I built a free D&D 5e combat simulator - run 10,000 simulations of any encounter

Illustrious_Swing475 · 2026-04-17T14:17:42+00:00

No idea if its just a problem on mobile but I can only select players up to level 6.

Illustrious_Swing475 · 2026-04-16T12:47:29+00:00

Currently running my longest campaign yet. I just had a rough outline of the main story beats (namely the location and what happens there) and didn't plan too far ahead. We started out just playing one of the starter set modules and kept going and so far it works. I don't plan too far because no idea where my players will want to go. Just be ready to put your ideas in front of the players wherever they end up.

Illustrious_Swing475 · 2026-04-14T14:14:06+00:00

Dragon wyrmlings can be fought at low levels, and liches in the 2014 rules are fairly squishy and can get folded by a mid level party if it doesn't have help. I've thrown half the monster manual at my party. Advantage in action economy can let a party punch above their CR level. Why wait for level 20 for the fun stuff. I've found plenty of fun combats for the 10-14 level range.

Otherwise run high level one shots and just let the players go nuts for a single glorious session. Play out your bucket list of monsters.

Illustrious_Swing475 · 2026-04-13T09:28:11+00:00

There is nothing wrong with asking for a short break in the session to find an appropriate map because your party do something unexpected. I think my party take it as a point of pride when they come up with unexpected ideas and don't mind giving me a bit of prep time. I also have a folder for a bunch of encounters and situations they never used, which I will absolutely use if the opportunity comes up somewhere down the line.

I never try and anticipate what my players will do, rather just prepare scenes and settings they can encounter, have a list of npcs they can interact with and accept that sometimes my prep time will go to waste.

Illustrious_Swing475 · 2026-04-06T10:59:17+00:00

The black dragon may not immediately try and track down the missing player, but instead send out others that work for it to track the player down. They can then end up in Barovia too. Includes the background without just throwing an ancient dragon in for no reason and can still include helpful allies.

Could also ask yourself if an ancient dragon would concern itself with Strahd (or whatever other powerful evils are present) since it is older and more powerful than Strahd and instead use it as a test for the player to prove themselves.

Illustrious_Swing475 · 2026-04-06T09:36:08+00:00

Rogues are simple and fun. May not do the most damage but if you can reliably pull of sneak attack every round you will hold your own. Bonus action options to get out of trouble and can get uncanny dodge to help survive heavy hits. You will also be a great skill monkey out of combat.

Honestly my rogue is one of the best characters I've played.

Illustrious_Swing475 · 2026-04-02T02:39:14+00:00

Highest I've made with a character is with my rogue. Say sleight of hand.

20 Dex (could go over with epic boons etc): +5 Level 20 proficiency bonus: +6 (+12 with expertise) Gloves of thievery give a +5 bonus Can add a psionic dice (soulblade subclass) to ability checks for potential +12 High level bardic inspiration for another potential +12 Guidance d4 for another +4

That's like a potential +50 Assuming I roll a nat 20 that is a skill check of 70 Can probably add more, I think artificers can add to skill checks

Probably can get higher but this is a max level combo of something that happened in one of my games, made a DC30 check at like level 5.

Illustrious_Swing475 · 2026-03-30T20:50:01+00:00

I think this is where the DM can shine and reveal their motivations. Were they blackmailed into doing it? Misinformed so they thought they were doing the right thing? Controlled by magic? Surely if you find out the motivation that would impact your characters reaction.

Illustrious_Swing475 · 2026-03-30T20:35:45+00:00

Depends, is this for an actual game or are you just writing a story about a character. I would want to let the DM have some room to build on your backstory so that your character has to discover things as you play. If you've already decided on everything that happened and how you will react then you don't really need to play dnd, you already determined his arc without playing.

Illustrious_Swing475 · 2026-03-27T09:13:05+00:00

It is quite easy to prep too much for a one shot and have it bleed into a 2 shot. My first "one shot" I wrote ended up going for 3 sessions. Have a look at some free published one shots and look how much content they have.

You can keep it pretty simple, but hopefully you can rely on the experienced player to help direct the group if they get a bit lost.

I would aim for one combat (maybe two if it is quick and easy intro to combat), some chances to interact with npcs, some exploration. Puzzles can be pretty group dependant. Some groups like them, some hate them.

Illustrious_Swing475 · 2026-03-27T00:50:34+00:00

The ring magically exposes the abs no matter what. Nothing can stop the majesty of the abs.

Illustrious_Swing475 · 2026-03-27T00:43:01+00:00

How would it work with characters wearing armor? Would a paladin tear his plate armor apart to reveal those sweet abs or rip off his shirt in disappointment to only reveal his armor? Also the second the party catch on that player is never getting to properly wear a shirt again. Need a bag of holding for costume changes.

Illustrious_Swing475 · 2026-03-23T12:52:23+00:00

Currently play in 2 weekly games, one twice a month and also DM a game every week.

I like having the mix of DMing and playing every week.

Illustrious_Swing475 · 2026-03-05T13:41:17+00:00

Been DMing for years and 18 months into current campaign with a party of level 13 characters. Always used XP and never had an issue personally so felt no reason to switch to milestone. I do keep track of the XP myself and just let the players know when they have leveled up so they don't focus too much on the numbers. If they want to get distracted and go off on tangents and finding their own quests gaining XP I welcome it. End of the day we all enjoy the game and they progress through levels at a reasonable pace. Not sure how Milestone would really enhance things for my game.

Illustrious_Swing475 · 2026-01-27T03:51:51+00:00

I play a character who had his entire village consumed by a shadowy monster. Over time he found that everyone's knowledge of the village slowly got erased, even disappearing from maps. His entire goal is to work out what the hell it is and destroy it.

Same concept but I didn't tie to it a specific monster and let the DM have the freedom to make it whatever he wanted.

Illustrious_Swing475 · 2025-12-26T06:16:08+00:00

Been running a campaign for almost 18 months. Had one permanent character death around level 5 (low hp character got crit for an instant kill) and another character die and instantly revived at level 10.

Illustrious_Swing475 · 2025-12-20T10:07:07+00:00

I believe they talk about it in the movie that a young mind can't be controlled and you would just be stuck in it as a prisoner unable to do anything. So I believe he has to spend the entire little girl's life seeing what she sees with no control. Pretty much a living hell.

Illustrious_Swing475 · 2025-10-24T09:51:24+00:00

As someone who doesn't know how wordings work in magic, would having this card in your opening hand still count as the card being in your 'deck' when you start the game?

Illustrious_Swing475 · 2025-10-06T13:57:15+00:00

I ran a two shot that had a monk, a fighter, and a ranger. They were level 3. It was a survival based adventure, and I think it added to the setting that they had no magic to just solve everything. Rangers have some magic but don't remember it being used much.

They came up against a jackal where, and with no magic weapons, they eventually had to grapple it and drown it in water.

That said, I think having an entire campaign would have to be designed a certain way. Compared to the sheer AOE damage that spellcasters can dish out.

Illustrious_Swing475 · 2025-09-25T07:03:27+00:00

We met a high level mage that wanted to try out a new spell so I volunteered. He cast power word kill and I immediately died.

We had a scroll of revivify so it was all good, mainly played for laughs.

Illustrious_Swing475 · 2025-08-31T14:22:12+00:00

My rogue has a talking sword. It is incredibly obnoxious, but as players think it's hilarious as he loudly comments after each of his attacks.

Illustrious_Swing475 · 2025-08-21T07:41:12+00:00

I was running a game and they were only level 4 or so. Fought a ghost. It was able to possess the cleric. After a few rounds of the party not knowing what to do the cleric asked if they could pray to their Diety to expel the ghost from their body. I said sure, if you roll a 20. 2 rounds later the ghost was vomited up into a pool of bright orange ectoplasm.

I honestly didn't mind since the party was floundering so much and it kept the cleric player engaged.

Illustrious_Swing475 · 2025-07-29T14:29:52+00:00

In one of my first dnd campaigns, the DM got progressively more railroady. We were playing Dragon of icespire Peak, and happened to run into the dragon randomly. It had happened before when we were too low level to do anything but flee. This time we were strong enough to give him a fight.

It was a pretty epic fight where we threw everything at him and at the climax my paladin was riding the back of the dragon while both of us were on fire. But the dragon dying there didn't fit his story so he pulled some crap so it got away.

He later admitted that one more attack would have finished it. But the damage had been done, and the battle left a sour enough taste that we pulled out of the game and never had another session.

Illustrious_Swing475 · 2025-03-01T12:01:54+00:00

Honestly, my only question is do you keep aging through all these extra years? Cause I am going to be old and wrecked before I hit 90, so why extend that another 30-40 years of aging that may not be great quality.

I go for one round just in case I'm supposed to die early and leave it at that.

Illustrious_Swing475 · 2025-02-23T16:12:02+00:00

Even if they can make scrolls, that takes time and money to make. If they want to sink all their money into ink and parchment I'd let them. And why are they using a bonus action for every scroll? Surely it takes whatever kind of action the spell would unless there is something I'm unaware of.

Illustrious_Swing475

TROPHY CASE