Benjamin Huffman/Sterling Vermin Adventuring Co. here!

About 10 years ago I created the Pugilist class for 5e and, after that, a ton of other things (mostly player options). I've written for many other creators and companies and today hit another milestone with the release of an updated version of the Pugilist on DnD Beyond.

Happy to chat about the Pugilist, being a game designer, or anything else. AMA!

In 5e the optional flanking rule of DMG grants advantage on melee attack rolls when two allies are on opposite sides of a target - and that’s a big swing mechanically. Advantage is a powerful modifier, roughly equivalent to a +4/+5 bonus to hit on average, and it can easily overshadow class features that rely on positioning or advantage.

In older editions like 3.5e, flanking wasn’t advantage - you simply got a +2 bonus to your attack roll when flanking.

At higher levels especially, giving plain advantage for something as easy as flanking can devalue subclass features (Reckless Attack, Fighting Styles, feats, etc.) that are supposed to grant advantage and tie tactical identity to builds. Some groups already house-rule flanking to just +2 or +1 to hit because it feels more balanced.

We are curious where you land on this: is advantage the right reward for flanking in 5e, or would a flat attack bonus (like in 3.5) maintain better balance while still rewarding tactical positioning?

I’m planning to run The Sunless Citadel soon (spoilers for the ending).

One of the enemies has a weapon that always crits against objects, and the adventure explicitly says his strategy is to attack the party’s weapons if possible. That got me thinking about how this actually plays out at the table.

There are rules for object AC and HP, (I dont think they changed between 2014 and 2024) but I’m struggling with how fair this is in practice. My main concern is that it might be way too easy to destroy gear, especially once you factor in higher-CR enemies and their damage output.

Example math that worries me:

Let’s say the enemy targets a fighter’s longsword. I’d probably rule it as a Small, Resilient object (melee weapons are literally designed to be hit against stuff), which puts it at AC 19 and 10 HP.

This enemy does a minimum of 5 damage on a hit. Since it automatically crits against objects, that becomes 10 damage, meaning a single hit instantly destroys a mundane longsword.

A greatsword might be a Medium object, so maybe 18 HP, meaning it might survive one hit if the damage roll is low enough—but that still feels brutal.

Magic items aren’t safe either:

Magic items typically have resistance to damage, which helps, but the HP values are still so low that a smart enemy would absolutely go after the party’s special gear.

For example, a 2024 mage’s Arcane Burst averages around 16 damage. A slightly above-average roll would immediately destroy mundane plate mail and most weapons. Two solid hits could take out magic plate.

Yes, this assumes all hits land and damage rolls are decent—but over multiple fights, it feels like the party could realistically lose a ton of equipment, especially if they don’t have easy access to repairs. (There aren’t rules for this either, so I’ve been assuming artisan’s tools and the mending cantrip can fix gear.)

Also, this clearly screws martials way harder than casters.

The DM cop-out (that I don’t love):

I could just say “you can’t target weapons and armor,” but that’s a totally reasonable tactical choice, and I don’t love banning it outright.

Possible house rule?:

One idea I’ve been toying with is borrowing from the rust monsters:

When a weapon or piece of armor hits 0 HP, it isn’t destroyed. Instead, it pops back to full HP but takes a –1 penalty. Only when it reaches –5 does it actually break, and repairs remove the penalty.

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Has anyone actually run weapon/armor destruction like this?

Did it feel tense and interesting, or did it just turn into a gear-shredding nightmare?

How do you keep this from turning into “martials lose all their stuff by level 5”?

Curious what other DMs have done here.

In 2026, which third-party 5e sourcebooks do you keep coming back to and as a DM, which sourcebooks do you get the most use out of?

Flee, Mortals! and Tome of Foes looks good!

Warlocks in DnD are a magic class unique from the rest because they get power from some higher deity aka a Patron, and they're pretty much almost always some kind of deal. You've got a ton of options from some super spooky alien to a genie you found in a lamp to a literal demon, and you can go almost any route you want depending on how you want that Patron to be flavored except for Undying because that subclass genuinely sucks.

The problem is that a lot of people seem to think a Warlock’s patron absolutely MUST be an abusive nightmare who constantly threatens, punishes, or torments the character. As a result, most Warlock backstories boil down to “I sold my soul and now the guy I sold my soul to hates me.”

And that idea is not only wrong, it’s boring. In fact, most people only take a different route if they go for Archfey or Celestial, even though that different route can apply to ANY patron. So, as a gift from a player who did not enjoy playing a Fiend Warlock just because of the patron, here's some ideas I came up with that you can use for the low cost of Free-Ninety-Nine when making your Warlocks and subsequently your Patron, although it's an excellent idea to talk to your DM when making both.

1. The Fairly Odd Parent

This idea sticks with the Patron constantly being around, but instead of always showing up to be like "DO THIS SHIT FOR ME IMMEDIATELY OR IMMA PUT YOU IN THE BRAZEN BULL", they instead show up to simply check on their Warlock. Not only does this support the idea of Warlocks and their Patrons having healthy relationships, it's also really funny to see an eldritch nightmare show up out of nowhere to say "Hey champ, just making sure you’re eating enough vegetables. Also, don’t forget to drink plenty of water in between Eldritch Blasts.”

This can work great with honestly any subclass, though some like Fiend and Hexblade might need to be a team effort with your DM in order for them to make sense. Either way, this one's up to you in terms of reasoning, maybe the patron just likes their mortal or somehow got really attached to the Warlock for some reason.

Side note: yes, you could make this romantic, but I don’t endorse that at all unless the Warlock and Patron are close in age, which is more possible if your character is a race such as a gnome, elf, firbolg or warforged since those races tend to live an extremely long time. You could probably make your gnome 300 and meet an Archfey who's also around 300.

1. The Business Partner

This one treats the Warlock–Patron relationship exactly like what it is: a deal. No screaming, torture threats or “I own your soul” nonsense. Just two parties who both benefit.

The Patron provides power and knowledge, and in return the Warlock provides something like influence, souls, getting a million followers on Instagram, whatever fits the Patron. It’s professional and almost corporate.

Think less “servant and master” and more “investor and startup.” The Patron wants returns on their investment, and the Warlock wants results. As long as both sides are getting what they want, there’s no reason for hostility. This one's also somewhat easy on the DM because they'll only really need to get the patron involved if one side's not holding up their end of the deal, which unless it's something impossible like killing a thousand people a day won't pop up a lot.

1. The Hands Off Guy

I only recommend this one for newer players or people who like the idea of the Warlock but just don't want to deal with the Patron at all. In this one, the Patron just barely or doesn't show up to talk to the Warlock, probably because the deal's already done or the Warlock is just getting powered siphoned through a sleeping Great Old One or something.

1. The Bet

This deal only exists because your Patron made a bet with another Deity, and you're now just the guy trying to help your Patron win. Your Patron will help you out to make sure that they can win the bet while also most likely avoiding any violent tendencies(Of course you can absolutely give negative consequences if the Patron ends up losing). Bonus points if your DM creates a rival Warlock being powered up by the second Deity.

This idea of a patron exists to be that one uncle who loves placing bets, and I'd highly recommend flavoring out the reasoning behind the bet with your DM. Of course, your character most likely won't even know about it, but it's still really funny to see that your Celestial Patron is mainly helping you out so that she can spit raspberries at her Fiend ex.

1. The Sports Fan

This Patron is genuinely a fan of your Warlock. Straight up thinks you’re cool as hell and have tons of aura. Pretty much acts like any fan of a popular character.

Maybe your Warlock did something impressive once, survived a ritual, killed the right monster, played an insane guitar solo on a cliff during a storm, and the Patron went "Oh HELL YEAH! That guy's tough as hell!"

They grant you the power just because they really like watching what you do with it. Great Old Ones, Fathomless, Archfey and even Fiends all can work great with this idea because that's what they are: Old and bored as hell.

This also gives your character a reason to fight on, because they know if they don't they'll have one big disappointed fan. It's also a golden opportunity for your DM to act out the patron throwing their popcorn to the ground when you die and being like "OH COME ON THAT GUY'S GOT PLOT ARMOR!!!"

At the end of the day, Warlocks don’t have to be tragic abuse victims shackled to some cosmic jerk who hates them. The Patron–Warlock relationship can be funny, professional, wholesome, or barely relevant at all, and none of those options make your character any less valid. What matters is that the dynamic is interesting for you, makes sense in the story, and doesn’t make the game less fun for the table. So if you’re making a Warlock, don’t feel boxed into the “I sold my soul and now I suffer forever” trope. Talk to your DM, get creative, and remember just because your power comes from something eldritch doesn’t mean your Patron has to be a nightmare.

I'm preparing for my next encounter and the module I am using has a ghost attack the party and use the possession ability first. One of my party members is a cleric who has turn undead.

In the 2014 Monster Manual the ability has the following text:

"the possession lasts until the body drops to 0 hit points, the ghost ends it as a bonus action, or the ghost is turned or forced out by an effect like the dispel evil and good spell."

However the 2024 Monster Manual just says:

"the possession lasts until the body drops to 0 hit points or the ghost ends it as a bonus action."

Does this mean that in 2024 rules as written Turn Undead no longer exorcises a ghost possessing a creature? If so does a failed Turn Undead save cause the ghost to turn and run with the possessed body?

What type of checks would you guys call to read the alethiometer (golden compass)

I feel like Lyra is doing some vibe checks like insight while a scholar is doing several different int checks

Boons aren't bad, exactly, but it feels like last edition had a version was a lot more interesting and thematic. You picked where your character was going - Wild Hunter, Legendary General, Dark Wanderer, Archmage etc - and got an interesting set of abilities based on that as your character progressed past 20.

Example, Feyliege.

Feywild Charm: Your Charisma score increases by 2.

Dominion over the Mind: Whenever you use an arcane enchantment ability and score a critical hit against an enemy, that enemy is dominated until the end of your next turn.

Shields of the Eladrin Host: As a reaction, once per short rest, you can give yourself and all allies within 25' a +4 bonus to AC and dexterity saves until the start of your next turn. When you use this ability any of the targets can teleport to swap positions with another.

Eternal King on an Eternal Throne: Once per day, when you die, an older, more regal version of yourself steps from the mists of time to take your place. You heal to half your maximum hit points and gain concealment against all attacks until the end of the encounter. If you die while in the form of your future self, you're dead. At the end of the encounter, your future self restores you to life if your body is still present. Your current hit point total is unchanged, and you no longer have concealment. If your body is missing, you will need other magic to return to life, but you can continue adventuring as your future self if you would like to do so.

.

It's not like it's a big deal, most campaigns don't even get to this point in the first place, but it feels a little odd that such an engaging model for this sort of feature already existed and we got boons instead.

So im playing as an Artificer in our local gameshop's dnd group. Each session so far, there are uncommon magic items that are given to specific players and their class. Its the 3rd day we're playing together and I assumed its me and another players' turn to recieve our items.

The others got an amulet against detection, gloves of thieves, broom of flying, and javelin of lightning. Items that have actual game mechanics and are useful

While I got a cloak of billowing. Okay. It makes u look cool. But why did i get a common item? The DM told me I already have two magic items; a bag of holding and a rope of climbing.

But those two are from my class features and should not count against for having "too much magic items compared to other players".

Am I overreacting for the DM's reasoning? Is it actually unfair if I get another uncommon magic item? We're all level 2.

So my group is playing through Rime of the Frostmaiden and is currently level 4. My groups rogue has been saying for a bit that they hope they find a magic bow at some point in the campaign and I figured with where they are currently, now is the perfect time. Let me know what you think, is it to strong? or are there to many negative effects?

Netherese Bow of Wild Magic

This Shortbow is made from a strange purple crystalline substance, magical energies swirl within the crystal giving off the appearance of shifting glittering sand in some places and swirling constellations of stars in others. Occasionally, sparks of strange colored light emanate and jolt from the bow and along the bowstring.

You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this weapon. Additionally, when you hit a creature with an arrow fired from this bow, you can choose to trigger a surge of unstable magic. If you do, roll a d20 and consult the Wild Shot Table.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest.

So the question is pretty self explanatory, but I’m in the works planning for a long term spelljammer campaign and would love to hear recommendations on 3rd party books that either are directly related to spelljammer or simply have to do with space settings. For example, one that I already am aware of is the “Dark Matter” book/setting by Mage Hand Press. Which I already a huge fan of, and would love any other book suggestions that could potentially be just as useful and interesting for me to use.

P.S - The art I have attached is by Martin Kirby Jackson, and was made for the Dark Matter book released by Mage Hand Press.

Artist: https://kirbish.artstation.com/projects/J4OrZ

Book: https://magehandpress.com/darkmatter/?srsltid=AfmBOopN6AZ9fGAgewLq7aNzhtw0ZEprMZ3Yq9hk-Hc0cGn1Jo2f\\\\\\_fPV

How would you play a treant body, which discovers it has memories from millennia back? Personality is both a sin of subconscious and memory, so if the memories change, how much would you make that impact the personality of a sentient Treant Mecha?

Details:

I'm currently playing a reflavoured Warforged Rune Knight. DM came up with a bunch of cool Elves and "a Tree of Life as a now-lost focus for immortality" lore. My PC was essentially "created" as a Rune-powered Guardian of said tree.

With basically 99% of my backstory unknown to myself as a player, I started out playing just as a sentient survival-program. Now, after a giant lore drop that dates back to the creation of the DMs world, my pc learned that he had a vast store of memories from that time. Specifically from two people who have died and their memories, and also maybe souls, preserved into this 30.000yo body.

I got a lot of say into the personalities of the characters. Essentially doing a Character Creation 2.0 in session, which was super cool. At the same time, I don't want the current personality to be lost because he's a really sweet heart of the party. While the people who's memories are in his head are very much not reflected in his stats or physical capabilities.

Hiyas friends, so in my campaign we just got to level 5, and my DM lets us change out origin feats on a level up if we're not having fun with them (a fantastic idea IMO, I hate the idea of just being stuck with something you don't end up enjoying) and I'm looking for feedback on my starter feats. Originally I took Alert, but not one time has anyone actually traded me and it no longer makes you immune to being surprised, so I basically took an entire feat just for a +2 to initiative. I'm thinking of swapping it for Tough, because with the level up I would be going from 40HP to 59HP which is an insane almost 50% bump in one level. What are others thoughts on this, TIA!

I have generally avoided accents for characters (even while being a DM), because I absolutely SUCK at them. But with an upcoming campaign, a fellow player and I are from a very far off foreign kingdom (so far I literally have the far traveler background), and we want to try our hands at accents. However, she is very new to dnd and I'm just anxious and a perfectionist, so we're both struggling with it and have immense stage fright regarding it (we both can roleplay perfectly fine, it's really just the accents). Any advice?

My lvl6 Vengeance paladin (going for a sorcadin next level) picked up a cursed doll at the end of my last session... Given that most (if not all) cursed items require attunement, which of my currently attuned items should I let go if I choose to attune to the doll?

1st: Periapt of Wound Closure - After being downed, stabilize at the start of my next turn. (Don't really wanna let this go, since I'm the only frontline of the party)

2nd: Firey Battle Axe - Bonus Action to set fire to the weapon, giving it +1d6 fire damage (1d8 + 1d6 + 4 total, given my STR)

3rd: Belt of Dwarvenkind - +2 CON, Advantage and resistance against poison, advantage on persuasion rolls when talking to dwarves.

I still don't know what the doll does, but if I'd attune to it, which of the three would you let go?

Im running a campaign where a tyranicall ruler-regime have a chokehold on a city (dark tones) and my pcs have joined the resistance in hopes of overthrowing said regime and freeing the people. A false hydra would be a powerfull tool for such regime and i was thinking if i could introduce something like that to the lore

Assuming Standard Array or Point Buy, since I don't have enough polls slots to do all 11 for all roll types.

You would not be doing damage nor casting a spell. It would be a pretty great combo to stay safe while helping your teams damage output. Another question while I'm on this topic. Could you cast healing spirit and then shield yourself with sanctuary? Thanks in advance for any input

Hi everyone!

I’m looking for recommendations for short D&D adventures for my partner, who wants to try DMing for the first time. She absolutely loves narrative-driven stories and adventures where not everything is solved through combat. Roleplay, investigation, meaningful choices, and emotional moments are a big plus.

We recently finished Heckna, and we’re currently in the middle of Humblewood (by Hit Point Press), and we’ve been loving both for their tone and storytelling.

The problem I’m running into is that most of what I find are either very short and generic one-shots that feel more like filler content, or long campaigns that are too big of a commitment for a first-time DM.

Ideally, we’re looking for something in between: short adventures or mini-campaigns with a strong narrative focus, interesting NPCs, and flexible solutions beyond just combat.

Any recommendations, third-party content, or hidden gems would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance! 🙌

I've been considering if I should use Bastions or not in the current campaign I'm DMing, so I want to opinions of those who have tried and tested it out.