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Hi 5E thread, I'm thinking about writing an adventure and have a couple of lore questions. My idea is a fantasy retelling of the plot of the movie They Live. I'm imagining a severely corrupt and stratified kingdom where my PCs meet at various labor sites or tent cities before discovering a magical item that allows them to see that the ruling classes and their enforcers are actually awful monsters that harvest the poor humans for... brains? I'd develop a climax that involves my players traveling through fantastic means to the creatures' lair, destroying them, and ultimately freeing the kingdom. My questions: 1) What's a good stand-in for the sunglasses used by the main characters in They Live? Obviously fantasy characters aren't going to walk the streets in Ray-Bans, so what would be an equivalent? My first thought is some sort of magical veil that allows the user to "see" past whatever magic keeps citizens from noticing the horrors that rule them, but I'm open to something better if you can suggest one. 2) What would be the best monsters to use from D&D lore? My imagination goes to Mind Flayers as the main rulers and Doppelgangers as their enforcers, but does anything better come to mind? Thanks.
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Jan 4, 2021 17:20
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I'm playing with a group of three newbie DnD players plus myself (3.5 veteran but new to 5e.) The other three are: A fighter who only shoots arrows and won't tank. A cleric who is spell-focused and won't tank. A warlock who (rightly so) won't tank. I'm currently a 5 bard / 1 rogue combo. Should I take a couple levels of fighter to beef myself up? I was thinking an end game build of Bard 11 / Rogue 7 / Fighter 2, with defense specialization and swashbuckler for rogue. I know, I miss out on spell levels 7 - 9 but high level spells per day are so low in 5e it seems I'd be better off doing 4D6 sneak attack damage and getting a couple extra hit points plus +1 AC. Leave the high level spells to the cleric and warlock. Thoughts?
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Jan 4, 2021 18:21
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LiterallyATomato posted:I'm playing with a group of three newbie DnD players plus myself (3.5 veteran but new to 5e.) Who needs a tank when you can cast hypnotic pattern and lock down the enemy for focus fire. Or use Fear to make the enemies scatter?
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Jan 4, 2021 18:24
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Proficient Scoundrel posted:1) What's a good stand-in for the sunglasses used by the main characters in They Live? Obviously fantasy characters aren't going to walk the streets in Ray-Bans, so what would be an equivalent? My first thought is some sort of magical veil that allows the user to "see" past whatever magic keeps citizens from noticing the horrors that rule them, but I'm open to something better if you can suggest one. A real life equivalent to sun glasses back in the day were lenses made of a thin layer of smokey quartz. Cuts out some light. Just say it's enchanted quartz or some such.
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Jan 4, 2021 18:24
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Madmarker posted:Who needs a tank when you can cast hypnotic pattern and lock down the enemy for focus fire. Or use Fear to make the enemies scatter? Doesn't hypnotic pattern affect my allies, too?
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Jan 4, 2021 18:28
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LiterallyATomato posted:Doesn't hypnotic pattern affect my allies, too? Only if you're bad at targeting.
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Jan 4, 2021 18:29
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LiterallyATomato posted:Doesn't hypnotic pattern affect my allies, too? If none of your allies are front line fighters, wouldn't it be easy to put the pattern over enemies without them getting in the way?
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Jan 4, 2021 18:29
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change my name posted:If none of your allies are front line fighters, wouldn't it be easy to put the pattern over enemies without them getting in the way? It's a cube. All creatures who see the cube are affected, right?
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Jan 4, 2021 18:31
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LiterallyATomato posted:It's a cube. All creatures who see the cube are affected, right? All creatures IN the cube who can see the cube are affected.
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Jan 4, 2021 18:33
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LiterallyATomato posted:I'm playing with a group of three newbie DnD players plus myself (3.5 veteran but new to 5e.) Deep multiclassing in 5e is almost always extremely bad, and tanking is barely even a thing. The fighter and cleric are both going to be tough enough that it's irrelevant if someone will stand in front of them or not other than the archer fighter might be slightly annoyed by trying to shoot while things are up in their grill but I dunno I think only you, the bard, and the warlock are going to be inconvenienced by it and you both have ample abilities to not care and control or zip out whenever things get bad.
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Jan 4, 2021 18:44
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Hypnotic Pattern would be bonkers busted if it affected everyone who could see the cube. Plus you'd have arguments about whether X monster was looking in the right direction to see it. Also consider talking to the other characters. Point out to the fighter and cleric that they're way sturdier (more HP/AC) than the warlock and bard, and the team needs to have some kind of plan for when some big melee monster takes the forefront. Ask the DM to allow the fighter to keep shooting arrows at stuff when they're in melee (IIRC there's a feat for this, maybe just give it to them). Make sure the cleric's using good armor and a shield and point out that they can do a lot of damage with melee + Spiritual Weapon + Spirit Guardians if they're willing to get into the thick of things. You're level 6 now. I don't know what kind of campaign you're doing, but I feel like it's pretty late to be considering a major overhaul of your build. You might be better off asking the DM for some kind of summoning artifact that can help the party's defense, e.g. by casting Animate Objects 1/day or something.
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Jan 4, 2021 18:45
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I guess I just don't see the use of a high level bard? Level 8 and 9 spells aren't great in 5e and you get one each per day. Everytime I use bardic inspiration the other characters don't use it despite my urging, so who cares if it's a D8 or a D12?
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Jan 4, 2021 18:51
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Proficient Scoundrel posted:1) What's a good stand-in for the sunglasses used by the main characters in They Live? Obviously fantasy characters aren't going to walk the streets in Ray-Bans, so what would be an equivalent? My first thought is some sort of magical veil that allows the user to "see" past whatever magic keeps citizens from noticing the horrors that rule them, but I'm open to something better if you can suggest one. I'd just keep it simple. Go with a magic hat. Maybe something like one of these.  The rebels from They Live were mostly homeless people, or others down on their luck. That looks like something that wouldn't look out of place on a peasant. You can just say it blocks the psychic rays the mind flayers use to make themselves look human.
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Jan 4, 2021 18:58
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LiterallyATomato posted:I'm playing with a group of three newbie DnD players plus myself (3.5 veteran but new to 5e.) You don’t need to multi-class. Just sing songs about the “brave” fighter and cleric while hiding behind them. nelson fucked around with this message at 19:05 on Jan 4, 2021 |
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Jan 4, 2021 19:02
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LiterallyATomato posted:I guess I just don't see the use of a high level bard? Level 8 and 9 spells aren't great in 5e and you get one each per day. Everytime I use bardic inspiration the other characters don't use it despite my urging, so who cares if it's a D8 or a D12? Foresight is amazing, as is Wish (remember magical secrets), Level 8 isnt the best level of spell but Mind Blank and Glibness have their uses, but honestly doubling up on one of the awesome level 7 spells is probably better. Using a level 8 slot on Forcecage is definitely worth it. If you are playing bard hoping to be a damage dealer, you chose the wrong class...you get some damage spells, but that isn't your role. The bards role is to support the party and harry the enemy with debuffs and the occasional heal. In that role they excel, but you can use your magical secrets to dip into any classes spell pool. It is super nice to have a bard with Counterspell, Find Greater Steed, Contingency, Simulacrum and Wish. Besides if you can't find 1 awesome Bard Spell at each level, maybe minus level 8 you aren't looking. Level 1: Faerie Fire Level 2:Suggestion Level 3:Hypnotic Pattern Level 4: Polymorph Level 5: Animate Objects Level 6: Mass Suggestion Level 7: Forcecage Level 8: Mindblank Level 9:Foresight Madmarker fucked around with this message at 19:21 on Jan 4, 2021 |
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Jan 4, 2021 19:17
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LiterallyATomato posted:I guess I just don't see the use of a high level bard? Level 8 and 9 spells aren't great in 5e and you get one each per day. Everytime I use bardic inspiration the other characters don't use it despite my urging, so who cares if it's a D8 or a D12? I mean yeah you only get one each per day but dominate monster and foresight are notably incredibly good?
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Jan 4, 2021 19:17
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lmao not getting Wish.
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Jan 4, 2021 19:25
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Dexo posted:lmao not getting Wish. Magical Secrets means Bards get wish. You can have a Bard with Counterspell, Find Greater Steed, Contingency, Simulacrum AND Wish if you want.
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Jan 4, 2021 19:27
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Bobby Deluxe posted:I have a concept I've been struggling to find the best way to build, and a game coming up I'd like to be able to use it in. people have already given you good answers but if you don’t mind dropping 5bux and using homebrew there’s a class on DM’s guild called the pugilist that’s essentially a strength-based monk and there’s a subclass that’s literally a hardened detective
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Jan 4, 2021 19:27
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Proficient Scoundrel posted:1) What's a good stand-in for the sunglasses used by the main characters in They Live? Obviously fantasy characters aren't going to walk the streets in Ray-Bans, so what would be an equivalent? My first thought is some sort of magical veil that allows the user to "see" past whatever magic keeps citizens from noticing the horrors that rule them, but I'm open to something better if you can suggest one. Make it one of those beaded veils shamans wear over their face. I'd pick some evil fae, their whole bit is infiltrating society
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Jan 4, 2021 19:38
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All right you guys have convinced me. What's a good use for contingency? Healing?
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Jan 4, 2021 19:45
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LiterallyATomato posted:All right you guys have convinced me. What's a good use for contingency? Healing? Healing yes, False Life which is quasi-healing, Otiluke's Resilient Sphere for when the AOE goes off or you fall into the magma, dispel magic or counterspell (you can use it for dispel magic then use your own counterspell with the condition that you are effected by a spell), feign death, banishment, rope trick. So many...
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Jan 4, 2021 19:50
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LiterallyATomato posted:A real life equivalent to sun glasses back in the day were lenses made of a thin layer of smokey quartz. Cuts out some light. Just say it's enchanted quartz or some such. Son of a Vondruke! posted:I'd just keep it simple. Go with a magic hat. Maybe something like one of these. Ignite Memories posted:Make it one of those beaded veils shamans wear over their face. Awesome ideas! Thanks!
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Jan 4, 2021 20:04
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LiterallyATomato posted:All right you guys have convinced me. What's a good use for contingency? Healing? The most common use I've seen is Dimension Door, set the requisite to be something like "I am hit below 20% of my max life total." You are then teleported out of the situation so you aren't in any danger...best part is that it doesn't use your concentration so any effects you are currently concentrating on will still be in place.
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Jan 4, 2021 20:07
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i use contingency to dimension door when i drop below 20% hp but accidentally say the word "up" and upon getting hit plummet to my death 
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Jan 4, 2021 22:52
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Proficient Scoundrel posted:1) What's a good stand-in for the sunglasses used by the main characters in They Live? Obviously fantasy characters aren't going to walk the streets in Ray-Bans, so what would be an equivalent? My first thought is some sort of magical veil that allows the user to "see" past whatever magic keeps citizens from noticing the horrors that rule them, but I'm open to something better if you can suggest one.
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Jan 4, 2021 23:57
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Mild spoilers for LMoP and Hoard of the Dragon Queen, I guess: My group wrapped up Lost Mines of Phandelver in early December and have been on a hiatus since thanks to the holidays. Now that the new year is upon us I'm getting ready for the next leg of their journey, and I'm thinking of adapting Hoard of the Dragon Queen to fit into the storyline from LMoP. There's already a few things set up that will make the transition go a bit smoother: *As a sign of appreciation the town of Phandalin granted the party Tresendar Manor, and they're rebuilding it using the funds from the Rockseeker Bros. mining operation. I'm thinking this takes place about a year or so after the end of the last campaign so the Manor will be mostly complete when we pick things back up. * Sildar Hallwinter replaced Harbin Wester as mayor of Phandalin with Sister Garaele acting as his advisor, so the party already has friends within the Lord's Alliance and Harpers. * The party defeated the Red Wizard necromancer at Old Owl Well, and though what he was doing there remains a mystery they've been introduced to the fact that there are mages with tattoos on their forehead and a very lax view on the morality of wielding magic. * The party never visited the ruins of Thundertree, which I'm thinking will be a good place to introduce them to the dragon cultists since I'll have to shuffle some locations around rather than sending them all the way to Greenest. I'll basically be nixing Greenest and starting the adventure with an attack on Phandalin, possibly while the party is investigating Thundertree, then letting them take chase after the cultist raiding party with the aim being to get them to Castle Naerytar as soon as possible (hopefully without any hamfisted railroading). From there the adventure can go pretty much as written, with some tweaking of encounters to adjust for the fact that the PCs are level 6 after finishing LMoP until they catch up with the source books. While I'm getting all this stuff sorted I figured I'd run a one-shot for the group, letting them play as the four goblins they  Anyway, tips on sowing together the two story lines or on the Tyranny of Dragons modules in general would be appreciated since I'm still pretty new at the whole DM-schtick and I feel like I missed a lot of good opportunities for fleshing things out or making poo poo more coherent by going too much by the guidelines as written for LMoP. Lastly I'd like to share a brief summary of the showdown with Nezznar at the end of Wave Echo Cave because of how ridiculous a turn the dungeon crawl took towards the end. My party absolutely wiped the floor with Nezznar, he got one turn (which he completely whiffed) before eating poo poo. I would have been upset if their plan hadn't been so funny. After defeating the Flame Skull they put it in their Bag of Holding that I gave them after rescuing Gundren from Cragmaw Castle. Once the skull reactivated the bag started vibrating and giving off small puffs of purple smoke. The wizard peeked into it and was greeted by some mad howling before quickly closing the bag again and conferring with her party members about what to do. They decided they'd try to find a way to release the skull near the Black Spider and spared the life of one of the bugbears in the encounter outside the last room. Charging the poor bloodied mook with the simple task of "please give your master this gift, tell him you found it. We'll let you live and he'll probably reward you." Standing in the hallway around the corner from Nezznar's chamber the party overheard the following conversation: Bugbear: My Lord, sorry to disturb you but - Nezznar: What is it now? I told you I wanted no interruptions, it's bad enough the racket you're making is giving me a headach- you look like poo poo! What the hells happened? BB: I uh- There was a minor accident but we found this... bag? Nezznar: Accident? You look like you've been fi- is that what I think it is? Give me that! Yes, yes this certainly has a powerful air of magic about it. There's a trick to these vessels that not many people know about, let's see what this bag is hiding from us. Me narrating: You hear some fumbling as Nezznar inverts the bag. Nezznar's enthusiastic outcries at the treasures spilling out on the floor are suddenly cut short as you hear an all too familiar sound. Flameskull: [CACKLES MADLY] Nezznar: What the FU- [FIREBALL] The party then stormed the room and made short work of The Black Spider before taking out his spider minions. I thought I had tweaked Nezznar enough that he'd be challenging, but failing his save against a fireball and then rolling absolute poo poo for initiative made the encounter a walk in the park. I was holding back laughter as I let this all play out, however and the group had a blast so in the end I'm happy with the results. Other highlights from Wave Echo Cave include: The party initially being non-hostile to the guardian wraith, hearing him out until he revealed himself to have been a libertarian in life and holding those convictions still. His comments upon learning that the wizard worked for the Neverwinter tax collector set in motion a chain of events that lead to the party violating the NAP. The party meeting a clearly confused Observer and convincing him that they were the next shift of guards, just arrived to watch the Forge of Spells and that he was free to go home and take some much deserved time off.
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Jan 5, 2021 16:43
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MrSargent posted:I am starting my first ever D&D group with my wife and a few friends and plan on being the Dungeon Master for our first campaign. I played Rolemaster back in High School so I understand the basics of tabletop rpgs. For this campaign, I am going to be the DM and I thought it would be best to run a pre-made adventure since it will be my first time and most players have never played a tabletop rpg. Wanted to see if anyone had thoughts on the Dragon of Icespire Peak adventure from the Essentials Set and if this is a good one to start with. Sorry for quoting myself but I didn't see any responses. I have read through the OP and checked out a bunch of resources for beginner DM's but would definitely appreciate any tips people have picked up for a first time DM. I ended up grabbing the Starter Set since I heard the adventure it has is a really good one to start out with. Given that we won't be able to meet in person to play for the foreseeable future, I was looking at using Roll20 for our sessions.
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Jan 5, 2021 17:57
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roll20 is fiddly but if you spend a few hours learning the ropes it’s manageable. dynamic lighting sucks though i’d say for a first time dm, just accept that you might mess up, and figure out how you like your notes. also have notes for your session. anything in particular you’re nervous about?
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Jan 5, 2021 18:04
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MrSargent posted:Sorry for quoting myself but I didn't see any responses. I have read through the OP and checked out a bunch of resources for beginner DM's but would definitely appreciate any tips people have picked up for a first time DM. I ended up grabbing the Starter Set since I heard the adventure it has is a really good one to start out with. Given that we won't be able to meet in person to play for the foreseeable future, I was looking at using Roll20 for our sessions. be prepared for the party to
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Jan 5, 2021 18:14
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MrSargent posted:Sorry for quoting myself but I didn't see any responses. I have read through the OP and checked out a bunch of resources for beginner DM's but would definitely appreciate any tips people have picked up for a first time DM. I ended up grabbing the Starter Set since I heard the adventure it has is a really good one to start out with. Given that we won't be able to meet in person to play for the foreseeable future, I was looking at using Roll20 for our sessions. There are a million videos for this but a buddy of mine really liked this video for absolute beginner DMing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bL43rhEsU_g And I always suggest this series which is much longer but a more entertaining watch (except Hal is a massive dbag): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oIIZJeVGpc Later on if you want to watch a masterclass in DMing just find any/all of the Acquisitions Incorporated PAX games that are run by Chris Perkins As for Roll20 I sort of stumbled through that myself and don't have any vids to recommend other than this one which is not too long: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2svM5qPA5hg Syrinxx fucked around with this message at 18:43 on Jan 5, 2021 |
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Jan 5, 2021 18:40
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Declan MacManus posted:roll20 is fiddly but if you spend a few hours learning the ropes it’s manageable. dynamic lighting sucks though I don't think there is anything specific I am nervous about, I just really want the players to have a good time since for most of them this will be their first time playing a tabletop rpg. I think I have done a decent job of setting expectations so everyone understands the first few sessions might be a little slow as we are all learning. My biggest worry is probably the pacing of the session since I suspect that I will need to look up rules often. Glans Dillzig posted:be prepared for the party to Good to know! My plan was to write out at least a brief background for important NPCs they will come across so that I give myself something to work with if I need to improv additional interactions / dialogue. Syrinxx posted:Although I am highly opposed to having to watch a stupid video for something I could just read, I think in both these cases you will be helped a lot by watching people do them (DM and teach Roll20) Thanks a lot for sharing these vids. I will definitely check them out!
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Jan 5, 2021 19:14
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My wife was recommended Foundry VTT, and has watched a few videos saying it's great, but they did seem a little bit promoted to me. It's her first time DMing for a new group and I'm trying not to be annoying and ask if she's doing a session zero, if she's prepared this, if she's done that etc.
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Jan 5, 2021 19:22
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I used a lot of Roll20 back at the start of the pandemic and then switched to Foundry a few months ago. Foundry is hands down a nicer platform to work with than Roll20, but it is still kind of early. There are no (AFAIK) official modules for content, for example. Even with that limitation, though, it's pretty easy to get stuff into and to run a game with.
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Jan 5, 2021 19:31
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Foundry's pretty good by all accounts, since people in this thread recommend it somewhat often too. The issue it has, to me anyway, is that it's bloody expensive for what it is ($50 base and then I'd have to pay an extra $10 not being American tax on top of that ) and for all of Roll20's many flaws, it being free and easily accessible is one of the few things that are heavily in its favour. Foundry might very well be really, really good but I'd probably never recommend anything other than Roll20 to someone just starting out.
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Jan 5, 2021 19:33
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Dragonatrix posted:Foundry's pretty good by all accounts, since people in this thread recommend it somewhat often too. The issue it has, to me anyway, is that it's bloody expensive for what it is ($50 base and then I'd have to pay an extra $10 not being American tax on top of that I will say that it's not expensive for what it is. Since it offers the same features for a 50(60?) dollar one time fee that roll20 requires you to pay 100 dollars a year for. But yeah If you are content with using the base Roll20 with no extra features like Dynamic lighting and mods/api access then yeah it's by far a better idea to use Roll20, for starting out with minimal investment to see if it's something you want to do and run long term. I probably wouldn't recommend starting with Foundry if you aren't sure about the investment, but the second you decide you want dynamic lighting or to tweak the experience with scripts and mods, You should move to Foundry. Edit: I think this original post felt more aggressive than I meant it to be. I generally agree with you about not recommending it to people dipping a toe in. As getting Foundry to work the way you want is a process. Dexo fucked around with this message at 20:59 on Jan 5, 2021 |
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Jan 5, 2021 20:55
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There are definitely some extremely cool mods for Foundry, I'm playing in a game using it at the moment and I think we have something like 40 modules installed. Probably one of my favorites, aside from Better Rolls, is one that has a turn alert system, so when you're next up you get prompted with a sound/effects on the screen. Makes it look kind of akin to a true turn based rpg or something. Also the person currently acting has a little circle under them, that's fantastic. I can't see the full list at the moment but I did check a screen shot I showed my friend, and yeah it's 44 modules. Modded minecraft level of mods. What a fun VTT.
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Jan 5, 2021 21:11
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Primpin and Pimpin posted:There are definitely some extremely cool mods for Foundry, I'm playing in a game using it at the moment and I think we have something like 40 modules installed. Probably one of my favorites, aside from Better Rolls, is one that has a turn alert system, so when you're next up you get prompted with a sound/effects on the screen. Makes it look kind of akin to a true turn based rpg or something. Also the person currently acting has a little circle under them, that's fantastic. I can't see the full list at the moment but I did check a screen shot I showed my friend, and yeah it's 44 modules. Modded minecraft level of mods. What a fun VTT. I'm DMing for teens so I have a lot of extra bells and whistles to make it fancier for them. I think I'm at 130 modules activated, so...RimWorld level of mods?
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Jan 5, 2021 23:00
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Proficient Scoundrel posted:Awesome ideas! Thanks! Sunglasses cover your eyes, shade your eyes, and perhaps provide some minor element of disguise. The most obvious thing to me that does that in a fantasy setting would just be a hood. Bonus for 'aha ROBIN HOOD' potential.
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Jan 5, 2021 23:07
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Glasses were at least invented as early as the 1290's in Italy.....just having magical glasses makes perfect sense in a DND world.
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Jan 5, 2021 23:09
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