D&D Court: Alignment Issues, Strict Spell Components and a Bad Case of Trap Amnesia

Please do more spell check thrown in the middle of DND Court

Nick Lerche

Can’t believe that one DM doubled the damage because the player got a Nat 1 on the save. That’s not a crit, and shouldn’t double the dice. Must be a house rule, but still

CommodoreBlue

Spell check was great, reminded me of wait wait don't tell me but dnd spell category lol. Maybe for audio format multiple choice? Or true false questions. Could even branch out to be other things like describe a feature and guess the subclass.

Spellcheck!!! And Justice Jake ftw!

Roger medina

My favorite part of Spell Check is y'all figuring out justifications for the component choices

Brianna M

Spell Check is very fun to play along with! Would love it if you play'd it everyone so often!

I like spell check and would def listen to more of it!

There is actually a website that has Icelandic Horses respond to work emails while you’re on vacation. They trained the horses to type on a giant keyboard and they do type. Not words but they type. https://www.visiticeland.com/outhorse-your-email/

Love spell check

(Continuing to comment as I go) with the backstory case, the attitude is far and away the biggest problem. If the DMs felt the need to talk about it, that’s absolutely something where the player wants their many characters to be brought in. Especially the whole “I left these guys missing so you can use them as plot hooks” is imo way less a gift than a demand. The DM can write “your sister went missing”, but if you start them out missing that leaves a huge question that you’re basically demanding the DM answer and include. Hard agree with the justices coming down on it because even with the person slanting things towards their side, they come off really jaded and aggressive.

Andrew Kruck

I think an underrated component of the alignment case is that these were new players joining an established campaign, and the relationship between the player and the established group is kind of nebulous. I’ve had players I’ve DMed for who were new and who I knew, but who weren’t really close enough for me to feel comfortable with a confrontation about alignment 30 minutes into their first time playing. I don’t wanna drive them off the hobby by being a stickler, and I think the DM was being a little bit over the top by killing them, but coming in with the aggressive That Guy energy and not taking the hint (plus this being presented from the players perspective) really makes me feel the written record is hard to trust.

Andrew Kruck

Made spell check as an application, for all to play: https://dndspellcheck.com

nachos

More spell check please

NemoKeine

More spell check pleaaaaase!!!!

Chaotic Neutral is such a red flag lmao

Woofington Von Barkshire

Nobody mentioning the fact that thunderstrp deals like. 3d10 damage to everyone in an area, while in a crowd killing probably a bunch of npcs

William beachus

My Grandma has 5 donkeys. They can't be trusted

David Lipscomb

My Grandma has 5 donkeys. They can't be trusted

David Lipscomb

I actually loved the Spell check game! To possibly keep it as a recurring event and because there are only so many spells with interesting and clever components, I could see the game being expanded to cover other things in the game like class features, cover mechanics, etc.

Showing sweet blue hole

Lirael is 💯 the best Old Kingdom book. Enjoy!

In the case of the Level 4 fighter, Jan Itor, he alleges that he cast thunder step, a 3rd level spell. How did a level 4 fighter cast a a 3rd level spell, he deserved the death by Raptor he received.

Michael Babcock

I love the joke of the show needing to find a villain and be cartoonishly punitive. Just gonna ruin that for a sec. No one needs new friends. The person with the crazy backstory is probably just trying to follow Brennan Lee Mulligans advice on creating characters who care about doing things in the world and getting carried away. Having eight people I kind of know from a city I spent some time in isn't crazy in real life. Story wonks like Brennan, our illustrious bailiffs and the seasoned Jonk, whatever their name is seem to have knowledge about what is a large or small amount of characters for a given thing. If that's true that knowledge is not intuitive to everyone I'm only guessing at its existence from Context Clues like how people with Arts degrees criticized Avengers endgame in video essays back in the day. Teach this person they might actually think their DM is looking for lone wolves. Their DM might actually just be looking for lone wolves. I'm pretty sure hand waving Spell components is standard and maybe even rules is written when they are no specified price. Everyone likes smooth gameplay. A lot of us really want the smooth gameplay to not break immersion too badly so a components pouch is not understood to be a trash bag full of random crap, but a small pouch that is prepared with the things you need as you are preparing your spells. In a circumstance like this ruling that you might not have the right thing isn't that wild. If I wanted to be a stickler I would probably have only gone as far as "I'm allowing it, but you watch yourself counselor." I'd say that no heroic PC would ever prepare a spell they didn't have the ingredients for so they should at least have been allowed to retcon their spell list. Submissions are supposed to be short, I see no reason to believe there wasn't a combat for the chase or the Velociraptor guy's death. As to alignment it's not that hard guys, it's vague Notions. We can handle vague Notions. Assuming that this is a truly fantastic world and the cops are not particularly evil, I shrug at the pickpocketing but when it went awry and the player was going to use a third level damaging spell on some presumably commoner ish guards, I'd maybe point out that the player was about to go from petty theft to a public killing spree and ask if they wanted to rethink that

There has been some confusion about what railroading is in this show, well the spell components case seems like a textbook case. The GM had a "cool" resolution in mind for the problem, so they blocked/punished any attempt by the players to do their own thing and "ruin" the story.

Garga Lenoir

Has anyone told Emily that Tim Curry narrates "Sabriel" and the other two books in the original trilogy??? Emily! I beg you! Listen to the audiobooks as well!

Sunny Branick

Love spell check!

Leanne Crawford

Also loved the game show!!!

Noah James Perito

Spell components are the most fun when using them heavily in your description - it really makes spellcasting even more epic

Noah James Perito

I think that there is a way to do a lot of people in your backstory, but I agree that the player in that particular case should be the one who is punished because of how he thought he was “helping” his DM. In Critical Role for example, Taliesin has had characters with a lot of people in his backstory, but it only worked for certain reasons. One, there was already a lot of trust between Matt and the players. Two, in Percy’s case his large family was mostly deceased so Matt didn’t have to be every NPC in his backstory. In Cad’s case, all of his family was found in one place. And lastly, with Ashton, we haven’t met any of his original group except Milo and who knows if we will ever meet them. So I think it can work, but only if there is a lot of trust between DM and player already in place, and clearly the player in the case was kind of arrogant in his opinion.

hannah

PLEASE DO SPELL CHECK I THINK IT SHOUKD BE ITS OWN THING

Theo Englund

I am so proud of myself, I got both spell guesses right 🥹❤️

I just had a chance to listen and I LOVE SPELL CHECK VERY MUCH 😭 but I am not subscribed at the mixed bag level so I hope you just keep it in the D&D Court episodes hahahahaha

Amy Bergeron

I love Spell Check, though I think you should add it into Court episodes not a whole episode on it's own.

I love the spell component game please please please I need it.

Pls keep the spell component game forever

Jess D.

I just finished "Terror on Toy Island" for D20 so all the donkey talk was even funnier for me thinking back to that episode

Ghost

Spellcheck sounds pretty good for a mixed bag. Def not main feed tho

Reece Brogden

Almost every spell that consumes a component also lists the cost of the component, but you have to find another one of the consumed item. Some of them don't list a cost, but the thing that is consumed is an item that has a cost associated with it. Like protection from evil and good need holy water or powdered silver/iron, which all has a cost, and is listed as consumed. There are some spells that just consume something with no cost associated, and those components you'll need to replenish. This is a very small list, only three spells in official materials, and I would argue the stuff consumed in two of them are things you can just hand wave having multiple of or easy access to. Those two are Globe of Invulnerability which takes a glass or crystal bead that shatters when the spell ends, and Dark Star which needs a shard of onyx and a drop of the casters blood, both of which are consumed. Easy to get a bunch of, or easy to say you prick your finger The last one is Druid Grove which uses a component so specific and niche that it makes RP sense you need to get it, but it also lists that it's consumed. Druid Grove needs mistletoe harvested with a golden sickle under a full moon, and that mistletoe is consumed.

Argonautica

I’d definitely watch a mix bagged of this spell component game show

Jack Farley

Without NADDPOD I would not be "ready for the clay," I love DMing!

kerokaze

By this do you mean components that are like “5 arrowheads” or something? Like you should have X amount of arrowheads to be able to cast Y spell and when you run out, do a search game or a shopping game to re-up?

Was looking for this! This is my understanding as well! I was explained by my Granddaddy DM (and my Daddy DM also actually) (who are my buds Justin and Micah the former who DMs for my DM) (omg this doesn’t matter)…that for spell components that have no GP next to them and are free the player can be like “My gnome Draing Plu uses her orb and from it comes a grasshopper to the glass as she casts Mold Earth” or whatever (I’m sure I got that spell wrong, I’m still learning casters). So, the only ones then that are gameified to “hunt” is the spell components with a price of GP IF that’s a game you’re interested in! Please correct me if I’m wrong.

Aggghhh I LOVE The Old Kingdom series!!! Also yes, more Spell Check!!

Avery

Play more spell check!

MORE SPELL CHECK

Noah Smale

I truly need more of the spellcheck game in my life lol

AA

I love the spell check! Need more of this please, for my education!!!

Ethan Barker

The other exception is spell components that specify they are "consumed" by the casting of the spell. Much like components that have a cost, they are required for every casting of the spell.

Baron Trousers

I just love Murph. Emily, watch out. (/s)

Rathus Marr

I'll say for spell components. The rules of 5e cover them pretty well. Any sort of spellcasting focus, replaces the need for any non priced component. Also the actual component pouch item assumes it has any needed non priced component in it. Every spellcasting class starts with one of these things, focus or pouch. So you're pretty much always covered on this unless the component has a listed price. Gathering components for your pouch *can* be a fun little bit of roleplaying, flavor for how you do magic, but you have that shit.

Argonautica

I'm so good at Spell Check, I got all of these.

Argonautica

so happy to hear the garth nix love!!!

shay b.

I would listen to Spell check for days on end! Spell Check, the only game show that's a stickler for spells!

Dylan Jackson

Plus 1 for SPELL CHECK!

GGCoopie

I LOVE Spell Check game btw

Rebecca Synnestvedt

Haven't listened to the council of elders list in a while. Did not disappoint this round lol

Jonathan Goddard

Love Spell Check!

Allen W.

spell check is so fun to listen to!!

adrieenna

Spell check belongs on ‘Um Actually’

Adam Baker

Am I off-base or did y'all forget what a spellcasting focus is for awhile there

Gabriel Wykle

spell check is sweeping my nation

We definitely need more Spell Check in some capacity

I know they joked about it not being fun to listen to but I absolutely loved Spell check and I think they stumbled into the next big thing like DnD court

Guilherme Farias

More Spell Check so much fun

Eric Keller

The Cardinals of Dice Christ have gotten weak, forgiveness for such sins is an affront in RNGesus's name. I want hellfire and punishment for these abominations and transgressions.

Adam Greenough

Big fan of the spell component game!

Nathanael Rogers

Need more spell check content.

evan deas

More Spell Check please!

Doctor Ransom

I would listen to literal hours of spell check

Banana

1-2 spellchecks per episode would be a perfect amount.

Queue

Ps. Spellcheck is hilarious. Mixed Bag, s’il vous plaît!

Wit & Whimsy

[ DMG’s Chapter 10: Spellcasting ] “Material (M): Casting some spells requires particular objects, specified in parentheses in the component entry. A character can use a component pouch or a spellcasting focus (found in chapter 5, “Equipment”) in place of the components specified for a spell. But if a cost is indicated for a component, a character must have that specific component before he or she can cast the spell. If a spell states that a material component is consumed by the spell, the caster must provide this component for each casting of the spell. A spellcaster must have a hand free to access a spell’s material components — or to hold a spellcasting focus — but it can be the same hand that he or she uses to perform somatic components.”

Wit & Whimsy

Love spell check!

Kidtruck91

Yes to Spell Check (aka What the Spell!?!)

Jeffrey Steck, Lord of the Fjord

To be fair, a couple weeks ago I woke up and was like "Do I remember my phone passcode?" So I locked my phone and tried to open it and got it wrong so many times that I completely locked myself out and had to format my phone entirely...

Teo Tamashiro-Harris

OK it's really great to have Jake back!

Kelley Anne

Exactly this. I was going crazy the whole time. The game gives you a way to completely ignore them (except for the gold cost ones)

SpillboBaggins

What is it about tomb of annihilation that brings out the dumb antics in players? Every time Ive run the module, at least one of my players tries to do crimes and gets caught

Grimma Lynx

Spellcheck was very cool to play/hear/guess guys. Please sprinkle some in whenever you feel like it 🥰👏

Manuel Berringhaus

This is a great idea!!!

Carter Carter

would love a spell check mixed bag!

Oh shit yeah I loved the old kingdom series. Garth Nix has a wonderful imagination.

Hamish

Bring SPELL CHECK TO THE MAIN FEEEEEED

Yusuf Qureshi

maybe spell check would be fun with some multiple choice options !

Amanda Hellas

More spell check!!!! Please

Melissa

I was actually lost in the courthouse earlier and found a side door entering onto the stage for Spell Check! the Gameshow

Please give me more Spell Check!

Princess Ringpop

Omg people so often misunderstand spell components. If your character has a spell casting focus (a magic staff, hat, wand, etc) you dont need to use components. EXCEPT if it has a gold cost or says explicitly it consumes the material. Wither and Bloom doesn’t say either. Some occasions the character might get thrown in jail and have their focus taken from them. In that case, be a stickler, make them look in the cell for materials. A spiderweb, some sand, rat fur…Make it actually fun….

Tim R

more spell check please

kosmic

Spell check is sick. Having a few guests on for a Mixed bag would be great!

Can't decide if I want Murph to be forced to host or participate

Martian

Love the spell check idea!

Martian

Yes yes spell check yes

Sawyer Bernard

More Spell Check!!

I would also like more Spell Check

Rowan Sauer

I listened to this ep while walking around New York City and I found a withered vine before they finished ruling. That wizard could definitely get one.

Robert

YES YES YES, I love spell check! Everyone downplays components but i think they’re so cool!!

Anthony Morgan

Spell check is a good idea

Sawyer Bernard

Cannot wait for more Spell Check! Hopefully they make it weekly and replace the main campaign am I right?

Stephen Fike

This has probably already been said but, mechanically speaking any spell components that aren’t explicitly stated to be consumed on cast, or have a gold cost… are automatically covered via either a component pouch or a spellcasting focus…. So if the withered vine isn’t either of those things, the dm is in the wrong RAW

Ian juarez

Awe, I lost :( well I have DMed for them so sentence served. Thank you Justices. I guess I'll start trusting Jake now. Also Spell Check is fun.

M Scott Anderson

Spell check is very entertaining. I'd like to see more of it!

Brady Young

i looove the spell components game, do it!

Alana Ochoa

spell check is a great game (and shoutout to arcane foci for making many components unnecessary)

alli

SUCH AN AMAZING EP missed ya Jake! Very funny very insightful all around. Energy was so high! That YOUTH OF THE NATION felt extra special and loud this Episode

Jack Malizia

I think it's a fun game, and it might help with memorizing certain components for colorful descriptions of magic

Cicely Hodges

I like the spell components game but it's making me hate spell components.

JigMink

Thank you! The person who submitted the case definitely downplayed their nonsense.

Cheddar Whizard

RAW a component pouch automatically contains all the spell components you need except those that you have a cost associated with them

Sy Delta Parkertron

I disagree with the first ruling despite normal alignment with the justices. Thunderstep does 3d10 thunder damage to those around you on a failed con save, or half as much on a success. In the middle of a crowd, knowing commoners have 4hp, that's not just thievery: it's potentially mass murder.

EGG

I'm so proud I actually knew the unseen servant one. I knew it from A Court Of Fey And Flowers, when Binx was giving the spell to one of her patrons. For some reason that but stuck with me, which is especially interesting cause Emily was on ACOFAF

Alvina Ophiuchus

Welcome back, Jake! We missed you lots. Also, please go to bed, Murph.

Miranda Elise

Haha, that was a surprise, seeing 500+ entries pop up in my naddpod feed- guess something happened and marked all my played short rest/mixed bags as unplayed. Anyway, can't wait to listen to the episode! Welcome back Jake!

boundspyral

Thank you for all the lovely content you provide to us, oh bountiful dungeon judgeons 🙏

Jackson Mosher

Truly a buzzer beater lol

Jackson Mosher