57 sessions of Curse of Strahd. That’s how many sessions I had before I made the decision to switch out my campaign with my players. To put this into context, each session I DM’d lasted 3 hours. So, doing the math, that’s 171 hours worth of Strahd von Zarovich taunting (and getting taunted by) the players. For those familiar with Curse of Strahd, we barely scratched the surface of the module. The players were level 6 at the time, and they had just finished exploring one of the most exciting dungeons I’ve personally done so far: The Amber Temple. Now, going into the Amber Temple, the players at that level were painfully aware of what I’ve been telling them out of game. It was going to be a dangerous slog. Without going into spoilers and many character deaths later, the party was still having a blast.
However, towards that last session, life got in my way. I got hired as a general manager for a hotel. I was moving to a new apartment. My life? Topsy turvy, like Ireena’s poor spirit in Barovia. My computer died, too. Thus, the sessions grew further apart. Scheduling was a hassle. The game I’ve been curating went by the wayside. I barely recognized what happened as the final sessions went awry.
On top of that, I got bored. The theme of Curse of Strahd is oppressive. Dark and grim can only be so exciting after months of grim darkness and oppression infecting the spirit of what traditional happy-go-lucky D&D adventures tend to be. I wanted to go back to form. And it wasn’t just me. Either through my own personal lack of interaction with the players, or with how the game-feel shifted… Suddenly, the dedicated group I entrusted my time with started going their own separate ways. I could tell they were getting bored, too. Well, not all of them. Obviously, when life hits, there’s nothing a DM could do other than to hope the player returns when the time is right. To disparage them otherwise is rude and can break trust. Don’t do that to your fellow players…
So what else could I do?
I Needed a Breath of Fresh Air! So I Switched to a New Module.
Yep! I went ahead and switched modules. The response I received from my players after I announced this switch was a renewed interest in playing. Of course, not everybody could make it, but when you have a dedicated group like me, new players tend to find themselves in my games faster than I can blink sometimes. I feel fortunate for that. In no time at all, less than two weeks of waiting and prepping, I had my players building their new characters and learning about the theme of Waterdeep’s urban landscape. The change in setting and the new challenges presented in Waterdeep’s world breathed new life into our game.
In my beginning months as a DM, which was well over 2 years ago now, I wouldn’t ever think of switching modules. To end a story when there was so much left to tell! So many more characters that could die! However, by the time the campaign ended, one long-time character in the game died a most exciting and gruesome death. Lunara, the naive centaur Ranger, through certain decisions of her own, turned to the darkness of evil. –Before she could murder a party member for her own personal gain, she was murdered by the party. She wasn’t the only one changed by their time in the Amber Temple.
It was a fantastic ending for that character. It went so well with the roleplaying that members of the party that ended her life held a burial in her honor anyway. The player controlling the dead party member rolled a new character, and all was well. Despite a player vs. player encounter that ended in a death, I had one rule: If there was to be PvP, it would be planned ahead of time with consent and understanding of the consequences. Or I would end the game. My players followed my rule to the letter, and again it was great. Several other moments occurred, too. A player had to leave my table, and his PC left the Amber Temple, which had changed him forever.
My point is that the sessions leading up to my ending Curse of Strahd felt very culminating. Despite more to do and experience from the module, the party of characters that started the game 57 sessions ago actually met their end. It wasn’t a total demise, mind you, but it felt final to me. The other players must’ve been thinking the same, and because of the delayed timing, I bet we were all itching for something different.
Learning to Prevent Burn Out And Embrace Change!
I did this with various one-shots during my playthrough of Lost Mines of Phandelver / Phandelver & Below and when I was still doing Curse of Strahd. These one-shots provided a refreshing change of pace and allowed me to explore different aspects of the game. For instance, we played a one-shot themed on a cult world takeover, which was a stark contrast to the gothic horror of Curse of Strahd.
But in this specific circumstance, my bore with COS meant that I needed to end that story essentially for good. And a simple one shot break wouldn’t do it this time. We could go back to COS later, but my thinking right now… What would the consequences be if I kept up Curse of Strahd? I bet you this:
The gameplay may have gotten more stale because I personally wasn’t invested anymore. I wouldn’t be having as much fun.
My players may have left one by one after a while. I was seeing this happen every week. (To be fair, I was also having issues keeping consistent with my games every week, which is a major issue. Thank goodness it’s fixed now).
When you start a long-form videogame like Valheim or Satisfactory, you play for a while, but the gameplay starts to feel dull. Yet, you yearn to try again. You want to try anew with the knowledge of experience and the nostalgia you felt before! And sometimes that works. Even if it’s the same experience essentially, you’ve gotten to your original point faster. Or at least more efficiently.
I felt exactly the same when I started Waterdeep: Dragonheist a few weeks ago with my players. The feeling of starting session 0 again with the knowledge of how to run D&D as an actually experienced DM is pretty great. Exploring a new setting is invigorating, too, and my veteran players loved the creation of their new characters. My favorite character at the party so far is actually a new player. He’s doing an Owlin Wizard that’s 2 feet tall. A brilliant character design.
Have You Switched Modules Before? What Tips Would You Share?
It’s funny to think I was so resistant to switching up D&D stories. After this paradigm shift, my threshold for making the switch consists of knowing exactly when the party’s story should end. –And the party’s story doesn’t need to end when the module ends. And that’s okay. If anything, it returns to form what a tabletop game actually is. It’s a game. There are end conditions, and it is a treat to have the party survive and fight their way to the end of a module story without losing the souls of their characters in the process. Out-of-game, it’s a celebration to do so without life getting in the way. So:
If the party is severely compromised and affected or if there is a TPK (Team Party Kill, everyone dies), switch up the module/campaign story.
Also, switch it up if life gets in the way. The campaign type you are playing may be too long-form. Shorten it up with a short campaign instead.
Also, switch if you get bored!
My Curse of Strahd campaign was flirting with all three reasons. That’s my justification for switching, anyway.
No regrets. Sayonara, Barovia. Until next time!
Thanks for reading my article. What are your stories with switching up campaigns? Did you end up saving a game table by switching, or did it have the opposite effect? Have you ever finished a campaign in its entirety before? What was that process like? I’d love to hear about it!
The level 5 Warlock Elf eyes the battlefield. Grasslands merge into the plains, and a small squad of orcs are closing in. Having rolled initiative, the Warlock player rolls high and goes first. He grabs his shortsword and hurries to meet the first orc enemy! The Warlock chooses to attack.
A 7 on the dice. No hit, so the Warlock ends his turn.
The players, including the Dungeon Master, look at the Warlock player befuddled. The round continues. The Barbarian rages and prevents the Warlock from getting surrounded. The fighter joins in and uses an extra attack to dispatch the nearest orc, and the Wizard casts webbing to prevent the orcs from surrounding the team.
As the rounds go, and the Warlock takes similar actions, the DM eventually asks him if he plans to use any of his spell slots. But in this scenario, the Warlock player totally knows better. The elf had already used up his spells in the last battle, and they hadn’t finished a long rest yet!
But the DM reminds the Warlock about his Eldritch Invocations, which is another way to cast spells.
“What’s that?” The player asks.
Everyone else facepalms.
In this article, I aim to teach new and experienced players interested in the Warlock class about the features available to them at level 5. For simplicity, I only focus on the ones available to the Warlock from the Player’s Handbook (PHB). Some features and abilities won’t be listed because they are unavailable until higher levels (such as some Pact Features that become available to Warlocks at level 6). Without further ado, let’s get started!
Table of Contents:
The Warlock at Level 5: Features & Abilities
To start, the Warlock is a relatively complicated class to play compared to the Fighter or the Barbarian. The reason for this is the way Warlock spell slots work and the added ability called Eldritch Invocations. At level 5, the basic Warlock has:
Three cantrips they can choose from the Warlock spell list.
Six spells they can learn from the Warlock spell list. (Level 5 warlocks only have access to 1st level through 3rd level spells.)
Two spell slots at level 3 to use. (Again, level 5 warlocks have access to 1st-3rd level spells only.)
3 Eldritch Invocations the Warlock can use. Some invocations Warlocks can choose from have specific requirements related to levels or are pact-specific. Often, these invocations allow Warlocks to use more spells with little or no additional cost or grant particular abilities.
Warlock players can choose from three Otherworldly Patron types to make a pact with, which gives them added features and abilities. These patrons are not usually gods but are extraplanar beings from different realms. Or if they are god-like, they are vastly different from the known gods of the D&D multiverse. The description of these entities can be found in the Player’s Handbook, which I highly recommend getting, but here is a small excerpt:
The Archfey: Usually a lord or lady of the fey, their motivations are as myriad as their intentions are for you. They can be whimsical, but they do strive for great magical power.
The Fiend: Fiends are evil entities desiring the corruption or destruction of everything. – Potentially including you.
The Great Old One: This patron is mysterious and utterly foreign to your world. It could be from the Far Realms or an elder god known only through myth.
The Three Otherworldly Patrons:
Here, I describe the features and abilities the Warlock gains from choosing one of the three available patrons available in the PHB. The Archfey, the Fiend, and the Great Old One. Each patron has several features available to the Warlock. However, at level 5, they only have access to one feature from each patron. The next feature does not appear until level 6, so I won’t be detailing those just yet (perhaps in another article).
The Archfey:
No matter who your Archfey patron is, they will have granted your Warlock a boon of spells and one feature. This feature will have been available to you since level 1.
Expanded Spell List
You know 6 of these specific Warlock spells at level 5:
1st Level: Faerie Fire, Sleep
2nd Level: Calm Emotions, Phantasmal Force
3rd Level: Blink, Plant Growth
Whenever your Warlock levels up, you can choose to replace one spell, which must match your spell slot level. Level 5 Warlocks have access to 3rd-level spell slots.
Spells that take attack actions can have the Warlock Proficiency (3) + Charisma modifier added to them.
Spells requiring saving throws follow this Save DC calculation: 8 + Warlock Proficiency (3) + Charisma Modifier.
You must have an arcane focus to cast these spells.
Fey Presence
This feature gives your Warlock the ability to charm or frighten other creatures!
The choice to charm or frighten creatures is up to the player.
The aura of Fey Presence is a 10 ft. square originating from the player. The effect lasts until the end of your next turn.
Any creature within the aura must make a Spell Save DC: 8 + Warlock Proficiency (3) + Charisma modifier.
Fey Presence recharges after taking a short or long rest.
Cosmetic Reminder:
The PHB encourages players to factor in fey-flavored cosmetic changes to their chosen weapons and patron abilities. For example, Warlocks with the Pact of the Tome may have a leafed book wrapped in shadowy pages. Warlocks with Pact of the Blade may have vines adorning their pact weapon. Food for thought!
The Fiend:
No matter who your Fiend patron is, they will have granted your Warlock a boon of spells and one feature. This feature will have been available to you since level 1.
Expanded Spell List
You know 6 of these specific Warlock spells at level 5:
1st Level: Burning Hands, Command
2nd Level: Blindness / Deafness, Scorching Ray
3rd Level: Fireball, Stinking Cloud
Whenever your Warlock levels up, you can choose to replace one spell, which must match your spell slot level. Level 5 Warlocks have access to 3rd-level spell slots.
Spells that take attack actions can have the Warlock Proficiency (3) + Charisma modifier added to them.
Spells requiring saving throws follow this Save DC calculation: 8 + Warlock Proficiency (3) + Charisma Modifier.
You must have an arcane focus to cast these spells.
Dark One’s Blessing:
You gain temporary hit points when you reduce a hostile creature to 0 HP!
The calculation for the temporary hit points: Charisma Modifier + Warlock Level (5).
Note about Temporary Hitpoints: Temporary hit points disappear after a long rest, and you cannot add temporary hit points cumulatively. To clarify: If your Warlock has 4 temporary hit points, and they recently gained 8 temporary hit points, the player can choose which number to keep, but they cannot add them to a total of 12 temp hit points. They can only choose 4, or 8. The temp hit points they don’t select get removed.
The Great Old One:
No matter who your Great Old One patron is, they will have granted your Warlock a boon of spells and one feature. This feature will have been available to you since level 1.
Expanded Spell List
You know 6 of these specific Warlock spells at level 5:
Whenever your Warlock levels up, you can choose to replace one spell, which must match your spell slot level. Level 5 Warlocks have access to 3rd-level spell slots.
Spells that take attack actions can have the Warlock Proficiency (3) + Charisma modifier added to them.
Spells requiring saving throws follow this Save DC calculation: 8 + Warlock Proficiency (3) + Charisma Modifier.
You must have an arcane focus to cast these spells.
Awakened Mind:
You can communicate telepathically with any creature you see within 30 feet of you!
Note: The creature you communicate with must understand at least one language.
About Warlock Pacts:
Warlock Pacts are the specific gifts granted to your Warlock by their patron. In the PHB, there are 3 Pacts for Warlocks to choose from, which give particular features:
Pact of the Tome
Pact of the Blade
Pact of the Chain
Pact of the Tome
You gain the Book of Shadows Feature! This feature allows you to choose 3 cantrips from any class spell list and add them to the Book of Shadows grimoire that you receive from your patron.
With the book, your Warlock can cast those cantrips at will!
These additional cantrips do not count against the number of cantrips your Warlock already knows.
If the Book of Shadows is lost, your Warlock can perform a 1-hour ceremony to receive a replacement from their patron (Which includes short/long rests). The previous book is destroyed.
The Book of Shadows turns to ash when your Warlock dies.
Pact of the Blade
You can now use an action to create a specific pact weapon in your Warlock’s hand! This weapon takes any form of the Warlock’s choice, and they are proficient with it. This weapon’s damage is magical too!
The weapon will disappear if it is over 5 feet away from your Warlock for over a minute. This weapon also disappears if it is summoned again, if the weapon is dismissed (no action needed), or if the Warlock dies.
A magical weapon can convert to a Warlock’s pact weapon by performing a 1-hour ritual. The PHB says it can be done during a short rest. When the new weapon gets dismissed, it goes to an extra-dimensional space until it gets summoned again. The new weapon ceases being the Warlock’s pact weapon if they die, if they perform the ritual on another weapon, or if they perform a similar ceremony to break their bond to it (Where the weapon will appear at the Warlock’s feet if it’s still in the other dimension).
Artifact and sentient weapons cannot turn into pact weapons (Personally, I’d allow it as a DM. That sounds cool).
Pact of the Chain
You now know the find familiar spell and can cast it as a ritual! Find familiar will not count against the number of spells you already know. Learning about find familiar is essential to understanding Pact of the Chain better, so here it is in detail:
Find Familiar – You gain the service of a spirit animal! They can be any form you choose below:
Bat
Cat
Crab
Frog (Toad)
Hawk
Lizard
Octopus
Owl
Poisonous Snake
Fish
Rat
Raven
Sea Horse
Spider
Weasel
This familiar appears in an unoccupied space in range of the Warlock and has the monster statistics of the chosen form. It will always type as a celestial, fey, or fiend instead of a beast. — Determined by the Warlock.
The familiar is independent, but it will always obey the Warlock’s commands. It has its own initiative in combat and acts on its own. A familiar cannot attack but can take other actions as usual.
If the familiar drops to 0 HP, it disappears and leaves anything it wore or carried behind. It will reappear when casting the find familiar spell again. A warlock can temporarily dismiss the familiar to a pocket dimension (Pokemon style) or even banish it forever. If it is temporarily dismissed, you can take an action to make it reappear anywhere within 30 feet of the Warlock as long as it’s still an unoccupied space.
While your familiar is 100 feet from you, you can talk to it telepathically! Also, as an action, you can see and hear what your familiar can and gain any additional senses the familiar has. However, you are deaf and blind to your own.
Only one summoned familiar can occur at a time. If the Warlock does cast find familiar, the current familiar transforms into another chosen creature of the Warlock’s choosing (from the list above).
Your Warlock can use touch-based spells with their familiar! If the familiar is within 100 feet and it uses a reaction to deliver the spell, they can cast it instead of the Warlock. If this spell requires an attack roll, the Warlock’s attack modifier is used for that roll.
With that out of the way…
Pact of the Chain entails the following:
Instead of the available list of forms from above, your Warlock is entitled to these additional familiar forms:
Imp
Pseudodragon
Quasit
Sprite
The Warlock’s familiar also adopts the stats of the chosen form.
Additionally, if the Warlock chooses to forgo attacking on their turn, the familiar can attack instead! When the familiar attacks, it does so with a reaction.
Your familiar is much more cunning than other familiars and takes on the attributes tied to your patron. If it must default to a particular form, your familiar will always default to your patron’s type (Fiend equals imp, Archfey equals sprite, etc.).
About Eldritch Invocations
A 5th-level Warlock should have 3 Eldritch Invocations they can cast. –Which means your Warlock can do special magic that other magic-wielding classes cannot! Remember that this list pertains only to PHB invocations that a Warlock can do at level 5. There are other invocations from other modules and at higher levels. Here are the basic rules for Eldritch Invocations:
When you gain a level in the Warlock class, you can pick an invocation you learned and replace it with another invocation.
A level requisite in the detailed description of invocations refers to Warlock levels, not character levels. For people who love multi-classing, beware of this fact!
If an invocation has prerequisites, you must reach that threshold to learn it. Invocations can be understood at the same time that you reach that requisite. (Personal note: it reminds me of the videogame Valheim, where your Viking character somehow “knows” what a new item does when you pick it up from the ground… If you don’t have that game, I highly recommend it!)
Here are all the PHB Eldritch Invocations available to the level 5 Warlock. I grouped them up by requisites (or lack thereof) so aspiring Warlocks can choose their invocations easily:
Eldritch Blast & Eldritch Invocations that enhance it:
Before we can dive into the eldritch invocations for Eldritch Blast, it’s important to note what the cantrip can do at the base level for Level 5 Warlocks because it’s pretty important:
As an action, you can create up to 2 beams of energy at a range of 120 ft to attack a creature.
If this spell hits, the creature takes 1d10 force damage.
Each beam attack from eldritch blast requires its own attack roll (3 + CHA).
You can choose to attack different enemies with different beams!
This base cantrip is powerful! The fact that you can do two attacks instead of one makes the Warlock on par with the Barbarian in terms of attacking power. It’s fascinating, considering you can attack at range. The fact that you can augment eldritch blast to do additional things makes this a must-have for Warlocks looking to deal damage or control the battle, which we will get into below.
The following invocations require the eldritch blast cantrip, which your Warlock must learn to use:
Agonizing Blast – When casting eldritch blast, you can add your Charisma modifier to your damage when it hits!
Eldritch Spear – When casting eldritch blast, you can extend its range to 300 feet!
Repelling Blast – When you hit a creature with eldritch blast, you can choose to push it 10 feet away!
Pact Invocations:
These invocations have requisites involving the PHB available pacts, such as:
Pact of the Tome
Pact of the Blade
Pact of the Chain
Pact of the Tome:
Book of Ancient Secrets – This invocation grants many boons. You can add two 1st-level spell rituals from any class spell list to your Book of Shadows!
These ritual spells do not count against the spells your Warlock knows.
As long as the book is in your hand, you can cast those spells only as rituals unless your Warlock learned them another way.
This allows you to cast a Warlock spell that you already know as a ritual (as long as that spell has a ritual tag).
You are free to add additional ritual spells to the Book of Shadows. When added, the spell level must be equal to or less than half your Warlock’s level rounded up (so a level 5 Warlock can inscribe a level 2 ritual spell, but not a level 3 spell). The time and cost it takes to transcribe the spell is 2 hours and 50 gold pieces for rare inks to write them down.
Pact of the Blade:
Thirsting Blade – You can now attack with your pact weapon twice when taking the attack action on your turn!
Pact of the Chain:
Voice of the Chain Master – You can now communicate with your familiar telepathically!
You can also perceive through your familiar’s senses as long as they are on the same plane.
You are also able to speak through your familiar in your own voice, even if that familiar isn’t capable of speaking.
Eldritch Invocations With No Requisites:
These Eldritch Invocations for level 5 Warlocks are accessible without any requisites (Some may require Warlocks to be level 5, but no higher). Some of these eldritch invocations allow you to cast spells for free, while others will enable you to expend a Warlock spell slot to cast spells instead. Some of these are very useful:
Armor of Shadows – You can cast the mage armor spell at will without using a spell slot or materials!
Beast Speech – You can cast the speak with animals spell at will without using a spell slot!
Beguiling Influence – You are now proficient with Deception and Persuasion!
Devil’s Sight – You can see in darkness, magical or otherwise, up to 120 feet!
Eldritch Sight – You can cast the detect magic spell at will without using a spell slot!
Eyes of the Rune Keeper – You can read any form of writing!
Fiendish Vigor – You can cast a level 1 false life spell on yourself without using a spell slot or materials!
Gaze of Two Minds – As an action, you can touch a willing humanoid and perceive its senses until the end of your next turn!
You can extend the effect’s duration for subsequent turns as long as the humanoid is on the same plane of existence as you.
You gain any special senses the humanoid may have.
You are blinded and deafened to your own senses.
Mask of Many Faces – You can cast the disguise self spell at will without using a spell slot!
Mire the Mind – You can cast the slow spell with a Warlock spell slot!
You can only do this again after you finish a long rest.
Misty Visions – You can cast the silent image spell at will without using a spell slot or materials!
One with Shadows – Whenever you are in dim light or the dark, you can use an action to become invisible!
You become visible again when you move, take an action, or take a reaction.
Sign of Ill Omen – You can use a Warlock spell slot to cast the bestow curse spell!
You can only do this again after you finish a long rest.
Thief of Five Fates – You can use a Warlock spell slot to cast the bane spell!
You can only do this again after you finish a long rest.
After reading and writing through the invocations, my favorite is the One With Shadows invocation.
Remember that a level 5 Warlock can only choose up to 3 Eldritch Invocations at this time. So make sure to choose them wisely! You can only change one invocation once you level up again.
Ability Score Improvement
The ability score improvement to your Warlock’s character sheet will have been achieved by level 4. So your Warlock should have been able to increase their ability score by 2, or instead choose to increase two ability scores by 1. You cannot increase an ability score above 20, or the dragon in the article may try to convince your patron to consume your soul.
Now You Know All About the Warlock at Level 5!
I hope I made it easier for players to understand what the Warlock can be capable of in Dungeons and Dragons 5e. There is so much more content to dive into involving the Warlock. I mean, I haven’t even gotten into the features, pacts, and invocations from other modules! –And already it’s a lot of info!
I can say that the Warlock is one of the most versatile classes in D&D. Choosing to multi-class a warlock with another class, such as Rogue, can turn your character into an excellent assassin. I’m still drooling over the power to remain invisible at will, thanks to the One With Shadows eldritch invocation ability. The next time I get to play D&D as a player character (hah!), I’ll try out that build.
I cannot understate the potential of this class enough. If you want to be all about combat, you can go all in on Pact of the Blade and supplement it with the Eldritch Blast cantrip and invocation abilities.
Or, if you want to go more into RP and to socialize, your Warlock can easily use Beast Speech, Beguiling Influence, and Eyes of the Runekeeper invocations to persuade NPCs and perceive things in-game that other players would have a hard time with. Tie this with Pact of the Chain, where you can manipulate your familiar to places that your Warlock cannot reach, and you can break out and escape any area that may confine you!
Very fun.
Is there anything else I should mention about the Warlock at level 5? Do you have any suggestions, or did I make a mistake anywhere? Please let me know! Thank you so much for reading.
The Warforged Monk is faced with a dilemma. A wraith desperately wants to rid the dungeon of a spectator who is holding precious magic at the building next door. –However, the adventurers are already aware of the spectator, having already dealt with the planar monster. And now they are looking at the ghostly treasures the wraith keeps but can’t use. Greedy bastard. A trap is sprung, and it’s time to take the fight to the solo spirit.
Luckily, you, the Monk, go first.
As the Monk, you announce that you attack the wraith and end your turn.
“With your fists? Just the once?” The DM asks.
“Yes, and yes,” you say.
“Okay then…”
The wraith takes 1d6, which is then halved due to being resistant to bludgeoning. Some of the more seasoned players take psychological damage, too. Meanwhile, the Monk smiles, pleased with themselves that they did…something?
The rest of the players swiftly take care of the wraith before it can react, so the fight doesn’t end terribly. However, the party members eye their Monk teammate sideways. What about the next battle?
In this article, I aim to highlight the many features available to the Monk. –Particularly at the 5th level. I chose level 5 to give beginning players an idea of what to expect at that specific level of play and also provide a general baseline for other players to compare to. For simplicity, I’ll only touch on Monk features in the Player’s Handbook (PHB). If you don’t already have it, I recommend getting one so you know what’s what.
The features will be described from the 1st level up to the 5th level. I plan to explain some possible combos as we go down the list.
The Monk’s Features at Level 5:
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Unarmored Defense
A level 5 monk should know they do not need to wear armor to gain a significant advantage to their Armor Class (AC).
Your Monk’s AC is 10 + Dexterity modifier.
Remember that you cannot wear armor or shields for this effect to apply.
Martial Arts
This feature is the bread and butter for Monks, and it gets stronger as you achieve higher levels. Particularly at the 5th level, Monks can enjoy dishing out 1d6 worth of damage for the first time (Earlier levels have the Monk dishing out 1d4 damage). There are other benefits:
You benefit from the Martial Arts Feature only if you are unarmed or have monk weapons (short swords, simple melee weapons that do not have the two-handed or heavy properties).
Instead of Strength, you use the Dexterity modifier for attack and damage rolls.
You can roll 1d6 to damage enemies with an unarmed strike or monk weapon (as mentioned above).
On your turn, attacking with an unarmed strike or a monk weapon grants you the right to do another unarmed strike as a bonus action (Make sure you haven’t expended a bonus action already).
Ki (Including Ki Features)
If Martial Arts is the bread and butter of Monks, then the Ki Feature is the pizza and french fries of Monks, too. A 5th-level monk will have access to 5 Ki Features:
Flurry of Blows
Remember the part of the martial arts feature that gives you the chance to take an unarmed strike as a bonus action? With Flurry of Blows, spending one ki point will allow two unarmed strikes instead of one on that bonus action.
This move is excellent for adding damage. Thanks to your Martial Arts dice, it only gets more potent at higher levels.
Patient Defense
When you spend one ki point on your turn, you can take the Dodge Action on your turn.
This is great for mitigating the worst attacks you have to endure.
About Dodge
Enemies that attack you get disadvantage on their attack rolls against you.
You receive advantage for all Dexterity saving throws.
When you spend one Ki point, you can choose two abilities as a bonus action: Disengage, or Dash.
Your jump distance is also doubled.
Out of combat, I see Step of the Wind as handy for climbing buildings and making it easier to traverse rooftop environments.
About Disengage
You can move out of range of enemies without provoking Opportunity Attacks.
It’s beneficial for moving out of the way of crowds or getting away from the Big Bad Evil Guy (BBEG).
About Dash
You can move double your movement speed (plus any qualifying modifiers, if available).
This is excellent for getting in battles quickly if you are too far, and you can still attack on your same turn.
Deflect Missiles
This one is one of the coolest Ki features available. Great for defending and attacking against ranged opponents!
As a reaction, you can deflect a missile (or projectile) when hit by a ranged weapon attack.
The damage is reduced by 1d10 + DEX modifier + Monk level (5).
If the damage is reduced to 0, you can spend one ki point to catch the missile if you have a free hand that can hold it.
What happens when you catch a Missile using Deflect Missiles?
During the reaction, you can make a ranged attack with the projectile you caught (including thrown weapons like Javelins).
This reaction attack is made with proficiency, and the weapon will have the same damaging effects as a monk weapon. So cool!
Stunning Strike
This move is excellent for stopping a creature in its tracks! Great for ending chases, stopping rituals, and fighting the BBEG.
When hitting a creature with a melee weapon, you can spend one ki point to do a Stunning Strike.
The creature you hit must make a Constitution saving throw (8 + Monk proficiency + Monk Wisdom modifier).
The creature is stunned until the end of your next turn if it fails the saving throw.
About Ki Points
The five features above require at least one Ki point to be spent to use. At level 5, a monk will have 5 ki points (You gain 1 ki point per level). This means a lot of versatility, especially with the Monk’s Monastic Tradition (This will be introduced shortly).
How do you Recharge Ki Points?
Ki points are recharged by meditating for at least 30 minutes. This can be done by using a short rest or long rest.
This makes the Monk really useful for getting back into fights quickly, whereas spellcasters would have to wait much longer. Specifically, monks should have their ki points charged and ready between watches during a long rest.
Monastic Tradition (Specialization Abilities for Ki)
In the PHB, there are three Monastic Traditions that Monks can choose to specialize in their classes and differentiate themselves from other Monks. At level 5, Monks can only access one ability from their Monastic Tradition tree. Remember that there are more abilities in these specializations in the PHB, so I recommend reading up on that if you are curious.
As the famous Ugandan Knuckles from VRChat would say…
Do you know the Way?
Way of the Open Hand
If you choose this tradition, you can access the Open Hand Technique, which further improves the Flurry of Blows Ki ability. When a creature is successfully attacked by a Flurry of Blows Unarmed Strike, you can choose to impose additional effects the target must save for:
Open Hand Technique:
Trip them!
Your target must make a Dexterity saving throw (8 + Monk Proficiency Bonus + Monk WIS modifier). If they fail, they are knocked prone!
2. Push them!
Your target must make a Strength saving throw (8 + Monk Proficiency Bonus + Monk WIS modifier). If they fail, they are pushed 15 feet away!
3. Suppress them!
Your target cannot take reactions until your next turn ends!
Way of Shadow
Way of Shadow gives you several stealth-related spells by expending Ki points! This tradition is an excellent pick for players who want a stealthy build. –Perhaps a multiclass with Rogue? It sounds like a good combo for preventing the dragon in this article from eating you.
You can spend 2 Ki points to cast one of the following spells, which have simplified explanations:
Darkness: You can create a 15 ft. radius of magical darkness. Even darkvisioned creatures are affected, and the darkness can spread around corners. It can be used on objects!
Darkvision: You can touch a willing creature to give it Darkvision for 8 hours. –But only if they are within 60 ft. of you.
Pass Without Trace: You and your companions get a bonus on Stealth checks (+10 DEX)! They cannot be tracked except through magic, and any creature with this bonus leaves no tracks or traces.
Silence: You can create a 20 ft. radius sphere on a chosen point. Any creature inside is immune to thunder damage, and creatures inside are deafened. Casting verbal spells inside is impossible.
You attain the minor illusion cantrip.
Way of the Four Elements
This one is quite a complicated tradition! If you wanted your Monk to have elemental spellcasting ability, why not give them the powers of Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender through the Way of the Four Elements? A level 5 Monk will be able to choose two novel abilities that either augment Monk abilities or give the ability to cast an elemental spell using Ki. Remember, the options listed below are for level 5 monks. Still, there are many more at higher levels, with the added ability to switch between disciplines at certain levels.
You learn the Elemental Attunement discipline:
You can use an action to move the elements, causing one of the following effects:
Create a harmless sensory effect related to the elements, like sparks, wind, mist, or rumbling stones.
Light and extinguish fire.
Chill or warm objects (nonliving) for up to an hour.
Form any element within a 1 ft. cube to any crude shape you wish for one minute.
You also learn one of the following disciplines of your choice:
Fangs of the Fire Snake:
Using 1 ki point, your range of unarmed strikes increases by 10 ft on your turn. They also deal fire damage.
If you spend an additional ki point on an attack that hits, you deal another 1d10 fire damage.
Fist of Four Thunders:
Using 2 Ki points, you can cast Thunderwave!
Every creature in a 15 ft. cube must make a CON save or take 2d8 thunder damage. They are also pushed 10 ft away.
If they succeed in the save, they take half as much damage and aren’t pushed.
Loose objects are pushed 10 ft. away.
A thunderous boom emits from 300 ft. outwards.
Fist of Unbroken Air:
Using 2 Ki points, you can take an action to choose a creature 30 ft. away. They must make a STR save. If they fail, they take 3d10 bludgeoning damage, plus 1d10 for each additional ki point you may want to spend.
They are also pushed 20 ft. away and knocked prone.
If they save, they take half the damage and aren’t pushed.
Rush of the Gale Spirits:
Using 2 Ki points, you can cast Gust of Wind!
For up to 1 minute, you can cast a line of strong wind (60 ft. long, 10 ft. wide), and you can use a bonus action on each turn to change the direction of the ability!
A creature caught in the line must make a STR saving throw or be pushed 15 ft. away.
The ability can disperse gas or vapor and extinguish unprotected flames (lanterns have a 50% chance of extinguishing).
Shape the Flowing River:
Using 1 Ki point, you can choose a 30 ft. wide space of ice or water within 120 ft. of you as an action.
You can change the water to ice (and vice-versa) and reshape ice in any manner you choose (Raising elevation, creating trenches, making walls, pillars). The max range is half the dimension of the water you have affected (30 ft. cube area water = 15 ft. high walls).
Ice cannot be shaped to trap or injure a creature.
Sweeping Cinder Strike:
Using 2 Ki points, you can cast burning hands!
Flames shoot from your fingertips in a 15 ft. cone!
Every creature in the cone must make a DEX save or take 3d6 fire damage.
If they save, they take half damage.
Any loose and flammable objects in the cone will ignite (except worn/carried items).
Water Whip:
Using 2 Ki points, you can create a whip made of water that can shove or pull creatures!
A seen creature within 30 ft. must make a DEX save or take 3d10 bludgeoning damage.
If you spend an additional ki point, you can deal another 1d10 damage, knock them prone, and push/pull them 25 ft.
If they make the save, the creature takes half damage and cannot be knocked around.
Monks at 5th level can only spend 3 Ki points to use a discipline (This max doesn’t increase until level 9).
Any spells in a chosen discipline follow general spell rules. — but do not require any components to cast. Only Ki points.
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Ability Score Improvement
Your Monk should have been able to increase their ability scores!
Choose one of the following:
2 points for one ability score,
1 point for two ability scores.
You cannot move an ability score past 20.
Slow Fall
You can use a reaction to reduce fall damage equal to 5 times your Monk level. Thus, Level 5 Monks will be able to mitigate 25 fall damage.
Extra Attack
You can attack twice for an action on your turn!
Combining extra attack with your Ki abilities is paramount to combo moves that would make a Fighter jealous. At the 5th level, the Monk’s capabilities start to shine bright.
For example, one excellent combo for a Monk to deploy against a single enemy would be to attack twice (Thanks to Extra Attack) and commit Flurry of Blows as a bonus action to do two unarmed strikes. A total of four potential hits to the enemy! –And if they have Way of the Four Elements tradition, you can take it even further to hit enemies from 10 ft. and deal 1d10 fire damage with the Fangs of the Fire Snake discipline!
Now You Know the Basics of the Level 5 Monk!
I learned much more about the Monk just by writing this article. The crazy thing is that this article only covers what’s offered in the PHB. One player for my Lost Mines of Phandelver campaign currently uses the Way of Mercy Specialization offered in the Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything module. This subclass of Monk is healing-based. I might do an article on it later.
I hope this helped you with whatever you were looking for regarding abilities that the Monk class generally enjoys! My favorite subclass from the PHB version is definitely the Way of the Four Elements. There’s so much versatility that you can give your Monk. The Way of the Shadow is my second favorite because I immensely like subterfuge characters. What’s your favorite Monk subclass? Did I miss anything in particular in this article? Please let me know!
Rolling initiative in Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition determines the order of the combat round. Players and the Dungeon Master (DM) roll Dexterity Ability checks to assess the combat order in which they’ll take turns. Players roll these DEX checks for their characters, and the DM rolls DEX checks for their monsters.
The highest roll gets to play first, followed by the next until the round of combat ends. –When the round restarts, the order follows the same format (unless abilities or spells affect it) until combat ceases. Every new round of combat means everyone must “Roll Initiative!”
Here’s what the Player’s Handbook (PHB) says about initiative:
Initiative determines the order of turns during combat. When combat starts, every participant makes a Dexterity check to determine their place in the initiative order.”
-pg. 190, Player’s Handbook (PHB)
Also, remember that when creatures are surprised at the start of combat, it doesn’t matter what their initiative roll ends up being. –That creature must wait until the next turn to move or commit an action. Fun tip: Stealth, which determines moments of surprise, relies on the DEX modifier too.
What Happens When Initiative Is Tied?
Player Character Ties:
There are many ways to decide the initiative roll. My method for player vs. player ties is to look at the individual Dexterity (DEX) Modifier on their character sheets. If there is a difference in DEX modifiers (Like +3 vs. +2), the higher modifier will go first (+3).
If the modifiers are also tied (+1 vs. +1), have them roll a d20 until there is a winner for that slot in the combat round.
Now, the above ruling is more to my liking. However, the more official rule set in the PHB is straightforward:
“If a tie occurs, the DM decides the order among tied DM-controlled creatures, and the players decide the order among their tied characters. The DM can decide the order if a tie is between a monster and a player character. Optionally, the DM can have the tied characters and monsters each roll a d20 to determine the order, highest roll goes first.”
-Pg. 190, PHB
Allowing players to decide amongst themselves can work. Still, sometimes gridlock can occur, so I like to use the character DEX modifiers to settle initiative.
I’m curious if there are other DMs out there with different ways to figure out ties? Please comment below if so!
Player vs. Monster Ties:
In the case of player vs. monster, I usually let the player win the tie so the game can continue. After all, the players are generally the main characters in this collaborative story setting. That said, if they are fighting against a formidable enemy, like a BBEG (Big Bad Evil Guy), it should be treated like a player vs. player tie. Don’t overcomplicate matters, though, especially if it’s holding up the game!
Alternatively, The PHB lets the DM decide who wins a tie regarding player vs. monster initiative rolls, which I find interesting. I can’t entirely agree with this, but it might align with DMs wanting more authority in their games.
When Multiple Enemies Are Involved In Combat
One mistake I consistently made as a starting DM would be to roll each similar monster individually, which would sometimes halt combat. I vividly remember sweating, trying to roll for each Redbrand Ruffian enemy in my Lost Mines of Phandelver campaign – as my players patiently waited. We slogged through it, but my lesson was to make one initiative roll for large groups of the same enemy.
That way, when there are inevitably too many enemies on screen, your players aren’t forced to watch you roll initiative for every. Single. One. The PHB touches on this specifically:
“The DM makes one roll for an entire group of identical creatures, so each member of the group acts at the same time.”
-Pg. 190, PHB
Try This! Tying Charisma With Initiative For Roleplay Purposes
You know what grinds my gears? Determining who gets to go first at the start of sessions. In my games, instead of asking the heavy-leaded question of: “So, uh…who wants to go first?” –and waiting for the players to hem and haw and oh my Gods 5 minutes just passed by, I have them roll a new kind of initiative:
“Roll for Roleplay Initiative!”
-Me, Ryan
My idea is that roleplay initiative is a Charisma (CHA) check that lets players determine who goes first in an imaginary “combat round.” It’s an ice-breaker round meant to get the story going.
I use CHA instead of DEX due to the circumstances of roleplay often attached to beginning a session (Unless that session starts during a combat round). It also gives roleplay-focused characters a chance to shine and act out their characters during quiet scenes.
Remember when I mentioned the imaginary combat round? In my games, once the ice is broken, players will begin to intercede and interact organically. –Which is just what you want in the first place as the DM. I drop the roleplay initiative round entirely to run the game as usual.
The rules for Roleplay Initiative generally follow standard combat initiative rules. I wanted to add this here for DMs struggling to start their games or prod players to act mid game. While I haven’t done this midgame before, enacting a roleplay initiative can be an excellent idea for revving a “dead” table, where players may just be standing around. If anyone does this, please let me know the results! I imagine it depends on the players you have. I certainly feel lucky that I don’t need to do this.
Now You Know How Rolling Initiative Works In DND 5e!
Saying “Roll Initiative” is probably one of the best moments for me as a DM. Setting up the scene before saying it is excellent. Still, it’s even better when initiative starts due to a player’s inopportune action.
What are some of your favorite moments when you had to roll initiative? Is there anything that I missed or should expand upon? Please let me know!
When I first noticed the disclaimer in my copy of D&D: Curse Of Strahd by Wizards of the Coast, I laughed. It was extremely funny, and I highly enjoyed that this company was having fun placing such a disclaimer in a book that’s supposed to be “spooky scary”. I then discovered that they placed disclaimers in other fifth-edition books.
I decided to research and list the disclaimers from all the D&D 5th edition (And future edition) books for your enjoyment. I aim for this list of disclaimers to be the most recent and up-to-date version. So you don’t miss out on any new disclaimer gaffs from the geniuses at Wizards of the Coast. If you want to read more about Dungeons With Dragons, my blog, feel free to subscribe to my email newsletter located on my homepage.
Specifically, I will list out the disclaimers by the book type released. There are many good ones in there. Believe it or not, some of these disclaimers can hold light spoilers for certain players, especially ones that are adventuring in Waterdeep. You have been warned.
Disclaimer: Wizards of the Coast is not responsible for the consequences of splitting up the party, sticking appendages in the mouth of a leering green devil face, accepting a dinner invitation from bugbears, storming the feast hall of a hill giant steading, angering a dragon of any variety, or saying yes when the DM asks, “Are you really sure?”
Disclaimer: Wizards of the Coast does not officially endorse the following tactics, which are guaranteed to maximize your enjoyment as a Dungeon Master. First, always keep a straight face and say OK no matter how ludicrous or doomed the player’s plan of action is. Second, no matter what happens, pretend that you intended all along for everything to unfold the way it did. Third, if you’re not sure what to do next, feign illness, end the session early, and plot your next move. When all else fails, roll a bunch of dice behind your screen, study them for a moment with a look of deep concern mixed with regret, let loose a heavy sigh, and announce that Tiamat swoops from the sky and attacks.
Disclaimer: Any similarities between monsters depicted in this book and monsters that actually exist are purely coincidental. That goes double for mind flayers, which absolutely, utterly, and completely do not exist, nor do they secretly run the D&D team. Do we really need a disclaimer to tell you that? You shouldn’t use your brain to consider such irrational thoughts. They only make the mind cluttered, confused, and unpleasantly chewy. A good brain is nice, tender, and barely used. Go ahead, put down this book and watch some reality TV or Internet cat videos. They’re really funny these days. You won’t regret it. We say this only because we love you and your juicy, succulent gamer brain.
Disclaimer: Wizards of the Coast does not vouch for, guarantee, or provide any promise regarding the validity of the information provided in this volume by Volothamp Geddarm. Do not trust Volo. Do not go on quests offered by Volo. Do not listen to Volo. Avoid being seen with him for the risk of guilt by association. If Volo appears in your campaign, your DM is undoubtedly trying to kill your character in a manner that can be blamed on your own actions. The DM is probably trying to do that anyway, but with Volo’s appearance, you know for sure. We’re not convinced that Elminster’s commentary is all that trustworthy either, but he turned us into flumphs the last time we mentioned him in one of these disclaimers.
Disclaimer: No goldfish were harmed in the making of this book. Especially not Sylgar. Sylgar definitely did not die because we forgot to change his water. If you see Xanathar, make sure it knows that. Be perfectly clear Sylgar was not harmed. And we had nothing to do with it. Better yet, don’t bring it up, and don’t mention us.
Disclaimer: We asked Mordenkainen to write a humorous disclaimer for this book, and we got this response: “The day I start writing frivolous disclaimers for game manuals –particularly one riddled with text stolen from my notes – is the day I retire from wizardry and abandon all self-respect.”
Disclaimer: Contained herein are the observations of the archmage Tasha. Later known as the Witch Queen and then Iggwilv, she is one of the greatest wizards in the history of the multiverse. We fear this is an incantation hidden within these notes and have therefore bound this tome with powerful wards. If you are reading this, the first ward has already been broken! If you dare read any further, we cannot guarantee the safety of your soul or that you won’t open a portal to another plane of existence. If a portal does appear, pray that nothing worse than Tasha’s mother Baba Yaga appears. And if the mother of hags arrives, be sure to offer only praises of her daughter. Or offer muffins. She loves muffins.
Disclaimer: No guarantee is made that this book was or was not removed from the hoard of a dragon. Be aware that items taken from a dragon’s hoard might carry traces of the dragon’s inherent magic even long after they are removed from said hoard. Exposure to another dragon’s hoard can reawaken that magic, with unpredictable results.
Disclaimer: We asked the wizard Mordenkainen to write a humorous disclaimer for this book. We received this response: “The day I start writing frivolous disclaimers for game manuals is the day I retire from wizardry and abandon all self-respect.” Mordenkainen’s rival wizard Tasha apparently intercepted our request and sent us this note: “Mordenkainen lost his sense of humor somewhere between the City of Greyhawk and the Astral Plane. Keep your chins up, my dearest ones. The multiverse is filled with horrors, many of which are detailed in this book. Marshal your laughter and a few good spells. If we’re going to be devoured, better to face the darkness with a smile.”
Disclaimer: Bigby accepts no responsibility for injuries sustained by adventurers who seek out the glory of the giants without proper preparation, including but not limited to lightning strikes, falls from cloud castles, incineration, hypothermia, crushing boulders, or being sat upon.
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Disclaimer: The Living Guildpact is not responsible for the fate of those who are arrested by the Azorius, beaten by the Boros, dodged by the Dimir, grossed out by the Golgari, gored by the Gruul, imploded by the Izzet, outwitted by the Orzhov, rousted by the Rakdos, subsumed by the Selesnya, or sickened by the Simic. Join or leave a guild at your own risk, and get caught up in guild politics at your peril.
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Disclaimer: Published by the brilliant gnomes of House Sivis, this illustrious volume exposes truths you won’t believe about the Last War! You might think that’s enough to satisfy you, dear reader, but there’s more! The book also contains dice-fueled rules for reenacting thrilling events in the world of Eberron (dice not included). Also, don’t forget to recharge this book’s magic with a dragonshard about once a week. If you don’t, the book will turn back into a potato.
Disclaimer: The continent of Wildemount and all peoples within are fictional and primarily exist to invite you and your friends into a world of exploration, imagination, and deep emotional catharsis through epic struggles and victories. We advise you to embrace failure as much as success, sadness as much as joy, and to remain vigilant when taking care of pets or animals you acquire on your adventures. Wizards of the Coast and Critical Role are not responsible for any mental trauma suffered by animal companions or domesticated fey creatures resulting from persistent danger and deadly challenges, nor are we responsible for whatever lack of passive Perception might lead to a failure to notice the animals’ rapid escape.
Disclaimer: By the sole act of opening this book, you acknowledge your complicity in the domains-spanning conspiracy that denied me, Azalin Rex, Wizard-King of Darkon, my rightful place as both author and cover model for what could have been so much more than this doubtful collection of lies and slanders. Fortunately, as I’ve recently found my immortality unburdened by the trivialities of rule, I have endless opportunity to pursue thorough vengeances for even the pettiest affronts. Please prepare for my coming. I expect to be quartered in the utmost comfort while we personalize your redefinition of the word “horror.”
Disclaimer: A degree from Strixhaven University does not provide protection from magic missiles, fireballs, freezing spheres, or any other deleterious effects spellcasters might generate. If you create deleterious effects, Strixhaven kindly requests you refrain from invoking any names, symbols, or other references to the university should you find yourself in a confrontation. Strixhaven University does not take responsibility for any injury of any nature sustained in the course of anything, magical or otherwise.
Disclaimer: Space sickness is a common malady that primarily affects world-huggers. Before embarking on a Wildspace voyage, consult your local apothecary for a suitable remedy, such as a box of crackers, a perfume-soaked handkerchief, or a mop.
Disclaimer: The following adventure contains chromatic dragons. Wizards of the Coast cannot be held liable for characters who are incinerated, dissolved, frozen, poisoned, or electrocuted.
Disclaimer: Wizards of the Coast urges adventurers to remember that not all rock creatures are earth elementals. A talking rock that controls boulders is a galeb duhr, A talking rock wearing jewelry is a dao. A silent rock that’s resistant to non-adamantine weapons is a stone golem. A rock with wings is a gargoyle. A rock without a K is a giant bird. A rock that sits there and does nothing could be just a rock or a balor disguised by an illusion. In all cases, proceed with caution.
Disclaimer: Before you take on demon lords, consult a physician. Do not drink alcohol while taking on demon lords. Taking alcohol and demon lords may increase your risk of death. Other side effects of demon lords may include hallucinations, mindless rage, gluttony, greed, paranoia, self-delusion, bestial urges, nihilism, hedonism, megalomania, a messiah complex, cannibalism, multiple personalities, and homicidal psychosis.
Disclaimer: Wizards of the Coast cannot be held liable for any long term side effects of venturing into the dread realm of Ravenloft, such as lycanthropy, vampirism, a fear of dead things, a fear of living things, an inability to sleep without a nightlight on and a +5 holy avenger under your pillow, and the unsettling suspicion that Strahd is too clever to be so easily defeated and that this is all just part of some grand scheme of his to extend his power beyond Barovia. You didn’t think you could escape unless he wanted you to, did you?
Disclaimer: Creatures and objects in this adventure are bigger than they appear. No giant beanstalks were damaged and no golden geese were harmed in the making of this book.
Disclaimer: Do we really need a disclaimer to tell you that it’s not our fault that your character died because you decided to climb down into a monster- and trap-filled hole in the ground?
Apart from the disclaimer above, this book also features a fun and unique “Name That Face” Quiz:
As proprietor of the Yawning Portal, Durnan has heard amazing tales from adventurers of all sorts from across the multiverse, as seen in this array of characters by Tyler Jacobson.
See if you can identify the face and the adventure found in Tales from the Yawning Portal.
*(An upside-down list revealing the answers to the faces from the cover of the book is revealed below.)
Disclaimer: This adventure will make your players hate you – the kind of simmering hatred that eats away at their souls until all that remains are dark little spheres of annihilation where their hearts used to be. PS Don’t forget to tear up their character sheets.
Disclaimer: The Lords of Waterdeep cannot be held responsible for the flogging, banishment, incarceration, or execution of adventurers who violate the Code Legal, nor are the Lords responsible for the actions of beholder crime lords, unscrupulous nobles, drow swashbucklers, and evil clones. Also, don’t be alarmed by the colossal statues scattered throughout the city. They’re quite safe and haven’t gone berserk in years.
Disclaimer: The Mad Mage of Undermountain is not seeing visitors right now. Don’t come down because, uh, we’re renovating and everything is a mess. You won’t find any treasure, and the buffet is closed until further notice. Ye gods, where did all these githyanki come from? As if the mind flayers weren’t bad enough. What’s that? You think you can plunder my home and get away with it? Ha! You don’t have the experience points.
After battling dragons, elemental cultists, vampires, demons, and giants, you deserve a relaxing ocean cruise. Please keep all vital limbs well within the ship’s confines. We are not responsible for valuables, hit points, or lives lost during your voyage. In fact, perhaps you’d prefer a more relaxing vacation option. Can we suggest a trip to the Nine Hells? They’re quite balmy this time of the year.
Disclaimer: This adventure is a work of fiction aimed at providing you and your friends with many hours of fantastic entertainment. Although devils and the Nine Hells play prominent roles in this story, the evil they represent is meant to be fought and overcome. Wizards of the Coast fully endorses the kicking of evil’s butt. Let darkness fall and light prevail! We strongly advise that you do not play this adventure backward, lest Asmodius appear in a puff of smoke to talk politics, as archfiends are wont to do.
Disclaimer: We at Wizards of the Coast here on Earth C-132 do not agree with our mirror selves on Earth C-141. Rick Sanchez is not and never will be considered the “greatest f***ing DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game designer of all time,” even if he does have that very quote tattooed across his entire back –which is evidently how you qualify for jobs in C-141.
Disclaimer: The windswept tundra of Icewind Dale is the true test of one’s mettle. Here, it’s survival of the fittest! Don’t be fooled by the reindeer with glow-in-the-dark antlers and the tasty knucklehead trout (including the friendlier, more northerly Canucklehead variety). Icewind Dale is the frostbitten end of the world. You can’t spell dice without ice, my friend, and the Frostmaiden is not some demon prince, vampire, lich, beholder crime lord, or arch-devil. She’s a god – and a cold-hearted one at that.
Disclaimer: This book has been compiled by the Avowed of Candlekeep, in accordance with the wishes of the late Alaundo the Seer, whose prophecies foreshadow all events of consequence in the Forgotten Realms. Alaundo warned that anyone who unravels all the mysteries of this tome will be hunted down by the Time Dragons of Chronepsis, tossed into the gaping maw of Dendar the Night Serpent, and cast into the Vortex of Ineffable Damnation. Ha ha. What a sense of humor, that Alaundo!
Disclaimer: Dare to take a step into the dark backward and abysm of time? Know that Wizards of the Coast cannot be held responsible for those who enter the Feywild of their own accord. In the faerie realm, time gets twisted in knots. It might be months or years before you return to the real world. Enjoy the adventure while it lasts, and don’t be surprised if you encounter a few friends and foes from old editions lurking among the fey.
Disclaimer: The Netherdeep contains magical elements known to cause life-changing discoveries of ancient artifacts, red crystals growing out of your skin, long swims in dark places, aberrant fish, and enemies-to-friends-to-enemies plots. Consult a cleric or Matthew Mercer to see if the path to the Netherdeep is right for you.
Disclaimer: There is no guarantee that the light of the Radiant Citadel will be visible to the naked eye on your plane of existence, but know that it is there, whether seen or not.
Disclaimer: Wizards of the Coast is not responsible for the consequences of any failed saving throws, including but not limited to petrification, poison, death magic, dragon breath, spells, or vorpal sword-related decapitations.
Disclaimer: The Dragon Armies cannot ensure that owners of this book will not have their lives repurposed in the service of the Dragon Queen’s glorious will. Promises to the contrary should be considered best-case scenarios, not statements of certainty. Thank you for supporting the Dragon Armies and a cataclysmically bright future for all of Krynn.
Disclaimer: Under no circumstances shall the Cult of the Dragon or its adherents, affiliates, partners, licensors, or thralls (enchanted or otherwise) be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or cataclysmic damages to the Material Plane, its features, denizens, geographies, spheres, or natural laws, arising from the acts, incarnations, servants, and ruinous whims of Tiamat, Queen of Dragons. Those seeking to avoid abject draconic annihilation should relocate to the nearest convenient afterlife or just try and stop us.
Disclaimer: The Golden Vault cannot be held responsible for the infiltration of any property by burglars or any other acquisition experts, or for the purloinment of any belongings, regardless of their worth of current ownership status. The Golden Vault disavows any individuals who claim association with the organization, which is legally nonexistent. Any individuals who swindle, manipulate, take advantage of, or otherwise harm innocents are subject to the Golden Vault’s legally imaginary scrutiny.
Disclaimer: The fanatics of Ilvaash can neither confirm nor deny whether they plot to incorporate this book’s owners into a mighty new Illithid Empire. Any transformations incurred, up to and including face tentacles, are strictly coincidental.
Did You Know There Are Disclaimers for the Older Editions too?
These disclaimers are actual disclaimers, unlike what you would find in the 5th edition books. Any and all D&D books from older editions will have this disclaimer attached to them on other websites courtesy of Wizards of the Coast:
We recognize that some of the legacy content available on this website, does not reflect the values of the Dungeon & Dragons franchise today. Some older content may reflect ethnic, racial and gender prejudice that were commonplace in American society at that time. These depictions were wrong then and are wrong today. This content is presented as it was originally created, because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed. Dungeons & Dragons teaches that diversity is a strength, and we strive to make our D&D products as welcoming and inclusive as possible. This part of our work will never end.
Today I Learned That There Are 42+ Disclaimers For D&D
And almost every single one of them are funny. The only serious one is the one for the legacy editions, which makes sense considering the ever-changing times.
Reading through these all at once, I get the impression that the aim of the disclaimers for the 5th edition books is more to encapsulate the theme of that book. –But only in a funny way. For example, the theme of Tomb of Annihilation is simply that the players are guaranteed to have a bad time, and that it will be a hard adventure. The disclaimers are highly referential to famous characters in the D&D multiverse, real-life people like Matt Mercer, or in some cases, heavily influenced by the entertainment it’s derived from, like in Dungeons & Dragons vs Rick and Morty.
Talking about the referencing of characters in the D&D Multiverse specifically, I noticed that Wizards of the Coast loves to mention Xanathar and Mordenkainen the most. Xanathar, however, takes the cake. Wizards of the Coast routinely references him as the beholder crime lord in many different books. For those who don’t know, Xanathar is a crime lord in Waterdeep who operates a thieves guild. I just thought this was interesting, especially when reading everything together.
Which disclaimer was your favorite to read? Did I miss any disclaimers from other books or make a mistake somewhere? Let me know! Thank you for reading.
The Dungeon Master’s Guide (DMG) for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition (5e) is a pillar resource for DMs looking to create their own world with players willing to tell their stories in it. The focus of the DMG is primarily on world-building. It consists of three main sections which are meant to guide the DM throughout their game:
How to build the places your players will inhabit.
How to build the adventures and NPCs for players to do quests.
The adjudication of rules for specific player scenarios.
Let me start by saying this whole article is a matter of opinion. Whether you choose to read going forward is up to you. My main aim is to get fellow DMs thinking about what it really means to run a game. While this focuses on the DMG for 5e, this should translate well enough for Game Masters adjudicating other TTRPGs. The DMG is a vital resource, so why shouldn’t DMs and players take it literally? We’ll answer that question and then dive into those three sections of the DMG I mentioned above to talk about how I think people should interpret them.
The Role of The DM In The Dungeon Master’s Guide:
What makes a Dungeon Master stems from the introduction of the DMG (Pg4). In the intro, it explains the many roles of the DM:
Campaign Architect
Inventor
Storyteller
Writer
Actor
Referee
Essentially, the Dungeon Master is the one to take charge of their games. After all, they created the world the players participate in. It can be a heavy burden for certain people, especially when implementing the game’s rules. That said…
The DMG Helps You Improvise Your Games
Without rules, you don’t have a reliable game. Yet the DMG states it isn’t some law book for DMs to clutch to. –It turns out that breaking the rules of the Players Hand Book (PHB), modifying the creatures in The Monster Manual, and rebelling against ideas in the DMG for your own is encouraged. The DMs at Wizards of the Coast understand that various people will have different playstyles and worlds. No DM will play the same as the other, and that’s okay.
Here, I’ll summarize some of the critical points in the DMG’s three sections that allow the DM to change rules as they see fit:
Part 1: Master Of Worlds
To quote the very first sentence:
“Every DM is the creator of his or her own campaign world. Whether you invent a world, adapt a world from a favorite movie or novel, or use a published setting for the D&D game, you make that world your own over the course of a campaign.”
(DMG, Pg.4)
From the beginning, it tells us that you can adapt D&D to whatever you want to build your world upon. The DMG also introduces the idea that D&D is a multiverse where many planes and worlds coincidentally occur. It’s a fancy way of saying to DMs: “Do what you want!”
While this is a freeing thought, the guide also makes a point to say that consistency is a massive part of world-building.
“Consistency is a key to a believable fictional world. When the adventurers go back into town for supplies, they should encounter the same nonplayer characters (NPCs) they met before…Once you have achieved this degree of consistency, you can provide an occasional change…one that has nothing to do with the adventures directly, but one that they’ll notice –makes the players feel as though their characters are part of a living world that changes and grows along with them.”
(DMG, Pg.4)
Further, the DMG suggests that by using the PHB in conjunction with your world-building plans, you can merge them to serve your campaign’s needs.
Part 2: Master of Adventures
Part 2: Master of Adventures merely suggests that you’ll need to prepare beyond the hours you spend at the table with your players in a session.
That said, Part 2’s introduction states plainly how it will help you craft your own NPCs, including any motives and ambitions. This includes how to make up clever encounters in your story. It also says how you’ll create treasure, magic items, and special rewards so your players stay invested in your world.
The above are excellent hallmarks of consistent planning and improvisation on the DM’s part.
Part 3: Master Of Rules:
It is crucial to remember that the DMG states how important it is to have a referee who guarantees that everyone at the table plays by the rules. That said, eventually, a player’s actions would stump the most studious DM wanting to run their games Rules As Written (RAW) Style.
The DMG encourages DMs to faithfully determine what their player’s action requires or if it is even possible. Such scenarios include:
Mentally determining the Difficulty Check (DC) for an action the player may want to take.
Whether a unique action (Like throwing hot coals in an enemy’s face) imposes extra penalties or advantages for players.
Referencing the rules of the PHB to determine success or failure for player actions (Like how far a player can move to a target).
While the DMG mentions the above scenarios, there are no rules for these scenarios. –Just the suggestion that you, as a DM, must make that call yourself.
Interestingly, the DMG makes a hypocritical statement implying that you should know the rules to appropriately make the calls you need to make in the game while also saying that you don’t need to know everything. However, It closes that loophole with this beautiful quote:
“You don’t have to memorize this book or the Player’s Handbook, but you should have a clear idea of their contents so that, when a situation requires a ruling, you know where to find the proper reference.”
DMG (Pg. 5)
As long as you know where the rules reside in the PHB and the DMG, you will be doing okay as the DM. I believe this statement gives certain DMs leeway to bend the rules, but do so at your own risk and make sure that you are communicating with your players should you choose to do so. Or, like the dragon inside this article, they will eat you alive.
Taking Your Players Into Account
Believe it or not, the success of your world does not depend on how well you craft the environment, the people in it, the adventures, or the encounters.
It depends on if the players enjoy the experience you’re giving them.
“The success of a D&D game hinges on your ability to entertain the other players at the game table. Whereas their role is to create characters (the protagonists of the campaign), breathe life into them, and help steer the campaign through their characters’ actions, your role is to keep the players (and yourself) interested and immersed in the world you’ve created, and to let their characters do awesome things.” (DMG, Pg. 6)
(DMG, Pg.6)
The beauty of D&D is that it is a collaborative storytelling game. Suppose you plan to implement a novel complete with fully fleshed NPCs into your D&D game, complete with detailed revelations just waiting for your players to discover. In that case, you may encounter some serious issues.
Your NPCs are not the protagonists of the D&D world. Your players are.
The nuance of story writing for novels and short stories vastly differs from the writing required for D&D.
The arc of your story world will be trampled on and changed by the players in your D&D campaign based on the choices they are free to make.
I’ve moderated communities invested in storytelling and novels, and the one thing that stands out to me when reading for aspiring writers? They dump lore, backgrounds, and settings into their story without respecting the reader. Paragraph after paragraph of…just get to the action already! Similarly, for D&D, your players want to play the game and get to the action. I’m not saying you shouldn’t design a detailed world. But you have to go about it with the idea that D&D is more a game than a story. Leaving loopholes open and questions unanswered for your players to latch onto is the best thing you can do to introduce your custom-made world to the game.
Moving away from that tangent, I want to highlight some of the things the DMG recommends for DMs to consider when it comes to their players:
Acting: Similar to the requirement of DMs, players can act out their character. Let them!
Exploring: Understand how much your players enjoy exploring in the game. Providing them with something to uncover the mystery of your world is as easy as giving them monsters or scenes with peculiar details to start investigating.
Instigating: Instigators should be allowed to start trouble in your world. It’s up to you to give them the appropriate consequences for getting into encounters that are fun for everybody. Don’t be afraid to let the instigator’s actions change the world around them.
Fighting: Similarly, players who like to fight should have you focused on how combat proceeds, thanks to their actions, with vivid detail if at all possible.
Optimizing: Players who like to optimize their characters should be rewarded with new abilities and items. It’s wise to give these players encounters that let them shine.
Problem-Solving: Problem solvers would likely love encounters that reward planning and tactics and challenging them with NPCs that have complex motives.
Storytelling: Players who love to tell stories are at home when they know they can participate in the DM’s overarching plot. –Using their character background, ensuring encounters advance the story, and making their actions known in future events is recommended.
Implementing a portion of these suggestions from the DMG will help you craft a world that collaborates and compromises with the player’s needs and the DM’s. Having a Session 0 will help you determine your player’s needs as the story progresses. You need to ask them what they want out of the game.
An Argument for RAW (Rules As Written):
My article describes many snippets that I’ve found that support the idea of flexibility when it comes down to the rules of D&D. After all, it is a free-form game where game decisions, consequences, and player reactions will always put the DM to task when it comes down to wayward rulings. It makes sense when it comes down to consistency and reliance when playing D&D RAW style.
You will always have the PHB, the DMG, and the other supporting books behind you when you make your rulings at the table.
Players will be at ease knowing they will be treated equally at the table. Favoritism is a hard accusation to point at a DM who plays their games RAW.
Again, consistency is key for playing D&D regularly. Following the rules by the book is guaranteed to allow everybody to have fun at your sessions.
However, when it comes to making calls on the fly, RAW-style gameplay falters when:
You can’t find the specific rule in an official manual.
There is no particular rule in the official manual.
I say you shouldn’t overthink it. Sometimes, when a ruling needs to be made, it’s time to let go of RAW Style when it doesn’t work and exercise the most potent D&D rule. Just make sure not to abuse it:
Whatever you say goes. –Or the Rule of Cool.
If a really extraordinary circumstance pops up, and you are unsure if it’s allowed in the rules…why not let it happen?
If there is an action that makes sense to play, but there’s no official rule for conducting it faithfully, why not make something up and move along?
I am not the best DM in the world, but some of my best moments in the game were when I bent the rules to allow the player to do something unique. –And it ensured everyone had a blast, too.
After all, you are the Dungeon Master.
I hope that this article helps anyone thinking about running their own game, or currently doing so think about the impacts of how they choose to implement rulings for their players.
When I first started playing D&D a few years ago, I was enthralled with the idea of seeing how my friends would react to situations I would come up with on the fly. I remember that after a game of D&D, my friends and roommates would sit around, just talking. Seemingly, we still wanted to play, but the DM wasn’t around anymore. So we played pretend instead. –I wasn’t even really DMing with the rules of D&D…we were just rolling a d20 and having a blast through a scenario involving breaking into a castle.
Fun times.
My point is that the soul of D&D is in the mutual storytelling itself. The make-believe encounters we put ourselves in so we can socialize, laugh, and talk through together. No rules are required for that. Just willing sacrifices. Err, players.
Thanks for reading.
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