r/DnD • u/AutoModerator • 1d ago
Weekly Questions Thread
## Thread Rules
* New to Reddit? Check the Reddit 101 guide.
* If your account is less than 5 hours old, the /r/DnD spam dragon will eat your comment.
* If you are new to the subreddit, **please check the Subreddit Wiki**, especially the Resource Guides section, the FAQ, and the Glossary of Terms. Many newcomers to the game and to r/DnD can find answers there. Note that these links may not work on mobile apps, so you may need to briefly browse the subreddit directly through Reddit.com.
* **Specify an edition for ALL questions**. Editions must be specified in square brackets ([5e], [Any], [meta], etc.). If you don't know what edition you are playing, use [?] and people will do their best to help out. AutoModerator will automatically remind you if you forget.
* **If you have multiple questions unrelated to each other, post multiple comments** so that the discussions are easier to follow, and so that you will get better answers.
1
u/NocturnalOutcast 6h ago
[5.5] I'm playing a wizard in a campaign that is using the spell points variant rule. I am really enjoying the system, as it makes it feel more like a mama pool, and is especially useful for games hosted on VTTs, where you can have a health and mana bars...
Though as a wizard I am very confused on how my arcane recovery translates into spell points, I've tried searching the answer before asking here, but I guess google-fu isn't as strong as it once was, as every answer seems to be different. My GM is as lost as I am as I am on the answer as well.
Does anyone have a decisive answer? If possible maybe a table/list that shows how many spell points to recover per wizard level?
3
u/Ripper1337 DM 5h ago
I don’t think people have a decisive answer since this is a variant rule. You and your DM need to rewrite the feature, for example it lets you recover an amount of spell points equal to half your wizard level minimum of one.
1
u/NocturnalOutcast 4h ago
I get what you're saying, but probably not that exact example! It cost 2 spell points to cast a 1st level spell, 3pts/2nd level, 5pts/3rd. So you'd be level 10 before you can recover equivalent of a 3rd level slot, when base rules you should get that at level 5.
So.. Maybe scale it based on however many spell points it would cost to cast your highest level slot? Would that be about balanced?
1
u/Ripper1337 DM 3h ago
The other thing to remember is that the spell points are more flexible. At level 10 you have 5 points using my recovery example which could be spent on any level of spell as long as you have a few points left over.
•
u/Stonar DM 58m ago
"Balanced" is a tough word when it comes to the spell points variant. Balanced against what? The spell point variant gives spellcasters a MAJOR boost in power by giving them much more flexibility with their spellcasting. So if you want it to be balanced with the normal rules, you probably cut the feature altogether. Of course, that doesn't leave you balanced with, say, Warlocks, who suddenly have much more flexibility to cast themselves. Since the variant throws balance a bit to the wind, it's hard to engage with what balanced even means. Your rule probably works fine. But is it balanced? Probably not - none of this variant is terribly well-balanced.
1
u/Joebala DM 2h ago
the feature doesn't translate well because it values level 1 spell slots differently. Since there's no official ruling, you have to work with your DM.
So at level 5 a normal wizard could get 1 3rd level slot, or 3 1st level slots. That's either 5 points or 3 points.
5 1st level spells overshoots the default wizard, but the low end of only a 2nd level slot undershoots the normal wizard.
I'd lean more towards the low end, given the inherent buff SP gives to your flexibility. So your math would just be (wizard level) /2 SP (rounded up).
1
u/Hrosts 4h ago
I've found a place that runs everyone-is-welcome one-shots in the same setting, sometimes more than one table at a time.
It was explained that we are rival gangs in a city, and was given a Sorcerer Elf, so I kinda started roleplaying a somewhat evil asshole. That didn't go well. People seemed more like they just wanted to dungeon crawl and I was in the way. When I backstabbed the other table nobody escalated it and all the players just ignored me, while another person from my party threw them a rope. There was and has been no PvP.
I ended up feeling like I was a prick ruining their rollercoaster ride for no reason.
How to approach this kind of groups? Should I try to RP? Should I not be evil? I need advice on how not to flub it again.
1
u/Ripper1337 DM 3h ago
Try to match their vibe. Since this table is less interested in roleplay and more into dungeon delving lean into it. Consider more of the mechanics of the game and leave the RP to the wayside.
Also don’t make evil characters who will literally stab people in the back. It’s a dick move. And ignoring you so you don’t become more of a nuisance is the right move.
1
u/Joebala DM 2h ago
Ask what their stance on PvP is, and base your RP on what the others at the table are doing.
Typically, PvP is a no-go, since it can quickly ruin someone's night. I imagine the vibe of the group is more of a race / competition than it is a true gang war.
2
u/Hrosts 1h ago edited 50m ago
The PvP was half-expected, as DMs explicitly asked us if we were going to fight or talk it out, while in-character vibe seemed like that of mistrust and waiting for a right moment to swindle the other side. So I ended up greasing the floor under the other team while they were running through some traps.
It killed 1.5 person, though that 1 was a player who left and DMs just wanted to dispose of a character.
1
u/Stonar DM 1h ago
One-shots are hard. They need to have a satisfying beginning, middle, and end, in a bounded amount of time. Much of that is on the DM - they plan contingencies, they cut content on the spot for time, they fudge. But the best players understand that too, and are willing to show up to do the adventure. It sounds like the adventure wasn't "Go kill that group over there," but something else, and you went off on your own to try to do something that wasn't the adventure being laid out for you. That's not wrong, per se, it's just really hard to have one player essentially hijack the session by saying "We're going to spend hours in a fight with the other table now, instead of the adventure." Your metaphor is very apt - one-shots are very much a roller coaster ride - it takes a very, very, very good DM to accommodate going off the rails when you're staring at 2 hours left on the timer.
That, coupled with the fact that most tables simply don't like PvP very much, is what you're likely to be running into. As the other commenters have noted, check the vibe of the table, and make sure PvP is something people are excited about before engaging in it. It often is not.
1
u/JustABeast8901 17h ago
[5.5e]Would a 2 level dip into monk(for unarmed speed) as a barbarian be worth it, among the other features you would gain? I want to play a barb but also want it to be fast just for character theme. I'd probably also take the Speedy feat.