Ed, do you have any thoughts on Paid Game-Mastering? I've done it, but far more DMing for free. I'd expect a paid DM to be well-prepared, a good actor, and a master of pacing. We (mostly under)pay writers, screenwriters, and actors, and DMing is work as worthy and not far different. Ideally, we'd all be so rich we'd not need pay.
— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) February 24, 2020
@TheEdVerse A few questions about Halaster, if it please you, Lord Greenwood. 1) Having lived thousands of years in "exile" longer than he did as a loyal son of the Imaskari Empire, how much, if at all, does Halaster/Hilather still consider himself Imaskari?
— Frank McCormick (@FrankMcCormick) February 22, 2020
1)
In his sane moments, Halaster considers himself unique (hence his adoption of a new name, moving away from “Hilather”) rather than seeing himself as an Imaskari survivor. As a creator of many, many spells over the years 2)
…and an ongoing, energetic experimentor with magic, he has evolved far beyond Imaskari spellcasting styles of his day, though if an observer was somehow familiar with long-ago Imaskari spellcasting ways, they would see the way…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) February 22, 2020
3)
…he employs verbal, somatic, and material components as consistent with powerful Imaskari casters.
Halaster swears under his breath to himself in Rashoum when shocked or taken aback. He never hums except, on very rare 5)
…today, though the spell effects may in some cases be beyond their personal mastery. Nothing about Undermountain would say ‘Imaskari’ to anyone, and portal use was a fascination shared by many elder cultures in the Realms,4)
…occasions, consciously, to try to reproduce pitches as part of incantations. The fundamental principles of his magic are those of all “arcane magic” callings on the Weave, and so are easily conceptualized by living spellcasters…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) February 22, 2020
6)
…not just human ones, and not just the Imaskari.#Realmslor— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) February 22, 2020
Just listened to @BrandesStoddard and @DMSamuel talking about 3rd edition D&D's economy on @thetomeshow.
Wow, that's some flashbacks, and has me thinking about one of the components that comes along with wealth being equivalent to character power progression. 1/7 #dnd
— Dan Dillon (@Dan_Dillon_1) May 30, 2020
There were means to destroy objects and magic items in 3e, many of which were rooted in legacy D&D things. Spells, monster offensive and defensive abilities, action maneuvers, all kinds.
If you did that, though, you were permanently removing power from the PCs. That sucks. 2/7 As a player I was terrified of it, and as a DM I could both see that my players were terrified of it, and I avoided it because it threw off the balance curve of the campaign so harshly. So I never did it. It wasn't fun, and made more work for me. 3/7
— Dan Dillon (@Dan_Dillon_1) May 30, 2020
Now, though, 5e assumes zero magic items for the basic math that sets up the game. Even the most lowly magic item you find is gravy. Removing the requirement/expectation of magic items removes some of that sacrosanct status. 4/7 As a DM in 5e, I can disenchant, shatter, and steal magic items without the fear of crippling a character and throwing my campaign into deeper uncertainty, challenge-wise.
That's an exciting thought, not because I want to run out and destroy all my players' favorite stuff, 5/7
— Dan Dillon (@Dan_Dillon_1) May 30, 2020
But because it’s a shackle removed. It’s a dial that can be adjusted to create stories, tension, and motivation, but without risk of dropping the bottom out of the entire game.
As a DM, designer, and player, that makes me happy. 6/7 A slightly ironic final note, I'm still glad there's no Mordenkainen's Disjunction spell. That was the ultimate dick move. If you're gonna blow up magic stuff, make it more individually meaningful.
My goal as a DM is for players to have more fun this session than the last. 7/7
— Dan Dillon (@Dan_Dillon_1) May 30, 2020
I was just about to ask about this spell! I joined during 3.5, but only discovered Mordenkainen's Disjunction in the last year. It seemed both incredibly epic and utterly devastating to a player.
— Justice Arman 📜 Candlekeep 🏰📚 (@justice_arman) May 30, 2020
Thinking a little more about it, Mord’s disjunction is the ultimate expression of why the sunder maneuver sucked so much as a player in 3.5: It exists only to destroy your treasure. You are crippling yourself if you use it. 1/2 That spell was the ultimate "this is here for the DM/villain, not so much for you." OR it showed up so late as to not matter, or to be too risky to use (you blow up the villain's artifact and NERULL shows up to see just wtf you thought).
— Dan Dillon (@Dan_Dillon_1) May 30, 2020
Yep. And honestly, I’m not a huuuge fan of those DM only spells. I just cringe thinking about them in an antagonistic DM’s hands!
Weapon sundering sounds cool, and it totally can be, but it’s a bummer to have something you worked to achieve crumble to dust. Some spells exist pretty much only for dungeon creation. Magic mouth, for instance. PCs /can/ find a way to use it, but, it's almost always a stretch to find those moments.
— Dan Dillon (@Dan_Dillon_1) May 30, 2020
In fact, it's no niche I actually had to check and refresh myself that it was actually in the 5e Player's Handbook. 😂😂😂
— Dan Dillon (@Dan_Dillon_1) May 30, 2020
Hello sir, I found a tarot card deck at a department store and I’m personally NOT a metaphysical Scholar — I’m just wondering in the forgotten realms, who would use a tarot card deck(hags,soothsayers,mystics)?…or is this tarot idea an insult to realms lore? Thanks Tarot decks are widely used in the Realms (that is, decks of cards with meanings, used for divination as well as playing card games), under quite a few names. All three sorts of folk you list would use them, plus quite a few amateurs (e.g. heads of families).#Realmslore
— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) March 4, 2020
You can, but be prepared for long waits for responses. I am the busiest guy I know.
— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) March 4, 2020
Last question- are you guys brewing any level 15 to 20 realms books? I’m starting to get some requests for that level game play after 5 years. ….i’d love to stock and offer some legit 1490’s -1505 realmslore. Thanks again & talk to you later kind sir. I've always been a freelancer, never on staff (TSR or Wizards), which means although I have proposed many products, and known about many more before release, I can't talk about them even when I do. And right now, I honestly don't know.
Yet I agree: we need high-level challenges.— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) March 4, 2020
want DM’s honest opinions:
would you let a player play a neutral Oathbreaker Paladin if they really wanted to be a neutral oathbreaker paladin? why or why not?
i can see several reasons as to how they could exist, but i want yall’s opinions for those unfamiliar, in the DMG, an oathbreaker paladin requires the player to be evil to take classes in Oathbreaker
— ℙ ℝ ℂ ℍ (@Tris10_outta_10) May 16, 2020
I would want to have a clear understanding of what the player wanted and what “neutral” means in this context, and how that meshes with the story the Oathbreaker is telling, but yeah, I’m open to it. The entire premise of that class is "I have broken every bond I held dear, turned my back on righteousness, and embraced wickedness."
Like… that ain't very neutral. It would have to shift to fit the new mold.
— Dan Dillon (@Dan_Dillon_1) May 16, 2020
itd be a a little reflavoring obviously but im just curious
— ℙ ℝ ℂ ℍ (@Tris10_outta_10) May 16, 2020
All paladin Sacred Oaths in 5e are self-contained, no outside source or being required.
The Oathbreaker is special in that they eschew all such codes and are forces of death and suffering.
Are you looking for a more personal freedom focused type of paladin?
— Dan Dillon (@Dan_Dillon_1) May 16, 2020
yeah, sort of
conquest seems too harsh, for the character i have in mind, and treachery seems a little OP and id feel a bit bad using itthe ancients i know could be neutral, but thats not the vibe i had in mind either?
if it helps, i wanted this character to be shadowfell based Ancients definitely leans any flavor of good, while Devotion is solidly lawful good.Vengeance can go neutral, but it's very much about destroying evil and being okay with getting your hands dirty to do it.
— Dan Dillon (@Dan_Dillon_1) May 16, 2020
What is you want this paladin to be/do?
— Dan Dillon (@Dan_Dillon_1) May 16, 2020
would having a katana that uses finesse and has the two handed property be too powerful? Finesse two-handers don't make a whole lot of sense to me personally. Finesse says light, quick, flexible. Not something you need to manipulate with two hands for leverage and weight.
But by all means if it works for your tables, go for it!
— Dan Dillon (@Dan_Dillon_1) April 20, 2020
