rule questions about 5e

[alhoon]

I'm puzzled about the "leadership" ability of the knight. How you guys think it actually works?

The basic rules have the ability as:
For 1 minute, the knight can utter a special command or warning whenever a nonhostile creature that it can see within 30 feet of it makes an attack roll or a saving throw. The creature can add a d4 to its roll provided it can hear and understand the knight. A creature can benefit from only one Leadership die at a time. This effect ends if the knight is incapacitated.


So... do you think that means that it works more-or-less like a bless spell, giving a +1d4 to non hostiles around the knight, and the "only one dice at a time" means that if there are 3 knights, each ally gets only +1d4 but they can use them all the time (As long as they're near the knights)?
Do you think it means the knight can give that bonus to only one creature per round?
Do you think that it means the knight gives the +1d4 to a creature once per round, i.e. if the creature has multiple attacks it gets the bonus to just one attack?

[Jester of the FoS]

What page is this on?
Is it a subclass, background, or feat?

[Tobias Blackburn]

The basic rules have the ability as:
For 1 minute, the knight can utter a special command or warning whenever a nonhostile creature that it can see within 30 feet of it makes an attack roll or a saving throw. The creature can add a d4 to its roll provided it can hear and understand the knight. A creature can benefit from only one Leadership die at a time. This effect ends if the knight is incapacitated.

So... do you think that means that it works more-or-less like a bless spell, giving a +1d4 to non hostiles around the knight, and the "only one dice at a time" means that if there are 3 knights, each ally gets only +1d4 but they can use them all the time (As long as they're near the knights)?
Do you think it means the knight can give that bonus to only one creature per round?
Do you think that it means the knight gives the +1d4 to a creature once per round, i.e. if the creature has multiple attacks it gets the bonus to just one attack?

This is the Knight found on page 347 of the Monster Manual, right?

OK, so here's my reading. The ability is listed under Actions, so the Knight activates the ability as an action on their turn. For the next minute, the knight can grant a +1d4 bonus to a creature within 30ft when that creature rolls an Attack or Saving Throw.

The ability states "a creature" and "its roll", meaning the bonus only applies to that single roll. The Knight can, however, grant this to different characters for different rolls during that one minute period. The "effect ends if the knight is incapacitated" part means that the 1 minute ends early if the knight is incapacitated.

It says that the creature can only benefit from one leadership dice at a time is to prevent having three knights giving the one creature a total of 3d4 to the roll.

I would limit the knight to granting this bonus as a reaction, though there is no limit as listed.

[alhoon]

It's the knight in the basic "DMG" rules if that helps. I don't have MManual yet.

Thanks Tobias, but that doesn't explain whether the knight can give that bonus to more than one creatures in the same round. There's no reaction involved so as written it would actually be unlimited, as in the knight is constantly barking orders. While that by itself irks me, a +1d4 to all creatures around the knight for 1 roll/round isn't too powerful compared to bless. Bless applies to all rolls, but it can be broken with damage.

Yet, I find it annoying that the knight in that scenario could very well give 4-5 orders in a 6-second period, along with making all his attacks and move. And also react.
If it was something like his presence being so awesomely reassuring\intimidating that every ally around the knight was overdoing themselves I could take it without a second thought.

Another question: PHB. Armor of Agathys. 1st lvl warlock spell
Gives the caster 5hp for 1 hour, no concentration required. While the warlock has those temporary hit points, everyone hitting him with a melee attack gets 5 damage.
So, more or less, the warlock gets 5 temporary hp and deals 5hp of damage, 10 at most if he's fighting unlucky goblins. Shoot an arrow on the warlock and the damage isn't dealt. A very fine spell...
Now we go to the "at higher levels": +5 temporary hp, +5 damage for each level.

I remind you that warlocks have very few spell slots, but at their top lvl. As in, a 9th lvl warlock can cast 2 spells, but at 5th spell level.
said warlock would have 25 temporary hp, and would deal 25 damage each time she's hit for 3 blows at the least.

So, if I put that 9th lvl warlock as a villain and my unprepared sister's poor, poor 11th lvl fighter goes to hit her with her 4 attacks... her character would get at least 75 damage. And the warlock's shield may not have broken yet. (My sister's fighter deals 1d6+6 damage with his scimitars)
Now, my sister's fighter is 11th lvl, with two +1 weapons and about 100 hp. A 9th lvl warlock with that spell can totally obliterate her. Because the warlock can use her action, to cast that spell again.
Don't say "use a bow!" because she's bad with the bow while the warlock has eldritch blast and 50 temporary hp. And my sis wouldn't know what that "shiny cold flecks" on the warlock mean, so she would get 50 hp of damage at the least before retreating to use a bow.

[Jester of the FoS]

Another question: PHB. Armor of Agathys. 1st lvl warlock spell
Gives the caster 5hp for 1 hour, no concentration required. While the warlock has those temporary hit points, everyone hitting him with a melee attack gets 5 damage.
So, more or less, the warlock gets 5 temporary hp and deals 5hp of damage, 10 at most if he's fighting unlucky goblins. Shoot an arrow on the warlock and the damage isn't dealt. A very fine spell...
Now we go to the "at higher levels": +5 temporary hp, +5 damage for each level.

I remind you that warlocks have very few spell slots, but at their top lvl. As in, a 9th lvl warlock can cast 2 spells, but at 5th spell level.
said warlock would have 25 temporary hp, and would deal 25 damage each time she's hit for 3 blows at the least.

So, if I put that 9th lvl warlock as a villain and my unprepared sister's poor, poor 11th lvl fighter goes to hit her with her 4 attacks... her character would get at least 75 damage. And the warlock's shield may not have broken yet. (My sister's fighter deals 1d6+6 damage with his scimitars)
Now, my sister's fighter is 11th lvl, with two +1 weapons and about 100 hp. A 9th lvl warlock with that spell can totally obliterate her. Because the warlock can use her action, to cast that spell again.
Don't say "use a bow!" because she's bad with the bow while the warlock has eldritch blast and 50 temporary hp. And my sis wouldn't know what that "shiny cold flecks" on the warlock mean, so she would get 50 hp of damage at the least before retreating to use a bow.

The game isn't balanced for PvP. Comparing classes to each others always ends badly.
And we don't know the challenge rating of PC monsters.

[alhoon]

I wasn't comparing classes, I just noticed that warlock villains are tough bunch, which could be problematic for me to figure their CR. I can work with wizards since the mage in the online supplement is nice.

Whatever the rules for classed NPCs are, from the online material I've figured that their Challenge rating won't be something solid. There are clerics and mages in the online material that have different CR from others clerics and mages because of different spells, not that much because of slight differences in hit points.
For example, a wizard that can throw 2 fireballs is more dangerous than a wizard that can turn to vapor twice and I was glad to see that such things were taken into consideration.

[Tobias Blackburn]

I think that the knight is both a combination of presence and giving orders, which would explain granting the bonus to every ally they can see, but yeah it's pretty silly. Of course, this is a game where it isn't uncommon to recite entire novellas in six seconds.

As I said, I'd go with making it a reaction.

As for the second question, yes, Warlocks can be tough opponents.

However, a 9th level warlock has two spell slots. Using it twice means that they can't do it again that day. The spell doesn't stack with itself either, so bringing it back up means they use up their action for that turn.

Yes, a one on one fight between the single warlock and the fighter isn't going to be even. It requires the fighter to adapt her tactics to deal with the threat rather than just rely on the tried and true methods that got her to level 11. The warlock being two levels lower doesn't mean he's going to be easy for her to take out. But she has more hit points than he does and a better AC and might be able to absorb that damage and still be able to take him out.

Jester is right that you can't compare the character classes directly. That same level 9 warlock is in trouble against a part of four as they can easily strip the warlock of his protection before the fighter's turn, letting her go in and take him apart.

So yes, the warlock can be a tough villain, but not really worse than other classes expending a similar percentage of their resources.

[alhoon]

However, a 9th level warlock has two spell slots. Using it twice means that they can't do it again that day. The spell doesn't stack with itself either, so bringing it back up means they use up their action for that turn.

Jester is right that you can't compare the character classes directly. That same level 9 warlock is in trouble against a part of four as they can easily strip the warlock of his protection before the fighter's turn, letting her go in and take him apart.

(A warlock recovers his/her slots per short rest Hence expending them in an encounter isn't a big deal for someone that doesn't expect more encounters that day )
Well, true, a party that contains a wizard could deal with the pesky 25hp with a spell that deals more than that.
Tactically speaking though, a warlock is well served by spending his/her action to put that effect up again, since it add another 25 temporary hp on him (as good as a good healing effect) and it would also deal 50 damage to the unaware warrior. That's a heck of a bargain for an action.

What I mean here is that the NPC 9th lvl mage is challenge 6 (2300 XP), while the warlock of 9th lvl seems to be hovering around challenge 8.

I'm not complaining here, it's not the game's fault if a party without a powerful spellcaster is less able to deal with some threats. I'm just making an observation and how it affects my adventure-making plans.
My experience is that you can't just "assume" a NPC battle spellcaster of 9th lvl would be around challenge 6.

PS. I also have my doubts that a wizard with improved invisibility or fly (you can't have both active), 15 AC and shield with 40 in case something hits him, with an arsenal that has a couple of cone of cold, icestorm and fireball spells is a medium encounter for a 6th lvl party...
If anything that guy seems more dangerous than a warlock, he could deal at least 200 damage to my 10th-lvl-average party if he went into battle with greater invisibility on.

Has anyone used that specific 9th lvl mage with the deadly arsenal? For example, that mage along a hill giant would be a tough-but-manageable encounter for a 7th lvl party or moderate-to-tough for an 8th lvl party.

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

Normal caveat: I don't know the 5e system yet, but...

Sounds to me like the Knight could use it on every ally, all in the same round, and while that might seem silly in 6 seconds, you could imagine that it's the same order given to everyone. Whether he's simply calling out "Their armor is weak at the neck and under the arms!" or using pre-arranged code words, like "Green 23! Wedge formation!" the same command could help everyone.

[alhoon]

ohhhh... yeah, that totally helps. Now I can finally RP knights or other leader-types.