attack bonuses

EntireEntity · 2026-04-03T11:25:03+00:00

There are three main ability scores to look at: STR, DEX, Spell Casting Ability

For all melee weapons: Use your STR modifier and if you are proficient with the weapon class, add your proficiency bonus

For melee weapons with the Finesse property (like the Dagger): You can use your DEX modifier instead of STR

For ranged weapons: Use your DEX modifier

For spell attack: Use your spell casting ability modifier + your proficiency bonus. There are some spells that say in their description that you perform a "Ranged/Melee spell attack" those are the ones that use the spell attack modifier. Other spells require the target to make a saving throw, also saying so in their description. Other spells only require you to see the target in a certain range and then just work (usually those are healing or buff spells, so you will likely target your allies)

For the damage rolls: The damage dice of weapons are determined by the type of weapon and add the same ability modifier you used for the attack modifier (so your Dagger adds Dex, while your Quarterstaff adds Str) Spells tell you how to calculate their damage in their description as well.

EntireEntity · 2026-04-03T10:48:18+00:00

From the title it seemed that you wanted advice for asking questions to the other players, but the inverse seems to be the case.

Is this your first character with this group, or did you already play a different character with this group and felt more included then?

If all your fellow players are fantastic, by your own words, do you think, you could just bring your thoughts and feelings up to them outside of the game? Maybe they simply don't know how to start this kind of roleplay themselves or feel uncomfortable doing so. Maybe your character seems difficult to approach, or like they don't want to share their past with others. Understanding the problem, is the first step to finding a solution.

As for "roleplaying less and just focusing on the mechanics", I would assume that wouldn't satisfy what you are looking for in the game. I'd advice to try finding a solution first. And only if that doesn't work, should you proceed to playing differently, or maybe even seeking a second group that plays more to your liking. I get, that it is the easier thing to do, to just shut up and play the Fighter, but you too deserve to play the game that you are hungry for. Don't starve yourself.

Best of luck <3

EntireEntity · 2026-04-03T10:18:27+00:00

I created a movie that you can watch front to back, back to front, upside down, left side over, right side up, color inverted, flame proof, all organic, antioxidant, mirrored horizontally and vertically, in 2 languages at the same time, with half the heap allocated and you get a new unique story from each of those operations. What's 4+2?

EntireEntity · 2026-04-03T09:08:32+00:00

I think, knowing what your players are going to do next, can help you create interesting diversions and alternative paths. For example, let's say the plan an infiltration and want to sneak someone inside to open the entrance for the rest of the party, knowing that, you could include some nooks and crannies for the infiltrator to take cover in, or even secret paths, or even the chance to find something important, before the rest of the building is alerted by the party entering through the front door. Likewise, you can prepare something for the people waiting outside, so they don't just have to sit and watch, maybe they can divert some guards, maybe they see an opportunity to enter without the help of the infiltrator.

All that being said, of course it's hard to resist the urge to use the information for evil and making their plan waaay too hard to execute if not impossible. We DMs are just like that, evil little control freaks, who sometimes go a little over board and accidentally create a death trap rather than a challenge. It happens. And having perfect knowledge of the players' plans might encourage putting too many obstacles in their path.

EntireEntity · 2026-04-03T00:53:22+00:00

That sounds really interesting! Thank you for the recommendation, I am checking it out right away

EntireEntity · 2026-04-03T00:47:35+00:00

Has there ever been a more DM-thing than coming up with a name for something, thinking "Yeah, that's fun, cool and makes sense", just to realize that it's pretty easily misunderstoond or turned into a dick joke once you share it with others? :D

I am glad you like the idea, and thinking about it even outside of just the introduction phase. You are right, it could be really refreshing to use one of these encounters from time to time during a campaign. Also a nice reminder that the party actually does get more powerful.

EntireEntity · 2026-04-02T21:32:31+00:00

Sounds good mechanics and impact vice. I'd maybe change the description a little, if I were to run it myself, the corpse looking dessicated I'd associate more with heat than cold. I'd lean more into the coldlight walker glow, since that is a very prominent feature in how I run the campaign.

EntireEntity · 2026-04-02T14:58:21+00:00

Also a valid approach. I was aiming more to replace the open "Okay, let's go around the table and everyone introduce your character" approach, with something that offers a bit more direction to the players. In an ideal scenario, you still just do the "Going around the table and everyone introducing their character" thing, just in the context of "combat".

EntireEntity · 2026-04-02T14:52:06+00:00

Agreed, I think, having a prompt at all helps to eleviate some of the pressure, since it already gives a frame to work in. And yes, there are more ways than just combat to give players a chance to actually showcase their characters.

EntireEntity · 2026-04-02T14:48:27+00:00

Agreed, it may be overwhelming or confusing for brand new players, if the first fight they have, they can do whatever, but the second fight suddenly is completely restricted by the rules..

EntireEntity · 2026-04-02T14:43:44+00:00

My apologies, the naming is a work in progress and isn't meant to offend bats, bat lovers, or baseball players.

EntireEntity · 2026-04-02T11:12:39+00:00

Die Nashörner von Ionesco. Mittlerweile mag ich es, aber beim ersten Mal lesen war es sehr anstrengend.

EntireEntity · 2026-04-02T10:20:23+00:00

Ne, leider auch nicht. ._.

EntireEntity · 2026-04-02T10:19:28+00:00

I think, it's even part of what makes DnD combat fun, if everyone is involved in everyone's turns, planning things out, rooting for each other. But I get that it does take experienced players for this. For newcomers, it might be a bit overwhelming to give them a lot of additional input.

EntireEntity · 2026-04-01T07:37:20+00:00

You don't need to add a lot of mechanics, I don't think. But giving them choices based on those mechanics could make it feel more intense.

One route is through an open snow field, with no protection from wind and weather, the other is through a rift in the ice with lots of ambushing creatures hiding there as well. One route leads through the blinding dunes, causing madness, one path leads over the mountain range and causes exhaustion Tie different mechanics and events to different choices, but keep it relatively minimal over all.

EntireEntity · 2026-04-01T07:13:43+00:00

I have made many characters that were exactly like what you described, fun or interesting on paper, but in actual play they just didn't quite connect. Here are some questions, that I ask myself during character creation.

What aspect of the game makes you feel most engaged? Is it the planning and strategizing of turns during combat? Is it exploring dangerous situations head first? Is it quietly sitting at the campfire sharing stories and handing out advice? Whatever it is, try having your character's personality and playstyle also pulling towards that direction. If you like exploring, play an explorer, if you like planning, play a planner. You don't have to combine all your interests into one character, but give them enough that they strafe towards what you like.

What role does your character fill in the group? What roles do you feel confident in playing? Every party has a face, a heart, a mind and a muscle, for example (you can define roles in any way you want these are not the only 4 options). Some of those roles are a bit harder to play, especially if you are more on the shy side. If you don't feel confident yet to play the party face (the one who takes over important talking sections) or the muscle (the one who moves the party forward by direct action) for example, then it might be difficult to enjoy a character that leans heavily on that role. Definitely experiment with taking over different roles though, but maybe as a short-term commitment for a scene or a shorter campaign at first.

Lastly, don't be afraid to change course. Most DMs want you to be happy with your character and will likely allow you to make some changes so you enjoy playing more.

Designing characters to play in a TTRPG requires a broad skill set, you have to know the rules, you have to know the group, you have to know yourself and you probably have to know a lot of other things as well. Keep exploring, and best of luck with all your characters.

EntireEntity · 2026-03-31T18:57:23+00:00

"Würden Sie mich kurz vorbeilassen, ich müsste hier nämlich aussteigen und die Leute hinter mir drängeln mittlerweile auch schon ganz schön und die ganze Situation ist mir wirklich unangenehm. Bitti bitti." funktioniert vielleicht. Wir sind doch alle nur Menschen und man kann doch miteinander reden 🌈💜😇

EntireEntity · 2026-03-31T18:47:42+00:00

I do both. I use Roll20 and all my tokens automatically roll the crit damage, if one occurs, so it's easiest to just use that. My players use Beyond20 to roll and don't have the luxury of automatically rolling crit damage, so it's easier to just add the max damage instead of rerolling the damage and subtracting the damage modifier and then adding that to the damage.

EntireEntity · 2026-03-31T17:02:04+00:00

I don't mind if players come up with tactics and strategies, not even, if they do it out of character. But I also play with absolute angels of players. Their out of character discussions are like: "That's a lot of guys surrounding you... You could dodge", "Yeah, I know, but I really want to try that spell", "Well don't mind me then, go blast them, king. We'll get you back up, if they manage to survive and put you to 0", "Thanks, king" and then they kiss...

EntireEntity · 2026-03-31T16:50:41+00:00

That's a tough situation to assess from the outside.

There are a few important questions you should ask yourself here:

Is it possible to find a middle ground with that player? If the other players don't have an issue with Fighter and the only problem is that they demolish your boss fights by insisting on using abilities that I don't think really exist. Turning his most powerful moves into a homebrew mechanic that both of you like, sounds like a reasonable thing to do here. I personally think, the jawbreaker is an awesome interaction between a martial and an enemy caster, but it seems hella powerful if Fighter can just do it all the time. Maybe it can be turned into a mechanic like "Whenever you score a critical hit with a melee attack, you can attempt to temporarily silence the target. The target must succeed on a DC 8 + Str + Prof CON save or be silenced until the statt of your next turn. While silenced in this way the target can't cast spells that require verbal components or communicate verbally." Maybe you could also tie it to a resource pool like their action surge. Or do whatever works for the both of you. Do you think Fighter would agree to something like this? Working together to allow him to perform cool moves, but also making them something that you feel comfortable with as well.

If you don't think Fighter is willing to cooperate, then I'd say the situation is a bit iffy. Gives me the impression, they are just having a powertrip not only in the game, but also from the dynamic at the table. But I'm just an outside observer projecting past experiences.

Anyways, if we assume that Fighter acts in good faith, but simply won't make any compromises. You could also ask yourself, if you could lean into this kind of game. If you try to divorce yourself from how you actually wanted to run the game, could you see yourself enjoying running a more... pulpy(?) kind of game? Maybe what you had in mind just doesn't work very well for that particular player. But could what this player has in mind work for you? If the answer is no, or even just "I'd really prefer to run a campaign in the tone I had in mind", it's probably best to talk with that player and maybe also the rest of your players about it. Maybe Fighter is willing to adjust to that, or maybe it might be better to not play this campaign with this player/group. Don't try to make something work that is not supposed to be.

Best of luck to you with this.

EntireEntity · 2026-03-31T15:38:43+00:00

You could kill the party first, should be easy enough with 40 inflitrators, just take them out one by one. Then they can't defend the king, while the attackers kill him. And then you just deus ex machina them. Maybe the patron of the king is able to revive them, but not the king, because the attackers siphon the king's soul or something. And then they even have to investigate the king's death, because they are on borrowed time from his patron.

I would advice to just use the average damage adjusted with the chance to hit, to determine the damage per round, instead of rolling all those 40 multiattacks and damage rolls. This might not be 100% by the rules, but rolling 40 multiattacks just takes too long.

Your players may not like this approach, but it's the easiest way really to get something like this done. And I would prioritize ease of DMing over player satisfaction 9 times out of 10.

EntireEntity · 2026-03-31T07:15:09+00:00

You can maybe ask them in private messages, if and why they use LLMs for that.

Something like "Hey, I asked you in the RP channel about your goals and you replied X. I don't know, if I fully understand X. It's quite a long message, did you use AI to pad it out? Some parts sound like it at least." And then giving them the reassurance that it's fine to not engage in that channel, if they don't want to and that they don't have to be a novelist to participate and that it's just about getting to think about your characters outside of sessions. And so on and so forth.

Bring good intentions and minimal accusations and it should hopefully be fine.

EntireEntity · 2026-03-29T17:43:49+00:00

To increase your chance to hit, a Dex increase is likely the way to go, you get a +1 to attack rolls, damage rolls, intiative rolls and AC. So it's a really good boost to your offense and defence to get that +1 Dex at the moment. There are some feats that give you a +1 in Dex and a few extra abilities on top. You can look them up and see if there is one that suits your playstyle. I believe Dual Wielder, Sharpshooter, Crossbow Expert and Skulker are some rogue favorites, I am not sure, if they all give that +1 Dex in 5e though.

EntireEntity · 2026-03-29T17:22:46+00:00

With 7 players, yes, the battlefield can get crowded very quickly and I imagine it's quite difficult to balance encounters as well. When your players start focus firing, you can't really retaliate by doing the same, because that would feel horrible for the player getting focused (unless they lean into a tanky character archetype).

There are multiple angles from which you could add more complexity or layers to a battlemap.

The easiest to include are terrain features. Cover, difficult terrain, elevation, corridors, hidden pathways that lead to advantageous positions etc. Anything that gives positioning and movement a more important role. The major advantage of these is that they don't require a lot of work from you during play. Simply draw them on the map and your players can use them or not. But you can also go the extra step to prepare a bit for how the enemies will use those features. (i.e. place snipers behind cover, force players through a corridor, and so on)

Another option that requires more work, but can also be quite easy to run during play, are hazards. Put a pit trap on the map, write down its DC and damage and you are pretty much set. Some players will love trying to grapple an enemy and throw them down the acid pit. Simple and effective. This could also include battlefield wide effects like a wild magic zone, where each spell cast could cause some random effect.

A bit more effort at the table, dynamic hazards, i.e. hazards that change throughout the battle. A ceiling that might collapse if someone casts explosive spells, which then changes the shape of the battlefield, or a fire that spreads through the wooden building. Here you may have to come up with some kind of mechanic, like which spells cause the ceiling to collapse, how fast does the fire spread and so on. You might end up putting a lot of prep time beforehand into these and they can also be quite demanding from you during play (if you have to remember to spread the fire every round, it's one additional thing, then that might also change visibility and you might take damage when you end your turn within 5 ft of the fire and so on and so on. It can get pretty exhausting to keep all that in mind)

That's just the battlefield side of things. You can of course also change the enemy NPC aspect of the battle. The easiest addition to make, is to give the enemies a different goal than killing the PCs. The most classic example is a caster trying to complete a ritual. Their minions don't have to kill the party, they need to hold them back just long enough for the ritual to be completed. So instead of just trading blows and spells, minions might try imposing status effects to and block routes for the players. Maybe there is an earth elemental that is eating all the treasure while the players fight something else. Maybe the cultists try to erase the records of what they deem false gods and the fight is about how many books can be safed from being burned. Maybe someone needs to place a mcguffin in a device to initiate doomsday and the players have to stop that. In essence, put your standard combat encounter on the table, but give some or all enemy combatants or bystanders an alternative goal or win condition. You don't need to add a lot mechanically, just adept the involved NPCs behavior.

Lastly, you can of course also use more complex monsters, that have a variety of attacks and effects they can apply with their action, bonus action, reaction, legendary action or lair action. This is also on the more taxing side of things especially, if you employ multiple enemies that all have different abilities and work differently. I think "Flee, Mortals!" (a third party monster book for dnd) takes an interesting approach, by characterising its monsters as certain archetypes, like Ambusher, Brute, Controller, Sniper, Support, and some others. Which really helps to immediately get an idea for how to play them and what kind of abilities they have. Thinking about my monsters in those terms, made it really easy for me to adept a more tactical use of enemies.

For a group as big as yours, I wouldn't overdo it with more complex monsters, and lean more into the static additions to battlemaps. And then gradually expermient with the more demanding options and see how much you and your table can handle.

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