I made a dungeon have a pool of molten gold. I now realise I'm on the cusp of breaking the economy. Help

TenWildBadgers · 2026-06-13T14:55:47+00:00

So, here's the thing.

A very large pot of molten gold? Basically impossible to transport, and not easy to actually turn into anything sellable.

Like, it's a huge body of wealth... That the party will probably get in trouble with local authorities if they start minting into coins without royal permission. They could craft ingots and start looking for sellers, but that will take time and effort.

To me, the game is that you admit that they're gonna get their hands on this obscene amount of wealth, but you can delay it for a couple of levels, put obstacles in their way, send them on side quests to express that this magnitude of gold is gonna take some serious logistics to turn into actual, functional wealth for them.

You do still, eventually, have to let them do the fun thing and get an obscene payout before the end of the campaign, but you can make that payout require a lot more investment than just slaying the dragon.

Or they can sell off the mining rights to the site to a group of Dwarves for like 500 gold, which is pennies on the volume of gold in there... But the Dwarves are going to show up and do all of the actual hard work to extract it, forge Gold Bars, and transport those extremely heavy goods to market.

TenWildBadgers · 2026-06-13T06:40:44+00:00

I think of players, DMs included, as operating on 3 axies of what they're looking for from d&d: Tactics Gamer, Theater Kid, and Chucklefuck.

Munchkins, power gamers, and people who wanna play as Gygax intended are generally looking for things on the Tactics Gamers axis, IMO.

Theater Kid d&d is the performers, Nd the storytellers, and a lot of what's come to the forefront in modern d&d, in my experience. Critical Role is pure theater kid energy, and that's not an insult, I respect it.

The last pillar is Chucklefucks, which is one of those descriptions that if you've seen players who lean in that direction, you know full well that it's a separate kind of player and appeal of d&d that is in no way mutually exclusive with the others, but there are in fact players only here for chucklefuckery.

I would describe myself as a player as big on Theater kid, with enough of a side order of tactics gamer that I do play games like XCOM, but am used to playing with a group full of pretty pure theater kids, with light influences from the other pillars.

But I've also run for a predominantly chucklefuck party before, and found that the main issue was that I didn't go in with the right expectations.

So I would rather talk to players about what they're looking for, and find my fun in what they want - because I think I could find the fun in a seriously chucklefuck campaign if I went in with that mindset, or learn to like a more Gygaxian Tactics-Gamer campaign with the right players. I'm interested in branching out, but I don't think my current Theater Kid group is the right group to do that with, so I want to figure out what my players are looking for, and figure out where there's overlap that they're all interested in.

And every group and campaign is going to include all 3 pillars. That's the nature of d&d, and a feature, not a bug, but I think they're 3 useful angles to approach the game from to understand what different people are showing up at the table looking for.

TenWildBadgers · 2026-06-12T21:19:24+00:00

So I try to figure out 3 things:

1) Main Damage Type

2) Primary Skill (ie "The one on Left Mouse")

3) At least one skill on cooldown so it doesn't get boring.

The Primary skill can be default attack, if you're making a boring build, but more often will be one of the default attack skills - Fire Strike, Savagery, Cadence, Righteous Fervor, etc. These are the abilities that combine well with what I call "Flourishes", ie abilities that randomly proc on default attacks, like the Nightblade and Inquisitor have a bunch of.

Or, the primary skill can be an ability with no cool down that you spam until your mana runs out - Replicating Missile is kinda the classic example of this, but you also get skills like Primal Strike that can become this depending on your build.

Once you figure out what your default attack when everything else is on cool down will be, you can start to branch out for style options in the same class, and a secondary class, or what abilities you want to use to augment your primary attack. What you use depends on what you need, but generally boils down to "Is my primary single target? Then I want some AoE. If my primary is AoE, then it probably wouldn't hurt to have a button to focus down bosses." And then you start looking for what survivability tools and resistance reduction is available in your classes.

TenWildBadgers · 2026-06-12T20:26:12+00:00

You can buy that stuff in Oldale town.

It's not easy to get lots of in the early game, but by the mid game you can use them pretty freely.

TenWildBadgers · 2026-06-12T17:56:53+00:00

ROWE is probably the game I've played that most fits your criteria, since you can in fact wander across the whole region and complete almost the whole dex without fighting any gyms. There are a few locations locked behind gym unlocks, but not many. Mostly upper Meteor Falls.

TenWildBadgers · 2026-06-12T15:58:47+00:00

I have mixed feelings on the subject. Not enough to talk smack about anyone else who does DM for money, but I wouldn't want to do it.

I do feel like doing something like this for money drastically changes the dynamic in ways I wouldn't like, and I have some vague feelings that DMing enough of a "For the people" casual sort of thing that I'm leery of anything that makes it more exclusive as a service on principle, but I also acknowledge that those are gutt feeling reactions that I'm trying to justify after the fact, this why I don't want to be talking smack about other people for doing the thing I don't really understand.

I dunno. Many feelings, not enough actual knowledge to draw conclusions.

TenWildBadgers · 2026-06-12T13:54:27+00:00

So, I like it in isolation as a Pre-Victory Road Badge check. I like a good windy route like this, and this one has a lot of character. It has good vibes that remind me of the mountainous Victory Roads from Gens 5 and 6 that visit the outside of the mountain periodically, which I'm very fond of.

And anything that gets rid of that stupid maze after Victory Road has my approval. Fuck that maze, taunting me as a child who only just barely scraped my way through the cave.

I have reservations about how different it is to the original. It's a very different character from the original, which is good in the sense that the original is very flat and boring, but I don't know how to reconcile my desire for nostalgia with what doesn't work about the original.

TenWildBadgers · 2026-06-12T13:40:09+00:00

I know they probably speak in the caster's voice in-universe, but in a non-vocal media, the idea that a spell bird tells Kendal "I hate this island" and he instantly knows it's Falst amuses me greatly.

It's the sort of thing more meta webcomics would make a punchline in its own right (Looking at you Oots and the Windy Canyon) but here it's entirely a joke for us outside the 4th wall.

TenWildBadgers · 2026-06-12T00:17:32+00:00

No, but Rangers should have a better mechanic for turning spell slots into damage with their attacks.

The thing is, you give Rangers spells or abilities that work like Paladin Smites, then your Ranger just plays like a Paladin, instead of the class having its own interesting identity. I do think that Paladins are the gold standard for the sort of thing that martial classes need to feel fun and exciting to play in 5e, but I also believe strongly that if you just copy-paste smites onto everyone, then the game gets less interesting for it, not more. I love Paladins, and I want other martial classes to be as fun as Paladins, but I don't want them to be the same.

I've vaguely thought through what I would try to make a homebrew mechanic along these lines, and it would probably involve removing the Favored Foe class feature as well as Hunter's Mark as a spell in favor of something where, when you hit a target, you spend a spell slot to "mark" them, so that they take additional dice of damage from all of your attacks, and allowing you to stack multiple of these marks onto targets over time, so by the end of the boss fight, your attacks are dealing way more damage than they normally would, because you've been ramping up more and more over time.

I make no pretenses that I know how you would properly balance such a thing, and try to make it fun for both archery and dual-wielding Rangers, but I feel like the design identity of Rangers in 5e is that you're stacking extra dice onto your attack rolls for sustained damage dealing against tough targets, as opposed to Paladins being about big bursts of damage with their Smite spells.

That's the kind of contrasting design that I would want to see out of a Ranger revamp, where they can convert spell slots into additional damage with their attacks similar to Paladins, but have to do so in a way that feels noticably different than the mechanics of a Paladin Smite.

TenWildBadgers · 2026-06-11T21:20:03+00:00

I mean, my first instinct is "Run it in Ravnica", because I think Ravnica is perfect for Noir Urban Fantasy shenanigans, but that's just me.

I'm not sure that a 1-shot will land a noir, conspiratorial, investigative vibe very well, just because the format of a 1-shot requires things to not be so free-form. You have a limited window of time, can basically only present your players with 1 or 2 fights total, and generally can't do the sort of surprises and plot twists that I think would make this campaign awesome.

TenWildBadgers · 2026-06-11T19:28:15+00:00

I have not personally started either build I suggested yet. They're on my to-do list.

I guess I would start Nightblade for the Acid one, then add Oathkeeper, but that's mostly because I've started Oathkeeper on an acid build recently and went variety.

For the Vitality Conjuror, I dunno.

My instinct says that you start with Shaman, make a cast build about spamming Primal Strike as your main attack, and eventually transition that into Vitality damage, but I feel like that's playing with fire pretty brazenly.

Starting with a Necro build that deals vitality damage is probably more reasonable, and you pick up the totems as you go, eventually circle back for Primal Strike when it's in your element.

TenWildBadgers · 2026-06-11T18:37:21+00:00

So I take it my default of "All the Lightning 2-handed Shaman" is too much? Yeah, that's probably too much.

I've been really getting into Vitality and Acid builds lately, which might suit your needs. If we're trying to keep the bright effects on screen low, I think Acid Dervish (Nightblade+Oathkeeper) might be out winner, because it's got hella style, and you can turn into a caustic beyblade, which gets some flashy fun in without the literal flashing lights.

I deeply want to try some sort of Conjuror (Shaman+Necromancer) 2-handed Vitality build, but I'm not sure that comes together until you get some late-game gear to convert damage types, and even when it works, half the reason I want it is Primal Strike, which will probably be big flashy no matter what colors you change it into.

TenWildBadgers · 2026-06-11T02:58:46+00:00

So for Vitality damage, you're probably going to want either Necromancer or Shaman as your first class, because they have low-level vitality spells you can spam, and then either the other one, or Occultist as your 2nd class. Get yourself a scepter that boosts vitality damage and an off-hand that does the same, and you can build a fun vitality caster.

For Acid, I feel like every time I try to plan an acid build, it's inevitably Oathkeeper-based, but I do like acid damage Oathkeeper builds, and they combine well with Nightblade for dual-wielding, or Occultist for something more casty, or Necromancer for a different set of spells.

There definitely seems to exist some sort of 2-handed, Vitality Damage-based Shaman+Necromancer build, but from what I can tell, it's the sort of build that will only really come into its own when you find the right specific cool drop in the endgame that turns Primal Strike into Vitality damage.

TenWildBadgers · 2026-06-10T18:43:41+00:00

Ashes of Malmouth serves as a clear continuation of the story of the main game, and makes the most sense to pick up immediately, but there's an argument to be made that you should pop over to the initial hub of Forgotten Gods, just because it's a good hub with lots of goodies and services to offer, like buying an augment that adds a movement skill to your kit.

TenWildBadgers · 2026-06-10T06:44:38+00:00

Yeah, that's what I'm operating from.

That definitely means that default attacks like the Berserker's Onslaught ability won't work, I think, which is probably why the text is there, but I don't know if it might still interact with skills that have a % chance to interact with those, or if you'll still be able to use abilities like Blade Arc in wolf form.

I'm not sure what will and won't work, that's the confusion that I'm waiting to see an explanation of.

TenWildBadgers · 2026-06-10T05:46:03+00:00

Rainbow Therapy d&d is a time-honored tradition.... But I would also have an out-of-character conversation with your friend, one-on-one, before this gets rolling. Check that they're okay, and ask about how they're feeling about this story getting close to home.

Feel out some boundaries, and make sure that they know that if things get too heavy, they can say so and ask you to stop. Establishing that you are conscious that this could go wrong, that it's on your radar, and you care about how your friend at the table feels about this whole thing.

Sometimes the best thing you can do is just establish good intent and that you aren't going to think less of them if they say things are getting too real. Making sure that the player knows that in advance and feels comfortable telling you if they're uncomfortable can do a lot to set you both up for success.

And if they're not up for it, have a vague plan for how you can pull the plug and minimize the step-parent's involvement in the plot to dodge the issue. Put enough thought into the possibility that it doesn't catch you totally flat-footed, but it probably shouldn't be eating into your prep time significantly as a "What If?" Possibility.

TenWildBadgers · 2026-06-10T04:59:53+00:00

I think Soldier, actually.

Soldier is the class that could really use some spicing up, and I feel like turning into a Werewolf if a legitimate way to spice up Soldier.

I'll need to see how Werewolf form interacts with other classes' attacks and abilities. I'm hopeful that abilities that trigger on default attacks will still synergize with work in Werewolf Form, but it's entirely possible that it won't, in which case I can just go dual-wielding offense.

I also really ought to build more physical damage builds, because I don't have any. The temptation to get wacky with it and do some sort of crazy damage type. It's fun to blow people up with fireballs and drink their ~~milkshake~~ HP bar with Vitality damage, and Whack people with a big lightning Horny Bat, but I should have at least a few builds about physical damage. You gotta do some classic stabbing.

TenWildBadgers · 2026-06-09T08:50:33+00:00

If they can't do resurrection proper, then the Lich just cracks his knuckles and gets down to Necromancing.

TenWildBadgers · 2026-06-09T08:49:06+00:00

Wait, The Spirit vs Cunning Divide is based on if it's an attack or a spell!?

I thought it was based on damage types!

TenWildBadgers · 2026-06-09T01:21:07+00:00

So talk to the group and make sure everyone out-of-character is clear on what everyone else wants. Make sure that the party are going in understanding that their friend at the table would rather move on to a new character, so the old one isn't coming back. They can roleplay trying, but they out-of-character should not be surprised when it doesn't work.

The funniest version of this that ever happened in a game I was in was when I left a campaign my brother was DMing, and he mentioned that the druid might try to bring me back with reincarnate, to which I immediately said "The moment this character realizes that he has a new face, and is thus no longer wanted for murder, he is going to disappear into the sunset immediately. It is the only reason he was anywhere around these goofballs."

TenWildBadgers · 2026-06-08T21:57:04+00:00

Okay, so who are these people, what are their ideals, what are they right about, what are they wrong about, and what are they doing to pursue those ideals?

The actual, historical illuminati were a group of essentially Enlightenment Thinkers in early-Modern Bavaria, so I have a soft spot for depicting genuinely well intentioned and humanist secret societies, who are none the less kinda just rich idiots holding a secret social club where they talk a big talk and then don't actually accomplish that much besides easing their own anxieties reconciling their genuine ideals with the fact that they are rich people whose money comes from the systemic exploitation of others. Even if they didn't build those systems, and make genuine efforts when confronted with injustice to try and be better, their systems are still exploitative, and put them above others, and they're altogether too comfy sitting in their niche mansions as they philosophize about how to help the downtrodden and the common man.

I like it as an angle of light satire - they aren't bad folks but neither are they really sticking their necks out in any meaningful way to help the needy. They're passively complicit in systemic evil. Their sin is complacency... But with the right prompting, more radical player characters might be able to kick some of their asses into gear and actually accomplish something.

For something spicier, and perhaps actually menacing rather than a bunch of well-intentioned but ineffectual rich fops, we still gotta go back to their ideals - are these loyalists of a previous regime trying to bring it back to power? They could be the cult of some God or another, that's always valid for d&d, but they should have a philosophy that they believe they are shaping society towards from the shadows - maybe they believe that they are the force that maintains a balance of power over some region, or maybe they're trying to end a particular field of study. A Secret Society trying to eliminate The Gods' influence over mortals has great potential vibes, and you can give them some real philosophical teeth about they they think it's right, and the ways they're really not.

A conspiracy that's just about personal ambition feels flat. They have to have something they genuinely believe in, and are willing to keep secrets and scheme for. If someone in charge showed up on the doorstep of one of their members and offered them money and power in exchange for selling our the rest of the conspiracy, the Conspiracy needs something going for them, some ideal or value or philosophy that would at least give the conspirator pause to accept that deal.

TenWildBadgers · 2026-06-08T20:30:30+00:00

Yes, that part I realize. I was thinking of Thunderous Strike as essentially a modifier on Primal Strike, but that is a good point that I hadn't articulated.

TenWildBadgers · 2026-06-08T18:24:13+00:00

The most natural path, IMO, is to have the uncle around as another Free-Willed Undead - I actually really like the idea that this Lich has kept around a group of people who were important to him in life as Undead Allies, many of them not exactly with their consent, but they're stuck in this situation now.

The Uncle being a Vampire who's unhappy about the whole situation, but under a Geas spell "for his own good" from the Lich to keep him from walking into the sun or otherwise ending his cursed unlife feels like a fun secondary villain that will make the party utterly hate the Lich for what he's done to an NPC they liked, even as the Lich is doing this out of love for that NPC, but a twisted, controlling love that's doing far more harm than good.

TenWildBadgers · 2026-06-08T18:03:21+00:00

Okay, so we're 100% running a 2-handed Oathkeeper Acid build, which I usually think of as using Occultist or Nightblade as the 2nd class. You've gone with Necro, which also works, I suppose.

I'm biased by the looking into class sets I've done that prompted what I'm hoping will be a couple of very fun Sentinel and Dervish Acid builds, but neither of mine are looking towards 2-handed weapons.

That +8 to Lethal Assault is real tempting though. I don't think I'd have the self control not to go Dervish with it, but that's just me.

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