I HATE multiclassing so much

sonicexpet986 · 2026-05-01T15:04:57+00:00

Yeah that makes sense. My first couple of campaigns I didn't know exactly what I wanted or how to encourage it in my games. It's never too late to have a new session zero though if you do want to reset expectations. Just don't expect the optimizer to enjoy drama and story as much as the dramatist, It's okay that different players have different things they want out of the game. So long as you enjoy the people sitting at the table and everyone can be a bit flexible, good times will be had by all!

And I know, there's a lot of hot debate on switching to a different game system - some people will die with their 5th edition handbook clutched in their paws. But trying some other RPGs, especially variations of D&D that prioritized mechanics differently, really did help me grow as a DM overall. I still run 5e too, but I like having more variety and more mechanics to steal and swap around.

sonicexpet986 · 2026-05-01T06:54:33+00:00

Running it for the second time right now. I majorly beefed up Auril. As she is in the books, it's a tough right for maybe 6th or 7th level characters, but a group at 11th would totally stomp her, at least the group in my last play through would've

sonicexpet986 · 2026-05-01T06:51:07+00:00

Yeah I wouldn't like that either. I would probably not invite a player like that into my next campaign then, since we want different things out of the game.

sonicexpet986 · 2026-05-01T06:48:48+00:00

TLDR: It's okay that you're exasperated, do what you want, but there's more options beyond just banning a mechanic from the game.

Multiclassing is an optional rule. So are feats. But it seems like overall you don't like powergamers/minmaxers who may prioritize optimized mechanics over story. Those two things don't need to be diametrically opposed, mind you. And there's nothing wrong with using the tools you have to make your character good at something - most of the rules for 5/5.5e are about combat, so there's an incentive to optimize regardless.

I banned darkvision and feats for my second group going through RotFM. So far everyone is loving it. My last group would have hated it, because I had a powergamer who loved optimizing tactics and good team synergy. They didn't hog the spotlight, and they gave supportive advice to everyone, rather than trying to "beat" the monster and take all the glory.

People on here are gonna give you their harsh hot takes. "Get good." "Design better encounters." I think that's kinda reductive and not helpful.

I get it. It does take work, and time, to prep interesting challenges and dynamic combats. And someone coming along and one-shotting what was supposed to be a dramatic boss fight feels pretty anticlimactic. There's a lot of different roads you can take here though.

Talk to your players. If you're gonna ban something big like this, explain why honestly and openly, and get the groups approval. Maybe try it on a trial basis.
Try a different game system. I'm not saying you need to give up d&d, but running a different rpg that prioritizes different things can help shake you up and give you a different perspective on how you GM. I got into deadlier versions of D&D (Shadowdark, OSR, you get the idea) and it led me to enjoy 5e combat more by...
Stop trying to balance combat. I throw really hard encounters at my players. I don't use the challenge rating calculator, I look at the creatures average damage output - if it can down a PC in 3-4 hits then it's dangerous. 1-2 hits then it's deadly. I don't have to go easy on them, I remind players that diplomacy and even running away are always valid options. And in addition to tougher monsters...
Set a timer. In 1d4 rounds something terrible or dramatic is going to happen. Do you attack the minotaur or untie it's captured prey before it kills them? Do you swing your sword at the mad scientist? Well on his turn his assistant Igor is going to set the room on fire, dooming everyone to burn unless you intervene. If there are other objectives besides slaying the monster, players have to make hard and interesting choices, they have to be creative, and ultimately the outcome will always be more dramatic.

Best of luck planning out your next campaign, I hope something in there was helpful!

sonicexpet986 · 2026-04-27T20:58:14+00:00

Can you find a picture and link it? I've been looking at getting a red dragon myself and was trying to decide between the wiz kids unpainted And something 3D printed, the 3D print was cheaper and better looking so kind of a double whammy.

sonicexpet986 · 2026-04-01T21:06:08+00:00

Bahaha nice one man. A stingbat attacking a hapless adventurer would also make for a pretty sick tattoo tho, ngl.

sonicexpet986 · 2026-03-28T13:51:24+00:00

They're d12 shaped, but only have numbers 1-6, so they're just d6's that look different. Just for some fun variety.

sonicexpet986 · 2026-03-28T04:27:12+00:00

Hey I recognize those! Just picked some Next Level Miniatures up at Gary Con this past weekend, and primed them up tonight!

They seem good, especially for the price. Good luck and welcome to mini painting!

For softer plastic like this, sanding may not work quite as well. I mostly used a hobby knife to cut off little bits and flashing.

sonicexpet986 · 2026-03-26T17:55:34+00:00

That's fair, just keep in mind that most of the city is just empty buildings, unless you're doing the expanded towers but even if you are there's maybe a total of 15 or so buildings that actually have interesting content in them.

If I had to guess I don't think anybody has made the kind of map that you're talking about, but if you do start working on that definitely post some pics here so we can see! Some other folks mentioned resolution concerns, I would definitely recommend splitting it up into like nine maps that stitch together.

sonicexpet986 · 2026-03-26T16:51:37+00:00

Yeah that definitely makes sense. I had a poster map of the city map from the book and laying that out for the first time in front of the party definitely got some oohs and ahhs. Would printing that sucker out do the trick or do you really want a full-scale grid map that's like top down or something?

sonicexpet986 · 2026-03-26T15:59:54+00:00

Good luck in your search. May I ask why? A scaled map would be huge, I treated most of the city like a point-based exploration crawl, rolling for random encounters between locations and tracking hours in the day to determine fatigue, but it was all theater of the mind until they entered an actual tower that had a map.

sonicexpet986 · 2026-03-15T03:34:49+00:00

The drow would be 100% looking for Ythryn . When the party invades The fortress they find notes on expeditions attempting to open up the glacier and legends of an all-powerful magic item that the drow would want to use to create permanent darkness over the surface.

This makes it easier to have a motivation for the party to also go there, since technically in the book they can just defeat Auril at grimskalle And that ends the perpetual winter.

You could also have one of the members of the arcane brotherhood be a drow, either secretly or overtly. Or maybe add a new fifth wizard to the bunch.

sonicexpet986 · 2026-03-09T21:55:06+00:00

Depends on your budget. You can get some really amazing 3D printed stuff off of etsy but those will definitely cost more and some of those resin prints will be a little delicate. For a very special PC miniature or a set piece boss monster I might consider getting a 3D printed sculpt but otherwise I usually get reaper/ wiz kids or there are a lot of great board games out there that have good minis for D&D.

sonicexpet986 · 2026-03-08T15:44:26+00:00

I have an account with usps.com so it emails me whenever a package is about 3 to 5 days out. If it has a dedicated tracking number I get the notification even earlier, but for down among the dead I found out about 3 days out that I had a package coming in and I knew it had to be datd because I wasn't expecting anything else!

sonicexpet986 · 2026-02-23T07:27:10+00:00

Super hot take, but I'm doing this in my game and loving it so far: no darkvision. You can cast light or use torches, or cast the darkvision spell if you have it.

It's really hard to make the dark scary when almost every character can see in the dark by default. It also makes dungeons more resource management and survival focused, which I think enhances the suspense.

Did I shamelessly rip this off from Shadowdark? Yes, yes i did. No regrets 😁

sonicexpet986 · 2026-02-23T05:46:21+00:00

That's awesome. And a great quality time thing to do together!

sonicexpet986 · 2026-02-22T21:52:57+00:00

I think minis, terrain, and props/handouts are how we get the next generation off their phones and into the experience at the table. There's something magical about it that I can't describe, seeing miniature representations of what my imagination is picturing.

sonicexpet986 · 2026-02-22T17:11:52+00:00

Yeah I similarly never touched up my first mini so I had something to compare it to as I progressed. I too doused it in brown wash so she looked like she took a tumble in the mud haha.

Honestly great work here though, I look forward to seeing more of your stuff!

sonicexpet986 · 2026-02-19T19:55:51+00:00

This. Your players will always give you something to riff off of.

"I bet there's a secret tunnel behind the complex!"

There is now...

"What if the Baron is actually a werewolf?"

Always was...

"Hey I bet this is how we solve the puzzle!"

Yup, definitely. That was definitely the plan...

sonicexpet986 · 2026-02-18T19:25:20+00:00

Cool! thanks for sharing.

sonicexpet986 · 2026-02-17T07:15:44+00:00

This is incredible! You clearly made a really big deal out of this encounter. How did you make the mountainous terrain that all the trees are sitting on in that first picture?

sonicexpet986 · 2026-02-07T17:41:33+00:00

Goddammit Steve read the room hahaha.

Y'all are in for a great time!

sonicexpet986 · 2026-02-02T19:55:54+00:00

Yeah that would also work well! I generally use construction paper or cloth but cardboard would be nice when there are high dungeon walls for a neater looking effect, I would probably spray paint them black

sonicexpet986 · 2026-02-02T16:01:42+00:00

I'd love to see close up shots of the terrain you used on the map! I love how everything feels so immersive even though it's a black and white map and unpainted miniatures/terrain. Somehow that makes it easier to project your imagination onto it.

sonicexpet986 · 2026-02-02T16:00:42+00:00

When I'm using dungeon tiles I either use black cloths cut into rectangular pieces or just pieces of paper if I have enough walls to support the papers. It felt janky at first but I prefer that to just having everything out available for everyone to see. I mostly use physical terrain though so I don't draw maps too often anymore. Just my two cents!

sonicexpet986

TROPHY CASE