r/DnD • u/AutoModerator • 1d ago

Weekly Questions Thread

## Thread Rules

​

* New to Reddit? Check the Reddit 101 guide.

​

* If your account is less than 5 hours old, the /r/DnD spam dragon will eat your comment.

​

* If you are new to the subreddit, **please check the Subreddit Wiki**, especially the Resource Guides section, the FAQ, and the Glossary of Terms. Many newcomers to the game and to r/DnD can find answers there. Note that these links may not work on mobile apps, so you may need to briefly browse the subreddit directly through Reddit.com.

​

* **Specify an edition for ALL questions**. Editions must be specified in square brackets ([5e], [Any], [meta], etc.). If you don't know what edition you are playing, use [?] and people will do their best to help out. AutoModerator will automatically remind you if you forget.

​

* **If you have multiple questions unrelated to each other, post multiple comments** so that the discussions are easier to follow, and so that you will get better answers.

2 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

5 comments sorted by

1

u/Arkathor 12h ago

I am new and getting into DnD (choose [3.5] because I heard great things about it). I will have a tutorial one shot in a week but I have a few questions for more experienced players and GM's.
1. How important is a optimized build? Would it be groundbreaking getting wrong feat or choosing a level or two in not very optimal class because I like the vibe? Would it be bad to have something not very useful as a invested skill.

  1. Wizard Magic Spellbook is a item, so it can be destroyed. If I loose it, do I loose all the spells in it and need to start from beginning? I heard stories about paladins and clerics loosing their powers, because they strayed from their alignment, rangers animal companions getting killed etc. and it seems a bit scary to loose such a part of characters power casualy.

  2. If I would have let's say perform (flute) or poetry as skills with good levels into them, would it be considered rude to ask a bard to join his performance? I am thinking about something casual like tavern or town festival, not private audience before king. Would it be considered stealing spotlight?

  3. This is probably DM and party dependent but is it frown upon to play a character that is skewed in narrow playstyle? I could imagine for example a Knight with a lot levels in cavalier being annoyingly handicapped in town/dungeon because good luck getting your horse inside. Or for example while checking classes I found the idea of Marshall, Legendary Leader, Legendary Tactician type character appealing but read a lot of complaining online about leadership. I am asking because I don't want to end having a annoying character and being "that guy".

  4. I like wizard as character class but I find it very intimidating from "burden of knowledge" perspective. I am still trying to figure out stuff like spells, spell levels etc. plus there are things like "this class also advances your wizard class, but not their level". There are dozens of metamagic feats and The spell compedium alone has nearly 300 pages of spells. Should I just read and learn all this stuff outside of game and play archer, meatshield, rogue in meantime? The magic classes feel so easy to build wrong and useless.

1

u/zaxter2 5h ago

How important is an optimized build?

This one depends heavily on the rest of the party, and your DM's playstyle. It's generally best if every player plays a character of roughly the same level of optimization, whether that's high or low, so that nobody is overshadowing the others or feeling useless. A good DM can compensate for any sizeable discrepancies though (e.g. give a weaker character some strong magic items or a unique special ability)

What happens if a spellbook is destroyed?

It's what you think -- if your spellbook is lost or destroyed, you can't prepare the spells that were recorded in it. You would have to find a way to get it back, or start from scratch with a new spellbook before you can prepare spells again (although all Wizards can prepare Read Magic from memory, and you could possibly borrow someone else's spellbook in the meantime). IME, this isn't something DMs typically do to players unless they are deliberately running a very punishing, high-stakes type of game (which, if they are, is something that should be discussed with players ahead of time).

Should I take Perform ranks?

There's typically little harm in spending a few skill ranks in something that's ultimately just for flavor. The personality of the other character (or player) might dictate otherwise if they're something of a diva, but I think most players and DMs would be happy to have a player who wants to join in on a scene and roleplay more.

Should I specialize in a playstyle?

If you're trying to optimize, it's generally best to specialize in one or two things to be good at, provided those are things that are actually relevant to a party (getting a +bazillion to your Craft (Basketweaving) check is impressive, but not likely to help your party defeat the demon hordes). As you noted, though, you need to be aware of whatever weaknesses will come along with your specialty, whether that's in-game stuff like a size limitations of your mount or out-of-game stuff like managing the stats of a zillion minions. If your table is more low-optimization, you probably don't need to hyper-focus as much on squeezing every ounce of potential out of your character -- just pick some options that sound fun.

Wizards are overwhelming/confusing

There's definitely a lot of bookkeeping and reading to do if you play a caster, especially a prepared caster like a Wizard or Cleric. If you're starting at a higher level, then it might be too much to handle if it's your first game. Otherwise, you could honestly just stick to the PHB spells to ease the burden of how much you need to learn, and still play a very strong caster. And it's not like you need to know what every 9th-level spell in the game does right now if the game is going to end at level 6 -- just read about the ones that are actually relevant to you now, and maybe peek forward a little bit when you're about to level up.

1

u/LeglessPooch32 DM 9h ago

[5e, Any] DM question about RESPEC.

If you allow it, do you have a limit on how often it can be done per PC? What kind of RESPEC do you allow?

I ask bc I've had 3 of my 5 players do it at least once, always asked first if I would allow it and I always had them do it at a level up. Only been done once by each and it didn't change any AS's, just how they were multiclassed. I think they're all happy with it now, but I also can see them asking again in a few levels at level 12 to try and game the system a bit.

Really just curious how others have handled it and to what level they allowed it. TIA!

1

u/Atharen_McDohl DM 8h ago

It's case-by-case for me. New players I'll generally allow a respec at any scale whenever, but I would expect them to stick with a build for a bit before doing a complete overhaul. You know, make sure they actually get a taste and aren't just swapping builds like they're changing clothes. I'd also make sure they're coordinating with me through the process not only so I can be prepared, but so that I can help guide the process and make sure they have the context they need to make each choice.

For more experienced players I might occasionally allow a large-scale respec, but usually I'd expect them to commit to something. If there's a problem then I'll talk it over with them and try to find the least disruptive solution we can. If they're bored of the character, maybe that requires a change of story rather than a change of mechanics. A respec at a smaller scale is more likely to be acceptable.

1

u/HalcyonHorizons 2h ago

If a player isnt having fun, of course they can respec! Usually I try to limit it to downtime, but I dont mind if it's in the middle of something as long as they are being honest. 

I would trust my players not to abuse my generosity. And if for some reason they did try abusing it, I would pause the game to evaluate their place in it.