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tote up a bags posted:Hello I just got back from DMing for the first time. It was great, party really gelled and had fun together deciding what to do. Did they tell the hostage they weren't going to hurt them if they cooperated, then abandoned them in a pitfall trap?
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Jul 31, 2018 21:24
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Serf posted:next you'll be telling me that you can just change the damage type of fireball to ice and call it a blizzard or some poo poo My fireballs are actually a clown car full of clown gnomes that jump out of the car and throw incendiary grenades in a 20ft radius for 8d6 damage. For every slot above 3rd another gnome pops out so the damage goes up 1d6. Reik fucked around with this message at 21:28 on Jul 31, 2018 |
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Jul 31, 2018 21:26
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Ixjuvin posted:dude has been playing D&D since 1e and can't possibly imagine giving his character a bow and just saying it's daggers. lol Goon 1 - Longbows fire at 80 feet and do more damage! Me - Okay. I don't want that range, I don't want that weapon, my range suits my purpose. It might endanger my role (sneaky temple thief) Goon 2 - Why not change your throwing daggers to just act like a longbow? Me - I don't want that range, I don't want that weapon that can fire at 80 feet, I get by with my limited range. How about javelins? That the rules might talk about? Goon 3 - Why the gently caress does anyone bother with this free form stuff, just throw out the flavour and keep to the rules. Me - It's a balance between free form and simulator, I'm there to play a game, the DM is there to tell a story, I like the images from the games we play not just the numbers being rattled off. I also came in here asking about those numbers being right. Goon 4 - loving lol he can't imagine replacing daggers with bows and he's been playing this game for years!! Guys, just wow. Most of you have been really helpful dudes. The others ...you know that when you get a deck of cards and you want to play a game, you can have variations on rules? And discussion on how people play in different ways with the same framework? You don't have to get your bloody pitchfork out. Oddballs. mastershakeman posted:It's clear you expect a lot of dm handholding and fudging so just do whatever. The numbers won't matter It's not a binary switch you muppet. "Oh, are you a rule lawyer kinda DM? Or are you the kind of DM that is crazy and has no rules? NO MIDDLE GROUND, JUST CLEARNESS." I got my answers. Thanks.
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Jul 31, 2018 21:26
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Guys just spoil Curse of Strahd for him so we can all move on.
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Jul 31, 2018 21:26
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Are we all just going to ignore that the schtick of 'silent assassin sneaks ahead and disposes of the sentry' does not and never has functioned in any edition of D&D?
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Jul 31, 2018 21:27
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Mr.Tophat posted:The game doesn't make me choose. I choose. The game also doesn't make you be suboptimal in order to be interesting.
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Jul 31, 2018 21:27
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Wow, I've been playing since 1e AD&D myself (36 years this summer!) and boy howdy am I glad I managed to somehow avoid getting my imagination mutilated over the decades.Mr.Tophat posted:The game doesn't make me choose. I choose. Sometimes you take the less 'good' (read: mechanically efficent) option so you can do the thematically cool visual awesome thing. Sir Topham Hatt: Hey, I love the visual of throwing knives but this 1d4 damage thing is kind of for the birds. Can I reskin a longbow into like a few dozen small, sweet throwing knives that do 1d8 damage at a longer range? His DM: Yes, sure - but I want to make sure we keep it mechanically identical for the reskin. You need to keep both your hands occupied when tossing them, and eventually replenish the supply in your orcish trenchcoat. Sir Topham Hatt: Absolutely! I'll also keep it to, say, a 60' range because otherwise it's a bit too silly. His DM: Thomas will be so pleased! (note: I do not know the intricacies of 5e, so mentally adjust any screwy rules bits or specific numbers I messed up. The point remains the same.) I did almost precisely this in a 4e Zeitgeist game I ran not too long ago. A character wanted to use a pair of pistols, but a pair of pistols absolutely stinks and there's no character that can do a reasonable job with them. We reskinned a Rifle into a pair of pistols and voila! The gunslinger lived!
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Jul 31, 2018 21:29
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P.d0t posted:The game also doesn't make you be suboptimal in order to be interesting. Do you know what a character flaw is? Or that conflict creates character? Gah, forget it, do whatever you want. It's a game. Anyway, I'm out. Again, I mean this, thanks for the feedback. That brute thing works. And yeah, I've running off no sleep for a while, thanks for noticing. :/
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Jul 31, 2018 21:30
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You read like someone impersonating a manic-pixie anime dork and it really doesn't do you any favors.
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Jul 31, 2018 21:30
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dwarf74 posted:Wow, I've been playing since 1e AD&D myself (36 years this summer!) and boy howdy am I glad I managed to somehow avoid getting my imagination mutilated over the decades. Totally cool and I agree. Compromise with your DM with what you want. All the junk to do with ranged longbows and all that, I don't want or need. The stuff I want and need I have asked about and got answered. Thank you.
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Jul 31, 2018 21:31
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Tendales posted:Are we all just going to ignore that the schtick of 'silent assassin sneaks ahead and disposes of the sentry' does not and never has functioned in any edition of D&D? i could see it working in some senses if you specced for that and nothing else. most often monsters just have too many hit points for that sort of thing to work out
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Jul 31, 2018 21:31
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Tendales posted:Are we all just going to ignore that the schtick of 'silent assassin sneaks ahead and disposes of the sentry' does not and never has functioned in any edition of D&D? So he became an adventurer after chopping someone's bed in half with an executioner's axe still left the sleeping target alive. "You know what, this whole 'assassination' thing isn't working out" Section Z fucked around with this message at 21:34 on Jul 31, 2018 |
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Jul 31, 2018 21:32
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Dameius posted:You read like someone impersonating a manic-pixie anime dork and it really doesn't do you any favors. I'm bipolar type 1. Go gently caress yourself. Honestly.
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Jul 31, 2018 21:32
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Tendales posted:Are we all just going to ignore that the schtick of 'silent assassin sneaks ahead and disposes of the sentry' does not and never has functioned in any edition of D&D? That's what I was getting at about the DM handholding. His described actions from the getgo - killing one of two guards, hiding body, no sound, dancing around never being attacked because he's ten feet away , etc entirely relies on the DM playing along
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Jul 31, 2018 21:34
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Mr.Tophat posted:I'm bipolar type 1. Go gently caress yourself. Honestly. You should stop eating so much sugar and carbs and get that under control
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Jul 31, 2018 21:36
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Dameius posted:You read like someone impersonating a manic-pixie anime dork and it really doesn't do you any favors. Mr.Tophat posted:I'm bipolar type 1. Go gently caress yourself. Honestly. Hot drat.
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Jul 31, 2018 21:38
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Serf posted:i could see it working in some senses if you specced for that and nothing else. most often monsters just have too many hit points for that sort of thing to work out This is why Shadow of the Demon Lord straight up lets the assassin kill someone if they get surprise. (Specifically, things that are surprised or that they are hidden from must make a Strength challenge roll or take damage equal to their health. Things that are surprised always fail challenge rolls.)
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Jul 31, 2018 21:40
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Emy posted:This is why Shadow of the Demon Lord straight up lets the assassin kill someone if they get surprise. (Specifically, things that are surprised or that they are hidden from must make a Strength challenge roll or take damage equal to their health. Things that are surprised always fail challenge rolls.)
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Jul 31, 2018 21:45
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Mr.Tophat posted:The game doesn't make me choose. I choose. Sometimes you take the less 'good' (read: mechanically efficent) option so you can do the thematically cool visual awesome thing. Mr.Tophat posted:If my character is about to beat someone to death with a cup, Riddick style, cool. I wanna try, and it's up to the DM to fudge the dice or do whatever magic he needs to. I shouldn't go, "Well, a thick rimmed cup would do 1d6 damage instead of 1d4, so I pick up the peppa pig cup because I want to be good, not thematic."
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Jul 31, 2018 21:48
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Section Z posted:I'm assuming there is a gentleman's agreement to not have the GM just sick assassins on the party? Like in any sane system, enemies aren't built like PC characters
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Jul 31, 2018 21:48
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Section Z posted:I'm assuming there is a gentleman's agreement to not have the GM just sick assassins on the party? It's an ability that PCs get, but there is in particular one enemy group that has access to it too. The agreement is that if you gently caress with this particular group of assassins then you know what you're getting into.
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Jul 31, 2018 21:49
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Mr.Tophat posted:I mean on one side I have people telling me, "Just make the dagger work as a bow, it's fine," and when I'm like, "Nah, I'm fine, it's a knife, it does it's thing, okay," and then when people ask me why I'm playing suboptiminally...suggest I keep tighter eye on the rules that I was just encouraged to...bypass?
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Jul 31, 2018 21:51
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Mr.Tophat posted:You know that when they say Forgotten Realms is the kitchen sink approach? Please stop criticizing my taps. I'm not actually saying gork and mork in the game, but they're useful short hands to what I'm trying to do. = No, it's not a kitchen sink. I have no idea what you mean by your taps, but you're getting orcs wrong and fighting uphill in the edition you're playing. You're actively making things harder on yourself.
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Jul 31, 2018 21:52
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Emy posted:This is why Shadow of the Demon Lord straight up lets the assassin kill someone if they get surprise. (Specifically, things that are surprised or that they are hidden from must make a Strength challenge roll or take damage equal to their health. Things that are surprised always fail challenge rolls.) Spellbound kingdoms also has a similar feature to this. Any rogues at level 6 get the ability to just flatout kill a dude if they ambush them out of combat as long as they are a lower level than you*. *Inspiration will save them still.
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Jul 31, 2018 21:57
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Reik posted:Did they tell the hostage they weren't going to hurt them if they cooperated, then abandoned them in a pitfall trap? They said they'd come back for him afterwards, but yes
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Jul 31, 2018 21:58
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tote up a bags posted:They said they'd come back for him afterwards, but yes If they're a Good aligned party, you should consider there being some sort of consequence for them if they don't come back for him. Gotta curb those murderhobo tendencies.
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Jul 31, 2018 22:00
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Emy posted:Things that are surprised always fail challenge rolls. Reik posted:If they're a Good aligned party, you should consider there being some sort of consequence for them if they don't come back for him. Gotta curb those murderhobo tendencies. Elysiume fucked around with this message at 22:02 on Jul 31, 2018 |
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Jul 31, 2018 22:00
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Reik posted:If they're a Good aligned party, you should consider there being some sort of consequence for them if they don't come back for him. Gotta curb those murderhobo tendencies. Goblins are evil little fuckers and even a generally good party isn't gonna question the morality of dunking on them.
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Jul 31, 2018 22:02
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Elysiume posted:Ooh, somehow missed this rule. It wouldn't be an alignment shifting consequence, but if you have a group of "good guys" going around taking hostages and using them as trap bait you should probably try and remind them they're the good guys. Toshimo posted:Goblins are evil little fuckers and even a generally good party isn't gonna question the morality of dunking on them. It's one thing to kill a goblin, it's another thing to tie them up, take them hostage, lie to them and tell them if they cooperate you won't hurt them, and then abandon them in a pitfall trap where they are going to starve to death (I assume).
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Jul 31, 2018 22:04
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Reik posted:It wouldn't be an alignment shifting consequence, but if you have a group of "good guys" going around taking hostages and using them as trap bait you should probably try and remind them they're the good guys.
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Jul 31, 2018 22:06
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Reik posted:It wouldn't be an alignment shifting consequence, but if you have a group of "good guys" going around taking hostages and using them as trap bait you should probably try and remind them they're the good guys. Particularly when going out of our way to capture every single bandit and trash kobold alive still results in "Well, our reputation is meaningless and everyone would rather die than surrender forever.". "WE SHALL CRUSH YOU FOR WE ARE SUPERIOR BEINGS!" "You're loving fire giants and we still took you prisoner" Some days I think we take prisoners just out of spite rather than morality, but then it's never been a fear of consequences that has my friends try to avoid being murderhobos. Considering "Punish them for leaving a badguy in a pit!" would result in only slightly worse than "Take them alive" with the average mentality of only thinking about player morality as an excuse for finger wagging. So it's just as, if not MORE important, if not being murder hobos amount to simply more than "The GM will sick the psychic guards and collective consciousness reputation hit on us if we don't" Section Z fucked around with this message at 22:14 on Jul 31, 2018 |
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Jul 31, 2018 22:06
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Elysiume posted:Reminding them that they're supposed to be the good guys is fine; "consequences" makes me think more along the lines of "the paladin falls and the rest of you get smote with lightning." I meant more in the line of "the goblin gets rescued and tells the other goblins where they are heading so they get surprised by a goblin assault" or something like that. An indirect curtailing of behavior. Section Z posted:I often play with people who try to take even goblins alive, but "They would just be executed the second we get back to town anyways" is a generally accepted breakpoint to tell being a storybook hero to gently caress off unless we're trying to make a point. I don't think killing a bandit or kobold would be not "good guy" behavior. Like, I don't think a "good" alignment means you have to be boy scout Superman, but you probably shouldn't be acting like sociopaths. Reik fucked around with this message at 22:17 on Jul 31, 2018 |
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Jul 31, 2018 22:09
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Reik posted:I meant more in the line of "the goblin gets rescued and tells the other goblins where they are heading so they get surprised by a goblin assault" or something like that. That'd just encourage a "no mercy" approach. ED: legitimately, the #1 reason people don't want to bother with capturing surviving enemies is the logistics of keeping them around and the risk of them escaping. If your punishment for callous disregard for life is to have survivors become a pain in the rear end afterwards, all you'll get is that the party will make sure what they take down stays the gently caress down. Conspiratiorist fucked around with this message at 22:26 on Jul 31, 2018 |
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Jul 31, 2018 22:23
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what are folk's thoughts on the artificer UA? I want to make an alchemist character but the class seems one-note and boring to play and I'm thinking I'd be better off reflavoring a full caster.
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Jul 31, 2018 22:25
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Valentin posted:what are folk's thoughts on the artificer UA? I want to make an alchemist character but the class seems one-note and boring to play and I'm thinking I'd be better off reflavoring a full caster. It's pretty rough right now, but there's supposed to be a revised UA coming out in a couple of weeks for it. If you end up reflavoring a full caster, I think Bard would be a good choice? Replace Bardic Inspiration with Alchemical Infusion, etc. Conspiratiorist posted:That'd just encourage a "no mercy" approach. Yeah, that happened in one of our games. The DM kept having the guys we captured escape from their bonds and we eventually stopped taking prisoners. Since they referred to the goblin as a "hostage", that implied to me that it wasn't just taking a prisoner to spare their life, it was to use them in some way. Since the goblin fell in to a pitfall trap, I assumed they were having the goblin walk in front of the group to set off traps for them? Reik fucked around with this message at 22:30 on Jul 31, 2018 |
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Jul 31, 2018 22:27
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Valentin posted:what are folk's thoughts on the artificer UA? I want to make an alchemist character but the class seems one-note and boring to play and I'm thinking I'd be better off reflavoring a full caster. I have a player running the Gunsmith version, and I wound up giving him paladin/ranger spell progression and the wizard spell list. He seems happy with it and meaningfully contributes to combat now, as opposed to before. The class as a whole is pretty underwhelming so I really don't suggest running it as-written, though I apologize that I can't really give any insight to the alchemist archetype in play. The construct part got a little more homebrewy than that, he picked a shark for the animal and we gave it legs, and I had it scale hit dice and get ASIs at the same rate he does. It scales +hit from his proficiency, too. Larry, as he's affectionately named, was also modified later to include a harpoon launcher and a bag of devouring inside of his jaws to swallow enemies whole. On top of that, he's got a few interesting tinkered items we thought up, including a gun modification that loads beholderkin eyestalks to replicate their effects. Malpais Legate fucked around with this message at 22:40 on Jul 31, 2018 |
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Jul 31, 2018 22:35
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Valentin posted:what are folk's thoughts on the artificer UA? I want to make an alchemist character but the class seems one-note and boring to play and I'm thinking I'd be better off reflavoring a full caster. Artificer is a bundle of neat ideas thrown into a dumpster fire of bad mechanics. Reflavor a Bard or Wizard as using potions and contraptions and whatnot. Reik posted:It's pretty rough right now, but there's supposed to be a revised UA coming out in a couple of weeks for it. https://twitter.com/JeremyECrawford/status/1023068061606109186
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Jul 31, 2018 22:36
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Conspiratiorist posted:Artificer is a bundle of neat ideas thrown into a dumpster fire of bad mechanics. Reflavor a Bard or Wizard as using potions and contraptions and whatnot. These guys are the worst.
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Jul 31, 2018 22:38
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Reik posted:These guys are the worst. Look they need to spend time going "rangers good" and doing an article about ways to pretend they're good.
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Jul 31, 2018 22:44
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Holy poo poo Mr Tophat you're loving insufferable
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Jul 31, 2018 22:57
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