Line #21 WebVideo/PointyHat


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pointy_hat_0.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:A hat screams at you about ''[[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons D&D]]'' and how to make it weird.]]
3
4	Pointy Hat (also known as Antonio Demico) is an artist and Website/YouTube creator, focusing on ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''. He specializes in creating homebrew content, with the specific purpose of giving it a twist that feels fresh within the constraints of the game, hence the name of his first and most prominent show, "[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin D&D with a Twist]]". Other series he's known for include:
5	* "[[PunBasedTitle Tip of the Hat]]", which provides advice to both [[GameMaster DMs]] and Players on how to make the game itself more enjoyable and fresh (essentially, "D&D with a Twist" applied to D&D itself).
6	* "[[OurLichesAreDifferent Which Lich]]", which focuses exclusively on liches, making a powerful undead monster based on each class.
7	* "[[OurDragonsAreDifferent Drag-On Race]]", which is the same concept as Which Lich, [[RecycledPremise but with dragons]].
8	His [=YouTube=] channel can be found [[https://www.youtube.com/@pointyhatstudios here]], his Twitter page can be found [[https://twitter.com/antodemico here]], and his Twitch channel can be found [[https://www.twitch.tv/pointyhatstudios here]].
9	----
10	!!Tropes:
11	* BerserkButton: Alignment rules, or as the Hat calls it, "my dread nemesis". He sees them as restrictive and limiting roleplay. Dragons in official D&D lore have a similar treatment - not helped by them being part of the title - but he has now the Drag-On series.
12	* {{Foreshadowing}}: Watch for the word itself flashing in the background of the video to try and figure out the upcoming twist.
13	* KnightTemplar: From his [[WhiteMage Cleric]] video, Mercedes is the devout leader of the [[SaintlyChurch Church of the All-Seer]], dedicated to eliminating corruption wherever it hides through any means necessary. It just so happens that those means usually involve [[TortureAlwaysWorks torture]].
14	* LowTierLetdown[[invoked]]: {{Discussed}} in "D&D Monks are GOOD, Actually", which goes over the shortcomings of 5E Monks that largely come down to this, where as a combat-focused class, they're not great at combat because their damage is so undertuned. However, Pointy hesitates to call them ''bad'' compared to something like [[MasterOfNone the vanilla Rangers]] as Monks are more mechanically sound in theory (they serve as a {{Foil}} to Rogues, both being nimble scouts with plenty of survival options, [[DeathOfAThousandCuts Monks enjoying sustained combat and utility]] against Rogues [[GlassCannon dumping all their damage at once]]) and are also very rich in thematic potential. Pointy concludes that Monks are perfectly usable, it's just that [[OvershadowedByAwesome they're more situational compared to other classes]] and held back by low numbers.
15	* MasterOfNone: Discussed in "The problem with D&D Rangers" as the core reason why Rangers are the worst class in 5E: they have a smattering of various class features, including many alternate class features, but they don't cohere very well and are often [[CripplingOverspecialization so overspecialized]] that they end up just being worse versions of other classes. Even with the post-release support and alternate features to make Rangers more generally functional, Pointy argues that they have less thematic cohesion (rather than being based on a ForestRanger, some of them seem like they belong to general assassins or Druids with SummonMagic), on top of a general archetype that's pretty limited in potential for character creation and story.
16	* NonHumanSidekick: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]]. Pointy, the living hat, refers to his real life self, Antonio, as his "Human Familiar."
17	* OurLichesAreDifferent: The point of "Which Lich" is to brainstorm a lich based on each player class. Pointy lists a few necessary criteria for what makes a proper ''D&D'' lich: they have to deliberately choose being undead, they have to [[RitualMagic perform a ritual]] in order to become a lich, they need a [[SoulJar phylactery]], and they have to be an active villain who does villainous things in order to remain an immortal lich (ie, ''not'' [[OrcusOnHisThrone sitting on a throne all day waiting for the heroes to defeat them]]). His list so far:
18	** '''Artificer:''' ''The Necromaton'' is defined by their phylactery, a robotic vessel constructed by the would-be-lich that would eventually house their immortal soul and a biological component necessary to anchor them in lichdom. Even as a MechanicalAbomination capable of creating [[BodyBackupDrive more machines to act as their backup vessels]], they remain bound by the need for flesh to remain a lich, and since flesh decays faster than steel, this leads them to regularly hunt victims as raw materials to continue staving off death.
19	** '''Barbarian:''' ''The Scourge'' is a warrior who pledged to their pact of lichdom by becoming [[ThePowerOfHate entirely driven by anger and hate]], eternally stuck in a blinding, searing rage that destroys their mortal body but still persists when they become undead. Their phylactery is anyone who themselves have a violent hate towards the lich -- most likely survivors of their wrath [[PayEvilUntoEvil desperately seeking revenge]] -- always ensuring that even if slain, the lich will live on in the hearts of the wrathful.
20	** '''Bard:''' ''The Intoner'' achieves immortality in part through their Magnum Opus, an arcane song that is spread to be remembered by those who hear it, with those who hear it themselves becoming a phylactery ensuring the lich never dies. Upon becoming a lich, however, they become unable to perform the Magnum Opus ever again, and thus [[MindVirus have to rely on the living to continue spreading it around]], maintaining the Bard's metaphorical and very literal longevity.
21	** '''Druid:''' ''The Blight'' is a Druid so committed to protecting the natural world [[{{Transflormation}} that they literally become one with it]] in order to [[GaiasVengeance impose retribution on those seeking its destruction]]. From the ritual initiating them into lichdom, their phylactery is not a single object, but a ''place'' that becomes known as the Death Bloom, [[GeniusLoci the ever-expanding consciousness of lich and landscape working together]] to spread its influence while infesting, corrupting, and eventually destroying those who oppose it.
22	** '''Fighter:''' ''The Death March'' originated as an ancient warrior who has slain countless lives before claiming his own, and continues slaying greater foes even in undeath. Playing into the militaristic aspect of Fighters, The Death March amasses [[CavalryOfTheDead an army of the undead]] by [[ReforgedIntoAMinion conscripting those they have have bested in combat]], subsequently making any one of them the lich's potential phylactery, and thus making the "lich" [[HiveMind a massive collective of the undead]] constantly searching for new members.
23	** '''Paladin:''' ''The Forsworn'' swear by a truly undying oath in swearing off life, existing communally with other ''Forsworn'' who share the same pact, all being knights serving under the same banner to the point that they are each other's phylacteries. If a ''Forsworn'' is slain, the rest of the active ''Forsworn'' physically deteriorate and must congregate to re-swear their oath, leading them into a tightrope of gathering in enough members to their oath of unlife and keep their order strengthened but not enough to become a liability.
24	** '''Ranger:''' ''The Carrion Hunter'' consists of a Ranger who [[BondCreatures pair-bonds with an animal companion]] as they complete an extensive hunting ritual together, culminating in them claiming their final marks: each other. Not only do they both become liches, they also ''become each other's phylacteries'', enabling them to remain as [[TheDividual an immortal hunting duo]] that will never truly be alone for long.
25	** '''Sorcerer:''' ''The Hierarch'' takes the notion of Sorcerers [[InTheBlood being defined by their bloodline]] to an extreme, undergoing an arduous ritual to bind their very souls to their blood, and thus transferring a part of their soul directly into their descendants, making them walking phylacteries and puppets. While the lich's power will diminish over generations, they rectify this by fostering a chosen heir and focusing all their magic potential into them before [[GrandTheftMe usurping their body]] and starting the bloodline anew.
26	* RunningGag: A few.
27	** From earlier episodes: He. Hates. [[BerserkButton DRAGONS]]!! No, he will [[BlatantLies not]] make a dragon video, stop asking!
28	** Mentions of the [[DarkerAndEdgier Shadowfell]] are usually accompanied by a sudden[[note]][[Music/LinkinPark CRAWLING IN MY SKIN...]][[/note]] music change.
29	** Many {{Unusual Euphemism}}s he uses to [[GetCrapPastTheRadar not get demonetized by YouTube]] make consistent appearances across videos.
30	* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Pointy seems to be able to shift his form at will, from merely making his eye look different to changing his colors to even growing new extremeties, like a tail and horns for his Devil form, or Angel wings and a halo for his Angel form.
31	----

Context WebVideo / PointyHat