TRPG General Chat

12:01 AM

the barbarian lit his cloak on fire to get rid of the shadows, the lion crit failed moving into other shadows and popped out, proceeding to get ripped apart by the barbarian as the rest of the party moved to help the wizard

in this turn they wrecked the two close shades while the wizard counterspelled the wizard shade

and they picked those two apart with malice

Shalvenay

nice

Skyler

as the bird brigade came barelling to the wizard he waited until they were out of range of the wizards counterspelling and let out a storm sphere on the loaded bird

Shalvenay

my personal idea of giant bird form shenanigans is to find a way to get a ranged spell or attack that works while in bird form

Skyler

dropping the rogue, but the paladin came in wrecked all hell thanks to their saving throws

Miniman

@Shalvenay cough Sun Soul Monk cough

Skyler

12:05 AM

yea, since my teams druid is phoenix worshipping (with blood of a phoenix pumping through her veins) i let her one off a firebolt cantrip in a fit of fiery inspiration, but I'm not sure if I should allow that as a general ability

Shalvenay

@Miniman oooh. once I get a SCAG I'll have to look much closer into that

nitsua60

@Shalvenay Is that what you were trying to do in DW? [/gentle tease]

Shalvenay

@nitsua60 eventually, yes

nitsua60

=)

Skyler

you guys think just letting her cast firebolt while wildshaped into a bird-type form is reasonable? He Druid circle options werent that great a fit for her characters flavor as it is

Miniman

12:07 AM

@Shalvenay Not a spell, doesn't require a weapon, it's a class feature so you still have it. Only problem is, it's Dex-based :(

@Skyler I wouldn't, personally.

nitsua60

@Skyler Most important, I think, is the impact to other players.

Personally, I don't care if my PCs trample all over the world. But if one player tramples over another, that starts to get problematic.

Skyler

@nitsua60 I think a land druid is locked to CR1 creatures and never gets higher, so the wildshapes drop off in efficacy really fast dont they (party is level 9 now)

Miniman

@Skyler Yep - if a land druid wants to fly, he should probably cast Fly.

nitsua60

@Skyler right, but presumably the WS has lots of utility in non-combat situations.

Skyler

@Miniman a giant eagle is cr1

Miniman

12:11 AM

@Skyler Ah, right.

nitsua60

If that's now their go-to for combat, then they've probably "surpassed" someone.

Skyler

player handbooks example of a cr1 creature actually

nitsua60

At least, that's what I'd worry about/examine/talk with the players about.

Miniman

Another point to consider is that the Druid class design forces players to make meaningful choices.

So by allowing your player to cast spells while Wild Shaped, you're removing that element.

It's up to you to decide whether that's a good thing or not.

Skyler

mhmm, that was mainly why i was thinking of limiting to that single cantrip, not all spells in general

still too strong though?

LegendaryDude

12:13 AM

@Miniman And makes wild spells redundant.

Or natural spell.

Whichever.

Beast spells.*

Miniman

@Skyler Hmmm. That's a bit different.

I guess my first question would be - if she just wants a basic attack, why not use the eagle's?

LegendaryDude

@Miniman Esp. since giant eagle has multiattack, 1d6+3 and 2d6+3

nitsua60

@Miniman range was specified, IIRC

Miniman

@LegendaryDude Yeah, exactly.

Skyler

she probably could, she kind of just asked cuz of character, this is the second day of dnd this person has played

Miniman

12:18 AM

@nitsua60 So, if a player is looking for resource-free flight + ranged attack, personally, I'm not going to just give that away.

nitsua60

@Miniman no argument from me =)

Skyler

we made a policy of levelling up players so they dont die right away earlier in the campaign

Miniman

@Skyler Good policy :)

Skyler

but this is their first experience in tabletop all together so i dont get the impression of min maxing

Miniman

@nitsua60 I've actually been a player in a similar situation - we found about 100 zombies, so the Druid Wild Shaped into the Giant Eagle and took the Warlock on his back. We got through about 20 rounds of "I Eldritch Blast another zombie" before we fast-forwarded.

It was incredibly dull.

Skyler

12:21 AM

to be fair, when im not DM im probably the closest to min maxing

Shalvenay

@Miniman yeah -- close air support isn't exactly the sexiest job on the planet :P

Skyler

but more like utility min maxing

Miniman

@Shalvenay No, I was a different player, standing off to the side with nothing to do, waiting for the Warlock to kill off all the zombies one Eldritch Blast at a time.

Shalvenay

especially with dumb ol' zombies for the enemy.

@Miniman oh.

ACuriousMind

@Miniman ...I surely hope your GM didn't intend for you to fight 100 zombies in such a dull way

Skyler

12:24 AM

btw guys, do versatile weapons count for great weapon master

Miniman

@ACuriousMind I suspect we were meant to avoid them - much more horror movie than combat encounter.

Shalvenay

@Miniman zombie plinking. :P

Miniman

@Skyler Sorry, I was thinking of Great Weapon Fighting. Great Weapon Master requires a Heavy weapon.

Skyler

he's a warlock, why didnt he just use a boomy spell he could regen after combat

Miniman

Although the cleave effect works with any weapon.

Shalvenay

12:26 AM

@Skyler especially with an aerial platform to deploy it from

ACuriousMind

@Miniman Eh, unless you've set up a horror atmosphere, I'd never expect players to run instead of try and fight

Miniman

@Skyler We were shepherding resources pretty carefully, it was very much an endurance slog.

Shalvenay

ah.

"So this is what the First Gulf War must have been like..."

ACuriousMind

Especially not against something comparatively unthreatening like zombies

Skyler

btw guys, how good would you consider the weakest instrument of the bard, level-wise

Miniman

12:29 AM

@Skyler Which one do you consider the weakest?

Skyler

i guess one of the least rare, let me bring the list up

lets say something like the fochlucan bandore

same question, but for the canaith mandolin as well

Miniman

Ok. And what does "level-wise" mean?

Skyler

what is the lowest level you could give a player one of those and its not really unbalanced

Karelzarath

@Miniman Someone who doesn't spend their levels foolishly.

Miniman

@Karelzarath Nice.

@Skyler 5th, pretty fundamentally.

Since it lets you cast 3rd level spells, it's really unbalanced if a player gets it before the party has access to 3rd-level spells.

But personally, I wouldn't actually give it to the party until 7th level.

Skyler

12:36 AM

i wanted to give a slightly stripped down version of this to my bardarian

maybe remove invisibility and fly, but instead its unbreakable and serves as a d10 heavy weapon,
guitar of power (metal)

Miniman

When 3rd-level spells are the peak of power, giving them something that lets them cast them takes away from the impact. Once 4th level spells are in play, and 3rd level spells are no longer a big deal, an item that lets you cast 3rd level spells is just a slight resource boost.

Skyler

so he's not a high level bard

only a couple of levels

bard dropout basically

Miniman

It's not about his level - it's about the level of your spellcasters.

Skyler

@Miniman great, thats kind of what i was thinking too

just wanted to see if i was emphasizing the important thing

Shalvenay

hey there @daze413

Miniman

12:42 AM

@Skyler It's worth pointing out, the exact opposite argument is also worth thinking about. Magic items are supposed to be a big deal, so giving one that only does stuff they can already do anyway means it doesn't have much impact.

daze413

@Shalvenay heya!

Shalvenay

how're things going?

daze413

@Skyler Make him helicopter headbang the whole duration while casting concentration spells.

nitsua60

@anang btw, you should know that
"The End of the Tour," "She's an Angel," "O, Do Not Forsake Me," "Spiraling Shape," "First Kiss," "New York City," "Women and Men," "They'll Need a Crane," "Dead," "She Was a Hotel Detective (Disco Remix)," "Experimental Film," "Man, It's So Loud in Here," "The Bells Are Ringing," "Birdhouse in Your Soul," "Exquisite Dead Guy," "Mrs. Train," "House at the Top of a Tree," "Sleeping in the Flowers," "Happy Doesn't Have to Have an Ending," and, oh, "Ana Ng"
are all in heavy rotation for bedtime songs in the nitsua-house.

ana ng

what is the nitsua house?

daze413

12:46 AM

@Shalvenay So so. Looking forward to just chilling at home this evening. And tomorrow we play with IRL friends, another totally different group delves into the darkest dungeon

Skyler

I also gave my rogue an immovable rod just to see what he does with it

daze413

@anang Primarily made of sheep bone (mostly skulls) and wool, the nitsua-house is rumored to be haunted. I'll stop there, pick up tomorrow.

ACuriousMind

@Skyler lol, that's on par with "I wonder what this big red button does" ;)

Adeptus

@Shalvenay "Mounting the bird" sounds like a euphemism...

Shalvenay

@ACuriousMind don't you know that big red buttons are reserved for e-stops?

Skyler

12:48 AM

@Adeptus oh god

that came up yesterday

nitsua60

@anang Well, if my name were Smith I'd say "the Smith house" to refer to my home. My name's not "nitsua," but that's as close as most of you'll get. IOW, when I sing bedtime-songs to my kids (like I just did), often one of those ^^ is chosen.

Skyler

the druid (a female) said to the rest of group right after turning into a giant eagle, "alright, who is ready to mount me and do some damage"

ಠ_ಠ

Shalvenay

harhar

ana ng

@Skyler rofl

Skyler

unironically, and then realized why everybody was laughing

Karelzarath

12:52 AM

@nitsua60 Is it... Austin?

nitsua60

@Karelzarath [shhhhh... no one'll ever figure out that code]

daze413

@Skyler If I were to DM this, I'd point out that you can't speak while wild shaped. All you hear is a slightly lewd squawk

2

ACuriousMind

@daze413 ...which would then trigger a lengthy debate about how, exactly, a squawk can be lewd

At least at my tables :P

Karelzarath

It's all about tone.

daze413

an insight check reveals that the eagle is winking

ACuriousMind

12:54 AM

nice

nitsua60

@daze413 passive insight, you mean.

=)

ACuriousMind

Well, maybe the squawk sounded odd so they're actively...investigating the eagle?

daze413

@nitsua60 oh, no no, my players will actively look for hidden double-meanings in all my lady NPCs

Karelzarath

I figure the eagle just looked like this

nitsua60

@daze413 touché.

Shalvenay

12:56 AM

@daze413 it sounds like they need a salty old half-orc (or full-orc, even, in my 'verse) knightess-turned-lawyer to straighten them up

daze413

The ones who fail the insight check becomes 'that guy' in the group who just doesn't get it, and you have to explain it to him.

Karelzarath

@daze413 "Oooooh, I get it! French class!"

nitsua60

(didn't at the time, though)

(and by "the time" I mean "when I saw it on the big screen", not "twenty seconds ago")

trogdor

when did you see what on the big screen?

Karelzarath

At a guess, 1989

nitsua60

1:03 AM

@Karelzarath Yeah, some time around then. Lets see, Rick Moranis was bankable, the boyfriend had a button-down shirt tucked into tight jeans with a popped collar... certainly the right decade =)

(Or was that the daughter? They get a little fuzzy in memory.)

@trogdor the referent of "Oooooh, I get it! French class!"

trogdor

@nitsua60 ooooh

nitsua60

French class!

trogdor

see, I was half expecting you were getting meta and mentioning like, the reference in "The Avengers"

ACuriousMind

@nitsua60 ...you confuse your boyfriend with your daughter in your memories?

Karelzarath

@ACuriousMind Don't be hating on femboys.

trogdor

1:06 AM

@ACuriousMind I think he is talking about characters in a movie

ACuriousMind

@Karelzarath I'm more worried about the incestuous implication there :P

ana ng

@ACuriousMind LOL

Karelzarath

Also, for the curious, here's the scene in question.

nitsua60

@ACuriousMind I'm mixed up. I blame it on this girl being the cute one in French class. (cc:@Karelzarath, cause this joke's making some pretty-big circuits at this point.)

ana ng

@Karelzarath I watched that movie and I do not remember it ending with that ridiculous scene.

daze413

1:07 AM

@nitsua60 Dem eyes though

Karelzarath

@anang Yep. It's a callback to the very beginning of the movie.

nitsua60

@Karelzarath That kid still got the joke years before I did =\

Karelzarath

@nitsua60 In fairness, they did write it out for him.

ACuriousMind

@Karelzarath Ohhh, I fear that movie is a bit too old for my cultural reference frame :)

nitsua60

@Miniman (or other 5e experts) can you sanity-check my rejection of this edit? It seemed to me that the suggester didn't grok the distinction being made between attack and Attack.

ACuriousMind

1:30 AM

I have to ask - why is this room tagged jeff?

7

trogdor

someone was making a joke

one I assume required some context

ACuriousMind

Very good assumption you've got there! :)

Karelzarath

@ACuriousMind I'm kinda surprised you didn't hear. Huh.

trogdor

@ACuriousMind I may have been privy to said context at one point

Adeptus

Dec 1 '16 at 10:35, by doppelgreener

something is weird with my site shortcuts in my browser:

trogdor

1:32 AM

I have seen the tag mentioned before but cannot remember the story I might have heard about it

Adeptus

Dec 1 '16 at 10:36, by doppelgreener

trogdor

@Adeptus ah, yes there we go

memory jogged now

ACuriousMind

@Adeptus Ahaha, I see

Miniman

1:49 AM

@nitsua60 Definitely the right call.

nitsua60

@Miniman thx. I rarely reject, so I just wanted to be sure.

Joel Harmon

@nitsua60 popular ones around here is "Diggy Diggy Hole" from dad and "Bohemian Rhapsody" from mom

nitsua60

@JoelHarmon Yay, Joel! How's your... what're we... about 2 mo. in?

"Waltzing Matilda" was my go-to for infants.

ana ng

"There's continuing ground for serious concern and the situation remains serious. The longer it remains serious, the more ground there is for serious concern." - Defense Secretary Casper Weinberger 1984

Joel Harmon

@nitsua60 Ah, a bit more than that. Suffice to say, time flies.

and everyone around here is healthy, but currently there is growing dissent around the Bottle situation

nitsua60

2:03 AM

(hmm... this is starting to get personal) I'll just wish you luck with that! Glad to hear everyone's healthy. Is day care in your near future, or are one/both of you able to take a long time at home?

Miniman

@nitsua60 I usually reject, so I might be a biased opinion.

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