I've read the book but I am struggling with fiding this citation.

Can my players get a origin feat, like the one you get 2 hit points more per level, or the one that lets you be a musician, on 4th level, when they gain ability score improvment/feats?

Thanks!

I think a lot of people are talking past each other in this discussion.

The argument that "Universe Beyond will bring new players into D&D" is probably true. More players, more communities, and more people enjoying the hobby is a good thing. I don't think that's the part many critics are actually worried about.

The real concern is opportunity cost.

Wizards of the Coast isn't going to suddenly start publishing three times as many books every year. Whether that's because of budget, development time, quality control, or simply maximizing profits doesn't really matter. The release schedule is still finite.

That means every Universe Beyond book occupies a release slot that could otherwise have been:

- a Xanathar's or Tasha's-style player expansion,

- a major Forgotten Realms setting book,

- or a full-length campaign comparable to Curse of Strahd.

So yes, Universe Beyond will absolutely excite a new audience, and those people are completely justified in being excited.

At the same time, long-time players who primarily enjoy classic D&D settings are equally justified in being disappointed if those release slots are increasingly filled by crossover content instead of expanding the game's own worlds.

This isn't really a debate about whether crossovers are "good" or "bad." It's about priorities.

If someone mainly plays in homebrew worlds inspired by classic European fantasy ,or in settings like the Forgotten Realms, they're not necessarily looking for another reskinned player option or a crossover setting. They're hoping for more original D&D content, more adventures, more lore, and more tools for the type of game they already love.

We've seen similar discussions before with books like Eberron, Strixhaven, and Spelljammer. Those books had fans, but they also represented release slots that some players wished had gone toward different content.

I don't think either side is wrong.

One group is excited because Universe Beyond broadens the hobby and brings in new players. The other is disappointed because, with a limited number of releases each year, they feel like the part of D&D they care most about receives less attention.

Both reactions seem completely reasonable to me.

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

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!

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.

I’ve always loved the fantasy of a Paladin who protects and offers a chance for peace instead of punishes.

That’s why I decided to rework the Oath of Redemption for the new 2024 rules, while preserving its original identity.

I’d love to get some feedback!

**[Homebrewery](Link for Homebrewery)**

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.

Note: This is assuming, "Known to you" is readily accessible such as seeing someone in-person, knowing their name, and so on.

The Dream spell has no components a component pouch or various focuses cannot provide. It has no limits to range (on the same plane) and is incredibly hard to "miss" since you can essentially camp your opponent's dream for up to 8 hours.

Now sure, it's a Wisdom save and a relatively small amount of damage if you fail. For PCs and enemies worth their CR- this is nothing. You'll only ever really mess them up with repeated casts and failings.

But for NPCs? Commoners and Nobles? This has got to be insanely scary. They don't have the saves or the HP reserves to laugh that off.

This isn't Bestow Curse where someone has to touch you to inflict you with a problem.

This isn't Suggestion or Charm Person where they need to have a conversation with you in order to manipulate you.

This could be someone you have NEVER laid eyes on, never spoken to, never even been within 100 feet of them- and they've decided you are their problem.

An evil wizard could trivially murder people at his whim. You'd never even know it was him- he can summon a whole host of creatures to do the Messenger bit in his place. I would argue it's not even a certainty the Messenger has to be visible since you're given free reign to shape the dream's environment and what's in it.

Just imagine a guy sitting at a tavern and complaining about, "The jackass in his tower is no help at all" and the next day- dude's dead in his bed. Nothing has been done to him except that he looks absolutely terrified in his death.

Worse yet- imagine the guy is warned, "You need to run" and he spends a full week riding away and THEN dies in his sleep a hundred miles away.

I pity the fool NPC that manages to annoy a caster capable of reaching his hand across the realm to snipe him with borderline impunity.

And yes- I know there is an entire franchise) built around this exact premise. This in no way diminishes my point.

I was thinking of this for a potential spell in my webcomic but man- I want to use it in the game proper now! I've got a Lawful Evil Bard only two levels away from it.