handling prepared strikes

Whats a decent way to handle when an entire party prepares a nova strike?

This comes up a lot in Tier 2 and higher. Hypnotic pattern happens. banished things return. Also ambush situations, even in Tier 1.

I think this is a decent take on it:

Initiative is already rolled and technically still running, so depending on time and how much of a fight is left, you can continue using the established sequence, ask for a complete re-roll, or simply re-roll for the returning combatant/s.

The entire team who is striking (be it PCs or NPCs) declares reactions to use a single strike (like opportunity attacks. You don’t get full actions.)

If tricky stuff is involved like “teleport when damaged” or “contingency whatever” or “shield spell blocks the hit” or “grant disadvantage to the attack” then timing of reactions comes into play. Based on the resolution of reactions, the first strike would hit on the person’s initiative, then the target wakes up (automatic reaction effects like “teleport when damaged” occur but not usually pre-active reactions (my word for such things as Shield, grant disadv to the attack-- things that involve choices before the action) because they can’t use pre-active reactions when held/incapacitated/etc until after they’re woken…), then all the other reaction-based strikes occur, then enter initiative sequence normally. The only area open to excessive abuse is players knowing the initiative sequence and timing it precisely, which is a big reason I’d consider re-rolling the returning combatant initiative. So:

1. Single strike from person X, which can trigger an automatic reaction from target if available.
2. All other single strikes, one of which can trigger a pre-active reaction from target if available.
3. The rest of the turn of person X. (They used their reaction to get an extra strike on their turn.)
4. Whoever is next in initiative order, and continuing in initiative sequence like normal.

Other situations:

That’s assuming the party wants to attack “after Johnny’s hit on the beast”. If instead the party gets clever and wants to attack “when Johnny’s about to hit the beast” then one of their attacks (whoever is first in initiative makes sense) wakes the combatant which then has a greater chance to go on this round. /shrug it evens out.

What about not-surprising strikes, like when you're negotiating and they see you clearly but some ass next to you steps up and sticks a knife in someone’s face? There’s no surprise on either side, even if you’re talking friendly and it’s not expected. Just roll initiative. The initiator uses their declared action (or changes it depending on conditions) on their turn. Everyone else sees the shot coming, or saw it happen, and acts as normal upon their turn. Draw weapon and attack, move, whatever else.

What about surprising strikes, like when you're negotiating and they see you clearly but some *hidden* ass in the back decides to launch an arrow? (keyword, “hidden”, meaning ANYONE with passive percep under their hide score does not know where they are and will be surprised.) Still roll initiative. Anyone not surprised takes their actions on their turn just like a non-surprising strike, because “WTF everyone else, didn’t you see that coming a mile away?” Anyone surprised can’t take actions until next round. The initiator uses their declared action (or changes it) on their turn, in initiative order like normal.

Some math on Rogue 15/Fighter 5 vs Rogue 15/Ranger 5

Some math on Rogue 15/Fighter 5 vs Rogue 15/Ranger 5. This is considered after 2 feats (char level 9), not at the top eventual level 20.

Crossbow expert gives an extra attack / chance to hit BUUUUT uses the bonus action. So, no bonus action hide. Ow. But that’s totally controllable.

Sharpshooter gives +10/-5. And more.

Trapper mode = Skulker at R1/F4 = no disadvantage on percep (wis) = lockpicking with darkvision (via Goggles of Night). Dungeon Delver = resistance and saves to traps. Plus racial Halfling luck = no 1s, which means they adds .005 to crit chance for Halfling race, which is assumed below. Third feat would be Lucky to not worry about missed saves.

So, thinking fighter vs ranger. Ranger adds 2 attacks due to Hordebreaker + Extra Attack while Fighter adds only 1 attack via Extra Attack, and expanded extra crit range.

Ranger full-on damage, main attack + crossbow expert (BA) + horde breaker + extra attack = 4 attacks per round with Sharpshooter+10, dex +3-+5, bow+1-+3 and maybe more. Static will be 4 * 13-17 plus sneak attack and whatever ranger shenanigans. To-hits will be at -5 and no advantage, but archery style makes that effectively a -3, but for comparison below keeping it -5. Definitely a reliable high-damage build that can slide into stealth, especially with Pass Without Trace +10, for the whole party.

DPS? 4*(13+1d6)*.75 + 24.5*.055 =

4*(16.5)*.75 + 24.5*.055=

49.5 + 1.3475

=50.8475

OH, and that’s neglecting Hunter’s Mark. That adds 1d6 per hit, so 4*3.5 = 14 more = 64.8475

Fighter with traps relies on advantage from hide/skulker (remain hidden on miss = keep advantage) and without sharpshooter the attack pattern looks more like main attack + extra attack = 2 attacks per round, NO sharpshooter, dex +3-+5, but due to skulker attacks will be at advantage and double crit chance. (so, quad chance per attack due to 2 dice rolled until you hit, but half the number of attacks.) Definitely drop some dps, crits at 10.5% don’t add much, even at level 15 it’s just adding 7*1d6 = 7*3.5 = 24.5 per crit.

DPS? 2*(3+1d6) + 24.5*.105 =

2*(6.5) + 24.5*.105 =

13 + 2.5725

=15.5725

Man that’s a lot of DPS to give up just for traps and higher crit chance. What about swapping in Sharpshooter first, dropping feat # 3 (Lucky) later on?

2*(13+1d6)*.75 + 24.5*.105 =

2*(16.5)*.75 + 24.5*.105 =

24.75 + 2.5725

=26.0975

What about traps with Ranger for horde breaker, cuz they also get ASI at level 4 and extra attack at level 5 (and archery style) BUT not using crossbow expert? So basically just add a third attack to the above.

3*(13+1d6)*.75 + 24.5*.55 =

3*(16.5)*.75 + 24.5*.55 =

37.125 + 1.3475

38.4725

(again, neglecting Hunter’s Mark, which adds 3*3.5 = + 10.5 = 48.9725)

fast track to prep adventures for DMing

The key to DMing is to realize that you are a player, following the same rules you're used too. Just, you play the monsters. And you provide the framework for the players to roleplay their characters.

For these AL adventures I have a pretty rote prep pattern. I used to transcribe E-Very-Thing into a spreadsheet, and while that helps you understand the adventure, holy balls is it a lot of work. I have started using a highlighter of different colors for different aspects.
Green is timing or schedule because it helps you go.
Red or pink (highlight generally means pink) for monsters or traps cuz blood.
Yellow (gold) for treasure or magic items.
Blue for skill checks or saving throws.
Orange for player handouts.
The handouts themselves I print on parchment paper cuz it looks nice.
Region maps or nice art I print on photo paper.
Tactical maps I use PosteRazor to make table sized if we have time, and single sheet if we don't.
Monsters I print second copy and cut up for envelope.
I do this same thing for book content, which means because you cannot purchase them in PDF form, you need to take and print a lot of photos of pages, or scan a book to create your own PDF. Sometimes you need to dig for the monsters in various places, while the AL PDFs have everything at hand.

Organizing AL games for a convention

When organizing AL for a con these are aspects to consider:

1. Predicted attendance and demand. For a con running first-time AL, this is generally a guesstimate. How many people attend the con? How many will play AL? Of them, how many are new to the AL, or to D&D? (New players cannot jump into a Tier 2,3, or 4 table.) How many physical tables are available? How many sessions are needed to cover demand? (Legal table size is 3-7 players plus a DM.) What are the con norms for walk-up adds to tables, versus registered gamers – do you need to build in slack for walk-ups? How easy is it to add/remove scheduled sessions?

2. Which adventures to run? (I think you consider this to be your second-biggest question.) Consider whether you expect more new vs more experienced AL gamers. You can get all the AL PDF adventures from DMsGuild.com. Most are $3.99. The season 5 introductory adventure DDIA05 “A Great Upheaval” is free. The current release schedule (http://dndadventurersleague.org/storyline-seasons/storm-kings-thunder/storm-kings-thunder-modules/ ) indicates there is nothing releasing in April.

There are two paths to getting an adventure PDF for the table. The path I’d recommend is for the con to purchase the adventures, and send the PDFs to the DMs several weeks in advance. The DMs are only allowed to use those con-owned adventures for the con tables. The con must purchase one copy per simultaneous table of each adventure. The other path is to have DMs bring their own purchased adventures. That can be trouble if a DM has a last-minute issue and cannot sit the table, because the con would be lacking their content even if you find a replacement DM. Instead, the session would be canceled.

At Midwinter, for their first year with AL at a LARP-heavy con, I presented two tables throughout: first, a continuous Tier 1 table that rotated between DDIA05 “A Great Upheaval” and DDAL05-01, which are both targeted at gamers new to D&D 5ED. Second, a table running a sequence of the other 5 available Tier 1 DDAL05-X adventures, interspersed with the two available Tier 2 and the two newly-released Tier 3. I exceeded demand by a significant margin. I also tracked registrations as they came in so I could gauge demand somewhat, so in theory I could make appropriate changes. (Didn’t need to.) I will share the Midwinter plan with you this weekend.

3. Who will DM? (I think this is your biggest question.) That means both the people running the tables, and also deciding the ideal process for DMing the con. Which process for DMing? Simply, how will gaps be filled. Including initial recruiting, through handling last-minute issues (coverage or cancellation). The WotC D&D store locator is a great place to find local stores from where you can recruit DMs: http://locator.wizards.com/#brand=dnd&a=search&p=Gurnee,+IL+60031,+United+States&c=42.3652656,-87.92367469999999&massmarket=no The other main place to recruit is on Facebook - specifically the AL Great Lakes fan page, and the state-specific Illinois and Wisconsin and Indiana fan pages. Post the con’s table schedule and ask for volunteer DMs. There is no centralized list of DMs; at this time Facebook is arguably the best resource for recruiting.

Healing shenanigans in 5E D&D Dungeons and Dragons

Healer tips and shenanigans:

1. Feat.

So, first thing is get the Healer feat NOW. It scales up, so it’s always good, but it is SO powerful at low levels. Buy extra healer’s kits to power it. (10 uses per kit, so 2-3 should cover anything during an adventure. Remember to replace when you use one up. They're cheap.) Don’t forget that in addition to its big heal (1 per SR per target) you can use a kit for stabilizing someone to 1hp which means they keep fighting! HUGE. Another great one when you get your next ASI is Inspiring Leader which gives BIG temp hps to your buddies, refreshable every short rest.

My recommended healing feat sequence is 1. Healer 2. Inspiring Leader. 3. WIS+2 up to 20.

2. Race.
Any race with a +1 or +2 WIS is an obvious choice. Including Human and Half-Elf. Aasimar (Protector) has a little extra healing add but it’s daily. Consider using a Human(variant) to get the Healer feat if less than level 4, though if you play level 5 at a table you’re Human forever so Be Ready. If you want a different race than Human, an alternative is to go 4 levels into Cleric (or other) and use the ASI, but you’ll drop some low-level effectiveness.  What am I talking about? Read on.

3. Sorcery points and metamagic add flexibility.

Cleric + Sorc is amazing. Uh. Maze. Ing. Add the metamagic to your healing spells. Twinned healing word or cure wounds = PROFIT. Only have one 3^rd level spell slot left? Turn it into sorc points and back into 2 or 3 level 1 slots. Quicken spell makes your casting time a Bonus Action which you can use alongside healer kit, or dodge, or whatever action suits you. BESIDES, you gain some effectiveness with sorc spell options and even cantrips that will scale up. The Shield spell adds to your already-decent AC. Or grab utility spells. Or if you’re human, free Light cantrip, right?

Find Familiar to deliver touch spells? (Personally, I find this just a bit too much cheese so I avoid it when I'm playing. But I play armored healers. YMMV.) Take a couple levels in sorc, or maybe 3+ if you find spells or one of the paths interesting. (Important: As long as you ONLY drop in 3 levels you will literally lose no access to any spells. Drop 4 levels and you lose 9th level spells. Does it matter? You decide.) Find Familiar normally seems a waste for a sorc spell, but the other option I'd recommend for a familiar is Magical Initiate feat. Now you're waiting 3 levels for it, competing it against Healer Feat and Inspiring Leader.

One word of warning: You can never have more sorcery points than shown on the table for your (sorcerer) level. So if you're only dipping 2 levels, 2 points. What's the impact of this? You can never use Heighten because it's 3 points. (so what?) You can't Twin spells over level 2. (who cares?)  You'll spend a lot of bonus actions refilling your 2-point pool during battle. (ugh, but tolerable) You will be unable to convert higher-level spells to increase the number of cure spells. (SERIOUSLY PAINFUL.) My Cleric-sorc is a primary sorc, so I don't worry about this limitation.

4. Rogue (Thief) shenanigans with healer kits.

So let’s say you want to use healer’s kit as a bonus action in addition to whatever spells you cast. Drop 3 levels into Rogue (Thief) and Use Object becomes a bonus action. BAM! Plus you can look into other objects like alchemists fire, caltrops, bearings, acid… And take roguish expertise in a couple skills- maybe Thieves tools so you can pick locks with Guidance, or Perception, or… And also you get backstab 2d6. Err, sneak attack. Anyway, nice.

5. Life as a Cleric.

Life cleric is fabulous for a spell-based healer. Even 1 level. Every healing spell you add 2+spell level + WIS mod. That’s EVERY healing spell, even Goodberry if you get your hands on it somehow. (See Bard, or Magical Initiate feat (Druid or Ranger)) Plus at level 2 your channel divinity burst heal 1/SR, but take note- it can restore a creature to no more than half of its hit point maximum. I've seen many people ignore this limitation, but that would be wrong. Don't do it. Keep it honest- the tips on this page are more than you need; cheating is not necessary.

6. Bards bring it, too.

Bard is awesome with song of rest. That plus Prayer of Healing from a cleric = short rests that heal a LOT! Lore Bards at level 6(?) gain 3 spells from wherever. Goodberry as mentioned previously, Aura of Vitality should just not even be legal to take since it’s a level 3 PALLY spell intended for much higher level use, and… what for the 3rd for a healer that you don’t already get as a bard… Not sure offhand. So, be ready to sink a lot of levels into Bard if you go that route, but on the plus side they get the main healing spells up until resurrection.

7. Druids?

Erm, maybe. Mostly I see animal druids, but summoner/healer would be an effective combo. They have the basic healer spells but lack the Life Cleric or Bard / Lore Bard extras. Adding in Conjure Animal 3^rd level spell IIRC adds free damage spongery that doesn’t need to be healed, more targets for your opponents to strike, and also adds extra damage output. Not a traditional healer concept but gets the job done.

8. Crown Paladins (from SCAG) do some healing based on Channel Div, but because if’s driven by CD it’s a bit too use-limited for my tastes.

9. Any healer (bard, cleric, druid)

After you get the MASS healing spells things change. If you can get the party to spread out damage, your efficiency spikes. They all get it. The other game-changer is Heal for 70 points a shot, but as a 7^th level spell, you need to plan for it AND if you’re going through it as a cleric then you need to travel through the wasteland of 6^th level cleric spells. AND you don’t get much of them per day. 2, or 3 if you burn your 8^th level slot. Of course 9^th level brings Mass Heal, I think that’s depending on your class. Basically due to the differences between levels 1-5 and 6-9, your bread-and-butter heals are the level 1-5 spells.

10. Warlock shenanigans.
Warlocks recover their very few slots every short rest. You can use this to big advantage to cast Many More healing spells than normal per day, at the cost of dipping some levels. The other class benefits could help too, like invocations Devil's Sight to Healing Word see into darkness, fog, smoke, etc. ("A creature of your choice that you can see within range...") , Fiendish Vigor for personal temp hps, various Warlock spells like Hellish Rebuke, Misty Step, etc.

11. General strategy.

Keep your buddies up in battle by bringing them up after they go down. Use bonus actions and twinning for double-whammy healing. Who cares whether they have 1hp and will go down again for more healing, 25 and might be OK for a few rounds, or 85 and can take several big hits. If they had 1hp and absorb 60hp and go down, that’s 59hp you don’t need to worry about on someone else.

Do you want to supply between-combat healing? I don't, other than my healer's kit. Everyone has hit dice for a reason. Bards get to use Song of Rest. Prayer of Healing is nice if you must. But not ever, no how no way, would I ever top off the party between combats. Save your healing spells for when people go down in a fight. However, your healer's kit usage recharges during a short rest, so burn through whatever charges you can. (Remember, it's limited to one heal per person until your next short rest.)

First, don't worry too much about the massive damage Giants put out. Were you on the front line? No? GOOD you don't belong there unless you specced for it. And, if YOU drop as a healer, make sure every bastard in the party (yeah I called em bastards- they let their healer drop, so they are sucky bastards!!) knows up front about that emergency potion of healing you keep in your pouch. (You know, the one you bought between last session and the next one for 50gp.) And tell them to administer it to you, so they DON'T DIE.  If you have a pally or ranger or druid or bard they can also help your ass up with a Cure Wounds.

12. Class/level recommendation, and the maths at the end.

FIRST OFF: don’t play ALL of these options. You will get BORED because you heal so much that your party walks all over everything. Pick a couple and you’re AWESOME. Pick three and you’re SUPERAMAZINGCOOL and people you meet at cons will beg you to play at their table. Use four and you will WIN AT D&D.

So, what class breakdown? What’s your main class? Maybe cleric. Maybe bard. Maybe sorceror! Maybe druid? To hit each classes healing stride:

Cleric 2+

Sorceror 2+

Bard 2+ for song of rest, or 6+ for Lore spells.

Druid 5+ for summon

Rogue(Thief) 3+

Let me math the Healer feat in case the uberness was not understood:

Straight cleric/bard/druid/ranger: Cure wounds 1d8+3, as higher level (AHL) = +1d8. (When you use ASI for +2 WIS this changes from +3 to +4, and your save DCs go up one. If you're really devoted to healing, you shouldn't usually be casting spells on opponents.)

Life cleric: Cure wounds 1d8+3+2+1, AHL = +1d8+1. IF you use AHL the majority of your static does not increase and you lose 5hp. You can sometimes twin this for 2 heals, 1 sorc point.

Life Cleric Healing word: 1d4+3+2+1, AHL= +1d4+1. At range of 60! You can almost ALWAYS twin this. In fact I would hold off use until you CAN twin it.

Healer feat (big heal) = 1d6+4+target level. We're level 5, so 1d6+9. As action. One per target, per Short rest. Pay attention, SHORT. When you need a healing recharge for battle healing mid-day, this is your ONLY option after spells are gone. Because your spell slots only come back after LONG rest, unless you're using Warlock shenanigans.

Healer feat (stabilize) = 1hp. That's enough to fight as a glass cannon. At level 5 offense is pretty strong at 3 attacks, and if you get hit for 30 then you take that extra 29hp and throw it away because you're still at 0. It's 29hp you don't need to heal.

Deep dive: The Ready action in 5ED

I analyzed Ready an Action to prepare for those inevitable strange situations that come up during play. Analyzing not from an angle of locking things down, but permissively what can be done with it since Ready can drive interesting and flexible combat. Is it ever okay to perform both a move AND an action as part of Ready? The RAW implies no, you choose a move OR an action. The text implies but does not specifically state that you cannot do both. Generally this is fine, but edge cases can make this suck. I find it works best as a DM decision. Here are some usual occurrences of Ready:

1. Can you move your full move as a readied action? Yes. (which could be a move, a ki point to dash, and action surge to dash again. Worst case Wood Elf = move 35 * 3 = 105'. Or Arakocra fly 50 * 3 = 150'.)
2. Can you take a full action as a readied action? Yes. (which as a ridiculous case could at our level be an attack plus extra attack plus bonus attack riders plus action surge for attack plus extra attack plus ki point for monk flurry of blows.)
3. Can you move your full move or full action and take a free action Interact with Object? Yes.
4. Can you move your full move and take a full action? No.
5. [note: confirm this does not fall under "Can I split my action" clarification in Sage Advice] What about bonus actions? Yes, because it is not specifically excluded, and the timing is dependent upon the trigger for the bonus action. For example, casting a BA spell like Healing Word occurs on your initiative. If using a BA rider on an attack, say the offhand weapon of 2-weapon style, then it occurs at the time of your attack action.

This simple yes/no works for many things. But not all things, and the edge cases get pretty horrible. Some contrived examples to highlight The Horrible:

1. A player wants to pull two levers positioned 10' apart after the last party member runs through the portcullis. No, they can't do it. They can pull one lever as a free Interact with Object but they can't pull the second. Although they could take their full action to cast Mage Hand and pull the second level as long as they don't move. Or they could take 5 swipes at it with a reach weapon. Or a generous DM might let them climb the wall and "accidentally" kick the second lever on the way past.
2. A player wants to leap off a ledge toward the flying demon when it comes close, to slash it with a weapon attack (and accepts that they will take falling damage). No, this is impossible RAW because it involves a ready, a move, and an attack action.
3. A player wants to move 5 feet and leap over a railing, then club an orc on the head when it runs out from beneath. No, cannot do it. That's a Ready and a Move and an Action. (Amusingly, what happens in this case? Does the character hang in the air above the orc until the orc moves away?)
4. A player wants to Ready to move 10 feet across a T-intersection and fire a shot at the orcs when they open the door. No, cannot do it, again that's a Ready and a Move and an Action.

Is there a way for these activities that common-sense should be fine to work under RAW?
Barely, and you need to really want it. There's just a very slight out that permits these edge cases. However, the basis of 5ED is much different than the restrictive attitude of 4ED, so that "The DM is always right" is in front of all rules. If you're not doing ALL of a move, or ALL of an action, then you're not really doing a move or an action. It implies that you choose one or the other, and especially the move states you may move "up to" your full movement, but the text does not firmly state that you cannot do part of each. Part of an action, and part of a move. DM discretion is required to decide how much movement and how much action can combine.

Dinner Battle at Sacred Stone Monastery

Split into 2 groups for battle. We shared minis on one map, which made it tricky to know where you and your foes were exactly.

A) Jeff, Jayme, new guy Nick, so = Bard 4 Sorcerer 3? Barbarian 1. = 8 levels avg 2.67

B) Kyle, Liz, Tavis, Dave = Cleric 3? Fighter 1, Fighter 3?, Fighter 2. = 9 levels avg 2.25

Encounter difficulty is DEADLY. 4600 exp total, consisting of 12 monks, 2 guards, 1 priest, 1 headmistress monk.

Players were reminded during recap of the difficulties they had with 7 monks. Pointed out that the number of PCs would be halved, but the monsters were supposed to have that many and they would all remain present.

Characters were given additional incentive to leave because the headmistress sent a monk to find more brothers and slay the hippogriffs which are alongside the compound. The characters  chose to not go save the hippogriffs.

Joey ran group A’s battle. I was unable to watch it, but Jayme told me he survived with 1 hp, and the L1 barbarian went down. I ran group B’s battle. It was ugly.

PC Cleric started off with a light-blast, rolled high damage that killed 7 monks. Then it all went wrong. Cleric stepped back from the door intending to let a fighter take that position, but instead the headmistress went next. She stepped forward and stunned the cleric until end of her next turn. (Importantly, the cleric was the only target in sight.) Next one of the PC fighters missed a few strikes. Then the priest cast Slow on the party and returned to cover. (The spell was chosen because it is his only L3 spell.) Oskar (Dave) was unaffected; other fighters were slowed. Another fighter took ranged shots but I believe missed. The remaining 5 monks ran up to smack the Cleric. Oskar killed the first with his reaction opp atk. Unfortunately the stunned cleric grants ADV ATK so the monks had a very easy target, and each has multiple attacks, equals Cleric down. Lots of missed attacks, on both sides, but the monks had the 3 slowed fighters outnumbered and outpowered. It was an inevitable grind toward loss. There were moments of hope, but they surrendered.  They were branded with Elemental Earth symbols.

Without inspiration nobody was able to re-roll their saves versus Slow. Although even if they did the Priest may well have recast it since it IS his only L3 spell. That might have moved some AE damage spells to later rounds, but later on I used a lower damage AE spell so if they were still strong then I would have kept using the higher damage, so would have felt more hopeful but result would probably have been the same.

The Cleric said OH! I should have used my reaction to Flare the headmistress- but then he realized it wouldn’t have worked because she is actually blind.

OH, and it was funny, Jeff thought I changed the guards’ armor into Stone because he is stoked to use Heat Metal. Well no, that’s written in the module. However, during prep I found a description that the masks are tin, and I’m pretty sure he used it on the headmistress so he has no complaints really ;)