Simple RAW for 5e 4: Smackdown v. RAW

[Man_Over_Game]

Q111

Two weapon fighting with one weapon?

Is it permissible to take the attack action (for however many attacks) and then pass the weapon to the off hand for the bonus TWF attack?

A111

When you take the Attack action and attack with a light melee weapon that you're holding in one hand, you can use a bonus action to attack with a different light melee weapon that you're holding in the other hand.

No.

[Rub]

Q112

If a Sorcerer with a 14 Wisdom and 20 Charisma who had previously learned Chill Touch and Spare the Dying took a 1 level Death Domain Cleric dip picking up the Reaper feature HAVE TO TAKE Toll the Dead or could he take another non-Necromancy cantrip? What if the DMG is counting as the player's PHB+1 (for Death Domain) and therefore cannot take Toll the Dead?


Q113

Same character, but let's say he has all 3 cantrips with Toll the Dead being added via the Reaper feature. When the character casts either Chill Touch or Toll the Dead, can he use his Spell Attack/Save DC modifiers using his 20 Charisma but still get the effects of casting on 2 creatures via the Reaper feature or does he have to use the Spell Attack/Save DC using his 14 Wisdom? Or can he only use that feature with Toll the Dead since it was aquired as a Cleric Spell and Chill Touch as a Sorcerer spell?

[PhoenixPhyre]

Q112

If a Sorcerer with a 14 Wisdom and 20 Charisma who had previously learned Chill Touch and Spare the Dying took a 1 level Death Domain Cleric dip picking up the Reaper feature HAVE TO TAKE Toll the Dead or could he take another non-Necromancy cantrip? What if the DMG is counting as the player's PHB+1 (for Death Domain) and therefore cannot take Toll the Dead?

A112 If Toll the Dead is available, he can take it. Otherwise (AL), he wastes the feature.

Q113

Same character, but let's say he has all 3 cantrips with Toll the Dead being added via the Reaper feature. When the character casts either Chill Touch or Toll the Dead, can he use his Spell Attack/Save DC modifiers using his 20 Charisma but still get the effects of casting on 2 creatures via the Reaper feature or does he have to use the Spell Attack/Save DC using his 14 Wisdom? Or can he only use that feature with Toll the Dead since it was aquired as a Cleric Spell and Chill Touch as a Sorcerer spell?

A113 Whatever spell was acquired from the cleric domain is a cleric spell and is cast with wisdom. He can use any necromancy cantrip that only targets 1 creature with the Reaper feature, but they would use different ability scores.

[Rub]

A112 If Toll the Dead is available, he can take it. Otherwise (AL), he wastes the feature.



A113 Whatever spell was acquired from the cleric domain is a cleric spell and is cast with wisdom. He can use any necromancy cantrip that only targets 1 creature with the Reaper feature, but they would use different ability scores.

Thanks for A112!

Could you clarify A113 using the example I outlined? I think you are saying he can ONLY cast Toll the Dead using his Wisdom since it was acquired as a Cleric spell. However, he can still gain the benefit of the Reaper feature to target a 2nd creature when he casts Chill touch, but he would use his Charisma modifier for the Spell Attack rolls? Is that correct?

[PhoenixPhyre]

Thanks for A112!

Could you clarify A113 using the example I outlined? I think you are saying he can ONLY cast Toll the Dead using his Wisdom since it was acquired as a Cleric spell. However, he can still gain the benefit of the Reaper feature to target a 2nd creature when he casts Chill touch, but he would use his Charisma modifier for the Spell Attack rolls? Is that correct?

Followup 113

Toll the Dead: Uses Wis. Can benefit from Reaper.
Chill Touch: Uses Cha. Can benefit from Reaper.

The feature says "any necromancy cantrip", so it works regardless of the source. However, when multiclassing spell-casters, each class tracks its spells/modifiers separately--they're tied to the source. The only exceptions are cantrip scaling, as that goes by character level not class level, and spell slots (not known/prepared/etc) because those are covered in the multiclassing section.

[Arkhios]

Two questions about Savage Attacker:

Q113a
How does Savage Attacker interact with (Improved) Divine Smite?

"Once per turn when you roll damage for a melee weapon attack, you can reroll the damage dice and use either total."

To my reading, it would seem that any damage you roll because of a melee weapon attack can be rerolled. Including bonus dice such as divine smite.


Q113b
Am I reading this right, that you can choose which damage roll to reroll. For example if you land two hits and one of them is a critical hit and/or choose to use divine smite?

[BloodSnake'sCha]

Q 114

Which checks are abilities checks in 5e?

Is it only skills and abilities checks?

[MeeposFire]

Q 114

Which checks are abilities checks in 5e?

Is it only skills and abilities checks?

A 114

Essentially if a D20 roll is not a saving throw or an attack roll it is an ability check.

Note that skills are ability checks. They are not really their own separate check through people often talk like they are. A steal check is more properly said to be a dex check (stealth) which lets you know you can add your prof mod to your dex check because you are prof in stealth. You may call it a stealth check but in truth it is actually a dex check where you can add your prof bonus from prof in stealth.

[Arkhios]

Q 114

Which checks are abilities checks in 5e?

Is it only skills and abilities checks?

Short answer: Yes, only skills and ability checks are ability checks.

Long Answer: There are three different types of d20 rolls in 5e:

Ability Checks (skill checks are actually subset of ability checks, not other way around)

Attack Rolls

Saving Throws

Further points on why skills are a subset: It's actually encouraged by the rules, that the DM can allow a player to make an ability (skill) check using a different ability than is the standard. For example, it can be reasoned to make a Dexterity (Athletics) check, while the standard assumption is Strength (Athletics).

[leogobsin]

Two questions about Savage Attacker:

Q113a
How does Savage Attacker interact with (Improved) Divine Smite?

"Once per turn when you roll damage for a melee weapon attack, you can reroll the damage dice and use either total."

To my reading, it would seem that any damage you roll because of a melee weapon attack can be rerolled. Including bonus dice such as divine smite.


Q113b
Am I reading this right, that you can choose which damage roll to reroll. For example if you land two hits and one of them is a critical hit and/or choose to use divine smite?

A113Savage Attacker actually says says "you can reroll the weapon's damage dice and use either total." (emphasis mine) So any extra damage (Sneak Attack, Divine Smite, Hex, etc.) can't be rerolled.

As for A113a you could choose to reroll damage for any attack you make, but you would have to make the decision to reroll before moving on to other attacks. So. for example, as a 5th level fighter with Savage Attacker: you make one attack, which hits and you choose to see if your second attack will be a crit to use Savage Attacker. Your second attack misses, and at this point it's too late to reroll for the first attack, and you haven't gotten any benefit from Savage Attacker for that turn.

[Arkhios]

A113Savage Attacker actually says says "you can reroll the weapon's damage dice and use either total." (emphasis mine) So any extra damage (Sneak Attack, Divine Smite, Hex, etc.) can't be rerolled.

As for A113b you could choose to reroll damage for any attack you make, but you would have to make the decision to reroll before moving on to other attacks. So. for example, as a 5th level fighter with Savage Attacker: you make one attack, which hits and you choose to see if your second attack will be a crit to use Savage Attacker. Your second attack misses, and at this point it's too late to reroll for the first attack, and you haven't gotten any benefit from Savage Attacker for that turn.

a: Aww, damn.. I should've known not to trust the source, and double check wording from the book.

b: Oh, right.

[Man_Over_Game]

Q115 What is the cost of casting Raise Dead on a Zealot Barbarian in Adventure League?

Q116 At what levels should characters be receiving their first of each tier of magical item (common, uncommon, etc)?

Q117 Similar to the last one, how much wealth should a character generally accumulate by levels 5, 10, and 15? Rough gold value is perfect.

[Erys]

Q115 What is the cost of casting Raise Dead on a Zealot Barbarian in Adventure League?

Q116 At what levels should characters be receiving their first of each tier of magical item (common, uncommon, etc)?

Q117 Similar to the last one, how much wealth should a character generally accumulate by levels 5, 10, and 15? Rough gold value is perfect.

A116 Assuming AL plays RAW, its free (once the barbarian is the appropriate level).

A117 See DMG pg 38.

A118 Same as 117.

[Man_Over_Game]

A116 Assuming AL plays RAW, its free (once the barbarian is the appropriate level).

The issue is that the cost of a spell casting isn't always derived from the cost of the material cost. For example, an Identify spell cast is listed as costing anywhere between 10-50 gold (generally around 10), despite the fact that it doesn't have any consumed material costs.

There IS a listed cost for Raise Dead in AL and several modules, but there's no mention as to how much of that price is associated with the material cost spent in the casting.

0 gold seems definitely wrong, and the full price seems wrong when considering the Zealot's feature, but I'm not sure what price it is between those two values.

[E’Tallitnics]

The issue is that the cost of a spell casting isn't always derived from the cost of the material cost. For example, an Identify spell cast is listed as costing anywhere between 10-50 gold (generally around 10), despite the fact that it doesn't have any consumed material costs.

There IS a listed cost for Raise Dead in AL and several modules, but there's no mention as to how much of that price is associated with the material cost spent in the casting.

0 gold seems definitely wrong, and the full price seems wrong when considering the Zealot's feature, but I'm not sure what price it is between those two values.

R116 The cost of the spell is listed in the spell description. In your example the Identify spell requires, “a pearl worth at least 100 gp and an owl feather”. Not “10 to 50 gold, generally around 10”.

Raise Dead requires, “a diamond worth at least 500 gp, which the spell consumes”. Notice that they both say, “at least” so you can use a more valuable item, but you cannot use one of lesser value.

In the specific case of the Zealot if you cast Raise Dead on her there's no need to have the 500 gp diamond, per that sub-classes feature.

Note: This thread is for D&D 5th Edition only. It doesn't cover other versions of D&D.

[Man_Over_Game]

R116 The cost of the spell is listed in the spell description. In your example the Identify spell requires, “a pearl worth at least 100 gp and an owl feather”. Not “10 to 50 gold, generally around 10”.

Raise Dead requires, “a diamond worth at least 500 gp, which the spell consumes”. Notice that they both say, “at least” so you can use a more valuable item, but you cannot use one of lesser value.

In the specific case of the Zealot if you cast Raise Dead on her there's no need to have the 500 gp diamond, per that sub-classes feature.

Note: This thread is for D&D 5th Edition only. It doesn't cover other versions of D&D.

Sorry, I guess I didn't quite ask the question right.

[Revised]Q115 How much does it cost to have an NPC to cast Raise Dead on a Zealot Barbarian?

I realized where the confusion was, sorry about that.

[LtPowers]

Sorry, I guess I didn't quite ask the question right.

[Revised]Q115 How much does it cost to have an NPC to cast Raise Dead on a Zealot Barbarian?

I realized where the confusion was, sorry about that.

A115

I was about to clear up the confusion but you beat me to it.

In Adventurers League, if you purchase the spell scroll (either with gold or with Treasure Checkpoints) it comes with an NPC to cast it. For a zealot barbarian there would be no additional cost beyond the cost of the scroll. Raise dead is also on the list of spellcasting services, costing 1000gp (which is the same as the cost of a 5th-level spell scroll, oddly enough).

Where some confusion comes in is that the ALPG states that the cost of the scroll is in addition to any material components required by the spell (whether consumed or not). The ALDMG says nothing about that for spellcasting services. So in theory, a non-zealot character would also need to provide the 500gp for a diamond if buying the spell scroll, but would not have to do so for an NPC to cast raise dead.

For your zealot, it doesn't matter one way or the other. It's 1000gp or 8 treasure checkpoints, period.


Powers &8^]

[BeefGood]

Q118: when do monsters & Monster Manual NPCs regenerate spell slots? I looked in the front part of the Monster Manual and did not see this point addressed. The stat blocks don't say.

[PhoenixPhyre]

Q118: when do monsters & Monster Manual NPCs regenerate spell slots? I looked in the front part of the Monster Manual and did not see this point addressed. The stat blocks don't say.

A118 Usually not an issue at all, but they follow the same patterns as PC classes (so after a long rest by default, after a short rest if it says so).

[Dualswinger]

Q119.

Unearthed arcana mystic soul knife. Is it possible to use the soul knife with the animate weapon power from Mastery of Wood?

The knife restrictions says I can’t hold anything else, and it’s treated as a weapon.

Q119a

Can Animate weapon be used with a great sword or a lance? And if it can, how would that interact with the duelling style or gwm?

[No brains]

Q120
Do traps give experience points in this edition? What passages help me determine how much XP a trap is worth?

[E’Tallitnics]

Q120
Do traps give experience points in this edition? What passages help me determine how much XP a trap is worth?

A120 “Xanather’s Guide to Everything” has a table “Experience for Complex Traps” but that’s all I could find.

[No brains]

A120 “Xanather’s Guide to Everything” has a table “Experience for Complex Traps” but that’s all I could find.

Re 120 Bummer. Thank you. Outside of RAW, but can I get a recommendation for suggested simple trap EXP values? Could I perhaps treat it as an extremely fragile creature if it only really works once?

[Kadesh]

Re 120 Bummer. Thank you. Outside of RAW, but can I get a recommendation for suggested simple trap EXP values? Could I perhaps treat it as an extremely fragile creature if it only really works once?

Not in this thread. This is RAW only.

[qube]

Re 120 Bummer. Thank you. Outside of RAW, but can I get a recommendation for suggested simple trap EXP values? Could I perhaps treat it as an extremely fragile creature if it only really works once?

I never tried it but I guess you could. Technically there's no difference between a trap and a hidden monster - though do adjust the damage rider.

Spoiler

Show

page 274 of the DMG gives you the CR table. CR 1 (200XP) gives you a 1 hp monster (CR0) that deals 15-20 per round (CR2) (and CR2 & 0 avrage out to 1).

Now, for a regular combat there's about a 70% chance your monster doesn't get to attack (if we assume there's a 50% chance to win init, and a 50% chance to hit, 1 player gets 25% chance to kill it before it acts. 2ppl 44%; 3ppl 58%; 4ppl 68%). Then then it only has 50% chance to deal it's damage, means it only will hit 0.3*0.5 = 0.15 of the time

That gives the CR1 monster a DPC (average damage per combat) of (15-20) * 0.15 = (2.25-3).

---
So, in comparison, lets take a hidden pit trap in a room where the party expects traps. The way it is set up, is the person needs to be adjacent to see it (roll a perception check), and if he fails, he drops in it (dex save negates).
For that trap at CR1, what would be the damage?

this trap is balanced around the expectation of 2 rolls (0.5*0.5 = 0.25) and wanting a CR of 1, you need

0.25* avr damage = (2.25-3).
--> avr damage = (9-12).
... so, for example, you could let the trap do 3d6 (perception vs a stealth of 14 (as per +2 proficiency and 15 dex), dex DC 13 negates (as per table) )

Likewise, the dex for half build would be
(50% Avr. Damage + 50% half Damage ) * 50% chance to not get spotted = (2.25-3)
--> 0.75 * Avr Damage * 0.5 = (2.25-3)
--> Avr. Damage = (6-8).
... or for example 2d6 damage

{disclaimer, I'm not a fan of huge dice traps at low level - as 2d10 trap might instakill the rogue. I rather advocate 1d6+7 over 3d6 over 2d10 }
{disclaimer, this is (ab)using the RAW rules in the DMG. Dunno how they add up IRL. The DMG itself stresses the importance of testing before use}

[Arkhios]

Q121
How does Elemental Weapon+Polearm Master interact?

Technically the attack you make with the opposite end of a polearm is still the same weapon, so it seems it should count as one more chance to add the spell's effect each turn.

[Man_Over_Game]

Q121
How does Elemental Weapon+Polearm Master interact?

Technically the attack you make with the opposite end of a polearm is still the same weapon, so it seems it should count as one more chance to add the spell's effect each turn.

A121 A quote by Jeremy Crawford indicates there is no issue with using Shillelagh's Wisdom attacking feature on the Bonus Action attack with a Polearm, but does identify the fact that it will continue to use a d4 for its damage (due to the fact that the d4 is specified by the less general feature). Elemental Weapon adds a series of bonuses to that weapon, and since it does not affect the standard damage die of the polearm, it should be applied on top of the polearm damage as normal.

So, yes. It should be applied. To get a more formal answer on this with more references (since this is a great question), I've posted a formal question on RPG Stack Exchange.

[laman132]

Q122

Can you benefit from shield twice? If you cast shield after your turn but before the end of the round (as a reaction), and then get attacked before your turn at the beginning of the next round, can you use another reaction (in the new round) to cast shield again (getting a total of +10 to your AC)?

[PhoenixPhyre]

Q122

Can you benefit from shield twice? If you cast shield after your turn but before the end of the round (as a reaction), and then get attacked before your turn at the beginning of the next round, can you use another reaction (in the new round) to cast shield again (getting a total of +10 to your AC)?

A122
You regain your reaction at the start of your turn, not the start of the round (which is an ill-defined thing anyway in 5e). Thus, you can only have one instance of Shield acting. Even if you had another reaction, same-source effects do not stack. So doubly no.

[AHF]

A122
You regain your reaction at the start of your turn, not the start of the round (which is an ill-defined thing anyway in 5e). Thus, you can only have one instance of Shield acting. Even if you had another reaction, same-source effects do not stack. So doubly no.

I think the bolded text is the key. You wouldn't need to use Shield again before your next turn because your AC is simply +5 until your next turn. So when the next 'round' starts you still have the +5 AC bonus until your next turn.