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!
“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.
“Why are Artificers and Warforged 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. Additionally, the Artificer, specifically, possess several glaring mechanical issues, e.g. magical infusions, that are difficult to manage in a west marches setting without nerfing the class or detracting from the players experience. This may or may not be revisited on a later date and is best considered as unavailable.
“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.
“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.
“Can I purchase magic items with my starting money?”
You are allowed to purchase spells or basic healing potions. Certain magic items can be purchased in the server run shops after character creation while all other magic items can only be found during quests or special server events.
“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 focussed 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 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.