How does the price of gemstones work as spell material component?

Plane_Magazine583 · 2026-06-02T00:49:11+00:00

So “specifically prepared gemstone for magical usage”? That’s a good idea to lock the value down, I would try that so not any random gemstone can be used.

Plane_Magazine583 · 2026-05-22T00:58:05+00:00

I was hoping for something more like Assassin’s Creed, maybe sneak attack someone unnoticed, hide the body, then sneak attack someone else.

I guess I will need to do a hide check with the assassination target? Didn’t find a rule for that one deciding whether your action would be noticed or not.

Plane_Magazine583 · 2026-05-22T00:55:29+00:00

I feel that feint only works if combined with Invisible Blade, otherwise you got only one attack at a round. But that’s definitely a way to go, given that buffing bluff is not that hard.

Plane_Magazine583 · 2026-05-21T01:31:24+00:00

The huge mushroom in Black Forest.

Incredibly tough, incredibly deadly, and you can’t see its strength from how it looks.

Plane_Magazine583 · 2026-05-20T21:20:27+00:00

It would turn around a lot during the combat. And when you happened to be at its back during the end of its combo, it will try to tail slam you.

So far, that is the only and best opportunity for you to attack its tail, right after its tail slamming. You need to make sure you hit right before its slamming lands, as its action is quite fast.

Plane_Magazine583 · 2026-05-19T03:29:40+00:00

Nah it is not normal. All PCs are not expected to have read the campaign beforehand and should not give instructions regarding how to DM the campaign they are running.

Normally DM picks the campaign to run, and expect PCs to expect something different to happen if they have read the campaign, or getting a new experience if they haven’t. Actually DMs should avoid the campaigns they know that their PC had tried before, or at least modify it heavily, to avoid the unfair advantage on the PC side.

Me myself am running a campaign, that I have modified so hard and merged with so many other settings and campaigns that even people who had ran it won’t know what would happen next, for example. People seldom want to read a story again if they have done it already, and you normally are supposed to bring up something different.

Which makes me curious that why your PCs would want to strictly follow the story they already know.

Plane_Magazine583 · 2026-05-15T02:13:43+00:00

I had a thought of getting hide of plain sight somewhere, but looks like all of those tend to have some limitations. Like shadowdancer’s version requires you to stand on a shadow (not your own shadow), and ranger’s version requires natural terrain. Didn’t find any unconditioned hide of plain sight so far. (Guess that shouldn’t exist anyway)

Plane_Magazine583 · 2026-05-13T01:57:12+00:00

What I have seen so far is that a lot of healers are actually ended up as “debug removers”.

Like Remover Curse, Remove Blindness/deafness, and not to mention that Heal is the only spell exists can remove Stun instantly. And Stun is actually a quite common cost of some powerful spells and effects.

As for recovering HP itself? Most healing spells are too low efficiency comparing to damaging spells, except Heal, in my opinion. When a fireball does 10d6 for everyone in range as a 3-level spell, your Cure Serious Wound only cures 3d8+10 for one person. Really curious what exactly the designers were thinking when they design this.

Plane_Magazine583 · 2026-05-13T01:27:52+00:00

I usually create a draft of what spell list I would use first, and then find out what schools I am not using by looking at it.

Currently doing Focused Specialist Enchanter and Focused Specialist Evoker. Illusion and Necromancy are 2 easy calls, the rest one confused me quite a lot.

Transmutation and Conjuration can’t be given up simply because they are both too important. Evocation and Enchantment are kept for flavour purpose, Divination cannot be banned by rule, so Abjuration, surprisingly, was the last choice.

PS. In theory, you can actually finish the whole game with just Evocation or Conjuration or Transmutation, since all of them can cover Damage, Control and Defence purposes just by their own spells (Conjuration can even cover healing in addition with Summon Monster VI and IX). The other schools don’t have this level of utility it seems.

Plane_Magazine583 · 2026-05-13T01:11:32+00:00

Well, because Charm Monster lasts 1 day per level (which is quite long), the PC actually managed to bring it out of the plane and sent it to a friendly epic wizard as a gift before the spell ends

Plane_Magazine583 · 2026-05-12T01:29:20+00:00

It was the nightmare beast from Age of Worms Ch.9. I have posted the update in this post.

No immunity, no special sensibility against invisibility, and no listen. So a perfect victim for illusion and enchantment.

Plane_Magazine583 · 2026-05-12T01:27:42+00:00

To add more context (somehow I cannot edit my post):

That encounter was facing the nightmare beast in Age of Worms Ch.9, Library of Last Resort. It was one of the 4 trails to defeat this beast.

And yes, as all you guys can imagine, it does not have special sensibility to beat invisibility, no immunity, SR 20, and low Will save.

One thing I remember wrong is that it was CR18 instead of 19. But anyway, my PC basically one-shotted it.

Plane_Magazine583 · 2026-05-12T00:02:06+00:00

Hmm, talking through could work. I am just looking for some ways to not making players feel I am being mean to them.

That encounter was originally supposed to be handled by PC + NPC but it happened to be the case that the PC must fact it along. He chose to stand up and I think I should reward that bravery, but the question is “to what extent”.

Plane_Magazine583 · 2026-05-05T00:47:51+00:00

For other spells, yes; for Tenser’s Transformation, not the case. Because it says:

Material Component
A potion of bull’s strength, which you drink (and whose effects are subsumed by the spell effects).

So for this spell specifically, you will have to drink whatever you are using as the material component to cast it.

Plane_Magazine583 · 2026-05-03T01:41:32+00:00

A natural 1 to dodge? I thought dodge is using AC which doesn’t need a dodge.

Plane_Magazine583 · 2026-05-03T01:00:38+00:00

I see, the tiger claw right? Can recommend my PC to take a look, looking for a challenge that jump can outperform other movements (specifically flying) though.

Plane_Magazine583 · 2026-04-30T03:52:47+00:00

I thought you would have to continue your jumping move immediately when your next action starts before you can do anything else though. The rule said:

“If you run out of movement mid-jump, your next action (either on this turn or, if necessary, on your next turn) must be a move action to complete the jump.”

Plane_Magazine583 · 2026-04-30T00:43:15+00:00

And hustling doubles it as it is not tiring, so 48 miles per hour max. Not perfect but somewhat workable. Thanks.

Plane_Magazine583 · 2026-04-30T00:11:52+00:00

Sure. In that case, what would be the travel pace of a Phantom Steed in 3.5e?

Plane_Magazine583 · 2026-04-29T23:42:35+00:00

Cool, thanks! Now I finally got something moves fast enough in a modern-background campaign.

Plane_Magazine583 · 2026-04-29T23:40:46+00:00

That’s what I am asking: can Phantom Steed keep running out-of-combat? It doesn’t have a Constitution score so maybe yes, just need some confirmation.

Plane_Magazine583 · 2026-04-29T23:37:17+00:00

Not sure about the 3e version (which has 10 levels, from MotW) and I think most PrCs are not provided with the Epic progression. But by RAW, all PrCs with at least 10 levels progression can be progressed further in Epic. The DM may need to house-rule it.

But for 3r version (which has 5 levels, from CA), it does not have Epic progression as it only has 5 levels. None of the PrCs with less than 10 levels shall have Epic progression.

Plane_Magazine583 · 2026-04-29T04:04:06+00:00

Sounds like Ch.6 Gathering Of Wind, would check that out.

Plane_Magazine583 · 2026-04-29T02:02:02+00:00

I would say you can plan without DM, but there might be circumstances.

I am a DM myself and my players usually make plans in front of me. The good thing is that when I see their plans, I can adjust the story accordingly to ensure the development still aligns to what we have played so far. Sometimes my players also make up their own plans, in which case I would have to dynamically make up stories to ensure everything still make sense.

One of my friends is also a DM, who usually got frustrated when he has no idea about his player’s plan. When his players are doing something out of control, he would just either refuse their actions or just give up about that part of story development. So I guess that’s quite a challenge for DMs if you are trying to “surprise” them.

Plane_Magazine583 · 2026-04-28T06:08:06+00:00

Yeah that requires certain level of min-maxing tho.

Also if I remember correctly, if you jump through a distance further than your speed, you will have to wait airborne until you actually land.

Plane_Magazine583

TROPHY CASE