Frequently Asked Questions

DnD 5e ruleset has been designed with typically a campaign setting in mind, run within smaller groups. Translating this over to a West Marches style server may mean certain things are tweaked to create an enjoying, fair and balanced platform for all PCs involved while having access to multiple DMs.

Several of these questions are commonly asked and so we asked ourselves.. How can we help get these answers across quickly and succinctly.. Voila this FAQ was born!

Some of these are more technical and only apply to particular classes or items, feel free to skim these and come back to them if / when they apply to your character.

Homebrew

I saw this really cool homebrew class and/or race and I would really like to play it, can I?

While we agree that having a robotic lizardfolk that can shoot lasers out of its eyes is really cool (pew pew!), we don’t allow unofficial material in order to balance out all aspects of the server and bring a consistent, fair and fun experience to everyone. However there are plenty of official material that we know you can have fun with and are excited to see what you can come up with.

There is this great subclass that was just published in the new Unearthed Arcana (UA) document. Can I play, please?

In the same vein as answer 1, often the UA material can be quite overpowered and difficult to balance. Since our vision is to create this balanced platform, we have decided to not allow UA material for similar reasons to homebrew material above.

Matt Mercer/Riot games/etc, have released a certain race, character, super fun thing that I must have! Can I choose it at character creation?

We admit that there are some really awesome and famous content creators that come out with great material. All that being said, similar to the homebrew and UA, there are often questions and concerns regarding balance and actual play testing for such material. Hence we consider such material to fall under homebrew and is not a fit for our server.

Character Creation

Why are Warforged and Echo Knight not allowed?

As a server, we have decided that this particular class and race do not fit the setting that Luna Pines is striving for, despite them being official material. This is partly to maintain a consistent setting, and partly due to them having features which are difficult to handle in a west-marches server.

Is X race or subclass allowed?

The allowed materials sections of our server rules contains a comprehensive list of what published WoTC material we allow in Luna Pines! If you are still unsure about a particular WoTC official race or subclass then don’t hesitate to ask.

Do we roll stats?

No, character creation uses point buy since rolling stats would lead to greater discrepancies in stats between characters. We find this works particularly well for the West Marches type servers but especially for us here at Luna Pines.

I don’t like my classes starting material and in the Player's Handbook it says that I can roll for gold. Can I do that?

Unfortunately not. To keep a consistent and fair experience you need to choose your starting equipment along with the bonus 300 gold as outlined in the rules. Similar to our reasoning for point buy, we find this works particularly well for the West Marches type servers but especially for us here at Luna Pines.

Can I purchase magic items with my starting money?

You are allowed to purchase spells or basic healing potions. After character creation, you can purchase  magic items in the server run shops some of these can be purchased using gold, others require a special currency, Motes, which are earned by completing quests.

The Rules

I disagree with a certain rule, how can I bring it up?

While we totally understand that you may not agree with certain rulings we have made, we hope you will give us the benefit of the doubt that it is there for a reason. In addition, we are always open to feedback on the server rules or simply ways to improve our server but we do ask that you present it in a clear and non-confrontational manner, preferably to an @ Edgelord or @Admin.

We are always happy to explain our reasoning behind certain rulings and we do occasionally review them based on player feedback or to ensure redundancy has not crept in over time. However that will be based on internal discussions and ultimately fall on Admin discretion. 

I found this really cool exploit in the rules and need 1200 villagers, can I do this in character creation?

Our server is largely RP focused and as such, Powergaming and rules exploitation is not encouraged or welcomed. Unrealistic expectations will be challenged and often denied by the DMs.

Can I conjure X?

Certain spells like Conjure Animals and Conjure Woodland Beings are unclear as to how it is determined which creatures are conjured. In general, the caster may suggest what is conjured but the DM may veto it. However, in individual quests many DMs choose to determine the creatures by rolling on HB tables. Creatures conjured by theses spells may use the 5e statblock of a creature from any official WotC published source. However, the well known "broken" conjuration spell creatures - i.e. Chwingas, and Pixies - are generally not available. 

Items

Can I flavor my equipment in a certain way without changing the actual mechanics? Eg. Can I reflavor the Longsword as a Katana?

While we can certainly see the lure of such requests, these will be handled case by case. Be sure to get your idea approved by your friendly @Admin before you start working on your PC. 

Can my pet / familiar / summons / companion / mount use equipment or magic items?

In general any creature associated with a player character that is not humanoid cannot attune or use magic items, with the exception of administering potions or using magic items specifically designed to be used by mounts and then only if the creature is physically capable of doing so. However, individual DMs may allow this in their specific quest or arena so feel free to ask!

When can I use an item with a recharge time of > 1 day?

Items with a recharge time of > 1 day (for instance the Figurines of Wondrous Power) are assumed to be recharged at the start of a quest. For Colosseum fights usually it will be allowed to be recharged but double check with the DM to make their job balancing the encounter easier.