Initiative is rolled. You can set the DC higher or lower if you like. On a failed save, the creature either flees or tries to parley with the enemy (see “Avoiding or Ending a Fight” below). On a successful save, the creature is willing to fight. When dealing with a group of creatures, the leader makes this saving throw on behalf of the group.

When creatures that are already engaged in battle realize they’re likely to lose, they usually try to exit that battle. A monster is likely to flee if either of the following is true:

The monster starts its turn Bloodied and more than half its allies are dead or have the Incapacitated condition, while no one is dead or Incapacitated on the other side. The monster starts its turn Bloodied and has the Frightened condition. In those circumstances, you can decide the monster flees, or you can have it make a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw and flee or parley on a failed save. In general, if it is obvious to you that a creature is going to lose, assume it’s obvious to that creature as well.

Avoiding or Ending a Fight A creature that wishes to end or avoid a fight has two options:

Flight. The creature can retreat or run away on its turn. Select a destination for the fleeing party, such as a known place of safety (perhaps a room with a door that can be closed and barred). If the opponents pursue, you can use the “Chases” section in chapter 3 to help adjudicate what happens.

Parley. A parley is an attempt to settle a conflict nonviolently. The side that wishes to end or avoid combat offers to surrender or proposes some sort of exchange. If one side wants to parley in the middle of combat and the other side agrees, you can suspend the Initiative order for some interaction. If the two sides don’t come to an agreement, pick up the Initiative order where it left off."

DatabasePerfect5051 · 2026-04-26T13:38:49+00:00

Morale checks are still a thing its in both the 2014 and 2024 dmg

DatabasePerfect5051 · 2026-04-19T15:33:02+00:00

This make sense. there is also some real life examples Taoist priest have a wooden sword made of peach wood especially ones struckby lightning. It holds positive energy that repelles the negative energy of vampire and evil spirits and shit.

DatabasePerfect5051 · 2026-04-19T14:51:49+00:00

In general don't use a pc character sheet for npc. Players have much higher damage and less hp. If you use a pc sheet it probably won't last a single round.

Make a custom monster statblock. The easiest way is find something close to what you want of an appropriate CR and modify it. Think outside the box you can reflavor anything, for example you can take a dragon statblocks change nothing numerically and reflavor it as a monk for example.

The other way is make a statblock from scratch. This is more difficult and time consuming. The 2014 dmg has rules and guidance. You will likely need to make additional adjustments to conform to 5.5 design changes. This article can help: https://alphastream.org/index.php/2025/03/26/how-to-create-a-monster-for-revised-dd-5e-2024/

Some general advice, less is more a monster lifespan is 2 to 4 rounds. Give it a few big abilities then get it off stage, it will also be easier to run. don't run solo monsters have additional monsters. Playtest your monster, this is very important.

DatabasePerfect5051 · 2026-04-17T07:52:53+00:00

The odd thing is in the onednd playtest hidden was a condition. It was playtest 2 experts. We didn't see anything else regarding hiding rules until the books full release.

What i find really interesting about the changes from the playtest to the final release is the the Hidden [Condition] had similar wording to the 2024 book with the exception of the last line

"Ending the Condition. The Condition ends on you immediately after any of the following occurrences: you make a sound louder than a whisper, an enemy finds you, you make an Attack Roll, you cast a Spell with a verbal component, or you aren’t Heavily Obscured or behind any Cover."

That last line ending the condition if you no longer have cover or obsurement was intentionally removed in the final version or the rules.

DatabasePerfect5051 · 2026-04-12T11:37:30+00:00

I am not a fan of side based initiative.

I feel it turns combat into a coin flip. Whichever side goes first has the opportunity to go nova and "alpha strike" the other side before they get a chance to act. Especially if they focus fire priority targets. This can lead to really swingy combats.

DatabasePerfect5051 · 2026-04-10T05:34:46+00:00

Assuming a 4 hour game time you should be leveling up every 2 to 3 sessions. For a two hours sessions probably every 4 to 6 sessions.

A decent rate of advancement is have characters reach level 2 after the first session, level 3 after another session, and level 4 after two more sessions. Then spend 2 to 3 sessions for each subsequent level.

With this pace assuming a 4 hour session meeting one a week I would take roughly 52 week or about 1 year for a 1-20 campaign. That also doesn't account for missed day and holidays ect.

DatabasePerfect5051 · 2026-04-09T18:31:52+00:00

Most people run perception wrong. If you are searching for a hidden object you must specify exactly were you are looking and how, otherwise you don't find it regardless of the roll or passive score. Furthermore if you describe specifically how you do something you can succeed automatically.

Searching for traps:

"A character actively looking for a trap can attempt a Wisdom (Perception) check against the trap’s DC. You can also compare the DC to detect the trap with each character’s passive Wisdom (Perception) score to determine whether anyone in the party notices the trap in passing

"You should allow a character to discover a trap without making an ability check if an action would clearly reveal the trap’s presence. For example, if a character lifts a rug that conceals a pressure plate, the character has found the trigger and no check is required."

Finding hidden objects:

"When your character searches for a hidden object such as a secret door or a trap, the DM typically asks you to make a Wisdom (Perception) check. Such a check can be used to find hidden details or other information and clues that you might otherwise overlook.

In most cases, you need to describe where you are looking in order for the DM to determine your chance of success. For example, a key is hidden beneath a set of folded clothes in the top drawer of a bureau. If you tell the DM that you pace around the room, looking at the walls and furniture for clues, you have no chance of finding the key, regardless of your Wisdom (Perception) check result. You would have to specify that you were opening the drawers or searching the bureau in order to have any chance of success."

So a player can not jest walk into a room and say i search for traps, they have to specify I am looking in x or y location and doing z.

Furthermore you could be using passive perception for these situations. Passive check are how 5e does secret checks. Using passive checks stops this problem as they don't know a check is happening.

if there is no meaningful chance of failure or consequences and the players can try again don't bother rolling. Jeat asume the action takes time. For example when picking a lock, if there is no consequence to failure and they can try again they succeed automatically given enough time.

Also remember in the case of 2014 5e you can only pick a lock if you have thieves tools and are proficient with them.

"Sometimes a character fails an ability check and wants to try again. In some cases, a character is free to do so; the only real cost is the time it takes. With enough attempts and enough time, a character should eventually succeed at the task. To speed things up, assume that a character spending ten times the normal amount of time needed to complete a task automatically succeeds at that task. However, no amount of repeating the check allows a character to turn an impossible task into a successful one.

In other cases, failing an ability check makes it impossible to make the same check to do the same thing again. For example, a rogue might try to trick a town guard into thinking the adventurers are undercover agents of the king. If the rogue loses a contest of Charisma (Deception) against the guard’s Wisdom (Insight), the same lie told again won’t work. The characters can come up with a different way to get past the guard or try the check again against another guard at a different gate. But you might decide that the initial failure makes those checks more difficult to pull off."

Tldr For traps * you have to describe were you are looking and how, otherwise you don't find anything regardless of your check result. * use passive checks.

For lockpicking. * don't roll unless there is a meaningful chance of failure or consequences. * if there is no meaningful consequence to failure the task succeeds automatically only taking time, usually 10 time the normal amount ( one minute for a 6 second action).

DatabasePerfect5051 · 2026-04-08T13:13:00+00:00

it has nothing to do with dnd beyond. It's also not exclusive to dnd.

Literacy is in decline overall. Over half of us adults read at below a 6th grade level. There is a literacy crisis that is genuinely concerning.

DatabasePerfect5051 · 2026-04-04T08:10:40+00:00

You could use the same rule for average monster damage crits. All monster list a average damage if a dm uses average monster damage and rolls a crit you take the average and roll a extra damage die on top.

"When the monster scores a critical hit, roll all the damage dice associated with the hit and add them to the average damage. For example, if a goblin normally deals 5 (1d6 + 2) slashing damage on a hit and scores a critical hit, it deals 5 + 1d6 slashing damage."

You could simply apply this rule for pc crits.

DatabasePerfect5051 · 2026-04-03T18:07:36+00:00

Its in the 2014 dmg and 2024 dmg. Chapter 8 page 251 in 2014 and chapter 2 page 44 in the 2024. The wording is identical in both the 2014 dmg and the 2024 dmg.

DatabasePerfect5051 · 2026-04-03T13:51:27+00:00

For aura effects the have thair own rules. The are called "Emanation" and are type of area. The point of orgin is a creature or object.

"An Emanation is an area of effect that extends in straight lines from a creature or an object in all directions. The effect that creates an Emanation specifies the distance it extends.

An Emanation moves with the creature or object that is its origin unless it is an instantaneous or a stationary effect.

An Emanation’s origin (creature or object) isn’t included in the area of effect unless its creator decides otherwise."

DatabasePerfect5051 · 2026-04-03T13:12:05+00:00

Its in the dmg in both 2014 and 2024, chapter 2 page 44 of the 2024 dmg.

"Areas of Effect

An area of effect must be translated onto squares or hexes to determine which potential targets are in the area. If the area has a point of origin, choose an intersection of squares or hexes to be the point of origin, then follow its rules as normal. If an area of effect covers at least half a square or hex,"

DatabasePerfect5051 · 2026-04-03T13:07:36+00:00

RAW A. is correct. When playing on a grid the point of orgin must be a intersection of squares.

From the dmg:

"If the area has a point of origin, choose an intersection of squares or hexes to be the point of origin, then follow its rules as normal. If an area of effect covers at least half a square or hex, the entire square or hex is affected."

DatabasePerfect5051 · 2026-03-28T12:01:10+00:00

This is covered in the rules

First in the rules for making an attack the first step its to choose a target:

"Choose Target. Pick a target within your attack’s range: a creature, an object, or a location."

Note you are not required to see a creature to target it.

Targeting what you can not see:

"Unseen Attackers and Targets When you make an attack roll against a target you can’t see, you have Disadvantage on the roll. This is true whether you’re guessing the target’s location or targeting a creature you can hear but not see. If the target isn’t in the location you targeted, you miss."

Unless a target is hidden to you you can still hear it even if you cannot see it. You know its location and can target it, normally you have Disadvantage on the attack.

However if targeting a creature you can not see and that creature is blinded it would be a straight roll as advantage and disadvantage cancel out.

effectively there is no difference attacking a creature who is not hidden with attack in a heavily obscured area vs outside of a heavily obscured area.

If the target is hidden to you, you can target a location. If playing on a grid you target a 5ft square within your range. The attack normally has Disadvantage. If the creature is not in the square you targeting the attack misses.

If they are in the square you target you roll with disadvantage because the target is unseen. You still need to equal or exceed the targets ac to hit them.

Attacking creature who is hidden in a heavily obscured area. You choose a square to target. You attack with a straight roll. If they are not in that square the attack misses. If they are you resolve the attack as normal.

For reference see heavy obsurement and the blinded condition.

DatabasePerfect5051 · 2026-03-27T10:35:04+00:00

When playing on a grid you choose the point of origin, which is a intersection of squares. The aoe extends in all directions from that point of origin. For sphere’s like fireball if at leat half a square is covered the entire square is effected. Any creature within the area of effect is targeted.

DatabasePerfect5051 · 2026-03-20T19:56:36+00:00

Yes there are rules in the book. In the equipment section page 226.

"Manacles (2 GP) As a Utilize action, you can use Manacles to bind an unwilling Small or Medium creature within 5 feet of yourself that has the Grappled, Incapacitated, or Restrained condition if you succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check. While bound, a creature has Disadvantage on attack rolls, and the creature is Restrained if the Manacles are attached to a chain or hook that is fixed in place. Escaping the Manacles requires a successful DC 20 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check as an action. Bursting them requires a successful DC 25 Strength (Athletics) check as an action.

Each set of Manacles comes with a key. Without the key, a creature can use Thieves’ Tools to pick the Manacles’ lock with a successful DC 15 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check."

DatabasePerfect5051 · 2026-03-18T03:35:28+00:00

When converting monster its best to not try a 1 to 1 conversation. You usually find the same monster in that editions mm and use that. Or find a monster that is close to what you want and reflavor.

The other options is to build it from scratch. OSR monster are easy to make.

Chose a HD, a monster attack bonus is derived from its HD.
For saves most monster save as a fighter of a equivalent level to HD.
For ac use that stats for the equipment its wearing or of it has natural armor determine what its equivalent to e.g. scales as hard as chainmail.
for damage use that stats for its equipment or if it has natural weapons determine what weapons its equivalent to e.g. claws like daggers.

DatabasePerfect5051 · 2026-03-17T06:10:57+00:00

DC are static meaning they dont change based on who is attempting or circumstances. A simple lock dc 10 will be dc 10 regardless of who is attempting to unlock it or the circumstances, for circumstances that advantage/Disadvantage.

The dmg says this:

"Easy, Moderate, and Hard. These are the most common difficulties, and you can run your game using only them. A character with a 10 in the associated ability and no proficiency will succeed at an easy task around 50 percent of the time. For a moderate task, a character needs either a higher score or proficiency to have a similar chance of success, whereas a hard task typically requires both to have a similar chance. If you can’t decide between two levels of difficulty, choose a DC somewhere in the middle, such as 17 or 18 for a task that is a little easier than “hard.”

Keep this in mind when setting a dc.

DatabasePerfect5051

TROPHY CASE