TRPG General Chat

David Coffron

3:00 PM

@Axoren That's what I just did for our session 0 sample encounter lol (in my new game)

Rubiksmoose

@Axoren That is what I am doing with my superhero adventure :)

SPavel

@KorvinStarmast Humanoid (Elf)

As opposed to Humanoid (Real, actual)

KorvinStarmast

@Axoren Seen it done that way too.

Axoren

Because you get to figure out dynamics ahead of time, you don't end up with people being like "He always looked up to me when we were in the academy" and then realizing the other guy is better than you in every way and he actually doesn't.

Rubiksmoose

Though the system I am using provides some prompts to help generate that story actually\

KorvinStarmast

3:01 PM

@SPavel creature type.

David Coffron

In 5e the creature type is humanoid, elf is a tag

Axoren

@DavidCoffron I'm going to hold off on accepting an answer for the interaction thing

Notify me when you get a response from Jeremy Crawford, if you do

SPavel

@DavidCoffron I've always thought that monsters should be organized like Jira tickets

David Coffron

@Axoren Definitely do and I will lol

Rubiksmoose

@Axoren Usually a good policy in general anyways.

Axoren

3:02 PM

I'd like to give people time to upgrade their answers based on his response.

SPavel

Get some of those labels, tags, acceptance criteria...

story points

David Coffron

I think monsters should be organized by number of proficient skills.

Axoren

In one game I play in, we had a plethora of mages.

And a rogue...

Yuuki

@Axoren I thought a group of mages was called "a fireball of mages"?

Axoren

The Rogue's backstory was that he was a scammer, selling fake potions, snake oil, etc.

SPavel

3:03 PM

@Axoren Did he Bluff his way through magic school?

KorvinStarmast

@SPavel Choose a type of favored enemy: aberrations, beasts, celestials, constructs, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, giants, monstrosities, oozes, plants, or undead. Alternatively, you can select two races of humanoid (such as gnolls and orcs) as favored enemies From the rules.

Axoren

When we did session 0, he saw us sitting at the bar and tried to sell us a fake potion.

SPavel

@Yuuki A subreddit of wizards

Yuuki

"A wizzard of wizards?"

Axoren

We all started rolling arcana

And he realized just how wrong his plans turned out.

SPavel

3:04 PM

@Yuuki A blizzard of wizzards

Axoren

A snuggle of wizards, because robes.

SPavel

Alternatively and horrifyingly, a blizzard of wizzard gizzards

Yuuki

@Axoren I thought you didn't actually play in Session 0?

Axoren

Not every group is the same

David Coffron

@Yuuki I always do sample encounters to give everyone a feel for each others gameplay style (1 combat encounter, 1 skill challenge, and 1 social encounter, although we didn't quite get to the social in this past one, gonna pick it up at the start of session 1)

Axoren

3:06 PM

My groups generally use either cookie cutter starts like "You're all friends of Dr. Moriarty who died at last night's party. That's why you're here at his funeral."

Or they use the "You guys are adults, figure it out."

But I really like the "No backstory until you've played once" the best.

Derpy

@SPavel I somehow remember that many years ago, somehow in the age of the 3rd edition I think, far before Sharknado was a thing one of my friend came up with the spell "Brayorm"

"Summon donkey storm"

Axoren

Is it a storm that rains donkeys? Or is it a donkey that rains?

Derpy

the first one

David Coffron

How does that work?

Derpy

probably Worm's Concrete Donkey weapon was to blame for the idea

Yuuki

3:08 PM

Ooooor is the hail of spells that all summon donkeys?

SPavel

A mule storm maelstrom

Axoren

Yoooo...

Derpy

@DavidCoffron I somehow remember that said spell didn't live beyond the brainstorming phase

David Coffron

@Derpy Is it like Summon Swarm spell but with Donkeys

Axoren

A spell that summons an active stampeed.

Yuuki

3:09 PM

@Axoren Ew.

Axoren

Like a wall spell that produces lines of charging animals in one direction

That would be an interesting AoE spell

Mike Q

Good day my fellow bird observers

David Coffron

@MikeQ Donkeys not birds rn

Helwar

@MikeQ ornithologists?

SPavel

@Axoren There was a spell in 3.5's Spell Compendium called Dinosaur Stampede

Mike Q

3:10 PM

@DavidCoffron Basically the same thing, right?

SPavel

It summoned ghost dinosaurs to trample your enemies

Axoren

@SPavel How would we make a 5e Stampee Wall?

David Coffron

@MikeQ

Axoren

What level would that scale of AoE be?

David Coffron

Axoren

3:11 PM

It would essentially be a 60 ft. by 120 ft. AoE with direction.

Mike Q

@SPavel I checked out Re:Zero as per your recommendation. Good stuff.

Derpy

@Axoren Somehow I could just figure that being a thing in some obscure anime. Just imagine a world where spells are made up by combining runes... I could totally picture some wizzard thinking "I wonder what would happen if I mixed the runes for Creation, Wall and Donkey"

Axoren

And it would have to do some significant damage to warrant using that instead of another AoE spell

@Derpy It's Gate of Babylon, but instead of swords it's horses.

David Coffron

@Axoren Umm... COuldn't you just reflavour wall of fire, what is is thickness?

Axoren

@DavidCoffron Only affects out to 10 ft, by 60 ft.?

I think

Yeah

So it's a 60ft. by 10ft. AoE

David Coffron

3:14 PM

@Axoren If you want it to only last 6 seconds it is basically fire storm, but bludgeoning damage

Axoren

Oh shoot

David Coffron

Beagles feathers are coming in

Axoren

That's not a bad idea

You pick where the Lines of Donkeys start from

And you get X lines

Mike Q

So, were yall folks talking about ways to start campaigns and keep the PCs on the same track?

David Coffron

@Axoren Or base it off of Storm of Vengeance if you want something persistent (but that is a level 9 spell....)

Axoren

3:16 PM

TOO MANY DONKIES

I'd say 1 minute of donkeys, TOPS

David Coffron

Storm of Vengeance is 1 minute...

Axoren

Round 2. Acidic rain falls from the cloud. Each creature and object under the cloud takes 1d6 acid damage.

I assume that would have to be falling donkies

That then stampede on the following rounds

Yuuki

@Axoren Is this why it's called the stampeed?

David Coffron

Round 3: The Spectral Donkeys all glare at 6 enemies of your choice dealing 10d6 phsychic damage on a failed CHarisma save (or half on a successful one)

Axoren

I personally like the idea that on Round 3, that's when you pick lines of stampeding donkeys

Because it's got all that build up up to that point

And everyone's trying to get somewhere safe during the storm

Yuuki

3:19 PM

Round 7: All enemies have to make a CHA save. On failure, enemies make asses out of themselves and are thus polymorphed into donkeys.

SPavel

@MikeQ Indeed

Axoren

And you pick 6 lines worth of donkey Lightning Bolts

David Coffron

@Yuuki (and join the stampede)

Axoren

10d6 strength save for half or be knocked prone and dragged to the end of the line.

Mike Q

@Axoren Ogres have advantage on the save

David Coffron

3:21 PM

^ +1

SPavel

Adding "donkey" to the front of anything makes it sound way more brutal

Donkey lightning bolt

Donkey storm

David Coffron

Donkey Suflet

SPavel

Donkey tax audit

Axoren

Wand of Projectile Donkey Summoning

SPavel

Donkey projectile vomiting

Axoren

3:21 PM

Reskinned Wand of Lightning Bolt

Derpy

Next episode, on the RPG General Chat - How to reflavour Toxic Cloud to Skunks Cloud

(also... what I have started???)

David Coffron

@Derpy Toxic Cloud?

Yuuki

Dragons have disadvantage on all saves against Summon Donkey Storm.

KorvinStarmast

@Axoren Do it like cloudkill.

David Coffron

If you are a paladin with a found steed it becomes a donkey (noble steed) for the duration of Summon Donkey Storm

Yuuki

3:25 PM

Round ∞: As the sun rises, a pile of waffles falls in front of every creature within the range of Summon Donkey Storm.

Axoren

Round ∞+1: You cry deeply, having done this to the world.

KorvinStarmast

@Axoren Change the 20' sphere to a 20/30/40 foot wide wall of stampeding buffalo. Damge to bludgenoning, movement to 3040 ... concentration reduce to 1 min. That's a start.

Mike Q

Note to self: create stat blocks for Sharknado, Sharktopus, and Whalewolf

David Coffron

@Yuuki If you consume the waffles (or beer or cigars or play pool) you become a donkey

@MikeQ Don't forget landshark

Sdjz

How can I say "answers are expected to actually answer the question" in a more friendly way?

David Coffron

3:27 PM

NautArch

@Sdjz "please try and address the specific question when formulating your answer."

David Coffron

8

A: Pre-made comments: A resource-gathering & workshopping thread

Question, answer, and accept all within a short timeframe. (<1hr, often) This often happens with new/inexperienced users. This may discourage later answers from coming along. This may discourage voting, as voters my see diminished utility if their vote isn't helping to inform OP. The comment I ...

goodguy5

oh christ

Mike Q

@DavidCoffron That's been done

Yuuki

What about seahorse?

wait

NautArch

3:28 PM

@DavidCoffron Candygram?

Derpy

who said seapony?

SPavel

Derpy

ah, nope, ye said horse...

David Coffron

WHO'S THAT POKEMON!

Rubiksmoose

@DavidCoffron A Jigglypuff, seen from above.

David Coffron

3:29 PM

They are so creative sea-horse became horse-sea XDDDD

Rubiksmoose

that combined with the word "horsie" I'd imagine.

David Coffron

Then again the Japanese name is from the old name for seahorse which translates to: "illegitimate child of a dragon"

Rubiksmoose

@DavidCoffron hahaha

that is amazing

Sdjz

@NautArch @DavidCoffron This is helpful, thanks!

NautArch

@Sdjz Or "You're wrong, you're wrong, you're wrong - and I'm not gonna talk about it"

David Coffron

3:35 PM

@Rubiksmoose At least that is what Bulbapedia says. Trying to find a reference...

Sdjz

@NautArch I'll try this version next time :)

David Coffron

reddit.com/r/Awwducational/comments/23ha1m/…

Rubiksmoose

@DavidCoffron Tattu is a corruption of 竜 tatsu (dragon), which is part of the common name of a seahorse in Japanese: 竜の落し子 tatsu-no-otoshigo ("illegitimate child of a dragon")

I was about to say that is a darned good memory if you pulled that out of your head.

David Coffron

Nah I cheated

How come Bulbapedia added this symbol?:

Rubiksmoose

where did they add it?

David Coffron

3:39 PM

竜の落とし子

Derpy

@Rubiksmoose fun coincidence - I was just listening to this. See 2:50

Pokémon - "Pokémon Theme" (FULL Opening) | AmaLee (ft. Natewantstobattle)

►

Yuuki

To (kana)

と, in hiragana, or ト in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, each of which represents one mora. Both represent the sound [to], and when written with dakuten represent the sound [do]. In the Ainu language, the katakana ト can be written with a handakuten (which can be entered in a computer as either one character (ト゚) or two combined characters (ト゜) to represent the sound [tu], and is interchangeable with the katakana ツ゚. the long oo in hiragana is not written too とお, とう == Stroke order == The Katakana ト is made from two strokes: A vertical stroke on in the center; A line pointing downwa...

Rubiksmoose

@DavidCoffron you see that in bulbapedia?

interesting that is not how it looks for me.

Derpy

@DavidCoffron to be fair, Magicarp is also based on the old folklore tale that a pond koi can become a dragon when it gets old enough.

David Coffron

bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/…

@Rubiksmoose Under "Japanese | Meaning"

Yuuki

3:42 PM

Feebas is based on the ancient folklore tale of the Rainbow Fish (1992).

Derpy

does the tale also include people cursing the RNG gods while fishing in 200+ random squares of a map?

Rubiksmoose

@DavidCoffron ahhh I see. I'm pretty sure it just comes from the multiple ways that kanji can be written as hiragana. Sometimes they can pull one of the hiragana out if there are multiple ways to prnounce the kanji.

David Coffron

/me nods like I understand (doesn't) xD (I don't know Japanese at all though so it's ok)

Rubiksmoose

In this case it looks like と　was pulled from 落 (which is pronounced おと here).

doppelgreener

タツノオトシゴ/竜の落とし子 has a slash in the middle. It's two different writings. One in katakana, the other kanji & hiragana.

タツノオトシゴ
- 竜の落とし子 , where 竜 = タツ

Rubiksmoose

3:47 PM

jisho.org/search/…

Looks like it is listed as an alternate reading.

:D Putting those Japanese lessons to work lol

the tl;dr is that it is pronounced the same, but just a different way to write it.

Pokemon names can be fun for Japanese learners even. Like in the most recent gen the fire starter is called Nyabi in Japanese which is a portmanteau of Nya (the sound a cat makes) and a modified form of fire (hi -> bi)

Yuuki

Not sure if "homophone" is the right term here.

@Rubiksmoose Ugh, they had so much opportunity with the fire cat starter.

David Coffron

@Yuuki Tell me about it

Yuuki

But no, they had to repeat their fighter theme.

Axoren

タツノオトシゴ means Sea Horse, literally.
竜 means dragon
子 is the character for child, so nouns with it generally refer to a child
落とし is weird, but from what I picked up, it's like falling or something

So... Sea Horse or Fallen Dragon Child?

Rubiksmoose

@Yuuki Yeah not really since they are the same word just written cosmetically differently.

Axoren

3:53 PM

Rather, it would be read as Fallen Son of Dragon or something

Or Dragon's Fallen Son

Rubiksmoose

@Yuuki Yeah I was pretty darned disappointed.

Yuuki

Yes, the final evolution isn't a Fire/Fighting type but you can't look at that design and tell me straight-faced that your first guess wouldn't be Fire/Fighting.

David Coffron

@Axoren I got that, but 落とし and 落し seem functionally equivalent

Rubiksmoose

@Axoren apparently it reads as "illegitimate child" according to Bulbapedia. However, it may be shocking to learn that this is not a term I have been taught in class.

@DavidCoffron Yup they are in every way equivalent. A good example might be the way color can be written as such or as colour.

Axoren

I think it's a pun on otoshigo, otoshiko

Otoshigo --> Sea Horse
Otoshiko --> Illegitimate Child

David Coffron

3:57 PM

Umm... THis apparently means "shut up bastard": だまれこのやろう

doppelgreener

if so, only barely in approximation

japanese doesn't really have swear words

Rubiksmoose

@doppelgreener which is actually quite fascinating.

David Coffron

@doppelgreener Yeah, just read that: japantimes.co.jp/life/2006/09/26/language/…

Rubiksmoose

Most of the most insulting terms are just varieties of ways to say "you"

Yuuki

I always wish that they would make the starter final evolutions have two cycles of weaknesses. Like how the Water starter would be super-effective against the Fire-type but the Fire starter gets a sub-type that's super-effective against the Water's sub-type.

Axoren

3:59 PM

@doppelgreener It's mainly derogatory pronouns and using incorrect honorifics when you want to insult someone, right?

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