how it feels to DM above 10th level

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 เม.ย. 2022
  • aka, the DM who doesn't remember their characters abilities, or players who make powerful characters 2 electric booglaoo.
    ARORA: ghostfiregaming.com/XPT3_AR01...
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  • @nervecentral
    @nervecentral 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +4436

    The fact that the players immediately resort to “well this is impossible - we are all dead” as soon as they take a fraction of the damage that they can dish out is hilariously spot-on.

    • @arcitree9330
      @arcitree9330 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +184

      Thats intentional game design though. Player characters are all glass cannons with the exception of maybe barbarians. Would you want to be in a 2 hour slogfest where every player has 200+ HP?

    • @bruceloh7926
      @bruceloh7926 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@arcitree9330
      Looks at my homebrew: *Erm...*

    • @andreacallegari7137
      @andreacallegari7137 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +187

      @@arcitree9330 Player characters are anything but glass cannons. Sure, they don't have as much HP as the monsters do, but Absorb Elements, Shield and Silvery Barbs easily bridge that gap. There are 8 monsters with an AC of 23 or more in DND 5e, and a 2nd level character can easily reach that same AC.

    • @arcitree9330
      @arcitree9330 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +70

      I guess just fuck characters who dont have access to those spells then, right? And you forget that those spells are only accessible to the squishiest classes in the game. Disregarding multiclassing and the obvious caster/martial power imbalance, lets consider a situation.
      Lets take the paladin, who has none of that spell list. Assuming an average Con of +2, they have 40 HP at level 5. Lets put him against a CR 2 creature, less than half his level.
      95% of the CR 2 creatures in the SRD have at least 40 HP. 50% of them have at least 55 HP. Some have upwards of 90.
      Assuming the paladin is using an optimized damage build with a greatsword, they will deal 4d6+23+6d8 damage with their attack. Thats an average of 69 (nice) damage. Enough to outright kill himself and most of the CR 2 category, while burning through his resources. Meanwhile, the bandit captain does 20 damage resourceless. Half the paladin's health every turn.
      Theres some math you can adjust based on AC and to-hit bonus, but suffice to say, the paladin cannot stomach their own DPS, while the bandit captain could go through three turn cycles just hitting himself.
      @@andreacallegari7137

    • @andreacallegari7137
      @andreacallegari7137 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@arcitree9330 If only there was a way for the Paladin to get access to those spells. Like a 1 level dip in Hexblade Warlock, or Sorcerer. It's unfortunate that such things aren't allowed.
      "My paladin wouldn't do that, he wants to grow as a paladin for his whole adventuring career" sure, but that does not mean your paladin can't be better than what you allow it to be.
      The Paladin and the other casters do have ways to mitigate the damage they take from their enemies. They're called Spell Slots. Even a level 2 paladin could throw a Wrathful Smite on that scary Bandit Captain and reduce it to a scared chunk of HP. Not to mention the spells the rest of the party could throw at their enemies- Web to restrain, Pass without Trace to get a surprise round, Sleep to incapacitate eventual Minions, Levitate, Bless, Command or Dissonant Whispers, Spike Growth... the list goes on.
      Also, once the Bandit Captain reaches 0 HP, it's gone. Once the PC reach 0 HP, you have 2 rounds at worst to do something about it, or more if someone has access to the Revivify spell.
      To summarize: don't fear for the squishy Paladin, for the strength of the party will (usually) prevail in the end. And if you rush in combat and swing at your enemies without a care in the world, maybe dying will teach you to play this game better

  • @catercrawler2
    @catercrawler2 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +1216

    *rolls a 2*
    "that's a 27 to hit"
    as a DM, I felt that one in my soul

    • @alexmarkley4103
      @alexmarkley4103 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +63

      I’ve been rolling so poorly lately that I sent a +10 to hit monster against my level three party. Even then it only hit once in three rounds (with extra attack)

    • @bangotrue1089
      @bangotrue1089 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@alexmarkley4103 you need new dice, dawg

    • @chri-k
      @chri-k 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +18

      @@alexmarkley4103when the dice have malicious intent

    • @Lolgium
      @Lolgium 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +11

      @@alexmarkley4103 this reminds me of when i did not roll above a 5 in 12 rolls, at that point i just gave up and started spamming magic missile.

    • @archerymidnight3422
      @archerymidnight3422 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

      ​@@alexmarkley4103Times like that are why I have three sets of dice. If one isn't playing nice, swap. If both the matching sets don't work, i call upon my emergency set

  • @ComedicLetter
    @ComedicLetter ปีที่แล้ว +2670

    Sir Chad, after the end of that fight:
    “That was a challenging fight with an interesting twist. I enjoyed that.”

    • @user-zt4me5fy4v
      @user-zt4me5fy4v 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +58

      'cause he a chad!

    • @punishedwhispers1218
      @punishedwhispers1218 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      He wasnt concerned about his character taking damage, just the rest of the party

  • @GFCOLCQuote
    @GFCOLCQuote 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +1300

    The worst part is, this is all really cool.
    The monk is using the full amount of his abilities to stun, aided by the wizard to force the roll to be low. This is an entire team effort, and it took all of their cunning and abilities to perfectly counter this boss.
    I'd be super okay with this encounter, because it took everything to make it function. This is also why stunning strike is so good for legendary action absorbing.

    • @firelordeliteast6750
      @firelordeliteast6750 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +95

      Well, it depends on the narrative. If if this is the culmination of multiple session’s worth of foreshadowing and ominous implications, you gotta deliver or the whole thing falls flat. On the other hand, if the players have been struggling along the journey to make it to this part, then an easier battle might be more cathartic

    • @doihavetobeg
      @doihavetobeg 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +118

      ​@@firelordeliteast6750Tbf, if a Rakshasa is your big finish to a questline against a lvl 10+ party, you should really beef up it's hp at the very least. Especially if it has no minions and fights alone.

    • @firelordeliteast6750
      @firelordeliteast6750 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +22

      @@doihavetobeg Right? Any sane Rakshasa would have some minions of some kind, maybe imps or lesser devils

    • @obscurereference8798
      @obscurereference8798 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +15

      @@firelordeliteast6750 It's a shared narrative, the DM's job isn't to tell a story to the players, it's to tie all the actions and events together while everyone creates a story together. If the party absolutely destroys the BBEG then that IS the narrative because it's what happened. DM's job at that point is to decide why it worked out that way, was the party lucky, did the prepare extremely well, maybe combination of the two, a bit cliche but you could even pull a "your princess is in another castle" move and have it turn out to not actually be the real boss.
      though, of course, ever table is different and I'm sure there's plenty of people out there who would rather have the DM fudge numbers on the fly to make it an epic climax but that's all part of the DM's job to tie everything together for the table they're at.

    • @MNNoxMortem
      @MNNoxMortem 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      The problem is, every battle becomes that same combo and that is extremly boring extremly fast.

  • @mecha9305
    @mecha9305 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8556

    Changing that health from 7 to 57 is the most on-brand DM joke I've seen in a while

    • @siriusli5674
      @siriusli5674 2 ปีที่แล้ว +925

      What the players don't know *will* hurt them.

    • @david6321
      @david6321 2 ปีที่แล้ว +939

      Yeah, half of the time my monsters have floating HP, I just kill them whenever I feel like there was enough battle for everyone to shine lol

    • @user-dd9dh9kw5c
      @user-dd9dh9kw5c 2 ปีที่แล้ว +237

      @@david6321 Yeah this really shows how terrible D&D 5e is though. I don't remember this ever happening too often in 3.5

    • @thestranger954
      @thestranger954 2 ปีที่แล้ว +384

      @@user-dd9dh9kw5c Bruh.

    • @m2pt5
      @m2pt5 2 ปีที่แล้ว +601

      Also *rolls a 2* "27."

  • @vsGoliath96
    @vsGoliath96 2 ปีที่แล้ว +13859

    Remember everyone, stuff like this never becomes a problem if the campaign falls apart at level 5!

    • @InquisitorThomas
      @InquisitorThomas 2 ปีที่แล้ว +669

      Min-Maxers and Mechanic Exploiters: “You underestimate my power. **Deals a billion damage at level 2**

    • @youtubestuff683
      @youtubestuff683 2 ปีที่แล้ว +229

      @@InquisitorThomas perfectly balanced as all things should be

    • @raeldrews1187
      @raeldrews1187 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      true

    • @Nimoot
      @Nimoot ปีที่แล้ว +212

      I think I left at the same level I got Fireball? .... The DM's literally just ... would Double mobs health .... so if I spent all my Spell Points to create an extra 3rd level spell slot ... it'd take 3-4 fireballs to kill a room of goblins.... (We only had one combat per day .... so 'balanced' .... right?)
      We got rail-roaded constantly, illusion of choice...
      I quit the group ...
      I was a warforged ... I learned from a friend that they turned my character into a container to grow a massive tree out of ... and then later forced the characters to carve out my 'heart' for some quest ....
      DM's must've been angry. XD

    • @CharlesUrban
      @CharlesUrban ปีที่แล้ว +39

      I've had one character get to Level 5. One. Out of over a dozen.

  • @jennashinx6939
    @jennashinx6939 ปีที่แล้ว +3728

    The Chad dropping his dice, giving a slight glance, and saying "That's 82 damage" I CAN'T STOP REWATCHING IT IT'S SO FUCKING FUNNY

    • @devinohanlon5501
      @devinohanlon5501 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      I did about 40 damage at level 2

    • @user-ku2vx9fh4c
      @user-ku2vx9fh4c 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +15

      @@devinohanlon5501 i did 163 damage at level 6

    • @grantschade2072
      @grantschade2072 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +86

      @@user-ku2vx9fh4c I DID 1029385720 damage at level 0 HAHAHAH IM SO COOL

    • @ThePi314Man
      @ThePi314Man 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      @@grantschade2072 I did your mom at level 1

    • @MsHojat
      @MsHojat 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +52

      I think he's referring to counting quickly, not dealing impossible damage. That or just the comedic circumstance/style (maybe more likely)

  • @andrewlance3898
    @andrewlance3898 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +419

    Underrated sound design at 2:14. GM throws dice over his shoulder, and we still hear them clattering on the floor when Barbooizard is acting. Good continuity

    • @tasman001
      @tasman001 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +12

      r/xptolevel3details

    • @alergames147
      @alergames147 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +9

      was looking for someone who mentioned this haha

    • @Dark_Mishra
      @Dark_Mishra 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      Definitely agree. There’s some excellent editing with this channel. I wonder how often he’s actually outfit swapping, or if he’s managing to act out the entire sketches as each player only once.

  • @rickywilliams1586
    @rickywilliams1586 ปีที่แล้ว +4422

    "That's not FAIR!"
    Says the currently Raging barbarian who just cast a spell.

    • @2shadesofgray752
      @2shadesofgray752 ปีที่แล้ว +65

      Hol up

    • @MrHel-hf3nk
      @MrHel-hf3nk ปีที่แล้ว +127

      Bardbarian

    • @AutumnWoodham
      @AutumnWoodham ปีที่แล้ว +22

      Multi-classing.

    • @sekliley7587
      @sekliley7587 ปีที่แล้ว +234

      @@AutumnWoodham still can't cast a spell while raging as a barbarian.

    • @reaper8264
      @reaper8264 ปีที่แล้ว +179

      @@sekliley7587 yeah you can't but he casted it before and it lasts for a minute and doesn't need concentration.

  • @scottiecurrie7927
    @scottiecurrie7927 ปีที่แล้ว +6651

    Party: "We did it! We killed the boss in one single round with all our spell slots!"
    DM: *quietly seething as he pulls out his emergency second phase sheet and starts playing Dark Souls music*

    • @jjgriffiniv1307
      @jjgriffiniv1307 ปีที่แล้ว +72

      😂😂 underrated comment!!!

    • @rynemcgriffin1752
      @rynemcgriffin1752 ปีที่แล้ว +172

      *Vordt of the Boreal Valley starts playing*

    • @Vendacator
      @Vendacator ปีที่แล้ว +114

      "You will witness true horror..."

    • @alphariusomegon7374
      @alphariusomegon7374 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      @@Vendacator we already experience horror the moment we fight her

    • @tabemono7398
      @tabemono7398 ปีที่แล้ว +34

      In one of my group i have to make a player boss, some of my friends is in the military he cant play regulary so i make him a player boss and when his entrance i play Dark Soul music and that's was so funny to see the reaction of my player

  • @fahed2544
    @fahed2544 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1948

    You know bg3 is a good dnd creation when I can actually understand everything that’s going on here lol

    • @skullcandy14785
      @skullcandy14785 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +131

      Same before bg3 i got lost in the sauce

    • @JDLT420
      @JDLT420 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      True

    • @marialuke2116
      @marialuke2116 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +8

      ikr???

    • @Darth_Xionn
      @Darth_Xionn 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +63

      BG3 is also a good simulation for any class ideas you want to try at an actual table too. So there's that

    • @nathanbarnhart2529
      @nathanbarnhart2529 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +8

      I'm still a little lost, but OMG is this game so good.

  • @dukeofburgerz5225
    @dukeofburgerz5225 ปีที่แล้ว +1806

    This feels like a case study in why you shouldnt have a final boss fight with only 1 enemy

    • @anachronity9002
      @anachronity9002 ปีที่แล้ว +276

      Literally this. Don't no-sell your player characters using their powerful abilities just because you failed to prepare a remotely adequate challenge. The video is played up for comedic effect, but if you regularly find yourself doing this sort of thing in a real game then you're a bad DM. Christ, not even a single cultist or supplicant? Just a big empty room? That rakshasa is practically asking to get dusted.

    • @lukeari9890
      @lukeari9890 ปีที่แล้ว +224

      @@anachronity9002 To that I will say that the "one villain vs several heroes" is a fantasy and media staple, and it's expected both by players and DM's. However the game isn't balanced around that. This video is comedically showing the extra steps you need to go through in order to have that sort of final, 1vsMany confrontation. Ideally, you shouldn't do this mid-game, but if you want to homebrew your boss to fight a whole party, then you BETTER pull some crazy things.

    • @conormaccarthy249
      @conormaccarthy249 ปีที่แล้ว +79

      @@lukeari9890 Fuckin absolutely. It's why legendary actions are a thing I guess, tilt the action economy back to a semblance of fairness in a 1v4

    • @Bookluver29
      @Bookluver29 ปีที่แล้ว +62

      I mean, yeah, but, you never just wanted to have an absolutely epic battle with a legendary ancient dragon that was actually as scary as it should be without also having to control their legions of Kobolds and Cultists?
      Why should a DM always have to swarm the party with a dozen or more minions that they have to keep track of in order for there to be any actual stakes to a fight? Or create some bullshit magical forcefield mechanic for the party to dismantle so that they are appropriately worried about their chances when they finally get to take chunks out of its scaly hide?
      I'm already tracking lair actions, legendary actions, legendary resistances, making snap rulings, calculating the height of the ceilings, keeping a round counter, tracking initiative, tracking conditions and spell durations, being quizzed on the technical details of the PC's abilities and restraining myself from throwing my dice out the nearest window since for some reason I can't roll above a five. Why do I also have to track six or more other enemies? Why can't Soul Devourer the Wicked, Shadow Dragon of the Bloodied Heart, Scourge of the Western Coast, The Great Wyrm of Desolation stand up to more than eighteen seconds of combat with some tinned snacks without setting the rest of his pantry on them?

    • @anachronity9002
      @anachronity9002 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      @@Bookluver29 Yeah okay but I want you to also think about your players, your players' fun, and whether you're really lying to them like that for their own fun.
      You're playing a game called Dungeons & Dragons, and that's how the game works. *IF YOU WANT TO CHANGE THAT*, you are now a game designer. You need to decide AT THE START, how the boss works differently and you need to stick to this and you need to telegraph it so the players don't waste their actions.
      You see, to make things up completely on the spot and fiat things like in the video, you are giving lie to the implicit promises you made when you all agreed to play D&D. Promises that, if given words, might go something like "spells and abilities do what they say", "your characters' actions matter", or "all of these numbers and abilities are worth keeping track of".
      Tell me, what would you do if one of your players went to zero, then on their next turn instead of rolling a death save said "Krog... stands up again. His berserker lineage is too powerful to keep down! He continues to fight!" in absence of any ability allowing this, and then ran up and attacked the monster that downed them? Would it feel unfair? Like the player is cheating and covering it up with some roleplay? Does every party member get to make stuff up now?
      These are things that need to be written out *beforehand* in the forms of abilities or items a character or creature has to avoid them feeling unfair and arbitrary. This gives rise to the unexpected results and outcomes that are the entire point of the game. If you want things to go exactly the way you envision them every time... why are you even playing Dungeons and Dragons?

  • @crazybunnyproductions7287
    @crazybunnyproductions7287 2 ปีที่แล้ว +408

    The DM's worst enemy: forgetting they're the DM
    The DM's greatest strength: being the DM

  • @PikaPetey
    @PikaPetey 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2340

    This is the same energy that Brennan had in Crown of Candy "aaayyeee aayyeee aaayyeee I GOT A BAD GUY OVER HERE AND I CAN'T DO NOTIN!!"

    • @jaydee3d476
      @jaydee3d476 2 ปีที่แล้ว +40

      Yo, you watch Dimension 20? That’s dope. Love your work.

    • @bencebotye3904
      @bencebotye3904 2 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      That was my first thought. Also always loved when Emily Axford or Ally Beardsley used they characters doope features.

    • @rjoe3309
      @rjoe3309 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Finally seeing other people talk about them. It feels great owo

    • @roulz100
      @roulz100 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      EXACTLY

    • @azathoththe3rd
      @azathoththe3rd 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      I think Brendan said somewhere he forgot to level up to the villains

  • @joseda3rd354
    @joseda3rd354 ปีที่แล้ว +161

    “Are you below half HP?” That got me back on the DMs side

  • @christopherjacobs6849
    @christopherjacobs6849 ปีที่แล้ว +66

    "this one can" really fucking sent me with the music lmao

  • @SDRevill
    @SDRevill 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10865

    I love how the part that was the most upsetting to the player, that Rakshasa's are unaffected by lower level spells, was the one thing that Jacob didn't homebrew out of DM rage, that he specifically mentioned earlier in the combat and the player just forgot (which is completely accurate).

    • @craigyeah1052
      @craigyeah1052 2 ปีที่แล้ว +554

      Well that's why it's upsetting. They finally slipped up and who can they blame but themselves.

    • @binolombardi
      @binolombardi 2 ปีที่แล้ว +386

      They both slipped up. The DM let the paladin use a 3rd level bonus action smite spell to deal damage. Part of what had him break was that damage that wasn’t applicable.

    • @richarddarma1452
      @richarddarma1452 2 ปีที่แล้ว +67

      Also they messed up the spell effect for “Contagion”. The target is poisoned and they have to fail 3 saving throws before the (mind fire) confusion takes effect. It’s not instant

    • @ElTaitronAnim
      @ElTaitronAnim 2 ปีที่แล้ว +154

      @@richarddarma1452 Contagion description: "Your touch inflicts disease. Make a melee spell attack against a creature within your reach. On a hit, you afflict the creature with a disease of your choice from any of the ones described below. [then stuff about the saving throws]"
      There's no poisoned condition, the disease you choose takes effect immediately. 3 saves means it ends early, 3 failures means it lasts a week.

    • @doomdoot6731
      @doomdoot6731 2 ปีที่แล้ว +87

      Let's not even mention the fact that Barbooizard was raging, so they couldn't even cast

  • @tdelia13
    @tdelia13 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2787

    I love how Sir Chad can add all of his damage after looking at his roll for less than a second.

    • @nah2601
      @nah2601 ปีที่แล้ว +264

      The reason he's a chad is that he can do basic maths without going comatose during his turn

    • @NotUnymous
      @NotUnymous ปีที่แล้ว +87

      It's a special ability you gain after Lvl 10

    • @sharalakid
      @sharalakid ปีที่แล้ว +39

      He's just a pro gamer. If you want to do that maybe consider getting good

    • @Mello8201
      @Mello8201 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      He's used to this.

    • @lightning_11
      @lightning_11 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      @@NotUnymous Wow. I took College Calculus and I still haven't gotten that ability... I guess I picked the wrong subclass or something. :(

  • @isaacbryce2748
    @isaacbryce2748 ปีที่แล้ว +1009

    God the
    "this isn't fair"
    "...is your character dead?"
    "...no I'm only at half"
    is so good.

    • @sanguine2552
      @sanguine2552 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +20

      Tbh for the first half of this video is was thinking none of these people seem fun to play with. Snobby overleveled PCs and a DM blindly cheating when he made a too weak boss fight to start. Wouldn’t wanna know any of these people

  • @VampireSaint
    @VampireSaint ปีที่แล้ว +274

    I love that most of the abilities that the party used weren't even 10th level or higher abilities, but when used well backed up by higher level stats they add up to some very strong combinations.

    • @randomt_1468
      @randomt_1468 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +15

      I think all or most of them were multiclassing, so that makes sense

    • @corrinthechocolatine4025
      @corrinthechocolatine4025 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      ​Yep. This video is not a thesis against high level, but rather against multiclassing.

    • @chrisf5170
      @chrisf5170 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      ​@@corrinthechocolatine4025 More like an endorsement (the DM was just being a bad sport)

  • @Cpt.Croissant
    @Cpt.Croissant 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1624

    Sir Chad is simply the greatest. "I crit." "Ah- okay he's dead" didn't even roll damage

    • @commandercaptain4664
      @commandercaptain4664 2 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      Minion HP FTW.

    • @bigloser5104
      @bigloser5104 2 ปีที่แล้ว +59

      my dm said that after I hit a bunch of these flying fellows that sucked blood they were so tiny that after I hit a shortsword attack DM said "They're dead you don't need to roll damage"

    • @michaelmcgee5478
      @michaelmcgee5478 2 ปีที่แล้ว +39

      I had a character who could literally point at %90 of the enemies and just say it's dead. Didn't have to roll because the number of dice exceeded their health. The problem being the rest of the party were using two or three d10s so we had to "kill" him off and have him be the bbeg of the next campaign. The GM even let me voice him I was totally fangirling my own character. Till I realized I had to choose who would die. My pc was first to go because the op character always went first. They didn't manage to kill him on the first round, I was told he had all his powers from the old game so I pointed at the next character and said "dead." He then left through a portal flipping them off and giving them the whole bbeg goodbye for the next five to ten sessions where I might cameo but we won't get to fight him again till halfway through the campaign where he'll conveniently make another escape only to be foiled by the party at the last encounter. At least, that was what was going to happen but schedules changed and we didn't meet again after he stepped through the portal.

    • @mrbean3470
      @mrbean3470 2 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      Only time I ever twinned a chromatic orb (stupid idea) I happened to natural 20 both rolls. 6d8 to two different enemies as a 4th level character was stupid. The DM was like, "yeah don't even roll, they're both just eviscerated..."

    • @Draco137YT
      @Draco137YT 2 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      In his previous attack, Sir Chad rolled 8d8 and 3d6 for damage. The 3d6 was from the third-level branding smite, the Divine Smite accounts for 6d8 (targeting a fiend), and 1d8 comes from Improved Divine Smite. This means that the weapon Sir Chad is wielding is a 1d8 weapon. Between base damage and Improved Divine Smite, on a crit, we're looking at 4d8 plus modifiers, which are most likely high on account of him being high level and rolling 72 damage on his previous attack (before GWM was applied). Furthermore, by this level, paladins can attack twice each turn; we are to assume only one attack landed last turn, but this turn could well be different. And I haven't even mentioned Divine Smite this turn. There's no need to roll.
      TL;DR: He's Sir Chad.

  • @amateural
    @amateural 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5422

    As a DM who literally just ended a 14 level campaign with a tabaxi gloomstalker shadow monk. I feel this.

    • @AxxLAfriku
      @AxxLAfriku 2 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      OH NOOOOOOOO!!! I have two girlfriends, but very few people on YT are happy for my relationship success. They disl*ke all of the videos I make with my 2 girlfriends. Please be kind, dear ama

    • @david6321
      @david6321 2 ปีที่แล้ว +267

      I have 2 monks in my table, one being a shadow monk. I'm always wondering ''how tf can you do that?'' lol. Also their turns last sooo fucking long

    • @gmacwizard8890
      @gmacwizard8890 2 ปีที่แล้ว +329

      “Ahh yes there tactical flaw was deploying there cannons 500 feet away easily melee range”

    • @db5627
      @db5627 2 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      I'm so sorry.

    • @amateural
      @amateural 2 ปีที่แล้ว +136

      @@gmacwizard8890 I had a villain rob them and use dimension door to escape. He chased the guy down and pummeled the poor enemy wizard into the concrete before the party caught up

  • @dragontoe4798
    @dragontoe4798 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +57

    "that's 82 damage"-button: 3:40

  • @8fer27
    @8fer27 ปีที่แล้ว +131

    Really, based on my experience, I'm just surprised that the 10th level higher characters actually remember all of their abilities, usually people forget everything they have in their character 'packet' by this point

  • @jukesdtj656
    @jukesdtj656 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4087

    Chad Maneuver Count to determine just how much of a chad Sir Chad is.
    1. He went on the ceiling with the wizard.
    2. He jumped down from the ceiling expecting to take damage.
    3. He verified the Rakshasa was a foul demon before attacking.
    4. He got the DM to forget the Rakshasa would be immune to the Branding Smite.
    5. He knows exactly what he wanted to do on his turn.
    6. He technically took as much time for his turn as the Monk but most of it was taken up by the DM trying to punish him and then not being able to because Sir Chad had all the facts.
    7. He only conveyed necessary information like what actions he was taking and how much damage he did.
    8. He chose to use Divine Smite before knowing he would hit.
    9. He used Great Weapon Master on the hit with Divine Smite.
    10. He immediately used his Guided Strike without hesitation.
    11. He is clearly a Conquest Paladin which is of course the best Paladin.
    12. He remembered that he would have advantage on the Stunned Rakshasa.
    13. He rolled and calculated his damage in an instant.
    14. He gave a +5 to the Monks Saving Throw.
    15. He killed the Rakshasa as the rest of the party panicked over petty things like being charmed and taking damage.
    With 15 Chad points in the bag I would rate Sir Chad a Gigachad out of Chad.

    • @ElJefeRules
      @ElJefeRules 2 ปีที่แล้ว +165

      Guided Strike is from Conquest Paladin (the other best paladin)

    • @mrdrprofsteve4455
      @mrdrprofsteve4455 2 ปีที่แล้ว +183

      He also took advantage of the DM not caring about how many bonus actions the monk took so he could use his channel divinity and branding smite in one turn

    • @bulldozer8950
      @bulldozer8950 2 ปีที่แล้ว +104

      Sir Chad remembering his abilities without taking 10 minutes for the first half of his turn, before retroactively deciding he wants to do something else? He really is a Chad.

    • @sargesvrge
      @sargesvrge 2 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      How are Rakshasas immune to branding smites again

    • @jukesdtj656
      @jukesdtj656 2 ปีที่แล้ว +58

      @@sargesvrge It's a spell below 6th level, which Rakshasa's are immune to.

  • @daxindal8502
    @daxindal8502 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1650

    I love that the DM forgot every class feature his above level 10 party has, except that Bear Totem Barbarians don't have resistance to psychic damage.

    • @thegodofallakira6349
      @thegodofallakira6349 2 ปีที่แล้ว +50

      Tbf I would remember that one the most too with how much it would come up

    • @sethb3090
      @sethb3090 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      That's a level 3 ability though

    • @PhoenixAce
      @PhoenixAce ปีที่แล้ว +11

      That’s why you use Emerald Dragonborn

    • @kahunab7400
      @kahunab7400 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      It's the players fault for not picking a race with natural resistance against psychic damage.

    • @user-db2uj9vc7s
      @user-db2uj9vc7s ปีที่แล้ว

      What if the barbarian is a kalasthar using tasha cauldron of everything book to have it's racial features in to con and strenght

  • @bobthedeleter
    @bobthedeleter ปีที่แล้ว +6

    "this one can" perhaps the most DM sentence ever spoken

  • @timeenoughatlast3368
    @timeenoughatlast3368 ปีที่แล้ว +35

    As a DM running Tomb for a 10th level party, you can absolutely make encounters that decimate your players even when they're power gaming. I don't like making encounters my players can't win. My job is to give them interesting challenges that allow them to feel the myth and heroism of their characters

  • @GrapplingHookJones
    @GrapplingHookJones 2 ปีที่แล้ว +813

    One player takes one bit of damage: “so this fight is just unwinnable then?”
    That sentiment is very real with players and I find it frustrating.

    • @user-ux4gu2lh8c
      @user-ux4gu2lh8c 2 ปีที่แล้ว +66

      As a player I too have become that person sometimes. There's the feeling of 'man this two year campaign is seriously gonna end to some random fight?' And then you realise mass healing word is busted and you are actually fine and everyone is back up

    • @MisterWretham
      @MisterWretham 2 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      So mass healing word IS a busted spell, but its players can get upset when their overpowered combo doesn't work the way they have been steamrolling.
      You want a fight to be hard on players throw lots of enemies at them, if you want them to feel it was a tough fight but let them do all their cool stuff then legendary boss fights are the best.
      Also yeah, some fights if taken poorly CAN be unwinnable, and it makes for great stories.

    • @justcri
      @justcri 2 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      honestly when a fight is hard it's the most fun
      we were in a big room, we just fought a giant naga and we're all almost dead
      two air elementals suddently appear from nowhere and we're basically screwed but we somehow manage to win without anyone dead and that was like the most fun fight ever
      hard fights are awesome

    • @cw3598
      @cw3598 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@justcri Fight challenge has nothing to do with the enjoyment of the game. If you have to bend and break rules to challenge your players then you shouldn't dm. I don't Fudge dice rules or anything. Hate when DM's taint the game to be more fun for them.

    • @kevinbarber2795
      @kevinbarber2795 2 ปีที่แล้ว +25

      @@cw3598 >you don’t DM how I do so you’re objectively wrong and bad at DMing
      :^)

  • @CRobbio
    @CRobbio 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1021

    This is hilariously accurate.
    I have a simple gentleman's agreement at my table. It is always assumed players can do absurd shit, and you let them do it because that's what players do. In turn the players never question the design of my monsters, or presume that they always adhere to 5e monster design precedents.

    • @rk9sbpro83
      @rk9sbpro83 2 ปีที่แล้ว +84

      THIS IS THE WAY

    • @pawz212
      @pawz212 2 ปีที่แล้ว +103

      Hard agree. Monster statblock, especially "boss" ones, are more guidelines than hard rules, especially the higher level you go.

    • @crooq6704
      @crooq6704 2 ปีที่แล้ว +28

      This must be an incredible table to play in. You are truly blessed.

    • @AndrewTheUltraBoss99
      @AndrewTheUltraBoss99 2 ปีที่แล้ว +48

      "wait, what monster is this? I don't remember it in the manual"
      "it's a crypt spider, it's from another manual"
      "but I can't find it in google"
      "yeah, I know, too bad"
      and even when I use normal monsters, I have to change something, maybe lower the number of dices per attack, increase health, change res and vun and everything, because there is nothing I hate more that having someone say to me:"ahh, that's a wight, it will be good, yes, now I'll hit the vunerability without rolling anything and by pure chance. and oh, master, with that attack it's already over max hp for the creature, I think it should be dead".
      no, I'm the one telling the story, you can't know how it will end before everyone else

    • @devonwakelin425
      @devonwakelin425 2 ปีที่แล้ว +31

      We have the agreement of no looking up monsters, and also that even if you know immunities, and can’t quite remember. You don’t ask you roll an arcana or history check. I have learned a lot of things resist lighting as a tempest cleric. Also the rule is, if you min max your character, the monsters min max as well

  • @im_octa
    @im_octa ปีที่แล้ว +31

    I love the part where they made the dice falling sound overlap the other character scene (02:13). Very good note there.

  • @dangerhotrod6941
    @dangerhotrod6941 ปีที่แล้ว +44

    The part where the DM is subtracting 82 damage from the monster's HP and the player's voice is muffled...so spot on!

  • @youngtally2677
    @youngtally2677 ปีที่แล้ว +5635

    I love the implication that Chad is totally okay with everything that's happening.

    • @lyebatenkaitosofgluttony2452
      @lyebatenkaitosofgluttony2452 ปีที่แล้ว +269

      Like a true chad

    • @brosef4154
      @brosef4154 ปีที่แล้ว +239

      I got +6 from his aura

    • @lorenzomariasantini
      @lorenzomariasantini ปีที่แล้ว +158

      He's a paladin.
      Obviously he's ok.

    • @TimaeusEXE
      @TimaeusEXE ปีที่แล้ว +219

      Not just that but he asked if it was a foul demon before attacking with his smites.
      He doesn't spam his smites for common enemies he saves it for when it's truly needed.
      True Chad.

    • @IndigoIndustrial
      @IndigoIndustrial ปีที่แล้ว +30

      The precursor to the GigaChad.

  • @andrewcol
    @andrewcol 2 ปีที่แล้ว +785

    I really feel like the villain here was action economy. Which is why “boss” enemies have legendary actions, they need them to face off against parties 1v4

    • @kurtoogle4576
      @kurtoogle4576 2 ปีที่แล้ว +41

      And that is why we should all back MCDM's kickstarter "Flee, Mortals!" which revamps much of the Monster Manual into ACtion-Oriented monsters. :)

    • @MrGalagoth
      @MrGalagoth 2 ปีที่แล้ว +34

      @@kurtoogle4576 I learned my lesson after his last kickstarter to never back his stuff ever again

    • @joonapukarinen1153
      @joonapukarinen1153 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@MrGalagoth What happened?

    • @dicorockhimself
      @dicorockhimself 2 ปีที่แล้ว +25

      @@joonapukarinen1153 we are still waiting for the phyiscal stuff for quiet a lot of extra time

    • @somethingsomethingelse7706
      @somethingsomethingelse7706 2 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      I think puttong in more enemies is better lets the players feel like they are progressing when they kill them

  • @rustyshackle8000
    @rustyshackle8000 ปีที่แล้ว +56

    As someone who's experienced an adversarial DM AND player once, my advice
    Build encounters that force the party to fight in a unique way
    An example: one party I'm in absolutely DEMOLISHES enemies. Just shreds them. No matter how much HP they might have, they rarely survive long.
    So our DM later had us fought a group of enemies with a special little ability
    Upon hitting a player, the enemy would form a circle under them. Any damage they take is then transferred to the player they hit originally.
    So we couldn't just rush the boss and use our big attacks, because we'd end up killing our friend. So our focus then became to get the boss out of the circle. Was legitimately nail biting and thrilling

    • @CapnShades
      @CapnShades 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      Aaaaaand stealing

    • @rustyshackle8000
      @rustyshackle8000 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      @@CapnShades Go right ahead!

    • @yannosch8516
      @yannosch8516 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      @@CapnShades same thought, just copy-pasted that into my ideas document :)

  • @kevinmooren7380
    @kevinmooren7380 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +8

    I love dm'ing for higher level things. I just did a 1 shot of lvl 20 characters that was a blast. It lasted for 4 rounds in total but watching them having so much fun with the power of the demi-gods, so worth it

  • @ShadyDoorags
    @ShadyDoorags 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5954

    If my players were as inventive as these guys in this situation, I wouldn't care that they speed rushed the encounter. My joy comes from seeing how players use their skills and powers to get through the problems I throw at them.

    • @superfightingrobotmkx7776
      @superfightingrobotmkx7776 2 ปีที่แล้ว +479

      That’s an attitude I can appreciate. Some games are better when combat encounters end quickly anyway. It leaves more time for RP, preparation, and plot progression.

    • @Amrylin1337
      @Amrylin1337 2 ปีที่แล้ว +59

      I try to think of it as if it were a movie or a book. And it's probably boring in those contexts and so I play less fanciful rpgs.

    • @Priotech
      @Priotech 2 ปีที่แล้ว +60

      Same, I make problems without solutions and just throw them at the party to see what they do.

    • @kodyisgone7483
      @kodyisgone7483 2 ปีที่แล้ว +57

      EXACTLY THIS, i love making my players think, seeing their creative thinking, problem solving, strong and cool builds, ETC is one of my FAVORITE things

    • @crooq6704
      @crooq6704 2 ปีที่แล้ว +139

      While this usually is a good mindset to have, in the context of the encounter Jacob was building this probably wasn't just some random encounter, this was supposed to be an epic confrontation against a villain and in these instances it can go a long way towards upping the tension and excitement at the table to make encounters harder on the fly. Matt Colville once said "Encounter design doesn't stop once you've rolled initiative."

  • @jaceg810
    @jaceg810 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2103

    I love how nearly all effects shocased: Portent, cunning action, wildshape, rage, tabaxi sprint an even the smites are all obtained from under 5th level.
    They are some silly multiclass though.

    • @FreedomAndPeaceOnly
      @FreedomAndPeaceOnly 2 ปีที่แล้ว +85

      Multiclassing.
      From the first moment I thought that this is just "powerplaying".

    • @fateisme
      @fateisme 2 ปีที่แล้ว +44

      @@FreedomAndPeaceOnly You say but warlock of the fiend Paladin oath of redemption works really well.

    • @atsuskyreign7083
      @atsuskyreign7083 2 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      Oh actually wouldn't branding smite not work since it is a spell technically. So only divine smite would be usable

    • @sillyjellyfish2421
      @sillyjellyfish2421 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      *looking at my old bard/fighter aarakocra that had died and then came back to life as a fiend warlock tripple multiclass * nothing to see here

    • @Im_Aeros
      @Im_Aeros 2 ปีที่แล้ว +37

      Did you know that a lvl 17 warlock-hexblade, sorcerer, fighter multi class can fire 12 eldritch blast beams in one round? And if they are concentrating on 5th lvl spirit shroud and have an enemy 10ft away from them marked with hexblades curse the potential damage if all hit is 12d10+36d8+136. Each of those beams can crit on a 19 or a twenty. Max DPS I had in a round was 391

  • @beatzdyer
    @beatzdyer ปีที่แล้ว +4

    How it also feels to DM above 10th level "finally, I can stop holding back on my players and start using the funny monsters"

  • @ericmuguerza7544
    @ericmuguerza7544 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Always love to see your dissent into madness, very entertaining 😊

  • @NicolasPine
    @NicolasPine 2 ปีที่แล้ว +661

    Player: "You can't do that, you're breaking the rules!"
    DM: "Silence! I am the rules."

    • @droman608
      @droman608 2 ปีที่แล้ว +39

      “Then you too, must be broken.”

    • @xiahoupaul19
      @xiahoupaul19 2 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      @@droman608 Those players broke him with those insane abilities.

    • @falxblade1352
      @falxblade1352 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Screw the rules I have snacks!

    • @crosupermario580
      @crosupermario580 2 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      Player: "You can't do that, you're breaking the rules!"
      DM: "Silence! I am the rules."
      Dice: "Let me introduce myself"

    • @der_saftmon
      @der_saftmon 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Player:
      "Not. Yet."
      *lightsaber dices activate *

  • @LaBlueSkuld
    @LaBlueSkuld ปีที่แล้ว +2417

    The Monk stressing so hard that it's "MAGIC" damage is one of the most accurate things you've ever captured about tabletop gaming.

    • @BK-hu4qf
      @BK-hu4qf ปีที่แล้ว +155

      I understand, in one of my campaigns as a monk, I found out that my DM didn't know that I was surpassing resistance with my unarmed attacks, so I was nerfed for no reason in many fights, at least we found out about it almost in the middle of a boss fight xd

    • @fall-from-grace1008
      @fall-from-grace1008 ปีที่แล้ว +160

      @@BK-hu4qf that's just dumb, the DM is supposed to tell you when the damage you dealt is halved, i usually say something like "your attack didn't seem to be as effective as you would expect" so the players know the enemy has resistance.

    • @BK-hu4qf
      @BK-hu4qf ปีที่แล้ว +19

      @@fall-from-grace1008 Yes, i know, my DM make this in the boss and it was where I realized that

    • @Azarthes
      @Azarthes ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@fall-from-grace1008 eh, you could very easily homerule that as a 'you need to do an arcana or smthn to figure that out', which actually buffs characters that gain info on attack
      but regardless this is why i never use resistances in the first place.

    • @RocKaFella57
      @RocKaFella57 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      ​@@AzarthesYeah, say that at session 0 though

  • @allanbroady2970
    @allanbroady2970 ปีที่แล้ว +14

    This is why legendary actions/resistances are important

  • @user-qt7up3gq4t
    @user-qt7up3gq4t 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    This is one of my favorite videos on youtube ever because its my life every week

  • @canjica_
    @canjica_ 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1175

    2:09 Let's just appreciate the fact that when the DM throws his dice on the wall, you can hear them rolling on the floor on the next shot, Incredible...

    • @leoallison636
      @leoallison636 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      dude, he must have gotten at least ONE max roll on that

    • @anthroplant7879
      @anthroplant7879 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      better continuity than some blockbusters lol

  • @MinnIsKill
    @MinnIsKill ปีที่แล้ว +4904

    In all honesty, if my players remembered all their spells/traits, fought cleverly and held information inside their heads for longer that 5 seconds, I'd be happy to give them the kill without so much as a scratch, even applaud. If players are having fun and feel proud of themselves for overcoming obstacles, that's not the DM losing, that's the DM doing a good job.

    • @Drekromancer
      @Drekromancer ปีที่แล้ว +168

      Well said, king. 👑

    • @renarddubois940
      @renarddubois940 ปีที่แล้ว +270

      even then, it's good for immersion if not all monsters of a species have the same abilities, boss encounters should be somewhat surprising, you're fighting an individual with his own history and skills not just a by the book standard for his species..

    • @timothypeterson4781
      @timothypeterson4781 ปีที่แล้ว +38

      That'd be the most boring game ever. Might as well just play Gurps. Nothing wrong with Gurps, but a combat I can't lose is just wasted time.

    • @MinnIsKill
      @MinnIsKill ปีที่แล้ว +167

      @@timothypeterson4781 noone's saying they can't lose, only that if players defeat an enemy through perfectly legal means, the DM shouldn't go making up excuses to ruin the kill. Of course, there are lines to be drawn where a mechanic abuse is taking place, for example bards and their infamous seductions, but that's an entirely different rabbit hole.

    • @timothypeterson4781
      @timothypeterson4781 ปีที่แล้ว +41

      @@MinnIsKill If a "big boss" went down in one round I'd just call it a lame encounter.

  • @MySonSet
    @MySonSet 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    I got chills immediately! This is going to be good!

  • @_Helm_
    @_Helm_ ปีที่แล้ว

    mate you are hilarious and super talented, great writing and perfromance. Well done!

  • @iamnotglenn
    @iamnotglenn 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1232

    Love how everyone forgot about the monk’s sister mid fight.
    Also NEVER give a tabaxi monk boots of speed.

    • @ylnysanchez3859
      @ylnysanchez3859 2 ปีที่แล้ว +151

      If my player wanted to make the fastest character alive, im enabling it.

    • @johnnelson4411
      @johnnelson4411 2 ปีที่แล้ว +142

      ALWAYS give a tabaxi monk boots of speed.*
      I fixed your typo

    • @johnnelson4411
      @johnnelson4411 2 ปีที่แล้ว +26

      @MonsterCraft Tabaxi jokes aside... Imagine a world of only Tabaxi 😂
      You could have an order of assassin monks as villain npcs

    • @jindo5
      @jindo5 2 ปีที่แล้ว +27

      Give the Tabaxi Monk five different items of Speed that all stack!

    • @demonderpz7937
      @demonderpz7937 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Let alone a tabaxi monk/rogue

  • @wavedashdownsmash
    @wavedashdownsmash 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1970

    The ONLY thing missing at the end was the players going "THAT WAS GREAT"
    Spot on otherwise.

    • @TimaeusEXE
      @TimaeusEXE 2 ปีที่แล้ว +54

      Yeah some people giving the DM hell for fudging, but where's the fun in bulldozing every single encounter that easily.
      Yeah sure the first time players getting to use all these abilities will be very fun for them, but after so many encounters it stops becoming fun because nothing would be challenging anymore.
      A DM should always strive to make encounters challenging and fun for players even if stats or rolls are being changed on the fly.

    • @vukkulvar9769
      @vukkulvar9769 2 ปีที่แล้ว +37

      "That was great. Same time next week ?"

    • @Ralnarene
      @Ralnarene 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      @@TimaeusEXE I usually am trying to adjust so I don't accidentally kill PCs. I think I run pre-made modules differently than intended somehow, because they tend more towards a likely TPK than I would think.
      I think some modules are written assuming I'm running it more like Heroquest, where the enemies don't exist until you are deliberately interacting with the new room they are in. I think I tend to assume that some of the groups of enemies will hear and run towards combat in nearby rooms. Then again, I haven't DMed for a while, and I haven't DMed frequently enough to get a good feel for it.

    • @TimaeusEXE
      @TimaeusEXE 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@Ralnarene well usually you shouldn't make it too easy either or the players won't feel challenged or will get the feeling that they won't ever have to worry about death. If you want PC deaths at some point I'd definitely wait till the players had some history with their PCs or if they're near or at the end of a dungeon. If you don't want PC deaths but do want them to fear failure then give them a objective that they must carefully or quickly accomplish or some horrid event will happen if they fail.

    • @dylanwight5764
      @dylanwight5764 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@TimaeusEXE And this is why bounded accuracy exists. Besides, what's worse -- one hydra-sized cockatrice or a hundred cockatrice-sized hydras?

  • @xarris37
    @xarris37 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    The very last second of the video makes the whole thing. Perfect

  • @theroshawk
    @theroshawk 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    The Song at 4:55 is Called "The Eternal war" by Dream cave
    If you got that itch where you feel like you heard this before from somewhere it might be from the Rust TH-camr Enardo its the song he plays when the Zerg is coming

  • @mariowithcoolglasses3640
    @mariowithcoolglasses3640 ปีที่แล้ว +1882

    I want to appreciate the writing of the skit because I so quickly went from rooting for the dm to have a fair battle to wanting the party to defeat the rakasha

    • @lukeeatschips6324
      @lukeeatschips6324 ปีที่แล้ว +71

      I was expecting the players to call the DM out on his bs and say "either you stop this or we ain't playing with you"... sigh, bad ending reached

    • @herbivorethecarnivore8447
      @herbivorethecarnivore8447 ปีที่แล้ว +34

      @@lukeeatschips6324 Man fr just wrote the word 'sigh'

    • @StretchtoYourHeart
      @StretchtoYourHeart ปีที่แล้ว +44

      @@lukeeatschips6324 you really think after all this drama and heroics the party went through and how engaged the skit showed them that a one round instant kill would be better? 😂

    • @lukeeatschips6324
      @lukeeatschips6324 ปีที่แล้ว +31

      @@StretchtoYourHeart Yes. The DM didn't prepare and cheated, the real party would have know he did and called him out on it.
      Doing your job well is fun in DnD, the DM will be better at preparing enemies next time.

    • @DuskEalain
      @DuskEalain ปีที่แล้ว +110

      @@lukeeatschips6324 Improvising is part of being a DM, a real party would expect an experienced DM to do stuff that isn't by the books because action economy is scuffed at later levels.
      You're right, doing your job well is fun, but is it really a good job if there's no challenge to it? You're completely missing the point of the skit despite it being completely spelt out, sure the DM "cheated" but the Barbarian he hit wasn't knocked to half HP, wasn't dying, and still had all his tools available to him but was whining because he could no longer steamroll the encounter.

  • @xandermcdonald8543
    @xandermcdonald8543 2 ปีที่แล้ว +585

    The best part of this is that the first turn is almost all possible at level 5, level 3 for everything but stunning strike (feather fall, portent, rage, Dhampir spiderclimb at lvl 3), and the way that the players feel like the monster is stupid and broken as soon as it actually gets a turn despite them still winning on the second turn

    • @wretchedegg5170
      @wretchedegg5170 2 ปีที่แล้ว +34

      That also confused me, the title sais group above 10th lvl and all they throw at the dm are low level abilities and the dm cant handle it. ^^ also that sounded like a strategy the players would have used more than once already, cant realy relate to the no fall dm tantrum the dm hat, but as a who had a divination wizard up to 15th lvl in his goup i can relate to the dice swap mechanic ^^

    • @insertlaughter4436
      @insertlaughter4436 2 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      @@wretchedegg5170 4th level divine smite and 3rd level branding smite are not 5th level abilities.

    • @futuza
      @futuza 6 วันที่ผ่านมา

      @@insertlaughter4436 These shouldn't even apply anyway since the Rakshasha is immune to spells lower than 6th level and would be unaffected by them.

  • @AngmarAnvil
    @AngmarAnvil 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I tip my hat to you sir, hands down the best skit I have seen in a while, pls keep it going!

  • @VinterNacht_
    @VinterNacht_ ปีที่แล้ว +295

    You have succinctly explained why I really despise higher level campaigns. There's this feeling of "well, instead of telling a story, I have to carefully strategize my opponents build to ensure that *any* of this is going to be the *slightest* bit challenging."

    • @comment-chan8750
      @comment-chan8750 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      I have four players, one of them exactly like the players in this, the rest are basically roleplayers/normal players. Never felt a quote like that one. Theyre only level 7 if that helps.

    • @mrosskne
      @mrosskne ปีที่แล้ว +1

      why do you use level based systems?

    • @comment-chan8750
      @comment-chan8750 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      @@mrosskne My players this far insisted on DND

    • @mrosskne
      @mrosskne ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@comment-chan8750 Get better players.

    • @VinterNacht_
      @VinterNacht_ ปีที่แล้ว

      @@mrosskne I don't anymore. If the question was directed at me. If at @comment-chan8750, same question.

  • @phoenixdragon44
    @phoenixdragon44 2 ปีที่แล้ว +837

    Final session of the campaign, we're fighting 18 of the hardest enemies we've met, Constructs made of adamantine called "peacemakers." Resistances and immunities across the board, weapons out the wazoo, and high ac, Hp, and damage. It was supposed to be a battle we ran away from... The wizard cast Dark Star... they were vulnerable to force damage... it was over in a round...

    • @maximumvideos1000
      @maximumvideos1000 2 ปีที่แล้ว +130

      And that's why so few creatures in d&d have vulnerabilities

    • @eddieleung5714
      @eddieleung5714 2 ปีที่แล้ว +62

      Ah yes, the black hole spell

    • @SubTactHiphop
      @SubTactHiphop 2 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      Everything is vulnerable to the Grateful Dead

    • @ethanhostetler4007
      @ethanhostetler4007 2 ปีที่แล้ว +85

      Actually, what the Wizard cast was called "Fuck Everything in That Particular Direction".

    • @Pyre
      @Pyre 2 ปีที่แล้ว +54

      For the record?
      This is when, as a GM, you cheat. Exponentially bigger health pools, sudden dragons from nowhere, other complications.
      Because PCs deserve to be rewarded for good luck and cool tricks, but also fuck that, it doesn't get to be that easy.

  • @paddlesawtactic9788
    @paddlesawtactic9788 ปีที่แล้ว +2434

    I love that. "Rakshasa's have legendary actions? "He can cast a spell with his Legendary Action?"
    "This one can!"
    I can add whatever I want to the stat block. This isn't just a Rakshasa. This is Nabu the Bloodspiller, and he can do this.

    • @mrosskne
      @mrosskne ปีที่แล้ว +31

      is there anything more cringe than a dm trying to make their characters seem impressive

    • @Severezz
      @Severezz ปีที่แล้ว +499

      @@mrosskne you

    • @mrosskne
      @mrosskne ปีที่แล้ว +13

      @@Severezz cope

    • @Azarthes
      @Azarthes ปีที่แล้ว +281

      @@mrosskne is there anything more cringe than someone thinking the dm is their opposition?

    • @mrosskne
      @mrosskne ปีที่แล้ว +8

      @@Azarthes nobody here thinks that, idk what the point of your comment is

  • @barryjames73
    @barryjames73 ปีที่แล้ว

    Just lmao.. one of your best videos, I was rolling lol

  • @therealsyrai2443
    @therealsyrai2443 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    This filled me with an ungodly amount of rage. Thank you.

  • @dandanalpha9440
    @dandanalpha9440 2 ปีที่แล้ว +719

    Uhm, actually (pun intended): Feather fall says that you can choose up to five "falling" creatures, as Chad wasn't falling at the moment of casting feather fall wouldn't work on him.

    • @GuardianTactician
      @GuardianTactician 2 ปีที่แล้ว +81

      Counterargument: Everyone's turns are happening in the same 6 seconds.

    • @thestranger954
      @thestranger954 2 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      Good eye, but also NERD!

    • @matthewbarker4109
      @matthewbarker4109 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @Hunter Initiative is really there to determine what order players go in, not characters which are acting all at the same time

    • @KuonilerariLoufanwald
      @KuonilerariLoufanwald 2 ปีที่แล้ว +27

      @@GuardianTactician Yeah, but there's a specified turn order. That's like saying the fighter kills the lich but the lich was able to get off his Power Word: Kill at the same time even though the fighter acted before him.

    • @Blaze87540
      @Blaze87540 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@KuonilerariLoufanwald I can see both argument. Only thing I can see to support his is that feather fall is a reaction. So the lich king argument falls on here.

  • @jonathanzieg7671
    @jonathanzieg7671 2 ปีที่แล้ว +517

    The real mistake the DM made was thinking an unmodified lone rakshasa would be a boss fight for a party of level 11 PCs. It says right in their stat block that they're CR 13. DM should have just felt lucky the paladin didn't switch to a spear to capitalize on their vulnerability to piercing damage from good creatures. As is, it was a perfectly effective middle-difficulty encounter that made the party burn some limited resources to weaken them for the true end boss.

    • @theodorehunter4765
      @theodorehunter4765 2 ปีที่แล้ว +41

      That's supposed to be a hard encounter, by the book. That's closer to a speed bump.
      My party of level 14s can probably take on a dragon with no issue.

    • @Amrylin1337
      @Amrylin1337 2 ปีที่แล้ว +42

      And therein lies one of the more boring and tedious parts of 5E's core design which is "the adventuring day" and attrition. It's been so, so long since the vast majority of people have played in a way that is in line with the adventuring day. We're talking literally 3.5e. No one wants this anymore.

    • @jackmakila3776
      @jackmakila3776 2 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      This dm seems like shit now what he should have dont is either have backup arrive for the creature mid combat or actually check what his party can do before hand not suddenly give it a bunch of abilities

    • @override367
      @override367 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@Amrylin1337 I've literally switched to doing one set of resources per session and it's video gamey and silly but it has led to far more tactically satisfying combats

    • @astuteanansi4935
      @astuteanansi4935 2 ปีที่แล้ว +28

      A normal, unmodded rakshasa is kinda shit in a direct fight despite being CR13. It's not an enemy you run as a boss, it's an enemy you harass the party with over the course of an entire campaign. Its only two spells that are good for a direct confrontation are Dominate Person, which is self-explanatory, and Plane Shift, which it can just use to yeet a PC to Hell forever. If that doesn't work, the rakshasa needs to get outta there because two claw attacks for an average of 9 damage is laughable for a party that can deal with CR13

  • @genehenson8851
    @genehenson8851 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Two months I wouldn’t have known what you were talking about, and now I’m just like “yep” following along just fine. Thanks Boulders Gate 3.

  • @matthewbrady9342
    @matthewbrady9342 ปีที่แล้ว

    Your creativity is wonderful, my friend.

  • @MoonPatch
    @MoonPatch 2 ปีที่แล้ว +78

    I love how half of these are like, early to mid level abilities.
    Featherfall is literally a level 1 spell.

    • @queengames8421
      @queengames8421 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      I'm pretty sure none of this is past 10th level, except for the Paladin's higher level smite slots and possibly some multiclassing involved.

    • @AnadynTheCursed
      @AnadynTheCursed 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Well, the wizard must have been at least Barbarian 3 and Druid 2 (if Circle of the Moon, otherwise Druid 8) to pull off the combo, plus Contagion is a level 5 spell.

    • @MoonPatch
      @MoonPatch 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@AnadynTheCursed You get access to 5th level spells at caster level 9, so contagion is in (though, like you pointed out it would have to be over level 10 to have that on top of 3 barbarian levels)
      But the main point is that even if a combo is high level, there are little to no uses of actual high level abilities.

    • @AnadynTheCursed
      @AnadynTheCursed 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@MoonPatch I think the point is that they have so many of them at this point that it's their combination that makes them invincible rather than any of them in particular.

    • @MoonPatch
      @MoonPatch 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@AnadynTheCursed Fair enough, I was just making an observation that most of DM Jacob's frustrations came from basic class or subclass features rather than high level stuff.
      Except the speed of sound tabaxi monk with boots of speed, that one's a classic.

  • @Solrex_the_Sun_King
    @Solrex_the_Sun_King 2 ปีที่แล้ว +644

    Rolls a 2. “27”
    When the DM has the screen so they can fudge the roll to facilitate a good game and get a +25 to their attack if needed.

    • @monsieurdorgat6864
      @monsieurdorgat6864 2 ปีที่แล้ว +29

      Eh, not my thing. If the players get lucky, they get lucky. I open roll.

    • @Solrex_the_Sun_King
      @Solrex_the_Sun_King 2 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      @@monsieurdorgat6864 I mean, if you want less roleplay and more combat, go play Warhammer.

    • @monsieurdorgat6864
      @monsieurdorgat6864 2 ปีที่แล้ว +43

      @@Solrex_the_Sun_King Wat
      fudging rolls has nothing to do with roleplay. It's just cheating lol. If you wanted a certain outcome, just don't roll.

    • @Solrex_the_Sun_King
      @Solrex_the_Sun_King 2 ปีที่แล้ว +29

      @@monsieurdorgat6864 if the game is too easy it’s not fun. If the game is too hard, it’s also not fun. You as the DM are less of a player and more of a referee to keep things in balance.

    • @monsieurdorgat6864
      @monsieurdorgat6864 2 ปีที่แล้ว +30

      @@Solrex_the_Sun_King Eh, I'm pretty sure the fun comes from being surprised and from fantasy fulfillment. My table plays to have fun and unwind. Variety and agency matters way more than difficulty for us.
      Especially if you're really concerned with roleplay? Like wtf does difficulty have to do with roleplay? I thought you were on a "THIS ISN'T A WAR GAME!" platform?

  • @riftstrider5433
    @riftstrider5433 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Gotta love how 400 speed broke the combat, and yet so much more can be acheived

  • @Kiddy7180
    @Kiddy7180 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    And this is why you build combat and the rest of the campaign around the party's level and abilities. It makes it a lot more fun. Feeling op and having a challenge!

  • @rednassie1101
    @rednassie1101 2 ปีที่แล้ว +312

    Me: "Alright, roll for stealth"
    My players:
    Invisibility
    Boots of elvenkind (advantage)
    Pass without trace (+10)
    Flash of genius (+5)
    Hide in plain sight (+10)
    Bardic inspiration (+D12)
    Guidance (+D4)
    Bend luck (+D4)
    Lucky feat (additional roll)
    Boon of undetectability (+10)
    So with a nat20 and max rolls, that'll be... *70*

    • @kacwery8463
      @kacwery8463 2 ปีที่แล้ว +61

      And then there's the Cleric, who rolled a 4

    • @TekayAuron
      @TekayAuron 2 ปีที่แล้ว +23

      Wow, I feel bad for those PCs. The math there would mean that to get a 70 in that circumstance, they have a Stealth bonus of -5. No wonder they feel the need for all those buffs lol
      It's okay, though, I'm sure the party rogue with 20 Dexterity and Stealth Expertise (but no hide in plain sight) is enjoying having a stealth of 74 (or 76 if they're at least 17th level) after rolling two 1s and a 2, thanks to Reliable Talent.

    • @DesMuttYS
      @DesMuttYS 2 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      75. You accidentally left out Flash of Genius.

    • @downstairschannel6582
      @downstairschannel6582 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Got to add in the bardic inspo

    • @FullMetalHamster666
      @FullMetalHamster666 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Enter my Fighter in Full Plate going BONK BONK BONK on your every attempt.

  • @cloe3511
    @cloe3511 2 ปีที่แล้ว +241

    The portent/super fast monk combo has happened in some of my games in the past and it's hilarious to see you make the exact same facial expressions lmao

    • @Levyathyn
      @Levyathyn 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Currently rocking Portent in my game, but our Monk unfortunately had to abscond the game for real life reasons, so the DM is spared from one of these possible interactions. =P

    • @arcadeinvader8086
      @arcadeinvader8086 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      imagine speedy monk with super buff legs, and the ever-present 7 attacks per turn fighter with really buff arms, teaming up with like the fighter riding on the monk's shoulders

  • @cylemorton2131
    @cylemorton2131 ปีที่แล้ว

    The quality acting of each character has increased so much. Like it was already good before but damn,really enjoying the new videos

  • @diegoseba12
    @diegoseba12 ปีที่แล้ว

    This video is just too good I can't stop watching it

  • @kdenkniep1454
    @kdenkniep1454 2 ปีที่แล้ว +185

    I love that Jacob probably had to make multiple characters and a bunch of research for this video 😂

    • @thestranger954
      @thestranger954 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Although it was super neat to see that they all worked as written. Dude knows his stuff.

    • @atomicmokka599
      @atomicmokka599 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      For real. This video was an excuse to test some crazy theory crafted builds. Props to Jacob!

    • @Rockzilla1122
      @Rockzilla1122 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      90% of these features/spells are granted below level 8 lol

  • @cherylisenberg5956
    @cherylisenberg5956 2 ปีที่แล้ว +59

    *Rolls a 2* "27", had me DYING. I immediately sent this to my players.

    • @RosscoAW
      @RosscoAW ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Rule zero: DM screen. 😂

  • @captaindoom7556
    @captaindoom7556 ปีที่แล้ว

    Love your work dude keep up the funny content bro your a dnd chad

  • @LeonLJ
    @LeonLJ 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    This is so fucking good. Thank you

  • @frostbvrn
    @frostbvrn 2 ปีที่แล้ว +316

    One thing about feather falling, it can only target falling creatures, so sir chad would've taken the fall damage.

    • @zerosummations7198
      @zerosummations7198 2 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      They mean that Sir Chad wasn't falling yet when Feather Falling was cast, so Sir Chad couldn't have been included in the targets of the spell

    • @adammackintosh430
      @adammackintosh430 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      The duration of feather fall is one minute so you can continue to add creatures to the spell until it ends.

    • @liamnix5528
      @liamnix5528 2 ปีที่แล้ว +34

      @@adammackintosh430 That is not how that works. That duration is how long it lasts on the creatures you cast it on
      Also, unrelated to this, weren't the spells he cast against it below sixth level, and therefore they would not count?

    • @Khaons
      @Khaons 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Yeah, by raw feather fall is a pain to use in combat, in that situation everyone would need to ready their actions to jump at the same time the caster does so he can use his reaction to cast it on everyone.

    • @jeepersmcgee3466
      @jeepersmcgee3466 2 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      @@Khaons since it's all "simultaneous," I allow targets to be added until the start of the caster's next turn

  • @drefk1973
    @drefk1973 2 ปีที่แล้ว +501

    I'm a forever DM and I'm currently running for a group of 7 level 15 characters. This hit close to home. I've been playing since 1984 and still, I love this god damn game

    • @AIWARAS619
      @AIWARAS619 2 ปีที่แล้ว +26

      7 players at level 15? How do you even deal with that action economy when nowadays everyone seams to be at least a half caster?
      At level 14 if you have both divination wizard and necromancer they can both once a day combo into turning any single undead into ally, if it's intelligence is under 12 they can chose to keep it forever until they find a better one, that includes CR 20 Nightwalker.

    • @drefk1973
      @drefk1973 2 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      @@AIWARAS619 The party is 1 cleric, 1 cleric/fighter, 2 sorcerers, 1 rouge, 1 ranger/warlock and 1 fighter.
      It takes some creative DM:ing and I wouldn't have been able to do it unless I had DMed for so long. It helps that my players are experienced as well

    • @AIWARAS619
      @AIWARAS619 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@drefk1973 Do they ever go easy on you? Like choosing not to cast slow on a hydra when it's clearly the final fight or banish half of the enemy fighting force(especially when they are winning anyway) despite being able to? From my experience it takes a lot of time to learn restraint and I myself was guilty of cheep shots like that for a bit when I still played(a.k.a. not playing with the DM instead of against the DM).

    • @drefk1973
      @drefk1973 2 ปีที่แล้ว +25

      @@AIWARAS619 They do NOT pull punches. I don't expect them to and I plan encounters accordingly

    • @AIWARAS619
      @AIWARAS619 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      @@drefk1973 I guess after 38 years of DM'ing it's hard to trow something at you that would phase you even at these numbers, and with players of similar calibre it's the same for them.

  • @x_splo2084
    @x_splo2084 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Ive never seen your channel before this video and im scared to watch more because it can only go downhill from this beauty

  • @orchid3453
    @orchid3453 ปีที่แล้ว

    I just realized you hung up the tarokka deck thats rad

  • @aetherius6221
    @aetherius6221 2 ปีที่แล้ว +40

    "You said we could be on the ceiling"
    This is why you must always be careful about what you say

  • @eggy6815
    @eggy6815 ปีที่แล้ว +212

    I love how sir chad didn’t even check his die when he rolled, he just declared that he dealt 82 damage.

    • @lucassherfey6728
      @lucassherfey6728 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +20

      My favorite part was when his aura gave +5 to saving throws, confirming that this Chad maxed out CHA as a paladin

    • @psy4597
      @psy4597 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Some tables just got that one guy who does such ridiculous numbers you stop questioning how much they say they do.

  • @fearfulfred
    @fearfulfred ปีที่แล้ว +4

    This is honestly one of the funniest videos you've made, every couple of weeks I just come back to watch it even though I've never gotten a party past 6th level hahahaha

  • @Asurya1978
    @Asurya1978 ปีที่แล้ว

    The dice toss over the shoulder with the Feather Fall floored me. lmao

  • @warmice4136
    @warmice4136 2 ปีที่แล้ว +65

    The dm: you can’t do that
    Players: no, no this isn’t how your supposed to play the game

  • @DJSpike-ft9yw
    @DJSpike-ft9yw 2 ปีที่แล้ว +646

    As a DM, I’ve done a campaign from level 5 to level 20, at the end the party was literally fighting a False god and then a madman wizard who served an Eldritch horror and stole the powers of the defeated false god. After a while, nothing phased me. I don’t even keep track of health of anything past CR 20, and just pick a moment that narratively makes sense with the story and the situation for the creature to fall. Makes it more fun.

    • @robbomegavlkafenryka6158
      @robbomegavlkafenryka6158 ปีที่แล้ว +59

      The way we get around the power keep effect is that we make up encounters with NPCS who use player rules. One of the most memorable Champaigns I DMed I ended up using a level 20 character I made for fun, who was basically a ninja straight of the Naruto cartoon, fight the level 17 party with his gang of dudes. It ended up being loads of fun and kept the campaign fairly well grounded. Which fit with the story I had laid out.

    • @hundredpercentmetal
      @hundredpercentmetal ปีที่แล้ว +21

      I just campaigned a 3-20 campaign and yeah by the end I never kept track of health either lmao. The fight goes on until I feel it's over

    • @RosscoAW
      @RosscoAW ปีที่แล้ว +91

      Rule zero of D&D is actually "use the DM screen to convince the party that rules exist as anything other than propaganda to force the suspension of their disbelief."

    • @DJSpike-ft9yw
      @DJSpike-ft9yw ปีที่แล้ว +26

      @@RosscoAW Yeah, I don’t let them win until they’re biting their nails, getting a bit of forehead sweat, and watching each dice roll with bated breath. The exception being if someone comes up with a real clever idea that changes the dynamics of the fight (I.e Rule of Cool) or comes up with a grounded, well thought out argument that directly challenges the villains beliefs or goals. Then I let them verbally spar back and force until they either reach a logic impasse, a fight fight breaks out due to anger, or convinces the big bad to stand down/surrender/retreat/etc. But they must make a solid logical argument in order to get that option (emotional “because it’s evil” arguments get tossed aside with a simple “good and evil are points of view” argument).

    • @gabrielcoelho7909
      @gabrielcoelho7909 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Hoo, my DM had two separate groups in the same adventure and diferent places. Then he almost obliterated the second group, spawned a demon out of his ass, corrupted they all into undead and turned them into villains trying to the destroy the plane. And for us, the newer and still a hero party he said" I gotta other set of players hunting for you, u have the option to fight, or die". And that's how he set up pvp of 12 players. Side note, my group was of noobs, theirs strongest mage with 30 intelligence stopped time, set up 2 traps, them casted meteors for 240 damage on my blind and oblivious party. Not enough? The DM aware of power issues, also put another threat on the already loosing battle, just 200m high something like a dragon, and tiamate later to destroy that one. The villain mage became a God, everybody died (also tiamate) and he resurrected all giving his life because his objective was to protect his sister even if he destroyed the world. It was chaotic, insane and epic. (Revived dead characters along with the players current ones and made everybody crie)

  • @Draliseth
    @Draliseth 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    That was good shit. Subbed.

  • @itsame_th2283
    @itsame_th2283 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Subbed. That was fantastic

  • @joshuamorrow8863
    @joshuamorrow8863 2 ปีที่แล้ว +442

    I'm gonna be super honest, I love when my players do this kind of thing. I mean yeah, building the encounter is tedious but watching them overcome it and seeing them be super happy with themselves makes me enjoy being a dm

    • @_lexi
      @_lexi ปีที่แล้ว +10

      awww 🥺🥺

    • @cleftboywonder
      @cleftboywonder ปีที่แล้ว +9

      Wish i could participate in a campaign run by a dm with that mindset

    • @Notsbaby
      @Notsbaby ปีที่แล้ว +5

      What i do when an encounter ends too easily i just reuse the character sheet for a different enemy later down the line

    • @pedrooginio
      @pedrooginio ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Same! Especially if it was a challenging encounter. Man, when they cheer as the killing blow hits the final enemy (better if it was a boss), I feel fulfilled. It is my joy see my player overcome their trials, just as much as seeing them choose the dumbest way to solve a problem XD

    • @hazyshade9648
      @hazyshade9648 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Same here. I mean I enjoy making a challenge for my party but its always a challenge that can reasonably be overcome and I'm happy when they do.

  • @TheRealGovika
    @TheRealGovika 2 ปีที่แล้ว +208

    The booming "NO" is such a wonderful moment as a DM. I don't experience it often but when I do it makes the players squirm. Sometimes, it doesn't work like that

  • @edgiestbirch1557
    @edgiestbirch1557 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Ok I love the fact that in the beginning you used Bonnie graces song deer hunt because the music they make just feels like dnd to me

  • @imjoshwa
    @imjoshwa 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    watching this while playing bg3 so i had to pause the video to figure out whether the music is from the game or from this video. good shit dude

  • @sanjaraejour9632
    @sanjaraejour9632 2 ปีที่แล้ว +323

    I feel this so hard as a DM. I've also switched to giving any "boss" NPC legendary actions, additional hit points (going with max rolled is a decent start), and allow their abilities to be fungible in combat just so they survive long enough to hopefully have two turns of action.

    • @Isometrix116
      @Isometrix116 2 ปีที่แล้ว +36

      Have you tried giving the bosses minions? 1-2 lieutenants + 6 or so trash mobs can make an easy encounter into a deadly, dramatic one.

    • @sanjaraejour9632
      @sanjaraejour9632 2 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      @@Isometrix116 I have, but they don't do much to prolong the life of the BBEG when the party focuses on BBEG, then cleans up their minions and champions in the following round.

    • @Cha-Khia
      @Cha-Khia 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      @@sanjaraejour9632 I've given the bosses free movement as reactions before, allowing them to position themselves in better places while ignoring attacks of opportunity.
      Special actions and reactions can make a boss battle actually interesting.
      Take for example, an Evil Sorcerer that floats around the battlefield casting a multitude of spells to harass the PC's while also being able to zip around as a reaction to being targeted(5-6 recharge) , then using a legendary action (one per turn) to punish the PC's further, I didn't even have to give the guy crazy damage or HP to make him a tough opponent, I used regular spells at base level from the PHB, and he had 50 HP, up against three level 9 PCs.
      My PC's won, but it was a hard fight because the BBEG had advantage of the action economy, but was only one guy to target, I also counter spelled a revivify, which caused my players to have a shit and a laugh.

    • @LexSchilperoord
      @LexSchilperoord 2 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      I gave a boss fight legendary actions against my level 3 players, it's necessary if you want to be able to create a balanced party on 1 fight, otherwise it's either "they win because they go first" or "it wins because it goes first"

    • @Doomsdaymanx
      @Doomsdaymanx 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      One of my friends accidentally ran a hag as three monsters because he misunderstood the rules around a hag coven. It was the the best mistake ever. Opened my eyes to the fact that it should be perfectly balanced to break a monster into pieces, or stitch together a monster. Want to give a monster legendary actions? Let it use part of it's multi-attack outside it's turn. Want to have a single boss that the party can't focus? Stitch together the boss and your two lieutenants. If they focus or disable the boss, it losses it's best abilities, but can still use the lieutenants abilities so doesn't sit there like a wet rag while they wail on it.

  • @someguywithajacksparrowicon
    @someguywithajacksparrowicon 2 ปีที่แล้ว +166

    2:07 can we just talk about how he throws the dice behind him and then on the next cut where he plays another character in the skit, *you can still hear the dice rolling on the floor?*

    • @Matork2100
      @Matork2100 2 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      Immediately paused to look for this comment, yes. That was some top-tier continuity.
      Things like that just elevate stuff to a whole other level. 👌

    • @someguywithajacksparrowicon
      @someguywithajacksparrowicon 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@Matork2100 right? lmao

    • @whitevii1533
      @whitevii1533 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@Matork2100 I wouldn't exactly call it continuity, dice just don't... roll that long. It was like a dice rolling sound effect on multiple loops. Very weird editing.

    • @jukesdtj656
      @jukesdtj656 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@whitevii1533 They would if they fell onto a hard floor from that high up.

    • @politeghost6214
      @politeghost6214 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      commenting instead of liking cause B^) 69 nice

  • @justicedunham4088
    @justicedunham4088 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +38

    Never have to worry about accidentally defeating the boss in round one if the party doesn’t know the enemy’s hp. You can let the combat go on until you think they’ve fought hard enough

    • @firelordeliteast6750
      @firelordeliteast6750 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Just don’t tell them that

    • @leightonpetty4817
      @leightonpetty4817 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      _Shhhhhh…_

    • @timothyjacksondrake4454
      @timothyjacksondrake4454 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

      I like the tactical aspect of dnd so I try to avoid that. However, one thing I do is let the boss survive a player turn or two to make their death impactful/climactic.

  • @kalenipclaw5683
    @kalenipclaw5683 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    this
    this is a perfect case for "when it feels like they've done enough"

  • @markedforstrike
    @markedforstrike ปีที่แล้ว +745

    3:14 - my DM looked exactly like this when my lvl 3 goblin moon druid casted no trace and wildshaped into a nyxborn lynx, getting +16 on stealth, ambush as a bonus action and ability to pass through objects. I obliterated everything in sight and after that encounter I got hit by a rock that fell from the moon and forgot about such creature entirely

    • @Vallinen92
      @Vallinen92 ปีที่แล้ว +37

      Goblin... turning into a Nyxborn Lynx..?? There are no goblins in Theros?

    • @markedforstrike
      @markedforstrike ปีที่แล้ว +70

      @@Vallinen92 well, I specifically asked my DM before the game if I can do that and he said sure, so I guess it make sence... somewhere

    • @lolihitler4198
      @lolihitler4198 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      @@markedforstrike nice pushover dm lmao

    • @NSFWTHICC
      @NSFWTHICC ปีที่แล้ว +103

      @@lolihitler4198 or maybe someone that just wants to let the party have some fun?

    • @lolihitler4198
      @lolihitler4198 ปีที่แล้ว +27

      @@NSFWTHICC OP even admits that what his dm let him do basically broke the game and forced him to undo his decision. If the dm had put his foot down from the start and kept OP within the bounds of what his character should reasonably be able to do he wouldn’t have had to make any emergency retcon and the campaign would’ve been better for it. Therefore he’s a pushover

  • @streetroach727
    @streetroach727 2 ปีที่แล้ว +310

    This resonates with my core essence. The last session I ran had a werewolf boss that was totally bullied into submission. Fortunately I buffed him up before the fight happened because werewolves aren’t as tough as I thought and my party is 6 lvl 5’s, so I got some good damage on my players

    • @flowonthego
      @flowonthego 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Well yeah. You set up one werewolf to fight 5 powered individuals. He hits one guy while the 4 others are swinging him. One can use real life logic for that one to see that was gonna the way it was.

    • @xaigoth
      @xaigoth 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      did you take into account werewolf immunity to non silvered magic weapons/damage?

  • @bigtastybacon_xd6253
    @bigtastybacon_xd6253 19 วันที่ผ่านมา

    Now imagine that this wasn’t a video and it was just some guy playing dnd with himself using different personalities and driving himself further into madness

  • @Tessaalera
    @Tessaalera 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    This is an underrated comedic gem!