Відео

I have a few gripes with the UA Artificer; Firearms Proficiency missing, Flexible Magic Item Attunement is missing. Artificer Infusions being replaced, I see the design but its missing the ability to be used as a Spellcasting Foci. Also, I would suggest for the core; Extra Attack. Its not a full caster, so it deserves that upgrade. Doing so gives Battlesmith & Armorer new sibclass features, as well as Artillerist & Alchemist offensive options. Also for Alchemist, they're too soft. They need a true d100 Experimental Elixir table. Cantrip, 1st & 2nd level non-damaging Spell effects would be enough. I would also add, when using a Spell Slot, they could either pick an effect from the d100 table OR select a non-damaging Spell with a level up to twice the Spell Slot expended. The Spell does not have to be known or an Artificer Spell.

There are A LOT of hidden nerfs in this UA, many because of the removal of infusions and some that they didnt mention but that you can find by comparing the text to 2014. Also, the artificer was already middle of the pack before and it needed way more options/buffs to keep up with power creep in 2024. Armorer seems ok and artillerist actually feels great. But alchemist sucks just as much as ever and Battelsmith with no weapon masteries is literal hearesy. They both need a lot of help mechanically in 5.5 (one more than the other) Previous infusions gated by level, no mention of mending for my companion, making the capstone trash, no infusion casting equivalent, no ignoring prerequisites for magic items, no expertise, and no extra infusions for armorer (locking them into +0 weapons as their mains), etc... are ALL big problems imo Finally the flavor seems lost, im not tinkering or crafting, stuff just appears for an hour and NOTHING is special, its just a normal magic item that anyone could stumble upon, except worse cuz it's not permanent. Really love the spell storing ring tho, great stuff there.

I was already worried about *Enspelled Items* breaking games due to how accessible it is to _craft_ any *Uncommon magic item* _(10 days and 200 GP)._ It eased me that it's ultimately up to the *DM* to allow the *DMG'24 Crafting Magic Items* rules, but this *UA* gives an Artificer player _carte blanche_ to dig into old and new material for problematic items. Level 6 Artificers being able to provide a fresh *Enspelled Armor (Shield)* after every _Long Rest_ is bonkers. In *TCE,* *Spellwrought Tattoo* was arguably the best alternative to the named options for *Replicate Magic Item,* but *Enspelled items* are basically 6 times as good. IMO, *6 charges* is excessive for most magic items. I hoped that the magic items in the *DMG'24* would have their number of charges reduced across the board, accommodating that _"6-8 encounters per long rest"_ is an exception, not the rule. I suggest a rider - that *Magic Item Plans* other than the named options must be cleared with the *DM,* similar to the rider for *Druid's Wild Shape* (if a player wants other Beast forms than the recommended ones): _"When choosing known forms, you may look in the _*_Monster Manual_*_ or elsewhere for eligible Beasts if the _*_Dungeon Master_*_ permits you to do so."_

I wish there was a video that shows actually how play-by-post happens. All videos I've found are just descriptions of the concept etc, but I'd like to see how it is done in practice.

Yeah, a three-pronged multiclass can be pretty underwhelming. One level of Ranger isn't enough. What makes the 2014 ranger "good" is the natural gish-ness. Like EK, they blend spells with weapons combat. But their spells are better combinations with their weapons than EK, IMO. Ensnaring strike, hail of thorns, etc. Adding that sorcerer level does give you more magic, but also made you too scattered in your abilities (unless you rolled and rolled awesome). Sorcerer's need for Charisma, which usually a Ranger's dump stat (and a fighter's dump stat, too), it makes for a mess of a character. As you saw.

*Song of Rest* mostly took up space on the character sheet. *Magical Secrets* can cause decision paralysis, encouraging you to replace a Bard spell of any level each time you level up. Thus, the redesign has increased the complexity of the *Lore Bard* by a lot, though I agree that *Glamour* and *Dance* are even more complex to build optimally.

Your complexity rankings are very helpful for guiding more casual players. Your arguments are always nuanced and convincing, so I find it hard to disagree with your rankings 😉

Limiting the uses of a class feature is lame. Having to use loopholes is a limiting function of 5e.

Thanks! I love listening to all of your content!

I played in a random online game once, the DM completely refused to let me use the tides of chaos feature after 1 use. The ability just gave assholes free reign to be assholes

I still think druid was nerfed the most out of the full casters. bard got all of thier spells and conjure animals got a very strong kick in the teeth. with no equivalent buffs. they also lag behind in number of spells compared to the other full casters. druids should be stronger then clerics at damage clerics are already better at support ,defense and healing.

I agree *Circle of the Land* is the most complex. Especially since their alternative use of *Wild Shape* is so situational that they ought to look into different *Beast Shapes,* while *Sea* and *Stars* have such good uses of *Wild Shape,* that they bearily need to worry about *Beast Shapes* 🐻

"flex DCs" awesome - i agree, if it's cool, fun, or makes actual sense, then go for it - forget your meticulously prepped plan, haha

using simple preps that can be used broadly is genius - minor encounters, creature cards, basic plot frames - love it - these are tools I've figured out over the years, through my experience or observing others - still a work in progress but it's my main focus as a casual/periodic DM

Ayo I was just listening to their show!

1 level cleric dip? Are you still reviewing 2014 rules?

Interesting take. I find if you just look at the base including sub classes, the sorcerer has more spells and more flexibility, because they get the same amount of spells as a Wizard + spells from their sub class. And they are all always available compared to the wizard that has to select them on a long rest. And only if you have a nice DM the wizard might learn more spells to park in their spellbook. But it also requires a certain campaign, group and play style to be able to effectively know what is happening to deviate from the default prepared spell set the wizard player will have selected. That makes the wizard without a very nice DM weaker than the sorcerer and sometimes trickier to play as they have a restricted amount of spells available all the time. Ritual spells are great but the related feat allows the classic tier 1 and 2 player to enjoy a lot of the wizards benefits.

Okay, so, just off the top of my head, multiclassing into druid gives you access to three druid cantrips (2+1 for magician), 1st level druid spells, and speak with animals (druidic). That's a lot for just 1 lvl. For 2 lvls, you get wildshape that allows you to shrink down and squeeze through small spaces. Also you can become a horse or deer, something fast. And since they changed wildshape's restrictions, you can turn into a fish or other aquatic creature with water breathing and a swim speed. Your heavy armor gets absorbed into your form. It's not the key to your build, but it's nice to have. With a third level, you get a subclass with bonus spells and 2nd level spells. If you're not planning on going all the way to tier 4, then granting more flexibility at lower levels can be fun. More powerful? Probably not.

So this is an audio only podcast?

What's the point of the trickery domain? The illusion gives advantage if you're in melee, but trickery clerics may not want to be there in the first place if it changes the origin of spell casts. And when is that actually important? I must be missing something. I guess you could hide behind a corner easier.

I love this series! Unfortunately, *War Domain* is a Bonus Action jumble, so it's about choosing which features to build around, and which to ignore.

Thanks for doing these! 🙏

Great video. I think an additional point regarding fighting styles can be made. The fighter is the only class with the ability to change fighting styles those styles on level up. two weapon fighting can be very powerful at low levels. Interception is probably overpowered at low levels but then falls off. The ability go swap these out at various levels breakpoints is wonderful. champion can change both styles on a level. the fighters tactical mastery also synergizes well with reaction attacks on different turns. fighters typically don’t deal a lot of damage with their singular reaction attack but masteries help alleviate that with damage or control options.

Great analysis on the new *feat* and *Weapon Mastery* systems improving the class identity of the Fighter. Thanks for another interesting and pleasant podcast episode!

Good to hear your thoughts! Especially enjoyed your critique of weapon masteries. Will be interesting to see those in play.

Ayoooo GENERAL RULESSSSS

I agree with the premise, but I really don't like your example. If you assumed that the rogue has a +1 weapon, always has advantage and can apply sneak attack every round, and that the cleric only uses spiritual weapon + sacred flame/inflict wounds (two of its most popular spells), you would reach similar conclusions, but with a stronger argument. In my opinion, by excluding the main rogue feature from your example, your argument likely will not change the mind of a viewer that isn't already prone to agree with you. Boring Math: Assuming DMG AC progression, both a rogue and a cleric focusing on its main attribute will have a 65% to hit (without advantage) and a creature will fail the saving throw roughly 55% of the time. A rogue deals 18,65 DPS, while the cleric deals 10,5 (first turn) and then 17,3 or 25 DPS. Summing all 2nd level slot go to spiritual weapon, the cleric can keep this damage for 7 rounds (5 level 1 slots with harness divinity and 2 level 3 slots). Most fights have 2 to 3 rounds and the DMG recommends balancing monsters assuming 3 rounds. Every level after the 5th the cleric deals more damage when compared to the rogue, specially when you can reliably spam spirit guardians.

live pbp is my favorite. hard to find other players that like live pbp vs asynch pbp and live play. I am a forever GM, and writing/reading is my play language.

Great effort, loved it.

When I was active in MMOs, I'd run oneshot roleplay events for my guildies set within the MMO's universe. Ran them as live play by post within the game's chat window. For battle maps we'd go to a zone in the game world and literally stand where our characters are. And roleplay in this format is ABSOLUTELY capable of emotional weight. Some of my favorite character moments were play by post.

live text is the best

As I believe MatPat once said: LOOOOORRRRRRRRRE But seriously, he really came up with entertaining ways to convey the lore of most games.

I had a bit of a different experience with optimization. I joined a gamed late as i was a guestplayer who got to stay permanently and i got to build a character on lvlv 12 which had me excited and I made a baldesinger wizard which was allowed. The problem was that there was a very clear power gap between me and the other players who only have played with phb material (they had played for 6 years with the same characters) and even a competently built character made for the difficulty ahead since the arc was about demons and devils seemed way to strong in comparison. The problem was that the players started pushing all responsibility on clearing encounters on me because I was "the strong one" and I hated it. I just wanted to play I didnt want to feel like i had to play optimally constantly so that everyone would survive it was a very stressful experience and i parted my ways with them after the campaign ended.

The biggest issue to me is that D&D doesn’t balance itself very well, so those experiences really make some characters feel superior to others. And stronger balance is absolutely possible while preserving expressive and experimental play (4E, Fabula Ultima, Pathfinder 2E, SotDL, Lancer, Icon, Beacon, and I’m sure even more with people making newer projects now), it’s just that D&D 5E doesn’t do a good job of providing that gameplay.

Your story with the cleric was not an optimization issue. It was a mix of a spell being to strong, 5es popcorn healing issue, and the cleric olny going with healing becomeing a one trick pony. You didn't mess up there although i think its a good thing to look out for to not ruin others fun but the issues are from bad design in 5e mixed in with a one trick pony character.

This is why I like Pathfinder 2e so much. The difference between a fully optimized and story focused character, while noticeable, won't destabilize a play group in the way you describe here. As long as you pick abilities you'll actually use (don't pick twin weapon feats if you use a halberd) you'll keep up with any party.

I think that there is nothing wrong with optimizing your character as long as you intend to operate within the bounds of the game and for the fun of everyone at the table. If you make a really well optimized, say, Battle Master fighter with a fleshed out story and go out of your way to engage others out of combat as well as going to extra mile to include your allies in your Maneuvers by calling out for the Rogue to get the BBEG after a Commander's Strike and such or using your high Athletics to boost the Wizard up to rain a Fireball down over a barrier. Use your power to shine when its your time but also use your power to uplift others. Even if you could single handled take out the group of Goblins, set them up so others can help. Plenty of ways to "crunch the numbers" and still be a good collaborative story teller.

Enjoyed the last story, and I wish more folks would think about "optimization" that way. Break the game to tell better stories and have more fun, just don't do it in a vacuum.

I haven't completely watched through a video in a while. What a great video! I'm currently torn between a Fire/Fiend Sorlock and a Storm/Tempest Sorcleric. I already made a Gold Draconic Fiend Sorlock Tiefling. Had great fun with it but ditched it because I really want a lightning sorcerer. So then, because it just seemed so interesting to me, I created a Storm Sorcerer/Tempest Cleric. Now I'm playing the character I wanted mechanics-wise but I'm missing the identity of the Sorlock I previously played. I want to bring the Sorlock back. Maybe I can combine them. A Blue Draconic Sorlock? I don't think it's gonna be cohesive. Lightning Sorcerer/Fiend Warlock would feel similar to making a blueberry+apple flavor. It would probably taste good but it won't make sense.

There is a lot that is appealing to me about this format….however, with dyslexia, I don’t think it’s very feasible for me.

Awesome video! Just a small point of feedback: maybe try sitting slightly more back, cause you're a bit close to the camera in your videos. (If you look at Ginny Di, Matthew Colville or any basic video of someone talking to the camera really, you'll see they sit slightly more backwards so we can see a bit more of their upper torso). But aside from that, great content. Keep it up!

I'm no stranger to play by post, but this is the first I've heard of live pbp. Really interesting to see how that works out for you, though I don't think I will be able to manage it. I have a crazy, always on-call schedule. I can't commit to a game of any length for any particular time, so to me, the greatest strength of pbp is that sporadic posting is perfectly acceptable. We lose this aspect in a live pbp session, so it won't go well for me. However I can really see how others would find your format helpful, and I would encourage folks to try it!

Hey man! Your charisma on camera is better than half of the high profile TTRPG channels and way over most of the smaller ones. Content of the video is awesome too, but the delivery is super well done. Great job!

Хм, звучит то, что мне определенно нужно попробовать) Да, мне нравилось сидеть за столом и играть в живую, в этом был свой шарм. Но увы, мне сложно вжиться в роль и отыгрывать персонажа лично. По этому я часто устно описывал что делает мой персонаж, как если бы это был текст. так что да, думаю в таком подходе есть смысл и удобство. Единственное что мне действительно нравится в физической игре за столом - это кидать все эти красивые цветные кубики :)

How do you sound so good, yet pixels on your video can knock my teeth out?

Have run games this way exclusively for going on ten years, detailed battlemap combats and all, really wouldn't do it any other way. Primarily, outside of combats, everything is run in Discord instead of in the VTT, because it's much more easily searchable for content. What was that guy's name, who said what, how far was this from that. It also lets you have more channels to split up action, keeping scenes/events separate and organized, allowing the players to do their own thing in between proper 'sessions'. In text there's no real reason for the game to not be 'live' 24/7. Interactions between players and the "NPCs" they're responsible for doesn't really require my presence. And it makes it easier to run side-scenes like whatever prep specialist characters need to do before a big event, in a way the rest of the players are witness to. In essence, atop everything mentioned in video, it allows the GM to take a much more hands-off approach to things, and I wouldn't really want to run a game otherwise.

9:00 I love how magical you make it sound whenever you talk about this haha - makes it feel really special in the long run. It was definitely one of the most interesting games I’d had the pleasure of running.

The timing of this video is very interesting for me. Just a couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine and I started roleplaying through text. The plan was not to do it exclusively like that, and still isn't. We started doing it because of a video where Matt Colville said he sometimes had roleplaying scenes through text with the players, maybe during downtime or so. We're playing a one-on-one campaign, and scheduling the first session was going to be impossible for at least a week because of...life. So we decided to start the campaign through text, doing the roleplaying parts, and then stop whenever we had combat or something that required more game mechanics. As of now, we've only had one live session for this campaign. The rest has been through text, and we text A LOT. We play every single day, replying whenever we can. We've even had combat through text, each one sharing dice rolls, etc. We don't know when we'll have our next live session, but we've been playing this campaign consistently. And this experience has showed us very interesting things. Playing D&D (or other TTRPGs) through text actually has a lot of benefits. You pointed out a lot of them. And while your sessions are live and ours aren't, for the most part, I think there's a lot of similarities. We can express more about how the characters are feeling, the way they behave, many subtle things that are lost during live, "acting" play, etc. We have more time to think about our replies, and that lets us share better what we had in mind. And having it all written down makes it easier for us to go back and read what happened before, even just for fun. We both agree that we don't want to give up the more classic sessions in favor of this. We want to keep it as a hybrid. We both love the acting part and we don't want to get rid of it. But this has showed us a completely new way to play D&D that we couldn't have imagined before. We're both having an absolute blast, and I would recommend other players to at least give it a try. Even as a downtime thing. This is definitely not for every table, but I'm sure a lot of people will really enjoy it after just one time. Really interesting video. I'm happy that someone is talking about this. Thanks for sharing! <3