No, You Can’t Cast Magic Missile at the Darkness (and Other Weird Rules)

A primer on magic missile, and its weird rules interactions.

Reverse Illusions

Illusion magic in D&D 5th Edition tends to function a certain way. These spells create some sensory effect which a creature can make an investigation check to discern. Here's a list of spells that work this way (spell level in parentheses): Minor Illusion (C)Disguise Self (1st)Distort Value (1st)Silent Image (1st)Phantasmal Force (2nd)Major Image (3rd)Hallucinatory Terrain … Continue reading Reverse Illusions →

Sleep Spell Reawakening

If the sleep spell is keeping you up at night, because of confusing mechanics or soft scaling, come take a look under the hood and sample two sleep spell solutions.

Animate Objects Fix

Animate Objects is a 5th level spell in D&D 5e that turns objects in your environment into living weapons. Come along as we tackle balance and action economy issues, and deliver a precise rework.

The Hunter’s Mark Shibboleth

Debunking the myth that Hunter's Mark is a "must take" spell... AKA The Ranger's Guide to Concentration Spells.

Casting a Bonus Action and Reaction Spell on Your Turn

The bonus action spellcasting restriction in 5th Edition D&D can keep you from casting a reaction spell on your own turn. Why is this? Was it intended? And how can we rewrite the rule to alleviate this quirk?

Artificer Teardown

It happened. On February 28, 2019, The Artificer Revisited was released to much fanfare. What did we get? Let's chew up the crunch. We'll start with the base class mechanics and move into the subclasses next week, when we build a template for how to homebrew an Artificer subclass. Base Class Hit Die (d8). A … Continue reading Artificer Teardown →

Martial Adept vs. Magic Initiate

We're comparing the Martial Adept feat and the Magic Initiate feat. While the effect of linear fighters vs. quadratic wizards most often manifests in class design (mostly due to spell access), there’s an interesting reflection of this design in the 5e feats, which we expect to be balanced against each other.

Cursed Items

Cursed item mechanics have been revised in 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons to focus on the narrative element. Beyond hints dropped in the item's lore, a character attuning to a cursed item will have no idea of their impending affliction until it strikes. Let's take a look at the new mechanics and how to best employ them in your campaign.

Building a Homebrew Spellcaster

Homebrew Spellcaster Template Click the link for a spellcaster template prefilled with spell progression, spell known ranges, cantrip known ranges, ability score improvements, "dead levels" for new spell level access, and the full Class Features and Spellcasting text in fillable format. Click "Source" in the top-right to add your own info, then copy it to … Continue reading Building a Homebrew Spellcaster →