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D&D Direct will be in a tiny bit. VTT should be shown off, along with the future books and Tie in stuff to the Movie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF7j8lyqiNM
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Mar 28, 2023 16:28
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https://twitter.com/TonyDiTerlizzi/status/1640752967719481346/photo/1
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Mar 28, 2023 17:48
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the vtt is giving me huge talespire vibes
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Mar 28, 2023 17:52
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I thought it was a level from baldur's gate 3 at first.
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Mar 28, 2023 19:13
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Nehru the Damaja posted:I swear any time I nearly join a group and get a document about a homebrew world, it's 100% just a proper noun stew. Never a sense of the religions, the ideologies, the economies -- the kind of things that tell me what my character in the world might be. Is it not just assumed that, in these worlds, people worship the typical gods? Toil under feudalism in an agrarian economy? I feel that most D&D character ideas should work for most all homebrew worlds. Proper noun stew is a plague, though, totally agree there. Minimal, selective proper nouns are the way to go. Honestly, almost all detail that I've seen in world documents is extraneous. As an unrequested example, this is the usual extent of information I give to players about a homebrew world and it works out fine: Lost Kingdom of the Underdark posted:The Lost Kingdom once housed the greatest treasure of all-time: a troll's hand which grants any desire at the curl of its finger. Between you and this treasure lies a fabulous journey of golem philosophers, forests where water falls upwards, man-eating halflings, and other wonders which only your deep-elf guide has ever seen. For an aspiring adventurer, this incredible journey seems like a wish come true. Planning anything more than this before player character creation is deleterious to game flow and player creativity imo. I have no interest in constantly checking an almanac of preexisting details about the world whenever the players go somewhere... I just prepare the light details of whatever location they're going next. And I usually just empower my players to define their homelands in session 0. Plus, the DM should be answering any questions about the world at the same time during character creation. Big rear end world documents should be behind-the-scenes and liable to change dramatically at a moment's notice anyway.
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Mar 28, 2023 21:04
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As somebody with a very long homebrew document, I still completely agree with the sentiment. I started with a pantheon based entirely on the Tarot, both because it was fun to think about and also because it was immediately recognizable. My history was a bunch of descriptor names ("the Age of Three Empires", "The Long Siege", etc) rather than proper nouns. And I started my map with the only detail on precisely where the characters started, with other nations and cities being mostly vague and filling in details as I went. That being said it's also important to remember that DMs are not all professional writers; they tend to write in the spare hours of their day and write about what is exciting for them to think about. It would be nice if they thought about the cultural implications of a their homebrew God of Midnight Storms, but I get the impression sometimes the thinking doesn't get that far. The other thing that I tend to do is set up a bunch of potential plot hooks and then see where my players gravitate. "I'd really like to know more about the this god or this country or this people" is a valid concern but a good DM should collaborate with the PCs to build that out. But yeah keep the capital letters to a minimum, I definitely agree with that poo poo.
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Mar 28, 2023 21:12
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That's all well and good, but the reality is that you're probably playing online, you probably started trying to organize your game 2-4 months ago and spent the intervening time cancelling and rescheduling. By the time your actual first session rolls around everyone has already made their character (it's probably one of a dozen they've been waiting for a chance to play), there's no session zero, and as a DM you've got this homebrew world that you've been noodling on and expanding because what the gently caress else are you going to do while you wait for the game to come together? The best you can do is hope to cludge all of the moving pieces together in a way that's at least fun moment to moment for your players and improvise the rest.
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Mar 28, 2023 21:41
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Yusin posted:D&D Direct will be in a tiny bit. VTT should be shown off, along with the future books and Tie in stuff to the Movie. LOL I thought the mincraft DnD spot was about the VTT. Bold artistic direction for a virtual tabletop.
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Mar 28, 2023 21:45
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Full recap for those not interested in the video https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1469-d-d-direct-2023-recap-catch-up-on-the-latest-d-d
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Mar 28, 2023 21:55
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Facebook Aunt posted:LOL I thought the mincraft DnD spot was about the VTT. Bold artistic direction for a virtual tabletop. I did too. The VTT they eventually showed looked really nice. The MTG secret lair has the druid card transform into an owl bear. Yes, I know its in the movie. I just wish they released a new druid subclass as a tie-in. The UA they just dropped seemed kinda bland to me.
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Mar 28, 2023 22:11
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Dienes posted:I did too. The VTT they eventually showed looked really nice. It DID allowyou to transform into an owlbear though! In that you could turn into a featureless mass of putty that could be molded into an owlbear shape via the power of creative description.
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Mar 28, 2023 22:15
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Mendrian posted:As somebody with a very long homebrew document, I still completely agree with the sentiment. I started with a pantheon based entirely on the Tarot, both because it was fun to think about and also because it was immediately recognizable. My history was a bunch of descriptor names ("the Age of Three Empires", "The Long Siege", etc) rather than proper nouns. And I started my map with the only detail on precisely where the characters started, with other nations and cities being mostly vague and filling in details as I went. I also use the descriptor naming scheme (i.e., "Lake of Burning Mice" instead of "Lake Pyromuria" and such) for most things and it's much easier for both players and myself to remember. It's a good system ❤️ (My current campaign's gods are also loosely inspired by Tarot Cards haha) NeurosisHead posted:That's all well and good, but the reality is that you're probably playing online, you probably started trying to organize your game 2-4 months ago and spent the intervening time cancelling and rescheduling. By the time your actual first session rolls around everyone has already made their character (it's probably one of a dozen they've been waiting for a chance to play), there's no session zero, and as a DM you've got this homebrew world that you've been noodling on and expanding because what the gently caress else are you going to do while you wait for the game to come together? The best you can do is hope to cludge all of the moving pieces together in a way that's at least fun moment to moment for your players and improvise the rest. I totally understand why some DMs prep these huge documents from D&D-withdrawal. But if you really want to craft a world on your own, shouldn't you just write a book? Also, related to the mention of scheduling issues, DM's should be heartless and push sessions forward even when someone can't come; consistency is better than accommodation. Best policy is to explicitly tell your players that you'll always play D&D at a scheduled time even if only one player shows up.
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Mar 28, 2023 22:16
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So as PCs tend to do, it looks like they're going to throw my best laid plans in the bin. For background, the players recently killed an Oni who had been acting as a crime-lord / running the city they were in. Up until that point, he had been the main Baddie the party was aware of. After killing him however, they were summoned before the BBEG (Beholder) as the Oni was one of its lieutenants. The Beholder then propositioned the party with becoming the Oni's replacement in running the city, and providing income back to its syndicate ($75k-$100k gold / month is the requirement). He offered them all sorts of gifts (with ties of course) and basically stated it as 'an offer you can't refuse' and gave them 48hrs to consider it. Now, as the party is all different flavours of good, I assumed they would reject the offer once away from the beholder, and he'd then become the main foil to the party for the rest of the campaign. However, as we ended the last session, all the players were talking about how they'd generate the funds, and running the drug trade in the city. This of course, means I find myself in a very strange place as DM, as I may now need to completely shift the campaign from adventures and dungeons and such to now simulating running the seedy side of a city. Any thoughts on the best way to take this forward would be much appreciated, and whether I should try and get them back on track or just run with it.
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Mar 29, 2023 00:26
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HOMOEROTIC JESUS posted:Is it not just assumed that, in these worlds, people worship the typical gods? Toil under feudalism in an agrarian economy? I feel that most D&D character ideas should work for most all homebrew worlds. You're probably right, but I also very much do not get the point of a homebrew world if it's stock fantasy with relabeled mountain ranges.
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Mar 29, 2023 00:30
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The new VTT looks like they paid a team to recreate TaleSpire. I was expecting more, but I guess that confirms how good TaleSpire is. Shame it won't get the support it needed to thrive before the Wizards version is online.
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Mar 29, 2023 00:37
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HOMOEROTIC JESUS posted:I totally understand why some DMs prep these huge documents from D&D-withdrawal. But if you really want to craft a world on your own, shouldn't you just write a book? These are very, very different things that require different skillsets. World design is closer to technical writing than creative writing, among many other things.
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Mar 29, 2023 00:51
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Nehru the Damaja posted:You're probably right, but I also very much do not get the point of a homebrew world if it's stock fantasy with relabeled mountain ranges. Well, the point of a homebrew world is so that you can make poo poo up without worrying about violating anyone else's canon. I have friends that are huge nerds and if you contradict preexisting literary canon from some paperback you've never heard of, it can completely throw them off. I've seen people get apoplectic, even. Like, stupid mad. However, the salient point is that freedom from expectations is freeing for both the DM and her players. Zurai posted:These are very, very different things that require different skillsets. World design is closer to technical writing than creative writing, among many other things. I completely agree. But I don't understand your point. You can make an almanac for the design of your world; people publish those sorts of more technical books all the time. I'll elucidate that my meaning was, in D&D, the truths of the world are uncovered by playing with your friends. Even for the GM. If you're designing the entire world as a solo activity, you'd be better off writing a book.* *in my opinion
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Mar 29, 2023 02:20
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HOMOEROTIC JESUS posted:I totally understand why some DMs prep these huge documents from D&D-withdrawal. But if you really want to craft a world on your own, shouldn't you just write a book? Also, related to the mention of scheduling issues, DM's should be heartless and push sessions forward even when someone can't come; consistency is better than accommodation. Best policy is to explicitly tell your players that you'll always play D&D at a scheduled time even if only one player shows up. You should write a book if you want to write a book. It's hard and it's thankless and self publishing is a nightmare, no one sane wants to do that. And yes, having friends and maintaining interpersonal relationships as an adult IS hard, but you're not going to do it if you're not willing to compromise on the individual needs of the people you're dealing with.
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Mar 29, 2023 03:36
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Yusin posted:D&D Direct will be in a tiny bit. VTT should be shown off, along with the future books and Tie in stuff to the Movie. This took about two minutes to get more cringey and weird than a Nintendo Direct
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Mar 29, 2023 03:41
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This rules big time, they could screw up everything about planescape but if we get more DiTerlizzi art out of it it's a net good in the world
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Mar 29, 2023 03:43
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HOMOEROTIC JESUS posted:Well, the point of a homebrew world is so that you can make poo poo up without worrying about violating anyone else's canon. I have friends that are huge nerds and if you contradict preexisting literary canon from some paperback you've never heard of, it can completely throw them off. I've seen people get apoplectic, even. Like, stupid mad. However, the salient point is that freedom from expectations is freeing for both the DM and her players. Ahh, brings back memories of my long-time group's Warhammer Fantasy campaigns played over multiple decades and systems. At least 60% of all session time spent on either nerding about fluff accuracy or arguing about realistic depiction of medieval existence. Good times.
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Mar 29, 2023 09:00
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Hra Mormo posted:Ahh, brings back memories of my long-time group's Warhammer Fantasy campaigns played over multiple decades and systems. At least 60% of all session time spent on either nerding about fluff accuracy or arguing about realistic depiction of medieval existence. Warhammer Fantasy/40k was exactly what I was thinking of, what is it about their lore that makes it so sacrosanct to fans 
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Mar 29, 2023 13:13
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Asterite34 posted:It DID allowyou to transform into an owlbear though! In that you could turn into a featureless mass of putty that could be molded into an owlbear shape via the power of creative description. So much of the fun of the Moon druid was figuring out how to take advantage of different abilities the different beasts had. Especially when it was a weird niche where the 'best' option at that CR was eclipsed by an ability that you needed on a different critter. Just make a handful of stat blocks for different iconic beast-like critters (if they don't want us using the extant ones) and say that Moon druids can pick from those forms as well, like with subclasses/feats that expand your spell list options.
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Mar 29, 2023 13:27
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Mr. Lobe posted:This rules big time, they could screw up everything about planescape but if we get more DiTerlizzi art out of it it's a net good in the world Agreed. Now if they could only bring back Dark Sun with both DiTerlizzi and Brom art. Dienes posted:So much of the fun of the Moon druid was figuring out how to take advantage of different abilities the different beasts had. Especially when it was a weird niche where the 'best' option at that CR was eclipsed by an ability that you needed on a different critter. I prefer the generic statblock that scales with level for the same reasons I prefer the Tasha's summon spells: it's more balanced with level, easier to manage, and doesn't require as much system mastery on the part of the player. HOMOEROTIC JESUS posted:Well, the point of a homebrew world is so that you can make poo poo up without worrying about violating anyone else's canon. This is a good point, but groups should also really internalize the whole "take ownership of the setting and make it your own thing" that every setting book and boxed set has stated in its introduction. My group has been playing in FR for literally decades, and we have contradicted a lot of "canon" along the way, but we've also developed our own interconnected histories within that setting and have our own timeline of adventures and cast of NPCs and former PCs.
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Mar 29, 2023 19:25
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PeterWeller posted:Agreed. Now if they could only bring back Dark Sun with both DiTerlizzi and Brom art. I need some Baxa in the mix for maximum authenticity.
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Mar 29, 2023 19:29
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imagine dungeons posted:I need some Baxa in the mix for maximum authenticity. Good call. Interior art by Baxa.
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Mar 29, 2023 19:34
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PeterWeller posted:This is a good point, but groups should also really internalize the whole "take ownership of the setting and make it your own thing" that every setting book and boxed set has stated in its introduction. My group has been playing in FR for literally decades, and we have contradicted a lot of "canon" along the way, but we've also developed our own interconnected histories within that setting and have our own timeline of adventures and cast of NPCs and former PCs. Totally agreed! I'm glad that has worked for your group.
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Mar 29, 2023 19:44
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Nerds love inviolate canon because it lets them nitpick and exploit external knowledge.
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Mar 29, 2023 19:46
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goatface posted:Nerds love inviolate canon because it lets them nitpick and exploit external knowledge. canon matters more for D&D than it does for say the MCU because it's an important part of setting a shared basis and understanding of the setting for everyone playing the game (and therefore creating fiction) together. it's hard to imagine in 5e's case but there have been big problems in a lot of tabletop rpgs with fast-moving canon plots (called metaplots) where like a new book lands and someone at the table wants to use it but it literally makes someone else's character impossible (because magically all characters of those types are dead now or some poo poo like that). make canon work for you and your party, but HAVING a canon to start the game off with is important. e: and this is why poo poo like waterdeep: dragon heist fuckin sucked because they blew holes in canon and understanding the setting without actually telling anyone they'd hosed the shared setting.
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Mar 29, 2023 19:55
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Arivia posted:e: and this is why poo poo like waterdeep: dragon heist fuckin sucked because they blew holes in canon and understanding the setting without actually telling anyone they'd hosed the shared setting. What'd they do
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Mar 29, 2023 20:59
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goatface posted:Nerds love inviolate canon because it lets them nitpick and exploit external knowledge. Well that and a lot of nerds are really big into sorting and categorizing bits of information. Basically a lot of people are more invested in published campaign settings as a thing to play in and more as a thing to write a wiki about...
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Mar 29, 2023 22:29
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I'm grateful nobody I play with knows or cares much about forgotten realms so I can steal bits when I'm lazy and otherwise ignore any notion of canon.
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Mar 29, 2023 22:53
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I genuinely cannot imagine giving a poo poo about Forgotten Realms story canon. It's nice when you need a generic vaguely Northern European / Tolkein-derivative setting that won't get in the way but lmao at giving a poo poo about what happens in the tie in novels they shovel out.
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Mar 29, 2023 22:56
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Last story beat of FG was shadowfell or something like that, right?
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Mar 29, 2023 23:01
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Base Emitter posted:I'm grateful nobody I play with knows or cares much about forgotten realms so I can steal bits when I'm lazy and otherwise ignore any notion of canon. Honestly I've never found FR to be particularly good for mining content from. I think it's mostly because the sort of stuff I typically want to steal from published settings are mapped out adventure locations/dungeons which seem to be the thing most of the major FR products I've come across are weirdly stingy on? Which is weird because one of its big, trademark things is the Undermountain mega dungeon but even if you look at the original box set for that a decent percentage of the map isn't actually keyed out, with the expectation that DMs will fill out the empty rooms themselves. Maybe it's just the products I've encountered, but it feels like the setting is way more focused on mapping out towns and DMPCs and long, boring histories than in actually presenting ready-to-use adventure locations?
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Mar 29, 2023 23:02
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KingKalamari posted:Honestly I've never found FR to be particularly good for mining content from. I think it's mostly because the sort of stuff I typically want to steal from published settings are mapped out adventure locations/dungeons which seem to be the thing most of the major FR products I've come across are weirdly stingy on? Which is weird because one of its big, trademark things is the Undermountain mega dungeon but even if you look at the original box set for that a decent percentage of the map isn't actually keyed out, with the expectation that DMs will fill out the empty rooms themselves. 99% of what I repurpose is maps, locations, and names. What happens there or how I describe the location bears little resemblance to whats in any official product. Filling out empty rooms just means I didn't have to ignore what was "supposed" to be there. Different strokes I guess.
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Mar 29, 2023 23:14
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Base Emitter posted:99% of what I repurpose is maps, locations, and names. What happens there or how I describe the location bears little resemblance to whats in any official product. Filling out empty rooms just means I didn't have to ignore what was "supposed" to be there. Different strokes I guess. Fair enough, and I think I've definitely done that at least with some of the 5e FR products though I find these days there's so many generic maps and name generators on the internet that it makes a lot of the official material less enticing to steal from. But, as you said: Different strokes.
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Mar 29, 2023 23:22
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I borrow the general idea of some regions and basically convert the adventure modules to my setting via filing off the serial numbers basically and adjusting things to fit my setting's lore if need be. I vaguely care about some aspects of Forgotten Realm's Lore but only basically the novels that touch anything to do with Drow as it has a special place in my heart; especially Homeland. But Dragonlance is the inviolate setting for me, and my setting basically exists because I wanted sequels to the Draconian books and the setting is basically in homage to Dragonlance; and if MW and TH weren't going to make more then *puts on writing glove* "Fine, I'll do it myself!"
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Mar 30, 2023 01:14
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Yeah, all of this is why I just homebrew. My goblins and my manifest zones all work like this and not like that because i am the goddamn dm. Unrelated, i have a second group currently going through a mine, and just realized that the two wooden chairs randomly sitting in the middle of the cart tracks were actually mimics in disguise. Can't wait to drop this on them. 
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Mar 30, 2023 02:48
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I'm gonna do a room where everything is a mimic but they each only reveal themselves when interacted with. Mimic table, mimic rug, mimic writing quill that bites their hand, mimic inkwell that shoots ink like a squid, etc. I'm curious how many combats it'll take before they slowly back out of the room carefully not touching anything (the door is also a mimic it was playing possum until they tried to leave).
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Mar 30, 2023 03:31
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