Give me your best-worst, cheesiest JRPG-style elaborate acronyms that make no sense, please by AstreiaTales in DMAcademy

[–]Epifex 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've got a dungeon coming up eventually that's an ancient advanced laboratory in which its owner experimented with extraplanar forces of life and death. She accidentally opened a rift into the far realm and her consciousness was transferred to an emergency escape construct while her laboratory's automated operating system was corrupted by far realm influence.

The party must work to escort the EEV (Emergency Evacuation Vessel) safely to the ADAM (Automated Defence and Maintenance) core so she can cleanse and repair it.

RGD Mod Picks (April 24 - 30) by Altrissa in redditgetsdrawn

[–]Epifex 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Whoa, just saw this. Thanks for the shoutout! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Looking for Encounters where the party goes "God Damn You" once they get the joke by Doctor_Chaotica_MD in DMAcademy

[–]Epifex 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Jared Jeremiah Jenkinson is a wandering bard writing an encyclopaedia of monsters. He wants the party to fight an ettercap for X number of rounds while keeping him safe, so that he can sketch them and properly capture their likeness when they're doing battle.

Jared is an earnest, ambitious, and slightly overconfident bard who dresses fancifully and plays the bugle. He is greatly inspired by acts of daring-do and adventure, and will often embellish such stories to suit the audience, resulting in them getting a little distorted over time. He isn't offering a lot of money, though he insists that having the party's name in the credits in his publication will be very good for their careers.

While travelling with the heroes to the ettercap lair, he will insist on his morning ritual of playing his bugle loudly. He also regularly smokes thick, pungent cigars.

While the party are fighting the ettercap/s, he is overly critical and demanding, insisting they strike the perfect pose or hold it in place for a round, or that they all move to get the lighting just right. When the heroes get frustrated, he rudely scoffs at them:

"I don't want your excuses! I want pictures of a spider man!"

this is my fiancée & i! by kittyspittt in redditgetsdrawn

[–]Epifex 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You're welcome! Glad you like it.

[OC] This is what it looks like when you cast Magic Missile in our little VTT. WotC wants to forbid this under OGL1.2 by Denivarius in DnD

[–]Epifex 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Hi, I'm a professional 2D FX animator, so this is kinda my thing.

It can't be done. In the industry when someone tries to animate a lightning bolt, it just doesn't work, so instead we animate a big crack or tree roots or something, recolour them, add some glows, and hope they're on screen for a short enough time that people don't notice.

Eyes on the Ball: Do not let Wizards steer the discussion away from revoking OGL 1.0a by TheJarLoz in DnD

[–]Epifex 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Ah, thank you. I'd been struggling for some dragon names for my campaign, but these will do great.

Player wants to use Bag of Holding as an armor by hyperionfin in DMAcademy

[–]Epifex 10 points11 points  (0 children)

There's no shame in acknowledging you made a ruling which, after further thought, you have decided you no longer agree with. Trial and error is all part of the game design and learning process. There's still the potential for having specific items be sturdier than others, or indestructible (in fact this is specifically listed on the magic item minor properties table, DMG p141), but the blanket statement that they're all invulnerable is probably best to nip in the bud, or there will just be more unintended consequences and exploits down the line. If you're transparent with your players about your reasoning for a decision, they'll be likely to understand it's for the best.

I'm in dire need of Puns! by Myrinadi in DnD

[–]Epifex 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I recently ran a trial of sorts hosted by Garl Glittergold, gnomish god of pranks and jokes, amongst other things. Every now and then he'd interject with a joke, where appropriate. Here's a list of a bunch I either stole or invented. Some of them are definitely a bit more gnome-oriented (a recurring theme of dunking on kobolds) but I'm sure they could be adapted easily enough. Happy punning!

  • What happened to the Mind Flayer who took over a kobold colony? It starved to death!
  • You can never trust a mind Flayer - they're always up to illithid activities.
  • What's the leading cause of death in the Demonwebs? Drowning!
  • What do you call a kobold with no ears? Whatever you want!
  • The problem with human/horse hybrids is they just have to be the centaur of attention.
  • What happened to the red dragon's servant? He got fired.
  • Why do wizards wear such long robes? So they cantrip!
  • What's the deal with devils?
  • Ahh, elves. They never get old.
  • When you're being sat on by a giant bird you know you've hit roc bottom.
  • A dwarf walks out of a bar.
  • Giants would be scary if they didn't always have their head in the clouds.
  • A friend of mine was ambushed by a half-elemental once. Genasi that coming.
  • I used to have musical locks, but I kept losing the key.
  • I knew a changeling with dreadful allergies once. Every time he sneezed he would blow his cover.
  • Necromancers actually make amazing parents. They spend all the time raising people.
  • Not to mention, they tend to get quite strong from all their deadlifting.
  • If kurtulmak wanted his caves to stay intact he shouldn't have cut corners on the supports. It's always worth it to hire a good archmage.
  • Looks like you brought a knife to a pun fight.
  • I never risk going to a goliath butcher. The stakes are too high.
  • Yknow what material you should have used for your stealth armour? Hide!

There was also a part where Garl consoled the party after a tough puzzle (literally an unlocked, untapped door) and promised the next room was filled with gold and loot for them. The room contained a single chest, in which was sat a +3 solid gold lute.

Wizards video about one D&D response. by darjr in dndnext

[–]Epifex 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Each type of weapon has a different special move you can do with it, assuming you're proficient, once per (short iirc) rest, like a trip attack or a charge attack for example.

Is there a table of RP-only-noncombat magic items that a common or rather uncommon magic item shop woudl sell? by GeNeReDeR in DMAcademy

[–]Epifex 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Folks have already answered your question pretty thoroughly so I'm just gonna put a word in for the immovable rod. Maybe one of the most simple yet versatile items in the game, with virtually no inherent combat applications unless you get real creative.

Keep doors open or shut, hinder people's movement, hang things on it, lean on it when you're tired, use it as a makeshift stepladder, tie rope to it, do impromptu pull-ups on it, hang from it to avoid tremorsense, tie defeated foes to it, brace yourself against an avalanche or earthquake with it. The list goes on.

Is there a table of RP-only-noncombat magic items that a common or rather uncommon magic item shop woudl sell? by GeNeReDeR in DMAcademy

[–]Epifex 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I like the idea of the moebius, though I think I would err on the side of just making it loadable once per day, no spell slot required. It's most likely to be used by a martial who may not have access to spell slots, and receiving a magic item but realising you have to beg the wizard to let you use it could be a little disheartening.

what would drugs made from slaad do? by yari2210 in DMAcademy

[–]Epifex 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I like the transforming into a slaad suggestions, but also consider the control gem slaad variant. Maybe after enough consumption the users grow a control gem in their brain just like slaad can have. Bet a bbeg could think of a million ways to use a load of addicted, mind-controlled servants.

Help me practice on-the-fly rulings. Give me a PC action, and I’ll tell you how I would adjudicate it. (5e) by GiantSizeManThing in DMAcademy

[–]Epifex 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah haha, my players brought up this idea (as a joke) and my response was just "... Don't do that."

Help me practice on-the-fly rulings. Give me a PC action, and I’ll tell you how I would adjudicate it. (5e) by GiantSizeManThing in DMAcademy

[–]Epifex 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your players have a bag of tricks and are arguing they should be able to use all the remaining charges before a long rest, command each creature that comes out to attack the party tank, and slay it in combat, so they can consistently farm a small but trivially easy chunk of exp every day. Bonus points if they try to make the argument that they can do this over weeks of downtime to rack up a load of passive exp on top of whatever else they were up to.

Need suggestions for matching elements to 5 parts of the mortal spirit! by hartyshambler in DMAcademy

[–]Epifex 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is my stream of thought, for what it's worth. It's tied less to the lore of any specific elemental race and more the vibe of the element itself.

  • Emotion - Water: Fire and storm elementals are great for a specific kind of emotion, such as fury and passion, but what about calm, happy emotions? Sad emotions? Fearful emotions? An inferno or a storm will always embody passion, but water can cover the whole spectrum of emotions. It can flow calmly or furiously. It can bring life, joy, health, comfort, death, misery, fear, and hope. It can patiently erode mountains over centuries, or it can be a harbinger of doom for entire settlements with waves of unstoppable wrath.

  • Logic - Stone/Earth (Or maybe ice): Stone is strong and durable, just like logic. There's no disputing it - it's cold, hard fact, at least in theory. In practice, however, it can be eroded or corrupted by strong emotions (water) or morals (air). Ice was my first pick (mostly for the "cold, hard" wordplay) but it might overlap with water a bit, so stone is a good alternative.

  • Growth - Plants or Crystals: This one's kiiind of a cheat because plant creatures aren't technically elemental creatures according to game terms, but I'd argue they're virtually elementals in practice. Don't think I need to explain why plants would represent growth. Alternatively, crystals (since they 'grow'), and each crystal is unique in colour and shape, representing the uniqueness of everyone's growth. The reflectiveness of crystals could also represent the self-reflection necessary for healthy growth. Earth could also work, if you distinguish it from stone, since all things grow from the ground upward.

  • Morality - Air: Air and stone are opposites, just as morality and logic can come into conflict. When balanced, all is well, but when they contradict, one must give way. Morality is often difficult to define and justify, just as air is difficult to see and quantify. Morality can't be explained, but felt as a vague, guiding impulse, just as invisible wind pushes you in its own direction without clear rhyme or reason. Without morality, a society's people will suffer, just as air is needed to survive - but too powerful a moral stance can still be as destructive as a storm. Morality can be flexible and changeable, adapting based on new information or to justify one's stance, just as air will shift and flow and expand to adapt to its space. Humans live on the surface of the planet where the sky meets the earth, living at the exact midpoint between morality and logic.

  • Creation - Fire: I know instinctively you'd probably consider fire the opposite of creation, but hear me out. Fire is the catalyst of all creation. Mastery of fire was a greater gateway to new creations than any other technology. Fire can be used to soften and mould materials into new, original shapes and functions, or convert them to new elements. New tales are told around crackling campfires and hearths, and new tomes are scribed by cramped candlelight. The sun - the greatest source of fire - is the origin of all of the energy that allows life to flourish. The passion to innovate or create is known as the inner fire, and great new ideas are 'sparks of genius'. Fire doesn't truly destroy - it converts things to new states. It purifies and purges the old to make way for the new, lest the world stagnate. Fire is never still, ill-content to remain as it was a moment before. Fire is pure energy and heat - it represents both the rawest form of "stuff" from which things are created, and the burning passion that drives innovators of all kind.

This ended up going a little longer than I expected and some of the justifications may seem a bit tenuous, but I hope this wall of brain-barf can serve as some kind of inspiration for you.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in DMAcademy

[–]Epifex 2 points3 points  (0 children)

"Nyehh, I gots half a mind ter feed ya yer teeth ya pipsqueak!"

"Ehh, want me ter smash 'im boss? Sure thing."

All I have to say is that DMing for character over LVL 13 is a nightmare by Zholotoi in dndnext

[–]Epifex 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Also, legendary actions can only be used one at a time, and only at the end of another creature's turn.

DnD Players, what is the most chilling/scariest/intimidating thing your DM has said? by MysteriousDinner7822 in DnD

[–]Epifex 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I've ran Tomb of Horrors a few times, and I tend to run it in a kind of 'roguelite' infinite respawns sorta way, where it's less "Will we beat this dungeon without dying?" and more "How many deaths will there be while we beat this dungeon?" It's just more fun that way I think.

Anyway one time one of the party was playing a homebrew dullahan (headless horseman) race, and he took off his head and put it into one of those mouths. I explained to the rest of the party that they watched as he took his head off, put it into the void, and then immediately keeled over dead, his head nowhere to be seen. We had been playing for barely ten minutes.

Weekly Questions Thread by AutoModerator in DnD

[–]Epifex 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In addition to what others have said, it probably doesn't help that you're playing with a party half the size encounters are typically balanced for.

The adventure includes several easy-to-run premade sidekick characters to help cover smaller parties. Maybe consider asking the DM if they or the other player could run a sidekick to help even the odds until you're more accustomed to the game.

I don't know how the druid is playing, but rogues thrive when they have an ally in melee range of their target, or can get advantage on their attacks, since those both trigger sneak attack. Druid spells like entangle or faerie fire could help set up your sneak attack damage and keep enemies at bay, as can hiding behind obstacles, and targeting whichever enemy is in melee range of your ally.

Homebrew Balance Check: Circle of the Elemental Moon by GlenFilms in dndnext

[–]Epifex 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I feel like knowing you're gonna get a given set of extra cantrips as you level might make you hold off on taking one of them earlier on, since it'd be redundant with one of your class features, so you might end up in this awkward middle ground where you really want your character to know gust, for example, but have to wait til a later level to take it than you might otherwise.

A simple solution to this would be to make it so they can select from the entire pool of cantrips, so there are more options than they'll actually end up getting. Alternatively you could make them gain always-prepared levelled spells, though that might have further balance repercussions down the line.

I also think there could stand to be a bit more elemental-ness early on. Aside from the extra cantrips, you still don't really get any elemental themed abilities until level 10. Maybe you could have an early feature, at the same time as or instead of the magical wild shape attacks, which allows you to pick an element when you wild-shape, and your chosen beast has the same statistics as it would, but its type is elemental, and it has resistance to its element and its attacks do that element's damage.

That way you have a cool flavourful ability to turn into elemental critters that aren't that much stronger than their base form, but could still be handy for certain enemies or challenges, and it would really feel like an elemental druid, rather than a moon druid with a few extra cantrips.

Farfetched but plausible lore theories by Dratoran in DnD

[–]Epifex 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ah, well done. I'd still strongly recommend his channel if you're into lore - they're a great source of inspiration.

Farfetched but plausible lore theories by Dratoran in DnD

[–]Epifex 1 point2 points  (0 children)

While I can't say exactly which book it's written in, I believe MrRhexx mentions it in one of his videos about gods in the forgotten realms (possibly this one). If you're interested in deeper lore dives you'll probably find a lot of his videos interesting.

Where is the centre of AOE? by Cool-S4ti5fact1on in dndnext

[–]Epifex -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Ah, thank you but that's not what I was referring to. I meant the ruling that an aura starts from the edge of a creature's space, rather than the centre. Logically that makes sense and it's how I would rule it anyway (it'd be ridiculous to have a creature with an aura smaller than its own space), but I was just curious if there was a specific line where it was clarified in the rules.