TRPG General Chat

Adeptus

12:12 AM

@GcL It's not just "bad sectors". It's "the BIOS says the drive isn't there"... (sometimes)

Ben

I assume you tried to reseat the drive?

V2Blast

@Someone_Evil yeah, as mentioned, I dunno the context of the conversation :P

Someone_Evil

9

Q: Can the Bag of Beans increase an ability score above 20?

The Bag of Beans states: [...] 81-90: A nest of 1d4 + 3 eggs springs up. Any creature that eats an egg must make a DC 20 Constitution saving throw. On a successful save, a creature permanently increases its lowest ability score by 1, randomly choosing among equally low scores. On a failed sav...

Himitsu_no_Yami

12:28 AM

So remember that discussion we had yesterday about Overlord (the anime) and it's spells?

I got an answer to my question finally

linksassin

Morning all

Ben

Howdy :)

V2Blast

@Someone_Evil Ah, I see

BESW

Himitsu_no_Yami

for whoever reads this and was around for the conversation. The answer is that that lance - for gods only know what reason - deals bludgeoning damage as opposed to piercing

V2Blast

12:34 AM

@Someone_Evil Since it's increasing only your lowest score specifically, I figure the item doesn't mention a maximum because it'll never come up in play 99.9 (repeating) percent of the time :P As written, though, it probably doesn't allow you to exceed the limit IMO

BESW

@Himitsu_no_Yami I mean... it's because of jousting.

Himitsu_no_Yami

@BESW but I mean the thing literally pierced him

linksassin

@Himitsu_no_Yami That's fair. A piercing lance is single use, a hardened blunt lance can be reused.

BESW

The most common popular media depiction of mounted lances are jousting lances. And D&D is not built on history or realism, but on the pop media its creators happen to like.

linksassin

@V2Blast Thats my reading of it as well.

Ben

12:36 AM

MY experience of Jousting is fairly limited to A Knight's Tale, which I like to think is fairly accurate.

The trumpets at the beginning though... probably less so

BESW

My rigorous study of unresearched popular media tells me that every activity in Medieval European courts was accompanied by stock trumpet sound effects.

linksassin

@Ben Or the invention of hardened steel... or the dancing... or basically anything else that happens in that film?

That said, it is truly excellent.

@BESW If you haven't seen the movie, the trumpets play We Will Rock You by Queen. Complete with trumpet (guitar) solo.

BESW

I saw it back in the day.

I also recommend The Court Jester (1956 Danny Kaye musical comedy).

MikeQ

No I'm pretty sure that most modern depictions were well-researched by interviewing actual people from the medieval era

Ben

They time it so the guitar solo stops when they finish "playing" the trumpets :P

linksassin

12:39 AM

Speaking of excellent movies, has anyone else seen Disney's Onward yet?

Ben

Yes!

BESW

I don't think I should watch it any time soon.

Ben

That was brilliant :D

linksassin

Chris Pratt and Tom Holland are brothers in a world where D&D is real. So good.

Ben

@linksassin Well, elves and dragons and manticores are. Magic is thought to be a myth :P

V2Blast

12:42 AM

@linksassin negatory

...well, clearly at least one other person besides you has, so "anyone" has. but I haven't ;)

linksassin

@V2Blast If you have access to Disney+ I highly recommend it. Particularly to D&D players.

V2Blast

@linksassin I don't have Disney+ myself

(and neither does my family :P)

lol

Hot RPG Questions

9

Q: Can the Bag of Beans increase an ability score above 20?

The Bag of Beans states: [...] 81-90: A nest of 1d4 + 3 eggs springs up. Any creature that eats an egg must make a DC 20 Constitution saving throw. On a successful save, a creature permanently increases its lowest ability score by 1, randomly choosing among equally low scores. On a failed sav...

dnd-5e magic-items ability-scores

nitsua60

@Someone_Evil Yeah--I just don't think the "general rule" even exists in the way it seems other people do. There's a general rule that ASIs (and feats, by inclusion, since they're a variant on ASIs) don't increase a score past 20.

Ben

Disney+ is slowly making itself worthwhile; but so far it's just for movies.

linksassin

12:48 AM

@nitsua60 I've always assumed it the other way. That you can't raise another above 20, unless otherwise specified. But I don't have any rules to actually back that up.

@Ben It's a lot cheaper than other services. We recently rewatched the whole MCU.

Ben

I need to do the spaghetti order for the mcu

BESW

They're talking about a National Treasure show and... hrm.

linksassin

@BESW Show? I thought they were talking about making the third movie.

BESW

@linksassin Also a TV show.

But if they don't tap John Rogers for a producer/writer type role, they're missing out.

Ben

19

A: Are ability scores above 20 possible without magical means?

The only way (currently) to increase your ability scores above 20 without using magic is to be a level 20 Barbarian. At level 20, the Barbarian gets a feature that increases their Strength and Constitution by 4 each, and raises the cap on Strength and Constitution to 24 instead of 20.

Is this still the case?

linksassin

12:51 AM

@BESW I'm keen for that. I love those movies despite their many flaws.

BESW

(I've been re-watching the original Librarian films.)

linksassin

@BESW My mother-in-law is a librarian and they are her favourite films.

nitsua60

@Ben Yup.

BESW

Has she seen the TV series?

linksassin

Yeah.

I haven't though.

@Ben Yes, but not really relevant to the discussion for the magic item limit from the other question.

BESW

12:53 AM

It did a really good job of translating the concept from solo star to ensemble cast.

And you can tell that Rogers uses an adapted Fate/Cortex model for characters in the writer's room.

(I'm not just making that up, he's explicitly said that his writer's room uses TRPGs for inspiration when he's making TV shows.)

linksassin

That's really cool. Maybe I need to watch that.

BESW

They're working on a reboot of Leverage with Noah Wyle, so... that's something to look forward to.

The Librarians is on Hulu, I know that.

nitsua60

What I don't understand about the Bean question is: even if the general rule "PC scores capped at 20" existed in the way others are suggesting, wouldn't the specific item that raises a score by 1 (rather than "increases by X up to a maximum of 20," like we see everywhere else) just... do what it says?

Literally be the specific to that general?

linksassin

@BESW Leverage was cool. Been a while since a saw it though.

BESW

And one of the recurring antagonists is ~~Max Headroom~~ ~~Logan~~ ~~Dr. Leekie~~ ~~Taggert~~ Matt Frewer.

nitsua60

1:05 AM

I may delete and rewrite to make that point clear. There's a constructive dilemma to be had, here.

trogdor

@BESW lol

linksassin

@nitsua60 Yeah, I'm not disagreeing that is a logical interpretation and quite possibly the right one. I just think it goes counter to our "assumptions" of the system rather than any actual rule.

trogdor

don't forget Sherlock Holmes XD

BESW

Yes, how could I forget.

Adeptus

@Ben Yeah. Tried the other m.2 slot too. Worked for a bit, then stopped again. I bought a m.2 to SATA adapter, which worked long enough to copy everything off. I then put that into a SATA to USB adapter, to try testing it on another PC. Drive testing program hung while detecting drives. Rebooted PC, it didn't finish starting up...

BESW

1:08 AM

Matt Frewer makes anything watchable for whatever time he's on the screen. And he pops up in the most unexpected places!

Adeptus

@BESW Have you seen Timeless? He was in that too. Series about time travel, where a secret organisation is trying to change history to their benefit, and a small group of people under supervision of the... CIA? I think? ...is trying to stop them.

BESW

@Adeptus ...I have not! I thought I had from the title, but I got it confused with Forever.

Watching all of Matt Frewer's series and films would be a rewarding but interminable task.

Ben

@Adeptus Ack. Not good. Good thing you thought to back it up at least!

Adeptus

Yeah. I'll try a little more testing before I hand it in for replacement.

nitsua60

1:34 AM

Okay, I took another hack at it @V2Blast @Ben @GcL @Medix2 @Himitsu_no_Yami @linksassin @Someone_Evil. I think it's a better presentation now, and thank you all for patiently helping me get there.

Ben

@nitsua60 The caffeine hasn't kicked in yet... what did I help with?

nitsua60

Poking me to improve on beans.

Ben

Oh right! Didn't even realize I was helping haha. But glad I could contribute :D

linksassin

@nitsua60 That looks good actually. I wasn't sure but I think you've presented a clear enough argument that it can be the only RAW interpretation.

You are correct, any other interpretation would cause issues with other items.

This is all theory crafting anyway, because what is the chance of having your lowest ability be at 20?

MikeQ

If you use 20d1 to generate ability scores, then that would be a 100% chance

Ben

1:45 AM

@MikeQ drop the lowest 5?

linksassin

@MikeQ Wow... I thought I'd heard the worst stat generation systems already.

nitsua60

I once had a player come to my AL table a little early to create a character before joining the group. After hearing *lots* of clattering I asked what he was doing. "Rolling my stats."
I held off for a second on telling him about array, because I was curious.
"What... method?"
"4d6 reroll 1s drop the lowest twelve times assign six wherever you want."
[\me: guffaws in his face] "Why not just write down whatever numbers you want? It'd be a lot less work!"

Ben

@linksassin no backsies

linksassin

@Ben I actually like a few of those systems. Except that they are overpowered

I like something like 20d6 drop lowest 2, assign to stats individually.

Something that gives you a little more control over your stats.

Ben

@nitsua60 We had one gm that had a "lowest average" system. We rolled all stats, assigned them one by one (i.e., roll str, then roll dex, etc). If we got more than 2 stats below the average, then we got to reroll the lot

nitsua60

1:51 AM

@linksassin But at that point I don't understand why you're not just assigning 63 points wherever you like.

Ben

@nitsua60 63 Int. I am Megamind.

MikeQ

@Ben You'd also have 0 constitution, so you'd be a dead Megamind.

linksassin

@nitsua60 Mmm my thought is that it gives you slightly less control than that.

nitsua60

@Ben Sure =)

linksassin

If you want two high stats you are left with only low dice from your last couple.

nitsua60

1:54 AM

(Also, it's 68, maybe?)

MikeQ

3d6 but you can reroll infinitely many times

Ben

@nitsua60 63 Int 5 Con.

linksassin

Assign 68 anywhere would let you do 8,8,18,18,8,8 or similar.

nitsua60

@linksassin Yeah, but with 18d6, you're going to have almost as much control.

9d6

Dice Service

•

nitsua60

1:55 AM

and

9d6

Dice Service

•

linksassin

But grouping them into dice means you can't guarentee nice even numbers and have to choose between a 7 and a 11. 18d6 works too.

Hot RPG Questions

5

Q: Can you Uncannily Dodge a Spiritual Weapon?

Can you reduce spirit weapon attacks and spells with Uncanny Dodge? I'm not too clear seeing the ability description.

dnd-5e class-feature rogue

Ben

Roll 6d20, any additional points above 18 can be reallocated to any scores below 8.

nitsua60

2d6

Dice Service

1:57 AM

•

nitsua60

(forgot to drop 2)

Ben

So, roll 9d6, drop 2d6 points?

linksassin

From that roll you have: 6(2) 5(5) 4(5) 3(5) 2(1) which makes 17 (6,6,5), 15 (5,5,5), 13 (5,4,4), 12(4,4,4), 9(3,3,3), and 8 (3,3,2)
Not a bad stat roll I guess. And you have the option to flatten them out if you wish.

Adeptus

@Ben 20d6 drop 2

MikeQ

Or instead of 3d6, you could do 5d6-2d6 for each

nitsua60

2:01 AM

@linksassin I was able to get 18, 18, 10, 10, 9, 9.

Only reason it wasn't the 18, 18, 8, 8, 8, 8 requested was that the rolls were too high =)

Ben

@Adeptus Oh right. There's a limit to the dice service, that's right

nitsua60

(Maybe I could have put the 2 into Honor.)

MikeQ

100d6

:(

Adeptus

max 9 dice in a roll

MikeQ

What about... 1d100 modulo 18

linksassin

2:04 AM

@nitsua60 Hmm... ok maybe 18d6 is better. Or even 17 to force lower scores.

nitsua60

@linksassin Eh, that particular roll was a few pips above average.

linksassin

I usually just use point buy. I'm not a huge fan of the unevenness of dice rolling. I don't like some characters being way stronger than others in the party.

nitsua60

I just think that once you've got 18 dice to arrange, there are going to be so many one-point substitutions possible, you might as well just be assigning points. (Unless the minigame is the point.)

linksassin

In the campaign I play in. We have 5 players an a dm. Each player rolled 4d6 drop 1 and we used that to make an array that all characters use.

Good system except for the two 7s

DM liked randomness of rolling but wanted it to be fair.

Shalvenay

hey there @linksassin, how're things going?

linksassin

2:10 AM

@Shalvenay Yeah pretty good. Yourself?

Shalvenay

@linksassin doing alright here myself

linksassin

Good to hear.

Anyone got anything interesting planned for the weekend?

BESW

I just figured out Affinity Publisher can insert text fields by double-clicking on the field you want in the Field palette and I am SO UNREASONABLY STOKED.

My weekend plans include reading the new Murderbot book, binging the new She-Ra season, and translating a magazine template from InDesign to Publisher.

Oh, and tonight my mom's making a pizza and we'll watch The Mask of Zorro.

linksassin

That sounds like a weekend sorted.

nitsua60

@linksassin Split wood, go for a run or two, watch movies with the kids....

user15026

2:20 AM

@BESW whaaaaaat

linksassin

Splitting wood is one of those cathartic activities I wish I had more reasons to do.

BESW

Ben

@linksassin Tonight is game's night with the SO and folks. We each take turns to pick a game for us all to play together :D

BESW

I can have a master page with a field for <Section Name> at the top of every even page, and then I name each section with the title of the story for that section of the magazine.

Magically, every even page has the title of the story that's on that page!

linksassin

@Ben What's the latest pick?

Ben

2:25 AM

So far we've played Articulate (describe a word without saying "sounds like, etc); 500, Balderdash (come up with believable definitions for obscure words) and tonight I think we're pushing for another game of Betrayal at House on Haunted Hill, but may also be Dominion, or Secret Hitler

linksassin

Articulate is a family favourite for me. My sisters and cousins are scary good at it. Clues like "your 3rd grade teacher" are common

Ben

@linksassin Articulate is a really good one. Balderdash is along the same lines

linksassin

Wife and I just picked up Imaginarium. It's pretty cool

Ben

I think I've heard of that one?

linksassin

It's a resource collecting and building game.

Kinda like Settler of Catan, though not really. Its pretty fun. Needed a 2 player game. Most of ours were for 4+

Ben

2:35 AM

@linksassin Oh wait, yes! You build up tokens in a hex pattern, and when you get a ring of 6 you can get a card... something like that?

linksassin

@Ben Ah, no. You collect factories to make reasource to complete projects and collect victory points.

Shalvenay

@linksassin not particularly, sadly

Ben

@linksassin Ah ok.

Ben

3:33 AM

Quick question - a new question has provided a campaign tag, (eberron) but not a system tag. Would it need one?

@linksassin great minds ;)

linksassin

@Ben Yes, Eberron is a setting that exists in multiple editions. Definitely needs a system tag.

Ben

Was just about to leave a comment and I'd vtc'd, when I saw you'd also left a comment :)

Rubiksmoose

I mean, if it was a lore question about Eberron I could see it possibly not needing a system tag, but this was easily about mechanics, and that's something that will depend on the system

Went ahead and threw a diamond at it.

linksassin

@Rubiksmoose Yeah thats true.

Rubiksmoose

:)

user15026

3:39 AM

@BESW oh that's very neat.

KorvinStarmast

@nitsua60 correct. Books and tomes

Epic boons

@nitsua60 Snigger

Ben

@Rubiksmoose makes it sound like a "gold star" :P

Rubiksmoose

4:19 AM

Hahaha it does rather

linksassin

5:00 AM

@Ben "tags are used to specify what the question is about" - I don't think that is technically true.

Tags shouldn't be used to add information. They should reflect what the content of the question. System tags are kind of an exception to the rule.

Ben

Right. So basically that comment isn't wrong, it's just that I didn't specify system tag... yeah?

MikeQ

How dare you be less than entirely accurate on the internet

linksassin

@Ben Yeah it's more that that isn't a message about tags that we want to promote.

Ben

Right. Ok :)

linksassin

It's related to the issue around the RAW tag and why it didn't work. It makes tags into "meta-tag" that changes the meaning of the content of the question. That isn't something that tags are meant to do.

Ben

5:14 AM

If I remember correctly, I can't delete a comment if it has an upvote can i

linksassin

There's nothing to prevent you deleting your own comment.

Ben

> System tags are required to specify what the question is about - sometimes questions might make references to other systems, (using this one as an example: 5e), but the question could actually about 3.5e. This way, if we wait for clarification - then there are no assumptions made either way, and the question can be answered correctly :)

It's also not specifically aimed at Thomas - just following the conversation - cos it is more useful for the OP

Ben

5:51 AM

Surfing Snails

True Facts: Killer Surfing Snails

►

Some crude language

Ben

6:06 AM

Also dad jokes.

Viewer beware

trogdor

7:48 AM

@Ben you're in for a scare?

actually sort of XD it's another of those creatures that would be really scary if it was bigger

though I suppose that's pretty much all predatory creatures who can't eat us because we are bigger than them XD

trogdor

8:09 AM

their mode of locomotion probably wouldn't work very well if they were too much bigger, to be fair

V2Blast

9:42 AM

0

A: Can the Bag of Beans increase an ability score above 20?

It probably can't? (but this scenario is wildly unlikely anyway) Characters normally can't have an ability score above 20... The general rules for ability score maximums are set forth in the "Ability Scores and Modifiers" section of chapter 7 of the PHB and basic rules (emphasis mine): A sc...

@nitsua60 I spent way longer than any sane person should have in writing that up. I hope you're happy. :P

lol

now to sleep

Ben

12:08 PM

@trogdor yeah. I just enjoyed the commentary, David Attenborough-esque if he had a sense of humour XD

nitsua60

12:24 PM

@linksassin You don't need a reason. Take it from a guy with neither fireplace nor woodstove =D

@V2Blast Well, then, I've successfully paid it forward. Because my answer started as just a comment that I spent way longer than a sane one would writing and rewriting it. =D

Hot RPG Questions

1:36 PM

6

Q: Do Cobblers Tools work on Horseshoes?

Xanathar's Guide to Everything greatly expands on the use of tools. Here are parts of the section on Cobblers' Tools : Although the cobbler's trade might seem too humble for an adventurer, a good pair of boots will see a character across rugged wilderness and through deadly dungeons. ...

dnd-5e crafting tools

GcL

2:29 PM

@V2Blast What spell slot did you use to cast that Wall of Text? Looks like an 8th or 9th.

NautArch

2:43 PM

Am I being too strict regarding experience in the West Marches/5e question?

Medix2

I sorta feel bad about asking that Bag of Beans question now... Didn't think it'd turn into giant analyses of people writing more than they reasonably wanted to

Rubiksmoose

@Medix2 heh, it's not like people have to answer every question. They like to do it :)

Medix2

@NautArch I don't think so, if somebody hasn't tried 5e-dnd + West Marches (as much as that's really even a well-defined thing), then answers will make false assumption and amount to sophisticated guesses from related, but not especially similar, experiences

NautArch

@Medix2 okay, thank you. In my past I've taken harder lines around things and I don't want to do that again if not necessary. Just worried because the answers were getting don't seem to be experienced based and don't want the question closed.

Medix2

I've seen plenty of "have you actually tried this in practice? How did it go?" and I love that that is something this site values. As a linguist I have a rather large contempt for armchair theories

Apparently contempt is a much stronger word than I thought. Hmmm, maybe just I have great suspicion and am highly skeptical of the accuracy of armchair theories

NautArch

2:57 PM

hehe

contempt works, too

GcL

@Medix2 Nobody wrote more than they wanted to.

I concur. Contempt is correct.

Experiment, observe, model, or GTFO.

Medix2

@NautArch I think one problem with the question is that West Marches has characteristics but not definitive exacting rules for play. Which means two GMs could both have WM campaigns but in practice they are quite different. The current top (voted) answer sets that out and proceeds to offer some solutions though from tangential/similar experience.

I worry the "real" answer here is to try out a great many things until one works, and so a great answer to the question would probably detail the various things they tried and why they did (not) work

KorvinStarmast

@NautArch I don't think you were being too strict. That style and the problem around IMO needs "this worked, this didn't" kinds of answers. My dos centavos

NautArch

debating on flagging as unsupported or downvoting.

KorvinStarmast

@Medix2 disdain also works in that sentence

NautArch

3:07 PM

@Medix2 Yeah, i'm not sure. I linked the q&A on what is WM, but i just don't have the experience to know for certain if that's correct.

KorvinStarmast

@NautArch is this the answer that I edited, or a different one?

Medix2

I definitely think the question can have great answers, and I hope it will get one during the bounty

NautArch

@KorvinStarmast Honestly, I think all of them have the issue.

@Medix2 Yeah, I was actually planning on bountying,l but Linksassin got there first.

@KorvinStarmast The answer you edited as the issue that they seem to suggesting using Gritty rules, but OP has already tried that.

GcL

@Medix2 Yeah. I did an AL style drop-in drop-out campaign for a while to accommodate schedules from the coasts. Since you record character state at end of the session, and pick it up again from there, you got weird mixes of party members with different levels of rest.... and sometimes exhaustion.

Never got it to work out well.

NautArch

Given how much I feel like I've seen West Marches mentioned on the stack, I find it hard to believe that we don't have experts on it.

But so far, it does seem like we don't yet have someone with that experience who has answered.

GcL

3:18 PM

I tried it with an Eberron Campaign to accommodate more players when I first read about it. We played it like... 3 or 4 times before splitting the group and doing separate campaigns.

I've got so much canned material for one shots from humble bundles and drive thru rpg... i could probably index that loosely and use it to do a WM style game. The question I think we'd have to tackle is what to do with the characters if they don't finish the adventure before the session? Have a larger pool of characters such that we could leave them on the adventure?

KorvinStarmast

@NautArch A lot of the OSR folks and grognards (like RS Conley) are very experienced in it, but I think they don't care for where this stack has gone so we don't see them very often. I've not been in a campaign like that since the early 80's.

NautArch

@KorvinStarmast That's a bummer we've lost them.

But I think the key is experienced in that style AND in using it with 5e.

KorvinStarmast

@NautArch I see RS de lurk now and again, but with (1) our cadre of D&D haters (see various meta discussions) and (2) the overwhelming 5e content, the "not much there for me" is an understandable reaction.

@NautArch yeah, there are a few answers with that kind of content but not that many.

Himitsu_no_Yami

welp my phone has finally had enough it seems

GcL

Maybe they have their own forum for it?

Himitsu_no_Yami

3:25 PM

the screen went out on me last night

GcL

I spend a lot of time on Atlas Games' forum as the discussions there don't fit here.

KorvinStarmast

@GcL There are plenty of OSR and West Marches spots on the web. Yes.

@Himitsu_no_Yami May I suggest a Viking funeral? Put it in a boat, let it float out to sea and set fire to it. 8^D

Himitsu_no_Yami

@KorvinStarmast lol that would be amusing but I'm trying to get it fixed for now

GcL

Is it an android phone? There are some interesting tutorials for using those as tiny computers, but I don't think doing it without a screen to get started would go very well.

Medix2

Now I get to ask myself 1. Do I go find these various meta discussions and learn more history of this site and 2. Do I start asking questions not about 5e-dnd

Himitsu_no_Yami

3:27 PM

@GcL it is indeed an android. It's the Galaxy s7

Medix2

I ask mostly 5e questions because it's the system I actually feel I understand/know and so questions are less likely to amount to "you missed this rule in page X that very clearly and directly answers your question" which aren't particularly interesting questions

Himitsu_no_Yami

@Medix2 I definitely feel that

LizWeir

I was v pleased to see a question from Linksassin that happened to be asking for one of my most firmly-held opinions about non-D&D games the other day. ;-)

(the Blades in the Dark hacking one - I've been beating the "blades hacks well but you gotta know what you want to do with Attune" drum for a couple of years now :-) )

GcL

@Himitsu_no_Yami Screen went blank and doesn't come back on? I've had that happen with other phones. Sometimes there's a button combo for hard reset, or letting the battery drain, or factory reset.

@Medix2 Pick up a new system to try out. I duplicated some of my AM5 questions to the stack to provide variety.

Himitsu_no_Yami

@GcL not quite, it started with the bottom two thirds of the screen turning into a green block

Then a small spot on the edge of the screen that was a little purple that eventually spread across the entire screen

vicky_molokh- unsilence Monica

3:32 PM

@KorvinStarmast Is the first one in reference to the no-guessing policy, or something else?

KorvinStarmast

@Medix2 and there's the stuff in chat and in comments ... but if you go back to the very beginning of the site, the meta question asked was "how do we get more than 'I have this question about D&D 4e' questions" and over time that eventually came to pass.

Medix2

@GcL I've played a few other systems (Fireborn, Lancer, 4e, Fate, Blue Rose, Final Fantasy 3e, and Torchbearer were the only ones I got meaningful understanding of) I guess I'll just have to really thoroughly check the books to ensure my question doesn't have a simple answer

GcL

@Himitsu_no_Yami whoa! That's crazy.

KorvinStarmast

@vicky_molokh-unsilenceMonica No, it's a reference to (among other things) your request for a rule to get people to talk less about D&D and more about other games. You mentioned "federalism" in your question. My reply was "be the change you want to see" and that didn't seem to go over very well.

GcL

@Medix2 Meh. If the rule doesn't stick in your head after reading through and playing a few times, it's probably worth asking. A lot of the 5e questions are like that. The answer is in a book, but it's not a situation that comes up for the querent or not nearly enough for them to want to hunt down the answer on their own.

vicky_molokh- unsilence Monica

3:36 PM

@KorvinStarmast Ah. Well, I did post the answers and questions either to other systems or to system-agnostic stuff (being the change), but 'post more' is an answer to a very different question than what I was hoping to find an answer for.

GcL

@KorvinStarmast A rule to promote non-D&D discussion? Sounds a lot like "the beatings will continue until morale improves."

KorvinStarmast

@GcL That's how the request came off, but honestly that was a similar problem to the 4e issue in the site's early days. Something about the 800 pound gorilla comes to mind.

vicky_molokh- unsilence Monica

It's not about making other people stop asking questions of their interests, but rather about the quality of life (for a lack of a better terms) of those users who fall outside the D&D category.

KorvinStarmast

@vicky_molokh-unsilenceMonica For that we have filters. Have you seen BESW's filter list? I think he's posted it in chat a few times. I think he gets good value out of that tool.

GcL

Filters are a pain in the butt to set up. Most people end up with the default or very near the default settings for the tools they use.

Himitsu_no_Yami

3:40 PM

Is there a way I'm missing other than bold/italics to emphasize a part of a quote (which already contains bold and italics)

vicky_molokh- unsilence Monica

@KorvinStarmast Filters don't solve the discrepancy in permission-earning speeds depending on one's specialty. Which wouldn't be an issue on its own, but people who earn those permissions in speciality A can then come to speciality B and close questions, for example.

KorvinStarmast

@vicky_molokh-unsilenceMonica Not interested in rehashing here what was answered in meta. I don't like all of the answers I get in meta either. Such is life.

GcL

I don't know if the default experience is already as good as it's going to reasonably get for non-D&D questions. If there are specific pain points or problems, it might be easier to address those one at a time.

@Himitsu_no_Yami You could change the text size? I don't recall which HTML tags are permitted.

vicky_molokh- unsilence Monica

@KorvinStarmast OK, stopping this branch here then.

KorvinStarmast

@GcL That answer does not, for me, cut any ice. b ;-) "it's hard" isn't a very good reason not to use a tool. (Your Mileage May Vary)

@vicky_molokh-unsilenceMonica Thank you, I think it's for the best.

GcL

3:42 PM

@KorvinStarmast I stopped insisting everyone use the command line a long time ago despite the great utility and advantages offered.

Medix2

@Himitsu_no_Yami Bold, Italic, Underline, Font size/type, Reiterating come to my mind

Someone_Evil

@Himitsu_no_Yami Repeat the line afterwards (outside of the blockquote)

KorvinStarmast

@GcL OK, that got me to laugh IRL. Thanks for the grin. :)

Medix2

What's a filter?

Himitsu_no_Yami

how to underline with markdown (or markup or whatever it is)? I'm used to Discord's __underline__ but nope

Rubiksmoose

3:44 PM

@Himitsu_no_Yami No underlining format here alas.

GcL

@Himitsu_no_Yami Single underscore or single star gets you italics usually. Double star to get bold.

Himitsu_no_Yami

yeah, bold/italics are pretty standard

GcL

Is the <u> tag available for posts?

Someone_Evil

475

Q: What HTML tags are allowed on Stack Exchange sites?

The Stack Overflow site engine, as you know, uses Markdown for questions and answers. Per the Markdown specification, you are allowed to freely intermix HTML and Markdown tags. Not all HTML tags are allowed, as that would be an XSS paradise. Which HTML tags have been whitelisted and are allowed ...

support faq markdown design

Himitsu_no_Yami

@Someone_Evil thanks for that

GcL

3:48 PM

Yeah... poking around at them you get bold and italics and that's it.

Himitsu_no_Yami

repetition it is I suppose

Someone_Evil

If the amount of text you're quoting isn't too long, there isn't always that much need to emphasize parts of it

Himitsu_no_Yami

It's just a small part that I feel emphasizing would help with

nitsua60

4:01 PM

@Medix2 It nicely puts a point on a spot where they inconsistently worded some things. They refer to a maximum without really specifying what they're talking about, the "as normal" clause seems superfluous, and they've used three wordings for magic items where choosing two would have been clearer.

Himitsu_no_Yami

We recently had a question about "Is it possible for a character to get a ability score of 30?" but it bothered me that the only answer was "spend 200 years reading books" so I took a look and found a way that didn't require you sitting on your butt for 200 years

yay for time saving

Medix2

4:21 PM

There's also belt of whatever giant strength mixed with the Warhammer of thunderbolt's or whatever it's called

Rubiksmoose

21

Q: Meta escalation/response process update (March-April 2020 test results, next steps)

In the beginning of March, I shared a process by which posts that need staff attention could get escalated, and a plan to test it out between March 16 and April 30, 2020. As promised on that post’s timeline, I’m here to share with you results from this testing period, as well as the plan for this...

discussion featured stack-exchange community announcements

For those curious about the Meta escalation experiment that was trialed recently.^

IMO, good steps.

@nitsua60 WotC using inconsistent wording?! Say it isn't so!

Medix2

Hmmm those statistics are... Not the most helpful

Mean: ~169h; Min: ~0.1h; Max: ~1157h; Median: ~28h. I would've liked it to account for outliers, is that a suggestion I can reasonably make?

Himitsu_no_Yami

So, I just noticed one of my players dumped their CON...

NautArch

@Himitsu_no_Yami ruhroh

Mark Wells

@Himitsu_no_Yami Totally valid choice.

Medix2

4:28 PM

Dump meaning maxed or mined?

Himitsu_no_Yami

they have a -1 to CON

Medix2

Death By Levelling (not doable with -1 but I can dream)

NautArch

Hope they take the average when they level.

Rubiksmoose

60

Q: Death by leveling? The effects of 0 max HP and leveling with negative CON

Since per Jeremy Crawford's twitter and Is there a floor for maximum HP? you can get into a situation where your max HP is zero due to leveling up… what happens next? What happens when your max HP is 0 because you leveled up with a negative Constitution modifier? Are you dead, unconscious, or wh...

dnd-5e ability-scores hit-points

Himitsu_no_Yami

Oh, death by leveling isn't likely, even with a -2, they'll die way before they can level

Rubiksmoose

4:29 PM

XD

Himitsu_no_Yami

we're playing ToA

Rubiksmoose

(talk about your convoluted question premises by the way, jeesh who wrote that?)

Mark Wells

@NautArch I enjoy the symmetry of these two simultaneous comments and what it says about our respective play styles :)

Himitsu_no_Yami

My go-to dump stat is STR

Rubiksmoose

Looks like there is no more death by leveling right? No matter what option you take you gain a min of 1 hp when you level.

Himitsu_no_Yami

4:32 PM

@Rubiksmoose according to that QA yes but well...

I'm not adding a minimum of 1 in my games

Rubiksmoose

That sounds very fair to the tone of ToA at least lol

Himitsu_no_Yami

If you die by leveling I say it's natural selection

Rubiksmoose

IMO it was a pretty dumb design choice (or oversight) to even allow that option, but yeah it always took a lot of stubborn silly risk-taking to even come close to having it be an issue.

Himitsu_no_Yami

They're lucky I'm not running meat grinder mode. (I really want to but one of them is rather new)

MikeQ

Is that when all of the dice are made of meat products?

Himitsu_no_Yami

4:35 PM

lmao

in this case, it looks like the only thing specifically written is that death saves only pass on a 15+

but I'd add other things to make it feel better

Rubiksmoose

@MikeQ In this scenario, would a roll of "rib eyes" be the worst or best option?

NautArch

@MarkWells ha! I was also expecting more than a -1. But my games are definitely combat-focused, so doing something that makes it harder to stay alive is going to be problematic for my tables.

MikeQ

Raising the DC of death saving throws? Is that in the DMG somewhere?

NautArch

But I'll also see how it works with Avernus and a different DM. The paladin opted to make Dex +3 and Con +1.

Himitsu_no_Yami

His current stat pool (post mods) is in order: 14 18 9 16 11 18

@MikeQ it's in ToA specifically

"You must choose to run the adventure as a meat grinder from the very beginning. In this mode of play, the [spoiler] gains the power to draw characters who are close to death, and the following rule applies:

A death saving throw succeeds on a roll of 15 or higher (instead of 10 or higher). This effect ends when the [spoiler] is destroyed. Other rules concerning death saving throws remain unchanged."

NautArch

4:40 PM

@Himitsu_no_Yami ToA?

Himitsu_no_Yami

yes

Mark Wells

@Himitsu_no_Yami Not having played ToA, I'll observe that "The Spoiler" is not a half-bad name for whatever it is that does this.

NautArch

@MarkWells It's a purely optional playstyle, to be decided by players and DM.

not really spoilers

Himitsu_no_Yami

the spoiler is the name of the things that does this in the plot

it exists either way but is more powerful in this mode

Mark Wells

I mean there's evidently a boss / cursed artifact / something that makes Death a more potent force in the world

MikeQ

4:43 PM

That's part of the adventure's premise, yes.

Rubiksmoose

Gee golly our cup overfloweth with new users today.

Himitsu_no_Yami

do rogues usually have much of a need for STR? I can't think of any but I don't usually play rogue

Someone_Evil

Jump distance is (technically) based on your strength score

NautArch

5:01 PM

@Himitsu_no_Yami A rogue interested in grappling (using their expertise) would want STR

Himitsu_no_Yami

This is a changeling rogue and based on what he put for his character I don't think he's interested in grappling

NautArch

without jumping or grappling, there isn't much else a rogue would need for STR for

Himitsu_no_Yami

Alright, I let him swap his CON and STR to help him out

MikeQ

Shouldn't the player choose which numbers to apply to which ability scores?

Someone_Evil

Carrying lots of loot?

Himitsu_no_Yami

5:05 PM

he did but I don't think he realized a - to CON would lower his HP when he built the char

NautArch

First thing you should do is give him an athletics check

Himitsu_no_Yami

lol

nitsua60

@Medix2 The tricky bit is to leave that comment kindly. We've had users who were absolutely right to be pointing out how little use spitballing is, but who did so in abrasive and offputting ways--that's not terribly helpful, either.

In the last year or two the mods have definitely noticed, though, a real upswing in great guidance-commenting by regular users. The sorts of ones that point some firmly *and* gently in the direction we want people to go. I hesitate to name names, since I'm sure I'll leave out someone deserving of praise, so I'll just put it this way:
If you have five minutes go take a look back through your last page or two of comments. (Profile-->Activity-->All Actions-->Comments.) If what you see sounds like that ^^ give yourself a pat on the back and keep up the good work. Thank you! If what you see soun…

3

NautArch

@nitsua60 Ihope i'm the former, but worry i'm the latter.

nitsua60

@NautArch Run for mod: then you can go back and edit any old comments you worry about, and you'll be what you hoped for!

(he he he)

Himitsu_no_Yami

5:17 PM

lol

NautArch

@nitsua60 nice try :P

nitsua60

@NautArch How 'bout this: I'll bring you a truckload of firewood if you run for mod?

=D

MikeQ

So when I write "Insolent newcomer! How dare you exclude a game tag! I'll make an example out of you and vote to close your question!", that's not very helpful?

NautArch

:5438678 Literally not enough cords of wood out there for me.

nitsua60

@MikeQ Correct. Too many bangs. It diminishes their effectiveness.

Himitsu_no_Yami

5:19 PM

I'd vote for you

nitsua60

@NautArch TIL a cord is holy Jesus that's a lot of wood to split!

Himitsu_no_Yami

lol

I'm glad to see someone other than me using TIL

nitsua60

I probably buck and split a quarter cord in an afternoon. Though I might be giving up on my bucksaw and giving in to the chainsaw gods, so that would roughly double throughput.

TIL Maine defines (by statute) a cord not as a neatly stacked 4' x 4' x 8' collection of split wood, but as 180 cu. ft. of loosely thrown split wood.
I like that they don't make you stack it.

Himitsu_no_Yami

I'm mildly interested

MikeQ

4' x 4' x 8' would be 128 cu ft, wouldn't it?

Someone_Evil

5:33 PM

@MikeQ Different wood packing

Himitsu_no_Yami

@MikeQ *pulls out calculator* yes 128

nitsua60

@MikeQ Yes.

So if neatly stacked a cord is 128 ft^3. But Maine says "eh, just throw it over theayah" and calls 180 ft^3 a cord =)

MikeQ

Would a 1' x 1' x 180' ft stack count as a cord, or is there some minimum amount of entropy needed

Himitsu_no_Yami

@MikeQ I want to say it would count but I also support the "minimum amount of entropy"

All things in life need a minimum amount of entropy

NautArch

@nitsua60 We got through about a cord a winter. The wood we get delivered does usually need to be split again. Thankgoodness for the splitting maul.

Transcript for