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thisisnotthenerd · 6 months ago

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statting out the rat grinders

this analysis is based on what we've seen of the rat grinders and their abilities in ragenarok. a few assumptions: if we follow my original xp analysis of the rat grinders that puts them at a comfortable level 19. however, we know that they've been doing far more than that, and that they may be unevenly leveled.

we know from the adventuring party that they have 20th level class/subclass features, without the benefits of leveling through it: no ASIs or feats, no additional hit dice, no hit points reflecting 20th level. the rat grinders are glass cannons to the extreme. i would guess that their stats and hit points are roughly equal to the bad kids at level 14, which leaves them vulnerable to being taken out within a round or two: if they fail a couple of saves they're stuck. what they do get is high level spell slots and the improved proficiency bonus for their best skills.

i'm presuming that the rage stars have this effect; granting access to power that your body can't support, using rage and deep emotion to sustain this state. they're functionally equivalent to the bad kids, given the bad kids' other resources and tactical cooperation. the bad kids do big damage every time because their resources are more measured--they don't have a 9th level spell to drop on the first turn.

kipperlilly copperkettle

level: 20

estimated hp: unknown (21 damage taken)

abilities: 10d6 of sneak attack, expertise to stealth, bonus action help, insightful manipulator (read for abilities), misdirection (move attacks to others in your space), reliable talent, soul of deceit (mind can't be read), elusive (no advantage against you unless incapacitated), stroke of luck (turn a miss into a hit/check to a 20)

commentary:

i can believe she's a level 20 rogue based on her damage output. i don't think her weapon is enhanced, so it's likely not adding much to her output. riz regularly does more damage because he has magical enhancement to his weapons.

she seems more like an assassin rogue than a mastermind--she does a lot of sneaking around the battlefield to get the drop on people. she could have thrown bonus action help but stayed out of range despite having ranged options. she also doesn't have magical means of her own to hide, presumably because she wasn't using it during this fight. not much on her hp at the moment, but i'd guess she's squishy based on her strategy.

buddy dawn

level: 20

estimated hp: unknown (75 damage taken)

abilities: full suite of spell slots, warding flare (impose disadvantage on an attack roll), channel divinity, potent spellcasting (wisdom modifier added to cleric cantrip damage), divine intervention, corona of light (enemy disadvantage against fire/radiant damage)

commentary:

buddy has spent two turns of this battle holding concentration on a banishment and trying to dispel a slow on ruben. not really doing too much to help his party. he could have healed oisín but didn't. it speaks to their priorities as a group that he wasn't healing. he was there to banish the poll box and participate in the ritual, not really as a functional combatant.

honestly he's the purest example of what the rage stars do; they can give you power, but that means nothing if you don't know how to effectively use it. buddy hasn't protected himself or his allies at all

ivy embra

level: 11 | 9

estimated hp: ~78 (78 damage taken)

abilities: action surge, hunter's mark, dread ambusher (extra attack on first turn), extra attack (1), iron mind (wisdom save proficiency), 4 arcane shot options (2 uses), indomitable, land stride (no difficult terrain), indomitable, stalker's flurry (on a miss you can make another weapon attack)

commentary:

i split her at 11 | 9 because we know she doesn't have 2 extra attacks, and she attempts stalker's flurry but fails. the arcane shot she used (halving an opponents speed with a con save) isn't technically a standard arcane shot option.

she really doesn't have the hit points to suggest she's 20th level. even assuming no bonus to con, average hp from from 20d10 (10 from ranger, 10 from fighter) would be 110. it's closest to 14d10 with no con modifier. also this would put her on even ground with the bad kids. this is what i used to estimate the rat grinders being similar to the bad kids.

oisín hakinvar

level: 20

estimated hp: ~90 (121 damage taken)

abilities: full suite of spell slots, arcane recovery, minor conjuration (summon an object), benign transposition (30 feet teleport swapping with a small/medium creatures), focused conjuration (concentration can't break on conjurations), durable summons (all summons get 30 temp hp), spell mastery and signature spells

commentary:

even though he died before his turn, i can believe oisín is a level 20 conjuration wizard, based on what we saw at the party. i'd guess what he did is some sort of ritual on top of a control weather.

hp-wise he falls in the range of for 14d6+40 assuming he has +2 to con. it works on the high end. i'd guess his actual total is lower than the damage he took, since brennan said he was on death's door after taking 86 damage, so i'd say no higher than 90, even though he took a total of 121.

ruben hopclap

level: 20

estimated hp: ~75 (75 damage taken)

abilities: full suite of spell slots, bardic inspiration, psychic blades (psychic damage from weapon attacks), words of terror (1 minute to seed paranoia), mantle of whispers (steal shadows of the dead), magical secrets, shadow lore (charm a creature for 8 hours)

commentary:

the only spellcaster of the rat grinders to actually use their high level spells in this fight, with the psychic scream that didn't stun the bad kids. he actually did get both spells off despite the slow, but couldn't counterspell or grant inspiration.

hp-wise he's in the normal range for a 14th level bard at 75. he did roll nat 1s on both the slow and the fireball saving throws, and failed synaptic static by 1. man is bad at saving throws.

mary ann skuttle

level: 20

estimated hp: unknown (52 damage taken)

abilities: rage, frenzy, mindless rage, intimidating presence (action to frighten a creature), brutal critical, resistance to psychic damage, relentless rage (drop to 1 while raging instead of 0), persistent rage (rage only ends if unconscious), primal champion (STR & CON go up by 4, for a max of 24)

commentary:

we haven't seen very much of mary ann--she got slowed and then couldn't effectively get anywhere for 2 rounds of combat. i'm excited to see what she has in store. i'm guessing she has more hp than the rest of the party by virtue of being the barbarian, but as a berserker she only halves bludgeoning/slashing/piercing, and the bad kids have a lot of other damage types that they work with.

i'll be back with more next week: covering the gaps in this analysis and maybe hitting jace and porter.

#dimension 20 #dimension 20 spoilers #fantasy high junior year #fhjy #fhjy spoilers #the bad kids #the rat grinders #kipperlilly copperkettle #buddy dawn #ivy embra #oisín hakinvar #ruben hopclap #mary ann skuttle #dimension 20 meta #the perils of xp leveling #thisisnotthenerd's d20 stats

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omenarchive · 6 months ago

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Bell's Hells Level 13 Analysis

Welcome to level 13! The Omen Archive is excited to be able to start providing level up analysis for Bell’s Hells, and we hope this post (also available on our site) will be the first of many. By necessity, these analyses will be stepping slightly more into the realm of conjecture and opinion than most of our work, so please keep that in mind.

Before we get started, there is one point of interest for this level up that applies to all the Hells, so we would like to touch on that first before we get into the character-by-character analysis. At level 13, all of the characters get a proficiency bonus bump up from +4 to +5. This will be particularly impactful for the characters sporting expertise—Chetney, Dorian, Fearne, Orym, and Imogen—whose doubled bonus will be going from +8 to +10 for those skills.

Ashton

Barbarian 13 HP: +10, total 132 ASI: None

Unsurprisingly, Ashton continues to barrel down the pure barbarian track at full speed. With no decision between an ASI or a Feat and no new path feature, level 13 is not a complicated one for Ashton. His main boon is that he now has a second brutal critical die, which, as a reminder, allows them to roll extra damage on critical hits.

Next level up, Ashton will be getting a new Path feature, which is extra fun since as a homebrew class, we have no idea what it might be—hopefully we’ll find out quickly!

Chetney

Blood Hunter 12/Rogue 1 HP: +5, total 108 ASI: +1 Wis

At level 12 in Blood Hunter, Chet has forgone an ASI in favor of the Fey Touched feat, increasing his Wisdom by one and gaining Misty Step and one other unknown 1st level divination or enchantment spell. Bane, Hex, and Bless are all on the table and have often been clutch for other party members, but may be redundant choices for that very reason. We like Compelled Duel for Chetney. It would allow Chetney to keep his quarry in melee range and protect the squishier members of the party, much the same way Orym has done with his Goading Attacks. Archivist Shadow would also love if he were to take Silvery Barbs, but they say that every time it’s an option.

The sneaky little gnome gets sneakier at level 13 as well, with the proficiency bonus increase at this level bringing his stealth up to a solid +12 with expertise. His second expertise skill, sleight of hand, is now up to +12 as well. With the added benefit of his +5 Gloves of Thievery, functionally Chetney now gets +17 on sleight of hand checks.

Dorian

Bard 13 HP: increase unknown, total 112 ASI: None

Welcome back to our humble bard! Despite knowing the least about Dorian’s build overall, since it has been quite a few levels since he was last on screen in Kymal at level 6, we do already know the 7th level spell he has taken, Forcecage. Had Astrid not Counterspelled it, she would have been trapped and unable to cast spells outside of the cage. While she could have attempted to Teleport out, she would have needed to succeed on a charisma save of 16 or else waste the spell slot entirely.

At level 13, Dorian’s Song of Rest die bumps up to a d10, giving a nice little boost to Short Rest healing that the party could very much use, since long rests have proven to be very hard to come by in recent episodes.

Dorian is one of the Hells that will see the strongest boost from the across-the-board proficiency bonus bump, as by level 10, Bards have four abilities with Expertise. We know that Dorian’s level 3 Expertise choices were performance and athletics, and because of his (failed) persuasion check on Opal in Episode 92, we know that he chose persuasion for one of his level 10 expertise abilities. This means that, barring any additional proficiencies gained via feat between levels 6 and 10, he now has expertise in one of his remaining proficient abilities: acrobatics, deception, or sleight of hand. While Imogen’s higher charisma score will likely make her still the face of the party in situations demanding persuasion, taking expertise in deception would actually make Dorian the better liar, with a +13 to her +10. Acrobatics and sleight of hand would however also both be fun boons, so they can’t be counted out as options, especially since while Fearne does have proficiency in sleight of hand, her midrange DEX means that despite her delight in thievery her bonus is only a +7, which Dorian would double with expertise. There’s something entertaining about the idea of Dorian being the second-best thief in the party when his first scene in the campaign featured him being incredibly stressed about Fearne’s pickpocketing.

Fearne

Druid 10/Rogue 3 HP: +4, total 83 ASI: None

After another foray into Rogue last level, Fearne is back on the Druid track, bringing her up to Druid 10/Rogue 3. That gains her an additional 5th level slot, and increases Mister’s HP to 55. The party-wide bump in expertise makes Fearne’s ability as living lie detector even more significant, with her insight now being a +15. And, although Imogen taking on expertise in persuasion last level means Fearne is no longer the most persuasive party member, she’s still no slouch, with her bonus now up to +13 with expertise.

The biggest new thing for Fearne is that she now has her 10th level Circle of Wildfire feature, Cauterizing Flames. Whenever a Small or larger creature dies within 30 feet of Fearne or Mister, it creates a small flame that Fearne can activate as a reaction when a creature enters its space, up to five times per long rest. The activated flame will do 2d10+5 damage or healing to the creature, whichever Fearne chooses. With the Hells down a cleric, having another avenue for healing that doesn’t require precious spell slots is quite useful, even if it requires a creature die under specific circumstances first. The Archivists would love to see her use this new feature in conjunction with the explode-and-drop-form aspect of her Titan form. A well-placed explosion of this kind could turn several low-level enemies into potential healing motes, or could effectively create a minefield around Fearne to deter other enemies from entering melee range.

Fresh Cut Grass

Cleric 13 HP: +7, total 113 ASI: None

Bell’s Hells are missing out on a lot with Fresh Cut Grass cut down, and not just because of his sunny disposition. Level 13 would have given FCG access to level 7 Cleric spells, including such hits as Planar Shift, Firestorm, Divine Word, Regenerate, Resurrect, and Temple of the Gods.

Temple of the Gods in particular would have been a boon to the party, as they have been in near constant motion and have neither a home base nor another moving headquarters to replace the Silver Sun. The ability to bunk down somewhere safe and protected from divination spells like Scrying might have let the Hells slow down and rest more often. We suspect that Sam might have chosen to make the temple oppose undead or fey at least once, just for the drama of making Laudna or Fearne roll to see if they could even enter the temple, but that bit of potential trolling will be put to rest with FCG. Rest in peace, little carebot.

Imogen

Sorcerer 13 HP: +7, total 83 ASI: None Sorcery Points: +1, total 13

Imogen’s Skill Expert feat, chosen last level up, makes the party’s proficiency bonus uptick this level especially potent for her persuasion skill, bumping her up to a whopping +15. Her deception, another skill she relies on heavily, has now risen to +10 with proficiency.

Imogen also now has her first 7th level spell slot with a lot of interesting possibilities. The two most obvious choices from a utility perspective would be Teleport or Plane Shift, but given that the Staff of Dark Odyssey gives access to Teleport, less consistently accessible though it may be, Laura may have chosen otherwise. Our initial thought had been that she likely would pass on Plane Shift as well, since FCG would have had access to it on the cleric spell list. However, now that we know via the Episode 94 Cool Down that Laura has not yet picked her 7th level spell, Plane Shift may be back in the running. The Hells did pick up a Fey-attuned rod amongst Ludinus’ things in Molaesmyr, so Imogen taking on this spell would allow them more stable access to one of their strongest allies and safest havens in Nana Morri and Ligament Manor. She could also use it on unwilling creatures to dump them in a hostile landscape.

However, it is entirely possible that Imogen will go again for a heavy hitter damage spell, and there are some doozies here we��d like to discuss.

Crown of Stars is an interesting option. It would give Imogen some decent damage dealing via bonus actions, improving her action economy, and since it stays active for an hour, could continue to be effective over multiple encounters, something that would give it a much longer span of utility than most of the higher-damage 7th level spells. However, as Crown of Stars also sheds bright light, it would impede the party’s sneakiness while active, and sneakiness has often been their go-to approach. It also requires a straight attack roll for each mote, unlike most of the other damage spells available at 7th level, which instead require saves. A failed save generally means half damage, but a failed roll would have no effect. There is thus a risk with this spell that on a very unlucky day, it will do no damage at all.

Whirlwind, meanwhile, would fit Imogen’s storm aesthetic without modification, and would provide both decent AOE damage and battlefield control, as the whirlwind cylinder can be moved 30 feet along the ground as an action, sucking up Medium or smaller objects and forcing creatures to make DEX saves against damage and STR saves against being restrained. However, it also feels a bit like a stronger and more expensive Hungry Torrent, which she already has and can cast psionically. Finger of Death is a classic but seems less her style; we are more inclined to expect her to take a reskinned Fire Storm or Delayed Blast Fireball, both of which can be brutal AOE damage dealers. Of the two, Delayed Blast Fireball may be the better choice, simply because Fire Storm is available to Fearne as well, and Delayed Blast Fireball charges up by 1d6 per round as long as concentration is maintained. Sneaking it into an enemy formation before a battle even starts could turn difficult encounters into mere mop-ups.

However, there is also Power Word Pain, which might not do direct damage but provides some very, very significant debuffs. Reducing an enemy to 10 feet of movement plus giving them disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws other than CON saves is brutal, even if shaken off after a round. This spell would be particularly useful against high level casters, too, forcing them to succeed on a Constitution check—not usually a strong suit for casters—to even get a spell out, thereby potentially wasting slots. With the Weave Mind, Ludinus, and much of Ludinus’ forces being casters, this could be an absolute ace up the sleeve of a spell. We’re inclined to favor it or Plane Shift as the choice for Imogen, but we’ll have to wait and see if Laura agrees!

Laudna

Sorcerer 10/Warlock 3 HP: +8, total 177 ASI: None Sorcery Points: +1, total 10

Laudna took an additional level in Sorcerer this go around, bringing her to Sorcerer 10/Warlock 3. She gets both a new cantrip and an additional 5th level spell. The spread of 5th level spells is quite interesting. Far Step would allow Laudna to get herself out of harm’s way without provoking attacks of opportunity, which could be very, very useful, particularly since her spell sniper build thrives on keeping distance from the field of battle—something that has been hard for her to do given how often the party ends up fighting in close quarters. Seeming, meanwhile, would be very helpful for the party’s stealthier endeavors, as currently only Fearne is able to alter her appearance, and Bell’s Hells are increasingly recognizable to their enemies. Hold Monster would allow Laudna to work in concert with the melee members of the party to decimate a single target and could potentially turn a deadly enemy into a comically quick kill. Dominate Person seems slightly less appealing knowing that Dorian is packing Geas, but remains very useful. Enervation would provide a nice little bit of leech-like self-healing, but has the same downside that plagues Witch Bolt, in that getting the full effect of the spell uses up the player’s action each turn to activate it again, limiting their other options—though this can be mitigated somewhat by Laudna’s ability to Quicken spells. Cloudkill, Immolation, Cone of Cold, and Insect plague are all available as high-damage spell options as well. We would favor Far Step or Hold Monster for Laudna, but Marisha may surprise us!

Additionally, a 10th level in Sorcery gives Laudna access to another Metamagic option, for which Marisha chose Empowered Spell. Since Marisha has shown a lot of understandable frustration over bad rolls over the course of the campaign, Empowered Spell is a nice choice for her. It will allow Laudna to spend a sorcery point to reroll up to five damage dice, allowing her to make sure her fireballs and eldritch blasts hit hard.

Despite playing coy during this level up about whether she will continue with sorcerer levels going forward, we’re inclined to agree with her level 12 commentary. Marisha stated then that she thinks that there’s nothing left for her in Warlock. That is a fair assessment, not because there’s actually nothing left in Warlock, but because it would take a few levels to get there. She would not get her next Otherworldly Patron Feature (the admittedly very rad Grave Touched feature) until Warlock level 6, and she would not get her fourth Invocation until Warlock level 5, meaning that she would face a few level-ups where all she’d get would be an (admittedly nice) ASI and access to a couple of level 3 warlock spells. As the party’s only magic user with Counterspell, and given how much she’s started relying on Fireball, the extra spell slots the Sorcerer track provides make more sense for her style of gameplay. She’s invested heavily enough in Sorcerer over Warlock so far that at this point it just might take too long to make additional Warlock levels worth it, particularly since she is now locked out of the Warlock 11 feature Mystic Arcanum.

Orym

Fighter 13 HP: +14, total 144 ASI: None

Much like Ashton, Orym’s pure fighter track makes this a very straightforward level up. The Tough feat continues to work nicely for Orym, bumping up his HP by an additional 2 points over the 12 he would have gotten without it, and he now has an additional use of Indomitable per long rest. As a reminder, Indominable allows Orym to reroll a saving throw that he failed.

Orym’s expertise in perception combined with his Observant Feat and his Sentinel Shield means that his passive perception is now at 33—rising even further above the previous player character with the highest passive perception, Vex, who capped out at 30. It’s wild to think about, but theoretically, if Orym chose to max out his wisdom via ASIs, by level 20 his passive perception could be 37, at which point we assume he will in fact be able to just read Matt’s notes.

#bell's hells #bells hells #cr3 #critical role #ashton greymoore #chetney pock o'pea #dorian storm #fearne calloway #fresh cut grass #imogen temult #laudna #orym of the air ashari #articles #omen archive

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theoutcastrogue · 2 months ago

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[D&D 5.5] The Sneak Attacker's cheat sheet: ways to attack with advantage

This list is drawn from the 2024 PHB and DMG. I'm listing first general rules that apply, and then specific methods arranged by the level when they become available.

The list can serve as reference for any Rogue handbook. But it's also, rather accidentally, a list of how to impose all the relevant conditions (blinded, stunned, etc), so I think it's useful for the whole party, and especially debuffers. Check this out if you enjoy using spells and abilities to debilitate opponents, so that your sword-swinging buddies can then swoop in and finish them. Teamwork!

The Basics: you roll with advantage when you

attack while Invisible [see below]

attack a Blinded target [see below]

attack a Prone target within 5 ft (negated if you use a Ranged weapon, de-negated with Crossbow Expert (lvl 4))

attack a Stunned target

attack a Restrained target

attack a Paralyzed target

attack a Petrified target

attack an Unconscious target

[but NOT when you attack an Incapacitated target: this condition now means you can't take actions, but you can still move]

The Invisible condition

can be gained both by magical means and by taking the Hide action: whether you cast a spell which alters the very fabric of reality or you just lunge behind some crates, by the rules you're Invisible

please note that stealth rules make no sense and nobody knows how they work, just assume that IF it works, you get advantage

the advantage is negated if "the creature can somehow see you" (whatever that means)

the advantage is negated if you're in range of the target's Blindsight

the advantage is negated if you're in range of the target's Truesight (including from the True Seeing spell) or See Invisibility spell, even if you gained the Invisible condition by taking the Hide action [this is RAW, not a suggestion; my suggestion is fuck this stupid rule]

Tremorsense doesn't matter

The Blinded condition

the advantage is negated if you're in range of the target's Blindsight

if the condition comes from trying to see in Darkness, the advantage is negated if you're in range of the target's Darkvision (unless you're a Gloom Stalker)

Tremorsense doesn't matter

LEVEL 1

attack while Invisible from the Hide action, 1 attack normally but you can retain the Invisible condition with Cunning Strike: Supreme Sneak (Thief 9), or the Skulker feat (4) if you miss

attack after you've damaged the target with a Vex weapon

attack after an ally within 5ft of the target used the Help Action to Assist an Attack Roll

attack spending a Luck point from the Lucky feat (1), prof. bonus times / long rest

target is affected by Faerie Fire (Bard/Druid 1st, Drow Elf 3, Magic Initiate feat 1), negated if you can't see the target, though the spell does negate the benefits of Invisible, up to 1 minute with concentration, 20-ft cube evocation, DEX save

target is affected by Guiding Bolt (Cleric 1st, Magic Initiate feat 1), 1 attack

target is Blinded because you are located in Darkness (assuming you can see, so generally you need Darkvision or Blindsight, unless somehow you're in Darkness but the target is not)

target is Blinded because you and/or it are located in Heavily Obscured space (assuming you can see, so generally you need Blindsight)

target is Blinded from Colour Spray (Bard/Sorcerer/Wizard 1st, Magic Initiate feat 1, Shadow Touched feat 4), ~1 round, 15-ft cone illusion, CON save

target is Prone from Unarmed Strike: Shove

target is Prone from a Topple weapon

target is Prone from Ball Bearings (Utilize action, 10-ft square, Dex DC 10)

target is Prone from a Goliath's Hill's Tumble, Hill Giant lineage, 1/day

target is Prone from Command: Grovel (Bard/Cleric/Paladin 1st, Magic Initiate feat 1, Fey Touched feat 4)

target is Prone from Grease (Sorcerer/Wizard 1st, Magic Initiate feat 1), 1 minute, 10-ft square conjuration, DEX save at casting/entering/ending turn

target is Prone from Tasha's Hideous Laughter (Bard/Warlock/Wizard 1st, Magic Initiate feat 1, Fey Touched feat 4), up to 1 minute with concentration

target is Prone from Thunderous Smite (Paladin 1st)

target is Restrained from Ensnaring Strike (Ranger 1st), up to 1 minute with concentration

target is Restrained from Entangle (Druid/Ranger 1st, Magic Initiate feat 1), up to 1 minute with concentration, 20-ft square conjuration, STR save at casting, Athletics checks every round

target is Restrained with Manacles that are fixed in place (Utilize action DC 13 Dex (sleight of hand), target must be grappled etc to begin with)

target is Restrained with Rope and their legs are bound (Utilize action DC 10 Dex (sleight of hand), target must be grappled etc to begin with)

target is Restrained with a Net (replaces attack, DC 8 + Dex + proficiency bonus)

target is Unconscious from Sleep (Bard/Sorcerer/Wizard 1st, Magic Initiate feat 1, Fey Touched feat 4), 1 attack, 2 successive saves for unconsciousness, up to 1 minute with concentration

LEVEL 2

attack with Reckless Attack (Barbarian 2) applies to Str-based attacks

target is Prone from being hit by an Elk / Mastiff (Druid 2 wild shape)

LEVEL 3

attack while Invisible from Invisibility (Bard/Sorcerer/Wizard/Warlock 2nd, Shadow Touched feat 4), 1 attack only

attack a target that relies on Darkvision to see while in Darkness and Invisible from your Umbral Sight (Gloom Stalker Ranger 3)

attack with Steady Aim (Rogue 3) bonus action, and cannot move in this turn at all, unless you're an Assassin 9 in which case you can move after the attack

attack with Assassinate: Surprising Strikes a target that hasn't taken a turn yet during the first round of combat (Assassin Rogue 3)

attack with Feinting Strike (Battle Master Fighter 3) bonus action

attack while both you and your duplicate from Invoke Duplicity are within 5 ft of the target (Trickery Cleric 3) bonus action to cast / move the duplicate 30 ft

target is Restrained from Web (Sorcerer/Wizard 2nd), up to 1 hour with Concentration, 20-ft cube conjuration, DEX save at entering/starting turn, Athletics check every round

target is Restrained from Nature's Wrath (Oath of the Ancients Paladin 3) 1 minute, targets you can see within 15 ft, they save every round

target is Paralyzed from Hold Person (Bard/Cleric/Druid/Sorcerer/Warlock/Wizard 2nd, Abyssal Tiefling 5), up to 1 minute with Concentration, target saves every round

target is Blinded from Blindness/Deafness (Bard/Cleric/Sorcerer/Wizard 2nd), lasts up to 1 minute, target saves every round

target is Prone from a Trip Attack (Battle Master Fighter 3)

target is Prone from Open Hand Technique: Topple (Warrior of the Open Hand Monk 3)

target is Prone from being hit by Primal Companion: Beast of the Land (Beast Master Ranger 3)

target was hit by an ally's Distracting Strike (Battle Master Fighter 3)

target is within 5 ft of an ally using Rage of the Wilds: Wolf (Path of the Wild Heart Barbarian 3)

[2014 Legacy] attack after you've used a bonus action for Insightful Fighting (Inquisitive Rogue 3) requires an Insight vs Deception check, lasts for 1 minute

LEVEL 4

attack with Mounted Strike from the Mounted Combatant feat (4) while mounted, a target smaller than your mount and within 5ft of your mount

target is Grappled by you and you have the Grappler feat (4)

target is Prone from being bashed by someone with the Shield Master feat (4)

target is Prone from being hit by a Giant Goat / Warhorse (Druid 4 wild shape)

target is Restrained from being hit by a Crocodile (Druid 4 wild shape)

target was critically hit with a bludgeoning weapon by someone with the Crusher feat (4), 1 round

LEVEL 5

target is Stunned from Stunning Strike (Monk 5)

target is Blinded from Hunger of Hadar (Warlock 3rd), only if you can see in magical darkness, up to 1 minute with Concentration

target is Prone from Eldritch Smite (Warlock 5)

target is Prone from Cunning Strike: Trip (Rogue 5)

target is Prone from Sleet Storm (Druid/Sorcerer/Wizard 3rd) area effect

target was hit by Shining Smite (Paladin 2nd), up to 1 minute with Concentration

LEVEL 6

attack while Invisible from your Steps of the Fey: Disappearing Step (Archfey Patron Warlock 6), 1 attack only

attack a target you've connected to via Awakened Mind: Clairvoyant Combatant (Great Old One Warlock 6) Wis save, 6+ minutes, 1/short rest normally

LEVEL 7

attack while Invisible from Greater Invisibility (Bard/Sorcerer/Wizard 4th), up to 1 minute with Concentration

target is Blinded from Fount of Moonlight (Bard/Druid 4th) until the end of the next turn

target is Restrained from Evard's Black Tentacles (Wizard 4th)

target is Prone from Telekinetic Thrust (Psi Warrior Fighter 7)

LEVEL 8

target is Prone from being hit by a Brown Bear / Dire Wolf / Tiger (Druid 8 wild shape)

LEVEL 9

attack while Invisible from your Mislead (Bard/Warlock/Wizard 5th), 1 attack

target is Blinded by Blinding Smite (Paladin 3rd) up to 1 minute with Concentration, target saves every round

target is Blinded by Jallarzi's Storm of Radiance (Warlock/Wizard 5th), up to 1 minute with Concentration, no save, area effect

target is Paralyzed from Hold Monster (Bard/Sorcerer/Warlock/Wizard 5th), up to 1 minute with Concentration, target saves every round

target is Prone from Yolande's Regal Presence (Bard, Wizard 5th)

target is Restrained from Telekinesis (Sorcerer/Wizard 5th), 1 round

target is Restrained from Conjure Elemental (Druid/Wizard 5th), up to 10 minutes with Concentration, target saves every round

LEVEL 10

attack after an you or an ally used Zealous Presence (Path of the Zealot Barbarian 10), bonus action, 1 round

LEVEL 11

target is affected by Otto's Irresistible Dance (Bard/Wizard 6th) up to 1 minute with Concentration

target is Unconscious from Eyebite (Bard/Sorcerer/Warlock/Wizard 6th), 1 attack only

target is Restrained or Petrified from Flesh to Stone (Druid/Sorcerer/Wizard 6th)

target is Restrained from Otiluke's Freezing Sphere (Sorcerer/Wizard 6th), 1 minute, Str (Athletics) to break free, targets swimming on the surface only!

target is Blinded from Sunbeam (Cleric/Druid/Sorcerer/Wizard 6th), 1 minute

LEVEL 12

target is Prone from being hit by an Elephant (Circle of the Moon Druid 12 wild shape)

LEVEL 13

attack while Invisible from your Psychic Veil (Soulknife Rogue 13), 1 attack that deals damage only

attack with Studied Attacks (Fighter 13) 1st attack after you've attacked target and missed

target is Blinded or Stunned from Divine Word (Cleric 7th)

target is Restrained, Petrified or Blinded from Prismatic Spray (Bard/Sorcerer/Wizard 7th)

target is Stunned from Staggering Smite (Paladin 4th), until the end of the caster's next turn

target is Unconscious (1 attack) or Stunned (1 minute) from Symbol (Bard/Cleric/Druid/Wizard 7th)

[2014 Legacy] attack a target previously hit in the first round of combat with Ambush Master (Rogue Scout 13) lasts until the start of the Scout's next turn

LEVEL 14

attack while Invisible from your Nature's Veil (Ranger 14) bonus action, lasts until the end of your next turn

target is Prone from Power of the Wilds: Ram (Path of the Wild Heart Barbarian 14)

target is Unconscious from Cunning Strike: Knock Out (Rogue 14), 1 attack

target is Blinded from Cunning Strike: Obscure (Rogue 14), lasts until the end of target's next turn

target is Blinded from Searing Vengeance (Celestial Patron Warlock 14), lasts until the end of the current turn

LEVEL 15

target is Prone from Earthquake (Cleric/Druid/Sorcerer 8th)

target is Blinded from Holy Aura (Cleric 8th)

target is Stunned from Power Word Stun (Bard/Sorcerer/Warlock/Wizard 8th)

target is Blinded from Sunburst (Cleric/Druid/Sorcerer/Wizard 8th), 1 round

LEVEL 17

attack while affected by Foresight, lasts for 8 hours (Bard/Druid/Warlock/Wizard 9th)

attack while a duplicate from Improved Duplicity is within 5 ft of the target (Trickery Cleric 17)

attack while Invisible from your Cloak of Shadows (Warrior of Shadow Monk 17), lasts up to 1 minute under conditions

target is affected by your Hunter’s Mark (Ranger 17) up to 1 hour with Concentration

target is Prone from Destructive Wave (Paladin 5th) 30-ft emanation (sphere), CON save

target is Blinded, Restrained, or Petrified from Prismatic Wall (Bard/Wizard 9th), 1 minute

target is Restrained or Unconscious from Imprisonment (Warlock/Wizard 9th), until dispelled

target is Stunned from Rend Mind (Soulknife Rogue 17), 1 minute, saves every round

[2014 Legacy] use Master Duelist (Swashbuckler Rogue 17) to reroll with advantage an attack that missed

LEVEL 19

attack while Invisible from the Boon of the Night Spirit epic boon feat, 1 attack only

MAGIC ITEMS

attack within the 30-foot radius Dim Light shed by a Candle of Invocation (very rare)

attack within 72 hours after drawing a Jester on the Deck of Many Things (legendary)

attack your sworn enemy with an Oathbow (very rare)

attack elementals while wearing a Ring of Elemental Command (legendary)

attack a creature that dealt damage to you, as a Reaction, with a Sword of Answering (legendary)

FOR COMPLETION'S SAKE

Optional Rule: at the DM's discretion, you may roll with advantage when you attack a Frightened creature. (Flanking is not an optional rule any more.)

Note: the number next to classes is class level where the relevant ability is gained, the number next to feats is class level required to take it, and the number next to spells is spell level, e.g. "Paladin 2nd" is a 2nd lvl spell, filed under Level 5 when Paladins get it.

#trs #d&d #5e #5.5 #how to rogue #crunch #long post #sneak attack #advantage

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grailfinders · 4 months ago

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Grailfinders #346: James Moriarty (Ruler)

today on grailfinders we’re building for the very first time James Moriarty, because even FGO got tired of that true name-hiding bullshit. also because archer of shinjuku (ruler) just sounds ridiculous. anyways, Jim-boy is still a Mastermind Rogue to mastermind some roguishness, but he’s also a Lore Bard now to play his part to perfection.

check out his build breakdown below the cut, or his character sheet over here!

next up: how many times do we have to teach you this lesson, old man?

Ancestry & Background

as before, Moriarty is a Human, but he’s a fictional human, so he gets +1 Dexterity and Charisma, as well as proficiency in Sleight of Hand and the Martial Adept feat. with this, your slide rule can slide to any length, letting you perform one Lunging (extra reach) or Sweeping (multiple targets) attack per short rest.

I hope this isn’t shocking, but James Moriarty is a Criminal. if that is, I guess that’s his Deception and Stealth at work.

Ability Scores

Moriarty’s highest score is Charisma. he’s real great at lying, and playing to his character. after that is his Intelligence. we don’t really need it for this build, but moriarty is one smart cookie. wait sorry, wrong gacha. third is his Dexterity. that’ll help you slap people with a ruler and also multiclass! your Constitution is also positive since you need to live to the ripe old age of Archer, so your Strength is just kind of meh. turns out professors are not bodybuilders. except for that one guy, but I don’t think Frankenstein counts. this all means we’re dumping Wisdom. playing the perfect villain is your biggest strength and weakness- you’ll always succeed right up to the last step, but then you need to take a fall. that sounds a lot like being hypnotized, so your wisdom saves are trash now- we’ll patch up the abilities as we go.

Class Levels

1. Rogue 1: starting off as a rogue lets us get started on that right away, giving you proficiency in Insight, Perception, Performance, and Persuasion, as well as Dexterity and Intelligence saves. if that cool +2 isn’t enough for you, you can also get Expertise in two skills, doubling your proficiency bonus in them for a nice +4 to Deception and Persuasion.

rogues also get a Sneak Attack once per turn, adding 1d6 to your damage if you hit someone with a ranged or dexterity-based attack, and you either have an accomplice nearby, or advantage on the attack roll.

also you know Thieves’ Cant now, it’s a language that thieves can learn!

2. Rogue 2: second level rogues have a Cunning Action they can use as a bonus action, letting you dash, disengage, or hide without wasting your chance to stab someone this turn.

3. Rogue 3: if you’d rather waste every other part of your turn to stab really well, you can use your Steady Aim to get advantage on an attack at the cost of not moving that turn. but you’re also a Mastermind now, making you a Master of Intrigue. with this you learn even more languages, as well as proficiency with the disguise and forgery kits. also, if you listen to someone speak for a least one minute you can copy their accent. that’s why you don’t sound british.

if you were hoping for something even remotely combat-based, you can at least check out your Master of Tactics, which lets you help as a bonus action, giving someone else advantage on an attack, with an expanded range to boot!

4. Rogue 4: use your first Ability Score Improvement to bump up your Dexterity! that’ll improve your AC, your attack damage, and your accuracy!

5. Rogue 5: fifth level rogues get an Uncanny Dodge, so if you’re hit by an attack you can react to halve the incoming damage. as a ruler your damage should always be halved, but we’re only level five, we’ll get there when we get there.

6. Bard 1: now you’re definitely villainous, but are you an antagonist? we’ll sure try to make you one! as a bard you get another skill proficiency, and while I don’t think you’re great at Medicine you’re definitely better than a -1, so now you’re proficient.

as a bard, you can use Bardic Inspiration to inspire your henchmen to new heights, maybe even making them a villain of the week! right now it just means a d6 on their next check or attack, but still!

you also learn Spells which you can cast using your Charisma. with Blade Ward you take half damage from all physical attack types, and Prestidigitation is just the kind of bullshit spell you give someone who needs to be ready for anything. with Bane you can give your enemies “protagonist in a cutscene” syndrom, reducing all their attacks and saves by 1d4 for up to a minute. if you really need to mess someone up, Silvery Barbs basically gives them disadvantage on an attack check or save, and an ally of yours advantage on their next one!

also you’re a rogue, so Disguise Self and Distort Value. you could probably do both of those already, but now you have magic to do it for you!

7. Bard 2: second level bards are Jacks of All Trades, so all your checks are made with at least half your proficiency bonus. also you have a Song of Rest which marginally helps heal during short rests, and your Magical Inspiration lets your minions add your inspiration to their magical healing or damage. I bet Arjuna Alter would make a great minion, he seems easy to manipulate.

speaking of, you can cast Command now, to force a creature to villainy! but it has to be a one-word command, and also they have to fail a wisdom save first. again, we’re starting out.

8. Bard 3: at third level you become a Lore bard, giving you three more proficiencies in Animal Handling, Survival, and Intimidation, filling out all your wisdom- and charisma-based skills. if that wasn’t enough, you also get another round of Expertise, doubling down on Sleight of Hand and Intimidation. clowns are scary in america, and sherlock gets really rattled when you show up in traum. it’s not the best reason for expertise but you’ve got so many skills I’m kind of grasping at straws here.

you can also cast Suggestion now, convincing a creature to commit crimes with a sentence or two. you can’t get them to do obviously harmful acts, so “hey, punch that tarrasque” is off the table. you can also set the condition to trigger remotely, giving you sleeper agents in the field!

one last thing- lore bards get Cutting Words, letting you use your reaction and inspiration to weaken an attack or check from an enemy.

9. Bard 4: bump up your Charisma for stronger bonds with your minions. and by bonds I of course mean mind control.

for even more weakening, the cantrip Vicious Mockery deals psychic damage and forces disadvantage on the target’s next attack roll! dying is a major obstacle, so just don’t do it. if there’s any other obstacles in your way that you somehow don’t have a proficiency to deal with, Borrowed Knowledge can help out, giving you another proficiency for an hour.

10. Bard 5: the fifth level is huge for bards, growing your inspiration dice to d8s and making you a Font of Inspiration, so it recharges on short rests. also you learn third level spells, like Enemies Abound. this arguably doesn’t make a creature evil, but as long as they’re attacking the good guys it’s close enough for horseshoes.

11. Bard 6: at sixth level bards get Countercharm but enough about that, you also get Additional Magical Secrets! scientists are still hard at work to figure out what they’re additional to, but we don’t need to worry about that.

now you can use Fireball to finally use your NP! its kind of weird how much more difficult one of your skills is compared to your NP, but sometimes these things happen. speaking of, while “flip target’s alignment” probably isn’t in Bestow Curse’s wheelhouse, there’s nothing saying you can’t use it for that, so why not.

also for your normal spell you get Dispel Magic to break through any magical obstacles between you and world domination.

12. Rogue 6: sixth level of rogue isn’t as flashy, but the Expertise in Stealth and Insight are still very much appreciated.

13. Rogue 7: seventh level rogues have 4d6 sneak attacks, but they also get Evasion! now every failed dex save is a success, and every success is like you never fell into your own fireball in the first place. I mean, obviously you would never, right?

14. Rogue 8: at eighth level, you get another ASI, so bump up your Dexterity again to really wallop people with that slide rule.

15. Rogue 9: a ninth level mastermind is an Insightful Manipulator, so spending one minute with any creature can score you insight into its soft stats or its backstory! the villain always seems to suss out the hero way faster than the other way around, right?.

16. Rogue 10: use your tenth level ASI to max out your Charisma for the strongest magic you can get- plot armor.

17. Rogue 11: by eleventh level rogues have a Reliable Talent, which means any checks you make with proficiency always score at least a 10 on the roll. that means no more critical failures, and even with negative wisdom every wisdom-based check is at least a 15.

18. Bard 7: Bouncing back to bard gives you access to fourth level spells like Charm Monster. if you make someone friendly to you, they’ll be hostile to good, which makes them evil!

19. Bard 8: use your last ASI on the Tough feat for a bonus 38 HP now and another two at level 20. rulers can take a beating, and now you’re no exception.

20. Bard 9: ninth level bards get fifth level spells, and we can finally get the best evilmaking spell in the game, Dominate Person. if they fail a wisdom save they’re charmed for up to a minute, during which they’ll obey any command you give them, and you can even control them directly if you so wish. if you want evil done well, you have to do it yourself.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

reliable talent plus your ungodly number of skills means you’re really good at skill checks of all kinds. even if you need to do something physical, you can slap down a borrowed knowledge and power your way through that locked door or over that wall.

you’re almost always in control of a situation, with plenty of ways to turn a situation with your advantage with a bit of creativity. you can empower yourself or your allies, weaken your enemies, talk people into things they wouldn’t do otherwise, and worst case scenario just literally take control of someone to make them do what you want.

we didn’t give a lot of focus on your slide rule in the build itself, but you shouldn’t underestimate a weapon with extra length on command. that added flexibility can mean the difference between attacking someone this turn or giving them an extra turn to escape.

Cons:

you only get one lunging or sweeping attack per short rest, and your bardic inspirations also don’t recharge until the day’s done until level 10, so actually using all your cool abilities saddles you with some time off for most of the build.

speaking of time off, everything but your main action is super crowded, with your bonus action helping your mobility, stealth, spells, inspiration, help, and aiming, while your reaction can block damage, deal damage, and use silvery barbs. so there’s a lot of off time when you don’t want it, and no off time when you do.

while we made your wisdom skills stronger, your wisdom saves are still absolutely terrible, especially considering you’d’ve gotten proficiency in them if you were just a regular rogue. as you very well know from your own toolkit, failing a wisdom save can be a serious issue for your party to deal with.

#fgo #fate grand order #D&D 5e #DND #James Moriarty #wakamori #rogue #bard

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bardly-working · 2 years ago

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Veth v. Laerryn: the hypothetical fight mechanics breakdown no one asked for

The weasels have the wheel and they want to figure out how such a fight would go mechanically (based off of the information we have on critrolestats).

Cause if they don’t have the right spells, a high level rogue can fuck a wizard’s shit up.

The biggest advantage to a rogue is their bonus action hide. You Can’t Hit What You Can’t See still (mostly) applies for casters. Laerryn’s Passive Perception of 17 isn’t bad, but it doesn’t compare with Veth’s 25 minimum roll with Reliable Talent. And even if she wastes her action to look for Veth... okay: with a +7 to Perception, against Veth’s +15 (at an equivalent level 14 at least)... that’s a 1.5% chance Laerryn has of actually spotting Veth. Ooph. So. Laerryn pretty much can’t see Veth. That takes a considerable number of her listed spells out of the running.

Basically Laerryn’s gonna need to use the LORGE AN CHONKY AoE spells that don’t require line of sight. There’s only two listed on Laerryn’s CRS character sheet, but iirc that only reflects what’s been used in game, so let’s go over some other possibilities! (* for those she may not have)

Fireball: ol’ reliable right here is a great one with excellent damage output. The only problem is that it’s a Dex save, and even if she failed (she has a +10), with Evasion the most Veth would end up taking is half damage.

Reverse Gravity: depending on the environment/if there’s a ceiling, this could royally screw Veth out of her ability to hide. She’d need to be really quick in casting Invisibility before she’s dragged up and out of her hiding place so Laerryn couldn’t just wreck her once she’s out in the open. And with Feather Fall as a reaction, there’s no fall damage when the spell ends.

Slow*: would limit Veth to either an Action or Bonus Action — meaning no more hiding after she attacks! If Laerryn cast this in order to end concentration on Reverse Gravity, this would remove Veth’s reaction, meaning no Feather Fall and Veth would take full damage. But.. Veth is proficient in Wisom saves thanks to her Resilient feat.

Storm Sphere*: continuous damage on a failed Strength save? Hell yes! The damage is fairly minimal, but the description says that the lightning bolt strikes out towards a creature of your choice within 60 ft of the storm... it does not say that you have to see them.

Horrid Wilting/Cloudkill/Sunburst*: these are all large-AoE damage spells, each requiring a Con save (which Veth only has a +1 in). Sunburst, which blinds enemies on a failed save, is particularly useful.

Basically, Laerryn’s win is going to rely on what other spells she has in her arsenal, as without those it’s insanely unlikely she’ll be able to spot Veth in time to prevent a sneak attack or use one of her targeted attack spells. With just the spells we currently know? ...It doesn’t look great.

Veth’s win is going to rely on making her saving throws while staying hidden, and whittling down Laerryn’s 142 hit points (175 with Arcane Ward). But with 8d6+5 damage every round that she’s hidden? I think she could actually do it. She’s crazy enough to pull it off, she has some solid saving throws, and she has a ridiculous stealth check. Unless Laerryn preps the exact right spells, Veth could take this whole thing.

#if it's “who’s the most wizardy” then it’s Laerryn by a long shot #but I’m not talking qualifications I wanna see a FIGHT.#world wizard entertainment #laerryn coramar seelie #veth brenatto #laerryn went to the James Cagney Birdman school of Dont Fuck With Rogues #critical role

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saika077 · 2 years ago

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Random HC:

The first years (+Ortho) playing DnD in Ramshackle Dorm

Yuu/MC is DMing of course

Player characters (I won't go too deep into their character details tho)

I feel like Ace'd be a Human Rogue, it kinda fits his personality imo. I personally don't see him as someone who uses brute force or blast magic, so Rogue it is. Specifically, I feel like he'd be an arcane trickster.

Deuce's character would be a Monk 100%. As for the race I can sorta see him being a Tiefling. Now you might be asking, "why a Monk and not a Barbarian?", While I do acknowledge his tendency to go apeshit at times, he actively tries to grow and change from his past habits. Perhaps his character could be an ex-barbarian who is training hard to be a Monk (multiclass)?

Jack's character'd be a Goliath Fighter, the only justification I have for this is that I feel like the competitive nature of a Goliath and their desire to push beyond new limits fits him like a glove, also the fighter class suits him just fine imo.

Given his background, I feel like Epel would be a Druid (they're basically magic farmers/gardeners). However, he'd give his character cantrips like Poison Spray, various spells but no healing spells (yea this party is pretty much fucked). You can fight me on this but post-character arc Epel would be a Halfling, he'd use his size as an advantage in combat.

As for Sebek, I can't see him being anything other than a Paladin. He'd most likely be an Aasimar... or maybe a half-elf? No? Too on the nose? Anyways, he'd give his character enchantment spells, and maybe some healing spells like Cure Wounds.

Ortho is the party's main support, with him being a tiny fairy bard (now you see why I had to bring Ortho in this otherwise the party won't even survive the winter). He's just a little lad who loves berries and cream :). He also provides bgm and sfx for the campaign.

I'm sorry but I have very little to no faith for this party. But I'm sure they'll somehow survive.

Together, the fate of the world somehow lies in the hands of these murder hobos.

Random shenanigans

Ace attempting to steal a treasure/sacred item from a monster's lair, only to miserably fail a stealth roll. Everyone had to haul ass out of there.

Deuce getting emotionally attached to an Npc with tragic backstories and/or noble goal, and then stubbornly tried to save that npc and getting upset at the DM for killing them.

something tragic happens and someone just says "this is so sad, Ortho play the acoustic rendition of Piece of My World"

Ace, to every barmaid bc he's broke: "hey (with rizz)" *rolls a Nat 1 Charisma*

With how hotheaded the NRC kids are it's only a matter of time until an npc taunted or look at them the wrong way and they'd be like "oh that's it, now you're gonna get it! I ROLL FOR INITIATIVE!" completely unprompted (like in the second half of the Halloween event bc I still find it insane how everyone immediately resorts to violence, even some of the more levelheaded students).

The one time Ortho and/or Sebek can't make it to a session, Jack gets knocked out by an enemy and the gang tried to heal him. Ace: "ok but can we try slapping him awake?" Deuce:"oh that's a good idea! Can we, Yuu/MC?" Yuu/MC:"...roll me a strength check" (they forgot that they have a healing potion)

The DM sitting there horrified while watching the party using the "power of friendship" on an NPC

I feel like half of them would brute force puzzles in a dungeon and it works like one out of three times or something.

"why do I hear boss music?"

Yuu, the DM, puts their hands together in front of them, a strange smile plastered on their face as they calmly said; "everyone, I want you to roll for initiative 🙂"

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slightlystupidhun · 1 year ago

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Only a Badge

WARNING: ANGST, MENTIONS OF VIOLENCE

Part 1, Part 2

Summary: Sweetheart gets sent out on a mission, however it’s been several days and they still haven’t returned…

“Hun, I’m heading out to work. They’re putting me on the field today so I’ll probably be home late.” Sweetheart called to Milo as they secured their belt. Their loving partner had a long night before and was still resting in bed. However, they knew he heard them.

“Hang on Sweetheart.” They heard his tired voice echo throughout their new house. The padding of his footsteps came closer from behind them as they heard their bedroom door shut.

“What’s going on Mil-“ Before they could finish their sentence he wrapped his arms around them and fastened their badge in place with seasoned skill. He put it just the way he knew they liked it, they were very particular in making sure it didn’t fall off so when they showed him how to put it on them, he practiced quite a few times.

They placed their hands over top of his as he tucked his head in the crook of their neck. He peppered a few kisses there as they giggled out loud. The sound lighting up the dimly lit room. This felt so domestic, so sweet, and warm. It was nearly impossible for the stealth to pull themself away…but they had to. They lightly tapped his hand a few times to signal to him it was time for them to go but he just clutched them tighter.

“Milo, I gotta go to work hun.” they turned their head slightly to see his dark, tired orbs. The curls of his hair tickled their cheek as they smiled down at him, kissing the top of his head.

“Can’t you stay for a little longer?” He mumbled face now pressed into their shoulder. They were wearing the new scent he got them. It touched each of his senses with hints of bergamot, cardamom, jasmine, violet, and just the perfect drop of musk. He absolutely loved it. The polyester fabric of their shirt reminded him of their soft sheets and almost had him drifting off to sleep.

Almost.

That was until, of course, they cloaked and phased through his arms. Offering him their signature smile as he stumbled forward, the cold counter he grabbed onto a poor substitute for his partner. He offered them a glare that held no real malice before they walked to the door.

“Love you Honey~” they said said in a teasing tone as he rolled his eyes.

“Yeah yeah, get on. I’ll have dinner ready when you get home Sweetheart.” He offered them as they shut the door. He shook his head and padded back off to the room, that was until he realized he never told them “I love you.” back. He burst through his bedroom door out to the front. Just as he saw their car pulling out of the driveway.

The all black Nissan Rogue halted in its tracks as the stealth saw their partner running to the car at full speed. They gave him a confused look as they rolled down their window right as their partner appeared next to it.

“Milo wh-“ they were cut off by a kiss. It was sweet and surprising catching them totally off guard as they separated far too soon.

“I forgot to say it.” He panted as he held their cheek.

“Say what hun?”

He offered them his signature shit eating grin. “I love you Sweetheart.” He smiled as he kissed them one last time before sending them off. They tried to hide their smile to no avail. He laughed to himself as he stood in the driveway watching them drive off.

**********

That was two days ago. Since then he hadn’t received a call. Text. Or any kind of word from his stealth. He was pacing back and forth in his living room as people passed in and out. After the first day of them being considered missing by him he notified David and the rest of the pack.

His mom had set up in the large kitchen and had been cooking for any guests that stopped by. David would come in and check on Milo every few hours, and tank had taken up to sleeping in Milo’s living room so that he would never be alone. Asher had been going out to the store to get whatever Milo wanted/needed and accompanied David to the department building to put pressure on the search for their stealth.

“Milo you have to eat something.” Marie called from the kitchen. Milo had done so much worrying and pacing that he practically for for about eating drinking or sleeping.

“How can I mami?” He asked his voice cracking a bit. “It’s not like they were dispatched on a mission. They were just supposed to be looking into some loose ends on a case. They aren’t here and I can’t breathe.” He put a hand to his chest and pulled at his shirt like it was suffocating them. Tears began to prickle at the corner of his face. “I can’t breathe without them here.” He began to fold in on himself and Tank immediately shot up from the couch. They held him tightly and brought him over to sit on the couch with them and just kept him close.

Tank was not one for hugs and often hated physical contact, but they hated seeing, who was essentially their brother, like this more. They rocked him back and forth and comforted him softly. The door creaked open and every eye went to it, falling in slight disappointment when Asher and David walked in. They shook their head signaling that they had no new information. Once they both made their way to the couch David decided to check in on his friend.

“Milo.” He said kneeling on the floor. “They will be okay.” He said putting his hands on the side of his friends face. “They will come home to you.”

Milo sniffed and whipped roughly at his eyes to get the tears to stop from falling. “Thanks David.” The sound of the doorbell ringing caught them all off guard and everyone stood in silence. The air suddenly felt very heavy, like there was something on the other side of that door to be afraid of. The door bell rang again.

“I’ll get it.” Asher said beginning to make his way over.

“No no I got it Ash.” Milo said standing up. He hoped that maybe it was Sweetheart and they forgot their keys. But normally if they did that, they would just call him, or phase through the door. But hey maybe they were tired. He tried to silently reason with himself.

By the time Milo reached the door it rang for a third time. Suddenly, the large oak door seemed much more intimidating. He wrapped his hand around the cold golden door knob and twisted it open. Standing right there, on his porch, were two department agents. He could tell by the lanyards they were wearing that had their badge handing from it. They both looked tired and shifted their weight awkwardly.

“Are you Milo Greer?” The larger one asked struggling to make eye contact. By now everyone in the house was listening in, Tank even standing in the hallway so they could be there if he needed them.

“Yes.” He said shortly, his tired eyes glaring daggers into the man.

“Ahem.” The smaller one cleared his throat. “We are frie- Co-workers of… stealth. We thought it’d be best if we…” he stumbled all throughout his words struggling to complete a sentence.

“We…” the larger one cut in. “I… We completed our search.” He said with a tone of finality that had Milo’s stomach turning.

“And?” Milo said his hands shaking and his voice wavering ever so slightly. He gripped the doorframe to stabilize himself but by now it was beginning to splinter.

“We we’re only able to find this…” he spoke holding out Stealths badge.

Milo snatched it from the man and looked it over. His eyes tearing up. No this can’t be right. He put it on them the right way. They wouldn’t separate from their badge unless… but that was impossible. They were still alive they had to be. However, the blood that stained the golden badge in his hand suggested otherwise. A shaking hand that Milo recognized as his own came to hold over his mouth. His stomach turned as his world began to spin. Suddenly he was falling back and a pair of tattooed arms caught him.

“I’m so sorry.” The smaller one spoke. “As of now they have been declared Presumption of Death and KIA.” He said sorrowfully before retreating down the steps back to his all black department grade van.

Tank picked the man up and set him down on the cushion as he clutched the badge to his chest. He began hyperventilating and shaking his head. No one in the room knew how to react, how to comfort him. He kept muttering words before he stood up and went to the wooden coat rack.

“No. This… I can’t…” he said as he grabbed his coat. He began slipping his arms through the wool sleeves when his mom stepped forward.

“Milo. Papi. Where are you going?” Marie asked as she grasped Milo’s hand.

“They are out there Ma. Alone and cold and hurting. I can’t just sit here while they are.” Everything seemed to hit him right then.

“Milo come sit down…” his mom pulled him from the door. She was able to get him out to the living room but before he could make it back to the couch he pulled away and ran to his room, locking himself inside.

He kept the light off and just sat at the edge of his bed, looking around the room that now seemed so much lonelier. Reminders of his Sweetheart sat all around the room. Even when he laid back on his bed, the scent he bought them still lingered behind. Even though they weren’t there… he couldn’t escape them. He needed them home now more than ever.

***Pt 2???***

#redacted asmr #redacted audios #redacted darlin #redacted david #milo redacted #redacted asmr asher #redacted shaw pack #redacted asher #redacted milo #redacted milo greer #milo x sweetheart #redacted david shaw #redacted marie #redacted fic #redacted fanfic #redacted dump #redacted sweetheart

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msviolacea · 1 year ago

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There's a lot of "oh, Baldur's Gate, isn't that game all about sex?" out there - I've seen it on the internet and heard it in conversation - which is fair, that's what the mainstream articles have been about, and let's not lie, most of us around here are all about the sexytimes with pretty people. (Me included, 100000%. And my "romance doesn't make an experience less interesting or serious" rant will be saved for another day.) But anyway ... it's Monday, and I'm avoiding work, so I figured I'd list as many things as I can think of right now that make the game amazing that have nothing to do with actually having sex with someone.

GINORMOUS areas to explore.

There are lore books literally everywhere. If you like reading random bits of in-universe texts, you'll be spoiled.

Have you ever played D&D and wished certain spells had more utility - like Grease, or Sleep, or Create/Destroy Water? You're in luck here! Anything that can either create a ground effect or temporarily distract/take enemies out is OP!

Animated, voiced cut scenes with nearly every single NPC you run across.

At the same time, most of them are not required. Some will give you interesting side quests, extra approval/disapproval from your companions, or interesting information that will give you more options in a future quest, but you don't have to spend hours talking to people unless that's your jam.

In character creation, you don't pick male/female as a gender. You pick from four body types (two small, two large, two with breasts/more slender, two more broad/slightly larger), three sets of pronouns (he/she/they), and several different sets of genitals - mix and match all three categories to your hearts' content. I'm sure there are other things they could have done, but it's the most inclusive character creator I've seen in a major game for sure.

The turn-based combat is a blessing for anyone who struggles with real time combat. Take your time, consider your options, look at things from all angles, sort through your spells and attacks to find the right one.

Or you can remember you picked up that barrel of smoke powder three rooms back, climb up into the rafters of the room, and chuck it into the fire pit in the middle of the room for maximum effect. I cannot overstate how fucking satisfying that is.

Big fucking tiefling horns. Of a variety of shapes!

Your female companions are the tanks/hearty warriors. Your male companions are all delicate fucking flowers, at least until you get Druid Daddy who can turn into a bear.

While optimizing your 4-person party to bring the usual configuration - one tank, one healer, a couple of DPS - is useful, it isn't always necessary. There are some fights where bringing four ranged options is a great idea, as long as you give them some survivability spells or plenty of potions. Sometimes bringing four people who can just barrel their way into a pile of ogres is satisfying. Mix it up!

Okay every companion thus far (I'm still only through act 1 yet, listen I have two games and my partner didn't feel well enough to continue the game where we're the farthest this weekend so I spent my time catching my solo game up) is absolute gold, no duds in the bunch, and the next few bullets will be one awesome thing about each one of them that has nothing to do with romance.

Astarion with the Thief subclass at level 3 literally cannot fail most lockpicking or trap disarming checks unless he rolls a nat 1. He is invisible when stealthed. He can one-shot most low level goblins with sneak attack arrows from range. He is a very bitchy fancy-lad Super Rogue.

Wyll is the Goodest Boy - the speed with which he goes from "I am oathbound to kill you demon!" to "well shit you're just a tiefling guess I'll deliberately fuck up my very dangerous warlock oath for you" is wonderful. He's noble and impetuous and wants to be more than a rich boy and gives nearly everyone the benefit of the doubt. I would die for him.

Karlach does the ADHD idle dance of "I could not stand still if you paid me all the gold in Baldur's Gate" and has the best puppy dog eyes. Also the story tie-in to her rage mechanics is really great and excellent storytelling.

Lae'zel is nigh unkillable if you give her the right stuff. Speccing her as Battlemaster is amazing for controlling the most powerful combatants on the field. Trip Attack has saved my ass so many times, you have no idea.

On paper, Gale should be absolutely insufferable. But somehow the writing and voice acting managed to hit just the right notes of humor and good nature and wizard geek. I'm very impressed.

Shadowheart is a very interesting combination of amoral/self-involved but also compassionate and I find myself fascinated by it. She clearly contains multitudes, and thus far the story is doing a good job of doling out pieces of her at a satisfying pace.

And speaking of interesting moral dichotomies, I absolutely adore that Halsin is both the good influence authority figure and also utterly ruthless when things run afoul of his strongly held belief system. Also thicc, broad-shouldered elf supremacy.

The tieflings you meet in Emerald Grove are directly tied to the D&D adventure "Descent Into Avernus" - as is Wyll! (And I'm sure it has a lot of context for Karlach's story as well, I haven't finished reading it yet.) I'm sure there's more when you get to the actual city of Baldur's Gate, but I'm not there yet. It's just fun to have that as an option to read for backstory about some of the game's characters and situations if you want. It's not required reading, though - cough, Bioware/Dragon Age, cough - everything that happens with them is perfectly understandable without any additional context!

The "Balanced" combat difficulty is a really good mix of fights that take a LOT of strategy and ones that can be easily cheesed.

Have you ever wanted to shove someone off a cliff even though you have like 8 strength? Listen, a 30% chance is STILL A CHANCE, and you have limited bonus action choices. TAKE YOUR SHOT.

... feel free to add your own. I'm still pretty early in the game and can't wait to get to more.

(edited for some slightly better phrasing about the character creation gender options, hopefully)

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #why did i make this?#is it mostly to avoid work?#yes probably #but still #i feel like a post is needed #to say 'you can have all this!'#(and also sexytimes!)

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pathfinderunlocked · 2 months ago

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Werespider Poisoner - CR 4 Rogue

Spins a web, five by five; catches rogues, just like flies...

Artwork by Conor Burke on ArtStation.

The werespider is an entothrope - basically the term for a lycanthrope of any species that has an exoskeleton - introduced to Pathfinder in Bestiary 6. The default werespider is a rogue, but is only CR 2. This one is a couple levels higher and has some abilities that actually fit the idea of a werespider.

The official werespider art only has two arms and two legs, but holy shit that's lame. Give the poor man some extra limbs. They don't have to be mechanically useful (although this particular werespider has a climb speed).

This werespider would make a good assassin to attack the PCs in their sleep. I'm generally in favor of starting such encounters by having the death of an NPC wake the PCs up and force them to fight without their armor, rather than by telling a level 3 player to roll a DC 31 Fortitude save against a coup de grace or instantly die, but I mean, it's your game, so you do you. Definitely use its web ability to set traps for people to step into though.

This is an afflicted werespider. A natural-born werespider has DR 10 instead of DR 5.

Feel free to decide that lycanthropes and entothropes in hybrid form count as monstrous humanoids rather than humanoids in your game, because, like, dude. Why? Why does the monstrous humanoid creature type even exist if lycanthropes aren't included? Werewolves are the most "monstrous humanoid" of any monster ever conceived. I wouldn't recalculate hit points, BAB, or saves though. Just make it count as both humanoid and monstrous humanoid for the purposes of effects dependent on type.

Werespider Poisoner (Hybrid Form) - CR 4

The arachnid form of the person perched on the corner of the ceiling above you catches your eye just a little bit too late as he drops down from the shadows and attacks.

Human toxic talon rogue 4 NE Medium humanoid (human, shapechanger) Init +8 Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft.; Perception +8

DEFENSE

AC 19, touch 14, flat-footed 17 (+3 armor, +4 Dex, +2 natural) hp 33 (4d8+12) Fort +4, Ref +8, Will +3; +4 vs. mind-affecting effects; +1 vs. poison Defensive Abilities evasion, insect mind DR 5/silver

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft., Climb 20 ft. Melee mwk short sword +8 (1d6+4/19–20 plus medium spider venom (DC 15)), bite +3 (1d6+1 plus curse of entothropy and poison) Ranged mwk blowgun +8 (1d2 plus medium spider venom (DC 14)) Special Attacks catalyst (1/hour, already used) , sneak attack +2d6, web (+5 ranged, DC 13, 2 hp), vanish (2/day)

STATISTICS

Str 14, Dex 19, Con 17, Int 8, Wis 14, Cha 8 Base Atk +3; CMB +5; CMD 19 Feats Improved Initiative, Extra Rogue Talent (Expert Leaper), Weapon Focus (bite) Skills Acrobatics +10, Bluff +6, Climb +16, Disable Device +11, Escape Artist +10, Knowledge (local) +6, Perception +8, Stealth +11 Languages Common SQ change shape (giant spider, human, and hybrid; vermin shape II), entothropic empathy, rogue talents (expert leaper, shadow duplicate, ninja trick [wall climber]) Gear mwk short sword, mwk blowgun, mwk studded leather armor, 3 doses of medium spider venom, 1 potion of delay poison, healer's kit

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Poison (Ex) Bite—injury; save Fort DC 16; frequency 1/round for 4 rounds; effect 1d2 Strength damage; cure 1 save. The save DC is Constitution-based and includes a +2 racial bonus.

Catalyst (Su) A werespider poisoner can use secret alchemical techniques to enhance a poison when applying it to a weapon, increasing the save DC of the poison by 1. This increase to the save DC lasts for 1 minute or until the poison is used up, whichever comes first. A werespider poisoner can use catalyst once per hour.

Expert Leaper (Ex) When using the Acrobatics skill to jump, a werespider poisoner is always considered to have a running start and adds +4 to the check result. Whenever it deliberately falls, a successful DC 15 Acrobatics check allows it to ignore the first 20 feet fallen. For every 5 by which it exceeds the DC of this check, it can ignore an additional 10 feet of distance fallen.

Debilitating Injury (Ex) Whenever a werespider poisoner deals sneak attack damage to a foe, it can also debilitate the target of its attack, causing the target to take a penalty for 1 round. The werespider poisoner can choose to apply any one of the following penalties when the damage is dealt.

Bewildered: The target becomes bewildered, taking a –2 penalty to AC. The target takes an additional –2 penalty to AC against all attacks made by the werespider poisoner. At 10th level and 16th level, the penalty to AC against attacks made by the werespider poisoner increases by –2 (to a total maximum of –8). Disoriented: The target takes a –2 penalty on attack rolls. In addition, the target takes an additional –2 penalty on all attack rolls it makes against the werespider poisoner. At 10th level and 16th level, the penalty on attack rolls made against the werespider poisoner increases by –2 (to a total maximum of –8). Hampered: All of the target’s speeds are reduced by half (to a minimum of 5 feet). In addition, the target cannot take a 5-foot step.

These penalties do not stack with themselves, but additional attacks that deal sneak attack damage extend the duration by 1 round. A creature cannot suffer from more than one penalty from this ability at a time. If a new penalty is applied, the old penalty immediately ends. Any form of healing applied to a target suffering from one of these penalties also removes the penalty.

Poison Adept (Ex) A werespider poisoner is trained in the use of poison and cannot accidentally poison itself when applying poison to a projectile weapon. It can apply poison to a projectile as a move action.

Shadow Duplicate (Sp) Once per day as an immediate action when the werespider poisoner is hit, the werespider poisoner can create a single shadow duplicate of itself, as per mirror image. The GM randomly determines whether the attack hit the werespider poisoner or the shadow duplicate. The shadow duplicate lasts for a number of rounds equal to the werespider poisoner's level, or until the shadow duplicate is dispelled or destroyed.

Wall Climber (Su) The werespider poisoner has a climb speed of 20 feet, but only on vertical surfaces. This ability cannot be used to scale perfectly smooth surfaces or to climb on the underside of horizontal surfaces. A werespider does not need to have its hands free to climb, and can use both of its hands while climbing.

#d&d #pathfinder 1e #humanoid #monstrous humanoid #human #shapechanger #rogue #npc

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padraigshomebrewworkshop · 11 months ago

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Rogue: The Generalist (V0.2)

Alright, here's an updated version of the subclass. Thank you @homebrew-a-la-traumaverse for your feedback! I am also starting to reword somethings to fit typical subclass wordings, giving names for each feature, etc. I also have two potential revisions for the 17th level Magical Studies, with the other being at very bottom of the post, denoted by a *.

Flavor: It is to be expected for adventurers to learn and grow as they venture out into the world, but some rogues take this to the extreme. Generalist rogues are those who have dedicated themselves to learning various disciplines, though not necessarily mastering them. As such, they have learned to pick up on various skills through mere observation and putting them into practice with a combination of keen intuition and muscle memory.

There are various reasons a rogue would follow this path. They may be an exceptionally curious individual who wishes to learn all they can, not restricting themselves to a singular line of study. Or perhaps if they are a spy or charlatan, they follow this path in order to make their disguises even more convincing. After all, you can't make a convincing wizard if you are unable to cast even a single spell.

Quick Study (3rd Level): You gain a new action called Study. Using your action or bonus action while observing a creature use a skill or tool they are proficient in allows you to mimic said proficiency. An unwilling creature can make a Charisma (Deception) check against your Study DC (DC = 8 + proficiency bonus + Intelligence), with you failing to mimic the proficiency if they succeed. These mimicked proficiencies are imperfect, granting only half your proficiency bonus to checks made with said mimicked proficiency and cannot be increased by features such as Expertise. However, the bonus increases at certain levels, granting your proficiency bonus to mimicked proficiencies at 9th level and double your proficiency at 13th level.

You can have a number of these mimicked proficiencies equal to your amount of Sneak Attack die, with any new mimicked proficiency replacing one of your choice.

Keen Insight (3rd Level): You can use your Study action to instead observe a creature mannerisms, as long as you can see said creature. They make a Charisma (Deception) check against your Study DC. If they fail, you can automatically add your Sneak Attack to the next attack made against that creature without needing to meet Sneak Attack's usual requirements. You also gain the following benefits: you have advantage on Insight and Charisma checks made against this creature for the next minute and you learn if this creature has any resistances.

Preferred Subject (9th Level): You further your studies, either dipping into the study of magic or the use of martial weaponry. Choose one of the following:

Martial Studies: You gain proficiency in the Athletics skill, or double proficiency if you are already proficient. You can use your Study action to now mimic proficiency in a weapon or armor. Any melee weapon you mimic cannot have the two handed or heavy property and you can only mimic proficiency in medium armors or shields. Weapons you mimic proficiency in have the finesse property for you and any armor you mimic proficiency in do not cause you to roll at disadvantage for Stealth checks. You can have a number of martial proficiencies mimicked equal to half your Rogue level (rounded down).

Magical Studies: You gain proficiency in the Arcana skill, or double proficiency if you are already proficient. You can use your Study action to mimic the use of a spell. The spells you mimic are known to you and Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for these mimicked spells. You can mimic a total amount of spells equal to half your Rogue level (rounded down), where the base level of each spell counts towards this limit (ex. a 10th level Rogue can mimic one 3rd level spell and one 2nd level spell). Cantrips count as 1/2 a level. You also gain a pool of magical energy, known as Spell Points, that are used to cast these mimicked spells. The amount you have is equal to the amount of Sneak Attack die you have and they are regained on a long rest. The amount of points used to cast a spell determines the level of the spell cast, meaning you may up-cast a spell by using more points. Cantrips do not consume points.

Worldly Knowledge (13th Level): You have become exceptionally canny thanks to your travels. You gain proficiency in up to five of the following things: a language, a tool, or a skill.

You can also mimic how a language is spoken (if you hear it be spoken) and/or written (if you see it be written) if you observe a creature proficient in said language used in one of the previously stated ways for one minute. This proficiency is flimsy, only lasting for 10 minutes and only granting you the ability to get across basic concepts in the language.

Prying Eye (13th Level): You are able to deduce even more about someone through your observation. You gain additional benefits when using your Keen Insight feature: you learn if it has any immunities (damage or condition), the creature has disadvantage on attack rolls made against you until the end of your next turn, and you can confer the benefits of your study to another creature that can hear you immediately as a reaction.

True Polymath (17th Level): Your ability to learn has far exceeded expectations. You gain the other option you did not choose for your Preferred Subject feature and the one you did is enhanced in one of the following ways:

Martial Studies: You can now mimic proficiency in heavy and two handed melee weapons, as well as with heavy armors. You can also make a second attack when attacking with either a weapon you are normally proficient in or whos proficiency you mimicked.

Magical Studies: You can cast a spell you mimicked without using Spell Points once per day, for each of the spells you mimicked, as long as it is 5th level or lower. You also regain any expended spell points on a short rest.

*The other potential Magical Studies feature at 17th level would replace the free cast with: When you make a spell attack with a spell you mimicked, you can add half your Sneak Attack die (rounded down) to the damage of the spell, as if it was an attack made with a finesse or ranged weapon. This can be done as long as the attack follows the other requirements of the Sneak Attack feature.

Again, any feedback or suggestions are welcome! Thank you!

#d&d #dnd #homebrew #subclasses #rogue #roguish archetypes

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