5th Edition Team Deathmatch
Crit Academy discusses 5th Edition Team Deathmatch!
A team-based, PvP competitive tabletop arena for Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition.
This game is an action RPG about strengthening the bonds you already have with the friends in your gaming group, or forming new bonds of friendship, in the face of shared adversity and the greatest challenge. Nothing beats the thrill of coming together to defeat a seemingly insurmountable foe. 5TDM doesn't throw any punches. It puts you through the wringer and lets your group emerge closer to each other than ever. It is competitive, but not toxic.
Small groups of player characters are pitted against each other in a no-holds-barred frenzy of carnage in a team-based, player-vs-player competition. 5th Edition Team Deathmatch is a contest of skill, wits, and luck. 5TDM is about winning the world's most popular roleplaying game.
Crit Nation Feedback: Let’s talk about Blank!
Orc depictions through various media. -From TV Tropes “Often have pig-like snouts or upturned noses that resemble pig snouts. (Sometimes taken one step further by actually giving them pig heads, like in early editions of Dungeons & Dragons.) May have tusks.This is possibly drawn from the fact that "orc" is Welsh for "pig", and Welsh was the inspiration for Tolkien's Sindarin; alternately, it comes from the illustrators misunderstanding Gary Gygax who supposedly told them to make the orcs look "pig-headed". This look was popularized in Japan by RPGs like Dragon Quest. Often called Porcs on the internet, a pun on ‘pork’.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orc I originally took the word from Old English orc (Beowulf 112 orc-neas and the gloss orc: þyrs ('ogre'), heldeofol ('hell-devil')).[g] This is supposed not to be connected with modern English orc, ork, a name applied to various sea-beasts of the dolphin order".
- J. R. R. Tolkien
Tolkien also observed a connection with the Latin word orcus, noting that "the word used in translation of Q[uenya] urko, S[indarin] orch is Orc. But that is because of the similarity of the ancient English word orc, 'evil spirit or bogey', to the Elvish words. There is possibly no connextion (sic) between them."
Give Away: Loresmyth: Modular Dungeon Tiles - Arcania
Modular dungeon tiles are an easy way to create your own beautiful digital maps. The Arcania lets you make dark, shadowy dungeon map, rich with the fumes of arcane secrets.
Winner: dustunfield
Didn’t win? Np, head to www.critacademy.com/loresmyth a free set of digital terrain and much more.
Segment: Main Topic: 5th Edition Team Deathmatch
5th Edition Team Deathmatch is an entirely new way to enjoy the world’s most popular roleplaying game. It is a contest of skill, wits, and luck. 5e Team Deathmatch is about competing against others and overcoming obstacles together as a team.
In 5th Edition Team Deathmatch, small teams are pitted against each other in a noholds-barred frenzy of carnage in a team based, player-vs-player competition. Fast, frantic play is encouraged over a wide variety of bizarre, twisted hellscape arenas. 5TDM pushes the tactical boundaries of the original game in new and exciting ways.
5TDM takes on the promise of an intense tactical option for 5th Edition. If you’re a power-gaming, min-maxing, overkill seeking player that wants to “win” at roleplaying games and be its ultimate champion, this is the game for you. If you want to strive with your comrades in arms to overcome the
greatest foe in the most over-the-top, fantastic locations, this is the game for you.
This game is more nuanced, challenging, and rewarding than simple one-on-one duels. It pits teams of low-level characters against each other to see who can outmaneuver their opponents and survive the longest by suffering the fewest numbers of deaths during an hour-long match. It requires a deep understanding of the 5th Edition ruleset, strong teamwork, communication skills, and an unending thirst for blood.
Basic Mechanics
Small teams of three or four 3rd-Level dungeoneers compete against each other on specially designed, competitive Arenas. This competition lasts 45 to 60 minutes, with dead or dying dungeoneers Respawning in throughout.
Each Arena has a wide variety of unique rules and special abilities associated with it. Be sure to review the Arena descriptions thoroughly before going into a match with a false assumption in mind.
Character Creation
Special rules are in place for drafting a character for use in 5th Edition Team Deathmatch. These are designed to provide a wide variety of possible builds while keeping hit points low enough to keep the death counts high. All options from officially released sourcebooks are legal in 5TDM matches.
Arena Design
The heart of 5th Edition Team Deathmatch is a fast, engaging event. Before creating your Arena idea, keep experiences that players will feel on their turns in mind. If your Arena will take a player more than 10 seconds to process what’s happening, it won’t work. Overly complicated special rules or terrain effects will drastically slow a match down, and thus be a less fun game.
This is a common pitfall when players start to think with a “deathtrap” mindset. It’s easy to confuse brutal, unforgiving, and deadly Arena elements, with complicated, convoluted, and lumbering ones. Many
people will get caught on this crucial point, and their Arena will suffer until they realize it and move beyond it. A 5TDM map does not need overly complex elements to be fun.
Tournaments
Tournaments are the ultimate 5th Edition Team Deathmatch challenge and an absolute thrill to take part of. During a 5TDM tournament, teams of dungeoneers compete over several Arenas in succession.
Teams are eliminated after a set number of losses, as per the style of tournament used. Dungeoneer teams are persistent across Arenas—characters cannot be changed between matches. Dungeoneers receive the
benefits of a long rest between matches.
Arenas (Academy Picks)
Justin - RUN
How you got here is irrelevant. All that matters is staying ahead of the creeping death behind, dodging the nefarious traps and kicking down the puzzling doors ahead. That, and crushing your enemies. Who knows… the next door may even lead out of this evil place. (Spoiler: it won’t.)
Ian - The Citadel Forget the enemy at the gates, there are enemies on all sides of you in this ruined fortress. Take the high ground, seize the siege weapons and pin your opponents in the lava before they can do the same to you.
Austin - Mutiny on the Hellstrider
“Creaking wood boards and rope rigging and the howl of gale force winds surround this fleet vessel as it sails over the Elemental Plane of Fire. A lone oasis in a desert of fire, mastering the ship is the only way to survive.”
Give Away: Jeff Stevens: Encounters on the Savage Seas II!
Revolutionize your game with this collection 16 mini-adventures and includes NPCs, locations, new creatures, and magic items to add to your nautical adventures.
Winner: Yourphotoman1
Didn’t win? Np, head to www.critacademy.com/jeffstevens to get Encounters on the Savage Seas III Free
Segment: Unearthed Tips and Tricks! (We give you creative content for your next adventure)
Character Concept:
Followed by Death This character should be dead. Not necessary due to living a dangerous lifestyle but their scheduled demise has passed and yet they remain living here on Earth. They are not sure how they escaped their original fate. Perhaps they somehow gained the favor of a god without their knowledge. Maybe they just happened to be standing at just the right spot when an accident with a few rubber bands, a liquid lunch and a magically created particle accelerator during an alchemist's experiment. Perhaps something was screwing around with the fabric of the cosmos at that moment or maybe even they were just plain lucky. No matter the cause, Death himself does not like it when someone escapes their fate and has taken a personal interest in this adventurer and follows them around interested in collecting their soul personally. You just can’t pass this off to some ordinary reaper at this point. Death won’t try to directly kill them, he won’t be unfair about it. Doesn’t mean that he won’t cheer on every near miss that almost takes off the adventure’s head within ear shot, but he certainly might voice his displeasure that they evade the afterlife yet again. Death is generally busy and has a schedule to keep after all.
Monster Variant:
Blood-Toll Harpy
When harpies demand a toll to cross through their territory, consider yourself lucky if they permit payment in coin.
Origin: Vrock
Changes: Lose beak and spores.
New Features:
Draining Aura (Recharge 5–6). The harpy radiates an aura in a 10-foot radius, lasting for 2 rounds, that draws all fluids out through a creature’s mouth, nose, eyes, ears, and pores.
Every creature of the harpy’s choosing that starts its turn in the affected area takes 14 (4d6) necrotic damage, or half damage with a successful DC 14 Constitution saving throw.
Luring Song. The harpy sings a magical melody. Every Humanoid and giant within 300 ft. of the harpy that can hear the song must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or be Charmed until the song ends. The harpy must take a Bonus Action on its subsequent turns to continue singing. It can stop singing at any time. The song ends if the harpy is Incapacitated.
While Charmed by the harpy, a target is Incapacitated and ignores the songs of other harpies. If the Charmed target is more than 5 ft. away from the harpy, the must move on its turn toward the harpy by the most direct route. It doesn't avoid Opportunity Attacks, but before moving into damaging terrain, such as lava or a pit, and whenever it takes damage from a source other than the harpy, a target can repeat the saving throw. A creature can also repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns. If a creature's saving throw is successful, the effect ends on it.
A target that successfully saves is immune to this harpy's song for the next 24 hours.
Encounter: TBD
Magic Item:
Figurine of the Opaline Unicorn (Theros)
Purphoros once loved Nylea, the god of the hunt. His passion inspired his most astounding works of art.
Wondrous item, very rare
A figurine of the Opaline Unicorn is a statuette of a beast small enough to fit in a pocket. If you use an action to speak the command word and throw the figurine to a point on the ground within 60 feet of you, the figurine becomes a living creature. If the space where the creature would appear is occupied by other creatures or objects, or if there isn't enough space for the creature, the figurine doesn't become a creature.
The creature is friendly to you and your companions. It understands your languages and obeys your spoken commands. If you issue no commands, the creature defends itself but takes no other actions. See the Monster Manual for the creature's statistics.
The creature exists for a duration specific to each figurine. At the end of the duration, the creature reverts to its figurine form. It reverts to a figurine early if it drops to 0 hit points or if you use an action to speak the command word again while touching it. When the creature becomes a figurine again, its property can't be used again until a certain amount of time has passed, as specified in the figurine's description.
This opal statuette is about 4 inches high and long. It can become an unicorn for up to 8 hours. The unicorn fights only to defend itself. Once it has been used, it can't be used again until a tenday has passed.
Dungeon Master Tip:
Take a Risk - Kobold Guide to Game Mastering
The real key to making a ruling without truly understanding the rules for a particular situation is to ask yourself five questions related to a ruling: Does it make sense? Is it fair? How much does it matter? Does it radically change the campaign? Does it add to the fun of the group?
Player Tip: Don’t be a Dick
Martial/Arcane Studies: The Arcane Crusader - Gamerant
Anyone looking for a self-sufficient class capable of holding their own in almost any situation should look no further than the Arcane Crusader, a heavy-armor Gish of Paladin and Sorcerer. A Gish, for those unfamiliar with the term, is any character that combines magic and martial power, rather than focusing on one. A jack-of-all-trades, and master of a few as well, the Arcane Crusader is Gish capable of filling a number of party roles simultaneously. Need healing? Simply Lay on Hands or cast Cure Wounds. Need damage? Divine Smite, Scorching Ray and Fireball are all potent damage options whether against a dragon or a horde of goblins.
Despite this versatility, there are two features that lie at the heart of the Arcane Crusader's power. The first is Divine Smite, the Paladin feature that allows Spell Slots to be converted into Radiant damage following a successful hit. The interaction here is as obvious as they come, Sorcerers have more Spell Slots, more Spell Slots means more Divine Smites in a day. This makes the Arcane Crusader the king of burst damage, albeit at the cost of resources that can't be recovered easily. Unfortunately, once the Spell Slots have dried up what is left is really just a slightly less-effective, if charismatic, Fighter. However, with the sheer amount of damage an Arcane Crusader can put out, the good news is that most things should be dead long before this can happen.
The second pillar of the Arcane Crusader is Metamagic. The problem with most Gish classes is that each turn they need to make a choice between casting a spell or using their weapon. An Arcane Crusader with the Quicken Spell Metamagic option asks: why not both? Quicken allows a spell to be cast as a Bonus Action at the cost of just two Sorcery Points, setting up of some truly terrifying combos. Casting a Quickened Hold Person, then following it up with a guaranteed critical melee attack on the paralyzed target, and a critical Divine Smite on top may require two Spell Slots and two Sorcery Points to pull off, but is a combo that puts out such ludicrous damage that even bosses may be killed in a single hit.
Unfortunately, all this power comes with a cost, and even the most potent of Multiclass combos have weaknesses. For the Arcane Crusader this weakness comes in the form of the Sorcerer's weedy 1d6 hit die. Even in quite a short campaign, each level the Arcane Crusader takes in Sorcerer comes with a meager HP boost better suited to a back-line skulker than a front-and-center tank, though this disadvantage can certainly be mitigated with spells like Shield, or patched with Lay on Hands or Cure Wounds.
Closing: Please join us on our next episode we discuss Weapon Perks!
If you have any feedback, unearthed tips and tricks or topics you would like us to discuss, please send them to us. You can email them to us at critacademy@gmail.com or find us on twitter and facebook @critacademy.
We hope you’ve enjoyed your experience here at Crit Academy. If you did, you can help others find the show by leaving a hopefully 5 star review on itunes. Or just send us a message telling us how much you enjoy the show
Also be sure to give us a like and a share!
Make sure to subscribe to our show at www.critacademy.com, follow us on Twitch and Youtube so we can help you on your future adventures as well as a chance to win cool prizes each and every week. Make sure to check out our fellowship members as well.