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[Egan_BW]

take cat. cast awaken on it. size tiny, 3 strength, 15 dex, can talk and think as well as a person, permanently. if it has 10 int and can talk, no reason it can't gain class levels. no reason the creature you just built can't be a PC if the GM likes it.

[Persus13]

Well, if you're starting as a druid, its probably better to stay as a druid. You can't multiclass anyways unless you increase your wisdom.

[Kagus]

So, uh... Diviner, right? Prophecy dice and all that jazz... Those count as natural rolls, right? So if you supplant a die with a pre-rolled 1 or 20, it's treated as a crit fail/success?

Theoretically then, if you've got a loaded 20 up your sleeve, you (or someone else nearby) could use a big unwieldy weapon that they're not proficient in... And still get a critical success on that attack, despite all the negative modifiers on the attack.

Except... I'm not sure how disadvantage meshes with portent dice. Do you swap out the die that gets used, or just one of the two dice before prompting the player to pick the lowest of the two?

[Trekkin]

Except... I'm not sure how disadvantage meshes with portent dice. Do you swap out the die that gets used, or just one of the two dice before prompting the player to pick the lowest of the two?

I think the consensus is that RAW the Portent die result replaces the whole roll, (dis)advantage and modifiers and all.

[Persus13]

So, uh... Diviner, right? Prophecy dice and all that jazz... Those count as natural rolls, right? So if you supplant a die with a pre-rolled 1 or 20, it's treated as a crit fail/success?

Theoretically then, if you've got a loaded 20 up your sleeve, you (or someone else nearby) could use a big unwieldy weapon that they're not proficient in... And still get a critical success on that attack, despite all the negative modifiers on the attack.

Yeah, theoretically if you roll a 20 you could do that. Course that's just a 1 in 20 chance for each die, plus that's just for one hit. So you should make it a pretty big hit. I think the one time I've seen someone do that they used it to cast a 5th level chromatic orb.

[IcyTea31]

Except... I'm not sure how disadvantage meshes with portent dice. Do you swap out the die that gets used, or just one of the two dice before prompting the player to pick the lowest of the two?

If you use Portent, you don't roll any dice. No advantage, no disadvantage, you just announce you're using it before the target has rolled and it becomes their roll to which they apply their modifiers.

[Mini]

Portent replaces the entire roll, so advantage and disadvantage don't apply.

[Kagus]

So, uh... Diviner, right? Prophecy dice and all that jazz... Those count as natural rolls, right? So if you supplant a die with a pre-rolled 1 or 20, it's treated as a crit fail/success?

Theoretically then, if you've got a loaded 20 up your sleeve, you (or someone else nearby) could use a big unwieldy weapon that they're not proficient in... And still get a critical success on that attack, despite all the negative modifiers on the attack.

Yeah, theoretically if you roll a 20 you could do that. Course that's just a 1 in 20 chance for each die, plus that's just for one hit. So you should make it a pretty big hit. I think the one time I've seen someone do that they used it to cast a 5th level chromatic orb.

Sure, but critical hits are a big deal because they're unpredictable, and since you can't count on them you can't plan around their massive potential. If you've rolled a portent 20 for the day, you know you've got that in your back pocket and can pull it out whenever you feel the time is right.

And yeah, 14d8 elemental damage is probably a better choice in general, but you can't deny the coolness factor of the scrawny wizard hefting up the dropped greatsword and carving into the back of the big bad by surprise while he was taunting the rest of the group.

[Persus13]

Sure, but critical hits are a big deal because they're unpredictable, and since you can't count on them you can't plan around their massive potential. If you've rolled a portent 20 for the day, you know you've got that in your back pocket and can pull it out whenever you feel the time is right.

And yeah, 14d8 elemental damage is probably a better choice in general, but you can't deny the coolness factor of the scrawny wizard hefting up the dropped greatsword and carving into the back of the big bad by surprise while he was taunting the rest of the group.

Crit portent dice are pretty awesome. But if you play a character for that, you're going to be disappointed, because portent dice don't make them any more common. The vast majority of the time you'll have like an 8 and a 13 to use, and you'll just be using them to guarantee a hit or a failed save. Which is very good, but not as cool as crits.

[Sirus]

How do these portent dice work, exactly? Do you just roll a couple of d20s at the start of each day and save them for later?

[Grim Portent]

How do these portent dice work, exactly? Do you just roll a couple of d20s at the start of each day and save them for later?

Yeah, that's pretty much it.

[Kagus]

How do these portent dice work, exactly? Do you just roll a couple of d20s at the start of each day and save them for later?

Pretty much. You can use one of the portent dice in place of any skill, attack, or save roll made by you or anyone you can see. No save/resist to have your roll replaced. You keep the dice until you use them or you have a long rest. At level (13? I think?) you get a third portent die to roll every day.

It's pretty frickin' sweet.

Crit portent dice are pretty awesome. But if you play a character for that, you're going to be disappointed, because portent dice don't make them any more common. The vast majority of the time you'll have like an 8 and a 13 to use, and you'll just be using them to guarantee a hit or a failed save. Which is very good, but not as cool as crits.

It's not about playing a character for that reason, it's just good to clarify exactly what kinds of tools you have in your little bag of tricks. Especially when the rules get a little bit finicky or difficult to understand... And no, portent rolls aren't any more likely to be crits than any others, but it's the fact that you know ahead of time what the roll is going to be that makes portent crits better than standard crits. Because if you do have a portent crit, you know exactly when and where that crit is going to take place.

Again, this was mainly just about clarifying whether or not the off-chance clutch beefwizard scenario was even theoretically possible, not about whether or not it was viable.

[IcyTea31]

And no, portent rolls aren't any more likely to be crits than any others

Not true. A roll's probability of critting is inversely proportional to how believable it is for the character to succeed. It is very believable for a divination wizard to get good portent dice, ergo they are less likely to be crits.

Source: Several characters I or my co-players have played, including a dumb fighter who somehow always aced knowledge checks and a wizard who stabbed several devils to death with a rusty dagger.

[pikachu17]

Why is a blowgun a martial weapon when a sling outclasses it in every way other than using it as an improvised weapon without ammo?

Also, if a Tavern Brawler (has the feat) tosses an oil flask at someone, does he deal 1d4+Dex damage?
And does oil work on all fire damage rolls for the minute, or only the first?

[IcyTea31]

Why is a blowgun a martial weapon when a sling outclasses it in every way other than using it as an improvised weapon without ammo?

Because blowguns aren't common weapons that everyone knows how to use, at least in the standard setting of Forgotten Realms.

Also, if a Tavern Brawler (has the feat) tosses an oil flask at someone, does he deal 1d4+Dex damage?

It deals 1d4+Str (not Dex, as it is thrown and doesn't have finesse), even without the feat. The feat lets you add your proficiency modifier to the attack roll.

And does oil work on all fire damage rolls for the minute, or only the first?

The rules are ambiguous and left partially up to the GM. I'd rule that it burns out after the first damage. It's lamp oil, not napalm. Use alchemist's fire (which is napalm) if you want a longer effect (though its price of 50 gp per flask is a ripoff).