Red Hand of Doom 5e (OOC2)

[Bobthewizard]

Interesting. I've never found out of combat healing to make much difference. When I DM I actually appreciate it since it makes planning encounters easier, and allows quicker pacing between them by minimizing short rest needs. Otherwise, I need to adjust each encounter based on how beat up the party is after the previous fight. For us, it's likely just minimizing short rests and letting us take a long rest while still having some hit dice. I had a DM limit it to one casting, so if you cast it again the old ones disappeared. That let me keep 10 from the night before. It turned it into an emergency heal rather than an out-of-combat top off.

For Zuri, it's her 3+ level slots that I imagine are harder to plan for. What would be a difficult combat with 8 wolves could suddenly become very deadly if Zuri loses concentration and can't summon any more. If you planned on having 2-3 things to occupy her summons and then she can't step up, it will make it harder for everyone else. Sometimes that could be good for tension, but it could go south quickly.

My biggest fear in this game is that we'll run into a fight where you expect me to use conjure animals but I'll be out of spell slots. I enjoy playing the summons but the difference in Zuri's contribution when she casts it versus when I try to use other spells is a lot. More than I've found with any other spellcaster, partly because the spell is so powerful and partly because druids' other combat options aren't great compared to wizards and bards, and partly because we only have one real damage dealer in this party.

If either of these spells aren't working for you for this adventure, you can change them. I enjoy playing the summons but if you want me to summon less of them that's fine. I like the CR 1/4 for their variety more than their power, so if you want to cut back the power that's fine. I'm open to suggestions.

I had suggested in the forum cutting back so that it's 3 CR1/2, or 4 CR1/4 in exchange for one free casting per day for shepherd druids, but whatever you need to do to balance your game is fine.

[Amnestic]

I had a DM limit it to one casting, so if you cast it again the old ones disappeared. That let me keep 10 from the night before. It turned it into an emergency heal rather than an out-of-combat top off.

Not a bad idea either.

but whatever you need to do to balance your game is fine.

I'm not the sorta person who nerfs things mid-game, for better or worse, nor should you feel pressured to change playstyle. I'll adapt, that's what I'm here for.

Change ideas that I get just get filed away for future games. It's a whole list. Some stuff I learned from this game, some stuff from other games. Some stuff just because I felt like it.

In the case of the goodberry stuff it'll tie into the long rest healing changes. Not starting the day on full health can become a real concern depending on how long you're out adventuring for - is the intention, at least. Which reminds me I probably need to look at healing kits for the same reason.

[Bobthewizard]

]
Change ideas that I get just get filed away for future games. It's a whole list. Some stuff I learned from this game, some stuff from other games. Some stuff just because I felt like it.

Nice job on this. Most of the nerfs seem very reasonable. I wouldn't play a shepherd druid with those rules, but I'd love to play a Dragonborn sorcerer or abjuration/conjuration EK.

[DigoDragon]

It's a whole list.

CON-based sorcerer.... huh, that's interesting to try.

[WhismurWanders]

Simulacrum is removed from the Wizard spell list

There's a story here, I just know it.

[Xihirli]

And it's not on any others, huh. So out of the game.

I just make it 9th level, personally. But yeah, that spell's nuts.

[DigoDragon]

An idea for a Goodberry compromise houserule I was thinking about last night is that you can have only one casting active per day, but upcasting in higher level slots gives you extra 'N' berries per slot. Maybe like, 5 per?

[WhismurWanders]

you can have only one casting active per day

Isn't that already how the spell works? The berries lose their magic if they haven't been eaten within 24 hours, according to the spell text.

[Bobthewizard]

Isn't that already how the spell works? The berries lose their magic if they haven't been eaten within 24 hours, according to the spell text.

The way it's written, and how I've been using it, is to convert my unused spell slots into goodberries for the next day. So if we have a down day, I use all of my 1st and 2nd level slots to make goodberries for the next day, then get my spell slots back after a long rest.

When we adventure, I track my spell slots and we only have goodberries for the next day based on my unused 1st and 2nd level slots. Since we don't have a cleric, I thought this was a good way to keep our HP up between fights.

[Amnestic]

There's a story here, I just know it.

It's nothing you probably haven't already heard of in other stories about simulacrum - wish+simulacrum shenanigans, demiplanes, etc. etc.

Very tiresome, not my jam.

Anyway lets get some initiative going since you're approaching the murmuring...

Spoiler: Initiative

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Gaks: (1d20+2)[15]
Zuri: (1d20+2)[6]
Roswyn: ((1d20+3)[15]
Beorn: (1d20)[7]
Freya: (1d20+3)[22]

Enemies: (1d20+3)[16]

Hah, a reversal of the previous fight.

[Bobthewizard]

It's nothing you probably haven't already heard of in other stories about simulacrum - wish+simulacrum shenanigans, demiplanes, etc. etc.

There are a lot of high-level wizard shenanigans that aren't fun if you try to play them. Planar binding or necromancer armies, glyph of warding demiplanes, nuclear wizards, illusionist's malleable illusion/mirage arcane and illusory reality. But yeah, simulacrum chains is probably the worst.

And way to go Freya! Lead the way.

[Xihirli]

necromancer armies

Excuse me.

Anyway, look at that tempting fireball there. Delicious.

[Bobthewizard]

Excuse me.

Anyway, look at that tempting fireball there. Delicious.

Necromancers are fine in Tier 2. Once they get unlimited thralls it becomes less fun.

[Xihirli]

Oh finger of death shenanigans
Yeah seventh level spells just aren’t fun are they

[Amnestic]

Spoiler

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Spoiler

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(1d4)[1]
(1d4)[4]
(1d4)[4]
(1d20+2)[9] vs 15

Spoiler: ?

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(1d20+5)[17]+(1d4)[2](1d8+3)[7]
[roll]1d20+1[/roll vs 14 (2d8)[7] (2d12)[23]

Spoiler

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(1d20+5)[20]+(1d4)[3](1d8+3)[7]
[roll]1d20+1[/roll vs 14 (2d8)[3] (2d12)[17]

Spoiler

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(1d20+5)[10]+(1d4)[4](1d20+5)[15] vs 12 (1d6)[5]
(2d6)[12]

Spoiler

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(1d20)[14]

(1d20+5)[14]+(1d4)[2](1d20+5)[25] vs 12 (1d6)[5]
(2d6)[9]

Spoiler

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(1d20)[17]

(1d20+5)[13]+(1d4)[2](1d20+5)[9] vs 12 (1d6)[6]
(2d6)[10]

Spoiler

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A1(1d20+2)[10]
A2(1d20+2)[8]
A3(1d20+2)[14]
R(1d20+3)[8](1d20+3)[4]
B(1d20)[4]
F(1d20+5)[19]

[Amnestic]

Whoops, messed up some of those rolls, hit post a bit fast...

Spoiler

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FTD (1d20+1)[6]

Spoiler

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A1(1d20+2)[16]
A2(1d20+2)[5]
A3(1d20+2)[3]
R(1d20+3)[19](1d20+3)[17]
B(1d20)[5]
F(1d20+5)[22]

Spoiler

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A1(1d20+2)[8]
A2(1d20+2)[9]
A3(1d20+2)[6]
R(1d20+3)[15](1d20+3)[6]
B(1d20)[9]
F(1d20+5)[10]

[Xihirli]

Huh. I think I got all the monks but unless I got a particularly unwise sorcerer neither of the others. Can we get confirmation if the monks are all pattern'd?

[Amnestic]

Spoiler

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(1d4)[3]

They're blessed, but only one will matter with those rolls, so lets find out.

The southeast monk is not charmed, the other two are.

Edit: How're you targetting it to not hit Roswyn? Even if you somehow angled it at the far back corner it's a 30' cube which would hit Roswyn as well.

[WhismurWanders]

Edit: How're you targetting it to not hit Roswyn? Even if you somehow angled it at the far back corner it's a 30' cube which would hit Roswyn as well.

EEP

(1d20+1)[15]

[Xihirli]

Spoiler

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[roll0]

They're blessed, but only one will matter with those rolls, so lets find out.

The southeast monk is not charmed, the other two are.

Edit: How're you targetting it to not hit Roswyn? Even if you somehow angled it at the far back corner it's a 30' cube which would hit Roswyn as well.

Hm? 30' cube, each side is 30 feet. Not a radius like Fireball.

[WhismurWanders]

Hm? 30' cube, each side is 30 feet. Not a radius like Fireball.

The room itself is only 25'x25'.

[Xihirli]

Yes, but I choose the center point to be more than 15 feet away from Ros, since I can see her. The pattern spell "extends into" the wall in the back even though that does nothing.

[Amnestic]

Yes, but I choose the center point to be more than 15 feet away from Ros, since I can see her. The pattern spell "extends into" the wall in the back even though that does nothing.

Hmm, yep, looks like I read it wrong, so Roswyn isn't caught, aight.

You can't cast through Wibbles though. Gaks specifically needs to move to get line of sight on her target point (and potentially move back). While not really a problem in this instance, it might come up later.

A Clear Path to the Target

To target something, you must have a clear path to it, so it can't be behind total cover. If you place an area of effect at a point that you can't see and an obstruction, such as a wall, is between you and that point, the point of origin comes into being on the near side of that obstruction.

[DigoDragon]

So the lightning breath is a cone shape? I'm a little confused about how the enemy did their attacks. Could you walk me through how they did them?

[Amnestic]

So the lightning breath is a cone shape? I'm a little confused about how the enemy did their attacks. Could you walk me through how they did them?

Yes it's a cone.

They punched (missed), then they breathed. It's basically the feature from the UA dragon monk subclass

Breath of the Dragon
3rd-level Way of the Ascendant Dragon feature
You can channel your ki into destructive waves of energy like the dragons you emulate. When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can replace one of the attacks with an exhalation of draconic energy in either a 20-foot cone or a 30-foot line that is 5 feet wide (your choice). Choose a damage type: acid, cold, fire, lightning, or poison. Each creature in the area must make a Dexterity saving throw against your ki save DC, taking damage of the chosen type equal to two rolls of your Martial Arts die on a failure, or half as much damage on a success.

At 11th level, the damage of your breath increases to three rolls of your Martial Arts die.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. While you have no uses available, you can spend 1 ki point to use this feature again.

(ditto for their lightning punches, another feature from the subclass)

[Xihirli]

You can't cast through Wibbles though. Gaks specifically needs to move to get line of sight on her target point (and potentially move back). While not really a problem in this instance, it might come up later.

Got it. Double checking, indeed there does need to be a line between me and the spell. So Gaks does that.

[DigoDragon]

Yes it's a cone.

They punched (missed), then they breathed. It's basically the feature from the UA dragon monk subclass

(ditto for their lightning punches, another feature from the subclass)

Cool, that helps a good bit! There's a lot out there in 5e sub-classing I'm not familiar with. I only recently learned what a "Coffeelock" is.
(also need to remember that I can split my move between an action. Darn 3.5 memory)

The one dude that summoned the flaming spectral claw and then cast Toll of the dead on Freya. Is that spectral hand a new spell as well? I assumed it was quick-cast, but I have not seen such a summon before. Just curious to learn things before Freya is destroyed next round.

[Xihirli]

Disengage (in case) and run, Freya!

[Amnestic]

The one dude that summoned the flaming spectral claw and then cast Toll of the dead on Freya. Is that spectral hand a new spell as well? I assumed it was quick-cast, but I have not seen such a summon before. Just curious to learn things before Freya is destroyed next round.

It's refluffed Spiritual Weapon (claws fit tiamat better than hammers)

[WhismurWanders]

For clarification before I post; who is still conscious among our enemies?