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thisisnotthenerd · 3 months

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the ratgrinders' potential levels

cannot believe i was right about the xp reqs. the bad kids & the seven get 'special treatment' (milestone leveling and saving the world), while others have to work with xp. which tells you a lot about why people fled during prompocalypse.

ok getting into the algebra now: the rat grinders have gone into the far haven woods every day for the last two years, for 3 hours after school, and 9 hours/day on weekends. presumably they keep this up during the summer.

they have supposedly defeated 80,000 or more of three types of creatures: rats, spiders, and twig blights. there are some variations to what these could be, so here's a list of what this could encompass, assuming the ratgrinders are not facing creatures over CR 1.

giant rat: CR 1/8, 25 XP

swarm of rats: CR 1/4, 50 XP

giant wolf spider: CR 1/8, 25 XP

swarm of spiders: CR 1/2, 100 XP

giant flying spider: CR 1, 200 XP

giant spider: CR 1, 200 XP

ice spider: CR 1, 200 XP

twig blight: CR 1/8, 25 XP

needle blight: CR 1/4, 50 XP

thorn slinger: CR 1/2, 100 XP

vine blight: CR 1/2, 100 XP

razorvine blight: CR 1, 200 XP

thorny: CR 1: 200 XP

the full list is a little difficult to do calculations on, so let's condense it. assume a quarter of the 80000 creatures were CR 1/8, a quarter were CR 1/4, so on and so forth.

how much xp would they earn? how much would they level for the amount they ground? grinded? for?

critical assumption here: in the games i've played, we've always done milestone or zeroed out xp with each level, i.e. after earning 300 xp to get to level 2, you have to earn 900 xp to get to level 3, not 600. this analysis assumes that you have to earn the next levels xp reqs on top of your current total. i'm including the xp chart here to clarify:

level 1: 0 XP, +2, total 0 XP

level 2: 300 XP, +2, total 300 XP

level 3: 900 XP, +2, total 1200 XP

level 4: 2700 XP, +2, total 3900 XP

level 5: 6500 XP, +3, total 10400 XP

level 6: 14000 XP, +3, total 24400 XP

level 7: 23000 XP, +3, total 47400 XP

level 8: 34000 XP, +3, total 81400 XP

level 9: 48000 XP, +4, total 129400 XP

level 10: 64000 XP, +4, total 193400 XP

level 11: 85000 XP, +4, total 278400 XP

level 12: 100000 XP, +4, total 378400 XP

level 13: 120000 XP, +5, total 498400 XP

level 14: 140000 XP, +5, total 638400 XP

level 15: 165000 XP, +5, total 803400 XP

level 16: 195000 XP, +5, total 998400 XP

level 17: 225000 XP, +6, total 1223400 XP

level 18: 265000 XP, +6, total 1488400 XP

level 19: 305000 XP, +6, total 1793400 XP

level 20: 355000 XP, +6, total 2148400 XP

if we went cumulatively, based on the number of creatures the bad kids have defeated, they'd be getting up there in xp. we know they've had opportunities to defeat creatures outside of the quests that we've seen, given the oneshots. thus, i'm going with the second explanation, because otherwise the ratgrinders would be 19th level, and i don't think they are, because it would make any pvp setups super unbalanced, which are neither fun to play nor watch. this puts them on a little more even ground and emphasizes the amount of work it takes to xp grind to level against milestone leveling.

for the CR 1/8s: assuming roughly 20,000 creatures, they'd get 25 XP per, which means 500,000 xp. that's cumulatively enough to get to level 13, on just those creatures. divided 6 ways, assuming the ratgrinders have 6 members, it's 83,333.33, which is enough to get you to 10th level cumulatively and 8th non cumulatively.

this scales up to the 1/4s, 1/2s and the 1s since the xp gains double for each challenge rating rather than plateauing as they do at higher levels.

for the CR 1/4s: 1,000,000 xp. that's cumulatively enough to get to level 16 on just those creatures. divided 6 ways, assuming the ratgrinders have 6 members, it's 166,666.66, which is enough to get you to 15th level cumulatively and 9th non cumulatively.

for the CR 1/2s: 2,000,000 xp. divided 6 ways, assuming the ratgrinders have 6 members, it's 333,333.33, which is enough to get you to 19th level cumulatively, and 11th level non cumulatively.

and for the 1s, 4,000,000 xp. well over what you'd need to get to level 20, on just the CR 1s. divided 6 ways, assuming the ratgrinders have 6 members, it's 666,666.66, which is well over 20th level cumulatively, and 14th level non cumulatively.

using this estimate and adding all of this up, each member of the ratgrinders would have gathered enough xp to be level 20 cumulatively, and level 17 non cumulatively.

obviously the actual numbers would scale differently; initially, they would likely have to tackle these creatures as a party, but over time would take care of them individually. this is a bunch of kids doing the intro to class assignment for every assignment for two years straight.

level 20 seems extreme for the aguefort adventuring academy; let's scale it down a bit. the creatures specifically mentioned are probably giant rats, giant wolf spiders, and twig blights, based on the descriptions from jawbone.

all of these are CR 1/8, or 25 XP each. 80000 would give an xp total of 2,000,000, which would put each of the ratgrinders at around 11th level, a little higher level than the bad kids at the moment. however, since their fighting prowess scaled up, and they're probably going out in elmville and actively hindering the bad kids in some way, that level is very likely to increase.

what we saw in the episode

now the sticking point is mary ann rolling a 35. we know she got some kind of transmutation buff. a little tricky wording from brennan; fabian had enhance ability on, which is a transmutation spell. he did not say it was enhance ability.

mary ann is a barbarian, so she already gets advantage on athletics if she's raging, which i assume she was. the buff probably wouldn't be something that grants advantage.

assuming the lower estimate of 11th level, mary ann would get a +4 proficiency bonus, and i'm assuming she has 20 in strength, so +5 to her strength based skills, for a total of +9. at the high estimate of level 17, she would have a +6 to her proficiency bonus, which would give her a total of +11 to athletics. this is still not high enough to get a 35, even on a nat 20, which brennan would have declared if he had rolled one. she could conceivably accomplish this with the brawny feat, which allows for expertise in the athletics skill, which would give her a +17, meaning she could hit a 35 on a 18.

or, the buff was something like skill empowerment, which is a 5th level transmutation spell that gives the target expertise in a skill that they already have proficiency in. this spell is available to bards and wizards, among other classes, both of which we presume are in the ratgrinders. ruben could have cast skill empowerment on mary ann and given her bardic inspiration (lower estimate: d10, higher estimate: d12), both of which would have enabled that 35.

judging by the implication that she could not accomplish that feat without some kind of buff, i'm going with the latter explanation.

anyway i did too much math for this to not go in the stats series, or the school series. so this will be added to the spreadsheet later.

i hope this is useful.

#dimension 20 #dimension 20 spoilers #musings on the solisian school district #dimension 20 meta #dungeons and dragons #milestone vs xp leveling #thisisnotthenerd's d20 stats #fantasy high #fantasy high junior year #ratgrinders #the bad kids #dnd mechanics #fhjy #fhjy spoilers #d20 spoilers #d20 #d20 fantasy high #the perils of xp leveling

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dailyadventureprompts · 3 months

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Homebrew Mechanic: Fixing D&D’s Gameplay Loop with Item Degradation

Normally I have snappy titles for these, but in this case I wanted to be super upfront with what I was getting you all into.

Some people are not going to like the idea of introducing item degradation into the game, and they’re ABSOLUTELY right to be hesitant. Just about every attempt I’ve seen (includig both RAW versions from previous editions, examples from videogames, and those I’ve put together myself in the past) have been horribly clunky exercises in beancounting that only ever existed to needlessly slow down gameplay for the sake of joyless realism.

I’ve come at it from another angle however, but to explain we’re going to need to get into some game design talk.

The basic gameplay loop of D&D is supposed to be:

Seeking adventure leads you to face challenges

Overcoming challenges leads you to rewards

Rewards Help you get stronger

Getting stronger allows you to seek tougher adventures

After a while this system starts to break down specifically with regards to gold as a method of reward. Even if you’re the smart sort of DM who flouts the rules and gives their party access to a magic item shop, there’s an increasingly limited number of things to spend gold on, leading to parties acquiring sizable hordes of riches early on in their adventuring career, completely eliminating the desire to accept quests that pay out in gold in one form or another. This is a pretty significant flaw because adventures that centre around acquisition of riches ( treasure hunts, bounty missions, busywork for rich patrons that will inevitably betray you) are foundational to storytelling within the game, especially early on in a campaign before the party has gotten emotionally invested. Most advice you can find online attempting to solve this problem tends to dissolve down to “let them pour money into a home base”, but that can only really happen once per campaign as a party is unlikely to want more than one secret clubhouse.

TLDR: What I propose is the implantation of a lightweight system that forces the party to periodically drop small amounts of wealth into maintaining their weapons/armour/foci. The players will be motivated to seek out gold in order to keep using their best stuff, giving value to treasure drops that previously lacked it. Not only does this system act as an insulation against powercreep at higher levels, it also encourages a party to engage with the world as they seek out workshops and crafters capable of repairing their gear.

The System:

Weapons, armour, shields, and caster foci (staves, holy symbols etc) can accumulate “ticks” of damage, represented by a dot or X drawn next to their item entry on the character sheet. Because you get better at handling your gear as you level up, an item that exceeds a total number of ticks equal to its bearer’s proficiency bonus breaks, and is considered unusable until it is repaired.

Weapons and Foci gain a tick of damage when you roll a natural 1 on an attack made with them, or if they are specifically targeted by an enemy’s attack.

Armour and shields gain a tick of damage when you roll a nat 1 on a saving throw or when an enemy beats your ac by 5 or more. A character equipped with both can decide which of the two items receives the tick

Creatures with the “siege” (or any “does double damage to objects” ability) deal an extra tick when attacking gear.

A character with a crafting proficiency and access to tools can repair a number of ticks of damage equal to their proficiency on a four hour work period. This rate is doubled if they have access to a properly equipped workshop. A character with access to the mending cantrip can repair ticks on any kind of item, but is limited to their proficiency bonus per work period.

Having an item repaired by an NPC crafter removes all ticks, but costs vary depending on the rarity of the item: 5g for a mundane item, 10g for a common item, 50g for uncommon, 250 for a rare, 1250 for a very rare, 6250 for a legendary. The DM decides the limit on what each crafter can repair, as it’s likely small towns have access to artisans of only common or uncommon skill, requiring the party to venture to new lands or even across planes if they wish to repair end game gear.

As you can see, degradation in this system is easy to keep track of and quite gradual, leading players into a position where they can ignore obvious damage to their kit for the sake of saving their now precious gold. It likewise encourages them to seek out NPC crafters (and potential questhooks) for skills they do not possess, and encourages the use of secondary weapons either as backups or to save the more potent items in the arsenal for a real challenge.

Consumables

Everyone knows the old joke about players hoarding consumables from the first adventure past the final bossfight, it transcends genre and platform, and speaks to a nature of loss aversion within our shared humanity. However, giving players items they’re never going to use amounts to wasted time, resources, and potential when looking at things from a game design perspective, so lets work on fixing that.

My inspiration came from witcher 3, which encourages players to make frequent use of consumables by refreshing them whenever the character had downtime. The darksouls series has a similar feature with the signature estus flask, which provides a limited number of heals before it must be refreshed at one of the game’s checkpoints. When the designers removed the risk of permanent loss and the anxiety it creatures, players were able to think tactically about the use of their consumables confident in the knowledge that any mistakes were just a resupply away from being fixed.

My proposal is that while the party is in town they can refill the majority of their consumable items for a small per item fee. Just like with gear degradation, this encourages them to seek out crafters and do quests for the hope of discounts, while at the same time encouraging them to explore new realms in the hope of discovering higher level artisans.

The price for refills is set at: 5g for common, 25g for an uncommon, 125g for a rare, 625g for a very rare, 3125g for legendary. I encourage my own players to keep a “shopping list” in their inventory with prices tabulated so they can hand out a lump sum of gold and have their kit entirely refreshed.

Characters with a relevant skill and access to their tools can refill a number of items equal to their proficiency bonus during a four hour work period. With access to a proper workshop, this rate doubles. ( At last, proficiency with brewers supplies, carpenters tools etc become useful)

I encourage you as a DM to check out this potion flasks system, which I’ve found adds a delicious factor of uncertainty back into the mix. Attached is also my super lightweight rules for tracking gear and supplies, which I absolutely refuse to shut up about.

Artist

#5e homebrew #dnd mechanics #crafting #item degradation #mechanics #homebrew

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rollforimagination · 3 months

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Mechanic/Feat Idea

Silliest worshipper

Description: You have the ability to use Dicine Intervention and all the other “Ask to your God” spells any times you want with an instant recharge only if you use it for something silly (DM’s decision) and if your God is Chaotic-Neutral/Good aligned.

Functionality: You use the spell to ask something silly to your God (another of the same meal you just had, to win a low/no reward slug race, have a nice silly hat, find a good pun on the spot, etc etc) and the God does it, then you feel a pat on your head and hear an astral voice say “Yes, sure darling, no need to use your precious spells for this” you feel warm and then everything turns back to normal, with your wish granted.

This can also work for warlocks only if your patron is Chaotic-Neutral/Good aligned.

In general, this can take effects if your deity is a momma type, even if it’s Lawful/Good but if it is Lawful/Good sometimes it will say things like “But next time use it for good alright sweetie?” making you feel slightly guilty, the more you use it for sillies without using it for something good.

Inspiration: the BG3 playthrough of @dare-to-dm (silly paladins are my favourite, use this so you can have fun in D&D sweetie ❤️)

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rhaenyratargeryn · 8 months

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DnD mechanics wise there are two ways I can see Astarion being cured.

First option is uh— for him to die and then a Druid to use the reincarnate spell. He’d come back not a spawn, but also might come back a totally new random race.

Second option would be a wish spell. Easy in that it literally could just be, “I wish Astarion was an ALIVE non-vampire spawn high elf again.” Difficult in finding an artifact that has the spell or a scroll. I don’t believe wish exists in the game itself, but it does exist in the world!

So I like to imagine my Tav and him set out on a journey to find a wish to cure him post game~

#bg3 #dnd #dnd mechanics #bg3 speculation #I doubt there is any option for either of these in game mind you #astarion #astarion bg3 #but for fanfic purposes!!!!

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wispynador · 1 year

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Business and Crime revisited (d&d 5e)

I recently posted a set of guidelines for using 5e running a business mechanics as a means of bootstrapping player owned criminal enterprises.

My players requested a campaign with gameplay and adventures centered around owning businesses, building a home, and running a criminal enterprise. So, I started looking into the RAW mechanics and found it kind of lacking. So, I’ve taken it upon myself to expand business ownership mechanics to better suit being the main focus of their downtime gameplay, as well as tying in mechanics for criminal enterprises.

These mechanics include:

Buying businesses from previous owners.

Running businesses in cycles of 30 days, with 6 intervals of 5 days.

Using businesses as fronts for criminal enterprises.

Running multiple businesses as a conglomerate.

Side quest plot hook table (complications)

#dungeons and dragons #d&d #dnd #d&d homebrew #dnd homebrew #d&d 5e #dnd 5e #d&d house rules #dnd house rules #d&d mechanics #dnd mechanics #d&d crime #d&d crime boss #dnd crime #d&d businesses #dnd businesses

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did-you-fall-for-a-shooting-star · 5 months

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Okay fellow dnd nerds, I need help making a disabled character to play cause Im struggling with combat mechanics

So, my guy’s name is Tethren, but goes by Trip. Hes a teifling who has a muscle issue (undecided what yet) that makes it hard for him to walk and stand for long periods of time without assistance. So he uses arm crutches to help. Hes a level one sorcerer (divine soul origin) from a noble background.

My question: how would you go about including the arm crutches in combat? Should I just give them quarter staff stats? Something else? For combat, sessions, would it make more sense for him to put his crutches away and use a different weapon if he has the energy? Or should I focus on ranged combat for him instead and just hope he doesnt have to get too close to any enemies?

I just dont want to give him some magical out from his disability. I want that to be something that is fully incorporated into his character, not just a side note.

#dnd #dungeons and dragons #i am so excited to get to play this character but I want to make sure I do him justice #disability #arm crutches #dnd mechanics

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aggressiveworldbuilding · 15 days

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suggestion for dms - do 'group checks'

when i run skill challenges i often alternate between individual checks, and more 'turnbased' checks. its a little like pathfinder's skill challenges but simpler.

essentially, choose a dc. i usually do the check DC x number of players.

so if i want have 4 players, and want them to have a high chance of success I would do 10 x 4 = 40.

the challenge dc for that round is 40. you can either keep it a secret or tell the party. either is good. everyone has to make a skill check, using an ability they get to decide, so long as they can think of a way it will help.

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Scenario: The party is trying to escape the BBEG with a mcguffin. the barbarian has the item and is running.

Barbarian makes an athletics check to push through the crowd Warlock uses intimidation to clear the road of pedestrians Cleric uses perception to yell directions to the barbarian as they run. Druid uses a spell slot to cast mist wall to distract the enemy.

End Round: Add all results and determine success or fail of that round.

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Even if one of the players fails, there is the chance that the others will help. If a player uses one of their class abilities/spell slot it is an auto success on their individual check.

I usually have between 3-5 rounds of this sort of 'combat'; it makes everything feel more chaotic, and is super versatile for a lot of different situations.

it also allows players to make their own decisions, and become more invested in the scene. maybe the rouge has a special skill they haven't ever been able to use until a chase, or the bard comes up with an elaborate multi-round distraction.

This ensures that there is a higher success rate for them, with help from their friends.

#dnd mechanics #dnd homebrew #ttrpg community #pf2e #dnd 5e homebrew #dnd 5e #dungeon master tips #aggressivethoughts #dungeon master #ttrpg

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axesandarcanum · 1 year

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Cooking monsters and all the associated ingredients required. Sure it's a little up to GM fiat but I'm not a cook and the only reason this exists is because there's currently a halfling chef in my game who is rolling (on average) 25+ and wants more to do.

With the added Cooking skill (wisdom based) he now has more things to do and I have more things to reference and point to for when he wants to ask me 500 questions.

Feel free to take a bite outta this.

#homebrew #ttrpg #mechanics #axes and arcanum #dnd homebrew #dnd mechanics #dnd rework #dnd

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angelsndragons · 1 year

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one quick mechanics thing out of last night that i want to explain since i’m seeing confusion:

beau’s stillness of mind to end a charm effect requires her to spend her action to do it.

note the wording there, it requires her action.

in all the myriad of charm spells out there, there is one that can fuck her shit up if she doesn’t make the save: Dominate Person.

from the source books:

You can use your action to take total and precise control of the target. Until the end of your next turn, the creature takes only the actions you choose, and doesn't do anything that you don't allow it to do. During this time you can also cause the creature to use a reaction, but this requires you to use your own reaction as well.

beau requires her action to be free in order for her to end the charm effect. dominate person can specifically bypass that.

everyone please applaud mr. mercer for the insane amount of homework he did for this episode.

#cr spoilers #critical role spoilers #c3e51 #dnd mechanics

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thecatslug · 1 year

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Catslug’s Sanity System 🧠

Because the D&D madness system in the DMG sucks ass, I have made a custom sanity system for Ravenloft and other more horror based settings. The system below is a Frankensteinian abomination made from the Call of Cthulhu 7th edition Sanity system, the Ravenloft 2e Fear, Madness, and Horror system, and the Bloodborne Insight mechanic- all of which have been packaged into a 5e compatible framework. I personally use these mechanics in my Ravenloft/CoS games. System complete with roll 20 macro codes for automation.

#Because why not torment players more #make them fear the d100 #the psych student is at it again #Catslug’s Homebrew #ravenloft #curse of strahd #dnd #dungeons dragons #dungeon master #homebrew #dnd homebrew #dungeons and dragons homebrew #dnd mechanics

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demonsndystopia · 4 months

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𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬 Demon Slayer Taisho Era Lore

Long ago over the horizon, it is stated that there was the birth of the 'Original Sin'. This Original Sin bore blood of inhuman strength and immortality, and he sought with a type of feeling- vengeance? Spite? Malice? Pure sadism?- to share his rotted heart with the world. At least, that's what we say.

But what we don't know? The Original Sin was once a young girl of the Imperial family. Not the next heir, but one of the later born daughters, naive and optimistic- a beauty, even, with many suitors and even more admirers. Her life was one with hope, her future bright. In her earliest of years, she was ever so slightly sickly- not a cause for huge concern, but due to her birth, she was given all of it. Tended to night and day, and seen to by her parents more than perhaps any child in the family recently, she was given more attention than any of her siblings- and thus began the unsightly treatment they had given her. Day after day, bullying became worse- at first it was but a bug in her hair, but not long after, it was rocks thrown. Body pushed over ledges. Being beaten, being left in alleys only to succumb to whatever happens in the dark when you're alone.. whatever her guards who- prone to losing their jobs when her own blood had lured her away- could not protect her from. The Original Sin had, by the time she was fourteen, seen and experienced unsightly horrors the world had to offer simply because of the jealousy of her siblings, who were always plotting new ways to give her new nicks. By then, she was broken. By age seventeen, she was angry. By twenty, she was gaunt, cruel, unmarriable, and most of all, alienated by the parents who once swooned over her. She had become a 'problem child'. They knew not why she had ended up this way, only that she had walked herself into numerous troubles, had given them many problems to solve, and in the end, an abhorrent personality to ice the cake. Her actions, while never her own fault, were known to only be of her own actions- and now, she was hardly redeemable in appearance or attitude.

Now a true burden to the family, not just hoped by her siblings but in execution, she was little more than acknowledged- and never lovingly. Nobody knows how it happened, or why- but her body was found at the end of the family's dining hall, skin blue and black. Poisoned. When they came to retrieve her body, it was somehow gone. Nobody knew where she had been taken, or by who-

Little did they know, she had walked herself right out that door, with many abilities- one of which being able to create more of whatever she had become.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐅𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭

After trial and tribulation of many humans suffering at the hands of demons, it was decided action must be taken. A family by the name of Zenchi began the Slayer Corp with the intents of learning the secrets of the demons, stopping them altogether, and protecting humans from their path of havoc.

The Zenchi family has always been known for their incredible intelligence, foresight, and guidance. This has translated well into their role as head of the Demon Corp. Their presence is known to have a calming effect on the humans they meet- making them feel seen, heard, and respected. It is unlikely for anyone below the rank of Hashira to meet the current head of the Corp, as there is always need for them to be well defended due to their importance.

Up until now, the Demon Slayers' efforts have been admirable, but there has been no progress made on learning the demon's secrets or how to put an end to it all for good. As the demons seem to be growing in population and more suspicious activity is on the rise, it is imperative that the Corp puts their best foot forward to make a change.

It is suggested to try to find written language for clues, utilize the longest lasting swords for dependability, and the best medicines to keep your energy and morale high. To put a stop to the demons is to learn their motivations, their origins, and their weaknesses.

Good luck.

[the year is 1912]

New Plot Updates as of 3pm on 12/18/2023

There's evidence that the demons in Japan are currently working to manipulate and gain information from the slayer corp; the motive is unknown. Worse, is that there has been tensions growing between the government and the corp- rumors that the government is brewing something and needs to snuff out any slayers unaffiliated with their official power. It is believed that this tension- and need for the slayers to be cautious - has to do with news that demons have been spotted on western fronts, though the western fronts have not yet recognized them as demons, and instead as deliberate attacks from Japan- and now tension and rumors of war are brewing. Be careful.. and do remain vigilant.

Join now!

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thisisnotthenerd · 2 months

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the dream team's xp leveling

this is complex enough that i needed to create a second spreadsheet. i've doomed myself to an eternity of calculations. anyway:

the unsleeping city:

i did the calculations in the spreadsheet this time, so it's a little easier to follow and there's only one round of arithmetic to do. one key difference here is that contextual multipliers are more common. for the unsleeping city, i used contextual multipliers for the number of opponents as well as other complicating factors that will be listed with each encounter.

mutant santa melee: i separated this encounter into three categories: the mutant santas, the spawn point chrysalis, and the big santa.

mutant santas: based on their hp counts and damage outputs, i'd place the standard mutant santas at CR 1/4, so 50 XP each for 600, with a 2x contextual multiplier because of 1) the number of mutant santas and 2) the complicating factors both the captured santa and things like pete's wild magic surges. total of 1200 XP

the chrysalis: only CR 1/4 because sofia kicked it into the sky. 50 XP

big santa: CR 2, based on damage output and how much it took to kill it. 450 XP

total XP count: 1700 XP, or ~283 XP each

scramble in the sewers: this encounter was fairly standard, and would not be that difficult traditionally; i included the 1.5x multiplier to account for the water level mechanics and the fact that a bunch of the party was trying not to drown while killing the rat king.

rat swarms: CR 1/4. they chased after minor illusion cheese. 75 XP

the beefy boys: technically they are using crocodile stats, at CR 1/2 each. i know this because kug brings them back later on. total of 600 XP

rat king: i'd put him at around a CR 4; with the multiplier that becomes 1650 XP

total XP count: 2325 XP, or ~387 XP each

the war of bugs and rats: first fully standard encounter; varying CRs for each of the opponents, but other than that no major complications

becky the wasp-centaur: based on her level of spellcasting, i'd put her at around CR 5, or 1800 XP

beetle: less challenging than becky at a CR 3 (700 XP). he's gonna have to kill ya.

roaches: proportionally more of them, but they were easy to take care of. CR 1/2, total of 800 XP.

swarms of bugs: same deal as the roaches. CR 1/2, for a total of 200 XP.

bugsters: i went through and calculated DPR and their stats and settled on CR 1, for a total of 800 XP

total XP count: 4300 XP, or 716 each

subway skirmish: only a minor (1.25x) modifier this time, for alejandro summoning the train to nod and the fact that they were sacrificing spell slots to fuel it. this fight notably steps up from the previous fight; recall "i'm gonna kill that dog".

crooked cops: total of 12, but they only defeat 8. CR 4 (1100 XP) for a total of 11000 XP.

epona cirillo: i used her stats & the stats of her weapon to set her CR at 5 (1800 XP), for a total of 2250 XP

total XP count: 13250 XP, or 2208 each

panic at the art show: 1.5x modifier for the environmental hazards; namely the building being on fire adn the fact that they had to evacuate while in combat.

isabella infierno: succubi are CR 4, so i evaluated her stats, which landed her around a CR 8 (3900 XP) for a total of 5850 XP.

artsy devils: standard barbed devil stat block; CR 5 (1800 XP) for a total of 10800 XP

total XP count: 16650 XP, or 2775 each

broadway brawl: another modified (1.5x) fight, due to misty's ritual mechanics and the fact that they needed to fight and perform at the same time.

queen titania: compared a few fey spellcasters from the bestiary and landed on her being around CR 13 (10000 XP), based on her spell use and magic items. total of 15000 XP

seelie dancers: used their stats and dpr to set them at CR 3 (700 XP). total of 4200 XP

pixie mobsters: standard pixie statblocks, but they have guns and kidnapped stephen sondheim, so i upgraded them to CR 1/2 (100 XP). total of 450 XP

total XP count: 19650 XP, or 3275 each

showdown at the stock exchange: this fight was notably difficult; pete dying, the complication of the ritual, and eventually reducing moses to his phylactery.

kiosk vampires: they're blood-drinker vampires; CR 8 (3900 XP), for a total of 31200 XP.

robert moses: using standard lich stats, he's CR 21. i adjusted this with a modifier of .75, because they did reduce him to the phylactery, but the ritual still went off. he wasn't defeated.

total XP count: 55950 XP, or 9325 each

times squaremageddon: the final fight; harder than the kalvaxus fight, easier than the nightmare forest. the american dream is a modified version of robert moses' stats, and has a 1.5x modifier for the individual appeal mechanics and the storm mechanics.

fire maelstrom: not technically elementals, but using similar enough abilities that i'd rate it CR 5 (1800 XP) for a total of 3600

wind maelstrom: same deal as the fire maelstroms: CR 5 (1800 XP), total of 3600

robert moses' american dream: based on a solar (celestial, ac 21, etc.) i would give it a CR 21, but based on the combination with robert's phylactery and the fact that they were fighting on multiple fronts, i'd rate it a CR 23 (50000 XP), for a total of 75000.

total XP count: 82200 XP, or 13700 each.

the unsleeping city total: 196025, or 32670 each. using the overall method of xp leveling (cumulative benchmarks), this would put the dream team at around level 7, as opposed to the level 10 they achieved through milestone leveling.

the unsleeping city chapter ii:

same deal with the contextual modifiers; this season features multiple tower defense fights that require modifiers.

the mystery of the haunted subway: while this fight featured a wide variety of adversaries, many were easily defeated. no modifiers on this fight; it's very straightforward. uses mostly standard statblocks.

zombies: standard zombie statblock; CR 1/4 (50 XP), total of 250 XP

ghosts: standard ghost statblock including the aging ability; CR 4 (1100 XP), total of 4400 XP

skeletons: standard skeleton statblock; CR 1/4 (50 XP), total of 200 XP

werewolf: standard werewolf statblock; CR 3 (700 XP)

vampires: using the vampire spawn statblock puts them at CR 5 (1800 XP), for a total of 5400

spiders: using the giant spider statblock; CR 1 (200 XP), total of 600 XP.

witch: there isn't really a standard witch statblock that i'd consider for this one; based on her DPR, i'd rank her CR 7 (2900 XP)

frankenstein's monster: again, one without a standard statblock; the closest undead i could find was a greater zombie, which was CR 5 (1800 XP)

mad scientist: another one without a standard statblock; i'd place him around CR 6 (2300 XP)

total XP count: 18550 XP, or 3092 each

trouble at the tunnel: this fight gets modifiers because of 1) the number of devils coming to fight them and 2) the ritual mechanics for jj, much like the subway skirmish.

swarm devils: i used the spined devil statblock for these; CR 2 (450 XP), with a 1.5x modifier for the sheer number, even though the dream team could oneshot them very easily. total of 13500 XP

siege devils: couldn't find a standard statblock, but based on their dpr and abilities, i'd mark each of them at CR 10, with a 1.25 modifier for the number. total of 22125 XP

jersey devil: high level spellcaster with legendary actions; CR 14 (11500 XP). with modification, total of 14375 XP

total XP count: 50000 XP, or 8333 each. this happened organically.

parade of peril: i will admit, this had the potential to be a really difficult fight. brennan rolled so bad and the intrepid heroes rolled pretty well. i rewatched this to estimate stats and he really fails so much during this combat. still, i left modifiers for the difficulty of fighting on the balloons.

true clowns: what a truly goofy concept. based on dpr and the wild magic surge ability, i'd put them at CR 6 (2300 XP) for a total of 27600 XP

balloon dogs: cute but vicious; CR 3 (700 XP), for a total of 3150 when modified.

total XP count: 30750, or 5125 each

fight at the museum: pretty similar to the clown fight in difficulty--specific conditions that complicate a battle with mid-level opponents. brennan rolled way better, so even if the encounters were of similar difficulty, this one came across as more difficult.

animated armor: basically beefed up animated armor. instead of CR 1, i'd put these at CR 5 (1800 XP), with a 1.5x modifier for the historicity & exploration mechanics. total of 10800

plate & bardings: these are the knights that were originally surrounding the unicorn. CR 6 (2300 XP) each, with a 1.5x modifier, for a total of 13800.

total XP count: 24600 XP, or 4100 each

the battle of the hot dog cart: another tower defense; each enemy wasn't that difficult to deal with, but the fact that they had significant numbers and siege weaponry contributed to the difficulty of this fight. the other thing that contributed was cody's existential crisis.

ant legionnaires: based on their dpr and other stats, i'd put them at CR 2 (450 XP), with a 2x modifier for the sheer number of them. total of 41400 XP

ant centurions: CR 4 (1100 XP), with a 1.5 modifier to account for cody's no good very bad day. total of 9900 XP

ketchupults: based on dpr? CR 6, for a total of 4600 XP

mustard wagon: also CR 6 because it was a construct that kingston basically oneshotted with a lightning bolt. 2300 XP

total XP count: 58200 XP, or 9700 each

history checks & lost dex: this fight is tricky, because it's only the one opponent, but they had multiple critical objectives to get through during it, and most of the time weren't actively doing battle.

null: based on his abilities, he's a combination of a nightwalker and some variation of a mind flayer; i'd say some kind of spellcaster or psychic. based on the combination of abilities, as well as the stun vs ability conditions he was able to inflict, i'd put null at a CR 23 (50000 XP) with a modifier of 1.3333 to account for the objectives.

total XP count: 66665 XP, or 11111 each

treachery at gramercy: another fight with a bunch of opponents. this time, we have tony simos as the big opponent. given the objective of stopping the flow of raw umbra and the fact that sofie resurrected her husband amid pitched battle, i'm including a 1.5x modifier.

concrete fist monks: not powerful enough for evasion, so based on monk stats i'd place them at a CR 5 (1800 XP). total of 16200 XP

gramercy wizards: enough spell slots to do multiple dispel magics and counterspells, as well as banishment. 7th-8th level, so CR 8 (3900 XP) for a total of 23400 XP

tony simos: 20th level open hand monk with a couple of modifications; immunity to stun, mageslayer, mobile, legendary actions, and the ability to disrupt verbal and somatic components of spells. with all that in mind, i put him at a CR 21 (33000 XP), for a total of 49500 due to the fight complications.

total XP count: 89100 XP, or 14850 each

two sides of the same coin: the finale fight. another tower defense with hordes, plus the baby ritual. originally this fight would have had a 1.5x modifier or one that was even higher; i reduced that to 1.25x because of kingston's divine intervention granting advantage on everything, resistance to all damage, and disadvantage to null. brilliant narrative move; it just made the battle less difficult.

sparties: we finally found out their ac (19). i read somewhere that they were based on wights, but that didn't really matter to me because doing the calculations set them at CR 3 (700 XP) anyway. total of 35000 XP

corporate wraiths: standard wraiths; CR 5 (1800 XP), for a total of 11250 XP

null: as shown in the ellis island fight, i placed him at CR 23, this time with a 1.25 modifier, for a total of 62500 XP

total XP count: 108750 XP, or 18125 each.

the unsleeping city chapter ii total: 446615 XP, or 74435 each. using the overall leveling method, this would take them from the level 7 they technically would have earned in TUC to level 12, which is exactly where they ended in this chapter

overall total and final comments:

over the course of two seasons, the dream team earned 642640 XP, or 107106 XP individually, which was enough to get them to level 12.

there's some notable differences in the way that combats are structured between the unsleeping city and fantasy high:

the party composition is different; the bad kids are a mix of spellcasters and martial characters who eventually multiclass to get spells, while the dream team all have some magical element to what they do. the party is majority full casters, and everyone else is either a paladin or a multiclass, in both seasons.

for the dream team. combats are balanced to reflect the fact that they can do a ton of AOE crowd control as well as melee combat, but don't have a tank or ranged weaponry.

each of the full casters is specialized; pete is a glass cannon, kingston heals & buffs, misty/rowan buffs and charms while covering debuffs including counterspell, kugrash tends to work with summons and their buffs, and iga has a mix of damage and mobility/utility.

for the partials: sofia's spells generally go to personal buffs, while ricky does a lot of protection, and cody's spells go further towards damage.

in contrast, for the bad kids, combats are balanced to reflect the opposite; they have range, melee, a tank, and some spellcasting damage, but not a ton of AOE.

caster specialties: adaine's spell list leans towards utility & divination, with ranged spell attacks and concentration spells for her damage. fig, like misty, works with charm, fear, and buffs/debuffs, and a bunch of fire damage. kristen has a lot of buffs/debuffs and heals, as well as spells like spirit guardians.

for the partials: fabian's spells generally go to damage rolls and buffs, while gorgug has minor repair & healing, and riz's only known spell at the moment is silvery barbs.

the bad kids start at lower level, going from 1-8 in freshman year, 8-9 in sophomore year, and starting at 10 in junior year, while the dream team starts at level 3 and goes to 10 in chapter i, and then from 10-12 in chapter ii. thus the dream team starts with higher level opponents earlier.

the bad kids generally face fewer opponents than the dream team; their structure is generally 6-10 smaller opponents and 1-2 larger bosses, or multiple bosses that they have to deal with. they are generally facing their opponents in standard environments, so i don't assign them contextual modifiers unless they have a specific objective or mechanical disadvantage.

by contrast, the dream team is more likely to have mechanical objectives and obstacles that further complicate their combat scenarios. in chapter ii, half of their fights feature 20+ opponents, if not more. there are three separate tower defense combats. thus, they get more contextual modifiers.

setting wise, the bad kids have more humanoid opponents that they have specific conflicts with, starting with doreen and johnny spells, going all the way to penelope and dayne in the finale of freshman year.

the dream team has a couple of those, but they're generally facing a magically-induced threat, like the bugsters from chapter i, or the animated armor from chapter ii.

and that's it for this time.

#dimension 20 #dimension 20 spoilers #dimension 20 meta #dimension 20 statistics #thisisnotthenerd's d20 stats #intrepid heroes #the dream team #the unsleeping city #the unsleeping city chapter ii #tuc #tuc ii #the perils of xp leveling #meta #dnd mechanics

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dailyadventureprompts · 1 year

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DM Tip: Better Random Encounters

One of the most important steps I made in my journey to becoming a good dungeonmaster was realizing that quite a lot of the system I was learning and the popular advice surrounding it was absolute garbage. 5 to 8 encounters per adventuring day? Encumbrance? Many of these things were holdovers from the days when the game consisted solely of dungeon crawling until level 10, and had no bearing on the character centric narrative adventure game I was wanting to play.

Random encounters were one of those holdovers: an expectation that every dungeon, wilderness location, and even city should have it’s own list ( level appropriate or not) of various challenges and random sights that the party should roll for by day or hour as long as they were playing the game. Specifically, they’re a holdover from a time when random encounters were the main way that players would find these sights and challenges, as much of the gameplay was otherwise about exploring a large ( and mostly empty) map of a dungeon or landscape. This is where the idea about 5-8 encounters per day really comes from.

The real problem is that encounters these days are quite a lot of work, both in that the DM has to put a lot of energy into making each encounter entertaining/challenging AND that any potential combat or RP is going to eat up a lot of table time. The workload for DMs is compounded by the fact that if the party isn’t having frequent random encounters in the same area, a good portion of their prep work is wasted, which begs the question of why do random encounters at all and not just concentrate all their efforts on one or two really good encounters? This is the route I’ve seen most groups take , leaving random encounters as obligatory filler, if they use it at all.

But what if you still like the idea of random encounters? Well below the cut I’m going to show you not only how to design encounters that take advantage of an element of randomness while still keeping that focused feel, and over here I’ll talk about how to design adventures that embody that element of discovery random encounters were supposed to facilitate in the first place.

The Jack-in-the-Box Encounter: Imagine that your party has crept into the lair of some terrifying monster in pursuit of their current goal, perhaps they’re looting a ruin, or recovering a mcguffin, or rescuing an abducted npc. They know that if they stay too long, the monster will discover them and they’ll have to face down a foe that far exceeds their current strength so they need to be smart, cautious, and fast, despite seldom being any one of these things. Allow them to explore the lair freely but every time they make noise or take a lot of time doing something, you throw a d6 into a cup or small bowl in a way that -plinks- ominously. Six dice in the bowl? Roll them, and if the number 6 comes up, the beast has arrived and the heroes have a hell of a fight on their hands.

This method of encounterbuilding allows you to have a threat looming over the party’s heads, acting like a clock that ticks forward whenever they move. The best part is that it’s possible to get to the limit of six dice and not have the jack-in-the-box encounter trigger, meaning that their luck holds out. if you want to give them extra wiggle room ( such as if they have to explore a whole dungeon without alerting the boss) you could do a countdown system, three 6 needed to pass on their first trigger, then only two, then one on every subsequent throw.

Whether or not the enemy announces itself when triggered is entirely dependant on how you want the encounter to play out: A giant might thunderously return home giving the party one last chance to dive for cover before they’re spotted, while a shadowy wraith might stalk the party from the darkness, waiting for the perfect time to strike under the pretenses that the count is still continuing.

You could also use this to represent a bountyhunter tracking down the party over the course of weeks, getting just a bit closer every time they give themselves away.

#dnd #dungeons and dragons #d&d #5e #pathfinder #ttrpg #homebrew mechanic #dm tips #dm advice #dm tip #dm tools #writing advice #DnD Mechanics #random encounters

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