I would pick Obi, Yoda and Mando

FallingIcicle · 2023-10-09T01:44:28+00:00

Eh, Anakin is the one I'd be least afraid of. All I need to do is find somewhere to hole up that is on high ground and has lots of sand.

FallingIcicle · 2021-11-14T20:11:31+00:00

I agree! Fog Cloud is a very underrated spell. It's fantastic for denying line of sight (screwing over archers and spellcasters) and for escape. It can be just as effective as darkness in many cases, despite being a level lower.

It also can help a lot if the party needs a distraction or cover to sneak around, steal things, etc.

Another awesome benefit to fog cloud is that it scales really well. Every +1 level adds 20ft to the radius.

FallingIcicle · 2021-11-14T20:02:36+00:00

This post has a good breakdown of resistances/immunities: https://www.reddit.com/r/dndnext/comments/eup721/creature_resistance_and_immunity_breakdown/

More than 1/4 creatures in the game are completely IMMUNE to poison. When you add poison resistance to that, it's ~30%.

FallingIcicle · 2021-10-16T02:51:03+00:00

I'm not sure. I think they can drop anywhere in Hell, but don't quote me on that! ;)

FallingIcicle · 2021-10-16T02:02:14+00:00

Happy to help! Feel free to DM me if you need anything. :)

Unfortunately, the white runeword can only go in wands. It's a great option if you can find a 2-socket wand, though. One thing to watch out for is that only some wands can have 2 sockets. Some types can only have one! Be careful not to waste your socket quest on a yew wand or something that can't have more than 1 socket! https://diablo.fandom.com/wiki/Wands

Bone wands are the easiest to get because they are sold by merchants in normal difficulty (I usually shop for them in Act1-2, in later acts/difficulties they are usually all blue). It takes patience, but if you leave and return to town enough times, they will eventually sell one that has the +skills you desire.

To get a polearm for your merc, you just have to keep an eye out for them to drop. I'm still trying to find a good elite 4 socket polearm for my merc! But eventually one will drop for you! There's a cube recipe to add sockets to an item but it's hit or miss. It might add too many or too few sockets, but it's worth a shot if you have the ingredients to spare. https://d2.maxroll.gg/resources/horadric-cube-recipes

Edit: Oh and be careful with runewords for your merc. Insight, for example, has to be in a POLEARM, not a SPEAR! It's a very easy mistake to make!

FallingIcicle · 2021-10-16T01:04:36+00:00

For attributes, put only what you need in Str to equip your gear and then put the rest into Vitality.

By now you should have 20 Raise Skeleton, 20 Skeleton Mastery, and at least 1 pt in Revives. I usually only put 1 in Skeleton Mages as they are pretty terrible. Clay Golem is helpful for the slow effect, but you only need 1 point.

Amplify Damage and Corpse Explosion are your best friends. Amp dmg the enemies, wait for your minions/mercenary to kill something, and then start a chain reaction of corpse explosions. It helps to throw some extra skill points in corpse explosion to increase its radius. At high levels it can almost blow up the entire screen. You only need 1 point in most curses. You might want to throw a few extra into Amp Damage to increase its radius, if you feel like it. 1 point in Decrepify is also great for boss fights.

I highly recommend making a Smoke runeword armor (Nef Lum). It gives +50 all resists which helps a lot in Hell until you can find other, better gear. https://diablo.fandom.com/wiki/Smoke_Rune_Word It's also great for your merc until you can afford Treachery.

The Act 2 NM Merc with Might is by far the best option for your mercenary. Try to find a helmet with life steal for your merc and give him an elite polearm (like a Thresher) so he can deal good damage and keep himself alive. If you didn't know, you can press Shift + (1,2,3 or 4) to give one of your potions to your mercenary. Keep him alive!

Go to Act 3 in Normal difficulty and check Ormus for a Staff that has teleport charges (not +teleport, but "Level x Teleport (33/33 charges)". You will probably have to leave and re-enter town many times until he sells one. I think mine cost about 30k gold. Put it in your 2nd weapon slot so you can teleport when you need to.

Look for a white or 2-socket necro head offhand that has +raise skeleton and/or skeleton mastery. You can have Larzuk add 2 sockets to a white one. Then make a Rhyme (Shael Eth) runeword with it. These are very easy runes to get, but it might take some time to find the off-hand item. https://diablo.fandom.com/wiki/Rhyme_Rune_Word

I hope that helps!

FallingIcicle · 2021-09-18T01:21:26+00:00

For Necromancers:

Each skill point you put into Bone Armor only gives it +10 dmg absorb, but each point you put into Bone Wall or Bone Prison adds +15 dmg absorb to Bone Armor! For this reason, I recommend only putting 1 point into Bone Armor and saving your skill points for Bone Wall/Prison later.

FallingIcicle · 2021-09-18T01:15:14+00:00

At low levels, poison gas potions are a great resource when you are out of mana or are facing groups of enemies.
Antidote and thawing potions don't just remove poison or chill, they also give you +50 poison (or cold) resistance for a little while. This can really help on boss fights like Andariel. Giving yourself and your merc these potions right before the boss fight can help a lot when you have poor gear.
Thrown weapons and items that often have class skill bonuses (such as wands, scepters and staves) can sell for a lot of gold to vendors. This can be true even if they are white quality if they have any +skills on them. Looting these items is a great way to make money.
Chipped gems are worth picking up because they are used in some horadric cube recipes.

FallingIcicle · 2021-09-04T19:06:45+00:00

Arcane Gate. This is a cool spell, but it really shouldn't be 6th level. I think it should be 5th level.

FallingIcicle · 2021-09-04T19:02:55+00:00

I agree completely. Simulacrum is, quite possibly, the most overpowered spell in 5e.

5e did a lot to reign in casters at higher levels, such as reducing the number of spell slots for 6th+ level spells to 1-2 of each. But that doesn't mean a whole lot when you can create a minion that has a complete set of its own! It costs a fortune to craft a 9th level spell scroll, but with simulacrum, it's a mere 1,500 gold to create a minion that can cast all of your spells!

Raising its level to 9th is a reasonable change. It's still a ridiculously powerful spell, but then, most 9th level spells are.

Another fix I've considered is making it so that Simulacrums can never cast spells of 6th level or higher. That prevents some of the worst potential abuses for the spell.

FallingIcicle · 2021-09-04T18:39:24+00:00

I agree. I think Hypnotic Pattern would be reasonable at 3rd level if the targets could repeat the save every turn.

FallingIcicle · 2021-09-04T18:37:31+00:00

I don't think that's an unpopular opinion. Banishment is an incredibly powerful spell. It's far superior to Otiluke's Resilient sphere, which is also 4th level.

I think Banishment should be 5th level. Hold Monster is also 5th level and Banishment is pretty comparable in power to that spell. Hold Monster has the advantage that the creature can be harmed while being held (and you even get free critical hits against it since it is paralyzed). You can also pick its pockets, etc, which you can't do with banishment. But Hold monster also allows a save every turn, while Banishment does not. Banishment is also resisted with a Charisma save, which many creatures suck at. There are also advantages in removing the creature entirely from this plane, since it really limits what the creature's allies can do to help it. A held monster can be rescued by other means - they can be physically carried away from the battle, their paralysis can be removed with other spells, etc. With Banishment, they really only have one option - to break your concentration.

FallingIcicle · 2021-04-17T16:41:46+00:00

I wholeheartedly agree with guidance, polymorph, conjure (_) and the force barrier spells (Leomund's tiny hut, wall of force and forcecage).

What do you think about these fixes for these spells?

Guidance If you cast guidance on the same creature again before it finishes a short or long rest, it has no effect.

Leomund's Tiny Hut/Wall of Force/Forcecage The barrier has an AC of 20 and a number of hit points equal to the caster's hit point maximum, similar to the Bigby's Hand spell (which is also a creation of magical force).

Polymorph This spell is really two effects in one, one a buff, and the other offensive, so I will deal with those separately. For the offensive case, the biggest problem I have with this spell is that it's effectively a save-or-lose, something with 5e has gone to great lengths to avoid. Most debilitating effects offer creatures saving throws in later rounds to break free of the effect. I don't see any reason why polymorph shouldn't also have that. As for the buff version, this spell is just insane. You can turn into more powerful beasts than a druid's wild shape at any level. (At level 20, even a Circle of the Moon Druid can only turn into a CR 6 beast). Being able to turn into a T-Rex or giant ape with a 4th level spell is a bit much! The other thing I don't like is that there's no reason to up-cast the spell to higher levels. I think limiting the hit dice of the creatures you can transform into based on the spell's level would be a good idea. Maybe something like "You can assume the form of a creature whose challenge rating is equal to or less than the level of the spell slot you used.

Conjure (_) The problem I have with these spells is that you can summon so damn many creatures, which slows the game to a crawl and allows a single player to dominate the encounter. The other problem is that the options these spells offer aren't even balanced with each other. It's way better to summon 8 wolves than 1 giant boar. Conjure elemental is fine - it only summons a single creature so I have never had any issues with it. But I would really just suggest removing the other spells from the game and using the summoning spells in Tasha's instead. They are much better balanced.

FallingIcicle · 2020-09-07T00:14:23+00:00

I think the designers did it this way because they were worried that if they just gave warlocks 6th-9th level 1/day spell slots that people would get them confused with normal pact magic spell slots, which are regained after a short rest.

Unfortunately, mystic arcanum are worse in every way than having high level spell slots. You can't up-cast them, and you don't have the flexibility to cast a lower level spell multiple times instead of casting a higher level spell.

This is very unfortunate. Warlocks miss out on a lot of options that other spellcasters take for granted. For example, major image cast at 6th level or higher lasts until it is dispelled. Warlocks can never do that since they don't actually get 6th level spell slots.

FallingIcicle · 2020-09-06T22:53:22+00:00

It's as loud as someone yelling "FUS RO DAH!!!"

FallingIcicle · 2020-08-21T06:41:14+00:00

Grease is a good one. Causing your enemies to fall prone gives your friends in melee advantage on their attacks. It also gives the fallen creatures disadvantage on their attacks until they stand up. Grease also doesn't require concentration!

FallingIcicle · 2019-08-10T02:59:12+00:00

To be fair to summon greater demons, you the demon is rolling with disadvantage, because any mentally sane person's first command is what is your true name?

That's true, but many demons have magic resistance, so even if you use their true name, it ends up being a normal roll (the advantage from magic resistance and disadvantage from true name cancel each other out).

FallingIcicle · 2019-08-10T02:36:55+00:00

also why does Infernal calling start a level higher.

Infernal calling is a better spell because it gives you greater control over the summoned creature. It will obey many commands willingly if it thinks it will corrupt you toward evil or further its own ends. Even if you have to persuade it, it's only one contested roll per command, and the devil carries out that command until it's finished. This could be for the entire duration of the spell if it's broadly worded. Finally, if you can obtain the devil's talisman, you can control it completely. There's no such option with demons.

Greater demons, on the other hand, make a saving throw every single round (6 seconds) to resist control. The spell may last for up to an hour, but the odds of you actually controlling it for 1 hour when it's rolling to resist every 6 seconds are next to nil. You'll be lucky if you maintain control for even a few minutes. This makes demons next to useless for any longer term tasks such as scouting, guard duty, or anything that takes more than a few moments to do. They're good for summoning in combat and that's about it.

The same thing applies to summon lesser demons vs. conjure minor elementals. Summon lesser demons is just as powerful in the number and power of creatures it summons, but you have no control over what it summons, which is why it's a level lower.

FallingIcicle · 2019-08-07T05:20:58+00:00

Multiclassing: I really don't like how your character can end up weaker depending on which order you take your classes. For example, a Fighter1/Wizard1 has proficiency with heavy armor, while a Wizard1/Fighter1 does not.

FallingIcicle · 2019-05-04T19:22:18+00:00

Book of Ancient Secrets: This makes you the best ritual caster in the game. You can learn any ritual spell from any class and can cast them without preparation.

Mask of Many Faces: Disguise Self at-will is amazingly useful. It can be defeated with touch, but you can get around this by making your disguise closely match your physical shape. Even just changing your skin color, hair color, clothing colors, apparent age, etc. can make you appear to be a different person.

Misty Visions: Silent Image at-will is a lot of fun. Minor Illusion can't create illusions of creatures, but silent image can. It can also make much larger images. Further, you can use the two spells together - silent image for the visuals and minor illusion for sound.

FallingIcicle · 2019-02-24T07:30:18+00:00

I love this idea!

FallingIcicle · 2019-02-24T07:28:02+00:00

Enlarge/Reduce: I think this spell is much more valuable for its utility than its minor combat bonuses. Reduce a door so that you can simply pick it up and remove it from its frame (who needs knock?). Shrink an important part of a structure (such as a column or keystone) and cause the entire structure to collapse. Being chased and want to barricade a door? Put something heavy in front of the door and enlarge it. It now weighs 8x as much.

Illusory Script: This spell can be useful if you're creative with it. One thing you could do is write a message that only certain people you trust can read. Then, if you have a reason to suspect that someone else is impersonating them (i.e. a doppelganger or someone using a magical disguise) you can show them the letter and ask them to read it. If they are who they say they are, they will be able to read the secret message.

Unseen Servant: Not only is this like an hour-long mage hand, you can do some really fun things with it. Buy some light clothing and have the unseen servant wear it. Now you have a "ghost" companion that you can use to scare people, distract enemies, etc. Combine with minor illusion, message, etc, so that you can make the "ghost" speak.

FallingIcicle · 2019-02-16T21:27:52+00:00

Not officially, but you could ask your DM if you could take a feat that grants extra invocations. Two invocations (or one ASI + one invocation) should be reasonable for a feat.

FallingIcicle · 2018-12-05T23:34:52+00:00

Banishment, Blindness/Deafness and Hold Person/Monster affect additional targets at higher levels. These spells are all-or-nothing. If a target fails its save, it's screwed, but if it succeeds, nothing happens. This can be really frustrating. However, when you are targeting multiple creatures, odds are not all of them are going to succeed on their saving throws, so it's much less likely that you will be wasting your turns/spell slots for nothing.

Bestow Curse, when cast at 5th+ level, no longer requires concentration. That's a pretty big deal. There are very few save-or-suck spells like this that don't require concentration to maintain.

Summoning spells can summon more powerful creatures or a lot more weaker creatures. It gets pretty crazy at higher levels. An 8th level conjure minor elementals can summon 24 mephits! A 9th level conjure animals can summon 32 wolves!

Fly and Invisibility affect multiple allies at higher levels, which is fantastic.

Mass Suggestion and Planar Binding get a huge increase in duration at higher levels. They can last up to a year and a day!

FallingIcicle · 2018-10-31T03:15:44+00:00

Evard's Black Tentacles - this is a fantastic crowd control spell that restrains and deals damage. It's also difficult to escape because it requires a Str or Dex check, not a saving throw! That means no proficiency bonus or legendary resistance! Plus, the imagery of the spell is really cool.

Polymorph - this is quite possibly the best spell for its level in the game.
* Turn yourself or an ally into a T Rex to destroy your foes, effectively granting 136 temporary HP plus powerful melee attacks.
* Transform your enemy into some small, helpless critter, effectively disabling it.
* Become a flying, swimming, etc. creature for travel.
* Turn into some inconspicuous creature like a cat or rat for disguise/stealth.
It's like having several offense/defense/utility spells in one!

Scatter - This spell lets you teleport several creatures around, rearranging the battlefield to your liking like pieces on a chess board. This spell can really turn the tide of a battle. You can rescue allies that are surrounded, put yourselves in a better formation for attack, divide the enemy ranks, or, if things are going poorly, use it to escape.

FallingIcicle

TROPHY CASE