Is it weird that I practice character voices in front of the bathroom mirror? No. I think you should take it a step further and film yourself doing the character voices. That way you can critique your performance. Maybe there's some kind of career for you here.
But no I totally practice voices and make note to myself to remember to use them down the line.— WI_DnDSupport (@dndsupport) December 7, 2020
A D&D Meazel based on the original by Russ Nicholson #dnd #wotcstaff pic.twitter.com/f2CznywgTc
— Richard Whitters (@WhittersRichard) January 19, 2021
Welcome to the Dungeons & Dragons Studio Blog! The first issue of this transparency-focused blog comes from Community Lead, @Dayntee and Executive Producer, @WinningerR who cover the basics of the D&D Studio, who we are, and what we’re about.
Read on: https://t.co/dQxLsANiad pic.twitter.com/l3vLDjpuKu
— Dungeons & Dragons (@Wizards_DnD) April 21, 2021
Might fuck around and boldly claim sorcerers should use Wisdom as their casting stat instead of Charisma, since their magic is instinctual, not based on personality (bard) or barter (warlock). Wisdom being something gained from experience? Not sure i see the connection. Sorcerers are born into their powers like X Men, it’s an inner force but not like a Cleric’s or Monk’s. CHA is the perfect quantification of raw ability but yeah, its not as simple a fit as a Bard
— JOE MANGANIELLO (@JoeManganiello) January 11, 2021
Wisdom bring instinct and intuition [with magic], just like Wisdom (Insight) is your instinct and intuition [with people]. Right… from experience.
— JOE MANGANIELLO (@JoeManganiello) January 11, 2021
Right… from experience. I dont think wisdom is something babies are born with. Charisma is… see what I’m saying?
— JOE MANGANIELLO (@JoeManganiello) January 11, 2021
Sorcerers are born with a gift. I don’t think its a gift of wisdom that comes from divine teachings or a lifelong quest towards higher consciousness, its just something they’re born with. If anything Paladins should be wisdom based.
— JOE MANGANIELLO (@JoeManganiello) January 11, 2021
Let’s not get hasty! If I can’t speechify to the point of nauseating others, then I dunno if I can love the Paladin the same. I’m all for the person who said CON for Sorc’s tho 🤘 That’s another thing id like to rectify about Paladins… I like them like old west sheriffs. Strong and silent and badass.
— JOE MANGANIELLO (@JoeManganiello) January 11, 2021
I’ve use the “lawman” notion for Paladins a few times. Love how it meshes. Dunno that I could ever personally play a non vociferous Paladin, but that’s just my jam.
But 100% ditto on them being bad asses Ive had sessions with blowhard goody two shoes paladins who ruined stealth and combat sessions with incessant talking and righteousness… as long as its not causing eye rolls, sure.
— JOE MANGANIELLO (@JoeManganiello) January 11, 2021
Love your work Joe, but people aren’t born with suave & charm, yet they could be born with instinct. Given that Sorcs powers usually manifest around adolescence anyway, either stat could be justifiable. Plus there are too many CHA based classes in this game, imo! ☺ I disagree. Take a look at my business… suave is not a learned trait. It’s like having a sense of humor. It’s something that can’t be taught. You either have IT or you don’t. You’re born with it. It can be developed but you have to have it first.
— JOE MANGANIELLO (@JoeManganiello) January 11, 2021
James Bond didn’t go to “cool school” it’s just who he is.
— JOE MANGANIELLO (@JoeManganiello) January 11, 2021
So something like constitution then. Measuring your ability to withstand the inherent and innate magic that saturates your body. Improving your con means you improve your ability to withstand. And it’s the sorcerers second stat dnd suggests as a quick build. But what’s the issue with having the child be born with that glint in its eye, that something special (CHA)? When you get into CON as a casting ability you get into actual physical toughness which i think changes the intention of the class. To me that’s more of a monk.
— JOE MANGANIELLO (@JoeManganiello) January 11, 2021
Having a CON based spell caster is mechanically unbalanced. All spell casters need CON for concentration let alone HP, making that their spell casting would allow them to completely max out immediately.
— JOE MANGANIELLO (@JoeManganiello) January 11, 2021
As a DM I love having allied NPCs of some stripe as part of the party. Having an in-character voice within the group of PCs can be so helpful.
It could be a more sapient familiar such as from Pact of the Chain, a hireling, guide, sidekick, or captured goblin the party befriends.
— Dan Dillon (@Dan_Dillon_1) December 11, 2020
Same! I love long-runninf NPCs, though I like to keep it to no more than 2 or 3 per party.
— Justice Arman (@justicearman) December 11, 2020
Well, running a narratively interesting combat is something I’m bad at in general, though I am trying to improve. When it comes to NPCs, if I haven’t had them speak in a while, I often forget to even include them in combat. Aha! Yeah, that can be an issue for me too if the NPC isn't more closely attached to one of the PCs. The way I give myself the best chance to not forget them is to keep a list of the PCs and a few shorthand stats like their initiative, AC, and passive Perception. Add the NPC.
— Dan Dillon (@Dan_Dillon_1) December 16, 2020
That makes it WAY more likely I'll remember to put them on the initiative order.
— Dan Dillon (@Dan_Dillon_1) December 16, 2020
I love to RP a chatty sentient weapon or artifact. That's a great angle!
— Dan Dillon (@Dan_Dillon_1) December 11, 2020
My 2e game we’ve had tons of NPCs as members of our party: some long term, some short term, some died along the way. Hell, the god who most of the party worships demanded that we have bard join us to tell our/the gods’ story. We have 3 NPCs and 2 talking swords. Crowded but fun. Yeah we definitely picked it up from the henchmen concept from 2e.
We had a kobold rogue henchman that eventually was played as a PC. We also had a troll henchman for a time. It was cool as hell (In addition to the more normal humanoid friends that sometimes followed).
— Dan Dillon (@Dan_Dillon_1) December 11, 2020
Oh long-term for sure.
They aren't there to overshadow the PCs though, they're there to fill some sort of gap, either narratively or if the players want, mechanically.
— Dan Dillon (@Dan_Dillon_1) December 11, 2020
Nothing is sweeter than the deus ex machina of allies the party’s forgotten they made along the way riding in to wrangle the overwhelming tide of a massive combat so the party can go toe-to-toe with the BBEG Mmm, that sort of thing isn't what I'm talking about, but can work if handled carefully and you know what your players are okay with.
— Dan Dillon (@Dan_Dillon_1) December 11, 2020
Can I get clarification for one of my players I’m DMing. She believes bloodhunter should be able to apply Rite damage to Eldritch blast.
I believe it must be on a weapon attack but she says because her spell focus is her weapon it should apply. Please clarify 🙂 Rites require a weapon to use it on and to deliver the additional damage. Eldritch Blast is a cantrip, not a weapon, so would not be a viable focus for Crimson Rite.
— Matthew Mercer (@matthewmercer) January 24, 2021
I see that your latest Forgotten Realms game sourcebook is The Border Kingdoms, with Alex Kammer (http://dmsguild.com/m/products/244431
Can you give us a taste of what makes this different from other D&D products, and what goes into writing such a book?This book is official canon. So it "fits" the published Realms. It's also Adventurers League-legal, so it has local talents/characteristics for your PC who comes from the Borders, and the area we cover will host AL adventures for years to come. It's different from…#SciFicChat
— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) March 5, 2021
2)
…most 5e books in that it's more of a geographical sourcebook than a mega-adventure or a book of classes, spells, and magic items (it has all of those, but the focus is on giving your territory to adventure in).#SciFicChat— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) March 5, 2021
THE BORDER KINGDOMS is an officially-approved Wizards of the Coast release, meaning that its content is Adventurers League legal and all the lore contained in the book is official Forgotten Realms canon!
THE BORDER KINGDOMS is a valuable resource for Dungeon Masters and players alike. In addition to describing the people and places of the Border Kingdoms, this book contains enough adventure hooks and lore to keep adventuring parties busy for years.
Some news: I have left the D&D TRPG team to take a position as Creative Lead on the Wizards Franchise team. In my new role I’ll be helping develop both D&D and Magic for movies, media, and more. It's already a ton of fun 🙂
Thanks for all the support over the past 7 years!— Adam Lee (@adamofadventure) April 20, 2021
