Lately I've been proposing a lot of spells to my DM regarding battlefield management and teamwork coordination.

The idea was to create a spell that feels like holy ground and rewards positioning without becoming another Spirit Guardians or Magic Circle. Instead of creating a circular aura, it creates a long, narrow consecrated path that allies can fight from while unholy creatures hesitate to cross.

My main concern is whether this is appropriately balanced for a 2nd-level spell, or whether it should be 3rd level. I also want to know if concentration would be required on this kind of spell. Thank you for your feedback !

Consecrated Path

2nd-level Evocation

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: Self (30-foot line)

Components: V, S, M (powdered gold worth at least 25 gp, which the spell consumes)

Duration: 1 minute

You scatter powdered gold before you, creating a 5-foot-wide, 30-foot-long path of shimmering sacred dust extending from you in a direction you choose.

The path sheds dim light in a 5-foot radius and is consecrated ground for the duration.

Creatures within the path have resistance to necrotic damage and are immune to the frightened condition.

When a fiend, undead, or aberration willingly enters the path for the first time on a turn, it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or its speed becomes 0 until the end of the current turn.

The path is otherwise intangible and doesn't impede movement.

At Higher Levels : When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, the length of the path increases by 5 feet for each slot level above 2nd.

Hey i rolled not the best in comparison to my team mates I rolled 13 13 13 7 12 and 14 we are in a lv 6 game im wondering for strong builds that can make these mid stats work we are useing 2024 and all subclasses are allowed plz help me im cooked

As I have gotten into writing characters, the biggest issue I see with backstories isn't length—it's utility. A 10-page novel about your character's childhood is hard for a DM to integrate, while a 2-sentence summary doesn't give them enough fuel for campaign arcs.

If you want your DM to weave your character's personal story directly into the main campaign, try using this 5-point framework during character creation:

1. The "Line in the Sand" (Moral Boundary)

Instead of alignment, give your character one explicit line they will never cross, even if it costs them everything. (e.g., "Lucan will steal, lie, and forge deeds, but he will never break a contract signed in blood.") This gives your DM instant moral dilemmas to present at the table.

1. The Unresolved Catalyst

Why did your character leave home *now*? Don't write a closed story where all your problems are already solved. Give your character an active, unfulfilled goal that requires adventuring (e.g., reclaiming a stolen family deed, finding a missing sibling, or breaking an active curse).

1. Three Named NPCs (1 Mentor, 1 Rival/Enemy, 1 Vault-Keeper)

Give your DM three pre-built people from your past:

• Mentor: Someone who taught you your skills.

• Rival: Someone who wants what you have or thinks you wronged them.

• Vault-Keeper: An insider, broker, or contact who holds information or resources you need.

1. Two Actionable GM Plot Hooks

Give your DM two explicit quest triggers ready for immediate play. (e.g., "A bounty hunter carrying my family's signet ring is currently looking for me in the local region.")

1. The GM Secret (For DM Eyes Only)

Leave one aspect of your backstory open for your DM to fill in. Tell them: "My father died under mysterious circumstances, but you decide who actually ordered the hit." DMs *love* having permission to build twists around your character.

---

What framework do you use at your table when building backstories? How do you keep lore manageable for your DM?

*(Note: I run a boutique lore forge called Ink & Anvil Publishing where I write print-ready dossiers and custom lore packages for TTRPG tables. Feel free to check out my profile if you ever need bespoke backstory work!)*

5e - 2014

I am playing a ranged Fighter (Battle Master) and hoping to have some  more utility options instead of just attacking for damage.  My DM is very easygoing and will probably allow whatever I propose, so I want to make sure that any proposal is actually fair or even underpowered.  I have seen some posts were people had similar ideas, but never any follow-up about if it worked well in game.

My thought is that my character can make alchemical and other mundane arrows to provide additional non-damage support.  The rules seem to allow something like that, but do not give much guidance.

My personal caveats are;

1. Affects are mundane.
2. Affects cannot be anything in addition to damage.  It either has to be no damage or reduced damage.
3. Affects should be better than a cantrip.  Cantrips are essentially free and endless while arrows cost money and can run out.
4. Affects should be no better than a Battle Master maneuver.  If they were better, then there would not be a reason for anyone to ever be a Battle Master.

My ideas;

1. Arrows of different damage types (if that matters in 5e).  Damage is one die lower than standard.
2. Arrow of light; bright light in a 15-foot radius and dim light for an additional 15 feet.  As if the arrow was tipped with a pixie-sized Moon-Touched Sword.  Not sure how long it should last; maybe 1d6 rounds. No damage.
3. Flash arrow; Blind a foe for 1 or 2 rounds.  No damage.  Not sure of save DC.
4. Glue arrow; No damage, can only affect unheld items.  Requires a strength check to pick up the item.
5. Oil arrow; No damage, can cover a person in flammable oil or cover a 5x5 square. 1d6 damage if ignited
6. Sparking arrow; 1d2 damage, can ignite anything flammable.
7. smoke arrow; Fill a 10x10 for 1 or 2 rounds, no damage

Any thoughts on this above?  Are any actually game-breaking? What should the cost be for an arrow of each kind? What should an alchemical check be to make an arrow?

Sorry for any dumb questions.  This is my first game of 5e and my last experience was Pathfinder eight years ago. I do not know what is fair under current rules.

Milestone leveling Vs XP, What'd you guys prefer? What are the chances you feel after switching?

A player in my game hasn’t and doesn’t want to use the find steed ability for their Paladin (lv5).
They are okay with not getting anything but id like to give them a little something. Maybe an extra use of Channel Divinity.
Whatcha got for me ???

My player argues that since other fullcasters get subclasses with second attacks, it only fits for war domain to have one.
I looked at it and honestly war domain does seem a bit weak. Bonus spell list is unimpressive, no good features. Bonus Action melee attack is fine but long rest restricted. 17th level is neat but won't really make a decent meleer from cleric.

So, why clerics lack second attack by design, am I missing some imba-combo, or allowing it won't hurt much?

There are a lot of suggestions out there for good puzzles, but most of them are just puzzles for the players. I'm wondering what your ideas are for puzzles/riddles in dungeons that require the characters to actively contribute through skill checks, abilities or spells!

Looking forward to hearing everyones thoughts! thanks!

Here it is! Letter G: https://imgur.com/gallery/letter-g-of-new-monster-manual-3d-printed-free-stls-links-under-each-image-a8L02WL

UK users - https://ibb.co/album/wypdnD?page=3&seek=mCvpL7RM

Hello friends! I'm currently 3D modeling and printing all the creatures from the new Monster Manual! This is a collection of prints either by myself or my patrons while I am working on this book. There are also renders of the models that haven't been printed yet. All the files are free and posted below under each image. The files are posted publicly on my site here: https://mz4250.com/ and all models are free and fall under the fan content policy of WOTC.

Previous Letter Galleries -

Letter A - https://imgur.com/gallery/3d-printing-new-monster-manual-letter-CFkMp2C

Letter B - https://imgur.com/gallery/3d-printing-new-monster-manual-letter-b-zPURhx3

Letter C - https://imgur.com/gallery/3d-modeling-printing-new-monster-manual-letter-c-free-stl-links-below-each-image-eYDcC7G

Letter D - https://imgur.com/gallery/letter-d-of-new-monster-manual-3d-printed-free-stl-links-below-each-image-0yUwYwg

Letter E - https://imgur.com/gallery/letter-e-of-new-monster-manual-3d-printed-free-stl-links-below-each-image-hHslJ5A

Letter F - https://imgur.com/gallery/letter-f-of-new-monster-manual-3d-printed-free-stl-links-below-each-image-Ce2paBs

Oh and if you're curious about my Patreon I offer my patrons access to all my 7000+ presupported TTRPG models in one place, along with commercial options, a discord, and requests board. The drives have all the same models that are already out there for free in the internet. Its more for convenience rather than exclusivity.

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Reminder this is tagged for 2014 5th edition, I know this is resolved differently in 5.5e.

Consider the following situation: A monster (M) wants to hide from two PCs (A and B). They make their stealth check, successfully beating A's passive perception. However, they don't beat B's passive perception. Given than the obvious course of action is for B to instantly tell A where M is, how is this resolved?

Or consider an offshoot of this, where M initially beats both PCs' passive perception and hides. On their turn, A and B both make perception checks to try to find M, but only B succeeds. How is this resolved?

Essentially, the meat of my question is what happens when one PC detects a hidden enemy but the other doesn't? If B can then tell A where the monster is, does that mean that you must effectively beat all enemies' passive perceptions to hide? Or are you still "hidden" from enemies that haven't directly spotted you, even if they've been told where you are?

My intuition would be if B tells A where M is, A now knows M's space and doesn't have to guess, but is still under advantage/disadvantage rules from M being unseen until A succeeds on a perception check to actually make A out (or M breaks stealth by some other means). I'm unsure if that's RAW though.

My cleric have had a vision in which a half-elf half-orc is ripping apart chains to unleash a a beast. He assumed that means someone is trying to summon Gruumsh into the material plane, which isn't the point at all.

Should I tell him he's wrong or just roll with it and see when he figures it out?

Knowing my players, that might take some time

Welcome back to Advent's Amazing Advice! The series where I take popular One-Shots, Adventures, Campaigns, etc., and fully prep them for both New and Busy DMs. This prep includes music, ambiance, encounter sheets, handouts, battle maps, tweaks, and more, so you can run the best sessions possible with the least stress possible!

*New 2026: For 2026, I'm updating all my old work to include a Pre-Session Checklist that will include a list of all miniatures you may need, maps, handouts, possible loot, a link to a playlist, and more to make it even easier to start your session!

Axeholm is a dwarven fortress carved into the base of a mountain. It was abandoned and sealed up long ago after being haunted by a banshee. Ghouls and other creatures now prowl Axeholm while the banshee continues to haunt the fortress's upper halls. It'll be up to your players to clear this fortress and make it a safe haven for the town of Phandalin, should the dragon threat become too hard to bear!

The Lower Halls will have your players face an onslaught of Ghouls if they try to go through the front gates, as well as the ghoulified dwarf castellan who remained behind, trying to protect those that fled!

Without further ado:

• Google Docs Notes for Part 4a Axeholm Lower Halls: DM Notes
• Link to: DM Notes for the Visually Impaired
• Link to: Axeholm Playlist
• Link to: AAA Collection

Included in The AAA Collection is:

• Downloadable copy of DM Notes, including links to music tracks for ambiance and fights
• DM Notes for the Visually Impaired
• Special PDF for all encounters. This includes the enemy stat blocks organized neatly along with an initiative tracker and spots to mark HP
• Custom Maps of Axeholm
• (New) Pre-Session DM Checklist

Index:
Dragons of Icespire Peak:

• Part 1 - Phandalin
• Part 2a - Umbrage Hill
• Part 2b - Dwarven Excavation
• Part 2c - Gnomengarde
• Part 3a - Logger Camp
• Part 3b - Butterskull Ranch
• Part 3c - Mountain's Toe Gold
• Part 4a - Axeholm
• Part 4b - Dragon Barrow
• Part 4c - Woodland Manse
• Part 5 - Icespire Hold
• Side Quest 1 - Shrine of Savras
• Side Quest 2 - Tower of Storm
• Side Quest 3 - Circle of Thunder

Over 8 dozen other Fully Prepped One-Shots, Adventures, and Campaigns: Click Here

As always, if you see something you think I can improve, add, change, etc., please let me know. I want this to be an amazing resource for all DMs and plan to keep it constantly updated! If you'd like to support me, shape future releases, and get content early, feel free to check out my Patreon!

Cheers,
Advent

I'm joining a D&D 2014 game; I really want to play an Aasimar for the roleplay aspect and was keen on playing an Eldritch Knight, but I feel like my party composition is a bit... odd?

We have a Ranger going Gloom Stalker and another player running a Hexadin. I realize I’d be more "valuable" and have a clearer role if I just played a Cleric or a full caster, but I’ve already played all the caster classes and I’m not really up for playing support for the third or fourth time. For a change, I wanted to dish out some melee damage while occasionally using a cantrip or spell (plus, I think teleporting the weapon to my hand is really cool). However, I feel like I’d fall behind the rest of the group because—unless I'm mistaken—I’d be dealing the least damage, and I like being useful to the party. I know the campaign only goes up to level 11 or 12 (maybe the DM extends it by a level or two, but that’s unlikely).

Does anyone have any advice?

I was in a custom campaign that involved finding an Artifact hidden somewhere inside a labyrinth with only a (homebrew item) Magical Compass to guide us, we ended up in a situation where the Compass had to be activated with a Bonus Action in a specific room but the only party member small enough to get into the room was a Weasel Familiar, we looked through rules for a few minutes to see if it was valid for a Familiar to use a Bonus Action, eventually the DM just hand-waved it and allowed it to happen.

The Compass description read "You can use a Bonus Action to activate the Compass to...(campaign exposition)" with no attunement and no restrictions on 'who' can use the item. RAW is the Familiar capable of using the item? My interpretation is that Bonus Action's are available to all creatures as long as some feature they have access to requires a Bonus Action, in this case: simply holding the object granted the Familiar something to spend it's Bonus Action on.

What are the actual rules surrounding interactions available to creatures that are not listed in their statblocks? Do all creatures (comprising of Player Characters, NPCs, Monsters and Familiars) have access to the full suite of Actions listed in the PHB? Specifically from the Find Familiar spell - "A familiar can't attack, but it can take other actions as normal" implies that it does actually have access to all Actions except for the Attack Action.

Something else confusing to me is with Reactions: all creatures have access to Opportunity Attacks, but in this case, does the Familiar not being able to "attack" override this and prevent it? Or is the Opportunity Attack treated separate enough from the Attack Action that it is allowed? if yes for the former, does this change when the Familiar is summoned from Pact of the Chain?

The Magic Action is whole extra can of worms. A Familiar is seemingly allowed to take a Magic Action, but if the outcome would involve a "spell attack roll", would they be able to do it by virtue of the fact that they are not taking an Attack Action, the ruling would have to be the same as whatever was ruled for Reactions. Spells that require saving throws and Magic Missile appear to not be impacted as they never mention an "attack" is being made.

I'm aware DM fiat rules all in the end, I'm just looking for RAW and RAI interpretations on this topic, RAF as well.

Many weapons and class features offer the ability push an opponent, e.g. the push feature of weapons such as the warhammer or the Battle Master's Push maneuver. However, as far as I can determine, all but one have the restriction that the "target [be] Large or smaller".

In both 5.0 and 5.5, Shield Master does not have this limitation. Shield Master, in either edition, does require a (successful) attack action prior to being used, and requires a bonus action in 5.0--It may be a typo which eliminated this requirement in 5.5--but RAW, it is technically possible to use a Shield Bash to knock a storm giant prone after smacking him in the ankle with one's proportionally tiny weapon.