Simple RAW for 5e V: The Disadvantage Strikes Back

[Mr Adventurer]

Re 151: Fire Giant Dreadnoughts (Volo's Guide to Monsters) can benefit from two shields, but that appears to be entirely unique to them. They also take a dex penalty in heavy armor? Who wrote that?

Their AC also only seems to give them +3 for doing so (they have plate mail, two shields, and AC 21).

It's not clear whether this is supposed to be from their -1 Dex modifier, or not.

[Mr Adventurer]

Q152

When a creature can summon other creatures, are those summoned creatures treated as part of the original monster's Challenge, or should PCs be awarded XP for them separately?

For example, if they fight a Conjurer from Volo's Guide to Monsters - the Conjurer has Conjure Elemental as one of its listed spells - presuming the Conjurer has already cast that spell before combat starts and has his loyal elemental minion, should the PCs get XP for the elemental separately?

[Rub]

Q153
Does a Life Domain Cleric's Disciple of Life feature interact with Karametra’s Disciple (once Piety 25+ is achieved)?

Disciple of Life
Also starting at 1st level, your healing spells are more effective. Whenever you use a spell of 1st level or higher to restore hit points to a creature, the creature regains additional hit points equal to 2 + the spell’s level.

Karametra’s Disciple
By performing an hour-long ritual, you can conjure enough grapes to fill three vials (4 ounces each) of wine. Each vial serves as a potion of healing for 24 hours, after which it loses this property. Once you use this trait, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.

[Segev]

Q153
Does a Life Domain Cleric's Disciple of Life feature interact with Karametra’s Disciple (once Piety 25+ is achieved)?

Disciple of Life
Also starting at 1st level, your healing spells are more effective. Whenever you use a spell of 1st level or higher to restore hit points to a creature, the creature regains additional hit points equal to 2 + the spell’s level.

Karametra’s Disciple
By performing an hour-long ritual, you can conjure enough grapes to fill three vials (4 ounces each) of wine. Each vial serves as a potion of healing for 24 hours, after which it loses this property. Once you use this trait, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.

A153: Not by the way they are written. Karametra’s Disciple does not say it is or uses a spell of first level or higher, which is part of the trigger for Disciple of Life.

Obviously, you can talk to your DM about it for a house rule. But note that without a spell level, you are only getting 2 extra healing. So six total divided between three uses.

You’re better off taking Magic Initiate (Druid) for Goodberry.

[Clistenes]

Q154a

If I want to craft an item using the DGM's rules...¿can I hire a NPC to assist me?

Q154b

If I can hire a NPC to assist me in the crafting of an item... ¿is the NPC's HD considered its level for the purpose of qualifying as an assistant?

[leogobsin]

Q154a

If I want to craft an item using the DGM's rules...¿can I hire a NPC to assist me?

Q154b

If I can hire a NPC to assist me in the crafting of an item... ¿is the NPC's HD considered its level for the purpose of qualifying as an assistant?

A154

In general, NPCs do not have any class levels, so by RAW they wouldn't meet the level requirements for crafting a magic item.

[zinycor]

Q155:

Is it possible to wear 2 magical cloaks and get the benefit from both?

[Emongnome777]

Q155:

Is it possible to wear 2 magical cloaks and get the benefit from both?

A255

DMG, Chapter 7:

Multiple Items of the Same Kind
Use common sense to determine whether more than one of a given kind of magic item can be worn. A character can’t normally wear more than one pair of footwear, one pair of gloves or gauntlets, one pair of bracers, one suit of armor, one item of headwear, and one cloak. You can make exceptions; a character might be able to wear a circlet under a helmet, for example, or be able to layer two cloaks.

Summary: DM's call.

[Dmdork]

Q156 purple work swallows fighter. Druid polymorphs purple worm into a chicken. What happens to fighter?

[Gtdead]

Q157:

Is there any way to give advantage to a d100 roll?

[Eriol]

Q157:

Is there any way to give advantage to a d100 roll?

Partial A157: Generically I don't know. Specific instances exist though, for example the "Controlled Chaos" 14th-level ability of the Wild Magic Sorcerer, they can roll twice on the Wild Magic Surge table (a d100 table) and pick either number, which is similar to Advantage.

[Zhorn]

Continued A157 Outside of very specific types of rolls, the general answer will be 'no'. This is because the d100 roll serves different functions to the d20 roll or damage rolls where higher is always better. On a d100 roll, you can have a spread of results across different likelihoods that don't correlate to an order of most to least favourable (Wild Magic Surge, Magic Item loot tables), some rolls may favour higher results (monetary treasure tables), while others favour lower results (Devine Intervention).

[Ortho]

Q156 purple work swallows fighter. Druid polymorphs purple worm into a chicken. What happens to fighter?

A156:
RAW the fighter is stuck within the chicken.

The purple worm can swallow and regurgitate creatures as part of its Bite action. The Polymorph spell has this clause in it: The [polymorphed] creature is limited in the actions it can perform by the nature of its new form. As a chicken doesn't have the Bite action of a purple worm, the fighter can't be regurgitated.

What the fighter needs to do to escape the worm's interior is either wait until the worm is dead and walk out, or deal damage equal to 30+(chicken's HP) to trigger the worm's gag reflex.

[Dmdork]

A156 Playing it out like that doesn't make sense to me, but I appreciate your RAW answer

[CheddarChampion]

Q158The spell Web restrains a creature but that doesn't stop them from being moved, right?

Does this mean that a creature could be grappled and dragged out of the area? Does this mean Web could not catch a creature midair or even slow their fall?

[Xiander]

Q158The spell Web restrains a creature but that doesn't stop them from being moved, right?

Does this mean that a creature could be grappled and dragged out of the area? Does this mean Web could not catch a creature midair or even slow their fall?

A158 The text of web clearly states that creatures are only restrained as long as they are in the spell's area of effect. So yes, grapling and dragging would work to free someone from the spell.

The spell text issilent on what happens to someone who falls through a web. That seems like something a gm would have to make a call on.

[TheCleverGuy]

[B]Q159

If I cast Absorb Elements, can I apply the extra damage on a melee spell attack on my next turn? For example, if I use Primal Savagery after casting Absorb Elements will it deal the normal acid damage plus whatever element set of Absorb Elements?

[Narbaculus]

A159
Yes, Absorb Elements applies extra damage to the next melee attack that hits on your next turn. Primal Savagery is a melee spell attack, so it would benefit from Absorb Elements if it hit.

[Samayu]

Q160
Can I stack Smites? In particular, can Paladin's Divine Smite class feature (no action) be used on the same attack as one that I cast a smite spell (bonus action) on?

Are there any other ways to stack smites on the same attack?

[DevanAvalon]

Q160
Can I stack Smites? In particular, can Paladin's Divine Smite class feature (no action) be used on the same attack as one that I cast a smite spell (bonus action) on?

Are there any other ways to stack smites on the same attack?

A160: Divine Smite + a Smite Spell + Eldritch Smite from Pact of Blade Invocation can all be stacked on top of one another. As long as each "Smite" is a different source, they all can stack.

[OrbanSirgen]

Q161. How much can the warlock invocation Eyes of the Rhne Keeper let you read? It says all writing, so my group rules that it includes things like hieroglyphics, but could it be extended further to reading messages in pictures, such as paintings, as well?

[Xiander]

Q161. How much can the warlock invocation Eyes of the Rhne Keeper let you read? It says all writing, so my group rules that it includes things like hieroglyphics, but could it be extended further to reading messages in pictures, such as paintings, as well?

A161: This goes well beyond raw. Defining what constitutes "writing" is the purview of th gm.

[rlc]

Q162. What does a spellcaster sidekick using the rules from the Cauldron use for a spell focus?
So, like, does a prodigy using the hard spell list still use a musical instrument?

[LtPowers]

Q162. What does a spellcaster sidekick using the rules from the Cauldron use for a spell focus?
So, like, does a prodigy using the hard spell list still use a musical instrument?

A162

The sidekick can use a focus for its spells depending on the choice you made on the Spellcasting table. A Mage can use an arcane focus, a Priest can use a holy symbol, and a Prodigy can use an arcane focus or a musical instrument.

Powers &8^]

[BenTheJester]

Q163
Does the new ranger replacement ability "Canny" stack with Expertise?

[Zhorn]

A163
no stacking you only get the one double

If a circumstance suggests that your proficiency bonus applies more than once to the same roll or that it should be multiplied more than once, you nevertheless add it only once, multiply it only once, and halve it only once.

and again

If a circumstance suggests that your proficiency bonus applies more than once to the same roll, you still add it only once and multiply or divide it only once.

[honeybunch]

Q164:

If playing on a grid, does the Wingwear magic item allow for unlimited flight? (ignoring any need for sleep or other bodily functions)

Wingwear is an uncommon item from Princes of the Apocalypse. It requires attunement.

This snug uniform has symbols of air stitched into it and leathery flaps that stretch along the arms, waist, and legs to create wings for gliding. A suit of wingwear has 3 charges. While you wear the suit, you can use a bonus action and expend 1 charge to gain a flying speed of 30 feet until you land. At the end of each of your turns, your altitude drops by 5 feet. Your altitude drops instantly to 0 feet at the end of your turn if you didn’t fly at least 30 feet horizontally on that turn. When your altitude drops to 0 feet, you land (or fall), and you must expend another charge to use the suit again.

The suit regains all of its expended charges after spending at least 1 hour in an elemental air node.

The variant (but very commonly used) rules for playing on a grid include the following:

Squares. Each square on the grid represents 5 feet.

Speed. Rather than moving foot by foot, move square by square on the grid. This means you use your speed in 5-foot segments. This is particularly easy if you translate your speed into squares by dividing the speed by 5. For example, a speed of 30 feet translates into a speed of 6 squares.

If you use a grid often, consider writing your speed in squares on your character sheet.

Entering a Square. To enter a square, you must have at least 1 square of movement left, even if the square is diagonally adjacent to the square you’re in. (The rule for diagonal movement sacrifices realism for the sake of smooth play. The Dungeon Master’s Guide provides guidance on using a more realistic approach.)

If a square costs extra movement, as a square of difficult terrain does, you must have enough movement left to pay for entering it. For example, you must have at least 2 squares of movement left to enter a square of difficult terrain.

Corners. Diagonal movement can’t cross the corner of a wall, large tree, or other terrain feature that fills its space.

I'm pretty sure that Wingwear is only intended to allow long term gliding, although I could be misinterpreting the designers' intent. In either case, is there any RAW reason a character using Wingwear and playing on a grid couldn't fly 30 feet diagonally forward and up each turn, more than counteracting the 5 foot altitude drop at the end of each turn?

[Eriol]

A164: RAW I see this as correct, as long as the 5-foot diagonal applies vertically, which I see no reason that it would not, again, RAW. You can indeed use your 30ft flying speed to gain 30 feet of height and 30 feet of horizontal displacement at the same time if using square 5-ft "cubes" on a "grid".

RAI I would never allow such (even in AL), but RAW, I believe you're in the clear. Be prepared for your DM to say "I agree RAW, no you can't do it, this is an exception I'm making."

[No brains]

Q165a
Could a multiclass Trickery Cleric/ Barbarian concentrate on their duplicate while raging?

[Narbaculus]

A165
No, anything that would break concentration on a spell, such as Rage, breaks concentration on anything else that requires it, like Invoke Duplicity.