Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Wasted Wizard, who sent me their product free in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. All opinions are my own. If you make a purchase using my Amazon affiliate links, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.
When playing D&D around the table, I typically play with miniature figures on a 1” square grid. In 2019 I bought a set of 64 “condition rings” to make it easier to track which character and monster currently has which condition. They are 1 1/2” dia. clear plastic rings, about 1/16” thick with a 1” hole in the center. Printed in different colors around the ring are the names of each of the 15 D&D conditions plus “concentrating” (4 rings of each condition). For most miniatures I can place the ring around its base, and for larger ones I can hang them on the mini. The problem is that my eyesight isn’t all that good and it has become harder for me to read the name of the condition printed on the ring, so last year I spent some time on Amazon seeing if there were any that would work better at my table. After looking at all the different options, I found “WASTED WIZARD Stackable DND Condition Rings.” For several reasons that I will describe later I decided that I would get me a set of these. But, because I wasn’t currently playing a game at my table, instead of ordering it I added it to my Amazon shopping list. Then, a couple of weeks ago, the Wasted Wizard contacted me and asked if I was open to doing a review of their stackable condition rings on my blog. In return they would send me a set free of charge. I agreed and was pleased to receive their produce a couple of days ago. The following is my review.
The main difference in these and the other condition markers for use in your D&D game (or most other RPGs) is that rather than sitting around the base of the miniature, the mini sits in the recession on the top of the ring that is only a little bigger than the base of the mini. Multiple condition rings can stack on top of each other, under the mini. The name of the condition is printed on the side of the ring.
The Box The product is well packaged. The box is good looking and well-made of heavy cardboard and the lid fits snugly. I will be able to keep all of the condition rings in the box they came in. The box contains a foam rubber insert with cut-outs for each set of 4 condition rings, each a different color.
The Conditions There are 4 identical rings for each condition. Each set of 4 is a different color. There are rings for each of the D&D fifth edition conditions: Blinded, Charmed, Deafened, Exhaustion, Frightened, Grappled, Incapacitated, Invisible, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Prone, Restrained, Stunned, and Unconscious. In addition to these standard conditions, it also includes: Aid, Bane, Banished, Blessed, Concentration, Fairy Fire, Hasted, Hexed, Hunter’s Mark, Madness, Polymorphed, Raging, Slowed, and two more for anything else you might be need labeled; Magical Effect, and Physical Effect. For a total of 120 pieces. The addition of the magical and other effects is a welcome inclusion.
The Rings – Color and Text The rings are of hard plastic in dark colors with the conditions printed in white so they show up quite well. The condition is printed in all caps on both front and back with a symbol, unique to each condition on the two spaces between the condition names. It won’t take long to remember the most common conditions by the color of the ring.
The Rings – Fit I measure the overall diameter if each ring to be 1 1/16”. The top has two precisely made recesses. The bigger one is scaled to accept a standers D&D mini (25mm or 1 inch). The smaller, just below the upper one, is scaled to accept a standard Pathfinder mini (20mm). Every mini I tried with a 1” or smaller base set securely in the recess on the top of the ring. Unlike condition rings that set around the mini, these won’t get in the way when the PCs and/or monsters are standing next to each other. The base of each ring is slightly recessed to allow the rings to securely stack. You can stack 10 or more rungs with a mini on top without worry of it easily typing over. They don’t work as well for larger minis. You will have to hang them on the larger mini. On some there may be room on the base, between their legs, or a place to sit them on top, like a hat.
The Felt Pads At my table I typically use 1/8” clear Plexiglas over a 1” square grid. I have never felt the need to put felt pads on the bottom of my minis. I have never experienced scratching of the Plexiglas or any battlemat. So I don’t think I will be adding the felt pads to the bottom of the rings. But, for the purpose of this review I added the felt pads to 4 of the rings. Following the clear instructions, I did have a little difficulty in getting the pad to line up exactly with the bottom of the ring. I don’t think it would take much practice to improve, but I only felted 4 minis. I found the rings didn’t stack as securely with the added felt pads. Even with a stack of only 4 rings, the top ring tended to tilt awkwardly, and would shift whenever I moved the stack. Again, this may have been because I hadn’t properly centered the pads. This won’t be a problem for me. I never intended to felt them in the first place.
Visibility Here is the only real problem I have, and it is because of a situation particular to my specific gaming table. The table is in the center of a rather small room. The only light source is directly above the center of the table. This causes the sides of the condition rings, either singular or stacked, to be in shadow and thus be difficult to read. This was upsetting at first, before I realized that I always have an ink pin within reach that is also a laser pointer and a small flashlight. Pointing the flashlight at the ring makes the words easy to read.
Conclusion Even with the unexpected shadow problem, the fact that they don’t take up any additional table space is a plus. Another plus is that when you have multiple condition on a single character, they stack! And when stacked, you can still read them. Speaking of stacking, even though I have clear plastic stands to use for flying characters, rather than taking the time to dig them out, I can pull out a stack of 4 rings of a condition that I’m not currently using, and place a mini on the stack to indicate a flying character. I could then use a stack of 8 under a mini to indicate flying at a greater height. The minis are surprisingly stable on a tall stack of rings. Unless you feel that you need them, I would recommend just not using the felt pads. The only problem I found with them is when stacking the rings, and frankly 90% of the time I only use a single ring on a character. But it is good that they are provided for you should you prefer to use them. I like them. I will be using them on my games played IRL.
Let me know what you think in the comments below. Here is a link too the Wasted Wizard website.
I also updated the weapon cards that I posted HERE.
When playing Dungeons and Dragons, I have always thought that there should be some reason to choose one weapon over anther other than the amount of damage it does, or the damage type. This is something that I was hoping D&D 5.5 would fix. They tried to fix it with Weapon Mastery. I think that Tales of the Valiant did a better job with their Weapon Options, but why couldn’t each different weapon have its own unique feature? That is what I did for my Bold Against Monsters (BAM). If you are playing D&D and are disappointed with Weapon Mastery, you can replace it with my BAM weapon rules.
I am proud to announce that I am now a DriveThruRPG affiliate, anyone going to DriveThruRPG.com by clicking to a link here on my site will be tagged as visiting via my link. If they make a purchase anywhere on that site within 15 days of coming to DriveThruRPG via my link, I’ll receive a small percent of that purchase (excluding gift certificates) credited to my account.
If you sometimes purchase things from DriveThruRPG and would like to help me out, it will cost you nothing to use this link to go to that site.
Mike Mearls, one of the lead designers of D&D 5E and later its Creative Director, was laid off from WotC in 2023. He is now Executive Producer of roleplaying games at Chaosium, the publisher of Call of Chulhu. He is calling the 2024 version “D&D 5.5” and that’s good enough for me.
Continuing My Focus on D&D: A Personal Perspective
Introduction
As many of my readers know, I’ve been vocal in the past about my concerns regarding Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast (WotC), the companies behind Dungeons and Dragons. I’ve even contemplated moving away from D&D to other systems like Tales of the Valiant. Despite these criticisms, I’ve decided to continue focusing on D&D in my content. Today, I want to explain why.
The Enduring Magic of D&D
Dungeons and Dragons is more than just a product; it’s a gateway to imagination, creativity, and community. The game’s core essence – collaborative storytelling and adventure – remains unchanged, regardless of corporate decisions.
Separating the Art from the Artist (or Corporation)
While I stand by my past criticisms of Hasbro and WotC, I’ve come to realize that D&D has grown beyond its corporate owners. The game now belongs to its players, dungeon masters, and the vibrant community that has formed around it.
The Power of the Community
One of the most compelling reasons to stay engaged with D&D is the incredible community surrounding it. From homebrew content creators to passionate players, this community continues to innovate and expand the game in ways that often transcend official releases.
A Platform for Creativity
D&D provides an unparalleled platform for creative expression. By continuing to focus on the game, I can explore and share new ideas, homebrew content, and unique perspectives that contribute to the broader D&D ecosystem.
Advocating for Positive Change
By remaining engaged with D&D, I maintain a voice in the community. This allows me to continue advocating for positive changes, both in the game itself and in the practices of the companies behind it.
The Evolving Landscape of TTRPGs
While my focus remains on D&D, I’m also excited to explore how it fits into the broader world of tabletop RPGs. This includes looking at alternative systems and how they influence and are influenced by D&D.
Conclusion
In the end, my decision to continue focusing on D&D comes from a place of love for the game and its community. While I remain critical of certain corporate practices, I believe that the heart of D&D lies with its players. By continuing to engage with and create content around D&D, I hope to contribute positively to its ongoing evolution and the joy it brings to so many people around the world.
What are your thoughts on this decision? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
“A generic trademark, also known as a generalized trademark or proprietary eponym, is a trademark or brand name that, because of its popularity or significance, has become the generic term for, or synonymous with, a general class of products or services, usually against the intentions of the trademark’s owner.” (from Wikipedia) I am not a lawyer. This is simply my observation and is not intended as legal advice.
I believe that “Dungeons and Dragons” and “D&D” have become generic trademarks. Just like people may ask for a “Kleenex” when asking for a facial tissue, they often refer to all role playing games as “Dungeons and Dragons“.
Not long ago, when talking to most people, if I said that I played Dungeons and Dragons, they wouldn’t know what I was talking about. In the last five or so years D&D has exploded in popularity and most people know the name Dungeons and Dragons, even if they still don’t know much about it. However, this is the only role playing game they have heard of and may know very little about it. If you play a different TTRPG (table top role playing game) chances are the average person will have never heard of it.
A conversation may go something like this: “I play _______ every Friday evening.” [Fill in the blank with any TTRPG other than D&D.] “What is that?” “It’s a tabletop role playing game”. “What is that?” “It’s like Dungeons and Dragons.” “Oh, I’ve heard of that. Isn’t that where you sit around a table, roll dice and pretend to fight monsters?” “Yeah, kinda.”
To most people, any game where you sit around a table, roll dice, move little miniature people around and pretend that your character is fighting monsters, is Dungeons and Dragons. And, to tell the honest truth, that isn’t necessarily a bad definition. If you tried to tell your friend what the difference is between D&D and your preferred game it would boil down to your preferred rules. But, the rules aren’t necessary to understand what the game is about, and why we love it.
If you, like me, love fifth edition Dungeons and Dragons, there are most likely some rules that you think need to be changed. You may have some house rules that you use to improve the game. You are probably looking forward to the release of the updated rules that are scheduled to be released this year. You trust that WoTC (Wizards of the Coast) will make changes to improve on the existing rules. When they are released, you will probably switch to playing with the new rules, but you will still be playing Dungeons and Dragons. The same happened when third edition and v3.5 was released. It was all still Dungeons and Dragons.
So what is it when another company takes the Dungeon and Dragons rules (as are available to anyone in the SRD for fifth edition) and makes changes to improve on the existing rules? There is an argument to be made that these versions are still Dungeons and Dragons. Several different companies have done this. Some made major changes and some only added to the basic rules and made minor changes. I say that if you are plying any of these games you are still playing Dungeons and Dragons.
Why does any of this matter?
Many people, myself included, are unhappy with Hasbro, WoTC included, for many things they have done over the last 12 months. So much so that we are uncomfortable giving them any of our money. But we love the current version of Dungeons and Dragons. Of course, we could just continue playing the same game we have been playing for the last 10 years, but the idea of a new improved version is very appealing. So all I am saying is that if this describes you, don’t worry. You can upgrade your version of Dungeons and Dragons to a new and improved version without supporting WoTC. Just switch to one created by a different company. It will still be the same game, but will have changes that the authors think are an improvement. That is the same thing that WoTC is going to be doing with their new release.
I think that the easiest new version to switch to, the one that will be the most like the new version of D&D from WoTC but perhaps even better, is the one that is coming soon from Kobold Press that they are calling Tales of the Valiant. But I am tempted to call D&D 6E.
Wizards of the Coast (WoTC), the Hasbro subsidiary that owns D&D, had a bad year. 2022 was a banner year for Hasbro and WotC – 2023 not so much. Here are the highlights from this year.
January: The OGL Controversy – A leaked agreement drafted by WoTC threatened to “tighten” the OGL that has been in place since the early 2000s. It would grant WoTC the ability to “make money off of these products without paying the person who made it” and companies that make over $750,000 will have to start paying Hasbro a 25% cut of their earnings. In response to massive negative response from the D&D community, WoTC later announced that it would keep the current OGL intact. In addition, they released the Systems Reference Document (SRD) for the current edition under a Creative Commons license.
Also in January: Hasbro announced it was laying off 800 employees.
February: WoTC published Keys From the Golden Vault. This was originally scheduled for a Winter 2022,
March: The movie Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves was released. The movie is said to have lost around $100 million.
April: WoTC sent the Pinkertons to recover Magic: The Gathering cards. YouTuber Oldschoolmtg uploaded an unboxing video featuring a collection of March of the Machine: The Aftermath booster packs. Evidently somebody sent out the wrong cases, and these were not supposed to be released yet. Pinkerton agents showed up at his home on Saturday morning and began demanding he hand over the “stolen” product.
Also in April: WoTC held its Creator Summit. One of the biggest announcements from the summit was that the 2024 core rulebooks will be a continuation of fifth edition and not a new edition. They referred to it as “One D&D”.
EDIT: I mistakenly stated that Hasbro purchased D&D Beyond in May 2023 – It actually acquired D&D Beyond on April 13, 2022 for $146.3 million.
June: WoTC dropped the term “One D&D” and began referring to the current version of the Player’s Handbook as the 2014 Player’s Handbook and the one scheduled for release next year as the 2024 Player’s Handbook. After it is published, it will just be the Player’s Handbook. The same goes for the other core rule books.
July: WoTC announced that they were translating the Systems Reference Document (SRD) into French, Italian, German, and Spanish to be released into Creative Commons.
August: WoTC published Bigby Presents: Glory of Giants. This was originally scheduled for a release in the Spring of 2023.
Also in August: WoTC released Baldur’s Gate 3. The deal that Hasbro made with Larian Studios 6 years earlier resulted in this video game that became the “Game of the Year” and a major money maker for Hasbro.
Also in August: Hasbro announced the sale of its eOne film and TV business, that it bought in 2019 for $4.0 billion, for $500 million (a $3.5 billion loss).
September: WoTC published Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk. This was originally scheduled for release in the late summer as The Phandelver campaign.
October: WoTC published Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse which more or less hit its target released date.
November: WoTC launched three official DnD TV programs, but it was mired in confusion, with fans not sure how to access the content and there were many broken links.
December: Hasbro announced a new round of layoffs due to weak toy sales. They are projected to impact 1,100 workers across its global operations. Many WoTC employees have lost their jobs.
One final note: Don’t worry about Chris Cox, the CEO of Hasbro, he is doing just fine. He earns an annual salary of $1.5 million and received total compensation last year of $9.4 million.
To mark the 50th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons, the U.S. Postal Service will be issuing a set of 10 official Dungeons & Dragons stamps next year. Just thought you might like to know.
This is one of several reviews I am doing this year of various table top roll playing games. I am specifically comparing them to D&D 5e. I am doing this with the assumption that my readers are already familiar with D&D 5e. The following review is based only upon my reading of the rulebook. I haven’t played this yet, but I will be posting my opinion after I get a chance to play test it.
Tails of the Valiant is scheduled to release early in 2024. I am basing this comparison on the Tails of the ValiantPreview (that they have labeled final) that I downloaded from their site on July 7, 2023. I may update this when the final version is released. When the 2024 version of Dungeons and Dragons is available I will post a comparison of that with 5E.
I am referring here to the fifth edition of Dungeons and Dragons as 5E and to Tales of the Valiant as ToV. This information is for evaluation purposes, it should not be considered official rules of the game. You can assume things that I don’t list here are basically like 5E with only minor differences.
In ToV the Dungeon Master is called the Game Master.
Summary of the game system
Kobold Press is creating Tales of the Valiant to be compatible with 5E. From their Kickstarter page: “It combines the Creative Commons foundation of 5th Edition with new elements to create a powerful Kobold-style 5E with teeth.” If you know how to play 5E you know how to play ToV, with only a few differences – most of which I will try to summarize here.
Primary differences between Tails of the Valiant and D&D 5e
Character Creation
Choose a Class
Note your Hit Die size
If you have spellcasting, mark your available spell slots and spells known (if applicable)
Any skills you are proficient in
Any equipment and tools you are proficient with
Saves you are proficient with
Your Proficiency Bonus (PB)
Your starting equipment [you may also get additional equipment based on your background]
Determine Ability Scores and use them to calculate the following:
Your hit-point total
Your spell save DC and your spellcasting attack modifier (if applicable)
Choose your lineage and heritage, including:
Your size
Your senses
Your base movement speed (or speeds, if applicable)
Any additional proficiencies
Select or create a background, including:
Any skill or tool proficiencies
Your languages
Your talent
Any additional starting equipment
Your adventuring motivation
Set your Luck points to 0
Come up with a name and basic description
Classes
The rules preview includes the iconic Cleric, Fighter, Rogue, and Wizard. When released, ToV should include the 12 core 5e classes plus the Mechanist. It will also include more subclasses and all classes get their subclass at 3rd level. The preview only includes the class progression through 5th level. As an example, here are the major differences in the Rogue Class between ToV and 5E. These are still in beta testing and may change before the final version is published.
Rogue
Hit Points: Same as 5E, except 1d8 (or 4) + your CON modifier per fighter level after 1st [in 5E it is 1d8(or 5).]
Proficiencies, Weapons, Tools, Skills, Saves, and Starting Equipment: Same as 5E
1st Level Features
Expertise: Same as 5E
Sneak Attack: Same as 5E
Thieves’ Cant: Same as 5E
2nd Level Feature
Cunning Action: Same as 5E
3rd Level Feature
Roguish Specialty: called “Roguish Archetype” in 5E – select one form the following:
Enforcer: You get the following features if you choose “Enforcer”:
Ambush: During the first round of combat, you have advantage on the first attack roll you make against any creature involved in the combat. Additionally, whenever you make a successful attack roll against a creature with the surprised condition, that attack is automatically considered a critical hit.
Cold-Blooded: Once per turn when you reduce a creature to 0 hp with a weapon attack, you can use the same weapon to immediately make a weapon attack against a different creature you can see within your weapon’s range. You can’t add Sneak Attack damage to this additional attack.
Expanded Talent List: When you gain a new talent, you can select that talent from the Martial or Technical Talent list. (Refer to Talents)
Thief: You get the following features if you choose “Thief::
Fast Hands: You can use the bonus action granted by your Cunning Action to do any of the following:
Make a DEX (Sleight of Hand) check
Use thieves’ tools to attempt to disarm a trap or open a lock
Take the Use an Object action
Second-Story Work: gives you the following features
You gain a climb speed equal to your base movement speed. If you already have a climb speed when you gain this feature, it increases by 10 feet.
When you make a long jump, you cover a number of feet equal to your walking speed if you move at least 10 feet on foot immediately before the jump. When you make a standing long jump, you can leap half your walking speed. Either way, each foot you clear on the jump costs a foot of movement.
In the event a STR (Athletics) check is required to clear or extend a jump, you can choose to make a DEX (Acrobatics) check instead.
4th Level Feature
Improvement: Add 1 point to any ability and get a Talent. (Refer to Talents)
5th Level Feature
Uncanny Dodge: Same as 5E
Talents (Called Feats in 5E)
Talents are not an optional rule in ToV.
Talent Categories: Talents are divided into three categories: magic, martial, and technical.
At Level 1: Your background gives you one Talent.
At Class Ability Score Improvement: When your class level gives you an Ability Score Improvement you improve an ability by one point and choose a talent from a specified list.
Ability Scores
Abilities and Modifiers
Same 6 abilities, and the modifiers are the same as 5E.
Player Characters can’t have an ability score higher than 20.
Ability Scores start out slightly higher in ToV
The standard array numbers are 16, 15, 13, 12, 10, and 8. (They are 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, and 8 in 5E)
Point buy works the same as 5E but you start with 32 points rather than 27 and you can purchase a score of 16, 17, or 18 at the cost of 11, 13, or 16 points respectively.
Roll 4 d6’s and discard the lowest, is just like in 5E but when you have finished, add 2 to one score of your choice that is 16 or below and add 1 to one score of your choice that is 17 or below.
Lineage and Heritage (Race in 5E)
ToV splits what would be your Race in 5E into the traits you get from your biological parents (your Lineage) and those you get from upbringing (your Heritage). You select both your Lineage and your Heritage separately. You could have a dwarf who was raised by elves, for instance.
Lineage
Among other traits, your Lineage affects your age, size and speed.
The Lineages in the preview packet are Beastkin (like a half man/half beast of some kind), Dwarf, Elf, and Human. We know there will be all of the races that are in 5E plus Kobold and perhaps more.
If you want a character that reflects common fantasy archetypes, each Lineage has a couple of recommended Heritages.
Heritage
The languages you know are determined by your Heritage, not your Race as in 5E.
Many of the traits and features you get from your background in 5E – you get from your Heritage in ToV.
Your Heritage affects your cultural elements, such as folklore, traditions, and natural environment.
Background
Different from your Background in 5E, this is a backstory explaining why your character has chosen to become an adventurer.
They have omitted personality traits, ideals, bonds, and flaws.
You can select one of the provided Backgrounds, with advice on customizing it to better fit your character or campaign.
Each Background includes an Adventuring Motivation. You are encouraged to modify it, or create your own. Your Adventuring Motivation provides you with the following:
Proficiency in two skills
Proficiency with one or more tools or additional languages.
Starting equipment
One talent.
Luck (replaces 5E’s Inspiration)
You receive one luck point when you fail an attack roll or save and the GM can give you a luck point whenever he chooses.
You can have a maximum of 5 Luck points.
If you have 5 Luck points and would gain a sixth, you roll a d4 and reset your Luck points to that number.
Unless you have rolled a natural 1, you can spend one of more of your Luck points to add to any d20 roll you make. Or you can spend 3 Luck points to re-roll a d20.
Luck can’t create a natural 20.
Spells
Spell Circles: There is not a separate list of spells for each class. Instead the spells are divided into Circles (arcane, divine, primordial and wyrd). A few spells are included in two or more circles. Your classes will get spells from a specific circle.
Spell Rings: This is just a name change. ToV calls spell levels spell rings instead. [I can see where this will be less confusing to new players.]
Ritual Spells: In 5E certain spells can be cast as a ritual if your class allows you to cast rituals. In Tov they have been moved into a separate type of spell, a Ritual Spell.
For each spell circle, rituals are listed separately from the other spells.
Ritual spells take 1 minute or longer to cast.
Ritual spells don’t use spell slots and can’t be cast at higher rings.
When applicable, your class progression table will have columns for: cantrips known, spells known, rituals known, 1st ring spell slots, 2nd ring spells slots, etc.
Monsters
The Preview includes a few monsters that will be in the ToV Monster’s Vault. I am showing the ToV and 5E stat block for the Goblin side by side for you to see how they differ.
Challenge Rating and XP: ToV shows these at the top – to the right of the monster’s name.
Alignment: The Tov preview doesn’t mention alignment. It appears that they will not be using it for monsters or PCs.
Hit Points: ToV lists the monster’s hit points. 5E shows this as the average number and also shows the die expression used to generate a range of hit points.
Stealth: Tov lists a stealth number for all monsters (15 for the Goblin). Your character must make a Perception check of this or higher to notice the monster if it is trying to hide. 5E lists this as one of the monster’s skills (+6 for the Goblin).
Perception: Tov lists this for every monster (9 for the Goblin). Your character must make a Stealth check of this or higher to sneak past it. 5E lists this as passive Perception for one of the monster’s Senses. [Notice that this changes from the monster doing a perception check to the PC making a Stealth check. In my 5E games I have the player make a stealth check when his PC can hide and later have the monster make a perception check when it might possibly notice him. Doing it the ToV way simplifies and should speed up play.]
Proficiency Bonus: This is not included in the monster stat block in the 5E Monster Manual. [Wizards has started including this in their more recent publications.]
Ability Modifiers: ToV only lists the ability modifier and does not also include the ability score. [This may take a little getting used to but I understand simplifying the stat block. Also, ToV is using the stat modifier to do more.]
For any save or ability check, roll a d20 and add the relevant ability modifier.
Bonus Actions: ToV moves anything the Monster can do with a bonus action to this section. (Nimble Escape in the case of a Goblin.)
Reactions: ToV moves anything the Monster can do with a reaction to this section. (ToV has added Frantic Reflexes to their version of the Goblin.)
Immunities, Resistances, and Vulnerabilities: ToV doesn’t use multiple lines that separate out damage and conditions. For example if a creature is immune to fire damage and the charmed condition, both appear in the Immune line.
Immune
A monster that is immune to a kind of damage takes no damage from it.
A monster that is immune to a condition can’t be affected by it.
Resistant
A monster that is resistant to a kind of damage takes half the damage (rounded down) from it.
A monster that is resistant to a condition has advantage on saves to avoid it.
Vulnerable
A monster that is vulnerable to a kind of damage takes double damage from it.
A monster that is vulnerable to a condition has disadvantage on saves to avoid it.
What you need to get started
All you will need will be the Tales of the Valiant Player’s Guide. The Game Master may also want to have the Tales of the Valiant Monsters Vault. There will be no required Game Master’s Guide. Their CFR (Core Fantasy Roleplaying) rules will contain all the basic rules and will always be available as a free download.
Final Thoughts
Quoting from their web site: “ToV moves the independent 5th Edition community forward with a system that is open and available to all … Our goal is to keep 5E products vibrant, both in print and on VTT partner platforms, by keeping a set of rules available under an open, perpetual, and irrevocable license.” Where Wizards of the Coast has their SRD (System Reference Document), Kobold Press will have their CFR (Core Fantasy Roleplaying) rules, which will contain the basic ToV rules. They have also indicated that they intend to be publishing their CFR under the ORC (Open RPG Creative) license, rather than Wizards of the Coast’s OGL (Open Game License). The ORC and the OGL are both public copyright license systems. Where the OGL was created by Wizards of the Coast for publishers to use when using elements of their SRD, the ORC is an agnostic, perpetual, irrevocable open gaming license created and made available to all by Paizo. Wizard’s attempt to change their OGL (in a very bad way) earlier this year prompted Kobold Press to create Tales of the Valiant.
I am a big fan of Kobold Press. I have several of their books. I fully expect their Tales of the Valiant to be at least as good, and most likely better, than Wizards of the Coast’s new version of D&D (that they now say they will be calling D&D 2024). For one thing, Kobald Press isn’t hampered by WotC’s need to keep all the rules basically the same as the current version with “enhancements”, where Kobold Press is making a brand new RPG that will be compatible with 5E. This allows them to re-think the way “Races” work and come up with new ones. The same is true with Classes and sub-classes, the spells, and all of the rules. They don’t need to make theirs compatible with all of the sourcebooks that WotC has published. Their goal isn’t to keep all the rules the same, but to make them “better” where they can and try to make everything so that it can still be used with their published adventures and campaign settings. There are no game designers that I think are better up to this task than Kobold Press.
Kobold Press successfully ended their ToV Kickstarter (June 23, 2023) with over $1,000,000.00 pledged. Congratulations! I’m looking forward to receiving my stuff early in 2024.
I just updated the Downloads Page (on the “Downloads” tab above). It hasn’t been updated in a while. You may want to see if you missed anything. I no longer link directly to the file but to the page that contains the link and its description.
Dungeon Master Assistance 