You’re just digging a hole for yourself, you know that, right?
How are Ceol & Hejren coming along? @kenobi_65 @John_DiFool
I might start the adventure thread just to establish what the first adventure will be.
It will involve going into a cold mountains to a troll lair. Just to give players a better idea for spells.
I’m pretty close to set, I think, other than the potential special quality of his sword. I can send you a copy of Ceol’s character sheet later tonight.
Sounds good.
I suppose I need equipment. And a backstory? A description I can hammer out by tonite.
The adventure begins. Bear with me for a short time, John_DiFool, we’ll breeze through the sailing to Mithlond.
A few more Q&A’s:
All spell casters have a Spell focus, For druids: https://5e.tools/items.html#druidic%20focus_phb
Also (unlike 1st Edition) I don’t need to state which spells I’m loading at the start of the day, correct? So (depending on circumstances) I might start the day by casting 4 x Goodberry … or instead later on unleash Entangle, Faerie Fire and finally 2 x Cure? Correct
Shots at long range are at disadvantage. You (I in this case) would roll 2 d20 and take the lower number.
Also how easy is it to fire into combat? (I’m guessing that it’s too risky unless the target is much bigger than the party member in melee with them e.g. our Dwarf v an Ogre.) Cover is explained here https://5e.tools/quickreference.html#bookref-quick,3,cover The good news is it is generally not dangerous to your allies in this version of the game, just harder to hit.
Just to clarify, a Dwarf fighting a troll does not qualify as 1/2 cover for the troll. But vs. an Orc, it does.
Thanks for answering my questions (I hope I’m worth it! 
)
Sadly I still don’t grasp spell focus - is it simply like having a 1st Edition Magic Item?
A spell casting focus is essentially a material component for casting spells, which isn’t consumed when you cast a spell. For clerics, they use a holy symbol of their deity/patron as their spell focus. Druids use items like mistletoe, a wand or a staff, etc.
In 5E, you can use a spellcasting focus instead of having to supply other material components when you cast a spell, as long as the description of the spell doesn’t list a GP value for the necessary components.
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.
Basically, for most spells, the focus is your material component. You need to have one and it can be changed with a little bit of effort. In theory using a magic item like the Rod of the Woodlands should make a spell a little better or easier to maintain concentration. Mostly it means you don’t need to hold onto your Rod and a separate spell focus.
It is a minor mechanic in 5e that most DMs and players largely overlook.
Aye; it’s one of those things that I suspect 5E has because spell components have always been a “thing” in earlier editions of D&D.
Great - thanks! I’m rarin’ to go.
So because I have the Druidical Rod Taurol (which allows me to use its charges to cast various spells), I don’t need material components for the spells in my mind, correct?
There are a few exceptions to that, but overall yes.
This link gives a quick list of most of the spells with a special material component. At this time I don’t see any spells for your Druid that have to worry about Material Components.
Could you post to the game thread? I’ll move us along quickly once you do.
This is just the start of the adventure bit.
My character, for instance, uses his shield for his focus. At level 1, before Artificer’s get the ability to infuse items, they have to use artisan’s tools as a focus, rendering a lot of juggling around if they want to also engage in combat because they have to hold their focus in a hand. Starting at level 2 when they get infusions, they can use an infused item as their focus, which means almost every artificer will use a weapon or shield for the focus.
Of course, if the spell has a somatic component, they still need a free hand, so without the War Caster feat which allows casting of somatic components with occupied hands, they still end up having to juggle their items.
I don’t know why I didn’t realize before now that we lack a hobbit in the party. Just doesn’t seem right somehow! Hope we can recruit one, or have one as an NPC. The Shire’s not too far from the Grey Havens, after all…
I kind of wanted to keep the NPCs to a minimum. At least to start. But it does seem weird to be missing a Hobbit.
Let’s play it out a little.
But of course. Thanks.
Just glue some faux fur on Thoroncir’s feet, and claim that he ODed on entdraughts one day. 
Bitur is basically filling the Rogue role, just without the stealth.
Ghan is filling the tracker role with superior tracking ability due to sub-class and race.
We have plenty of bricks, including a bricky skillster (Bitur)
And we have so much healing it is crazy.
I still need to see the Mage though. Looking forward to completing the party.