SO have been playing D&D for about a year started my first campaign and I kinda know what adventure legue is but my question i always see mostly on dms guild about advetures and stories people asking if its AL legal cause they want it for their character, I really dont understand why its a story that the dm might add to his existing campaign what does it matter if a company says that its ok (im not saying that its bad i just dont understand why)
AL legal basically means it should be acceptable in all play groups. AL only allows characters to use official content and the campaigns are (usually) balanced and don't require specific types of characters.
AL means Adventurer's League which is something offered by WotC for Organised Play - it is designed to ensure even, structured and balanced in-person play and rewards DMs.
It's more common in the USA but we do have AL here in the UK.
AL legal could refer to the adventures, rewards, or character builds. An AL legal adventure is easy enough to determine. If it’s in their Content Catalog, then it’s an AL legal adventure. There’s plenty to keep your all your characters busy from levels 1-20. It’s sourced from the published hardcover adventures like Waterdeep Dragon Heist, specially written adventure modules that tie into those hardcovers by theme and setting at the very least, and Community Created Content that is meant to be run at conventions and such.
An AL legal reward falls into the current season’s rules guidelines. At this time, to maintain uniformity across tables, and ensure balanced portability of characters, an adventure will only reward you 80 gp per character level at the low end, and it scales up as you hit level tiers. And an adventure can reward only magic items mentioned in the script of the adventure. DMs can’t drop a Vorpal Sword into a dungeon just because their players would really like it. Outside of a few consumable magic items here and there, that’s all you can expect to get even if the hardcover as written has you find 10k gp. You still only get to add the prescribed amount for your level to your character sheet.
AL legal characters are the biggest question mark, and that’s probably what you’re hearing questioned the most regarding AL legality. Playable characters at an AL table are built off the PHB+1 other official source. So Xanathar’s, or Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide, etc. That means if you chose Xanathar’s as your +1, you can’t play a Firbolg as it's from Volo’s guide to Monsters. You also can’t choose spells like Booming Blade (Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide). But it would mean you could be a Grave domain Cleric that knows Toll the Dead.
With all these restrictions, you my ask yourself “why play AL games at all?” The answer is because you can always find a game, whether you have a reliable gaming group or not. You can take a character you love, travel across the Pond and sit down at another table with him, not worrying whether he’ll be weak or OP among his new partymates. You know the DM isn’t going to be homebrewing adamantine skeletons that break your weapons when you go to bludgeon them. It’s reliable, though it can be understandably seen as stifling to the more creative player.
that makes sense, strange we are not so strict think we keep it bare bone rules for drop in games and use prewitten stuff only (strahd or avernus) and then change for home campaigns
You also can't play AL in a bar. My group plays at a gaming bar so we had to stop calling it AL.
Weird. I know of several bars where they host AL games. Brew pubs, licensed cafe/bars ... most have websites that advertise the games too. I had not heard that there were constraints on where you could host AL games.
SO have been playing D&D for about a year started my first campaign and I kinda know what adventure legue is but my question i always see mostly on dms guild about advetures and stories people asking if its AL legal cause they want it for their character, I really dont understand why its a story that the dm might add to his existing campaign what does it matter if a company says that its ok (im not saying that its bad i just dont understand why)
AL legal basically means it should be acceptable in all play groups. AL only allows characters to use official content and the campaigns are (usually) balanced and don't require specific types of characters.
AL means Adventurer's League which is something offered by WotC for Organised Play - it is designed to ensure even, structured and balanced in-person play and rewards DMs.
It's more common in the USA but we do have AL here in the UK.
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AL legal could refer to the adventures, rewards, or character builds. An AL legal adventure is easy enough to determine. If it’s in their Content Catalog, then it’s an AL legal adventure. There’s plenty to keep your all your characters busy from levels 1-20. It’s sourced from the published hardcover adventures like Waterdeep Dragon Heist, specially written adventure modules that tie into those hardcovers by theme and setting at the very least, and Community Created Content that is meant to be run at conventions and such.
An AL legal reward falls into the current season’s rules guidelines. At this time, to maintain uniformity across tables, and ensure balanced portability of characters, an adventure will only reward you 80 gp per character level at the low end, and it scales up as you hit level tiers. And an adventure can reward only magic items mentioned in the script of the adventure. DMs can’t drop a Vorpal Sword into a dungeon just because their players would really like it. Outside of a few consumable magic items here and there, that’s all you can expect to get even if the hardcover as written has you find 10k gp. You still only get to add the prescribed amount for your level to your character sheet.
AL legal characters are the biggest question mark, and that’s probably what you’re hearing questioned the most regarding AL legality. Playable characters at an AL table are built off the PHB+1 other official source. So Xanathar’s, or Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide, etc. That means if you chose Xanathar’s as your +1, you can’t play a Firbolg as it's from Volo’s guide to Monsters. You also can’t choose spells like Booming Blade (Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide). But it would mean you could be a Grave domain Cleric that knows Toll the Dead.
With all these restrictions, you my ask yourself “why play AL games at all?” The answer is because you can always find a game, whether you have a reliable gaming group or not. You can take a character you love, travel across the Pond and sit down at another table with him, not worrying whether he’ll be weak or OP among his new partymates. You know the DM isn’t going to be homebrewing adamantine skeletons that break your weapons when you go to bludgeon them. It’s reliable, though it can be understandably seen as stifling to the more creative player.
that makes sense, strange we are not so strict think we keep it bare bone rules for drop in games and use prewitten stuff only (strahd or avernus) and then change for home campaigns
thanks for the details answer
You also can't play AL in a bar. My group plays at a gaming bar so we had to stop calling it AL.
Weird. I know of several bars where they host AL games. Brew pubs, licensed cafe/bars ... most have websites that advertise the games too. I had not heard that there were constraints on where you could host AL games.