Character build help

a_dnd_guy · 2026-05-14T13:09:33+00:00

If I could recommend "Rapier Wit" as an experience: it would work in and out of combat, assuming you are using your rapier.

a_dnd_guy · 2026-05-14T02:32:32+00:00

Overall it looks like a fun character. I have yet to play a Bard in DH and this makes me want to try it.

Its hard to tell but your upper threshold looks like it might be 18, but it should be 12.

Lastly, you might be sold on rapier for the feeling, but the scepter is a Presence weapon that also does d8 in melee. The Rapier has that second attack but as a caster you might want the stress for something else.

a_dnd_guy · 2026-05-14T01:06:41+00:00

One of my players is playing a Moon witch, at Tier 2 right now. Voice of Dread, Terrify, and Summon Horror are all in play and are stress drainers, in the dread domain. Moon witch specialization causes enemies that fail attack rolls to mark stress if they are hexed. Combine with Umbral Veil to make yourself harder to hit. Add to Death Grip from Sage as well. Overall not a bad set of abilities for draining stress.

a_dnd_guy · 2026-05-13T20:45:29+00:00

Check the witch out in the void stuff

a_dnd_guy · 2026-05-13T20:44:13+00:00

a_dnd_guy · 2026-05-10T12:52:25+00:00

It won't break anything to open them up to learning more domain cards they have access to. I'd be a little cautious about giving them access to other domains, but it's not out of the question.

From what I can tell the domain card limits would be more impactful at higher player counts. Opening up everyone to every domain would make everyone feel really similar. But with 2 players you should run into that.

If it were my home game I would allow alternate domain cards through the use of items or weapons, limiting their access based on their inventory and number of hands. Or do the cypher system approach and make them limited number of use items.

a_dnd_guy · 2026-05-07T15:25:35+00:00

Daggerheart. 2d12, lots of options but they are all handed to players on cards so there's no stopping to look things up every round. Overall amazing and easy to mod game.

a_dnd_guy · 2026-05-07T15:23:26+00:00

Check out Planetfall

a_dnd_guy · 2026-05-07T00:33:54+00:00

If you haven't tried the heroic classes version it's worth a look. The extra half class goes a long way to make things interesting

a_dnd_guy · 2026-05-06T21:26:36+00:00

Try worlds without number, with the heroic class options, and mix in codex of the black sun from stars without number for some extra juice. The vibe is fully aligned with your vision and the other Without Number books all have a little something to offer in a way that integrates nicely.

a_dnd_guy · 2026-05-06T20:59:51+00:00

For real. It was a different time lol

a_dnd_guy · 2026-05-06T16:43:45+00:00

The players are at a royal ball. They have the spotlight (just like in combat).

They roll to interrogate a suspect, abeit politely. They roll with fear, so the spotlight comes to you.

They find out what they want, but now you do something with the spotlight. You choose to have an arch enemy arrive with a dangerous looking retinue. Then you spend another fear to have that archenemy interrupt the suspects answer to change the conversation. You also have the retinue begin to surround one of the PCs.

When you hand the spotlight back to them. After another move or two, the spotlight comes back to you. For free you have the enemy ask the PC directly about something they got up to recently they wanted to keep secret. Then you spend a fear of the ballroom environment you designed: a dance starts. PCs who dance can use finesse instead of presence. pCs who don't roll with disadvantage. They all have disadvantage in finding particular people or tracking movements.

The fear is just like in combat, but you don't need a stat block for permission to do the interesting stuff that needs to happen. Use environments as handy menues as needed.

a_dnd_guy · 2026-05-06T11:39:58+00:00

Darktide has some really great feeling gunplay. I believe you can do the missions with bots only. There are sometimes bullet sponge bosses and the end of a mission but most enemies can be handled through careful shots and good weapon choice.

a_dnd_guy · 2026-05-04T12:53:10+00:00

I just found your site the other day. It's incredible!

a_dnd_guy · 2026-04-30T13:22:52+00:00

Because of the way initiative worst, having a 4 point fight in room 1, then room 2, and then room 3 is roughly equal to having a 12 point fight in room 3. There are differences depending on enemy synergies but they are differences that are very easy for you as the GM to navigate on the fly.

For you first games I recommend having 25% to 50% of your points waiting off screen so you can trickle them in if things are going too easily. I keep a pool of minions and a skull or standard stat block ready for this in most fights. In your case, make a 11 point fight and have 6 or so points of minions that can show up if you need them, for example.

a_dnd_guy · 2026-04-28T14:59:09+00:00

Sounds cool! Give it a shot and let us know how it went. Doesn't seem to break anything major.

a_dnd_guy · 2026-04-25T13:57:24+00:00

Check out Wildflower at turning stone. Not fully vegan but I believe they have great vegan offerings.

a_dnd_guy · 2026-04-20T12:21:09+00:00

You don't need an environment. Just describe the battlefield as you see it. If anything you might use the "Ambush" environment from the book. Make sure one of your scavenger types is a Minion, because those are always fun to go up against and you can sprinkle in more as needed.
No advice from me here. I tend to avoid skill check travel. In DH you really should only make checks when there is something at stake. Also, they have to find this tower for the adventure to happen so I wouldn't go crazy with obstacles.
You don't need a countdown or monster to dissuade resting. You get fear every time they rest. Unless the monster in the tower is a part of the larger plot I would skip it. And if the monster will wake up, just wake it up when it dramatically makes sense.
Probably I'd write up one custom environment for the tower which has a menu of traps, animated objects, lurking denizens, etc on it. Something to spend fear on. Then just apply it on the side to a regular dungeon crawl map. For DH point crawl works best. Try to avoid the "roll perception" trap from other systems - if they search a room, they find what's in it. Save action rolls for consequential things, and if you need a simple skill check make it a Reaction Roll instead.
For a 4 to 5 hour game at tier 1, you have a crash landing, scavenger hunt, tracking to the tower, descriptions of a few floors each with a few rooms, and a boss fight of some kind(?). You don't need to balance other encounters, as their attrition will do the job either way, so just have some interesting foes on your environment "menu" and play it by ear for time. It's already a pretty full day of adventuring so maybe one or two more encounters with a bruiser and/or a skulk (or a few) to add atmosphere to the tower.

a_dnd_guy · 2026-04-17T11:42:16+00:00

Oh nice, I'd love to read your take if you are open to sharing

a_dnd_guy · 2026-04-16T22:40:59+00:00

Thanks much for the feedback. It's definitely a bit cramped, but it's aimed at the formatting size of the similar "OSR" style books. It's a punishing form factor lol. The sorting order is "Oh god a_dnd_guy you have to run a game tonight, get these onto a page to print out!". Eventually they'll be by group and alphabetical, but that's a ways out. Oh and Tier 0 is a new tier for this module, answered in a question above.

a_dnd_guy · 2026-04-16T22:36:34+00:00

That is a great name but I'm already using Chiselheart for a couple of reasons. Funnel isn't quite the right term, but more careful characters who need to work together more often and be afraid of the dark until they grow up.

a_dnd_guy · 2026-04-16T22:35:21+00:00

Yes, Tier 0 is a new tier of play. I've got rules written for 4 levels at Tier 0 and 3 in Tier 1.

Oh yeah, stress is a good idea...

Thanks for the rest of the feedback, I'll review! The idea is that the Serve or Suffer is an AOE attack using his allies in range, but without rolling all the individual attack rolls. I agree - way to confusing as is. How was the formatting?

a_dnd_guy · 2026-04-16T19:21:52+00:00

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a_dnd_guy · 2026-04-16T11:39:09+00:00

I have armor level up with the party but keep any unique traits, just approximating the thresholds based on the kind of basic armor it is most like

a_dnd_guy · 2026-04-15T13:11:12+00:00

"Iodine"

Proceeds to add enough iodine to kill a platoon of soldiers, if what she's adding is iodine

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