Gnomish Workshop: I See AC
Armor class is one of the most consulted stats in D&D 5th edition. It could arguably be *the* most consulted stat, assuming your game has combat as a major part of the play sessions. Even if it’s a war of spellcasters, a number of spells use attack rolls that target AC. In any average combat, though, almost everyone including the DM is going to be looking at that Armor Class statistic multiple times. Now before we gets into the details, we’re going to talk about AC as a concept. Despite the name and the common ways to increase it, “Armor Class” is not only a representation of the amount of armor your character wears. If you think about it for a minute, you’ll realize that makes no sense. Rogues, Bards, and Monks can easily run around the battlefield with ACs of 16 or 17, and they’re dressed in ninja wraps,…
Gnomish Workshop: Analysing the Attack
This article was first broadcast in Episode Two Hundred and Seventeen on 13th July 2022. Note: This article was adapted from an episode script, and so there may be parts that don’t flow well when read, because they were initially designed for broadcast. At face value, an attack in D&D would seem to be very simple; there is a creature and another creature they either don’t get along with or would very much like to eat. Sometimes it’s both, like with gnolls. Fortunately, and somewhat unusually, the rules for D&D 5e are also fairly simple, at least to start. When describing combat in the Player’s Handbook, it states: ” if you’re making an attack roll, you’re making an attack.” That means that any spell requiring a roll to hit, rather than the target making a save, counts as an attack. Well things get messy pretty quickly. …
Archives of Candlekeep: A Dip in the Astral Sea
This article was first broadcast in Episode Two Hundred and Twelfth on 25th May 2022. Note: This article was adapted from an episode script, and so there may be parts that don’t flow well when read, because they were initially designed for broadcast. Recent revelations about Spelljammer have said that the phlogiston is no more. Where the highly volatile mystery substance used to fill the space between local star systems, apparently that void is now going to be filled by the Astral Sea, or at least something called the Astral Sea. A lot of Planescape fans probably raised their eyebrows and worried a bit when they heard that. Because until we get some more details, it’s possible the 5th edition Astral Sea is going to be very different from before. Like most things about the D&D cosmology, the astral sea was something that sort of “appeared” over time. Several resources and…
Gnomish Workshop: Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Support – The Artificer
This article was first broadcast in Episode Two Hundred and Ten on 11th May 2022. Note: This article was adapted from an episode script, and so there may be parts that don’t flow well when read, because they were initially designed for broadcast. The Artificer is so far the only official new class that has been released for 5th edition, and that’s something that’s unique in a number of ways. 5th edition released with 12 classes, all of which were present in the initial player’s handbook, and those were the only options for years, despite multiple groups of fans clamoring for old favorites to make a return. And while every other past edition had seen at least one release with a new class or classes in it within a year or two of the initial offering, 5th Edition fans had to wait 5 years before the Artificer made its official…
Gnomish Workshop: Pierce de Resistance
This article was first broadcast in Episode One Hundred Ninety Nine on 9th February 2022. Gnomish Workshop door opening Ryu: What are you doing!? Lennon: Gah! Um…this isn’t what it looks like ROSTRO: Please state the nature of the mathematical inquiry Lennon: No, no, you’re already working on mine. ROSTRO: The assumption that my processing capabilities are limited to a single focus is erroneous. Ryu: I thought you were on my side here!? Lennon: Um…well I mean I came in here to ask Ostron a question and he…well he dropped off pretty quick actually, and the machine just started giving me some useful information… Ryu: Ever heard of “fruit of the poisonous tree”? Lennon: Look I was trying to figure out my spells, okay? I seem to be stuck with this Warlock thing so I may as well make the best of it. Are *you* going to help me choose what the most efficient…
Gnomish Workshop: Drop Your Weapons!
This article was first broadcast in Episode One Hundred Ninety Six on 19th January 2022. Killer DM: All right numbers man, it’s nap time, I need… (pause) Killer DM (with a hint of concern): Ah dear. I don’t remember you sitting in on one of my games, what happened to you? Ostron: Um…bar fight. Killer DM: Hey! You! Lawyer person! Get in here. Tony (slightly disturbed): Um, hi, the name’s actually “Tony”, and…oh man. Why are you calling me? I’m not a cleric! You have one of those on staff. Killer DM: Well that’s what you do, isn’t it? When someone gets hurt, the first thing you do is call a lawyer and they tell you where your money’s going to come from. Tony: Okay that’s…a gross misrepresentation of my job, to begin with. Also you don’t call the lawyer before the medical professionals. Killer DM: Oh I’m calling it here, he’s clearly too far gone to save.…
Archives of Candlekeep: No, My Mother Did Not Hook Up With a Dragon: Dragonborn
This article was first broadcast in Episode One Hundred Ninety Four on 5th January 2022. Lennon (through sending stone, angry voices in background): Ostron? Ostron! Oh please don’t let ROSTRO be active and he’s out on the floor- Ostron: Yes, I’m here, what’s going…you’re being chased, aren’t you? Lennon: How did you know that? Ostron: I can hear them. All right, where are you? Lennon: Tim-ah-ree, I think it’s called? Time of weee? No, that doesn’t sound right-ow! That was a rock! Ostron: Thymari? Okay, that’s the name of the people, not the place but I know where you are. How did you get there? Lennon: I’ll tell you if you get me out of here! Ostron: Yeah, yeah, hang on. (Gnomish Workshop door opens) Ryu: What’s going on? Ostron: Lennon went abroad and made friends again. Ryu: Oh come on! I already used up all our favors with the Blackstaff, how many wars did he start this time? Ostron: Based on where he…
Gnomish Workshop: Senses and Sensibility
This article was first broadcast in Episode One Hundred Ninety Three on 22nd December 2021. Killer DM: All right, up you get. Ostron: Uggh. First, why are you here, second, why did you knock me out? Killer DM: Because I needed you alive. Note the past tense there; you’re going to have to keep proving your usefulness from here on. Lennon: All right, it’s been three hours and we need Ostron awake…which he is? I thought you were talking to ROSTRO? Killer DM: …We had a fight. Lennon (wonderingly): Oh my goodness what’s that even like? Ostron: Oh did you break the machine? You know how long I worked on that? Killer DM: It’s fine. It is possible to have disagreements without resorting to violence, you know. Killer DM (after a pause): What? Lennon: I’m just…adding another entry into the list of ‘things I was not expecting this morning’. Ostron: What did you even need ROSTRO for, anyway? Killer DM: Well I want to…
Gnomish Workshop: People Building
This article was first broadcast in Episode One Hundred Eighty Two on 22nd September 2021. (Sound of grinding gears) Ryu: What is he doing in there? Lennon: Maybe he’s upgrading ROSTRO? ROSTRO: If you are interested, my processing faculties were largely taken up with an analysis of persona synthesis and optimal configuration techniques of same. Ryu: If we don’t take an interest, is Ostron going to wake up? ROSTRO: Probability suggests it is not a likely outcome. Lennon: Ugh, fine, what are you on about this time? (The screen powers on) When creating new characters for a campaign or a one-shot, a frequent point that gives both players and DMs pause is the issue of ability scores. There is often a lot of thinking and wrangling about what statistics to put scores in, but before people can even get there everyone has to decide what scores are being used in the first place. Now for a lot…
Adventurer’s Journal: Time for a New Look
This article was first broadcast in Episode One Hundred Seventy Nine on 1 September 2021. Lennon (groaning painfully): Okay…chair…nice chair…ohh – except it’s not padded. At least it’s not a mimic. The Mimic: One in six chance…should have listened when that machine was talking. Ryu: What, you’re talking to yourself now? Lennon: It’s not…you know what, I don’t even care anymore. Ostron: What happened to you? Lennon: I was talking to RaeRae and I asked her why she didn’t choose to be a Moon Druid because otherwise she can never turn into any useful animals. Ryu: Oh boy. I imagine her staff of troll smiting was part of the chat after that? Lennon: I don’t think I’ll be sitting right for a while. I don’t feel I deserved it though. Ostron: Why’s that? Lennon: Well, I mean I was right! The other druids all end up becoming casters, they can’t get any really powerful creature forms. Ryu: You haven’t actually worked with many…