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00:00 - 08:0009:00 - 00:00

9:31 AM
AUGH.
I updated Chrome and it lost half my settings.
 
Sounds like fun
 
I can't even remember what I did to make cmd+w close a tab instead of a window.
 
XD
 
Restarting computer.
(moving to tablet, so will be on non-SE chats)
 
There's no way to alter hotkeys from what I can tell, but my chrome closes tabs with ctrl-w
And according to the Google Chrome hotkeys list ctrl-w closes "current tab or pop-up"
Were you in a popup window @BESW?
 
10:20 AM
I was not.
Apparently Chrome have a tendency to muck up the keyboard shortcuts.
I couldn't cmd-Q either.
So I restarted the whole computer--ran my maintenances while I was at it--and it's working fine now.
 
Aah
 
10:46 AM
Blargle
Does anyone know of some free online software that allows you to add labels to an image?
bits of text and the like
I mean, I can edit the image and then upload it to imgur, but I'd prefer not to have to do that continually.
 
11:12 AM
 
means nothing to me. No sound and not watching videos :P
 
@BESW that was lovely to watch
@Mourdos i'm not sure it was a reply to your request for assistance :)
 
Probably not.
 
 
2 hours later…
12:56 PM
Hm. Does someone remember - do you apply negative DEX score to AC while in Heavy armor (5-th edition)?
Or you always have 16 AC, disregarding your natural dexteritifulness?
 
@DMNailz Negative mods don't apply in hevy armour
they do in medium or light, but not heavy
 
@Miniman Thanks. :) Couldn't locate the passage in the rules
 
@DMNailz Np. For reference, it's the fist thing in the 'heavy armour' section
pg 45 of Player's Basic, or 145 of PHB
 
1:37 PM
@BESW i just remembered there is something that better (roughly) captures this for me, in a movie from 2005, Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children
it's in a fight near the end of the movie between the hero, Cloud, who not many years prior stopped an existential threat from wiping out life on the planet, and Sephiroth, the man who was bringing about the very same threat -- and then became it and was defeated.
(I will leave determining which one is the villain in this exchange to the reader)
In the English translation, it goes: "Tell me what you cherish most. Give me the pleasure of taking it away?" / "You just don't get it, do you. There is nothing I don't cherish!"
mind you this guy's speaking in extremes, being a guy who deals with the world on the level of saving every living thing from utter destruction and making an awful lot of friends along the way
 
 
5 hours later…
6:30 PM
Aw. I was just invited to play one of those D&D PBC games. I said no. And when one of my games will close, I'll go there and everybody and his grandma will be high level and already ingrained in the social atmosphere.
 
6:50 PM
o/ BESW
 
@doppelgreener Did your friend order a server yet? If not, they just emailed me about a 50% off for life promo.
 
7:10 PM
o/ as well Pixie -- how's it going?
 
@Shalvenay Hey! Alright. Just chilling a while before I have to back to the toy store for my Black Friday shift.
 
aaah
 
How are you?
 
muttering things about the football game and also still pondering my issues with RP...
well, in the one MMO that I have issues in that is
also pondering if I should teach my family D&D as revenge for them making me learn the family card game
I'd have to pick up a PHB and a set of dice though
(I'd need a physical piece of paper to pass around I think)
 
Yeah, probably.
WotC doesn't even sell 3.5 PDFs anymore, does it? Kinda kicking myself for not buying before because I pretty much solely use PDFs. I doubt I have any great need of them, though, since I play so little. Just handy to have.
 
7:27 PM
yeah -- I'd be using 5e anyway b/c I haven't ever touched 3.x
and AD&D/2e would be a bit too harsh on folks I reckon
 
5e is basically 3.5 but better, anyways.
 
haha xD
 
3.5 just came to mind because that's what I've played and I just read the other day that PDFs weren't available. Which has been the case for years, I guess... shows you how often I think about it. :v
 
heh
what does the PHB define for monsters, anyway?
 
They cut distribution due to piracy which included disabling downloads for people who had already bought them through DriveThruRPG.
 
7:36 PM
nods does the 5e PHB provide some example monsters, or are they all in the MM?
 
8:10 PM
/me pokes @Pixie
also, semi-silly question: is the 5e PHB in full distribution yet?
 
8:58 PM
The PHB has a few creatures in it, IIRC. Mostly animals for the ranger animal companion, though.
If you need monsters without he MM, though, you can always download the basic DM guide, which has the animals, plus NPC stat blocks and a fair few monsters.
 
9:15 PM
Also, is there a SE for computer building advice?
 
@Pixie DnD Classics
(Or so they say.)
Whoa, major savings today.
 
10:13 PM
@Lord_Gareth This question may be relephant to some challenges we'll face in The Projekt.
 
@BESW Thank you
@AgentPaper Them's fightin' words
 
My answer's a bit rambly, but so's the question.
 
If we're going to compare two systems that are both horrible, wretched instruments of torture, I'll take the one with years of added content
 
I think they're both legit.
 
10:17 PM
Which I can also actually play for free, given that 5e's starter has different math & definitions
 
Hey, let's tone down the vitriol or take it to someplace like the NAB.
 
(And now, AFK)
 
10:40 PM
Found Dr. Dinosaur at the local playground. http://t.co/NyC6nlTuU3
 
@BESW Would you say the New Pathfinder Players question is opinion-based? If not, what would you show someone who was saying it is?
 
It is absolutely an opinion-based question that should have experience-based answers.
 
Sorry, yes, I meant "too opinion-based, not a good fit for the site" flag reason
 
I don't think so. It's edgy, but I think it's useful enough and answerable enough to ignore how close to the edge it is.
This kid has some deep insight into the karma of books and I would like to subscribe to her newsletter https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGHeh6OPhg4 WE NEED BOOKS
 
The problem with out is that it not only depends on the kind of game you are running, but the mindset of the players
 
10:52 PM
> Note that I am speaking in terms of Pathfinder's mechanics; I can teach players how to roleplay just fine and the social end of the affair is entirely handled.
This reads to me like he's looking for stuff like "Clarify ability checks, skill checks, saving throws and the various types of attack rolls."
 
@Metool Indeed, among other things
 
So, the rules. Maybe ignore CMB/D
I'm reminded of the interactive intro to DND that wizards had
On their site
 
Also important, maybe more important, is value judgments on systems & subsystems like, say, spellcasting or archetypes
Which are common but complex
I have this problem where I assume everyone else can learn complicated crap at a glance the way I do.
So I'm outsourcing my judgment call to others
 
Why even involve optional variants the first time?
 
If this were a 3.5 question, I'd answer it with the canned "Welcome to D&D, here's what you need to know" talk I honed over the years.
 
10:56 PM
@Mourdos For the same reason I'd teach ACFs to new players in 3.5
ACFs are an essential method of bringing your concept to life. never too early to use them.
 
@BESW Can you give that so we can adjust it a bit?
 
But I'm less familiar with PF
I don't know, for instance, how "essential" traits are
I don't know how "essential" archetypes are
 
@Metool It's a lot less... crunchy... than LG is looking for.
 
Ah, yes, hm...
 
Then let them pick em based on concept. They will learn what is mechanically important over time
 
10:57 PM
@Mourdos I need faster than over time. Also learning system mastery the hard way is painful.
[Been there, done that, has the scars on his soul]
 
I started with "most of the time you're rolling 1d20+bonuses representing your character's skill at the task, compared to a number I set that says how hard the task is," and went from there.
 
Archetypes are vital for tweeking the class to your play style, but you need the know what they actually change.
So you need to know how the abilities they replace shape the class
Especially since some archetypes do practically nothing, others (see Zen Archer) turn the class on its head.
 
I'm still not sure whether you're asking about character creation mechanics or character play mechanics, or both. Let's ask this to find out: If you were using premade characters, would that change the answers you're looking for? — BESW 54 secs ago
 
> Yes, it would. I'm confident in my ability to teach the use of basic mechanics like saving throws or attack rolls; looking to teach my players the mechanics that let them customize their characters.
 
Ah yes. Avoid rogues.
 
11:03 PM
@Lord_Gareth I'm not seeing that focus in your question yet.
 
@BESW How might I create it?
 
Talk about chargen?
At the moment, an answer saying "It's really important that they understand how Craft works, and make sure they know about distance penalties to Perception" would be scoped well.
But those aren't really things you need to know during chargen, eh?
 
True. Not sure how to phrase/add/edit...hrm
 
> What I need to know is: what parts of Pathfinder are most important to teach these players before they build their characters ?
> Note that I am speaking in terms of Pathfinder's character mechanics; that is, I'm seeking to know what mechanics might be considered uniquely Pathfinder and essential, rather than optional, to the experience of making Pathfinder characters.
and so forth.
 
That doesn't quite seem to be it. I mean, once the characters get made they've gotta get used, yes?
The idea is to end up taking your concept and getting a functional set of mechanics that support it
 
11:08 PM
Right, so by framing it around chargen, you should get answers that tell you what play mechanics are important to know for chargen?
 
@Metool - Does that make sense for you?
 
This is the old "Tell us what problem you want to solve, and let us figure out how to solve it, instead of telling us what solution you want" dilemma.
In honor of Black Friday, I have put nothing on sale because I don't know how those buttons work. But hey, ebooks! http://www.tkingfisher.com
...and I'm now caught up with my Twitter feed. (The Force Awakens trailer absolutely flooded my feeds.)
 
@BESW Meaning?
 
@Lord_Gareth You're trying to tailor the question so you get the kind of answer you think you need, rather than giving us the full problem and trusting we'll be able to figure out the best sort of answer.
 
@BESW That would be because I'm trying, deliberately, to avoid getting "the mechanics aren't important, do this" answers.
Because not only could I do that with any system, since ignoring one set of mechanics is the same as ignoring another.
But I'm pretty sure I'd lose all semblance of a temper
 
11:14 PM
That's the frame of the question, though--"I have a problem with mechanics." "Ignore mechanics" is a poor answer to that problem.
However, withholding the fact that you're asking about character generation specifically, because you think good answers will include non-chargen-specific content, IS trying to force the answers into unnecessarily specific shapes.
If good answers for a chargen question should include play mechanics, then you shouldn't need to manipulate them into doing so.
 
Edits made
 
Much better.
 
On a completely separate note, do you think that if I offered a bounty for this question rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/51346/… it would get done better answers, out are we as close as we are going to get?
 
It's a 3.5 question. A bounty will get more answers, for sure.
 
Better being the key word
 
11:18 PM
That I cannot say.
 
@Mourdos Joer's answer is entirely correct and is as good as you're gonna get.
 
My favourite part is that Jacob James didn't know
 
At no point are general rules defined for the interaction of positive energy with non-undead creatures.
 
If positive energy works on constructs
 
Which is in a lot of ways a good thing since positive energy damage exists.
However, notably, positive energy has traits in its fluff that implies an ability to repair and enhance non-living objects and creatures.
 
11:20 PM
It just has a tendency to improve you into oblivion, given the chance.
 
That is, positive energy informs and enhances fundamental traits of various kinds of matter.
 
Did you see the JJ quote in comments?
 
@Mourdos I did. Jacobs isn't a rule guy, though.
Here's the thing about positive energy
Positive energy informs light, life, movement, animation, vibrancy, and clarity
Wind blows but positive energy makes it sing and howl
Fire burns but positive energy makes it dance and glow
 
I have to agree that Joer has the best answer
 
Positive energy isn't always safe to use (you absorb too much and explode) so it doesn't surprise me that many of its applications are tailored to the living
Since simply dumping it at something without refining and restraining it causes aslplode
It is equally unsurprising that an advanced form of magic like heal is less restricted, since it's by definition cast by someone more skilled
 
11:23 PM
Although, constructs don't explode on the positive energy plane, as far as I recall
 
There is nothing that doesn't explode on the PEP
Even Big T explodes.
he just reforms later
 
The question came up because a third party spell system (with one augmentable healing spell) specified target creature.
 
Technically even the natives explode because some fool (coughWotCcough) forgot to define them as immune to the plane's power
3
 
And the player wanted to use that instead of the more costly object repairing spell
 
11:25 PM
@Mourdos It'd work by RAW and has backing in the fluff.
 
@Mourdos The DMG language is "creature."
 
Backing in the fluff surprises me, I'll have to read up on that
 
@Mourdos One nifty example from back in 3.5 is a positive energy monster that can animate objects by infusing them with positive energy
Literally dumping raw life in them
 
....I forgot about that guy! I loved the fluff, but he was impossible to run; too many fiddly bits to track in his minions.
I should add him to my "D&D stuff that works better in Fate" list.
 
@Mourdos Positive energy is one of my pet interests.
 
11:33 PM
[scribbles notes]
This has potential for my Weird Stuff campaign (which really needs a better name...).
 
?
@Mourdos In any event even if there wasn't fluff backing, you asked for the RAW and you have been given it. The RAW is a dark and terrible power and cares not for mortal concerns like 'sense' or 'consistency'
 
> This is a modern world where Weird Stuff (magic and science alike) lurks in the shadows. The average Joe on the street thinks the world is mundane, but most governments (and some private entities) have divisions which know differently. It’s in everyone’s interests to keep the circle of knowledge small, and the resultant “veil” means even Weird groups are generally ignorant of each other.
 
Coool
 
Trogdor is playing a human radiobiologist who turned himself half-plant, and Greener is playing an oak tree who the scientist turned half-human (and she's now studying xenosociology).
Our boss is modelled after Amanda Waller, Mrs. Frederick, and Mallory Archer.
Anyway, the PEP can easily be woven into that campaign for great effect, especially considering Trogdor's character is totally obsessed with the effects of radiant energy on life.
 
11:54 PM
@Lord_Gareth What comes to mind when someone says "Negative Material Plane"?
 
Reminds me of Overwatch.
 
@Metool "What an odd way to talk about the Plane of Shadow."
 
Sounds like a hyper-intelligent glasses-wearing gorilla scientist from the moon would fit right in.
 
@Metool The Land of Cynical Standup Comedy.
 
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