Web DM's Guide to Fighting Dirty | 5e Dungeons and Dragons | TTRPG

[@WebDM]

Thanks for watching! Get DUNGEON NOTES: www.kickstarter.com/projects/1985games/dungeon-notes?ref=dwpsfn Get Way more Web DM: www.patreon.com/webdm

[@MrRhexx]

I love the idea of adding mechanical flaws to a character. Like, instead of just simply saying that you are suspicious of everyone....make it so that there's a mechanical consequence of it. Like now the player can't end their turn within 5ft of another character. Or now the player can only cast spells that benefit only him.

[@jackdavis98]

Those are PHENOMENAL ideas! Also: I just used the info from your aboleth videos in our last session with my players.

[@GuardianTactician]

I did that once. A player told me that their character had haptophobia (fear of touching or being touched). They reflexively hit another player character when they were healed. I had them make a DC 14 wisdom check to cast touch range spells. They complained about it.

[@EunoiaRPG]

If you're checking out this top voted comment go ahead and check out MrRhexx's channel for great D&D lore videos :)

[@JacksonOwex]

I made a Pathfinder character who was afraid of Arcane Magic and effects of that nature! Never got far enough to have to worry about what I was going to do about magic items! Except of course the ones that were used for Arcane spells.

[@JacksonOwex]

@@GuardianTactician Well they should have gotten a familiar, or a duplicate, to use for those!

[@DrMemeD302]

I love how Davis and Pruitt have basically exchanged beards at this point

[@sgtbagels2059]

I literally thought the same thing!!

[@bladetb3934]

I thought they had a faceswap filter on during the intro

[@Josie-th3id]

LMAOOOOO

[@baowen2973]

Great episode! I had a player with lycanthropy who also was a wizard, so I worked with my a player that when they took a long rest, if they failed a save. They could recover only up to half their spell slots. To recover it they had to devour a portion of a creature with a CR equal their player level enough to appease the beast boiling their blood. They loved this attack on their character sheet and it helped reinforce that they had a curse.

[@hithere4719]

Altered Beast mini game. Nice 😎

[@itzybitzyspyder]

They see me rolling, They hatin', Their action holdin' and tryna catch me fightin' durdy.

[@Grinnar]

Pruitt is becoming Jim, and Jim is becoming Pruitt. They're going to merge into one mega DM.

[@daltsu3498]

Beard yang is beard ying. There never was a difference. 🧘

[@galvaton10000]

Would they do that fusion dance or the potara earrings?

[@Grinnar]

@@galvaton10000 no, they rub beards. It's known as "brustling."

[@TheScandinavien]

The Dread Mega DM. The DM DM. Double the DMs

[@_bats_]

Spell curse I just thought of: basically a necrotic damage version of Burning Hands. It's prepared automatically. If you don't cast it by the end of the day, the next day it's prepared as well but also at second level. And so on, up to your maximum spell level. From there it cascades down, starting to require being cast multiple times using up multiple spell slots at given spell levels. It only goes away if you use it to kill creatures. Not injure, but kill.

[@michaelmorey3110]

I remember in 1st Ed. If you fell in a pit, or got hit by a fireball or acid, you were making saving throws for gear to see if it was damaged/broken.

[@bigfatopinions1338]

Always an exciting day when you get to watch the new WebDM video when it’s drops!! What a great follow up to your Combat as Sport vs. War episode from a while ago!!

[@WebDM]

Woot! Thanks!

[@slusc30]

This is some great inspiration. Especially against a high level party, where they are a lot less concerned about dropping from HP loss. Though a monster that takes away their ability to make death saves or starts them with two failed death saves could change that.

[@tuomasronnberg5244]

I like dungeon effects like that. Going to an evil lair with two failed death saves heightens the feel of danger without actually messing the difficulty level that much (because if they play well then they won't be making those death saves in the first place).

[@MaguMagus]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/mZ_ZhaCHppWka9E

[@josuelservin]

I picked up somewhere the idea for a "doom" condition, each level of it removes a death save...

[@williamdobesh2849]

I love the thought of a Lich using a spell or ability that connects them to a players spell slots. Basically the player needs to take an action to make a CHA save each round to break the connection and until they do the Lich can use the PC’s spell slots to cast spells. Basically leeching the Magical power right out of the spell caster and using it against them.

[@dagonpoint]

This is good content. Thank you. I would love to see much more DM-centric tools (I know you guys already do a lot, but MORE!), such as: how would you create a ruined city, how would you run a thieves' guild, how to make Orcs more threatening, etc. One of the topics I would love to see is how to deal with experienced players. There's a lot of content for new players and how to introduce new players but little for challenges to experienced players. I have been DM'ing for close to 30 years, and my current group has been (with a few exceptions) playing with me for 20 of those. Coming up with something to challenge them that's not obviously dickish is quite tough. PS: Thank you for your fantastic, wonderful content. You guys rock!

[@antimonyneamhan9824]

Aberrations are a great time to dust off the old madness rules.

[@jaydenray2803]

The only way to fight.

[@WebDM]

Don't disagree

[@asdasd-ty9se]

The only fair fights are the ones you lose

[@williampearson8328]

@@asdasd-ty9se The only fair fights are the ones you win.

[@asdasd-ty9se]

@@williampearson8328 this actually lays bare the differences between the fighter and the other classes

[@wolfjack5802]

@@asdasd-ty9se reminds me of that scene in game of thrones with the sky door in the floor and the duel to the death when Bron tricks his combatant to stepping next to the door and kicks him down. Soul Caliber 2 taught me to be cautious of those.

[@eternalbleedingheart]

Love the hit dice stuff. We're considering a home rule of being able to use a hit die per 10 minutes of rest/downtime. Gives other characters something to be doing while the caster is doing a ritual.. or while that rogue is picking a lock. Having enemies and environments that attack the hit dice will also bring more focus on their usage and conservation.

[@theosophicalwatermelons8181]

One of my favorite memories from any tabletop game was from a Level Zero Death Funnel, in DCC. One of another player's characters had eschewed his dagger in favor of a large longsword, which seemed sensible at the moment, until the party was faced with a large beast-man. During the fight, the beast-man had pinned the longsword-bearer onto the ground with his left foot. The longsword bearer may have been able to attack before, but, due to his choice in equipment, had no weapon small enough to reasonably jab at the beast's foot, and thus, he died, then and there. Since that one campaign, all of my characters carry at least one dagger.

[@stevesmith4600]

I think DMs need to tread carefully when implementing a new mechanism that it not within the base or agreed upon rules that is punitive, particularly when the players are provide no alternatives. So, crossing a desert and applying a level of exhaustion, that's fine ... part of the rules. Crossing a desert and then telling the players now that they've done this the consequence is a loss of a hit die, I wouldn't be OK with this. Telling a player before they cross the desert that if they do so they will lose a hit die, maybe. Better would be that while the players are at the tavern in town planning their approach to get to the next town, the DM says their a mountain path with dangerous yetis or a desert crossing, which would result in losing a hit die. Knowing the mechanics while the players are planning is always better than surprising them while they're in the mix of a situation, which is better than this is what the consequence is after the fact. Granted, one should apply proper context. If losing a hit die for crossing a desert is meant to represent the wear on the character, I would expect that my character would know this. If losing a hit die is a result from interacting with a demon, then this very well might not be common knowledge in the world, therefore it is reasonable to not be known beforehand. Implementing new rules and mechanics, particularly punitive ones, is tricky, and it should be done thoughtfully and with tact.

[@Spiceodog]

I think what you need to be more careful of is how this would affect the person’s character, and if the player would be ok with that. For most of the characters I’ve played, taking a proficiency would be fine, but with the bard in playing, each proficiency has a story behind how she has it, and if the dm took away one of her expertise, especially performance, I’d just quit the game. I’d rather have my character die being herself and go make a new character then play some half moldy remains of one that was once great.

[@billcasey9672]

@@Spiceodog Good point. Possibly more games are out there, so there is no need to be needlessly belittled. And I'll want advantages in kind. If deserts subtract my hit dice, perhaps temperate lands add them! Etc Etc. And crit crab has horrifying stories of out of control dms and players. Walk softly, walk very softly !

[@Spiceodog]

@@billcasey9672 I’m perfectly fine with the dm saying that I lost hot die do to trecking through a desert, because that’s purely mechanical and hit dice isn’t something personal to my character. But once they start screwing around with my character without my consent is where I draw the line. It’s also why I absolutely hate being charmed.

[@EthalaRide]

I only JUST NOW found this channel from a recommended video, and seeing the thumbnail, I went "Holy CRAP is that *_Pruitt?!?"_* This may or may not be a deepcut, but *_Three in the Afternoon_* and *_Six in the Morning_* are some of my personal favorite fan films EVER. The world-building and character motivations were really cool and bizarrely insightful in hindsight. -is it weird that at one point I wanted to do a fan film about -_-a fan film-_- lol- Until looking back on them, I never realized how much they actually inspired me in my storytelling when I saw them as a young kid. Funny, huh? Keep on keeping on, man!

[@WebDM]

Awesome! Glad you found us over here.

[@lassal12]

I love the idea of attaching flaws to attacks and encountering certain enemy types! It's sorta reminiscent of the sanity mechanic in Call of Cthulhu

[@monsieurdorgat6864]

A lot of very cool ideas! How about one in turn? I run a simple alt ruleset for Death Saves. The basic gist of it is that characters don't become unconscious while at 0HP, but every death save corresponds to gaining one level of exhaustion. It makes players more likely to survive fights by escaping, but punishes those who go to 0hp too often. It really enhances the health/rest economy. Also, Curse of Strahd's Death House needs some mods in order to be a good dungeon, but NGL the ghost possession part that involves gaining some flaws was pretty fun!

[@nucleargandhi2709]

These ideas have to be approached very carefully. Some DMs would use them to such an extent as to basically rewrite their players' characters.

[@setlerking]

I always put a timer on them. Like it’s a charm spell instead. It’s fun as a player to have to role play this weird circumstance in a tricky fight but not across an entire session or without some obvious way to end the effect when I’m done with it. Like “until your next short/long rest” “save every hour” or just a good ole’ lesser/greater restoration fix works wonders to not cross the boundary of ruining a players character. Though always talk to the players and inform them that the campaign will from the start/going forward contain these things and ask wether they’re okay with that.

[@IanRidgwell]

I'm never a fan of denying players their choices. You let them make those choices and then you take them away... Why did they make those characters again also taking proficiency away from a bard or rogue is in no way as small a deal as denying a fighter a prof bonus. It doesn't feel equitable.

[@coreyshumaker8230]

Ian, I agree with you about not wanting to hamstring a character’s traits from a player who obviously took the character for those traits. It could feel kind of mean spirited if not done correctly. That’s why I think its a good idea to look at these concepts as a guideline to use sparingly. Its good to Have a few ways that a DM can introduce a different kind of challenge to the players instead of falling back on disadvantage and exhaustion the key here is using these ideas carefully as a DM. And if you do take something away from the player, give them a chance to cure it. If the wizard is infected with something draining their spell slots, let them know there is a difficult to prepare elixir they can take to reverse the effect. I see some of these ideas leading to great adventure hooks. But yes if the DM just says “ha ha now the wizard you always wanted play is permanently devoid of spell slots”, thats just being a jerk

[@Belly6815]

This is a super dangerous topic though. Like advice to newer GM's, please be sparring this can suddenly imbalance or unnecessarily become excessively punitive and not fun if wielded to much

[@WebDM]

Definitely need to make sure everyone knows what they're getting into before pulling out big guns like this!

[@ebydarion]

Damn I actually thought you guys were at the same table for a second. Your editor does good work

[@brendanmahns4493]

In the immortal words of a saint: "hit em with the ooolll dicktwist" *twisting claw hand gesture*

[@Capt.Thunder]

A note about the proficiency removal: poison already gives disadvantage on both ability checks and attack rolls. Keep that in mind when you do that.

[@silmarian]

I had one DM who only used bad guys who attacked things other than HO. I got real tired real fast of combat after combat where I couldn't do anything except use melee attacks as a spell caster. Oh, and because we were low level, trying to fix it knocked me out (surprise!) and the only reason I didn't bleed out was DM hamfisted fiat (I would rather my character died than be saved that way).

[@alex4251]

Ideals, bonds, flaws, hit dice, and encumbrance are woefully underused official mechanics. LOVE the idea of damaging player’s equipment and resources!

[@matt4796]

Why do you need to “think outside the box” to adjust difficulty? You already control, the enemy composition (stats, level, type, synergy, tactics), the difficulty of skill checks, magic items available, and you can flub the rolls. Let the player have some sense of (within the rules) control over one variable, their ability scores.

[@andrewmcdonald3607]

Great ideas. One of my own that I’d like to share is a field of magic compulsion. A field that forces every magic item that has an active ability to use it. It wastes resources, can cause problems, destroys stealth, reminds characters of items they’ve forgotten about and intelligent foes have a better idea of what their dealing with.

[@Spiceodog]

Also causes a lot of chaos as well. Immovable rod, deck of many things, wand of fireball........

[@bahamutalchemist]

The spell slot virus idea was one of the coolest things I've heard in a while.

[@Tenwug]

You guys have made some really amazing vids, but this might just be my favorite by far. Love this!

[@WebDM]

Thank you so much!

[@consecrated2718]

That thumbnail should be remade into a T shirt. I’d buy it

[@Deathonthesnow]

I'd wear a shirt made out of thumbnails...and a necklace made from the rest of the thumbs.

[@opsecmedic]

Same.

[@billypondwhistle2570]

I'm still pushing for a WebDM calender of the best thumbnails.

[@paelias4174]

damn, that beard looking mighty good on you Pruitt!

[@curtisgallant3029]

I remember throwing an aboleth at the party who bartered hints about the dungeon in exchange for treasured memories. The fighter actually lost all memory of his mother's face. Unfortunately this video didn't exist three years ago, so all that meant was a shrug from the player and moving on. Next time I bring in that aboleth, he'll take bonds.

[@O4C209]

"They took your knowledge." Sounds terrifying.

[@derekstein6193]

"They took our jobs!"

[@MasterZebulin]

@@derekstein6193 "They took our smart-making!"

[@charlottewalnut3118]

Psychic damage And when it turns lethal your brain has officially forgotten how to breathe or how to pump your heart

[@maromania7]

I do love changing effects for terrain. for instance when my players went to the feywild, they had an option with every spell- either you roll on the wildmagic table, or you have to cast at a level higher to combat the turbulent magic in the air. I've had drained magic zones that downcast spells, and for a one-shot I once Iad a creature that attacked your vision. no not the CHARACTER'S, YOUR vision. It attacked your connection to the gods and fate itself. basically I threw something at your character sheet and you lost the ability to keep track of whatever it landed on. HP? Congrats, I don't tell you how much damage you take from attacks, I'll be keeping track of that now. A Spell or ability? I cover it with a scrap of paper, and it fizzles if you can't tell me what it does.. Lose 3 and you're playing blindfolded until you get the debuff cured (or alternately I take the character sheet, you're not dead you just can't see it). It was hilarious to fight against, though only cause it was a nice little one-off. Though on the 'to get casters' side I love enemies that get a reaction for spells. Like the Nivix's cyclops getting a dash+attack when a spell is cast near it. I've had enemies that heal when spells are used as they sap the lingering energy, enemies that can pocket the spell and throw it back at you, wilfmagic enemies that randomize spells cast on them to a random other of its spell level, and I've always loved the Flail Snail antimagic ability.

[@jameshwren]

One of my favorites was using large packs of wolves that just howl during a fight, creating a cacophony of howls that prevents players from hearing each other speak, as they are unable to out-shout the howling pack. It was a way using free-action in new way could create a different challenge. Wolves not in the front line used their Reactions to howl whenever a PC would speak.

[@laurelhill3505]

You guys are freaking mind readers. My players hit 5th level and the monk is dumping 45 points of damage a round, the rogue is doing 37 and the cleric won't let them even get below max hps.

[@4204799]

i would love a party like that tbh

[@olivermeloche2042]

how is your monk and rouge doing that much damage lol, if your rouge is an assassin you might want to reread the surprise rules as they don't work that favorably for the player

[@leewiens9912]

Just throw more daily encounters at them. The cleric can't keep healing them to full all day for several combats and other hazards. The rogue has consistent sneak attack damage, but eventually they will become more risk averse as their hp gets lower. The monk can short rest for more Ki during the day, but maybe time is a pressing issue and a short rest is 1 hour.

[@laurelhill3505]

@@leewiens9912 Yeah, the last time I played was back in 1e and early 2e, and my dming skills are quite rusty and not used to the new system. Players can do a LOT more per round than they used to and I am struggling to balance the encounters. Also, we only play for 2 hours or so once a week, and they end up taking more down time than might be warranted. Monk always has ki and the rogue just sits next time him getting a sneak attack every round. I kind of miss the faster round actions of 1-2e, combat seems to slog along a lot in 5e.

[@17joren]

In this one book called Liber Bestiarus, a WotC product with Matt Colville leading design, is a creature called Familiar Eater. It injects its eggs in a caster's familiar which consume it over the next 2d4 weeks, dropping it's constitution. It also drains the caster's magic potential through their link to the familiar so each passing week the familiar's max health drops and the caster spell DC lowers by one, as well as damage from spells (1/dice rolled multiplied by the weeks).

[@WisdomThumbs]

Fireball is that infectious spell you were talking about. I let my players turn crits into regular hits by sacrificing an equipped item. This gives helmets a reason to exist, armor is only one item, and weapons/shields must be in your hands to count as “equipped.” Magic items have a much better chance of surviving the hit. I’ve also always enjoyed *playing* as characters that carry all their inventory as best as I know how. So I really keep track of that stuff, and it took a load off the other players in Lost Mines of Phandelver. Know where your tinder pouch is and keep it dry.

[@NatchaiLeenders]

This is a good video you guys. Keep it up! I've used magical locks and elaborate rituals that requires X levels in arcane or divine spell slots to work. Or magic items that unlock abilities/bonuses when sacrificing Hit Die. This is not so bad when outside combat but when in the middle of a dungeons...it can put players at a disadvantage when they're in combat. Or another thing I've seen somewhere: a powerful desert creature can dehydrate an area, so no potions and maybe exhaustion if you failed a CON save in that area. A green dragon's lair can be filled with a noxious gas that affects the nerve system, giving the party disadvantage or stacking minus to attack rolls. Or it weakens one's might so STR-based attacks do half damage.

[@rokkkrinn2793]

How's about a curse or poison that makes it impossible to concentrate for a while? I think that would make a lot of casters shaken down to their bones.

[@derekstein6193]

Alternatively, have the same thing but for potions consumed instead. In medicine there can be side effects, and you don't necessarily know how skilled the brewer of that greater potion of healing was or if the plants they used in its brewing was from a contaminated source. A potion of speed that makes not only you speedy, but also makes your mind move so quickly that you can't concentrate? Might give you pause when reaching for the second one you bought from the same alchemist; a potion of mania can add a wrinkle to any combat or infiltration.

[@Spiceodog]

I would make it a bit more involving. Give it a affect name, maybe “ sorrow “ and have it be a intense feeling of sadness and anguish. And the only cure is some form of therapeutic experience, like for some it would mean visiting there family. Maybe the bard has been so busy fighting monsters in the woods, and he misses the cheering crowds and he can’t focus until he does a concert in a large town, maybe one just needs to take a beach episode or shopping episode. This way it’s like what you said, but more engaging to the character, and the dm can use it to point you in the direction of the next adventure.

[@GrassPokeKing]

@@Spiceodog "Confidence is a slow, insidious killer" just plays on loop in my head lmao, that reminds me a lot of Darkest Dungeon

[@Doughy_in_the_Middle]

Noob DM moment on the "Yeah, this is awesome, but it's the size of a master bed: Hadn't played since 2e when I was in high school. Got made the DM randomly at the FLGS. Was looking for cool/fun magic items and ended up accidentally giving them something from Pathfinder -- the EXTRA LARGE bag of holding. I rolled randomly on a table to find it, but I was terrified what could potentially be inside of this thing. They got it, and at the end of the session decided to turn it inside out, so I had all week to decide what was in it. I brainstormed with a friend who (at the time) wasn't in the campaign. We did the math of what a 2,000lb capacity bag of holding could potentially contain. We came to the conclusion that inside of it......was an upright piano. The noise of an upright piano falling into the (now emptied) snake pits brought enemies from two other rooms. It was glorious.

[@hollyrose9336]

Best episode sense the “cooking monsters” one. I love the creativity

[@WebDM]

Thank you!

[@bazzfromthebackground3696]

I'm all for attacking the whole character sheet. Maybe a poison/curse that removes your proficiency bonus. An autoimmune disease that makes your con save +0.

[@Comrade2261]

"Fighting dirty". Can that be a fighting style?

[@WebDM]

that is a GOOD IDEA

[@Comrade2261]

@@WebDM Thank you!

[@adam222111333]

I think it's called the rogue class? Hehe

[@JacksonOwex]

@@adam222111333 I mean... I suppose it could be looked at similar to that but it's supposed to be knowing where important organs are and being able to get to them thus dealing more damage!

[@binolombardi]

Dirty fighting- you can spend a bonus action to fling sand at a creature. The creature must succeed on a dexterity saving throw. On a failed saving throw the creature treats all of its targets as though they have half cover until the end of its next turn.

[@Keaggan]

An infectious spell that takes the place of a spell slot is BRILLIANT! I'm taking it and I already know how it will be incorporated. I have little bits of really old magic (because I love that junk lol) which they have been exposed to. This is just another layer to showcase how far beyond current mages these old civilizations really are.

[@rikusauske]

My favorite is in curse of Strahad I take away most divine skills until the final battle so that I can impress upon my clerics and paladins that the gods have abandoned this place, just so that they get that feeling at the end when I give it back that this is the FINAL FINAL battle

[@SomeDigitalGhost]

How has that affect their effectiveness? I would imagine, with Cleric's whole thing is their spells and Paladins suffering after about level 5, they don't appreciate it and want different characters. How has this been in practice?

[@ttprophet]

something I'm trying in dungeon crawls that my players really seem to enjoy (or at least respect) is to *make time an enemy:* 1. Every physical skill check or tool check is minutes = (20 - Roll). Group check? Average the highest and lowest rolls. 20 or above = 0 minutes. 2. If the player fails DC on physical check or tool check, they succeed in the event regardless but suffer 1lvl exhaustion, or an injury, or both depending on the situation. Also works with curses such as religious shrines, traps, etc. "Marked for death" means no death saves for 24 hours. 3. Short rests last an hour and count against an active workday. Roll encounter % chance each hour. 4. Sleeping in a dungeon is a fool's errand. Muawhahaha! Raw dogging a long rest only regain half hit die back and reduce one level of exhaustion, and only if you get the required amount of rest in an 8hour cycle, assuming there is only one ambush. 5. Every room is 15 minutes to examine, discuss, fight, investigate, take note, pack up, and travel to the next room. There is always a race against the clock. This dungeon only rises at night and sinks back into the ocean at daybreak. This hostage rescue has until the stroke midnight before the execution. In 3 days' time, the armies of Mordor will march their million locusts orcs thru here enslaving and killing everyone. The pokemon will soon be evolving beyond our strength if you don't hunt it down within the week. *Time to loot and scoot!* DM is not required to give exact time unless pc own timepiece or a spell such as druidcraft, but they should generally know the rules upfront and track their own time. Run into a dead end? Montage a backtrack at "fast pace" but still count the time. 5 minutes per room. *My goal is to have them face the main combat encounter exhausted, injured, and in forced march check. Going into combat debuffed from these things helps greatly increase the dangers of combat, especially if they were racing a sand storm, or trying to beat the blizzard, reach shore before the hurricane, find the key out of here before it floods, or make it to the cave of wonders before the volcano erupts, etc.*

[@Leivve]

One thing I did to my players is an assassin swapped out one of their rations with a poisoned one. Cleric's PP let him notice someone had gone through their packs but everything was accounted for so they shrugged it off. I though kept track, and every time they ate, I'd roll a dice to see if they ate the poisoned one. 4 sessions later, the barbarian dropped from full to 0 making death saves in the middle of a dungeon far from civilization. Party saved him because there was a cleric, so I didn't even expect it to kill him to begin with; but the fact it burned a ton of resources still had the desired effect.

[@cloak5857]

I've been playing dirty in our Curse of Strahd game; I introduced a new condition called *Haunted*. After harrowing events I'd have them make a Wisdom save and a failure meant the situation or encounter left a lasting mental scar on you. While Haunted they had Disadvantage on saves vs becoming Frightened, did not lose Exhaustion levels after a long rest, and only regained 1/4 of their spent hit dice. The condition could be removed by your typical means (greater restoration, etc.), becoming Drunk (My players were habitually drinking all the alcohol in sight so I made a Diet Exhaustion system to track how smashed they get, "Drunk" being the middle level) or... consuming a Dream Pastry. So far they've really integrated these traps I've laid for them into their RP and character development. One wants to start brewing his own wine specifically to combat their haunted thoughts, one is abstaining of any substance and embraces the Hauntings almost like a penance, and the sorcerer is rapidly becoming Morgantha's best customer...

[@ZetHololo]

I had my hight-level players fight red caps that had full immunity to magic damage and spells. It was a lot of fun having them pull out their old metal weapons that they forgot about and fighting with those.

[@mcbunson]

I have recently come across the idea of profficiancy dice rather than a number bonus. There is something about a physical dice which is much more intuitive to remember it is added to a check. Making your bonus a physical dice makes removing it a much more tangible a thing. Rather than having to minus your bonus off the number you previously added it onto.

[@davidlewis5312]

Now, we need a video on how to take away DM abilities!

[@WebDM]

Most of these concepts would work as custom class abilities, too

[@EnderLord007]

I've never had the opportunity to use it, but a monster of mine has the ability to leech spell slots off of casters it attacks, then immediately use them to cast off of a list of predetermined spells. Attacking people's spell slots is a fine and fantastic way to fight dirty.

[@JonathanTot]

Pruitt talking about hit dice (around the 12-minute mark) gave me an idea for a system for Wounds; pretty simple I think: the system might want to have extended rest (a week or few days of downtown). if an attack or damage is going to inflict a wound, it temporarily locks up a certain number of hit dice, which can only be used again after, during an extended rest, time is spent to heal. a more complicated system could add additional mechanical effects for different types of wounds (reduced base speed for a major leg wound comes to mind). it just occurred to me - this hit dice thing could also be used for diseases

[@fireguardianx]

The spell slots one made me think of something, a cursed spell, like: when you learn this spell anytime you try to cast a spell other than it, you need to make a wisdom save or cast it. And using remove curse makes you unlearn the spell

[@joesgotmore]

Cool ideas, especially since the ease of recovering HP takes away from feeling truly threatened.

[@terencehoughton5734]

Wow a lot of these ideas are found in Dungeon World.I fully recommend Dungeon World for experienced but jaded 5E DM's looking for less superhero inspired and time-consuming player turns and more improvisational, swift, old school play.

[@CultOfNothoon]

I kinda worked this into the story. The main baddie is in the business of killing deities, and one of the tools he uses is a mineral from the Far Realm that shuts down divine energies and magics. Whenever it shows up, my Pally, Cleric, and Druid beg the Warlock and Rogue to get rid of it asap. Even more desperately when it shows up mid-combat.

[@WebDM]

You made d&d kryptonite!

[@CitanulsPumpkin]

My first reaction to all of this is to work it into another homebrew rule I always use. I'm a big proponent of using XP milestones in D&D the way XP is handed out and used in Cypher System. So why not give players the same choice they get if they roll a 1 in Cypher. You've been hit with an attack that packs a different kind of punch. You can take the damage as hit points, or you can have these 2 XP and let me hit you somewhere else on your character sheet. You just failed the save for a fireball. You can take hp damage and drop to 0, or take these 3 XP and these 3 levels if exhaustion. You all failed your saves against the first mind blast that group of mind flayers over there hit you with. We can TPK and call it a night, or all of you can give 5 of the XP you have stored up back to me and then we'll all roll on the indefinite madness table in the DMG. Choices, choices.

[@theflyingtoaster7414]

I personally learned alot about non-lethal failure from Quests in Armello. While the effects are less lasting, the way you fail quests but still move on are great examples of how to fail forward. Thank you for reading my comment.

[@WebDM]

We keep hearing about Armello, need to check it out!

[@BenLearyCG]

Cleric fell in this nasty swamp water last session. Going to spoil all the food in his inventory now, thanks for the tip, muahaha

[@duhg599]

I once DMed an Adventurers’ League epic in which the last fight was against an archlich. The archlich had this nasty trick in which he lit candles while goading the player characters into declaring their names. Any PC who told the lich their name lost a defining class feature; monks lost ki, barbarians lost rage, rogues lost sneak attack, etc. In order to get their class feature back, they would have to destroy the candles the lich had lit. I thought it was pretty mean and really fun at the same time.

[@JDuel100]

I did an amnesia themed dungeon once (no one had played D&D before so I had mostly amnesiacs so the dungeon was a way to justify it). It had a persistent mist effect that caused them to have to roll Wisdom saving throws or lose a random proficiency or class ability. Once you reached 0 proficiencies, you lose yourself and the dungeon starts claiming you. There was so much tension, it was amazing. They were half dead and out of spell slots and did NOT want to short rest. Rogue lost his Sneak and Perception, Barbarian lost their ability to Rage, Wizard their ability to speak and their literacy. Only one that was fine was the Fighter, oddly. Kept making the saves. Anyway, just make sure you have consent. I've done it where you take something from the players without warning, and they get maaad. If they know it's coming, it's a risk they take. And make sure you reward if they succeed well, or they will still have hard feelings about it.

[@Darkendrain]

I just had a boss monster that would attack magic. It could ignite the mana of the spell and act like a dispel magic that would follow the fuel back to its source and sear that spell slot closed so that it wouldn't recover on rest or class feature until the magic user took an extended rest. Like a downtime activity's worth of time passing on pure bedrest, meditation, and magical mending. It couldn't do it often, but when the wizard went for the giant ape polymorph combo and I ignited that spell so not only was there no king kong but his highest level spell slot was also just closed off to him for the imminent future, that made him sit up and pay attention to this being a *dangerous enemy*

[@Bluecho4]

Ideas: 1) A special ghoul or ghast that exudes an aura that spoils food. The creature so embodies the power of hunger, it makes food rot and milk curdle. It may even stalk travelers or communities, trying to drive people to starvation. The regular ghouls that accompany it might just be previous victims, driven to death and/or cannibalism by this arch-ghoul. 2) If a spellcaster is attacked by a demon or aberration, they must save or have one of their prepared spells replaced with some conjuration spell that summons another being from the same plane of existence. Spells like Summon Fiend or Summon Aberration. It's a spell that wants to be free - while it's in the caster's head, they must save every day or take a level of Exhaustion keeping it contained. And it's very easy to get rid of it: just cast the spell. Of course, doing so will bring this hostile entity into the world, permanently (until killed or banished), that the spellcaster has no control over. Do they dare let the being out? Or do they try to keep it contained for as long as they can? (Another way to get rid of it might be to pen it as a spell scroll. But if they try to copy it to a spellbook, they not only don't extract the spell from their heads, but anyone who memorizes the spell from that spellbook learns it as a cursed spell, with the above complications). 3) Special anti-dwarven weaponry, created by some Duergar or goblinoids, that saps a creature's resistance to poison. Even makes them vulnerable to poison. As a further twist of the knife, it might make them lose their beard hair. Attacking a character's racial abilities are fair game, especially since they have built-in story justification.

[@Roont3]

One of the best episodes I've seen! Great ideas.

[@EpherosAldor]

Just got done watching a video on another channel and they mentioned attacking the death saves. You can have a monster with a power, like a recharging breath weapon or something, that can instill a foreboding sense of doom and those that fail a CON save at whatever DC automatically have a failed death save on the books. This makes the battle far more consequential and forces the players to pay attention to each other rather than just doing their thing against the external threat. They can recover after a long rest or something or maybe a lesser or greater restoration... or get creative and find a spell that is kind of innocuous but has great synergy with countering this doom, like calm emotions. Something I'm working on incorporating in my game but haven't quite ironed out the kinks.

[@JonathanMartinez-ei4up]

A real world weapon, that is installed in the US Presidents limo, is a gas grenade that when released causes temporary amnesi and disorientation to the people that breath it in. Applying that as inspiration for your D&D game, you can have a poison or gas that can temporarily effect a rogues proficiency with locks, a mages memory of how to cast certain spells, or any other specific stat or ability on a character’s sheet.

[@IcyClench]

I had a swamp with enemies that would rot the party's food. It was also pretty hard to find things that were edible and not poisonous or diseased. To top it off, in this swamp, anyone who dies rises up again as an undead creature, and the party met some starving travelers. They had to decide between giving up precious food reserves or going into combat again.

[@allisonhomiak2336]

Removing proficiencies is also great flavor for striking a bargain with a magical entity. The bard trades their smile for crucial information from a hag and loses their proficiency in Persuasion. The druid trying to find her homeland gives up a part of their knowledge of the place to a devil in exchange for her friends' freedom, and loses her History proficiency. On the other hand, the wizard could ask for a dragon's magical knowledge in exchange for the return of its hoard, and add its Arcana proficiency to his own score once the job is done.

[@aadlersberg]

I think this is one of your best episodes! Thanks for all the ideas

[@internetpolice2079]

this episode was a banger

[@Belly6815]

Turning spell slots into weight would be a cool curse. A caster suddenly become over burdened by a curse. They can lessen it by using up their spells.

[@jek__]

It could be neat to have a spell that takes away a player's lowest available spell slot, and if its used when a player has no slots left, theyre knocked unconscious or something. Using their spell slots as a sort of health pool makes casting spells a big choice. Physical characters would have a hard time against it because they barely have any "health" and spellcasters would have a hard time against it because their ability to engage in combat is diminished. Maybe the players could also find some weird weapons somewhere in the dungeon that are pretty bad in general but scale based off some weird stat You could really treat anything where a player has multiple of them as a condition for failure. Maybe youre trying to get through a labyrinth, and the labyrinth guardians have this ability that drains your survival, and if everyone in the party gets to like -10 survival and has no way to ever regain it, then the party is trapped until they die. Of course, the loss condition doesnt have to be so extreme if you arent in a labyrinth lol Maybe a big slime monster which sucks gold from the players coinpurses, but if they have no gold left it starts sucking their blood out. And have the gold clearly pile up in the center of the monster so the players are tempted to keep fighting to get it back :P

[@jameshwren]

Also, one of my favorites is a wizard that uses the spell Catapult to launch a net wrapped around two Alchemist’s Fires. Or Net + Ball Bearings + Catapult.

[@giovanniguzman1852]

i used a blue ring octopus that made players forget how to hold their breathe underwater. It was a nautical campaign.

[@adreabrooks11]

That beard is getting pretty epic, Pruitt! Rock on! PS: Your Patreon pitch in this episode finally made sense of your "save way more than $5" comment in the Web Demons segues in older episodes. I was always like: "That figure seems arbitrary, yet oddly specific..."

[@azuraben5128]

I once had a player character punished by his goddess, she was the goddess of knowledge and death, so until he redeemed himself he was permanently stuck with 1 failed death save to start off with. Also if you have rust monster there is no reason why spellslot monsters shouldn't exist. Also had an axe called "Blight" that did poison damage as disease, and if you are a paladin your lay on hands gets changed to dealing poison damage, and if you willingly let yourself be infected with disease you can inflict said diseases as well.

[@marcosreed9894]

I am happy to say I recommended you guys to several people taking their first steps into Table top rpg's. You guys are terrific. Thank you for what you're doing.

[@WebDM]

Thank you so much!

[@Snarkknight5]

*Makes the rogue unable to pick locks "Oh look, the rogue player is proficient in Table-Flipping."

[@juliustausch7377]

In my quite high level Ysgard campaign, I have the intention of using the drowning condition in a fight. They're fighting a coven of sea hags and their Merrow Servants, in a Swamp that has very deep sink holes at certain spots on the map. Also, their "Wizard" (warlock with the tome boon) will most definitely betray them after the battle.

[@5FlyingOstriches]

This video has my the ideas flowing. Our cleric was cursed by an item made by the big bad that commands him to harm/sabotage the party. Until they realize he's been cursed and it gets removed, I think I'll have him cast Bane when he means to use Bless or Guidance.

[@vaipuluj]

Web DM hot take: How to shut down a caster, you make them a warlock

[@MasterZebulin]

Ouch! XD

[@nathanwilson7929]

A curse that infects a caster and causes pain and damage if they don't cast. This really opens up my ideas on my blight in my magic heavy world.

[@chuckfinley4542]

Note: make sure your players are open to this type of play, if not you will lose a table and possibly irl friends

[@Party_Bones]

My players had to defend a Dragon from effectively a hit squad sent to kill it, how were they going to do that? Lightning flails that cause Exhaustion, they're in a combat the day after and some are still sporting Exhaustion from that battle, one several levels. They now understand the tools at the BBEG's, and my, disposal and are starting to try and plan ahead to counter such things. Love it.

[@muddlewait8844]

This is like more gonzo games like DCC, and IMO it works great. It puts the fear of god into me as a player, that’s for sure. If going off to fight the Ochre Queen might mean spending a bunch of sessions not being able to Short Rest, or having my vision or speed limited to 10’, or permanently losing a spell slot, I’m not going to go off to fight her without a really compelling reason.

[@yeahnaaa292]

New to your channel... truly insightful, intelligent, clearly presented content. Delivered by TTRPG GAMERS informed by mechanics of a multitude of TTRPG's & delivered wit that doesn't distract! If only there were an PathFinder YT channel that could deliver like y'all😭! Top Fkn Tier boys. SETTING THE BAR HIGH.

[@gmanbo]

18:02 idea on spell slot damage. A cursed spell scroll. It is a lvl or two more powerful then usual. But in exchange that spell is stuck permanently taking up that spell slot. The spell also now has wild magic added and is one lvl lower then what was cast. Could also be a creature ability reflect and curse spell. Takes the damage in full from the spell ( maxed) but the spell that was used is cursed in there spell slots. Half damage and wild magic added.

[@empoleonmaster6709]

I have a specific character build, Fighter Champion 3 Mercy Monk 6+ that's specifically build around using Monk's Stunning Strike with or on top of Disarming Attack to disarm my hopefully vaguely humanoid enemies. The powerful assassin isn't so great at combat when they drop their poison swords which I've now yeeted into my Bag of Holding, and by default they only have one or two swords. Neither is the grand, evil Wizard or Bard that powerful when you take away their spell casting focus, yes they can still use spells, but their selection is much more limited and they can't complete the evil ritual. It's REALLY good in more people fighting people type campaigns, but it's not going to entirely suck outside of that type of campaign.

[@JosephSmith-mb7jj]

How did you know I was looking for this content today? Truly the perfectly timed vid. Love it

[@WebDM]

Thanks Joeseph

[@recursivecoin359]

I've used gear tax for failed skill challenge checks. For Example: doing a skill challenge for over land travel... player picks a skill to reflect how they're managing the trip. If they succeed they're one step closer to the destination. If they fail they have to sacrifice a piece of gear to reflect the failed attempt. A failed Athletics check results in a lost rope. A failed Survival check results in lost rations... and so on...

[@alexanderchippel]

I watched the Hag video were you discussed Razzle Sin and how Jim gave her warlock levels so now I always give my big bags at least a few class abilities.

[@maromania7]

Being a player for the first time in a while, I asked my DM if I was allowed to add mechanical parts to my character flaws and he was so happy. My character's a changeling that's basically pretending to be her best friend. Went on a 'kill giant bugs' mission and ran into a dragon on a hunt, she cowered while her friend fought, feels torn up because she never wanted to be an adventurer and was only doing this for her friend, but is determined to make the friend's dreams of greatness come true so her death wasn't in vain. Thing is, has crazy bad PTSD because she watched the only person who accepted her as a changeling get toyed with and ripped apart. So any time we fight something large and green, or if I see a dragon, my character has to make saves to keep her form together. How close it correlates to a green dragon determines the check, and if I fail my form freaks out and I revert to original self. If this happens, or she gets hit with a frightened condition, she fully gives into the obsession which caused her to throw her own identity away and permanently become someone else. mechanically it's the frightened condition, except I can't move AWAY from the creature instead of can't move towards. I'm so torn up over the cowardice in my past that haunts me every day and night that I can't bring myself to run, not again, never again...despite having disadvantage on everything and really should be moving away until I pass that save. I love it, and thankfully my fellow players have found it super interesting, some have been taken thier own flaws as well now. For instance, fey ancestry to the extreme, breaking oaths literally causes them permanent damage as they start to die from the power inherent in their words..

[@Rankerquat]

Nuts I was really hoping for a guide on how to incorporate nut-kicking into melee combat. Also stuff like, how to set up ambushes, kicking enemies when they're prone, advantages to high/low honor fighters, etc.

[@southron_d1349]

Damaging equipment... One can bring back the Item Saving Throw table.

[@dingoes8mababy595]

The party and I just hit level five yesterday. Think I’ll send this to our DM.

[@WebDM]

Sounds like you're an awesome player

[@dingoes8mababy595]

@@WebDM shucks. Truth is I enjoy punishment xD

[@paulyoung9578]

Love these ideas, best episode in a long time (IMO)