TRPG General Chat

AncientSwordRage

01:08

Y'all making me hungry

Hot RPG Questions

7

Q: How do you determine a dragon's gender?

How do you determine the gender of a dragon, without resorting to asking them? A number of published D&D adventures have dragons in them that are clearly identified as male or female. However, there is no information on how people know the gender of a dragon. I'm asking about the Forgotten Realms...

Bardic Wizard

01:34

@HotRPGQuestions we were just talking about this question earlier! (Who wants to bet now it’s an HNQ it’s gonna get some transphobic troll coming in and being a jerk?)

Hot RPG Questions

4

Q: How does the Flames of Phlegethos racial feat interact with the sorcerer's Metamagic option Empowered Spell?

If I have both the Flames of Phlegethos feat and the sorcerer's Metamagic option Empowered Spell, can I re-roll the same die twice? The description of the second benefit of the Flames of Phlegethos tiefling racial feat says (XGtE, p. 74): When you roll fire damage for a spell you cast, you can r...

dnd-5e feats sorcerer metamagic

BESW

@BardicWizard We've got a pretty good history of kicking out the obvious HNQ creepiness. It's the "just asking questions" strategy that we sometimes let go too far.

Bardic Wizard

@BESW fair

KorvinStarmast

02:14

@BardicWizard we have tools to deal with that, like delete votes and flags. And we use them, because moderation is a community effort. Be not afraid. 😎

3

Hot RPG Questions

02:29

6

Q: Does my character know he's ill while incubating a disease?

My character was bitten by a Dire Rat and through accidental meta-gaming reasons, I know he's incubating Filth Fever. I want to ask the Paladin in our party to remove it before it can affect my stats, however, I don't really know if my character would know he's ill before the stat damage occurs. ...

dnd-3.5e metagaming disease

4

Q: What happens if a kalashtar eats a dream pastry?

According to Eberron: Rising from the Last War: Kalashtar sleep, but they don't connect to the plane of dreams as other creatures do. Instead, their minds draw from the memories of their otherworldly spirit while they sleep. As such, you are immune to spells and other magical effects that requir...

dnd-5e eberron curse-of-strahd

Bardic Wizard

04:28

My mantra today is apparently “there’s always homebrew”

A friend and I are discussing d&d character concepts

Bardic Wizard

04:43

Anyone got any opinions on the unofficial blood hunter class, especially order of the lycan?

This friend wants to do a shapeshifter where shifting has a cost that’s more severe than a limit in uses, so we’re thinking order of the lycan blood hunter but with the once per rest limit on shifting replaced by “every time after the first in a day you use this feature, gain a level of exhaustion”

How balanced would this be?

BESW

05:58

This answer is self-admitted pure unsupported speculation.

doppelgreener

09:16

@AncientSwordRage apology yes, "just" no.

i don't know how to convey that a company that has fully enabled a pervasive culture of LGBT-phobias under its watch through action and inaction and tacit endorsement for the better part of ten years needs to do a bit more than say "oops, we're sorry about that."

The turnaround to protect trans people from misgendering last year was the start of resolving that. The outpouring of hate we saw in main meta last year was the side effect of the culture they cultivated, not an individual isolated event unrelated to any other.

if some of this is the stuff you've missed, then, this is it

AncientSwordRage

@doppelgreener possibly

When I say 'just' I didn't see any evidence of them actively changing that toxic culture

besides some parts of the new CoC

doppelgreener

yeah, we need a lot more than an apology, we need stack exchange to do consistent work to change the culture they're in charge of

Sorry, that original message from me might've been unnecessarily snarky. I've got trauma wrapped up in this, and so do many other LGBT people present in the community or who never want to come back because of what they experienced.

AncientSwordRage

@doppelgreener that's how I read your message, with the baggage from SO not any other malice/snark

KorvinStarmast

12:02

@NautArch The physics emulation question isn't just a dupe, I was tempted to VtC for opinion based as well ...

NautArch

@KorvinStarmast Yeah, i could ssee that, too. But i'm feeling confident that it's a dupe, too.

KorvinStarmast

@BardicWizard My take on BH is "too many fiddly bits" but I do enjoy using the NPC version as a monster/bad guy.

NautArch

@BardicWizard I was briefly in a group with someone who was playing one and it was underwhelming. And the whole self-harm thing is weird.

Thomas Markov

@BardicWizard The friend wants it to have a cost? Cuz there's nothing wrong with the changeling as written.

Hot RPG Questions

2

Q: Is the Wield Oversized Weapon epic feat as bad as it looks?

Wield Oversized Weapon [Epic] is on pg 153 of Complete Warrior. Compared to Monkey Grip on pg 103 (shown below WOW), it looks like all you get for 25 STR and 21 BAB is +2 to hit and the ability to use large double weapons or large weapons in offhand. Is this for real, or am I missing something he...

dnd-3.5e feats

NautArch

12:13

@BardicWizard What do you mean by shapeshifting?

Hot RPG Questions

12:39

3

Q: "Dee-twenty" and "die-twenty" pronunciations

(I asked this question recently on reddit, and got a mixed assortment of not-quite answers.) Most gamers pronounce, e.g., 'd20' as "dee-twenty", or '3d6' as "three dee-six". But a certain contingent of (mainly older) gamers pronounce them "die-twenty" and "three die-six", respectively. Does anyon...

dice terminology

Thomas Markov

12:49

Not gonna lie, "three-die-six" makes me cringe for some reason.

See, it hurts me so much I wrote "dee" instead of "die" trying to explain it.

NautArch

pronunciation questions are weird

Thomas Markov

Question for meta: "How do you pronounce NautArch? Cite your sources."

NautArch

Not.

Thomas Markov

The Arch is silent?

NautArch

yep

i'm just not.

:P

Rubiksmoose

12:57

Obviously it is pronounced Nawt-arqwehcb [guttural throat noises]

vicky_molokh- unsilence Monica

Just use IPA. It's got a symbol for each of those noises!

Rubiksmoose

Thought about it, then weighed the effort that would take against the quality of the "joke" and just went for it lol

Bardic Wizard

@NautArch werewolf-like shifting, basically it’s a curse that gives multiple forms to shift into and there’s minor effects over the short term but if it’s used too much, a couple days later it’s serious and could kill/harm them.

BESW

What change to the table experience are you looking to make?

Bardic Wizard

@ThomasMarkov it’s werewolf shifting more than changeling shifting, but they want multiple forms at least for the fluff

NautArch

13:05

How does the world perceive these shapeshifters?

BESW

That is, what's the behaviour or feeling you want to create or change at the table with this shapeshifting mechanic?

NautArch

and what new abilities do they get?

AncientSwordRage

@vicky_molokh-unsilenceMonica ɴɒtʼəɹʞ

Someone_Evil

@ThomasMarkov Nøttark

Bardic Wizard

@NautArch New abilities are basically multiple forms to shift to (in fluff at least, it’s ok if they all have the same bonuses), but it’s a curse reflavored at least to be from a powerful magic item that imposes drawbacks on shifting that are worse over the long term than the short term (the original idea was “I impulsively shift going it’s fine but two weeks later I’m like oh bleep”)

@BESW the feeling is basically they want a curse that means there’s consequences to shapeshifting, where it makes them think more when they shift than like a druid

BESW

13:14

Hmm. Is the goal "think more carefully about choosing to shift" and negative consequences are just the solution you're using to get that, or are negative consequences really part of the goal?

Bardic Wizard

@NautArch the gm says it fits into the world as a blessing/curse from a god, straight up lycanthropy, or run of the mill cursed item

@BESW negative consequences are part of the goal I believe. They originally asked whether it was possible to add a curse to shapeshifting because “even if not necessary a curse attached to the power would be cool”

BESW

Are they gonna be spending a lot of time in the wilderness surrounded only by people who know they're a shapeshifter?

Bardic Wizard

Well, this is with our usual group but a different game (that two shot I’m building a bard for) and so “New York City but with horror monsters everywhere” is the setting as far as we know

BESW

Here's why I'm asking: if being identified as a shapeshifter is a significant obstacle in their lives, then you can just have the curse be "the more you shapeshift, the more you get residual evidences of it" like pointy teeth or fur instead of hair on your human form.

BAM, nice flavor, interesting choices, no need to balance.

Rubiksmoose

Gradually like your steaks rarer and rarer lol

Bardic Wizard

13:23

It’s going to be a cursed mask for the flavor whatever they do mechanically, and part of the curse is that it’s already permanent but it gets harder to hide and more impossible to take off the more they shift

Rubiksmoose

Sounds like a smokin' idea

@BardicWizard What do you mean by it's already permanent?

You mean once they use it once they already have irrevocable effects?

Bardic Wizard

@Rubiksmoose can’t be taken off but no effects unless it’s used

And the effects get worse the more times it’s used. that’s what we’re trying to figure out, what mechanical effects we can use to balance at will shapeshifting with a curse

BESW

...I once gave somebody a boon/curse that they could get more uses of per day, and increases to its numbers, by making it harder and harder to get rid of.

The catch was, the bonuses to some skills were also penalties to other skills.

Bardic Wizard

@BESW how’d that feel for them as a player?

BESW

He liked it, but I'd made it very specifically for that person who I'd known for a long time.

Bardic Wizard

13:31

@BESW that certainly makes it easier

BESW

It was a power that dealt damage and produced a gem of value proportional to the damage dealt. Every day you made a check, and if you failed then you got +1 use of the power, and +1 to all thief-related skills, and -1 to all other skills.

If you succeeded on the check, you got -1 use, -1 thief, +1 other skills.

If you ever zeroed out your use number, the effect went away forever.

You could choose to fail the check.

Bardic Wizard

That’s ... wow.

BESW

(Oh, and the power added your stealing skill modifier to the damage.)

It was a curse for robbing the tomb of a thief-god's high priest.

Bardic Wizard

That might be similar to what they want but the conversation went on for an hour after I went to bed so I’d have to check and see if there was a conclusion (the player in question, who’s our usual rogue, and the usual gm and I were brainstorming as a group)

BESW

I knew that the player took great joy in min/max balancing and extreme specialization at the expense of general ability.

(and he could use all that money he was getting, to buy remove curse which would remove one or more layers of the curse per cast.)

AncientSwordRage

13:36

sounds like it could be 'cursed with awesome'

BESW

Well, when you've got +40 to all your thief actions and -40 all other actions, you start to question your ability to survive from one thieving opportunity to the next.

Bardic Wizard

@BESW knowing players is very important; they have this image of a shifter in their head but not really much practice with d&d (blood hunter they said didn’t look too hard but Druid stats were different every time and druids have spellcasting so they don’t want to figure that out every session especially not for a two shot)

BESW

I'd be inclined to take a page from Shadowcraft, where overuse of animal magic slowly turns you into an animal-like being in both body and thought, but you can spend time doing things that remind you of yourself (eat a favorite meal, hang out with friends, go to worship) to recenter your identity.

AncientSwordRage

Reminds me of Mouseguard nature

a mouse of max/min nature is essentially retired (but you are motivated against that)

Bardic Wizard

@BESW hmm... I’ll bring that up

BESW

13:44

Like... a good consequence, from a story perspective, isn't something that reduces the things you can do, it's something that changes what you do or how you do it.

doppelgreener

Howl's moving castle has magic that works sorta like that for some people

Bardic Wizard

@BESW I think our group may not have been coming at this from the right perspective, bc we’re looking at “what mechanics can we add” instead of “how do we give this a story that we can all play into”

which would make it so that maybe my bard mentions an old legend about the itemic shifters, who gained power from their curses, and that gives the character some kind of idea. Or maybe the usual GM’s ranger will have met someone that used the curse to kill and that warns the character away from that path

BESW

@BardicWizard That's valid!

Bardic Wizard

(Speaking of the usual gm, looks like he and the artificer have figured out a compromise — he’ll stop deliberately making npcs that are designed to counter the party and the artificer is going to make it a habit to think about whether he’s interrupting before he talks)

(We’re still doing a session 0 next week)

CollinB

14:41

E

NautArch

L

CollinB

Understandabl

e

kviiri

15:06

@doppelgreener I just watched the film actually, it's been a while since the last time and as usual I was visually stunned by its beauty and I think I got some of its messages way better this time

goodguy5

15:31

New job officially underway. AND I have the most coveted of rights on my laptop....

admin rights

NautArch

@goodguy5 muahahaahahahahaaha

goodguy5

without talking about any of the politics surrounding this statement right now:

"Mice die in mouse traps because they do not understand why the cheese is free."

What is that? The word that came to mind immediately was "parable", but I don't think that's right

AncientSwordRage

@goodguy5 goodadmin

GcL

@goodguy5 A lot of the devs I used to support just wanted something that worked and they didn't have to think about. Admin or root came with a few pages of acknowledgements and responsibilities. Basically came down to, "if this machine is borked, it's your problem."

goodguy5

@GcL I wonder if I could install games on it. I wouldn't because my PC is literally within arms reach, but still.

anyone have a putty alternative they like? I love putty, but I want to try new things

GcL

15:35

What's WSL's ssh support like? because I rarely use telnet anymore.

Someone_Evil

@goodguy5 metaphor?

goodguy5

no, because it's not comparing two things.... well, unless you take into account the political surrounding

GcL

@goodguy5 fable? Like a shorter one of Aesop's

Hot RPG Questions

5

Q: Is it possible to model these probabilities in AnyDice?

I was asked by a pal to help him model a dice mechanic in AnyDice. I must admit I am an absolute neophyte with it, and I offered to solve it using software I'm better versed in. I'd like to be able to help them do this in AnyDice. The mechanic is as follows: The player and their opponent are eac...

statistics anydice

goodguy5

@GcL maaaaaaaaaaaaybe, but I still think not.

GcL

15:38

To me, parable has a Christian connotation.

goodguy5

It does, but I don't think it has to be.

GcL

I think aphorisms are usually one sentence, right? So maybe that.

goodguy5

I was just about to say that maybe aphorism or maxim could work

Yea, I think aphorism works. thanks!

GcL

Could be a maxim. I think of those as synonymous with rules of thumb.

goodguy5

I was desperately trying to recall some word that I just now realized is not the right word: Proverb

Yuuki

15:43

@goodguy5 When you're trying to recall some wise saying, can't figure it out, and just make up something off the top of your head: amateurverb.

2

GcL

@Yuuki The ones you make up on the spot are ad-verbs?

Or are those the sayings one uses to sell things?

Yuuki

@GcL No, that's when it comes with some kind of sponsorship. "Haste makes waste, these words brought to you by Glad."

GcL

Gotcha. If we used it again, but in a different context, that would be a re-verb?

Yuuki

Sounds about right.

GcL

Adage! that's the word I was thinking of that's like a proverb but not of religious origin.

goodguy5

15:53

@GcL that's when you say it into a mic, but you're too close to the speakers, so you hear it again

AncientSwordRage

@GcL is that a phrase that makes you feel older?

doppelgreener

@kviiri :D!!!

one thing I didn't notice until it was told to me: spoiler

kviiri

@doppelgreener Yea, my company pointed that out after we had seen the film

A lot of things in it were just... things I didn't remember.

It's a very eventful film, I don't think I had a full picture of what happens in it despite seeing it no more than... ten or so years ago?

Bardic Wizard

If someone says the opposite of a proverb is it a de-verb?

Someone_Evil

Anti-verb?

kviiri

16:03

converb

goodguy5

if you make a proverb about a specific part of another proverb is that a suberb?

kviiri

"The means are many," said the granny while wiping the table with a cat.

(an actual Finnish proverb)

CollinB

16:40

...

What

What does that mean

Oh

Never mind

Figured it out

Thomas Markov

There is a dangling modifier there.

Someone_Evil

@ThomasMarkov The non-catted tables are of course left unwiped

Thomas Markov

I can just imagine a cat sitting on my table staring at me judgmentally while I wipe up the water the cat knocked over.

KorvinStarmast

16:56

@ThomasMarkov yeah, it's fringe and QW I think sussed it out.

Bardic Wizard

@ThomasMarkov did you know little siblings do that too?

KorvinStarmast

@goodguy5 similar to why gmail is/was free ...

Thomas Markov

@BardicWizard I have a 1 year old and a 2 year old. I understand.

Bardic Wizard

@ThomasMarkov I’ve got younger siblings, so this is definitely experience. They kinda just give you the “i don’t wanna cleanup my mess do it for me please” look and then you end up doing it for them, right?

GcL

18:00

So, D&D isn't a physics engine, but that still doesn't stop people from looking at it through that lens: youtube.com/watch?v=Idw_hPnolhg How Long Can You Survive in a Bag of Holding?

Thomas Markov

18:32

Not gonna lie, Im tempted to tag this question as homebrew.

doppelgreener

that's a good temptation to resist :P

Thomas Markov

I have self control.

Mark Wells

19:01

I'm tempted to tag it "cheating".

And I'm certain I have worse self control than you do :)

NautArch

and looks like OP is downvoting all those answers, too

Mark Wells

That is their right.

NautArch

absolutely, and mine to upvote!

Mark Wells

I really do think the point of the SA answer is "your familiar is not an interdimensional safe deposit box"

NautArch

I mean, for ease and fun my DM allowed me to keep my find steed barded and holding my lance between summonings.

Someone_Evil

19:10

That Q has gotten quite downvoted, is this people finally speaking up against the exploitation of sprites? :p

MikeQ

Isn't there a rule that items in a summoned creature's stat block would disappear when the creature disappears?

Mark Wells

@NautArch That seems like a non-abusive use. You're equipping the steed, the same way you'd equip a mundane horse. As opposed to stuff like "put an extra spell component pouch and set of lockpicks and ring of invisibility on my familiar in case I ever get captured".

NautArch

@MarkWells exactly.

GcL

@NautArch I never thought about it, but as far back as I can remember that's how my groups have played as well.

NautArch

@GcL It feels just mean to not allow it

GcL

19:16

Although I am entertained by the thought of a paladin having a draft horse lugging a cart full of barding and a lance waiting for a warhorse to be summoned.

NautArch

@GcL I think we started with the houserule when we found a pair of the magical horseshoes and I had the only mount at the time.

And decided we weren't going to unshoe him everytime he disappeared.

Thomas Markov

If I were the DM I'd allow a player to make a huge pile of worthless stuff and then role play with them trying to sell it.

GcL

That doesn't sound fun for the other players.

NautArch

tag sale!

Someone_Evil

@ThomasMarkov And then decide what fey lord (or lady) they've annoyed by robbing their hard working sprites

Thomas Markov

19:21

@Someone_Evil There's the hidden gem of a plot device I was searching for.

GcL

To do something interesting with it, perhaps attract the attention of some more powerful and plot twisting/driving fey that becomes an issue for the entire party due to the affiliation with the familiar summoner.

Thomas Markov

@GcL Right, in the answer I wrote: "No, the DM is going to say, "Nice try, the rest of us want to get on with the game.""

GcL

That's not what I'd say.

Someone_Evil

"So, guys... it turns out those sprites were unionized"

GcL

I thought all fey were in one union or another? Summer and Winter are their unions, no?

Seems like freelance fey would definitely take their equipment with them when they were dismissed from a gig.

Mark Wells

19:40

@Someone_Evil That's when they show you the fine print in the summoning contract about liability for lost equipment. You really should have sprung for the damage waiver.

Now they're repossessing six months of your life to pay for it.

GcL

@MarkWells Yeah, you've got to hold the camera for the next installment of Fey Gone Wild

KorvinStarmast

20:01

Sending sprites back naked is bound to get some kind of reaction from the fey world; but selling the small outfits to rich kids of over indulgent parents is how the makers of Cabbage Patch Dolls (or was it Cabbage Patch Kids?) made a bundle of dough.

OH, I see, trademark name change in 1982, and I had no idea they were still around.

Bardic Wizard

20:14

Question for the mods (or anyone else, but mods deal with most flags): what should we do if the answer to a question assumes a system, while the post is closed for not specifying the system? Downvote? flag? Comment?

This answer, for the record:

-1

A: D&D Armor Class?

Assuming your playing 5th: unless their modifier is higher than plus 3, then they failed the save, and yes 12 hits. Hope it helps. edit: after saying this, I realized I should say that modifier is their plus to dex.

MikeQ

General recommendation is to downvote. If there isn't already a comment about assuming the system, then you could also leave a comment. Otherwise it's generally not worth flagging for moderator attention.

KorvinStarmast

@MikeQ thanks to a conversation you and I had when we discussed the arrest and transport of that druid to the area near Burle, I will have a bit of a world building post on the game forum tonight to flesh out a few things you asked me about.

Hot RPG Questions

4

Q: Is this limitation on "Change Appearance" fair?

For context : In a new campaign, the DM accepted my request to play a changeling, but wants to limit its "Change Appearance" ability. His idea was to allow only one change a day, during a long rest. The reason he gave is that he didn't want this ability to be "abused", as he played a changeling i...

dnd-5e homebrew-review changeling

Thomas Markov

20:39

@BardicWizard In the case of that particular answer, even with a system tag that answer probably merits a "low quality" flag.

Bardic Wizard

@ThomasMarkov yeah — it’s been deleted now so... I’m heading to Spanish so I leave this to other people

BESW

23:59

The Islands of Sina Una (editor Lucia Versprille) The Islands of Sina Una is a new Campaign Setting for 5th Edition that pulls from precolonial mythology and culture of the Philippines. Written, illustrated, and produced by Filipino creators.

4

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