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jmzero posted:I've been very unimpressed by it, and it seems particularly unsuited for a new DM. (I'm just getting to the final fight in it; I'm DM'ing for my kids.. I've rambled on about it in a few earlier posts). Yeah, DoIP honestly feels more like it should be supplemental material to drop in LMoP than an actual starter adventure on its own since it's just made of loosely connected, optional sidequests.
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Sep 21, 2021 18:04
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Has anyone played or run The Wild Beyond the Witchlight? I've never played 5th edition D&D but my husband saw an ad for this adventure and it had a unicorn so now like... I guess I might be running it?
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Sep 21, 2021 18:34
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100 degrees Calcium posted:Has anyone played or run The Wild Beyond the Witchlight? I've never played 5th edition D&D but my husband saw an ad for this adventure and it had a unicorn so now like... I guess I might be running it? It just came out today so unlikely anyone has done more than read it.
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Sep 21, 2021 18:41
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Oh wow, my bad.
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Sep 21, 2021 18:46
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It looks fun, they're advertising that you can do a 100% pacifist run without any combat if your players are smart Edit: Actually, it looks like combat is antithetical to completing this one https://www.polygon.com/22683845/dungeons-dragons-the-wild-beyond-the-witchlight-review change my name fucked around with this message at 18:54 on Sep 21, 2021 |
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Sep 21, 2021 18:51
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100 degrees Calcium posted:Oh wow, my bad. You should check out some of the reviews posted by review outlets that were given early access to the book. While they're basically promotional in nature, they do highlight the various strengths of the material. Generally it sounds pretty good, with a lot of focus on social interaction, detailed set pieces, and an organized narrative. https://www.polygon.com/22683845/dungeons-dragons-the-wild-beyond-the-witchlight-review https://www.gamesradar.com/the-wild-beyond-the-witchlight-impressions/
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Sep 21, 2021 18:54
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I'm kind of interested to see what takes on this are going to be like: Its particular brand of twee whimsy cuts through me like a dentist's drill, but there's definitely an audience for it. The fact that it advertises non-combat options for all encounters fills me with trepidation, though, because D&D as a whole doesn't have a good track record of providing meaningful alternatives to its combat system and I don't have a lot of faith in the current team to pull something that difficult off.
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Sep 21, 2021 18:56
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I think something that goes a bit ignored when people talk about "noncombat solutions" in tabletop RPGs is there's the easy way of doing it mechanically - "the ogre guarding the gate will let you pass without a fight if you can convince him you belong there (DC16 Deception / Persuasion)" versus the longer-term "solving the story without conflict" which can involve "working out a diplomatic solution to the entire problem and roleplaying out how you got people to the table, how you researched the problem and worked to find a compromise everyone is amenable to". Tricking or talking your way past an encounter is the sort of thing that occurs organically in a lot of campaigns - be it just turning up with a mug of ale for the tired guard and suggesting he takes a few moments to rest or forging papers to get into a party or onto a boat, etc. What would make Wild Beyond the Witchlight something really good is if it's showing GMs how to write stories where the players might want to find an option other than war and giving guidance about how to do that - as I think in general the "solving this without fighting" path needs as much guidance on how to tell an interesting and engaging story as mechanics for what the DC of the diplomacy checks themselves are. Writing a villain you need to cut down with a sword is really easy, but honestly I have found it very difficult sometimes to make some groups consider that the right approach may be finding a compromise in the long term.
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Sep 21, 2021 19:20
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I'd like my players to take occasionally take diplomatic approaches, but I find that often the result is about as interesting as a wet fart. DND mechanically is just made for combat, so doing anything outside that feels like a waste of time, unless everyone's all-in on it. So far the best RP moments have come about in situations where NPC is friendly and allied to PCs, but wants something anathema to the party's interests. Even better if the PCs ignore the NPC's foreshadowed wants and warnings and then are somehow surprised when things don't go their way.
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Sep 21, 2021 20:14
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I got it on D&D Beyond and there is a lot of DM advice and stuff to help run it that seems quite helpful for new ones. (Also it has a lot of cool little nods to Van Richtans Guide to Ravenloft, namely the Carnival Domain). For an example of solving a situation without combat, one of the most aggressive NPCs I have read about so far is a Brigand Leader Harengon with a 15 foot long scarf that gives him super speed, him and his crew ambush the party, with his crew ready to toss rocks at the party if they cause problems while he dashes around laughing and stealing objects off them, if they try to hurt him he will hit that party member with a branding iron that makes it so that he is invisible to the branded. While this has the makings of a fairly tough fight, if a party member manages a check to grab his scarf while he is running around between the party, and the Brigand Leader is unable to break free after one attempt, he gives up and begs for mercy on the spot. And the rest of his gang will shun him, and think the party is pretty cool.
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Sep 21, 2021 20:37
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Trivia posted:I'd like my players to take occasionally take diplomatic approaches, but I find that often the result is about as interesting as a wet fart. DND mechanically is just made for combat, so doing anything outside that feels like a waste of time, unless everyone's all-in on it. I think it's mostly up to the DM. If they want to RP the enemy and give them a motive for talking and dealing instead of fighting, they can. In most encounters we try talking before fighting. Sometimes it ends in something other than "it charges - roll Initiative!"
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Sep 21, 2021 20:37
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Yeah, I've often laid out big intricate combats for my party and they usually try to negotiate their way out of things first to varying degrees of success. Definitely "talk first, shoot second" types who would probably like Witchlight a lot.
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Sep 21, 2021 20:47
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Has anyone here put their group up against 5e’s version of the tarrasque? If so, how did it go, and do its stats need to be tweaked like so many of the creatures in the original 5e Monster Manual? My group of level 18s has set their sights on fighting it, intending to subdue and bind it to their will (god I love these players). But my experience with 5e is that it handles solo boss fights... poorly unless you're using rules specifically designed to make boss monsters, and I’m concerned they’ll run this thing over. Its statblock is scary, but it honestly doesn’t seem that overwhelming for a party in the 18-20 range compared to the tarrasque’s earlier iterations. Re: diplomacy and social conflict, agreed, D&D is absolutely not designed to handle it RAW. I highly recommend stealing system-agnostic mechanics from other games and making a diplomatic/social minigame if you find that you need it for a big set-piece like a council of war. The clock mechanics from Apocalypse World / Blades in the Dark are especially good for repurposing into minigames on the fly, or more elaborate subsystems with a bit of prep.
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Sep 22, 2021 02:52
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Kestral posted:Has anyone here put their group up against 5e’s version of the tarrasque? If so, how did it go, and do its stats need to be tweaked like so many of the creatures in the original 5e Monster Manual? Yeah I can see that it just doesn't have the chops that it did in previous editions. I can think of several pretty obvious ways to attack it (mounted/flying archers, inescapable traps, intelligence spells like Feeblemind, planar banishment stuff, or simply using Portent-type abilities to force saving throw failures) and it has fairly limited options for dealing with enemies that aren't just charging in. I'd suggest coming up with some environmental elements that will keep the battle fresh and give the Tarrasque opportunities to seek cover or force the party into combat when appropriate. Have it attack a town and start chomping away at people while the party figures out how to deal with it. http://methodsetmadness.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-tarrasque-is-now-weakling-5e.html?m=1 Kaal fucked around with this message at 03:35 on Sep 22, 2021 |
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Sep 22, 2021 03:24
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Kestral posted:Has anyone here put their group up against 5e’s version of the tarrasque? If so, how did it go, and do its stats need to be tweaked like so many of the creatures in the original 5e Monster Manual? It's strong but it has flaws that we already fixed but for some reason taken away in 5e. I modified the Tarrasque with three extra features, which I feel covered it's weaknesses pretty well. Immutable Form. The tarrasque is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form. Regeneration. The tarrasque regains 40 hit points at the start of its turn. The tarrasque is defeated only if it starts its turn with 0 hit points and doesn't regenerate. To stop it's regeneration a worded Wish spell much be cast on it while it at 0 HP to halt it's regeneration, upon which the tarrasque will sink into the earth in stasis until the next time it emerges. Along with a ranged attack so people can't just fly out of it's reach. Spines. Ranged Weapon Attack: +19 to hit, range 120/600 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (2d8 + 10) piercing damage. I also edited Multiattack so that if can use spines attacks in place of it's claw attacks. The spines are weaker but can be used at range.
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Sep 22, 2021 06:22
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Has anyone bought the DMsGuild Extra Life thing for Domains of Delight? https://www.dmsguild.com/product/371449/Domains-of-Delight-5e I'm interested but curious if anyone has taken a look yet and feels it's worth it. (Yeah, it's for a charity, but if that's the only reason for me to buy it, I'd rather just give that money to a charity of my own choice.)
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Sep 22, 2021 14:58
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iirc the Tarrasque has never actually been that much of an actual threat to an appropriately leveled party. D&D memes joke about it being a terrifying unkillable Godzilla, but the reality is that it's a dumb hit point sponge with limited ranged abilities. Blast it to death from the air, have the Wizard Wish it back to sleep, be home by lunch
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Sep 22, 2021 19:29
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If you're going to wish, why not just wish it to blast off into the outer planes or something
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Sep 22, 2021 19:31
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Froghammer posted:iirc the Tarrasque has never actually been that much of an actual threat to an appropriately leveled party. D&D memes joke about it being a terrifying unkillable Godzilla, but the reality is that it's a dumb hit point sponge with limited ranged abilities. The final boss fight in the second Dark Sun PC game is against the tarrasque and a lich, and your level 14-15 party just stomps the poo poo out of them on any difficulty setting.
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Sep 22, 2021 19:36
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Froghammer posted:iirc the Tarrasque has never actually been that much of an actual threat to an appropriately leveled party. D&D memes joke about it being a terrifying unkillable Godzilla, but the reality is that it's a dumb hit point sponge with limited ranged abilities. Other versions of the Tarrasque had things like Earthbinding Aura that grounded fliers, regeneration, and could only be killed by a wish spell. While it was never really supposed to be a challenge directly at players, it fit its intended use (set-piece kaiju attacking cities) just fine.
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Sep 22, 2021 20:04
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Why fight one when you could fight a whole.planet of them https://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/258229
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Sep 22, 2021 20:28
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Nehru the Damaja posted:Has anyone bought the DMsGuild Extra Life thing for Domains of Delight? I have it. It's a fun little thing, that offers decent amount of stuff for making Domains of Delight, and giving info about Fey and the Feywild. A note also. A Domain of Delight is the opposite of a Domain of Dread. The Domains of Dread exist to torment their Dark Lord rulers giving them a position of power, but never making them happy. Domains of Delight instead exist to suit their Archfey's whims and to make them happy. However this does not mean they are all pleasant places as they reflect the emotions of their ruler, and a malicious Archfey will have a malicious domain.
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Sep 23, 2021 00:51
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PeterWeller posted:The final boss fight in the second Dark Sun PC game is against the tarrasque and a lich, and your level 14-15 party just stomps the poo poo out of them on any difficulty setting. How do the old D&D games that are not on steam hold up? I don't think I've played any of them.
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Sep 23, 2021 06:23
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ninjoatse.cx posted:How do the old D&D games that are not on steam hold up? I don't think I've played any of them. At this point I would think of them less as old D&D games and more as "80s-early 90s CRPGs with manual mapping, journal entries in the manual that tell the story and those kinds of things." The mechanics and the playstyle and the games themselves are so removed from what D&D is nowadays that it's going to feel incredibly alien. That said, if you're into that era of CRPGs, the gold box games are pretty great! The one exception I can think of to the above is Neverwinter Nights 2, which is on GoG but not on Steam and is 3.5E, so it's relatively modern. Depending upon who you talk to, it's one of the best D&D CRPGs ever.
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Sep 23, 2021 07:12
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Arivia posted:At this point I would think of them less as old D&D games and more as "80s-early 90s CRPGs with manual mapping, journal entries in the manual that tell the story and those kinds of things." The mechanics and the playstyle and the games themselves are so removed from what D&D is nowadays that it's going to feel incredibly alien. That said, if you're into that era of CRPGs, the gold box games are pretty great! Planescape would like to have a word with you
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Sep 23, 2021 13:29
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Mederlock posted:Planescape would like to have a word with you That’s on Steam. Oh, I don’t think IWD 2 is, which is…okay. It’s a pain to get to run and it has some really weird mechanics though.
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Sep 23, 2021 13:34
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Arivia posted:That’s on Steam. Oh, I don’t think IWD 2 is, which is…okay. It’s a pain to get to run and it has some really weird mechanics though. Just referring to the last part of your post about NW2 being the best D&D game, but didn't know that it was on Steam. I may have to take another crack at it.
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Sep 23, 2021 13:42
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Mederlock posted:Just referring to the last part of your post about NW2 being the best D&D game, but didn't know that it was on Steam. I may have to take another crack at it. Yeah, the Beamdog remaster is on Steam. It gets rid of the radial wheel menus which basically makes it essential. And for what it’s worth the Mask of the Betrayer expansion for NWN2 is commonly said in the same breath as Planescape:Torment as “best D&D games ever” so I wasn’t wrong in the first place!
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Sep 23, 2021 14:09
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ninjoatse.cx posted:How do the old D&D games that are not on steam hold up? I don't think I've played any of them. As Arivia notes, the Gold Box games are classics, but they're also of another time both in terms of PC gameplay and D&D mechanics, so they're going to feel pretty clunky. The two Dark Sun games (Shattered Lands and Wake of the Ravager) are very much like proto-Infinity Engine games with hand drawn backgrounds and pixel sprites. Graphically, the backgrounds hold up pretty well (some of the areas in Shattered Lands are downright gorgeous). So basically, if you enjoyed BG1 and 2 or Icewind Dale 1 or 2 or Torment, there's a decent chance you'll enjoy the two Dark Sun games.
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Sep 23, 2021 15:26
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Wow, the Skilled Expert feat seems really good. A stat increase, a proficiency, and an expertise? I'm playing a Draconic Sorcerer in a campaign that has a bunch of dragons. Having the ability to get expertise in Persuasion/Deception without totally giving up an ability increase is nice. Plus I picked up proficiency in Arcana because my party somehow thinks I know stuff about magic. I think those sort of feats are a step in the right direction as far as making things useful both in and out of combat.
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Sep 23, 2021 16:31
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Internet Explorer posted:Wow, the Skilled Expert feat seems really good. A stat increase, a proficiency, and an expertise? I'm playing a Draconic Sorcerer in a campaign that has a bunch of dragons. Having the ability to get expertise in Persuasion/Deception without totally giving up an ability increase is nice. Plus I picked up proficiency in Arcana because my party somehow thinks I know stuff about magic. Yep, I gave this to my Bugbear Columbo rogue so he could be an absolute skill beast. That flexibility is nice to have even if it does make a bunch of older feats even more worthless
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Sep 23, 2021 16:43
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Toshimo posted:Other versions of the Tarrasque had things like Earthbinding Aura that grounded fliers, regeneration, and could only be killed by a wish spell. While it was never really supposed to be a challenge directly at players, it fit its intended use (set-piece kaiju attacking cities) just fine.
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Sep 23, 2021 17:39
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i dont have financial means to pick up 5e since well i have never done D&D but after listening to Buckerson and Myers by the WKUK i looked around and found this site e: no which has a loving TON of 3.5e books is that an ok spot to start playing? I rustled up an impromptu game with VERY loose rules mostly just rolling for checks with my friends and we had a blast. I'd like to use these books to actually create a campaign. verbal enema fucked around with this message at 18:19 on Sep 23, 2021 |
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Sep 23, 2021 18:02
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verbal enema posted:i dont have financial means to pick up 5e since well i have never done D&D but after listening to Buckerson and Myers by the WKUK i looked around and found this site if you are looking for a game to play to have fun i can not with good consciousness recommend 3.5e, under any circumstances. if you want loose rules for playing with friends you would be better served with dungeon world i think Somebody fucked around with this message at 18:32 on Sep 23, 2021 |
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Sep 23, 2021 18:15
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verbal enema posted:i dont have financial means to pick up 5e since well i have never done D&D but after listening to Buckerson and Myers by the WKUK i looked around and found this site From what I’ve heard 5e is way more streamlined and 3.5 is not great for beginners. If you want to look at the rules and jump off from there, WotC has made the SRD (5e’s core rules with some classes and stuff) free online Somebody fucked around with this message at 18:32 on Sep 23, 2021 |
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Sep 23, 2021 18:16
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verbal enema posted:i dont have financial means to pick up 5e since well i have never done D&D but after listening to Buckerson and Myers by the WKUK i looked around and found this site:  site and they're for 3.5, this is the 5e thread. There's a free 5e quickstart doc here:https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/basicrules If you're just getting into RPGs but are low on cash swing by the chat thread for some cheap or free suggestions: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3953789 There's more to RPGs than D&D!
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Sep 23, 2021 18:17
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hey thanks i wasnt really sure where to go as this is an area of the forums i have been maybe 2 times before cheers! also ill edit out that link
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Sep 23, 2021 18:19
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verbal enema posted:hey thanks i wasnt really sure where to go as this is an area of the forums i have been maybe 2 times before
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Sep 23, 2021 18:25
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The 5e SRD (the free rules) are more than enough to run a quick campaign to see if folks like it and I'd recommend starting there rather than looking at 3.5, even if all of 3.5 is fully available and only the SRD is available for 5e. This isn't to throw shade on 3.5, it's a fine system, but for beginners, it can be rough. 3.5 is much more mechanically complicated than 5e, which means a greater learning curve but also a lot more customization. If your group isn't all down for a lot of fiddly stuff, and for learning a reasonably complicated system, avoid 3.5. Alternately, if you're afraid that your group won't be happy without a shitload of customization and copious rules for everything, avoid 5e.
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Sep 23, 2021 18:45
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I don't think any version of D&D is "hard", but earlier editions have glaring problems that really grew to be unbearable monsters as they kept addding books. Starting 3.5 with all the books at your fingertips would be a nightmare. Players who really got into it would overwhelm the game, and players who weren't as quick to get into it would 100% feel left behind.
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Sep 23, 2021 19:24
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