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pog boyfriend posted:if your group is willing to do it then go ahead, as always, my advice comes with a caveat of "i have no idea what your group is like and if you think you know more than me about them you are definitely right". generally speaking though, 12 rerolls across a group is a lot as people will likely only pursue rerolls on catastrophic failures as human psychology and the negativity bias is such that people will do everything they can to avoid negative, unknown future consequences. better the devil you know... Thanks! I'd be clear and upfront that the consequences are basically along the same lines as Complications from the Tension system (which I'd introduce first); tie into past decisions/backstories; and are more about giving the players challenges to overcome and isn't about punishing them and in theory if they're paranoid enough and basically are willing to pay certain opportunity costs can basically try to run away from those consequences. As an example, a bandit leader they've double crossed in the past figuring out where they are is a threat/consequence, but also once once they find out its happening can attempt to stay away from by always being on the move; keeping a low profile, wearing disguises and the like. Basically its like giving them more things to do, more content and decisions to make, but in a more directly adversarial way. My basic idea for the campaign is first, I give them a bunch of choices for "starts" that I listed earlier in the thread and figure out which one they like the most; currently the "Sellsword" start seems to have the largest consensus. During "session 0" the tension system will be introduced; and I'll arrange it so its very likely at least 1 minor complication happens which sets off the chain of events leading to the first main story-quest. I decided to shelve my desire at creating like a tabletop roguelike so instead I've dialed/scaled it down significantly to just something like the Undead Curse from Dark Souls as a respawn mechanic and have already tied up a lot of the world's lore around various kinds of immortals running around; by the end of Session 0, they'll basically become UA Revenants: quote:If you are below half your hit point maximum at the start of your turn, you regain 1 hit point. I'll add something that this is faster as long as there's at least 1 party member still standing who can do a little ritual to hasten it so everyone pops back after a long rest at camp. I might flavour it so there's different flavours for different players as to how this transpires; i.e your corpse bursts into flames and the ash falls away to reveal the player character fully healed (and their items unharmed but maybe smoot covered). After that, I'll introduce the slightly revised Hero points that they've now gained as immortals as they've gained the ability to challenge fate; and once a player runs out, the next roll they fail of consequence I'll introduce that they can actually go into negatives. On a unrelated note, I've been prepping and making my own spreadsheet templates: Sample NPC template:  To basically have all the info on one page, scrolling down is pertinent RP information this character might have; and also provides room for additional actions/lair actions/ legendary actions etc. Creatures/Monsters will have just this screenshot, while NPC's have an expanded version.
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Dec 8, 2021 18:18
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I thought the bait and switch in question was like a tone and setting thing. Like, if I was amped for heroic high adventure and made a character with that in mind then session 2 it goes Whoops! All Gothic horror, I'd be pretty put off. And I like Gothic horror. NPCs engaging in skullduggery seems like a completely different sort of thing, and something you should expect at least a little of, and a lot of in a high intrigue campaign. Which, again, is something you should set the table for in advance.
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Dec 8, 2021 18:22
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Sonic Dude posted:Hey everyone, I might be doing a dumb thing, so I wondered if anyone has advice for potentially-dumb me. That's a lot of prep time, so sure. It's all written down for you after all. That said it's a complicated dungeon so use the time well.
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Dec 8, 2021 19:21
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Sonic Dude posted:Hey everyone, I might be doing a dumb thing, so I wondered if anyone has advice for potentially-dumb me. I ran this a couple Halloweens ago and it went well. Here are the things I did to make it go as fast as possible (we did it online so not all may apply): I did the card reading ahead of time and wrote down the clues so I just had to read it out instead of potentially stumbling through it in real time. I did the actual card reading and used those results, but you can pick results you want instead of doing it randomly if a particular outcome appeals to you. I had pages on D&D Beyond opened for every single creature that could possibly show up. Not actually that many, and it made it so I didn't have to fumble for stats. I found battle maps that someone had drawn for the whole castle on DTRPG and prepared the maps on Roll20. I placed line of sight lines - red for walls and blue for doors, which I'd delete as the players opened them. I placed markers for all enemies that were needed; any enemies that were not immediately obvious I placed in unseeable places out of bounds because dragging them over is faster than moving them from the GM layer to the token layer. My players used D&D Beyond for the characters, and we used the official D&D Beyond Avrae bot to automate combat. I rad everything and took notes on some of the more difficult and complex parts - obvious and standard stuff but definitely worth the time. In particular, I focused on traps and the not-immediately hostile NPCs, of which there are a lot. You can probably run it smoothly without the computer tabletop and battle automation but you and your players really, really need to be on the ball. There's absolutely no time to waste - I feel that my players and I are pretty experienced but it felt pretty tight even with all the automation. You probably want to allow for 5 hours - half an hour to get settled in and ready, as well as to do the opening narration and card reading, and half an hour for the final battle.
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Dec 9, 2021 02:35
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Mr. Lobe posted:I thought the bait and switch in question was like a tone and setting thing. Like, if I was amped for heroic high adventure and made a character with that in mind then session 2 it goes Whoops! All Gothic horror, I'd be pretty put off. And I like Gothic horror. The bait and switch in question was that the whole thing had been posted as taking place in "the official D&D setting," which I assumed to mean Forgotten Realms but I asked if it was something else like Greyhawk. DM just kind of insisted we make characters without knowing anything further, and then we get it all dropped on us that it's a homebrew setting with its own complicated system of fantasy racism. I don't want to get involved in that, but more to the point, I don't appreciate the DM expecting us to make characters with no hints to the setting and then rug-pulling it when we finally get something together.
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Dec 9, 2021 04:35
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sebmojo posted:That's a lot of prep time, so sure. It's all written down for you after all. That said it's a complicated dungeon so use the time well. You must prep more efficiently than I do.  BattleMaster posted:Many words That’s awesome information, thank you!
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Dec 9, 2021 04:49
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Never having played DnD before and not knowing anything about it except it had something to do with human sacrifice and devil worship in the '80s, I decided to start a campaign with my 2, 10 year old girls. I got the starter set, some extra dice, a battle mat, and some figurines, (random monster and soldier toys.) It's going pretty good so far. I was able to borrow, the players, and dm handbooks and moster guidebooks from a coworker but the basic rules book and campaign book seem to provide everything I've needed to run 3 sessions so far. Anyway just posting this because yeah.
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Dec 9, 2021 08:42
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I ran a game for my daughter's friends and it was hilarious, find every opportunity for them to befriend animals and give all the monsters names, my daughter decided the bandits in lmop were all named after 19th century philosophers and punctuation
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Dec 9, 2021 09:41
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sebmojo posted:I ran a game for my daughter's friends and it was hilarious, find every opportunity for them to befriend animals and give all the monsters names, my daughter decided the bandits in lmop were all named after 19th century philosophers and punctuation Thanks. Those are some good ideas to up the entertainment value for them.
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Dec 9, 2021 11:39
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Hello, I have a character concept I want to propose to my GM and I want to know if this homebrew race idea would be too powerful. I have a concept of a large-sized Elephantine humanoid with tusks and trunk, where the character could hold an extra 1-handed weapon with the trunk, granting them an extra pointy thing to smack foes with. Would this be overpowered by breaking the action economy or give too much power in melee?
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Dec 9, 2021 16:59
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Two handed fighting consumed your bonus action, so yeah three handed fighting would break the action economy. Ravnica has the Loxodon elephant-people whose trunks can be used for unarmed strikes but can’t hold weapons or shields and don’t give you any extra actions that a two armed person wouldn’t have.
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Dec 9, 2021 17:17
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Nemo posted:Two handed fighting consumed your bonus action, so yeah three handed fighting would break the action economy. But could you dual wield shields for +4 AC and punch people with your unarmed fighting style-enhanced trunk?
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Dec 9, 2021 17:21
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change my name posted:But could you dual wield shields for +4 AC and punch people with your unarmed fighting style-enhanced trunk? Three shield style. Edit: thanks for the responses. I suspected as much. Oh well, the elephant man concept isn't strictly necessary for the core of the character. Might make a sick antagonist though. OPAONI fucked around with this message at 17:42 on Dec 9, 2021 |
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Dec 9, 2021 17:36
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Unarmed strikes can be kicks and headbutts, so I guess you don’t need to be an elephant to strap as many shields onto your body as you want for infinite AC. DMs hate this one weird trick!
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Dec 9, 2021 18:04
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Unfortunately, while you can make an unarmed strike while using a shield, Martial Arts specifies that it can't be used while wearing one. (Additionally, ask your DM if having a shield actually counts as being "unarmed," since by a strict reading you have to be unarmed to make an unarmed strike.)
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Dec 9, 2021 18:11
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Caphi posted:Unfortunately, while you can make an unarmed strike while using a shield, Martial Arts specifies that it can't be used while wearing one. Monks can definitely mix monk weapon attacks and unarmed strikes.
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Dec 9, 2021 18:28
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OPAONI posted:Hello, I have a character concept I want to propose to my GM and I want to know if this homebrew race idea would be too powerful. I have a concept of a large-sized Elephantine humanoid with tusks and trunk, where the character could hold an extra 1-handed weapon with the trunk, granting them an extra pointy thing to smack foes with. Would this be overpowered by breaking the action economy or give too much power in melee? Loxodons seem to be what you're looking for here. I'd start with that as a base, and see what you want to modify. They have Powerful Build and special Trunk rules that allow for Unarmed Attacks, and a note that a DM can allow for further possibilities. If I were DMing I'd have no real problem granting your trunk the ability to wield 1-handed weapons, but that wouldn't mean you'd get an extra attack beyond Two-Weapon Fighting. https://d-n-d5e.fandom.com/wiki/Loxodon
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Dec 9, 2021 20:06
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Kaal posted:Loxodons seem to be what you're looking for here. I'd start with that as a base, and see what you want to modify. They have Powerful Build and special Trunk rules that allow for Unarmed Attacks, and a note that a DM can allow for further possibilities. If I were DMing I'd have no real problem granting your trunk the ability to wield 1-handed weapons, but that wouldn't mean you'd get an extra attack beyond Two-Weapon Fighting. 3 weapons with only 2 attacks is still useful too. If you're the point where you have 3 magical weapons that have conditional abilities you can have all 3 drawn and use whichever one seems best from round to round.
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Dec 9, 2021 22:28
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Kaal posted:Loxodons seem to be what you're looking for here. I'd start with that as a base, and see what you want to modify. They have Powerful Build and special Trunk rules that allow for Unarmed Attacks, and a note that a DM can allow for further possibilities. If I were DMing I'd have no real problem granting your trunk the ability to wield 1-handed weapons, but that wouldn't mean you'd get an extra attack beyond Two-Weapon Fighting. I'm thinking three attacks was the more interesting part than the elephant man.
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Dec 9, 2021 22:54
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Caphi posted:Unfortunately, while you can make an unarmed strike while using a shield, Martial Arts specifies that it can't be used while wearing one. Two quarterstaff strikes plus two unarmed kicks are not a problem for a monk using flurry of blows.
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Dec 10, 2021 00:11
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I'm designing my world/campaign, and I'd like for the players to meet with the BBEG after they take out one of his 4 lieutenants, where he makes them an offer to join his empire and take the place of the dude they killed. I believe the players will likely be nervous/hesitant to want to accept and invitation, but I also don't want to throw combat at them I know they can't win in order to force them into the meeting. Any suggestions as to how I could orchestrate the meeting without railroading the campaign?
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Dec 10, 2021 01:46
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PotatoManJack posted:I'm designing my world/campaign, and I'd like for the players to meet with the BBEG after they take out one of his 4 lieutenants, where he makes them an offer to join his empire and take the place of the dude they killed. I believe the players will likely be nervous/hesitant to want to accept and invitation, but I also don't want to throw combat at them I know they can't win in order to force them into the meeting. Maybe just have an illusion of the BBEG appear before the party? Something where they're visually there but not physically? Is the BBEG a necromancer of some kind? You could have the lieutenant's corpse spring back to life briefly to relay the message to the party, maybe something to show the BBEG can easily toy with someone the party just (presumably) struggled to beat. Blooming Brilliant fucked around with this message at 02:21 on Dec 10, 2021 |
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Dec 10, 2021 01:56
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PotatoManJack posted:I'm designing my world/campaign, and I'd like for the players to meet with the BBEG after they take out one of his 4 lieutenants, where he makes them an offer to join his empire and take the place of the dude they killed. I believe the players will likely be nervous/hesitant to want to accept and invitation, but I also don't want to throw combat at them I know they can't win in order to force them into the meeting. Perhaps he honors his agreement for peaceful discussion when he meets with people? Even if he could theoretical kill people who refuse his deals, if it's known that you can turn down his offers at these negotiations and he'll still let you leave then that's good for him. If that doesn't fit for the character then they can always lie and say they'll accept it while checking his place out and maybe trying to find information during the meeting that they can use later.
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Dec 10, 2021 01:56
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Blooming Brilliant posted:Maybe just have an illusion of the BBEG appear before the party? Something where they're visually there but not physically? yeah, this is perfect, it's both creepy and a significant demonstration of power. I'd be a bit body horror with it if they hosed up the lieutenant beforehand too. Having him be really nice is a good trick, like he genuinely wants them on board.
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Dec 10, 2021 02:12
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sebmojo posted:Having him be really nice is a good trick, like he genuinely wants them on board. in a previous campaign setting, the #1 biggest villain and most threatening character in the world was a close ally of the party because she was always helpful and extremely forthcoming and honest with them. sometimes they would ask her why she is so honest about being an evil overlord -- to which she would say, "i am trying to run the world, and emperors historically do not fare well when they lie to and fight against teams of heroes". if they ever needed help with something they could probably count on her to provide assistance if it wasnt too out of the way, and by the time they were potentially able to stop her, they knew her too well and felt uncomfortable with the idea so they let her have her evil empire and annex surrounding countries. she probably isnt that much worse than the other leaders anyway, and there are other problems in the world to deal with
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Dec 10, 2021 02:24
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imagine dungeons posted:I'm thinking three attacks was the more interesting part than the elephant man. Honestly? It was more the kool-aid-man through walls image in my head than anything else. Trunk fighting was just a neat bonus.
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Dec 10, 2021 02:31
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signing on to the Animate Lieutenant's Corpse idea, that's fun as hell. If they decide to start swinging and break his corpse-phone, well, no more offers of clemency from the BBEG (in fact he should make a point to gently caress with someone the PCs are close to, leaving a note that says 'If you'd just heard out my offer, I wouldn't have felt the need to do this kind of thing, but frankly you were SO RUDE that I couldn't just let it slide").
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Dec 10, 2021 02:35
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Heliotrope posted:Perhaps he honors his agreement for peaceful discussion when he meets with people? Even if he could theoretical kill people who refuse his deals, if it's known that you can turn down his offers at these negotiations and he'll still let you leave then that's good for him. The BBEG is a Behloder who thinks he's the most clever person in the room (and usually is) but this will also get him into trouble. If the meeting does happen, the players would be safe in that he'll hold his end of the bargain, and even offer them a gift (which is kind of a trick) and will let them leave with the ultimatum of join him or you will be considered his enemy. I want all my baddies to be multi-dimensional. Like the Beholder will have his military / security run by a Hobgoblin Warlord. The Warlord is lawful evil in that he runs a draconian regime that delivers harsh punishments, but in doing so keeps the roads safe from bandits and monsters, and there's almost no crime in cities.
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Dec 10, 2021 02:51
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PotatoManJack posted:I'm designing my world/campaign, and I'd like for the players to meet with the BBEG after they take out one of his 4 lieutenants, where he makes them an offer to join his empire and take the place of the dude they killed. I believe the players will likely be nervous/hesitant to want to accept and invitation, but I also don't want to throw combat at them I know they can't win in order to force them into the meeting. Sending spell Dream spell Messenger under a flag of truce Mutual contact passes along a scroll with an unbroken seal
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Dec 10, 2021 09:50
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Talking weasel
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Dec 10, 2021 09:51
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sebmojo posted:Talking weasel this is also the correct answer for anyone feeling unsettled about the idea of adding a romance subplot to a D&D game just have the love interest turn into a talking weasel, bam, problem solved
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Dec 10, 2021 10:37
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DivineCoffeeBinge posted:this is also the correct answer for anyone feeling unsettled about the idea of adding a romance subplot to a D&D game until you proceed to learn things about your players that should have stayed unlearned
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Dec 10, 2021 13:15
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DivineCoffeeBinge posted:this is also the correct answer for anyone feeling unsettled about the idea of adding a romance subplot to a D&D game I'm running the "animal adventures" mini campaign for our group right now to give our DM a break (he has a new baby) and a big part of choosing that specific campaign was so I could just say "this campaign is gonna be G rated" and not have to deal with how horny they get
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Dec 10, 2021 13:18
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PotatoManJack posted:I'm designing my world/campaign, and I'd like for the players to meet with the BBEG after they take out one of his 4 lieutenants, where he makes them an offer to join his empire and take the place of the dude they killed. I believe the players will likely be nervous/hesitant to want to accept and invitation, but I also don't want to throw combat at them I know they can't win in order to force them into the meeting. Do the PCs have allies or powerful patrons? They receive a summons to meet with one of them in their headquarters/palace/whatever. When they show up, the BBEG is there instead and opens with “you are difficult people to arrange a meeting with.” Whatever remains of their patron lies there on the floor during the conversation, and the BBEG dismisses them after the conversation finishes. Maybe with a “you may go now. No doubt there’s somebody you need to alert to my presence.” If the BBEG is an real jerk, have it try to arrange a meeting in a neutral place with a safe conduct promise first. If the PCs refuse, then pull the “corpses of your friends” approach and have it blame them for the killings.
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Dec 11, 2021 02:08
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Narsham posted:Do the PCs have allies or powerful patrons? They receive a summons to meet with one of them in their headquarters/palace/whatever. When they show up, the BBEG is there instead and opens with “you are difficult people to arrange a meeting with.” Whatever remains of their patron lies there on the floor during the conversation, and the BBEG dismisses them after the conversation finishes. Maybe with a “you may go now. No doubt there’s somebody you need to alert to my presence.” I really like this - I want the BBEG to invite them to the meeting under truce. If that doesn't work, I think him murdering someone they know to get the meeting is awesome for setting him up as a tyrant who always wants to get his way.
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Dec 11, 2021 03:15
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Enjoy posted:Sending spell Have them write a very nice and polite letter stating who they are and what they want, then mail it to them. Most settings will have a fantasy post office equivalent, be it messenger birds or a dude on a horse.
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Dec 11, 2021 03:44
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Enjoy posted:Sending spell If he's powerful enough to use a 7th level spell Project Image would be an incredible flex. A perfect copy that can hang out for 24 hours and the caster can see/hear/talk through it. And burning a 7th level spell or scroll to have a chat is p scary.
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Dec 11, 2021 04:00
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OPAONI posted:Honestly? It was more the kool-aid-man through walls image in my head than anything else. Trunk fighting was just a neat bonus. But if you were also a monk, you could be trunk-fu fighting.
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Dec 11, 2021 18:13
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Rubberduke posted:But if you were also a monk, you could be trunk-fu fighting. Surely not everyone was trunk-Fu fighting?!
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Dec 12, 2021 01:01
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Drewjitsu posted:Surely not everyone was trunk-Fu fighting?! 🎶 it had a check to frighten
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Dec 12, 2021 01:03
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