Oh that’s not even minmaxing, that’s being a prick. Or a “Wargamer”.
This is what I like most about tabletop RPGs. They’re accessible and open to all.
Compare it to something like Magic: the Gathering or Warhammer where you gotta keep spending money to make the most of the hobby.
I also like that TTRPGs are generally a collaborative group activity which is a nice change from other, more competitive games/experiences.
1 Like
This is true yeah, there are just some combinations that are so obviously good. Sadly, there are also things which suffer for it. There are a couple of arcetypes which all sound good on paper, but are absolutley terrible, and Ranger isnt surprisingly the best ranged. You’ll do alot better picking a ranged fighter.
Yeah, true and that is okay.
I feel happy I never got into miniature stuff mainly because of that stuff.
I do my D&D on roll20, but IRL I think my only dice are from a couple of boardgames, like Yahtzee and some others.
I think the thing I’ve spent most money on and even then it wasn’t that much, was on MtG cards, and now I primarily play on Arena or Untap anyway and with friends.
Adore playing it, but yeah. It’s costly, very costly IRL. Especially since they rotate things out of standard and stuff.
They have their own Heartstone of it, Arena, which is…okay. It was alot better in the past, since you activtly earned gold to buy packs by just playing and earned cards every 2nd game, and an entire pack every 5th.
But they have since lowered the gold rewards, made into a daily thing primarily(like HS), and also entierly removed/revamped the whole “get a few gold every win” to a…roadmap kinda progression bar thing, which rewards -nothing- unless you purchase a “Pass”. (You have two progression bars, one which gives you like…5 gold every 20th Win and you need 1000 for a pack), and another that gives amazing rewards every win, but you need to buy a season pass to get those rewards)
There is Untap though, to play Magic 100% free. Downside is there is -no- deck help whatsoever, so you will want to look up cards manually you wanna use, from all expansions.
1 Like
I freely admit Hexblade is just way too good to dip into as a paladin. One level and you can ditch STR altogether? As well as all the perks the warlock and archetype bring. Short rest smites anyone? It’s insane. So insane that nearly every paladin tries to cram a patron into their character arc because of it.
Hell even I’m guilty of it. It’s just too good to pass up at least asking the DM if you can multiclass into it. Most I’ve asked say no, a few say yes but with the caveat of actually requiring me to make the patron a big deal or the like so it’s not just me being a muchkin.
And yeah Ranger… Either play the newer archetypes or play the revised version. Otherwise just play a fighter with a bow and pick the Outlander background (Which is better at rangering than the ranger as a background…).
Kill Team is popular for this reason. Only need a handful of models.
I’m sad that the Infinity tabletop wargame never seemed to gain much traction. I MUCH preferred it to 40k but outside of a few stores near my old uni nobody knows it exists.
X-Wing is also good. Only a few models and they’re all pre-painted.
1 Like
I like the concept of a weapon focused/Meele warlock, but Hexblade, and partially the Fiend too, just overshadow the others completly in terms…of well good. Great Old One has some fun rp potential, and so can the Arcfey and Undying & even Celestial, but alot of their skills are incredibly situational where as Hexblade or Fiend is just…always useful.
Same with the Pacts, Pact of the Chain or Pact of the Blade have on their own like 5 diffrent super good Invocations that makes them incredible, where as Tome is forgotten about entierly.
It’s the same with alot of the subclasses for diffrent specs, each class just seem to have one or two that is just…better at precisly everything than all the others so there is no point in picking the others.
Tome has it’s uses if you want to focus as a caster.
But otherwise yes.
OT: Ability score reductions in races.
So 5e did away with these to stop pidgeonholing races into classes. Good move. 10/10.
Then they add Kobolds (and orcs but frankly even without the -2 int they’re objectively worse than half orcs in every way). And losing -2 STR basically locks you out of a STR focused class or build unless you roll stats and get at least an 18. Because while it doesn’t sound like much, being basically one ASI behind every one else SUCKS. Having to waste ASIs just to get your STR to the starting point of literally every other race SUCKS.
Halfings and gnomes this time around got by without a penalty, and Kobolds as a small race are locked out of heavy weapons already, so what gives?
Pack tactics is just as good on a Dexbold so that excuse is out. Firbolgs didn’t get a negative so it being a monster race is out…
My Barbold dreams are in tatters.
Also I’d happily ditch pack tactics if it got us+1 int or a trap making feature to represent kobold cunning. Instead we’re more or less shoved into being rogues.
1 Like
My pet peeve is Healing Spirit. It’s so broken that I refuse to use it out of combat out of principle. (Instead my druid took a dip into Life Cleric so every goodberry restores at least 4 HP.) Sometimes it takes the form of a deal with the DM: “Don’t make the encounters frustratingly hard and I won’t use Healing Spirit.” And, of course, every single lore bard takes it as a secret.
On that note, Kobold looks fun to play, but the negatives, both from Ability Reduction, but also Sunlight Sensitivty seem to really weigh down the race.
Sunlight sensitivity really depends on the DM.
The wording says DIRECT sunlight. If it’s indoors or in the shade you should be fine. But too many DMs think it means daylight in general.
Fortunately pack tactics balances it out most of the time. If you really want to keep it active get a familiar or a pet of some kind.
Speaking of monster races: Why did every ‘large’ monster made playable get the Powerful Build trait (Carrying capacity is treated as though you are large) except minotaur? Which are large in the Monster Manual as well.
Explain that to me, Wizards of the Coast!
1 Like
I spoke of John Wick before, so I figure I should explain why the guy is my pet peeve when it comes to tabletop games.
He’s a gamemaster/game designer who has an extremely antagonistic approach towards running games, to the point where he’s written two rather self-aggrandising books called “Play Dirty,” which are all about how to run games like he does. Allow me to post some excerpts, so you guys can see how unpleasant some DMs can be.
https://i.imgur.com/HbmGVZ7.png
https://i.imgur.com/Dw8wAAP.png
https://i.imgur.com/xlM4hy0.png
https://i.imgur.com/wO9dWAK.pngAny race with Darkvision should have sunlight sensitivity you can’t change my mind.
Darkvision should be rarer to be honest. Or at least not as good. It’s always awkward to be in a dungeon with no light for ages and suddenly remember you have that one guy without it who should have been basically blind this whole time.
I still think non-drow elves should have only Low-Light Vision as in 3e. Dwarves and drow, sure, full Darkvision. Night forests != underground.
It probably doesn’t help that most people forget the limitations of the various darkvision and similar effects. Namely after 60ft things are pitch black, and low light after… 30ft? Meaning you start having trouble just past 30ft, but I have NEVER seen that represented. As far as your average group goes, Darkvision makes you Sam Fisher.
Ugh, what a douche. The “players are the enemy” mindset has to die, and DMs like him are seriously not helping.
2 Likes
This, oh my lord this.
It’s so depressing when you’re with a group who only care about stats and dice rolls; who play the game as if they’re playing WoW on a PvE server, and not actually roleplaying their characters.
It really sucks the fun out of the game for me.
2 Likes
Uck he sounds terrible.
I had a DM one that just had to be better than everyone, so he made npcs that were similar but better than pcs, and played favourites with private sessions to move individual stories on while leaving others to become side characters.
Luckily now we have a really awesome DM.
But yes, peeve, anyone playing to “beat the game” be it the DM against players or a player wanting to beat the party/DM just to show they’re the bestest smartest in the room.
1 Like
DMs who play the DM vs Players style can stay away from my fun.
6 Likes
I’ve only ever been to a single session of DnD so I don’t have too much experience, but I wonder… how can a competition between players and the DM even exist if the latter could do anything he wants and mass-kill the party any time?