So my group in made up of mostly new or casual players. Trying to take on the Mad Mage dungeon 5e adventure. Its been a month and a half and we are still on floor one. Our group has been named The Suicide Squad, every game we lose a PC to death or they get taken over by a Intellect Devourer. Any help would be much appreciated, of course not on spoilers or details on what happens in the modual. Our current party consists of a hexblade warlock, wizard (school unknown), paladin (oath unknown) and myself a pyromancer sorcerer. Strategy
You’re heavy on back row blasters and glass cannons - you blast the devourers quick and you’ll do fine, but you need your Paladin to step up in the front (your hexblade will not last long), at least until the wizard can summon some demons to take some of the heat off.
You only got the Paladin at the moment to heal people when they are down, you may want to have a second person able to help, eg the healer feat.
Multiclass options:
Celestial warlock for your sorcerer: You get eldritch blast and agonising blast, that can be quickened for extra damage (2 lvls of warlock), access to a bonus action skill that allows to heal fallen comrades within 30 ft of you (1lvl) and access to either ritual spells or an improved familiar (3rd lvl).
Bard for your warlock: 1st lvl: more spell slots and bardic inspiration; 2nd lvl song of rest and jack of all trades; 3rd expertise and bardic school.
It also occurs to me that new and casual players struggle with spellcasters and you’re all at least half casters. You’re not saying HOW you get killed so it’s hard to recommend strategies, but if you’re still on the first floor, are you just picking fights that are too big for you?
We fought a nest of wererat we did pretty good at the start, we had a ranger, wizard, cleric, and blood Hunter. The rat swarms group up on the tanks thats what we wanted. But we got flanked and the ranger and blood hunter went down.
Next fight was an ambush, three bugbears and six goblin archers. My cleric took on two bugbears with our new hexblade ( former ranger) and new blood hunter took on other bugbear. With the wizard dealing damage to all opponents. But the archers showed up and took my cleric down. Once I died the hunters brain was eaten, however no ones has caught on that we have that little brain monster in our party.
Next a spell trap cures our now blood hunter intellect devour he couldn't heal HP. But the devourer kept him alive but he was stuck in a loop of being stabilized but couldn't gain HP.
We had two more close calls but those fights i know we made really stupid mistakes. They involved two grells then later three medium size spiders. We are learing to focus fire
The paladin replaced the 2nd blood hunter (that player really wanted to play that class) but we have not had a game with the pally yet. I believe his still being built.
* Is your group Wizard or Sorcerer using control spells?
* Does somebody in the party have a familiar?
The reason I ask these questions is because your party seems to keep getting its frontline people get ganked. That implies that your party is not utilizing damage reduction measures and safe exploration protocol. Not that exploration is ever exactly safe, but you can really reduce that the chance of being caught in an ambush or getting put into a bad combat position by employing a familiar and letting the familiar scout for you.
Control spells are generally the best way of maintaining a favorable position once your party engages foes. Wizards and sorcerers both have some control spells. Use them to take the heat off your melee combat types. Healing during combat is not a good use of resources. Preventing your people from being flanked or focus fired on is much much better.
Some solid low level control spells for arcane casters include:
Fog Cloud (1st lvl) , Grease (1st lvl),
Hold Person (2nd lvl), Levitate (2nd lvl), Suggestion (2nd lvl), Web (2nd lvl)
Reading through that I’d be focusing on staying out of melee combat. Use spells like Create Bonfire to put a physical barrier between you and your opponents, take cover from ranged attackers, and use area of effect spells if it’s possible.
what level is your group? i suspect its as much the DM (if not more) than your strategy. - your DM probably would have helped you along by now otherwise - especially considering you're new. is the DM new also?
Paladin will be frontline fighter, since your party consists of spell casters it’ll be their job to soak the damage and keep the attention on them while you help them out with your spells.
Wizard will be utility and control, they need to hinder the enemies or help give your team an advantage, they can also step into the blaster roll, or keep the paladin up so he can continue to protect the rest of you. You already have spell blasters so that won’t be as big of a roll for your wizard to play, you’re in more need of utility and control.
Hexblade Warlock will be more of a secondary fighter, he shouldn’t try to take damage but should be heavily focused on assisting the paladin with slaying enemies on the frontline, hindering the enemy or dealing some great damage. Should pick up spell utility to give them better defense/offensive capabilities.
Sorcerer you need to hang in the back with the wizard and blast away at the enemies. If the enemy wants to harm you or the wizard you need to help stop that. If enemies are giving your hexblade warlock a hard time help the warlock kill them.
Always be sure to look out for opportunities of cover, surprise attacks, and flanking.
Sometimes setting up traps or an ambush for your enemies also works well.
Take short rests at your hexblade warlock’s convenience and be sure to use your hit dice pool when your health gets low!!
Our wizard mainly uses damaging spells, I'll see if he has any of these spells, maybe our DM will let him change a few around. I usually play Bard or Warlock so ill admit im a little out of my element with a pyromancer.
Xander, I recommend that you and the team Sorcerer read the docs on TreatMonk's website. It explains in clearer terms and in greater detail what counts as "control" and how best to deploy control spells and similar abilities.
Our group started at lv 5, the DM is a veteran player and very tactical thinker. One of the main reasons most if not all his groups have a high mortality rate. I was the DM before but after two years I need a break.
i suspect that's the way he wants to play then - no slack. I also suspect there aren't many ways to speed things up...checking doors and corners, sending in familiar scouts (which i can't imagine will last for more than 1 room), control vs. damage, doing all the above suggestions might help keep you alive, but not necessarily speed up the game. but its the journey...
my advice would be to see if your DM will allow you all to rebuild. you're only level 5 so its not that big of an ask. I'd suggest 1-2 people multiclass with at least one level of cleric/druid/bard, or maybe the healer feat (one healer isn't enough imo with your DM). some may miss out on level 20 capstone abilities, but many people don't care about that anyway (no point in drooling over level 20 if you never get there). ...and pay attention to control spells/abilities like they mentioned above as well as buffs for your fellow party members.
If you can't rebuild, i'd suggest multiclassing your next player that levels.
Also, don't forget about equipment, you're in waterdeep so you have access to pretty much every poison/trap/magic item known to humankind. some of those require deep pockets, but some don't.
If I've not said this before, my 1st character was designed for scouting with familiars and party telepathy. However, the magics of the dungeon nullified it. Then 1st session ended in a TPK.
So my group in made up of mostly new or casual players. Trying to take on the Mad Mage dungeon 5e adventure. Its been a month and a half and we are still on floor one. Our group has been named The Suicide Squad, every game we lose a PC to death or they get taken over by a Intellect Devourer. Any help would be much appreciated, of course not on spoilers or details on what happens in the modual. Our current party consists of a hexblade warlock, wizard (school unknown), paladin (oath unknown) and myself a pyromancer sorcerer. Strategy
What happens when you put the pally and the hexblade up front, you blast from behind and the wizard handles crowd control?
Does anyone in the party have proficiency with Perception?
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
You’re heavy on back row blasters and glass cannons - you blast the devourers quick and you’ll do fine, but you need your Paladin to step up in the front (your hexblade will not last long), at least until the wizard can summon some demons to take some of the heat off.
Someone needs the alert feat.
'The Cleverness of mushrooms always surprises me!' - Ivern Bramblefoot.
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Your groups seams to lack in scouting, exploring and anti trap abilities. On top of that your only half healer is the one who is the meat shield.
You can compansat with feats, allert and dungeon delver.
You can conjure creatures to help you scout, like Find Familiar or find steed.
You only got the Paladin at the moment to heal people when they are down, you may want to have a second person able to help, eg the healer feat.
Multiclass options:
Celestial warlock for your sorcerer: You get eldritch blast and agonising blast, that can be quickened for extra damage (2 lvls of warlock), access to a bonus action skill that allows to heal fallen comrades within 30 ft of you (1lvl) and access to either ritual spells or an improved familiar (3rd lvl).
Bard for your warlock: 1st lvl: more spell slots and bardic inspiration; 2nd lvl song of rest and jack of all trades; 3rd expertise and bardic school.
Attack: [roll]3d20dl2+6[/roll] Damage: [roll](if([roll:-1:critical], =0, 1d8, 2{1d8}.expand()))+4[/roll] Sneakattack: [roll](if([roll:-2:critical], =0, 2d6, 2{2d6}.expand()))[/roll]It also occurs to me that new and casual players struggle with spellcasters and you’re all at least half casters. You’re not saying HOW you get killed so it’s hard to recommend strategies, but if you’re still on the first floor, are you just picking fights that are too big for you?
We fought a nest of wererat we did pretty good at the start, we had a ranger, wizard, cleric, and blood Hunter. The rat swarms group up on the tanks thats what we wanted. But we got flanked and the ranger and blood hunter went down.
Next fight was an ambush, three bugbears and six goblin archers. My cleric took on two bugbears with our new hexblade ( former ranger) and new blood hunter took on other bugbear. With the wizard dealing damage to all opponents. But the archers showed up and took my cleric down. Once I died the hunters brain was eaten, however no ones has caught on that we have that little brain monster in our party.
Next a spell trap cures our now blood hunter intellect devour he couldn't heal HP. But the devourer kept him alive but he was stuck in a loop of being stabilized but couldn't gain HP.
We had two more close calls but those fights i know we made really stupid mistakes. They involved two grells then later three medium size spiders. We are learing to focus fire
The paladin replaced the 2nd blood hunter (that player really wanted to play that class) but we have not had a game with the pally yet. I believe his still being built.
A few questions:
* Is your group Wizard or Sorcerer using control spells?
* Does somebody in the party have a familiar?
The reason I ask these questions is because your party seems to keep getting its frontline people get ganked. That implies that your party is not utilizing damage reduction measures and safe exploration protocol. Not that exploration is ever exactly safe, but you can really reduce that the chance of being caught in an ambush or getting put into a bad combat position by employing a familiar and letting the familiar scout for you.
Control spells are generally the best way of maintaining a favorable position once your party engages foes. Wizards and sorcerers both have some control spells. Use them to take the heat off your melee combat types. Healing during combat is not a good use of resources. Preventing your people from being flanked or focus fired on is much much better.
Some solid low level control spells for arcane casters include:
Fog Cloud (1st lvl) , Grease (1st lvl),
Hold Person (2nd lvl), Levitate (2nd lvl), Suggestion (2nd lvl), Web (2nd lvl)
Hypnotic Pattern (3rd lvl), Sleet Storm (3rd lvl), and Slow (3rd lvl)
Blindness/Deafness is another useful 2nd level one, with the added bonus of not requiring Concentration.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Reading through that I’d be focusing on staying out of melee combat. Use spells like Create Bonfire to put a physical barrier between you and your opponents, take cover from ranged attackers, and use area of effect spells if it’s possible.
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what level is your group? i suspect its as much the DM (if not more) than your strategy. - your DM probably would have helped you along by now otherwise - especially considering you're new. is the DM new also?
Guide to the Five Factions (PWYW)
Deck of Decks
Paladin will be frontline fighter, since your party consists of spell casters it’ll be their job to soak the damage and keep the attention on them while you help them out with your spells.
Wizard will be utility and control, they need to hinder the enemies or help give your team an advantage, they can also step into the blaster roll, or keep the paladin up so he can continue to protect the rest of you. You already have spell blasters so that won’t be as big of a roll for your wizard to play, you’re in more need of utility and control.
Hexblade Warlock will be more of a secondary fighter, he shouldn’t try to take damage but should be heavily focused on assisting the paladin with slaying enemies on the frontline, hindering the enemy or dealing some great damage. Should pick up spell utility to give them better defense/offensive capabilities.
Sorcerer you need to hang in the back with the wizard and blast away at the enemies. If the enemy wants to harm you or the wizard you need to help stop that. If enemies are giving your hexblade warlock a hard time help the warlock kill them.
Always be sure to look out for opportunities of cover, surprise attacks, and flanking.
Sometimes setting up traps or an ambush for your enemies also works well.
Take short rests at your hexblade warlock’s convenience and be sure to use your hit dice pool when your health gets low!!
Our wizard mainly uses damaging spells, I'll see if he has any of these spells, maybe our DM will let him change a few around. I usually play Bard or Warlock so ill admit im a little out of my element with a pyromancer.
Xander, I recommend that you and the team Sorcerer read the docs on TreatMonk's website. It explains in clearer terms and in greater detail what counts as "control" and how best to deploy control spells and similar abilities.
Also found out paladin is half orc paladin of conquest. If anyone has tips on that build.
Our group started at lv 5, the DM is a veteran player and very tactical thinker. One of the main reasons most if not all his groups have a high mortality rate. I was the DM before but after two years I need a break.
i suspect that's the way he wants to play then - no slack. I also suspect there aren't many ways to speed things up...checking doors and corners, sending in familiar scouts (which i can't imagine will last for more than 1 room), control vs. damage, doing all the above suggestions might help keep you alive, but not necessarily speed up the game. but its the journey...
my advice would be to see if your DM will allow you all to rebuild. you're only level 5 so its not that big of an ask. I'd suggest 1-2 people multiclass with at least one level of cleric/druid/bard, or maybe the healer feat (one healer isn't enough imo with your DM). some may miss out on level 20 capstone abilities, but many people don't care about that anyway (no point in drooling over level 20 if you never get there). ...and pay attention to control spells/abilities like they mentioned above as well as buffs for your fellow party members.
If you can't rebuild, i'd suggest multiclassing your next player that levels.
Also, don't forget about equipment, you're in waterdeep so you have access to pretty much every poison/trap/magic item known to humankind. some of those require deep pockets, but some don't.
Guide to the Five Factions (PWYW)
Deck of Decks
If I've not said this before, my 1st character was designed for scouting with familiars and party telepathy. However, the magics of the dungeon nullified it. Then 1st session ended in a TPK.
That seems unnecessarily harsh considering you are all just beyond tier 1.