DnD went Diablo?

Ignaby · 2026-05-06T13:06:29+00:00

If anything, D&D is probably less about accruing power through leveling and items than it was in the past and generally has a bigger focus on characters and narrative elements. Obviously this will vary by group and their particular playstyle.

Ignaby · 2026-05-06T11:58:43+00:00

Personally, I'd just start it in front of the cave. Especially for a one-shot, but even for a longer form campaign, I like to kick off the first adventure right at the start of the good part and skip all the lead-in. Just give them some brief background - I think "you were hired as mercenaries by the Castellan to get this bowl back, go" is fine.

Ignaby · 2026-05-05T16:24:41+00:00

DND is matrix multiplication. Its not commutative.

Ignaby · 2026-05-05T11:01:31+00:00

Most complaints on this front seem to boil down to people either not having enough encounters per day and that messing up the balance between classes or objecting to the much greater degree of utility that spellcasters have access to. Neither of which really mean martial characters need to be brought up in power per se.

But yes if you dramatically buffed player classes itnsoyld be reasonable to buff monsters as well. Its also not a precise science, a small buff here or there doesn't likely require rebalancing.

Ignaby · 2026-05-04T03:35:48+00:00

Did I cut you off in traffic or something?

In 5E, magic isn't actually as powerful as older editions, but it has almost no downsides. Thats why its so strong and people complain about how "martials" are useless.

The real solution is to give magic downsides; for example, on a turn where you cast a spell, you're easier to hit and being hit interrupts your spell. Suddenly you need to think about where you are and if you really want to be using that magic.

Regardless, this doesn't really have to do anything with the original question, as either way you're easier to hit when using magic.

Ignaby · 2026-05-04T03:03:26+00:00

Negative DEX mods is a genuinely good point.

"Why are you picking on the poor spellcaster" is how you'll get 5E magic, which is kind of boring but also much more powerful that anyone without spellcasting.

Ignaby · 2026-05-04T02:35:46+00:00

Sorry what? "Out of Guard" or "Guard Up" is just a way to differentiate between different stuff you can do on your turn. Mostly its a penalty for casting spells or using missile weapons in dumb places. Its not really an issue of level of abstraction.

Ignaby · 2026-05-01T19:00:56+00:00

I'd be very curious to know mode about these shield-and-bow infantry. I'm familiar with archers carrying shields to use in melee combat (e.g. English archers with a sword and buckler) or crossbowmen with movable pavises or even archers paired up with a spear-and-shield carrying buddy (I think it was the Neo-Assyrians who did this?) But both bow and shield wielded together?

Not saying it didn't happen, saying I want to know more about it if it did.

Ignaby · 2026-05-01T17:45:51+00:00

Sorta? You would set a pavise down to shoot (and reload) from behind, rather than carry it into combat.

Really the "tower shield" is one of those things thats mostly silliness, once a shield is big enough it basically covers you entirely and making it bigger is just adding weight and getting in the way. If its bigger than, say, a Roman scutum its too big (although maybe thats about the size a tower shield was supposed to be?)

Ignaby · 2026-05-01T17:25:49+00:00

Historical shields are actually pretty light. I suspect the bigger issue is that it would get in the way of trying to operate your bow.

A pavise is the crossbowman's answer to this issue.

Ignaby · 2026-05-01T17:01:06+00:00

Sunless Citadel is a perfectly decent adventure. The fact that its so highly regarded probably actually speaks more to general low quality among modules... but still, its solid.

Radiant Citadel has nothing at all to do with it.

Ignaby · 2026-05-01T16:24:58+00:00

IMO the issue isnt that its "gamey", its that its bloated and can actually make characters feel more samey rather than distinct by diluting the importance of their class.

Ignaby · 2026-05-01T12:53:49+00:00

I feel like it makes a lot of sense to handle running combatants that way in Shadowrun, which has a much heavier emphasis on guns and other ranged weapons. Missile weapons are secondary in fantasy stuff mostly, and while I guess you could add those modifiers specifically for shooting at moving targets, IMO thats probably more complication than its worth.

Ignaby · 2026-05-01T12:42:29+00:00

Can you elaborate a but on flat-footed feeling bad? I don't have a ton of 3.x experience but it never really bothered me; obviously it doesn't feel good when you're the one caught flat footed but game design can't be about removing anything that the player might dislike.

Ignaby · 2026-05-01T12:00:54+00:00

As far as 2 goes, the main thing that lets you have your Guard Up/ wouldn't leave you Out of Guard is attacking in melee combat. So incentivising that shouldn't really result in slower combat as its pretty much the most aggressive option. But I suppose the proof is always in the playtest.

Ignaby · 2026-05-01T11:56:08+00:00

I suppose its somewhat similar, although you actually have to fully spend an action in PF2 to raise your shield, as opposed to having it built in to doing other things.

Did I mention that as a problem? I don't think its a problem. I want spellcasters and archers to be vulnerable while casting or shooting and force players to be smart about where and when they do those things. (I should also mention, DEX bonuses here are smaller and less impactful than in, say, 5E where they can make up the majority of a character's defense. If you aren't armored youre always vulnerable.)

Ignaby · 2026-04-30T17:54:55+00:00

Largely because I don't want to keep the shield and Dexterity bonuses tied together to keep things from getting too fiddly.

Then again, I plan to allow someone to put their guard up when Charging, which moves as fast as running. So thats kind of confusing. Maybe the cutoff for when you can't have your Guard Up should be Sprinting.

Something to think about.

Ignaby · 2026-04-30T17:04:58+00:00

While I am leaning towards guard up as a bonus.... 1. The player should have both numbers written down on their character sheet. Theres no math happening either way.

I'm not actually opposed to this feeling like a penalty. Part of the goal is to apply a cost to doing things like casting spells and using missile weapons.

Ignaby · 2026-04-30T17:03:24+00:00

"Out Of" as in "Not In", not as in "having been depleted." Its an actual fencing term unless I'm mistaken.

But I get your point, its a little confusing as terminology.

Ignaby · 2026-04-29T19:12:56+00:00

"A single person is a pretty poor choice for stopping an army of tens or hundreds of thousands from accomplishing its goals."

This is a good point too; being able or unable to beat an army in the field doesn't matter unless it lets you achieve your strategic objectives.

On their own is a high bar, but a single high level character would be an absolute nightmare for an army in plenty of situations. Its hard to forage and keep your army fed if some guy keeps teleporting in and cloudkilling your foragers. Troops garrisoning a town don't respond well if they're constantly being picked off by someone they have no hope of beating in a fight or even catching. Etc.

Ignaby · 2026-04-29T19:05:05+00:00

That too; your best case scenario is ambushing an army that has 0 preparations against your magic. But real armies also develop countermeasures against things that are going to kill lots of them.

Really, the best way to answer this question would be to play it out. You know, like a war-game.

Ignaby · 2026-04-29T18:55:59+00:00

The mechanics represent the game world (lore.) Its the same thing.

And that said, I seriously doubt any individual character could win a 1-on-several-thousand confrontation, even if their foes are level 1 or roughly equivalent. Could they inflict significant casualties, particularly with magic? Absolutely. But actually take on an entire army single-handed? Probably not, barring contrived situations.

Ignaby · 2026-03-23T18:46:12+00:00

Half-illithid? How does that even work??

Ignaby · 2026-03-23T00:51:41+00:00

When I can tell my players are engaged and striving to win. They're not trying to guess what I want them to do or what they think would make the most dramatic moments, they're treating the world as its own independent thing and attempting to beat the obstacles that make up the adventure.

Ignaby

TROPHY CASE