Mixed Bag of Holding: D&D Court (Teleportation Helmets, Grumbly DMs, & Cluckgane Bowl)

Ah, this is the origin of the Olaf sticker

More like the winner gets a hen...Tai tattoo 🙂‍🙈

What should have happened in the case of the teleportation helm is have the big bad start to use the helm and the party can find out how annoying that item can be when it’s not on your side 😂

Not sure how to submit complaints to Bailiff Jake, but this happened last night and it's bugged me enough that I've got to turn to the (hopefully welcoming) arms of NADDPOD and their amazing fans. The DM of a group I've been playing with for a few years has been running a very politics heavy, war machinations campaign for us for about three months now. Part of my dissatisfaction with the following problem likely comes from my interest less in machinations and more in storytelling and the rule of cool, and that's my fault for not having clear communication with the DM and the group at the beginning of this campaign what exactly the vibe would be. Our party started at 7th level as the powerful champions of various noble house in an empire on the brink of civil war, but spent several sessions at fudged levels going through our upbringing and our connections within the empire. Context aside, the case I present to you is thus (sorry it's so long, i'm verbose af): Our group of 5 powerful adventurers (now level 8) are leading a force of around 3,500 against a force of 5,000 intent on attacking a town we are trying to defend. My character is a 8th level Battle Master fighter (taken from Sword Coast) mainly because I thought they would fit in well in this kind of setting. She studied at the military academy in the realm, and we spent two sessions as a group covering her extensive training. I had my own ideas about how to defeat this army, but recognized that I'm not actually a trained general. I spent some time working with the other PC's to spy on the approaching force, map out the surrounding terrain, and generally gather information, but the DM told me I couldn't use my "Know Your Enemy" ability because technically, the army wasn't a creature. A bit frustrated but willing to concede the point, I then suggested my idea to the party (basically ambush the army) but asked the DM if this was actually a good way to attack them. As well as any other ideas or knowledge my fighter might have, as my character would know actual war strategy while I do not. He told me to make a history check. My intelligence is terrible (I'd never built a character above 5th level or a fighter before, hopefully history's a bad ability for other battle masters too rip), so although I also planned to (and did) add a superiority dice, I asked if I could add my proficiency modifier, and he said no, which is a choice DM's can make and that's okay. I ended up rolling a nat 8 even with the help action and added 6 from the d8 for a total of 14. The DM then told me that my idea was "fine." We proceeded to put the plan into action and ambushed the army by pushing them into a swamp, where our soldiers were waiting to cut them down. The fight began next session as the NPC armies battled it out and we took on the armies spellcasters and generals. We won, but the DM told us that we had suffered heavy losses, and were likely to suffer many more as our enemy used slicing weapons and injuries our soldiers received in the swamp were likely to get infected. I was distressed to learn this, and said I would have picked a different location for the battle if I knew that was a concern. He told me that I didn't beat his DC 15 for extra knowledge about my plan, and that my character just knew that it would be an effective plan without thinking beyond that. A DC is fine, but I hate that one poor roll caused so much (NPC) death. It's especially frustrating because he didn't allow me to use my proficiency because my "noble" background doesn't give it to me, even though we had well established that my character was a trained military leader. He may be right that I wouldn't have known to think about infection, but I still believe I wasn't given the opportunity to inhabit my character and their unique knowledge while facing this situation. It's up to the courts to decide. tl;dr: my battle master led an army into a terrain that indirectly harmed our people and didn't inform me about it in my planning, though I admittedly failed a DC. I'm definitely biased because it's my character, so I need a jury of my peers. Thank you!

I think I would’ve sided with the paladin. The sorcerers ability is able to over come fire resistances not magical resistances. Since the paladin is resistant to all magical damage It doesn’t matter what kind of damage the spell causes since it’s already magical.

For real, can you ACTUALLY do live commentary for cluckgane bowl??

Specific overrules general. A specific resistance to fire damage over rules the resistance to all spells

Wow!! Our dm also just let us use cube of force for this too and didn't even grumble. Pretty sure she felt bad for us

I would buy bumper stickers for sure

please make a olaf dies in frozen 2 bumper sticker

The sopranos is amazing, everyone should watch it

Man, that sorcerer vs paladin one fucked me up. I think it would be more fun to have the sorcerer roll an arcana check vs the paladin's spell save DC every time they used this feat to cast a spell against the paladin.

Moonlight is reflected sunlight. I would have ruled an arcana check DC20 to use it the way he wanted. On a fail it explodes and is effectively a fireball centered on your head, the item is destroyed

if it pleases the court, fire resistance resists fire, and the sorcerer ability overrides this, but it does not override magic resistance. those are two different abilities.

I disagree with the ruling on the resistance stuff. The spell resistance should protect from the spell because to me fire resistance negation has to do with someone resistant to fire. Fire damage is not necessarily spell damage. The spell should not have effected the guy.

There is a very easy way to mediate the moonlight thing. The moon is in the sky about 12 hours per day, day or night, so the player is technically right that it could be in the sky during the day. This also means it could be not in the sky at night. He should have to roll a luck check every time he uses it in a fight and if it's 1-10, no moon, day or night.

Using the cube of force with a character with a fly speed is incredible. And yeah a grumbling dm is a good thing it means you got one over on them

Campaign 2 is coming! I wonder if Emily will play a ranger as she said on Adventuring Party...

Lol thank you so much for answering my question I’m gonna go rub it in my very good life long friends face. Please release Emily v murph lvl 20 fights!!

I'd be fascinated to hear how Brennan would rule on the moonlight thing. I'd like to submit that the spell mentions nothing about the potency of moonlight. That said, it also doesn't say other light disrupts the spell. As such I think that's DM discretion. My personal thinking on it is if you can see the moon, you're being hit by moonlight. So it only works outoors, through a window, or a very complex series of mirrors. Now, how often is the moon visible on Earth? It depends on a lot of factors. If I'm feeling generous, I'd say roll a luck check. 15 or higher, the moon is out. If I'm not feeling generous, I'd say roll with disadvantage. Of course, then you gotta guess if the spot you want to teleport to is being hit by moonlight. I might make them make another roll, but I think it would be fine to let them have a teleport like that. Just means that whatever precedent you set on that item at that point stays forever, day or night.

Anybody else hear ass when Em says as?

If I were feeling generous I'd let the moonlight person roll a d100, and if they get a 100 it's a lunar eclipse.

Solid sode gang

“May it please the court” usually said in opening arguments

man, every time they said "hen tattoo" i thought they were about to say "hentai" and i had to do a mental double take every time

I spent the last hour of my work day explaining Cluckgane Bowl to a co-worker who heard me laughing all the way across the office and wanted to know what was so funny.

I love Murph's disdain for certain types of guy

Disappointed the gavel was not called Henry Gavel 😭

I love my helmet and hate my DM is something my players say nearly every sesh

All four of you rolling level 20 characters and just battling it out with no DM would be an insanely chaotic mixed bag that I would absolutely be here for

So twitter tells me it’s international podcast day so like happy birthday you little gremlins???

The breath of fresh air we ALL need! Thank you!

I am loving the Honorable Justice 'Salty Murph'

I’ll keep you guys in the loop re. Hen Fiend update. Maybe my friend and I will celebrate COVID being over by wrestling IRL dressed as chickens. Good half time event for your next live show 🍗

Per Jeremy crawford tweet the sorcerer was in fact correct :)

Please please please do more

Oh man my case was also about items for my players. Lol I definitely thought mine would come up. I need answers! 😭

Please for the love of christ do live commentary for Cluckgane Bowl

FRASER CONNELL! Love your Mbmbam animatics! When we getting some for NADDPOD!?

Can we please get a few court sketches of the group in the next live drawing? I would love to see angry Murph and suck-up baliff Jake 🤣

Please god make that bumper sticker my cars ass is waiting 🙏

Yeah my fix

You honour us, your honourablenesses

Omg! Phonetically it’s pronounced “Oh Yay Oh Yay”

To answer Emily’s question, I can tell you that any time someone makes a statement in the Supreme Court they say “May it please the court”. If Jake wanted to be SUPER official, he could say, “oyes oyes” which is how the Supreme Court opens each session.

Mmmmmm

Wasn't expecting this to drop today.