I like Point Buy best. Point buy can work pretty well for MAD. If you do it right, you can have 16/16/14/11/10/10. That's what I did for my Eldritch Knight and Paladins, at least, and it covers all my focuses. 16 for Strength and Con, since I was trying to be the local tank, 14 for Int/Char for my casting, 11/10/10 so I'm at least not at a - for everything else. Sadly I haven't gotten to play this yet, so for all I know it'll fall apart in play, but I like being able to have three good stats and then no glaring weaknesses, as opposed to the chance of getting a terrible roll on the dice.
Dungeons and Dragons Megathread
- Thread starter Havocfett
- Start date
shepsquared
Erratic Aussie
- Location
- Melbourne, Australia
I generally give my players a higher than average array, since the two guys that like point buy will ask about it anyway and will probably get approved while the others get simple numbers.
Kylar
In Training Forever
- Location
- Canada
Jesus. The only thing more insane then playing a Madman is building one. So much adding things together.
Chloe Sullivan
Subdefective
- Location
- 1630 Revello Drive, Sunnydale CA
But all my stat kods would be zero in this scenario so that's easy.
Okay, lie, I'd dump everything and put it all into CON.
-4 to almost everything, whoo baby.
It's amazing how much effort DSP put into making a class that is basically a "Take That!" actually functional and fun.
MiracleGrow
Miracles for only $19.99 [They/Them]
- Location
- DOOR STUCK DOOR STUCK PLEASE I BEG U
Would you happen to have a link? Can't find it through google.
Kylar
In Training Forever
- Location
- Canada
That whole minisplat was that. Everything in it- the Ambu-Lancer, the Edge Lord, the gelantinous cube monster class, even the OotS double meta-joke prestige class Daring Hero (complete with Elan's punning feat) is 100% playable and all looks pretty fun.
Link is here. It is free, and amazing.
Chloe Sullivan
Subdefective
- Location
- 1630 Revello Drive, Sunnydale CA
Wait the ambulancer is playable? where can i find the base class?
MiracleGrow
Miracles for only $19.99 [They/Them]
- Location
- DOOR STUCK DOOR STUCK PLEASE I BEG U
Website is down, oh well. I'll see tmrw.
Kylar
In Training Forever
- Location
- Canada
The base class is here, for now: the class is in the final stages of playtesting. So its going to be heading towards release soonish, and once its out (if I understand DSP playtesting correctly) the playtest doc goes down.
The Medic is neat, its the Martial healer- and by that I mean it has a class feature that lets you burn a swift action X times per day to move and heal someone a scaling amount of damage. And then you add on the local Talent/Mercy equivalents to deal with the varied conditions and make your healing action better. At 9th level+ you start being able to bring your companions back from the dead as a class feature, culminating with true resurrection as a spell like once per month at level 17.
Oh, and its a full progression marital initiator, with Broken Blade and Steel Serpent, so you can make all the 'you are already dead' jokes you could possibly want to. But really it means your not lacking offensive tricks either.
Be sure to check the archetypes, they mix the class up a bit: the ambu-lancer is the mounted archetype, angle of mercy is the holy one (notably, it adds Silver Crane to the Discipline list), the sanguinist plays with a lot of syringes (stealing blood from enemies to heal allies), and the witch doctor uses and makes healing spell completion items.
I'm not sure how it stacks up against the Vitalist overall, but it looks solid.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
So, for those of you who remember my go at the Squadlin as a mob unit, here's an attempt at a more difficulty-accurate, arguably less complex go at the same subject. As an additional bonus, this gives XP more accurate to the difficulty of fighting the Mob.
This method is what I'm gonna call the Aggregate method of creating a Mob.
Step 1: Figure out your base creature and approximate unit size. For this example we are going to be doing two groups, a unit of 20 Guards (A Guard Detachment) and a unit of 5 Veterans (A Veteran Squad).
Step 2: Multiply the XP per creature by the number of creatures in the Mob, and then figure out the Adjusted XP for the encounter. This gives us 2000 XP for 20 Guards and 7000 for 5 Veterans.
Step 3: Round to next CR. This gives us Challenge 6 (2300 XP) for a Guard Detachment (We can assume there's an officer or sommat in there) and Challenge 11 (7200 XP) for a Veteran Squad.
Step 4: Use the DM's Guide to figure out appropriate stats. Keep the following in mind: AC should remain the same as the base creature, adjust it minutely if you have to. Give it a large number of attacks instead of a few bigger attacks, and note that it can split between ranged and melee options. For most mobs, limit the number of attacks that can be made against a single opponent and give it two turns per round via the Staggered Actions trait (Remember to factor this in when checking Damage Per Round). Give it the Mob trait. (Mob (X): Immune to status conditions (Except for Frightened) if they would affect less than (X/2) number of creatures. Takes double damage from Area of Effect attacks. When under 1/4th health, attacks have disadvantage). Figure out an appropriate size. In general, Mobs with X of 5 or less are Large, Mobs with X of about 20 or less are Huge, and larger mobs are Gargantuan.
Examples
This method is what I'm gonna call the Aggregate method of creating a Mob.
Step 1: Figure out your base creature and approximate unit size. For this example we are going to be doing two groups, a unit of 20 Guards (A Guard Detachment) and a unit of 5 Veterans (A Veteran Squad).
Step 2: Multiply the XP per creature by the number of creatures in the Mob, and then figure out the Adjusted XP for the encounter. This gives us 2000 XP for 20 Guards and 7000 for 5 Veterans.
Step 3: Round to next CR. This gives us Challenge 6 (2300 XP) for a Guard Detachment (We can assume there's an officer or sommat in there) and Challenge 11 (7200 XP) for a Veteran Squad.
Step 4: Use the DM's Guide to figure out appropriate stats. Keep the following in mind: AC should remain the same as the base creature, adjust it minutely if you have to. Give it a large number of attacks instead of a few bigger attacks, and note that it can split between ranged and melee options. For most mobs, limit the number of attacks that can be made against a single opponent and give it two turns per round via the Staggered Actions trait (Remember to factor this in when checking Damage Per Round). Give it the Mob trait. (Mob (X): Immune to status conditions (Except for Frightened) if they would affect less than (X/2) number of creatures. Takes double damage from Area of Effect attacks. When under 1/4th health, attacks have disadvantage). Figure out an appropriate size. In general, Mobs with X of 5 or less are Large, Mobs with X of about 20 or less are Huge, and larger mobs are Gargantuan.
Examples
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MiracleGrow
Miracles for only $19.99 [They/Them]
- Location
- DOOR STUCK DOOR STUCK PLEASE I BEG U
>Angel of Mercy
Wings of Mercy (Su): At 12th level, the angel of mercy can grow wings to carry her towards those in need of her aid. Growing or retracting these wings is a free action, and the angel of mercy gains a fly speed equal to her movement speed with good maneuverability. She can only use these wings to fly for 1 minute per class level, but does not have to use them consecutively. However, she must use them in 1 minute increments. This replaces the medic's expertise gained at 12th level.
Chloe Sullivan
Subdefective
- Location
- 1630 Revello Drive, Sunnydale CA
Their references are usually more obscure, but yep.
MiracleGrow
Miracles for only $19.99 [They/Them]
- Location
- DOOR STUCK DOOR STUCK PLEASE I BEG U
Yeah that was pretty balant reference.
But at least I can play a Dhampir who loudly complains about people screaming as she stitches there organs back together.
"Ze healing leaves little time for ze hurting!"
Revlid
blob of bugs
- Location
- England
Hm, okay.
A few things that come to mind...
If I poison 18/20 of the guards, they're all unaffected?
It seems like this should run off majority rules, so you need to affect at least 10 of the Mob to affect them.
Alternatively, you could offer a bonus to their saving throw based on how many of them wouldn't be affected. Something like the cover rules, maybe? They're immune to conditions targeting one member (full cover), get +5 to saving throws if it targets more than one member, +2 if it targets more than half, +0 if it targets them all. However, this doesn't handle conditions without a save very well. Or being grappled.
Out of curiosity – 20 single-attack guards get 5 attacks, and 5 double-attack veterans get 5-7 attacks. Is there a set arithmetic at play here, or is it just whatever best suits the CR you're aiming for?
How does rolling initiative twice (thus offering a chance for reactions and responses from the players, instead of unleashing a hellish tide of 10 attacks every time their turn ticks around) work in a game where initiative isn't rolled?
I'd suggest making them Huge/Large (Medium), and adding a note to Mob that the Size reflects only the area occupied by (and effective reach of) the total Mob – just so giantslayer-style features don't kick in.
I note that the players can bring this 143hp Mob down to 1hp and it's still tossing out 5 attacks per turn, 10 attacks per round. Are there still 20 guys there, each working off 0.05hp, or is the one remaining guard working ten times as hard to pick up the slack? I get that the hp reflects morale rather than actual hp, since they're effectively "each" working with 7.15hp rather than 11hp, but it's still a bitter pill to swallow, and the feeling of wearing down a horde rather than hacking at a monster is lost.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Thanks dude.
Cover is finicky, but you're right. I'll change it to X/2.
CR-based.
It's second turn is at the end of the round (Or two slots before its first, if it's already the slowest unit on the field)
Brilliant.
Hmm, yeah. It represents morale, but I think I can represent this by losing Staggered Actions at half health and taking disadvantage on attacks at 1/4th.
Cover is finicky, but you're right. I'll change it to X/2.
CR-based.
It's second turn is at the end of the round (Or two slots before its first, if it's already the slowest unit on the field)
Brilliant.
Hmm, yeah. It represents morale, but I think I can represent this by losing Staggered Actions at half health and taking disadvantage on attacks at 1/4th.
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- Location
- Drachyench on Discord
Do you want to give heal limits to such large mobs (20+ individuals) or no? On one hand I want to say you shouldn't for simplicity's sake and the fact that I think Swarms can be healed too. On the other, a limit such as "Groups cannot be healed for more than (50%? 75%?) their max HP" would limit their effectiveness in "bouncing back " in the presence of higher level healers.
yeah but then you would also need to add something to showcase that "I eviscerated him good" can still only kill one member , even if it would make others run away or break.
Maybe something to add stuff to break it up in two lower CR mobs in case you put a terain divide in there, or fear most but not all of them?
- Pronouns
- He/Him
The point of this is to be simpler than running 20 dudes at once. 
The Homebrewery sheet has been updated with the health mechanics proposed by Revlid.
The Homebrewery sheet has been updated with the health mechanics proposed by Revlid.
MiracleGrow
Miracles for only $19.99 [They/Them]
- Location
- DOOR STUCK DOOR STUCK PLEASE I BEG U
Did someone say swarms? This is for the pathfinder folks if you ever want a character who uses swarms. Lore on 'em is also pretty creepy in the cool way.
Swarm Host v3
"The Swarm Host is a base class revolving around a hero's close association with a large group of tiny vermin. A very close association...as in, they live inside him. As the Swarm grows in power, it takes over more and more of the Host's body until at last there is no longer any distinction."
Swarm Host v3
"The Swarm Host is a base class revolving around a hero's close association with a large group of tiny vermin. A very close association...as in, they live inside him. As the Swarm grows in power, it takes over more and more of the Host's body until at last there is no longer any distinction."
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Morphic Tide
Crazy Brainstormer, Munchkin and Wannabe Min-Maxer
- Location
- MI, USA
So, I'd like to ask some questions about the practicality of particular items. Namely, a set of item enhancements. Would a +1 Holy Axiomantic Bane of Outsiders (chaotic, evil) weapon be a good choice of weapon for diving into the plane of Chaos and Evil for the express purpose of grinding for XP? I can't remember which name goes to which alignment-plane, but something that has... what, +9 to hit and damage, from a +7 equivalent item? Would that be a thing to use? Would it be worth it to dive into that particular hell for grinding XP if you have a grand fuck off weapon and a way to leave instantly?
In slightly more conventional and much less hypothetical questioning, I'm playing a single class Brawler in Rise of the Runelords(may have gotten the name wrong). I got Dazzling Display while having CHA and INT as dump stats. How do I unscrew the build? I'm largely going for versatility in the temporary feats Brawlers have and maxed out Intimidate to have a chance of getting use out of Dazzling Display. If you suggest something, please note which book it comes from, because there is a sadly limited number of feats.
Also, in Pathfinder, how practical is a crafting focused character? I just kinda want to know how to build a crafter, partly to see if my DM will let me and partly to have an idea of where to go with minmaxing Leadership. Because shattering the balance of the game with crazy amounts of magic items that are made specifically for the task is a thing I want to pull. I'm thinking that a character with a level in Expert would be a good place to start for the crafting followers, given the bit where PF Experts get to choose any 8 skills for class skills. Like, Adept 1/Expert 1/Adept X for crafting Followers
In slightly more conventional and much less hypothetical questioning, I'm playing a single class Brawler in Rise of the Runelords(may have gotten the name wrong). I got Dazzling Display while having CHA and INT as dump stats. How do I unscrew the build? I'm largely going for versatility in the temporary feats Brawlers have and maxed out Intimidate to have a chance of getting use out of Dazzling Display. If you suggest something, please note which book it comes from, because there is a sadly limited number of feats.
Also, in Pathfinder, how practical is a crafting focused character? I just kinda want to know how to build a crafter, partly to see if my DM will let me and partly to have an idea of where to go with minmaxing Leadership. Because shattering the balance of the game with crazy amounts of magic items that are made specifically for the task is a thing I want to pull. I'm thinking that a character with a level in Expert would be a good place to start for the crafting followers, given the bit where PF Experts get to choose any 8 skills for class skills. Like, Adept 1/Expert 1/Adept X for crafting Followers
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Revlid
blob of bugs
- Location
- England
Whoops, sorry – that was meant to be a "okay, let's look at this" rather than "this is okay".
It's good!
As you mention leadership, remember to let the person that takes it have high int, and UMD as that allows you to reduce the difficult of the spellcraft roll, and at best, make them a wizard so that they can get a free crafting feat. That basically was it considering how low most TNs are when you have the money to create them.
Morphic Tide
Crazy Brainstormer, Munchkin and Wannabe Min-Maxer
- Location
- MI, USA
So, Arcane Archer with the obligatory caster level for being one as Wizard? Because the point is to actually use the broken as hell gear setups. Then again, Scribe Scroll isn't that useful when you have assloads of low level crafters to do the work of it for you.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
That wasn't sarcastic, I was thanking you for feedback.
I just couldn't find a good place to put it in the post so I put it at the top.Edit: Oh, I see what I did. Moved the thanks.
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As you mentioned leadership, well of course you make your cohort the crafter, as that does not mean that you have to spend your feats on it.