I've started using physical paper and books for D&D. I spend all day on a computer for work so its nice to step away from it for hobbies. I use a notebook for the campaigns I run. I lay it flat so I can see two pages at once - the left page is for prep, right page is for the session. The first few pages of the notebook are reserved for a table of contents, session summaries, etc.

I am running Lost Mine of Phandelver, and I am using Deadwood for my npcs. Perfection. None of my players have seen it, and I get to enjoy a new (to me) series.

I have been using Static Initiative for npcs for a while now and always have them go after the players. But having them go in the middle makes so much more sense. Thank you!

Awesome fixing of Vecna. Can't wait for the handout.

I agree with your opinion of the statblocks. I'm also disappointed to see CR hasn't moved. I know it's in the same place as the 2014 layout, but I've been having trouble finding it there for like 10 years now. Even though I know where it is, my eyes wander around searching for it every time. (By comparison note that the other book you were showing puts CR up in the top right corner - very easy to spot at a glance!)

Great discussion around backwards compatibility.

We've been playing groups with a mix of playtest characters and 2014 characters together. We haven't had a compatibility issue.

Your Vecna adventure sounds awesome

What I want the most out of the 2024 D&D is an updated Basic Rules PDF or source option in D&D Beyond (currently it's the Basic Rules plus the SRD). I know the updated SRD will have much of the contents, but I feel like the Basic Rules PDF is a tight ruleset that's good for teaching people at cons or running quick one-off dungeon delves. I've printed off copies of the Basic Rules PDF and had them as reference for L2P sessions so people aren't trying to share someone's PHB.

Loved your observation about going back to more analog stuff has felt good. I've been playing forever and was getting heavily into the digital stuff as a result of playing during COVID. Recently I have gone back to flip mat with tokens and paper sheets and dice. It really brings me back to the early days and I am quite enjoying the stripped down experience without all the bells and whistles. Players seem more focuses as well. Thanks for the video!

Loved the video, thanks!

I'm using a custom teleport system derived from Elder Scrolls Online. There are certain places that can serve as places to teleport to, and no other place works. and if you go to one of those places, you can teleport without spells to another of those special places you already visited. So I have a fast travel system and things like teleport serve you to reach one of those fast travel places. Some of those places are in cities, and some cities place them outside to better control the influx of people. You can dial it so that only certain level of people can use them. I didn't do this yet, but I'm planning on introducing stones attuned to one of those places, that can be made by mages and then attuned by anybody. The idea is to add a market for those explorers that go to places unknown by others and can then sell those attuned stones. With these you can use the stone inside another special place to go to the place the stone is attuned to even if you never were there. This would help me to expand the map a little and also get the players to adventure if I want them in another place.

I was surprised they didn't change the Topple mastery significantly from testing. Although I don't think it's as big a deal as we're used to. Getting advantage is very good, but under the 2024 rules it is much easier to get advantage, and double advantage doesn't do anything. So, because there are now more ways to get advantage and it happens more often anyway, the ability to knock a creature prone isn't as big in 2024 rules as it is in 2014 rules. The bigger issue with Topple in my opinion is all the additional saving throws. That's just a pain in the arse. If that player uses topple on every attack they make then every time they hit something the DM has to roll a d20, which adds an entire step. Normally it's something like Player Decides to attack & rolls d20 > DM declares hit > Player rolls damage > DM describes effects > Player continues their turn. Now between the hit and damage the DM has to roll, and the player has to check their stats for the DC. It even messes up the usual efficiency saving of rolling your damage dice with the d20 and simply ignoring them if you miss, because it's backwards. It requires the DM to roll on the players turn. I kinda hate that. I'd prefer it be an ability check on the player's part vs a monster stat instead of a saving throw. Then the player could just roll an additional d20. If you had a different colored one you could even roll all the dice together. It's still an extra roll, but I think it might flow better. But maybe I'm overthinking it. I guess if you already know your player does this every time you'd just roll your d20 every time they hit by habit and you'd know his DC by memory after just a couple hits. *shrug*

This initiative idea has a pretty big impact on characters with initiative features. I need to think more about it for assassins, certain ranger subclasses, etc.

I like the new block compared to the old one.

Just started doing campaign diaries for my first long campaign since buying Return, and Secrets and Clues really shined in that longer format! Shouldve mentioned the sale in my vid lol

In reference to the D&D 2024 Monster Stat Block, I couldn’t help but recognize it from @DungeonDad's video, "First Look at a Never Before Seen D&D Monster!" I'm currently working on a 2024 compatible supplement, and ever since hearing about the redesigned Stat Block, I’ve been eagerly keeping an eye out for it. After watching Dungeon Dad's video, I decided to investigate further. I don't believe this is the redesigned stat block, as the monster stat block he provides in the video right before this one appears quite similar. Unless he's been using the new design since June 10th.

29:41 It's not going to take anyone a year to know for sure how backwards compatibility works. I asked Jeremy in a call how everything works and he answered everything.

I really like Mike's version of Vecna Eve of Ruin!

I like the stat block. Having the saving throw there is handy, Especially for new dms.

You have a great show. Wish you all the best.

For NPCs, I've been thinking about using the 12 Jungian Archetypes. They are pretty generic, have intuitive names and work well in fantasy. Also can be rolled on a d12. I can even mix 2 of them to make a more complex character.

Thanks

Concerning a locally hosted 5e character builder, I've always been a fan of the Aurora Builder. Sadly development was halted in 2020, but it's still working pretty well for the most part.

I like your idea of using characters from the same TV show - however i'm doing the exact opposite :D I really like choosing different characters from different popculture sources and occasionally mix and match them :D In my homebrew setting I have a masterspy character from CP2077 Phantom Liberty (Solomon Reed), but also a bandit leader from Mass Effect (Aria T'Loak). It is an extra background entertainment for me - what if these NPCs would live in the same world? It is a delightful childish fantasy for me, like playing with a Darth Vader toy and a dinosaur toy :D

In my current campaign I have an entire deep gnome town that is full of characters from the Simpsons. Works great. For digital tools, the only one that I use regularly that is the battlesim-zeta app, which lets you throw a party and a bunch of monsters together and it will calculate a mock battle between the groups. Infinitely better than using CRs for encounter balancing.

Love everything you do thank you. Was accused of trolling for bringing up compatibility in the dnd discord. My presentation lacked the coherence you bring. Thank you again.

Your Vecna campaign already sounds so much better!

I plan to get your discounted book in a few days. I really enjoy watching your planning process in action, so I bet the book is good too. 😊

Lol! VECNA! Hah! I am going with the idea of him thinking that he's a god and all the other gods are like, "Look at that. Another something that wants to rule the world. What a child." Like a little 8th grader to high school seniors. That can totally play into your ideas!

I was talking with another GM friend a few weeks ago about Eve of Ruin, I'm glad I wasn't the only one going "I think them being in love and causing havoc would be COOLER" N I C E

47:00 The problem with allowing teleportation and then blocking it, or nerfing it, is the players can feel kinda cheated if they get their "kewl move" rendered almost unusable most of the time. It requires GM to benig able to allow them use it most frequently and blocking it only on a good occassion - and those you've mentioned are good examples. The players need to know that such blockades are possible upfront though. 53:00 As The Alexandrian said: "There has to be a reason to remix the adventure in the first place. For an adventure to be worth remixing, there needs to be something really awesome about it. So awesome that it’s worth putting in the effort to bring that experience to the table.". So yeah, I concur, just write your own, and it'll probably be much better (especially since you're going to have to tailor it up for your own group anyway).

I'm thinking hey yeah, use characters from tv shows! Excellent idea! But all I've been watching lately is Columbo, where the only character is Columbo, and he's a terrible NPC. BUT every NPC could be better if they said things about their wife or cousin or brother-in-law or nephew or whatever, or mentioned places they visited with their in-laws when really they wanted to go to some other place. Makes the world seem much more alive, so I'm gonna work on doing this.

Great idea selecting a cast from a single show. The writers have already done the work to create unique characters without much overlap. You could grab a cast for each distinct location, that might even help theme the area. Good stuff.

I have been wondering why this is coming out so early, but I assume they sell more books this way. I do wish they gave me something extra for digital only pre-order.

15:07 i read the basically rules, return of the lazy dungeon master and started reading DMG i am glad I came across your book cuz if I had read DMG first I would've just given up. the thing way too bloated. I was like "bro, gotta get a PhD to be able to play a game?". anyways, later on I convinced the wife to buy the rest of sly flourish books and I couldn't be happier. I have finally run my first session zero ever and it was very fun. I had spent like... 30min prep for a game that lasted 3h.

Thank you, I hate the new stat block layout too.

I love your fixes for Eve of Ruin!

The only place I can recall needing an actual ability score in 5E would be to fend off Intellect Devourers. They have a psionic stunning attack that needs to roll over you ability score, not against AC or forcing a save. Other than that, I cannot think of an instance.

Your point about the stat block numbers (just 6) is well taken. For me, however, I like to "show my math" to know why my modifier is the way it is. That isn't to say that WOTC's version is good though - it's a mess even for my purposes.

My idea for Vecna: Eve of Ruin was to have Mordenkainen and his multiverse council of The Circle of Eight. Eight powerful mages and spellcasters from different worlds across the multiverse. Mordenkainen and Tasha from Oerth Alustriel and Laeral Silverhand, or maybe Elminster from the Realms Raistlin or Dalamar the Dark from Krynn An artificer/wizard from Eberron And an NPC from my home campaign.

Have you heard of 'Tales of the manticore"? podcast. so good!

The person that asked about limiting the teleport spell. I think one way to deal with that is to talk to your players at the end of the session, and find out exactly where they want to go next session. You really have to stick by that if you're the players. Imho 👋

I had hoped they give us the artificer in the 2024 books. Still a chance it's an advanced option in the DMG but unlikely.

Things like knocking someone prone seems kinda tedious to add to the rule book, at the table we usually just ask,”can I try to push them down?” and do a STR check. Not a big deal. I really don’t see the issue with classes from 5e clashing with 6e. In the end you are doing damage and rolling a d20. Unless you are completely changing how CR is used against a certain level party, it’s redundant.

Are we even sure that the Statblock looks like that? Creators could not post screen shots and always wrote up the things they shown in ther video. So this might be a interpretation from DungeonDad and not how it really looks.

As a GM and a player, mixing classes from various version of 5e, such as Tales of the Valiant, Advance 5e, the 2014 or 2024 editions of the game, only become a problems if the power level is out of balance between these versions. For example, I found that most Advance 5e classes are just more powerful and versatile than their 2014 or, so far, 2024 counterpart that I would suggests in an Advance 5e that we should all use the core classes from that book as balancing the power level between them would be too much works. However, the 2014 and 2024 versions are so close in powers level that I don't think I would care that much if a player ask for playing a 2014 or 2024 versions of either class - no or very little works would be needed to make it work.

My solution to teleportation has been to have a deity whose domain is the space between the planes, which you need to pass through to teleport / plane shift / etc. This means that teleportation requires divine offerings, interaction with this deity, increased fickleness, etc.

What if you made forbiddance a low level permanent ritual with a common-ish material component. Like a line of salt around the perimeter of a room. Or maybe brass has a natural teleportation blocking field effect -- like radiation and lead. It might be one of the first things a wizard learns, in order to protect their uneducated selves from being teleported into a trap by a recently summoned demon. Suddenly, teleport works just fine, but is commonly thwarted.

A friend of mine has lost serious $$$ worth of dice over the years. He switched to using dice rolling apps on his phone.

Your forbidden Caz & Vecna relationship ❤ ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

Speaking Schwalb, the Demon Lord is coming to 5E!

Omg Community is the perfect archetype mine for the adventure I've been thinking about.

There really need to be TWO different official stat blocks. The full block with all the bells and whistles and math that appears in the Monster Manual and a condensed version for appearance in adventures and DM notes. And I don’t get why they don’t do this. Personally, however I’d rather have a longer stat block with everything because no one can tell me what I might or might not need in a given situation.

16:57 If the DMs Guide is bad, won't less people try their hand and DMing?

Hearing you talk about initiative reminded me of the new DC20 project. I know you've probably been asked to speak on a bunch of times but I'd love to hear your opinion. You're my favourite GM guru ✌️

At 13 minutes you discuss Initiative and the fun of having 'monsters go in the middle.' I've gotten to this point a LONG while ago and use a very simple method: Make Initiative rolls a Dexterity test (e.g., in Shadowdark, it's a DC 12 Dex check). Pass? You go before the monsters in whatever order. Fail? You go after. No need to write anything down, no need for ordering tent cards on a screen or whatever contrived method D&D youtubers are promoting these days, whatever.

Echo knight.

WotC has really bad book design. I was hoping for them to get with the times in document layout (look at Neverland or yeah, what you pulled up with black flag). We’ll see, but it’s not a good start. The monsters HAVE sucked since day 1, but like you said I can just fix that. There are one or two that I still use, but I started building my own monsters as soon as I started DM’ing because I thought the monsters were underwhelming as a player…

Your remote player might consider dddice. Free, simple, and no registration necessary.

If you pre-order the digital and hardcover books, you will have a discount of $60. The digital books will cost $10 instead of $30.

I like that you mention tales of the valiant. It seems like it not covered as much as it should be imo.

The player's handbook is the game. Everything else is supplementary.

WotC is always a byword for hubris.

Amos. is the best.

We live in the digital age. Initiative isn't a problem anymore and can be entirely automated.

I have not been happy with feats since I started 5e. I think they are too powerful and giveaway too much and the idea of adding an ASI to them on top of that makes me shudder. I wish I had just told my players we are not playing with feats when we started. Instead, I tweak some of them down instead, a solution I am also not happy with.

I think the 2024 monster manual is going to be a good buy for the new monsters and the revised monsters to match their cr.

A rewrite of Eve of Ruin where Vecna's motives now circle a gay love story? Happy Pride!!! Can't wait to read the full article.

Mike gets blurrier ever episode lately.... 😵‍💫 Autofocus DC must be too high haha

ROFL the general take on VEoR among D&DTubers has been "Run something else." 🤷*sigh*

Going to be a long time before I spend money on a WotC product, and frankly, their stuff is mid at best, so might be a minute before I look at the new edition.

I hate digital dice at the table. So dumb.

Can we all just agree to call it 5.5? Like come on 😅

You had me till "Naomi is an excellent character".

2024 is 6e; just say it. Many in the community have said Tasha's fundamentally changed the game. Tasha's is 5.5e