Says Captcorajus on yt. He would know. On his “retro RPG review 10 part three DND rules Cyclopedia”
BECMI pronounced “BEH simmy”.
But a lot of ppl say "beck mee" on yt so... ?
BASIC
EXPERT
COMPANION
MASTER
IMMORTALS
for d&d basic.
BECMI ALL SPELLS LIST:
https://www.reddit.com/r/osr/comments/pf4oi0/becmi_all_spells_list/
All based on a weird dream/half awake in the morning, kept thinking about it as I drifted in and out of sleep. Whole idea was a trolly copycat ripoff game, purposely being cheesy with puns and junk.
Runcopywrited Games could be the co. Name. Jokey.
Title “Behold, that’s not a Pack, man.”
A beholder-ish eating pellets vid game. So like pacman.
Front view of face looks like 2 eyes, but conveniently one eye from side.
Hair stalks w cat eye marbles on ends.
Dream it came to me as very funny… half awake.
Yt “the end of On dnd lazy rpg talkshow” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4raqtTNvQBY&list=LL&index=6&t=3175s
https://www.reddit.com/r/dndnext/comments/ix2613/an_alternative_to_legendary_resistances_required/
Reddit has some good discussions. Like, a crit will set up the monster to be reeling and can't use legendary anything for a round, or something. Quote:
I like the idea of modeling it on the troll regenerate ability. Something like:
Strength of Will
This [monster] is immune to the Charmed and Stunned conditions. If the [monster] takes more than 10*Con Mod in damage in a single attack or suffers a critical hit, it is sent reeling and this trait doesnt function until the start of its next turn.
Juggernaut
If an effect stops the [monster] from using an action, reaction, or moving its full movement, it can choose to end that effect. If it is disoriented by suffering the Poisoned or Blinded condition, this trait doesnt function until the start of its next turn.
and
REGARDING MAGES BEING BORED VS. LEGEND.RESISTS - In my experience, LR forces high level caster's to flat out bypass saving throws entirely.
Spells like animate objects, wall of force, forcecage, maze, and the like simply bypass any need to engage with the saving throw mechanic and can outright neuter encounters.
Why cast a spell that has the enemy can simply negate when you can cast a spell that negates the enemy.
ME:
Heck, looking at the art for the Resistance Spell, makes me think non-mage type monsters need MAGIC ARMOR that breaks off in pieces as their legendary resistances are used up. If you are sticking to legend.resists ... and maybe even if you change it up, some way to target that armor. Heat metal uses up a legend.resist automatically?
SlyFlourish:
Boss monsters can be changed up instead of only doing vanilla "legendary resistances". Tell the players first, so they can have fun strategizing against it. Surprises can be fun, but surprise mechanics hidden from players is not fun, I agree wholeheartedly. A chess match where the rules are changing (by someone else) is no fun, it's just random.
Change out Legendary Resist Options include:
BTW, Beasts/monsters:
https://5e.tools/bestiary.html#aarakocra%20aeromancer_xmm
Wondrous items, even the "common" ones are pretty good:
http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/wondrous-items:wondrous-items
One from Page121’s yt, from Encyclopedia Magica from 1990s (all magic items up till that pt)
Arrow of Lightning. Give 1d6 worth. Blinds. Does 1d6 pierce +20 dmg lightning (add stats, so buff for 5e) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVJJg1RMZJA
Maybe make a similar item for melee or even ranged spells, 1d6 charges but use them toss away no recharge.
My part needs this color.
https://www.pandius.com/NewSpellsCommonlyKnownByMembersOfTheSecretCraftsOfGlantri.pdf
3 rd Level Spell: Johan’s Arcane Eye
(Divination) Range: 30’
Duration: 1 hour/level of caster Area of
Effect: Creates one immovable invisible eye This spell is a common one used by Dragons to keep an eye on their lairs and their hordes when they are away. The spell is considered very rare as few outside of Dragons know of the existence of the spell but for Dracologists familiar with the magic and unique spells of Dragons the spell is considered a common spell. The spell has been known among Dracologistis for many years and was first discovered by Prince Johan von Drachenfels in AC 933 The spell creates an invisible magical eye that hovers in the air, at the caster’s desired height, for the duration of the spell. The eye has normal vision and infravision out to 30’. The caster by concentrating can look through the eye and see all the eye can see and direct the eye to rotate 360” in any direction side to side or up or down.
https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?615096-Moonbeam-vs-Call-Lightning
Moonbeam (lvl 2)
BTW, just found great OSR links:
---BLINK... trying to figure out this weird spell still, below
I never got to use it much in 3.5 if ever. Now I think I get how it works for 5e. 50% chance you are safe from all damage each round, after all this is a level 3 spell slot, big commitment. And when fights last 2 or 3 rounds, you can't just waste stuff (gotta use metamagic to cast 2 spells to use this if you are caught off guard).
It (potentially/usually unless you cancel it) lasts the full 1 minute (10 rounds right?). NO concentration.
Sounds to me like as long as in 5e you keep rolling an 11 or better each round, you return to material plane for a moment (only 10 ft from start grid spot, ur choice), can do something else (attack spell), then you go back to the ethereal plane. If you roll a 10 or lower, that round you can be attacked, maybe next round you cannot be attacked b/c u roll 11 or higher tho, repeat for 10 rounds total.
Yes, that is how it works, I'm convinced. The weakness in 5e is that you are stuck only 10' from where you started the round before. But hang on, you can still move and cast/attack during your round, before you blink again. So you aren't stuck super bad actually, yeah, nice... I would use this in a boss fight. Shoulda cast it right b4 the black dragon, now that I understand how this sucker works.
https://dnd5e.wikidot.com/spell:blink
Roll a d20 at the end of each of your turns for the duration of the spell. On a roll of 11 or higher, you vanish from your current plane of existence and appear in the Ethereal Plane (the spell fails and the casting is wasted if you were already on that plane).
At the start of your next turn, and when the spell ends if you are on the Ethereal Plane, you return to an unoccupied space (((AKA, return to Material plane if that is where you started))) of your choice that you can see within 10 feet of the space you vanished from. If no unoccupied space is available within that range, you appear in the nearest unoccupied space (chosen at random if more that one space is equally near). You can dismiss this spell as an action.
While on the Ethereal Plane, you can see and hear the plane you originated from, which is cast in shades of gray, and you can't see anything more than 60 feet away. You can only affect and be affected by other creatures on the Ethereal Plane. Creature that aren't there can't perceive you or interact with you, unless they have the ability to do so.
CREATURECOLLEGE, I am sure they misread the spell in 5e, which is easy to do.
https://creaturecollege.com/blink-5e-guide/ This CANNOT BE RIGHT. Reread the original spell.
When you roll 11 or higher on d20, they can't mess with you that turn,
but you did your thing as you wanted.Basically invuln.
It keeps going, on and off, off an on, randomly 50/50, till a minute is up.Apparently... it only works once(?!?!). And then you teleport 10 ft back into your original space. OK, I'm not getting this spell once again. You have to roll an 11 continually... and you can't do anything except hide... well you could do dmg with a concentration spell,
Concentration spells dont fade at least:
That's it?! So it's only good against a boss... if you don't want to attack. WTH? What kinda boss am I fighting against were it makes sense for the DPS mage to leave the boss fight? Some 100% anti magic super-golem or something?
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Blink
That dude was wrong on creaturecollege... reread the description (it is confusing) but then read this on forgottenrealms.
EFFECT
This made the caster harder to attack, since there was a chance an attack or spell would miss due to the caster not being on the Prime Material Plane at the time.[6]
The caster could attempt to move through solid objects on the Prime Material Plane while blinked onto the Ethereal Plane, however, if the caster materialized in the same location as a solid object, he or she became "shunted" to the nearest available empty space, and this caused damage.[6]
The later post-Sundering version (((I will read this as basically the 5e version, eh?))) of the spell worked much in the same way but it allowed movement of only 10 feet. The caster could see and hear into the prime to a distance of only 60 feet but in shades of gray. While on the ethereal plane, the caster could not interact with creatures on the prime, only with those that connected to the ethereal plane. If no unoccupied space was found within 10 feet when the caster had to return, they would be randomly be placed in the nearest unoccupied area.[12]
AD&D 1st edition (1e) is:
Duration: 1 round/level
This spell is a weak and rather unreliable form of one of the true mage’s most powerful capabilities: teleportation magic. For the duration of the spell, the magic user teleports 2 ft in a random direction once per round. The segment in which the magic user disappears and reappears is determined on 2d4, while the compass direction is rolled on a d8. If the direction roll would result in the caster being teleported into a solid object, the caster will blink a second time, for a distance of no more than 10 ft. If this second blink also results in the caster occupying a solid object, the spell will end, marooning the caster in the æthereal plane of existence. During and after the segment in which the teleportation occurs, the magic user’s sudden change of location prevents any direct attacks upon him or her. The caster may only be attacked directly if the attack is made before the blink takes place. If the caster teleports both from and into an area which is affected by an area of effect spell, he will suffer its effects. The constant changes of location take a toll upon the caster, who has a 25% chance of failing at attempts to cast spells, use most magic items, or take any action beyond making physical attacks.
Via Kellri's spell reference for 1e AD&D... slightly diff:
Blink (Alteration)
Range: Caster Components: V, S
Duration: 1 round/ level Casting Time: 1 seg
Area of Effect: Caster Saving Throw: None
Explanation/Description:
By means of this spell, themagic-user causes his or her material form to "blink" outand back to this plane once again in random periodand direction during the duration of each minute thespell is in effect. (Cf. Monster Manual, Blink Dog.) Thesegment of the round that the spell caster "blinks out" isdetermined by random roll with 2d4, and during thissame segment he or she will appear again 2' distantfrom his or her previous position.
(Direction is determined by roll of d8: 1 = right ahead,2 = right, 3 = right behind, 4 = behind, 5 = left behind, 6= left, 7 = left ahead, 8 = ahead.) If some object isalready occupying the space where the spell caster isindicated as "blinking" into, his or her form is displacedin a direction away from original (round starting)position for any distance necessary to appear in emptyspace, but never in excess of an additional 10'. If thatextra distance still dictates the magic-user and anothersolid object are to occupy the same space, the spellcaster is then trapped on the ethereal plane. Duringand after the blink segment of a round, the spell castercan be attacked only by opponents able to strike bothlocations at once, e.g. a breath weapon, fireball, andsimilar wide area attack forms.Those not so able can only strike the magic-user ifthey managed to attack prior to the "blink" segment.The spell caster is only 75% likely to be able to performany acts other than physical attack with a hand-heldstabbing or striking weapon during the course of thisspell. That is, use of any spell, device, or item might notbe accomplished or accomplished in an incorrectmanner or in the wrong direction. Your referee willdetermine success/failure and the results thereofaccording to the particular action being performed.(PHB)
Good for DnD decorations.
stela (STEE LUH)
noun: An upright stone or pillar inscribed or sculpted, often serving as a monument. Also known as a stele.
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The higher lvl campaign w kid as dm. He did a great job researching and running the black dragon. Near a lair… made a great custom map - swampy, had some ruins, had some watery spots. 3 lizardmen his minions, took em out. "Rylek will have our revenge" or similar.
Suspect dragon! Cast cleric cantrip on all for better resist roll (extra 1d4).
Inch closer, bam dragon jumped out of water. Rollinit.
Char.s r level 12. Vs adult black dragon, cr14 using 2014 5e book, no spells from dragon.
Barb was hi init, then ranger , dragon in middle then sorc then cleric.
Barb runs in gets two solid hits. Dragon wing att then moves out w legendary before ranger can melee. Dragon stays away from barb from here, airborne mostly.
Positions, breath! Ranger and cleric both take 61 dmg, ouch! Ranger hp is 100 max, below half already.
Throughout, sorc using many sorc pts and quickened spells to do dmg… fb and lightning bolt upcast. Later cone cold n fireball. Saving level 6 spot for after legend.resists are gone, we hope.
Cleric channel divinity heals ranger n self (still down -26ish HP each), then later sunbeam for dmg.
Barb n ranger using bows. Forgot to roll for hunters mark dmg oops. Wouldn’t have mattered much.
Dragon does fear, all but cleric fail.
We get it below 40%, it’s gonna leave but has one more breath attack… hates my dragonborn sorc. Bam, breath on him and cleric. 61 dmg again to both, cleric down to -87 health, his max is 123, ow.
Dragon rolls out double time, figure is halfway off edge of map. Kid counted to be sure, almost called it “game”. Wait!, the sorc wants blood, chain lightning 10d8, points to reroll, big dmg, fireball big enough.. now cleric goes,… sunbeam 6d8 or flamestrike 8d6?!?!?!?!
Let's do Flamestrike, rolls super high, dragon legendary resist again..,,,, he was down to 16 health, cleric's sunbeam does like 18 or 19 after save… boooyah!!!! Dead dragon!
Was very epic nailbiter whole time. Ssuper fun, we loved it. Nobody (DM, me the player, the dragon, the characters even) thought we'd take him down first try.
4e monster roles - these explanations are what we guessed before hearing/reading, based on shown names (but not all "correct"):
Artillery - hard hitting range
Brute - big, melee
Controller - leader gives bonus stuff if near. OR thry control us.
Lurker - starcraft lurker. OR hiding for sneak attack. OR flying. Kobold looking thru arrow slits in wall?
Minion - follow the others… never solo
Skirmisher - hit n run? Lure into trap? Unpredictable
Soldier - trained front line. Maybe ranged.
See yt “4thr edition d&d steal these 7 rules”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTngGi3RtiA&list=LL&index=35&t=388s
4e monster roles - these are what he said. Also said doesn't include ELITES, SOLOS OR LEADERS (miniboss/boss types). (but I don't agree these are best options always... b/c where is the dang mage blaster? Mages shouldnt just be controllers as in battlefield block exit):
Artillery - ranged, then run for cover. 5e goblins have hide for bonus action right next to you.
Brute - big, melee (he says hi hp hi dmg and try to protect others, most likely to give life to save others). Some unrelated post says "the tank fallacy" meaning, if you have hi hp, the enemy might just ignore you, so... act like they need hi dmg too. Well if they have hi dmg AND hi hp, why would anyone stick to attacking them I say... then double reason to get away. And dmg is APPARENT to enemy, where as HP is invisible... so looking unhealthy but having hi HP is valid....
Controller - control battle field + aoe listed. Dude said 4e slated mages as this role. I dont like that being the only role, while AOE yeah, but magic high damage makes sense to me. Glass cannon.
Lurker - hit and run from edges i think they say. Yeah, easy to lose track of. Stick and move he says.
Minion - fodder. Aoe nukes 'em, but melee guys dont like. "Controversial in later years he says". I don't follow, it's bad for tanks, yeah, that's their weakness right? Casters just need enough spells to be able to take out the swarming guys... good game design will make it skillful so that there are ways to do it well and ways to suffer (Aoe on friendlies if emergency?? i dunno, when it's separate players and not one guy controlling all this is funky).
Skirmisher - he says less tanky but more mobile than "brute". Says, run past line and attack sorcerer in back. Says similar to lurker but more likely to do melee.
Soldier - good at everything he says. Monster types, these are most versatile, so use all soldiers if u cant decide.
I was wondering why I couldn't pick a +2 Ring of Protection on the DnDBeyond site.
Short answer: AC is WAY WAY lower in 5e than in 3.5e, such that you can't give big AC bonuses or nothing will hit except on a crit.
https://www.reddit.com/r/dndnext/comments/3ybaha/5e_ring_of_protection_2/
I think you've sort of hit the nail on the head there, though - the intent is that the hobgoblin should never be completely unable to hit the PC. The PC should still feel threatened by 20 hobgoblins. But saying "Making this ring of protection +2 or +3 wouldn't be so bad..." and then doing that with a few other things, suddenly the PC has 25 AC, and the hobgoblin can't hit without a crit.
The point of this "flattening" of bonuses to hit and bonuses to AC, keeping difficulty classes/armor classes below 30, is to prevent such things. Wizards doesn't want the level of a monster to be represented so much by the inability to hit it unless you're the same level as it - it's the inability to do enough damage to kill it at all. This lets you stretch things a little bit. You could fight a higher CR monster than your party, with the right strategy, whereas in the past editions you'd be down some magic items and some Base Attack Bonus and it's just too hard to hit consistently. Likewise in older editions large numbers of low CR monsters were no real threat - your AC was just way too high for them. In 5e though it's a little more dangerous.
Starting at Higher Levels in D&D 5th Edition (thx to https orkerhulen.dk/)
List of magic items by cost and category:
https://orkerhulen.dk/onewebmedia/magic%20items%20by%20cost%20and%20category.pdf
This is a more linear progression table based on the Starting equipment table in DMG page 38 "High Magic Campaign".
You always start with the normal Starting Equipment as per selected Class, race and Background regardless of level.
In addition you start with following depending on starting level.
Level, Gold, # of items
5 500 1 Uncommon, 2 Common
7 2000 2 Uncommon, 2 Common
10 4000 3 Uncommon
12 7000 3 Uncommon, 1 Rare <-- so that is Level 12 char, 7000 gold, 3 uncommon magic items, 1 rare.
17 20000 3 Uncommon, 2 Rare, 1 Very Rare
https://5e.tools/bestiary/lava-child-wdmm.html
Resist all physical (sort of) list: https://www.reddit.com/r/dndnext/comments/pfqdm5/are_there_any_monster_resistant_to_all/
HagsBook says:
So, I have checked:
MM:
Awakened Shrub (only flat piercing)
Awakened Tree (bludgeoning, piercing)
Flameskull (piercing)
Swarm of Bats/Beetles/Centipedes/Insects/Poisonous Snakes/Rats/Ravens/Spiders/Wasps
TreantVolo:
Swarm of Cranium Rats/Rot Grubs
Thorny
Vegepygmy and Chief (piercing)
Wood Woad
See demilich talk:. Resists a lot but not:
Funny thing, Demiliches resist B/P/S only from magical weapons specifically, technically they can still take B/P/S damage from the following spells;
Arcane/Bigby's Hand
Wrath of Nature (Trees or Rock options)
I always get the monster manuals for every edition of D&D, I just like them a lot. So here is some of the art that hits me the right way from this newest version... D&D's 2024/2025 5.5e Monster Manual. Some of the art is pretty good, though I'll always have a penchant for hand drawn pen and ink or real life paint. But I'll say, this generation of digital artists are particularly good at the horror aspects. Check out some of the more demonic entries below. The Shadow Demon is no longer Venger's sidekick as much as an unholy, creepy, & evil entity from a 1940's era horror movie.
Maybe it happened in 5th edition (wait it was 3e), but definitely in some/many earlier versions the Shambling Mound (Shambler) was based loosely on the Man-Thing/Swamp-Thing comic monsters. I prefer the ones with faces (eyes), like Lukyon from the 1983 cartoon.
Note Lukyon's face, with the elephantine trunk of a nose. The Basic Game, see below, also had the trunk.
Nice write up here: https://torenatkinson.com/2024/03/02/adapting-prison-without-walls-dd-cartoon-episode-to-a-dd-tabletop-adventure/
And 2e Monstrous Manual had a great description, if not as cool a picture, thanks to: https://adnd2e.fandom.com/wiki/Shambling_Mound
2e MM says:
Shambling mounds, or “shamblers”, appear as heaps of rotting vegetation. They are actually an intelligent form of vegetable life, roughly humanoid shaped, with a height of six to nine feet and a girth of about six feet at their base (legs to waist) and two feet at their summit (the “head”).
Shambling mounds are fearless attackers and are perhaps the most deadly form of plant life known. Their huge armlike appendages inflict 2-16 points of crushing damage each time they hit, and an unlucky victim hit by both arms in the same round is entangled in the slimy vines and rotting vegetable matter of the creature. Entangled creatures suffocate in slime in 2d4 rounds unless the shambler is killed or the victim breaks free (on a successful bend bars/lift gates roll).
The shambler's powerful attacks are supported by a combination of defenses that make shambling mounds invulnerable to most normal attacks. The vast amounts of thick vegetation covering the important inner body protect the shambling mound very well, thus its AC of 0. All edged and pointed weapons that strike the shambling mound successfully cause only one-half damage since the blows are greatly weakened as they pass through layer upon layer of cellulose fibers and slime. Since shamblers can collapse themselves at will, crushing weapons inflict no damage at all upon them.
Fire-based attacks are ineffective against the wet and slimy shambling mounds, and cold-based attacks cause only one-half (if saving throw is failed) or no damage (if saving throw succeeds) to the creature, due to their essentially vegetable nature. Lightning actually causes a shambling mound to grow in size if used against it (add one foot in height, 1 Hit Die, and appropriate hit points for each lightning-based attack it is subjected to).
Spells that normally affect plants are effective against shambling mounds. Spells such as plant control and charm plant have proven the most successful so far.
Shambling mounds often lie in shallow bogs waiting for hapless creatures to walk on top of them. The usually surprised beings (-3 penalty to their surprise rolls) are struck and smothered often before they can even call for help.
Shambling mounds are almost totally silent and invisible in their natural surroundings (-3 penalty to opponents' surprise rolls). They are not above creeping slowly into the camps of unsuspecting travelers at night. They are excellent swimmers as well.
Shambling mounds are only found in regions of dense rainfall and vegetation. Dismal swamps, marshes, and rain forests are their favorite climes, but some wet subterranean places also serve as shambler lairs. They are solitary beasts, only rarely living in the same area as other shamblers – usually only in areas where the food source is constant (e.g., near famous ruins or abandoned gold mines, etc.).
The shambling mound is an animate clump of vegetation with a small brain-like control center located deep within the “chest” cavity. Decapitating a shambling mound, therefore, does not harm it in the least. Since a shambling mound's “limbs” are merely aggregated clumps of vine and moss, the removal of one or more of them does not hamper the creature either. Remaining vines along the torso will join to form a new limb by the next round. Only when enough of the shambling mound has been hacked away will the creature die.
Note that a wounded shambling mound need only retreat to a dense clump of wet foliage to heal. It will rise again in 12 hours, fully healed. It is likely to be very angry as well.
Since shamblers gain power from electrical attacks, it is suspected that there may exist some shamblers that are vastly larger than the common ones seen thus far. Since will-o-wisps and shamblers often inhabit the same desolate regions of the world, it is possible that shambling mounds of 20 Hit Dice or more lie in the deepest, darkest swamps and jungles.
