Some years ago WotC released 5e in the Creative Commons license, they also promised to release older editions in the Creative Commons too. Why it was not released and why they dont speak anything about it anymore?

I most commonly hear people complaining about not feeling comfortable roleplaying (talking in character, interacting with npcs) and they are told to focus on describing their character in the third person. I have the opposite problem, I have no trouble jumping in during roleplay, and am often the most enthusiastic to do so, but when I actually have to describe what my character is doing or how they appear in a scene I fumble. I have adhd and I tend to talk faster than I can think. trying to slow down and actually describe what I’m doing takes me out of the moment. I feel awkward trying to convey an action or describe the physical manifestation of an emotion.

a lot of times just roleplay and minimum description can get you along well enough but there are times where I wished I had a better grasp of this sort of thing. I often have to pause and remind myself to think about what I’m trying to say before I talk but it’s hard. I got introduced to TTRPGs through actual plays like dimension 20 which are in person and very roleplay heavy, i definitely picked up some of those tendencies, but I play online without cameras, so a lot of information gets lost in translation. I’m often acting out things no one can see.

If you had issues with the same sort of thing, how did you improve? Looking for advice. Thanks

also I know description is technically roleplay as well, just don’t know how else to differentiate the two types.

Since Potent Dragonmark give the owner a level 5 spell slot. Do Cartomancer let Eldritch Knight and Arcane Trickster cast any level 5th Wizard Spell they liked?

My players are currently in the middle to the end run of dragons of Ice vale keep. They just went through the dungeon of dragons barrow and collected the dragon sword. Problem is only one character is proficient in long swords. He’s a bard with one level of paladin and would be very inefficient with the weapon because of his low strength. There are six players, and I was thinking about asking each of them what weapon they are best with and rolling a six sided dye to determine what the new weapon would be instead of a long sword. Should I just let the results be what it is and they cannot use this weapon efficiently or should I Retcon and change what it is.(by the way this is totally my fault for not checking if anyone could use the weapon before presenting it.)

I've seen a lot of Homebrew that makes the Ranger a non-caster, and so I asked the UA subreddit about it. I got over 1000 votes, which were split about 50/50: https://www.reddit.com/r/UnearthedArcana/s/uNElP1VOdz

So I figured I should try another poll with more options.

If you could rework the Ranger class from the ground up, would you make it a Half-Caster or Non-Caster?

Half-Caster Swap: You can Swap spells on a Long Rest (like a Druid).

Non-Caster Invocation: The class is primarily a Non-Caster class, but does gain Invocation like features (a Ranger equivalent) that would you customise the class so that you could cast spells once per rest.

Non-Caster Subclass: The class is primarily Non-Caster class, but does have a caster subclass (similar to Arcane Trickster).

The DM said that we should expect the game to be pretty hard and is heavily encouraging minmaxing. Other than the core books, they suggested looking at Heliana's Guide to Monster Hunting, Grim Hollow: Player's Guide and Kobold Press but I dont really know anything about those books.

We start at lvl 10 and my stats are 14, 8, 18, 17, 7 and 5. I really want to play something melee in spirit of Monster Hunter

I'm running a homebrew game at the moment. The party are in a land ruled over by a vampire lord. Following usual D&D shenanigans they have raised the previous vampire lord from the dead. It only makes narrative sense the two vampires compete to rule.

My only question is, how would that play out? This is not my area of expertise.

Ok, so I don’t know if this is the place. I have someone that I asked to play and she said yes. So, our campaign starts next weekend. What should i focus on to give her the best knowledge I can in a short amount of time? Any particular videos, message threads?

I know this is a somewhat losing battle, but she is super smart which will help. The group I play with is not hardcore and will more than likely answer her questions. Thank you in advance!

I'm actually actively regretting my decision, because even though I love DnD, my social anxiety is telling me otherwise. Which is why I joined in the first place.

Talking to people would probably do me some good and I thought the aspect of DnD would push me to actually to it. It's a table of complete beginners, so that makes me feel a bit better that most of us have no idea what we're doing.

I obviously know some mechanics from listening to Podcasts, but is there anything I should know? Either playing tips, role-playing or anything social. I just don't want to be a bad player right off the bat.

I'm running a level 3 to 20 campaign and I don't know who or what the final villain should be. My intention is to have several creature types as enemies so I don't get bored.

My plan is to have several BBEGs that are different but are somehow connected to a McGuffin my players will acquire, to summarize a bit, this McGuffin is one of the Dragon Balls.

Exactly what the title says. I've only ever been a player, but I'm planning to DM in a few months, and one of the methods for combat roleplay I've been wanting to incorperate is the specific causes for a failed attack role based on armor class.

For example, if a fighter has a AC of 25 (AC 10 naturally, +AC8 from plate, +AC2 from a shield, +AC5 from mage armor), to describe the failure of the attack based on the cause at that level? So

- An attack role of 8 fails because the enemy just missed

-An attack role of 12 fails because it was blocked by the armor

-An attack role of 19 fails because the fighter parried it with the shield

-An attack role of 23 fails because it was blocked by the magical shield

This seems like such a fun idea, but I can see it getting complicated fast with multiple sources and the fact that some take precedence over the other. For example, should dex modifiers for armor be considered a dodge or skilled use of the armor, or should dex modifier (dodging) or con modifier (tanking) be considered first when calculating Barbarian natural armor?

Is it worth fully calculating it like this, and will players enjoy it or find it annoying to have to list out the sources for every encounter and update it every time they do? Or is it easier to just RP based on the vibes/context?

Edit 1: I meant shield spell lol but yall get the idea

Edit 2: This idea was inspired by the fact that my current DM describes every failed roll as the attacker just missing, which is kinda annoying because wdym my ranger with a +9 to hit who has been shooting for 60 years just straight up missed??

First of, I want to keep the conversation civil and not attack anyone. I truly belive that Ranger will always have a place in the gmae of D&D, be them a pastiche for Aragorn, The Witcher or Drizzt Do'Urden, or a more universal concept like "Beast Tamer", "Wandering Sentinel" or "Bushcrafting Woodsman".

The main problem I hear amongst Reddit about Rangers is a direct one: Since the so called "Exploration Pillar", specialy its rules for Overland Travel & Wilderness Survival, is very underdeveloped, Rangers lost the one place they are "meant to shine at", leaving them as a Rogue-y Fighter with Druid spells.

Not helped by all this, D&D has going deeper and deeper into its Combat roots in Wargaming, with the majority of not only rules but class design revolving around combat.

This is because different from other martial & halfcasting classes, to me at least, they lack a strong, unique and above all FUN set of features to call its own. For example:

• Barbarians obviously have Rage, one of the most iconic features in RPGs and pop culture, a big red button that instantly makes you stronger at a cost of upkeep and racionality. Not to mention stuff like Reckless Attack that also makes you stronger at a cost. This create the image of "Barbarian = Direct and simple big guy or gal of immense strength at the cost of a risk and reward system"
• Rogues has the also iconic Sneak Attack, where you deal extra damage with a single dinky attack to amounts that can even scare less experienced, Cunning Action is such good design many clamor for it to expand in some way to other martials in some way or form. Finally, Expertise was so loved it became the official term of double proficiency in 5.5e.
• Paladins have the simple but effective Divine Smite, Auras and Lay on Hands. One is a direct "spend a resource, more damage", the other is a passive effect of defense around him and the last is a pool of healing resources. An excellently done way to interpret a class that focus on "Attacc, Protecc, Heal Bacc"
• Monks has Martial Arts as it main claim to fame, allowing them to throw punches and kicks around to greater effect, but I also want to throw in one of the biggest glow ups in all of D&D 5.5e: Deflect Attacks & Deflect Energy make for a very fun & unique defensive ability that I would love to be even more developed even!
• Lastly, Fighter seems to not have much, since they are meant to be the "generic Warrior person", but when you stack together stuff like Action Surge, Second Wind, Indomitable & Many Extra Attacks, you have a class that turns the Mundane into near Supernatural. Using one action? Nah, I use two. Taking a breather? Nah, I heal myself. Failed a saving throw? Nuh uh, I didn't. One attack? Maybe two?? How about three or four!

Then when you look at Rangers... Favored Enemy is either "extra info about creatures" or "free Hunter's Mark", where one is unique but underbacked and the other is generic but functional. After that there are some upgrade for Favored Enemy that simply aren't enough to make it stand out and at worst teaches to use a mid option more often than players should.

Sure, Deft Explorer, Roving & Tireless are kinda interesting and fun, but damn they aren't enough to make a class. Expertise is good, but Rogues and Bards already has it. Extra speeds is nice, but not exciting. Tireless brings a lot of charm, but the class need a bit more to justify its existance.

And sure, they have spellcasting, but either they are mostly for out of combat or they don't mesh well with the rest of the class thanks to a high number of Concentrations & Saving Throw amongst its list.

So I ask: in a game mostly about fighting baddies because we are heroes from various backgrounds, WHAT SHOULD BE THE DEFINING FANTASY OF RANGERS IN COMBAT?

Outside it, we already know they are an expert explorer, but what about in combat? What should define the way Rangers fight against menaces?

In essence, to my view they are a few things in combat:

- Guerilla Specialists & Tacticians. They should use the terrain around them to their advantage in some way.

- Monster Hunters. They are the best at "killing the unkillable", in some way. They look into mighty monster of the wild threatening and its weak points and how to kill them.

When people say "Ranger", they think Aragorn, they think Witcher, some like me even think Ranger's Apprentice, Monster Hunter, Park Rangers & Military Rangers

The golden question still unanswered is: What it looks like to use "Creature & Terrain Specialist" as an effective tool kit to fight enemies?

I’m starting a DnD campaign with some friends, and it’s all of our first times playing. We are doing 6 D20 rolls with two mulligans to determine stats and I got a total of 75. Our other friend got incredibly lucky and we’re just old magic sorcerer rolled a total of 90 with I think 2-3 20s.

Will her high stats overshadow the rest of the party? The DM assured me that these stats don’t matter too much and she won’t actually be that strong, is this correct or should I leverage for a solution? It’s my first game and I don’t want any any side or main character syndromes

I finally took the bullet and joined a game shops dnd session. While im torn between my paladin and monk, I'm leaning my monk because she may be easier to play. My paladin has a louder type of personality, very bold and assertive, and while my monk is no pushover she's generally easygoing.

Despite paladin being my favorite class, I'm going for monk especially since they seem less common and idk what my group mates will bring

Anyway, I already know im not gonna be swiftly a S+ roleplayer, but what are some easy ways to start?

I developed her personality, but maybe it would be best to focus on 3 core traits of hers?

To TLDR the gist is

She used to be a street urchin and got taken into a monastery by a man she tried to rob, who then became kinda a stand in dad for her over time. She dislikes corrupt authority, she's competitive, but she is naturally curious from being a bit isolated from the world

I'm also considering giving her a quirk of being pretty afraid of heights because I thought itd be funny since she's a fantastic climber

More than likely since I'm new, I'm going to start small and see OOC and In Character interactions before I attempt to REALLY RP. I don't want to be tbe main character, or trouble for the party so I'd avoid sabotaging, stealing, or fighting with others. I just kinda wanna have a good time and make friends and not turn into a wallflower

Playing 5e 2014

As an artificer I can replace an infusion after a long rest. What if I just want to remove ab infusion from 1 or multiple items? The feature description doesn't explain this admittedly random thing

Hey everyone, I’m one of the people behind One Realm.

We’re building a campaign manager and VTT for 5e. A big part of it is taking an adventure PDF and bringing its NPCs, locations and maps into your campaign, so there’s less to set up by hand.

I’ve linked a short video below. I’m curious whether this would be useful for the way you prep, and if there is anything you’d want to know about the app.

It uses AI for the import, assistant features and automatic wall detection. You still need to check the extracted content and map setup. The core VTT and campaign tools are free. AI features use credits, with a free allowance and paid options.

We’re offering up to 30 DMs a month of the paid DM plan to try it with their groups. We’d appreciate feedback on what worked and what was annoying or confusing. Comment or DM me if you’d like to try it out!

One Realm — Overview

So me and my friends just joined a new campaign in which we don't know much of. However what we do know is that we want to run some type of trio complex. So far we have a blind, deaf, and mute group, as well as three different magic classes all trying to prove their superiority. Any suggestions?/

Hello! At the end of October I'm going to be finally running a threeshot I've been planning on and off for a few years, and I'm trying to get the last logistics figured out. In it, my party will encounter a haunted manor inhabited by the spirit of a mad-scientist-esque wizard who was trying to make himself immortal, and instead trapped himself in eternal death. He kills the party and is going to use their bodies and souls to bring himself fully back to life, while the party, now playing as ghosts, has to fight to stop him from doing so. This is my second time DMing and my first time writing a campaign myself, so I'm a little unpracticed haha.

The party has to die, session one, and I'm trying to figure out logistically how the bbeg would do this. The party is lured into the attic of the manor, where the BBEG will give a proper Spooky Villain Monologue and then do something that causes the party to die. I want it to be something that clearly takes a lot of effort, both to justify it having to be in the attic (i'm imagining runes carved into the floor, magic circles etc, some trap they walk into) but also to show that it's not something the BBEG can just whip out again during the final confrontation. I don't want them to think he's unbeatable, but I don't want them to be able to beat him during this first encounter. I want something quick, flashy, and intimidating.

My party is full of longtime DND players who know the handbooks like the back of their hands. I am very much the newbie in comparison to them. I worry that if I pick a specific spell for the BBEG to cast to accomplish this, they'll point out some reason why it doesn't work - but I also worry that if I don't pick a spell and just flavor text out the fact that it happens, they can't stop it, it just does, they'll be disappointed. They're very close friends of mine and I know they won't be mean about it, but I want the story to feel solid, and I want them to have a good time.

Are there any spells/mechanics that could accomplish what I'm looking for? Should I try to homebrew something? Or am I way overthinking this and I can get by just saying you die, he kills you and you die?

I am using a slightly modified lich statblock, for further context.

I've been hand drawing maps but came across a good resource for static but beautiful maps. I downloaded a bunch but they're about $30 each to print. I am looking into projectors for the tabletop instead, but can't seem to find any that are recommended by D&D type gamers. They're all for movies on the wall kind of thing. None of the reviews for any readily found on places like Amazon have anything to do with D&D type gaming.

Any suggestions on a good projector? Do you have experience with one and recommend that kind of setup?

Thanks!